Who says meal replacements can’t be eaten as meals?

The brown wooden floor reflects the soft light. The nearest product shelf is filled with chocolate snails and pineapple buns. The air is filled with the unique aroma of fermented dough baked at high temperature. Ichinose Sakuya can smell the faint wheat aroma in the bakery even across half the store. Her thoughts automatically jump to the beautiful scene of the baker in a white chef's hat making the bakery. The butter melts and blooms in the center of the dough, and the whipped cream and fluffy egg whites are blended in, then thrown into the mixing bucket, tumbling with the powdered sugar.

This is the promised land where milk and honey flow, but it is also a dangerous place where fat will accumulate unconsciously. Sugar and carbohydrates bring happiness but also come at a price. If you are not careful, your favorite skirt will tighten around your waist, and you can only seal it up with tears, believing that you can wear it again in the future.

"What kind of dessert does Xiangzi like..." Miss Sakuya hesitated a little, holding a plastic tray lined with a layer of thin paper in one hand, but finally asked.

"Dessert..." Toyokawa Shoko twisted the bread sandwich with her right hand and thought for a while. "I used to like mousse that wasn't too sweet, but now I pay more attention to cost-effectiveness and nutritional content."

I feel like the topic has suddenly become heavy.

"I've heard from Aine that the chocolate snails at Yamabuki Bakery seem pretty good. Do you want to try them?" Sakuya paused, then said briskly, turning towards the incubator, her right hand naturally trying to pull itself out from between her fingers.

"Then let's go together." Seeing this, Miss Xiangzi smiled and followed, holding her left hand lightly and refusing to let go.

“…Are you really not going to let go? It feels…it feels so weird.” Ms. Sakuya stared at the neatly arranged, fluffy buns, ignoring the warm touch in her palm.

"It should be okay for good friends to hold hands, right?" Xiangzi asked back, and with one hand he opened the lid of the incubator that was reflecting warm light under the spotlight, easily clamped it, and even squeezed it slightly.

"Stop playing." Miss Sakuya suddenly understood Bread's feelings. She said something coquettishly, but still held the tray obediently and cooperated with Xiangzi's actions.

On the way to the shopping street, someone was hugging me all the way with a happy look on his face, why is he suddenly shy now?

Ignoring the slightly regretful look of the country girl, Toyokawa Shoko controlled the quantity of bread and kept the total price within an acceptable range that Sakuya would not strongly object to.

"Why don't you buy a few more?" Sakuya muttered softly, stole a glance at the counter, moved his right hand, and carefully hid his clasped hands.

"You will regret it later if you indulge in your appetite~" Xiangzi replied in the same tone, and his eyes moved to the brown-haired cashier.

Miss Yamabuki Saya, who had been covering for her brother for half a day at her own bakery, was tidying up the cash register with her head down in embarrassment, pretending not to notice the beautiful girl who had been holding her hand since she entered the door.

This was the first time she had seen the one with light blue hair, but she had a pretty good relationship with Sakuya, who often went to RiNG. After all, they were members of the same band as Rikki. A few days ago, she saw Sakuya bringing the boss’s granddaughter to the store to buy new matcha flavored products. Today... why did another girl come?

"Saaya-senpai, sorry to bother you." Miss Sakuya was a little embarrassed and shy, and pretended nothing was wrong, and used her little hands that were finally free to pay the bill.

"Welcome, Sakuya-kun, don't you have band rehearsal today?" Yamabuki Saya smiled gently, finished packing skillfully, and chatted casually about other topics.

"Well...it wasn't until yesterday that everyone decided to participate in this Live. It seems that they are still training the guitarist in the team, so I took some time out of my busy schedule to come out and play." Sakuya said embarrassedly.

"Is that so? You don't need to feel too stressed. We are grateful that you can come to help us. Cheer up and don't leave any regrets." Yamabuki Saya sighed with some nostalgia, and her tone soon became cheerful. "Today, the store has some new models of trial products. I have also packed them together for you. Just treat it as a special gift. Have fun."

