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

"Right, right, Xiaomu is just very cute." Ms. Sakuya nodded in agreement. As she finished speaking, she felt the friction of her clothes being held tightly behind her.

The green-haired girl subconsciously tangled her clothes with her hands, then let go awkwardly when Sakuya looked back and smiled. Her face was a little pink, and she was obviously shy.

The shy little Mu is also very cute. I really don’t know how her sister could be so cruel as to abandon such a well-behaved child...

“Are Sakuya and Wakaba-san also here to watch a movie?” Miss Aine raised her phone awkwardly.

"Actually, we came to the cinema to eat popcorn." Miss Sakuya responded with the sympathetic look she gave to the kindergarten kids.

"Don't make fun of me..." Chihaya Aine, who always felt pitied by Sakuya in a strange place, regrouped and turned on the camera function of her mobile phone. "Although it may be a little abrupt, if possible, I would like to take a photo with Wakaba-san."

The half of Wakaba Mu's head that was left completely disappeared, and he shrank behind Sakuya, the thought of rejection obvious in his words.

“It’s okay if it doesn’t work.” Aine put away her phone awkwardly and sighed at the intimacy between the two. “Sakuya-chan has so many girls that he’s close to.”

“Is...is there?” Sakuya looked away.

"Yes, my interactions with Toyokawa-san at school seem like we're dating," Ms. Aine gave an example.

"This is what good friends are like!" Sakuya answered firmly. The friendship between her and Shoko was definitely just a high-level friendship.

“And the cool girl I met at the subway station that day, her name was Hachiman Kairin?” Aine fiddled with her second finger.

“We play together... so it’s normal for us to be a little intimate.” There seemed to be a gaze behind her, and Sakuya-san suddenly felt that her compatibility with Aine was a little bad. Why did she always get tortured every time they chatted?

"The interaction between you and Chuhua in [NyaAki] was also very sweet. I watched the new video released by Miao Mengqin." Aiyin said excitedly.

"That was all Meow Meng-senpai's random editing!" Miss Sakuya protested, gesturing with her hands. She and Xiao Chuhua were innocent and at most they just held hands.

The two were still chatting about the topic of "black-hearted bloggers", but Ruoye Mu was now completely stunned, and his hands behind Sakuya were clenched a little tighter.

Xiang, do you like Sakuya too?

Mu was very close, so she could clearly feel someone's hesitation when he mentioned Xiangzi.

She opened her eyes and saw a naturally falling flaxen ponytail in front of her. Following the fragrance that rolled down her cheek, she went up to the plain white nape of her neck and the light pink cherry blossom hair accessory.

Sakuya is so cheerful, it's normal that many people like her as much as I do...

As long as Sakuya can accompany me occasionally like today or in the Moon Forest, that will be enough.

I should be satisfied.

...

“Mutu-chan.” Sakuya turned around, holding Aine’s cell phone.

Maybe it was because the communication between me and Aine neglected Xiao Mu, and I felt that Xiao Huanggua was a little unhappy at the moment.

"Would you like to take a photo together?" Sakuya suggested with a smile.

"Is it just me and...Sakuya?" Wakaba Mu's voice was very soft.

“If possible, let’s take a photo together.” Sakuya replied.

"...Yeah." Ruoye Mu nodded reluctantly.

"How about I take a few photos with Xiaomu alone after we're done?" Sakuya blinked and comforted Wakaba Mutsu, who seemed to be reluctant to take photos.

"...Okay." If Ye Mu also learned to blink, she found that she had become greedy.

Chapter 185: Half Sugar is Sweet

The lights in the cinema were bright, and the LCD screen at the top was flashing eye-catching movie trailers. There were many high school girls like the three of them around, and their brisk and crisp playfulness was full of joy and youth.

A professional electronic synthesized voice reminded the next group of audience members to enter the venue and check their tickets. The first three-party meeting ended smoothly with a result that everyone was satisfied with.

Chihaya Aine finally got her wish and took a photo with Miss Wakaba. Although she hasn't watched the movie yet, she has successfully completed most of her goals for today, and she can now accompany Motoyo to enjoy the plot of the movie without any burden.

Ruo Ye Mu carefully preserved the photo of herself and the flaxen-haired girl. In fact, she didn't really care about photography as a way of commemorating the past, but if Xiang had it, she would have hoped to achieve the same level.

As for Ichinose Sakuya, the country girl was happily watching the cinema staff stuffing popcorn into the round paper tube with a large shovel full of visual effects. When it was her turn, she chose the less sweet half-sugar version with some sadness. The food has been too good recently, and if she doesn't control her diet, she will really have to eat vegetarian food to lose weight.

"Before you go, I have one more favor to ask of you, Aine-chan." Ms. Sakuya, who was holding a large popcorn bucket, suddenly spoke up.

"What?" The pink-haired girl who was browsing her phone and thinking about the SNS copy looked up.

“Let’s gather at the door after the movie. Aine must hold on to her sister and don’t let her go home directly.” While her sister, who appeared to reject him but actually secretly came out to date little Aine, had not arrived yet, Captain Sakuya gave the pink-haired British student a combat order with a serious expression.