"Okay...Okay." Miss Sakuya stuttered and nodded in reply, then turned around angrily to catch up with the blue-haired little hedgehog who had suddenly attacked her and then separated from her in an instant.

The cashier shook her head subtly and rearranged the pairs of heart-shaped cakes, hoping that Sakuya would not bring a new girl to the store to buy the same ones next time.

======

Sanjiao Chuhua was wearing her common combination of a white baseball cap and sunglasses, which mostly concealed her beautiful face and her carefully styled hairstyle. Even so, the charm of a popular idol had not diminished too much, and from time to time passers-by on the shopping street would cast admiring glances at her.

Although her lips were still filled with the smile of a professional idol, Miss Chuhua's heart was aching to the point of being numb.

Failed.

I should have created an opportunity for Shoko to meet by chance when I first met Sakuya.

If I had the courage to reconnect with Xiao Xiang...

It’s only been less than two months, why do Xiaoxiang and Sakuya look like a couple in the honeymoon period now?

The results of the idol training began to take effect. The strong self-control combined with the deep breathing made him calm down again. Sanjiao Chuhua suppressed the depressed thoughts in his heart, raised his head again, and revealed a sunny professional smile.

It's just holding hands, and most likely just an ignorant affection during adolescence. There's still time to intervene from now on.

"Welcome, is this you?" The Finnish waiter at Yuze Coffee Shop greeted the blonde lady who walked in very warmly.

"Well, it's true that I'm the only one here, but can I choose the four-person booth over there? I prefer seats that can get some sun." Chu Hua smiled with a gentle tone.

"Of course, please take a seat. If you want to order, I recommend today's Bushido Special..."

Miss Chuhua casually responded to the waitress with a cute accent. Her light purple eyes fell on the girls who were holding hands on the street and slowly walking towards the coffee shop. She wavered for a moment and then quickly became firm. Even if Xiaoxiang really had someone he truly loved and they were in love with each other, she would be patient and endure it. It didn't matter even if they were married. She had been waiting for nearly ten years, and she was willing to wait another ten years.

Miss Chuhua clenched her fists, sat facing the door of the cafe, closed her eyes and meditated, recalling the natural expressions she had rehearsed for a long time. She would definitely catch up with Xiaoxiang's pace, starting from today's long-awaited reunion.

Jingle Bell--

Chapter 165 I'm Not That Gentle

As a girl who is short of money and in a not-so-good financial situation, Toyokawa Shoko comes to the Yuze Cafe, a light luxury place loved by female high school students, again after several weeks.

The freshly ground coffee in the backstage looks mellow and delicate under the chandelier, full of fragrance, and keyboard-shaped latte art is drawn with milk, which can be said to be a very clever and pleasing technique. The freshly baked chocolate snails are bright in color, exuding warm and restrained heat, and together with the pairs of heart-shaped cakes on the table, they create a warm afternoon tea scene.

The only strange thing was that the atmosphere had changed from a two-person date to a three-person social event, and the blonde beauty sitting opposite him with a perfect smile turned out to be his childhood playmate whom he hadn't contacted for a long time.

Half of him was surprised, half of him missed the world, and there was also a little regret that he couldn't continue to maintain his world of two people. Since leaving the Toyokawa family, this was the first time that he had sat down and chatted and drank tea with friends other than Mu in such a calm manner.

Overall, reuniting with Chuhua is indeed a happy thing.

It would be better if the country girls around me didn't unconsciously exude their charm...

"Xiao Chuhua, why don't you try it too? Even if idols are very strict about their body shape, it's okay to indulge once or twice occasionally." Ichinose Sakuya gently pushed the little heart-shaped cake that she had scooped out of a spoonful, and whispered to seduce the idol lady to grow fat with her.

"No thanks. My agent was already in a difficult position today because I turned down a public appearance and went out for a stroll. If my weight goes over the limit again, I will definitely be severely punished." Sanjiao Chuhua declined politely, holding the coffee cup in both hands.

Her light purple eyes were full of tenderness, and her gaze was always fixed on Miss Sakuya who was eating voraciously. She didn't dare to show too much enthusiasm to Xiaoxiang, so she could only watch the latter's perfect and elegant eating movements from the corner of her eyes.

"Is that so..." Miss Sakuya, feeling that it's not easy to make money, did not insist. She cut off a small piece to taste, and then naturally swapped the cheesecake that had become a quarter of a heart with the matcha-flavored one that Shoko had just taken a small bite of.

"This is also a gift, please be sure to accept it~" Miss Sakuya smiled proudly. Although she sacrificed her hand today, she also successfully improved the progress of feeding Toyokawa Shoko by a big step. It can be said that there are gains and losses.

I just want to eat matcha flavor...

Miss Xiangzi shook her head helplessly, picked up the Earl Grey tea and sipped it gently. She also shifted her gaze away from the people around her and looked at Sanjiao Chuhua across the square table.

She saw the well-concealed shock.

The muscles at the corners of her mouth fell stiffly, and the arm that was half-raising the coffee cup paused for a moment before continuing her owner's action. Her pupils remained calm, but the unnatural twitching at the corners of her eyes betrayed Miss Chuhua's true thoughts.

In fact, she could hardly hold back the smile on her face when Sakuya stretched out her hand and took out a pair of heart-shaped cakes. Not to mention the hand-holding and playing along the way, Shoko's doting behavior of allowing Sakuya to exchange food at this moment was like a heavy hammer that hit her psychological defenses hard.

Judging from the country girl's current proficiency, such interaction is obviously just a daily occurrence for the two of them.

"Come to think of it, I don't know much about the relationship between Hatsuka and Sakuya. I guess it's a matter of fate, right?" The teacup fell gently, and Toyokawa Shoko was controlling the harmonious atmosphere of the gathering instead of a foodie who was supposed to start the topic.

The interaction between himself and Sakuya should not be considered too intimate...but the afternoon tea etiquette taught since childhood does not allow me to just sit there and drink tea, so it would be better to bring up a topic that can soothe Chuhua's emotions.

Ms. Hatsuka's disappointed look suddenly became more obvious, and she spoke in a low voice with a mixture of complaints and love. "The opportunity for me and Sakuya to meet was actually thanks to the current leader of the band [NyaAki], who is a beauty blogger on Youtube who wanted to transform."

"I've also heard from Sakuya. She sounds like a really great person with an accurate understanding of the traffic trends, but there seem to be some minor problems with her technique and style of doing things?" Shoko Toyokawa recalled Sakuya's mumblings and complaints some time ago, and echoed them casually.

"I was actually quite happy when I first met Xiao Chuhua." Ms. Sakuya, with matcha cake powder still on the corners of her mouth, also joined the conversation with great interest. "When the band was performing at the audition, I was full of confidence and thought there would be no problem, but in the end..."

"Kosakuya's playing is really good, full of spirituality, and has that unique classical feel of the last century. It's surprisingly similar to my style." Miss Chuhua covered her mouth and chuckled, once again remembering the magical operation of someone playing jazz in a rock band when applying for a job.

"Technically, I'm not as good as Hai Ling..." The silver spoon scraped along the edge of the plastic tray, gathering the remaining small pieces together. Miss Sakuya recalled the past and sighed softly. "Xiao Chuhua said something similar at the time. Even though there was an obvious gap in strength, he still chose me and took my feelings into consideration. He was really kind."

"It sounds like you two are destined to be together." Miss Xiangzi felt a subtle discomfort when she heard the two of them calling her XX-chan. Sakuya would basically only call her like that in a half-coquettish way when she had done something bad and was about to be exposed.

"Yes, I have received a lot of care from Xiao Chuhua in the band. He always prepared warm water in advance, shared half of his rations with me when I was hungry, and gave me careful massages when my muscles were tired. He also took me home after each practice. I am absolutely... absolutely lucky to meet such a gentle person like Xiao Chuhua in my first band..." Miss Sakuya said most of the words in a light tone, and suddenly stuttered. She lowered her head shyly and stared at the coffee spoon that was supposed to be used to stir the coffee.

Because a familiar little hand quietly approached under the table and pressed tightly against the palm of his left hand through the gaps between his five fingers.