"Should I say 'I promise to complete the mission'?" Chihaya Aine, who had just been photographed, held back her smile, blinked her eyes, and replied with some curiosity. "But why didn't Sakuya-chan go and tell Motoyo herself? She and Wakaba-san should be friends, too."

"Because my sister is a weird person..." Miss Sakuya said helplessly.

"..." Wakaba Mu raised her eyebrows and turned her head slightly. She noticed Sakuya's sigh, but didn't know how to comfort her.

Does Sakuya, who is always full of energy, also get tired sometimes?

Mu finally just tugged at Sakuya's sleeve with increasingly skilled hands. "The movie is about to start."

“Yes.” Sakuya turned around and put on a comforting smile, trying to comfort the doll lady who might have been sad for a long time. “Let’s go.”

...

After passing the ticket gate and complaining about her sister in her heart once again, Ms. Sakuya hid her mental fatigue, slowed down her pace, and leisurely sat down in the reserved seat with Xiaomu beside her.

The movie hasn't started yet, but the promotional video for "Yellow Pepper" is still playing on the huge screen that fills the field of vision. Audience members who are gradually taking their seats use the pale white light from their cellphone screens to illuminate the numbers on their seats. The noisy environment around them makes Ms. Sakuya subconsciously reach out and rub her aching temples.

She didn't know what kind of conflict Xiaomu had with her sister, but it would never go wrong to communicate more. However... I had planned to go out and rest today, why did I feel more tired?

"...Sakuya, are you unhappy?" Ruoye Mu's somewhat cold voice sounded in his ears, and his calm light golden pupils concealed unspeakable concern and love.

"Ahaha... the popcorn isn't sweet enough. It's not what I expected." Miss Sakuya turned her head and stared at the half-sugar popcorn that she had only taken a few bites of. She was indeed a little tired at the moment.

"..." This was the second time that Wakaba Mutsuki saw Sakuya looking somewhat lost.

The first time was at Yuze Coffee Shop.

She sat across the square table and watched Sakuya rest her head on Xiang's shoulder.

At that time, Sakuya showed an uneasy expression similar to the one she has now. Xiang couldn't see it, but he saw it clearly.

Wakaba Mu felt that she was stupid. Her mouth was clumsy, and she couldn't comfort Sakuya with words. Her body was equally clumsy. Even if the two of them were sitting next to each other in adjacent seats, she didn't have the courage to give a simple hug.

Perhaps the only thing I am good at is studying.

"Sakuya." Wakaba Mu leaned forward, put his hands on the girl's arms, and spoke suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Sakuya turned her head with a smile. She was always quick to adjust. It was a rare occasion for her to go out and play with Xiaomu, so she couldn't let him worry.

"..." The dim light in the exhibition hall effectively concealed the light blush that was slowly climbing up her delicate face. Ruo Yemu was silent for a moment, then made up his mind and spoke.

"feed me."

"Eh?" Sakuya was stunned and didn't quite hear it.

The screen just happened to reflect pure light at this moment. The girl looked up, her face tense, her own reflection in her pupils, revealing a tentative look like a small animal. Below her were the scattered flickering lights of her cell phone, and above her head was a pure white beam of light.

Sakuya opened her mouth slightly, not knowing how to respond for a moment. It was clearly just an everyday scene, yet it was truly beautiful and impressive.

"...Feed me." Ruoye Mu resisted the urge to lower his head and shrink into the gap, and repeated it in a low voice.

"Why?" Sakuya asked, her slender hands naturally pinching the not-so-sweet popcorn and bringing it to the girl's lips.

If Ye Mu did not answer immediately.

She took it in small sips, and stayed there for a moment before looking up at the flaxen-haired girl who fed her.

The projection was playing the most splendid scene, with colorful flowers blooming in an instant, and the girl's eyes reflected them, also sparkling.

I'm not sad anymore, that's great.

"Xiao Mu?" Miss Sakuya felt embarrassed by the stare of those light golden eyes, so she leaned back and put some distance.

"..." Wakaba Mutsu took a deep breath, supported the armrests of Sakuya's chair with both hands, and completely surrounded the little village girl.

"Eh? Eh...what are you doing?" Miss Sakuya, who was surrounded, was not too panicked at the moment. Her trembling hands had already betrayed her. She was more filled with curiosity and the pleasure of seeing cute and adorable things.

"..." Miss Mu recalled Xiangzi's actions in the coffee shop that day. She pinched the popcorn lightly with two fingers and pressed it to her soft lips before speaking coldly.

"Open your mouth."

“Pfft——” Miss Sakuya laughed out loud, then covered her mouth and giggled.

"......" Ruoye Mu looked innocent and helpless, his hands holding the popcorn trembling slightly. Obviously Xiangzi had fed the popcorn smoothly that day, and Sakuya seemed very happy at that time...

Sakuya laughed at me...but I succeeded.