The gray-blue pupils turned slightly, and the blue-haired little hedgehog still had an elegant smile on his face, sitting upright and sipping tea, acting as if the little hands making trouble under the table didn't exist at all.

"I... I'm actually not as good as Sakuya thinks." Sankaku Hatsuka lowered her head in reflection. She did do a lot for Sakuya, but most of them were done with impure motives, just to know Xiaoxiang's situation...

"Chuhua, there's no need to be modest about this kind of thing." Toyokawa Shoko gently put down the teacup, speaking gently. "Ever since we met when we were kids, Chuhua has always impressed me as a warm-hearted and kind person. It's amazing that she hasn't changed in all these years."

Miss Chuhua almost lost herself in this sudden tenderness and subconsciously opened her mouth to deny it. "Xiaoxiang, I..."

"And Sakuya is really cute, right?" Toyokawa Shoko said as she tightened her right hand slightly under the table.

So, she has to take good care of it and not lose it.

Chapter 166: Two Shares of Happiness

The question of whether Ichinose Sakuya is cute or not does not seem to require me to express my opinion again. She has a lively and cheerful personality, a lovely handsome face, gray-blue eyes that seem to look like lakes in the countryside, and flaxen hair. No matter from which angle you judge her, Sakuya is undoubtedly cute.

But when Toyokawa Shoko asked this question to herself, the meaning was completely different...

Sanjiao Chuhua found it difficult to accept the reality that was so obvious before him.

Obviously, I was the one who fell in love with Xiao Xiang first. It was the first time I met my childhood sweetheart after a long separation, and it was also the first time I made a close friend other than my work partner in Tokyo. These two happy things overlapped. And these two joys brought me more joy. What I got should have been a happy time like a dream... But why did it turn out like this...

"Sakuya is really cute, right?" Toyokawa Shoko asked back in an affirmative tone.

"Why are you suddenly so cheesy..." Miss Sakuya muttered softly. She was already uneasy because of the sneak attack under the table, and now the hand holding the spoon began to tremble slightly.

"Xiao Xiang and Sakuya have a really good relationship." Sankaku Hatsuka said with emotion, suppressing his envy.

"It's really amazing. Although Sakuya and I sat in front and back of each other in the same class, our relationship was not harmonious at the beginning of the school year. It was not until we got along for a long time and gained a better understanding of each other that we gradually became good friends." Miss Shoko gently pinched her good friend's fingertips, her tone calm.

"He's completely opposite to Xiao Chuhua. When I first met Xiangzi, this bad guy almost made me cry. I was so nice to someone, but in return I got bullied by a malicious person." Miss Sakuya said meaningfully. The little hands under the table resisted unwillingly. At least she had to pinch Xiangzi's fingertips to be fair.

"But now they can still sit together and drink coffee, which means there must be some misunderstanding, right?" Sanjiao Chuhua said, suppressing her doubts. She was very suspicious whether the two people across the table were flirting with each other and even regarded themselves as part of a show of affection.

"It's my fault." Miss Xiangzi summarized briefly, obviously unwilling to say more.

"It's not Xiangzi's fault. After all, maybe it's because my sister is too clingy..." After swallowing the last spoonful of matcha cake that she was going to feed the blue-haired hedgehog, Miss Sakuya reluctantly said something to save her sister's face. "But my sister has gradually changed... a little bit..."

The voice trembled slightly, and changed from a statement to a question.

Shoko Toyokawa didn't like this topic, so she squeezed someone's fingers, which were longer than hers, with a little force.

Does Xiaoxiang not like Crychic's Nagasaki Suyo?

But Sakuya is undoubtedly Miss Nagasaki's twin sister...

Sanjiao Chuhua fell into a brief confusion, and after being dazed for a moment, he quickly came up with a rough guess.

Combined with today's information and the fact that Crychic hasn't updated for more than a year, it's clear that Miss Nagasaki is a somewhat infatuated person who tried to keep the band. She didn't give up even after the band stopped activities. She's quite similar to me emotionally...

Although it is unclear whether the reason why Xiangzi developed a crush on Sakuya so quickly was because of their similar appearance, if Xiangzi did not like this kind of person, he would not be able to express his feelings directly.

"Do you two have any other plans later?" Miss Chuhua changed the subject as Xiangzi wished. She had almost finished her coffee and had to find some other reasons to continue staying with Xiaoxiang, at least to leave a deep impression on him.

"Where is Xiao Chuhua?" Miss Sakuya, who finally suppressed her shyness and locked Xiangzi's rebellious little hands on her thighs, spoke first.

"I don't have any plans today. I'm just walking around to relax." Sanjiao Chuhua repeated the excuses he had prepared long ago, determined to maintain today's three-person meeting, hoping that Xiangzi would not hate him...

"Sakuya, please arrange it..." Toyokawa Shoko said quickly with a blush on her cheeks, then lowered her eyes to the surface of the calm black tea, silently reciting the bill to be paid that could help her concentrate.

She was shocked by the plumpness of her hands. They were both high school students, but her thighs were very slender and curvy, but they were not as comfortable as Sakuya's. But then again, the little village girl was a little too bold. It was okay for her to do this to herself, but Chuhua had helped massage her before...

It seems necessary to strengthen privacy education.

Miss Sakuya, whose reaction time was a little longer, gradually realized what she had done. She turned her head to look at Toyokawa Shoko beside her as if begging for mercy, but found that she still had that standard young lady's smile on her face.

Wouldn't it seem like I'm the type of guy who cares a lot and likes girls if I do that?

"Sakuya, is there anywhere you want to go?" Miss Chuhua turned her head slightly and asked kindly.

"If there are three of us, how about going to the arcade?" Ichinose Sakuya suggested, silently repeating 'Shoko is a friend*3'.

"Not bad. I've heard that the claw machines and arcade music games in the shopping street are very good. If you don't mind, please take me with you." Sanjiao Chuhua said in a cheerful and half-joking tone.

"I will definitely bring Xiao Chuhua with me." Miss Sakuya, who had rebuilt her mental barrier, smiled as if she were in the spring breeze and nodded in agreement. She might not be able to control the distance if she was alone with Xiangzi, so it would definitely be a lot easier with Xiao Chuhua by her side.

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly had the evil idea of ​​pinching someone's thigh hard to make her restrain herself a little. Fortunately, there were other things in the conversation that attracted her attention.

"What is an arcade?" she asked softly.

======

"There aren't so many arcade games related to music?" Xiangzi exclaimed in a low voice as he looked at the wild music game players whose fingers left afterimages.

Today was really an eye-opener. I had never been here when I was well off, but now that I have some free time, I realize that Tokyo is much richer than I had imagined.

"It looks like he's playing Flight of the Bumblebee. Maybe Shoko will unexpectedly become very good at this game." Miss Sakuya fiddled with the taiko master's drumsticks and followed his gaze.

"How about we start with some simple, easy-to-learn projects?" Sanjiao Chuhua looked at Toyokawa Shoko, who was full of curiosity, with some surprise and made a warm suggestion.

"But with so many types... how can we play in accordance with the rules? I should do some research first..."

Miss Xiangzi was in a strange dilemma, but she didn't think for too long before someone pushed her from behind into the brilliant and splendid——

Children's area.

Chapter 167: Ms. Sakuya feels that Tachibana is in a bad situation

Today, the dream of regaining the same or even more intimate relationship with Xiaoxiang as in childhood was shattered. Xiaoxiang was still as gentle and enthusiastic as in memory, and his attitude towards her was not distant, but most of his eyes were always on Sakuya, which made Sankaku Chuhua a little melancholy.

Biting a straw and holding a half-cup of lemonade, two completely opposite auras of sunshine and melancholy appeared on Miss Chu Hua who was leaning against the wall as a spectator. She was silently watching the two people fighting side by side to eliminate the plastic gophers.

Ichinose Sakuya danced with a rubber hammer in one hand with great vigor and concentration, taking in the overall situation. The poor moles were often ruthlessly suppressed as soon as they poked their heads out.