"Xiao Mu." Miss Sakuya lowered her voice and said softly, perhaps because she had laughed enough. "You are so cute when you imitate Xiangzi."

"......" Ruo Yemu nodded his head and planned to escape back to his seat at a very fast speed.

Didn't make it.

Sakuya held Mu's hand that was holding the popcorn.

"Hey~" Sakuya looked up, smiling like a flower.

Actually, half sugar is quite sweet.

Chapter 186: The Hateful Guy

"Hey, Xiao Sushi, what do you think of me today?"

Chihaya Aine scored twice, and said coquettishly to Nagasaki Motoyo who was walking towards her with one hand on her waist.

I just got praised by my younger sister, so my aesthetic taste should be similar, right?

"How is it?..." Nagasaki Suyo tilted her head in confusion. She really wanted to open someone's head and carefully explore whether the idiot's brain was smoother. How could she rush to someone and ask for compliments as soon as she met him?

“It’s just the face, the bangs, the eyelashes and so on…” Miss Aine blinked her light grey eyes quickly, and she stretched out her hand to lift her light pink hair ostentatiously, just like a big pink-haired puppy wagging its tail.

"I don't think there's anything special about it. Aiyin-san is really lively." Nagasaki Suyo smiled gently, and said teasingly with a slightly pinched voice. She really didn't see any traces of makeup on her face, and she didn't really want to simply compliment her, so she covered her mouth and chuckled with a playful look.

“It’s not like that—!” Miss Aine, who didn’t get the expected answer, pulled her hair in distress, and after thinking for a moment, she understood the reason.

It must be because he was not close enough that Su Shi couldn't see clearly.

Miss Aine, who had regained her confidence, put her hands on her hips, leaned forward and put her face close to Su Shi, staring at her with wide eyes and said, "Hey, do you feel anything different from usual?"

"...I didn't notice it." Nagasaki Motoyo, who was also wearing light makeup, paused for a moment, then avoided the watery and lively eyes and spoke in a low voice.

Her cheeks felt slightly hot, and she felt more annoyed than shy. She had sacrificed her precious rest time to go out to the movies with a temporarily useful pink-haired girl, so why was she fussing over such an insignificant matter... and getting so close to her.

"Eh——?" Chihaya Aine stood up again, put one hand on her chin, and let out a long sound of surprise. "I tried the makeup video I watched yesterday, and Sakuya-chan also said that I was cuter today..."

"!?" Miss Su Shi's eyes became sharp.

“…Did we make a mistake in the procedure?” Miss Aine was still confused.

Nagasaki Suyo couldn't stand it anymore. The frivolous pink-haired lecher actually seduced her innocent sister again. It was really abominable!

"If you look closely, you can still see traces of foundation." Su Shi smiled, took two steps forward, and reached out to touch Miss Aine's pink face that she had fiddled with for half a day this morning.

"Really?" Aiyin was stunned for a moment, but soon became happy again. Although she was a little bothered by Su Shi's sudden proximity, this was also proof that she was popular.

“I heard that if you pinch it you can see whether the foundation is applied evenly. It might be a little painful, Aiyin-san, please be patient~” Miss Su Shi said as if she was fooling a fool, her gray-blue eyes full of murderous intent.

"Really...?" Chihaya Aine repeated doubtfully, feeling something was wrong. "Suyo-chan, your eyes suddenly became so scary."

"That's so I can see your face clearly." Miss Su Shi showed a kind and gentle smile, and her other hand gently covered...

Then rub it very hard.

The frivolous, fickle, and lecherous fan who made an appointment with me and still took the time to attack Sakuya should be severely punished.

"Ouch, it hurts, little Su Shi, please be gentler." Miss Aine, whose face was pinched, mumbled and begged for mercy. Su Shi was usually very gentle, but now she was rubbing herself hard as if she was trying to rub off the crumbs of bread.

"Ain-chan, you probably didn't spread the primer evenly before applying foundation with a cotton pad, right?" Miss Sushi analyzed the problem in a gentle tone while taking revenge, her hands mercilessly rubbing off a little foundation in the literal sense.

"Well...it seems so." Chihaya Aine suddenly realized that she was worthy of being Su Shi, she knew a lot, but it still hurts!

“Let go~” Miss Aine said coquettishly with her eyes.

"Okay." After pinching her pink face until it turned red, Miss Su Shi withdrew her hands in satisfaction and wiped her fingertips with a handkerchief without leaving any trace.

“Overall, she’s become cuter, right?” Aine covered her cheek and continued to stare at the malicious Miss Suyo.

"Yeah, Aine-san is always very cute." Su Shi smiled and responded in a hoarse voice.

"Su Shi... can be quite sinister sometimes." Aiyin put her hands on her hips and accused unconvincedly. She was not Kosaku-ya, and the idea of ​​inspection was just a lie to trick children.

"She still looks a little bit cute now." Nagasaki Motoyo said with an evasive look, and walked into the cinema. "It's almost time, should we check our tickets and enter?"

"That's too much, Sushi-chan." Miss Aine was unwilling.