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

"Everyone, take your positions—" the physical education teacher waved his arms and announced loudly that everyone was ready.

Miss Xiangzi wanted to say something, but in the end she just puffed up her cheeks and took a step forward following the whistle.

She ran neither fast nor slow, her body moving with the wind, staying steadily at the end of the third echelon. Her breathing and steps were very regular. She must have planned the distribution of her energy long ago.

The only unexpected things might be the flaxen ponytail that flashed in front of my eyes from time to time and the faint floral scent that came with the wind.

So, Toyokawa Shoko slightly quickened her pace and actively bumped into the fragrance of summer flowers.

"Why are you running so slowly?" Xiangzi adjusted his breathing, turned his head and asked the person running side by side with him.

"Is it not possible?" Sakuya-san chuckled and answered with some energy left. She quickened her pace a little, leaving only her low ponytail swaying back and forth.

"Is today's physical examination?" Toyokawa Shoko took a breath and followed again.

"Maybe, I want to spend more time with Xiangzi today?" Sakuya tilted his head and said hesitantly before realizing the misunderstanding hidden in his words. Before the blush climbed onto his face, he accelerated and stepped into the bend.

You said you were accompanying me, but you're running faster and faster...

Miss Xiangzi seemed a little helpless and no longer cared about the planned distribution of physical strength. She just chased the ponytail that kept flashing in front of her eyes, thinking a little angrily that she must punish this ponytail that deliberately teased her on the spot.

One circle, two circles, the wind blew very fast, and the sweat on the side of her face evaporated before it condensed. Miss Sakuya finally slowed down her pace amid Xiangzi's rapid breathing, and she walked instead of running embarrassedly, and followed obediently beside the little blue-haired hedgehog.

"...Not running anymore?" Miss Xiangzi panted and complained in a low voice. Following the little village girl who was running faster and faster the whole time was still too much of a challenge for her physical strength. Now she could only walk quickly in small steps based on her instinct.

"I have no...strength left." Sakuya looked up and said to the white clouds floating leisurely in the sky.

Xiangzi poked the idiot's waist in dissatisfaction, turned his head and glanced at the flaxen hair that had calmed down, and said with a trembling tone, "Sakuya, there is no need to wait for me. The results of the physical test should be more important, right?"

"It's not entirely because I want to run away with Xiangzi." Sakuya held his waist and kept his distance. He always felt that the women around him liked to touch his soft belly.

Miss Xiangzi paused for a moment, turned her dissatisfaction into motivation, and moved forward again, intending to use the momentum to hit the guy who was talking nonsense with her little head, but she felt that it was not elegant enough, so she had to give up, pursed her lips, and expressed her unhappiness angrily.

"I don't think the results of this exam are that important." Ms. Sakuya explained with a vague look in her eyes, pretending not to notice the little hedgehog's angry look.

Although she knew that she was trying to change the subject, Toyokawa Shoko didn't get hung up on the little village girl's erratic personality and continued the conversation. "Is it because of the school sports meet?"

"I feel like...if I run hard enough, the teacher will ask me to join the 1600m race," Sakuya explained very experiencedly.

"In that case, wouldn't it be a better choice to control the pace and run the whole course slowly?" Xiangzi squinted his eyes and glanced at someone's slightly loose ponytail.

"Shoko has been chasing me." Miss Sakuya blinked innocently. She was trying very hard to maintain the distance. She couldn't run too fast and leave the others behind, and she also didn't want her good friend to see her shyness. It was very hard to be lazy while running!

"Hmph." Xiangzi snorted, found the right moment, reached out, gently grasped Sakuya's wrist that was behind her back, and slowed down his pace.

It was all Sakuya's fault anyway. Letting that stupid Sakuya carry me for a while was just a fair reward.

"Someone is being lazy." Ms. Sakuya chuckled, naturally holding the little hand for leverage, and maintained a speed that could hardly be called running.

"I'm just collecting interest." Xiangzi muttered. Most of the classmates were at the front of the runway, so even if they held hands, they wouldn't attract attention.

"Hey, those two over there." The tall physical education teacher shouted across the playground. "Don't walk, run!"

Their fingers brushed against each other, and they separated in a somewhat hurried manner. They felt inexplicably guilty, and they looked at each other for a moment, then turned away at the same time.

My heart beat faster, maybe because I ran too hard...

Chapter 195 You will bear the consequences at your own risk

In the afternoon, a little after two.

After spending half a class on the playground, Ichinose Sakuya returned to the much cooler gymnasium with a bottle of iced mineral water from the academy convenience store.

He unscrewed the bottle cap in a cool manner, and his drinking posture was just like an office worker who drinks tea in one gulp after get off work. Unfortunately, the physical education class was still going on, and he couldn't just lean lazily on the sofa and waste his youth.

The physical education teacher had already written down the results one by one, and as expected, he was pulling up the men one by one according to the names at the top of the list, in order to fill the many remaining events in the school sports meet.

Compared to sweating on the field, the cheerleaders on the platform attracted Miss Sakuya more, but it was a pity that she couldn't go.

"I thought Sakuya was the type who was very interested in school activities and would actively participate." Toyokawa Shoko put down the mineral water handed to her by Sakuya and said with some surprise, her eyes still sweeping over the flaxen low ponytail from time to time.

"It conflicts with the scheduled schedule, so there's really nothing we can do." Ms. Sakuya sat on the smooth floor of the gymnasium without any image, holding up her collar to let the heat dissipate faster. "Is Xiangzi the kind of person who doesn't care about campus activities or even finds them troublesome?"

"How rude. You can't say it so directly." Xiangzi stood up, moved to someone's side, returned the water, and half-knelt down so that he could look straight into the gray-blue eyes.

"After all, Xiang is very busy." Miss Sakuya fanned herself unconsciously, and kept her eyes on the golden pupils, then she stopped awkwardly and asked with a smile, "Xiangzi, do you want to be with me in the double practice later?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to find another person who is willing to team up with me." Toyokawa Shoko shrugged, with more joy than helplessness in her voice.

If Sakuya hadn't suddenly barged into her life, she might still be doing sit-ups by herself. She could endure loneliness, but she wouldn't let go for the sake of her pride. Since someone came uninvited and melted the ice that kept people away, she had to be prepared to be surrounded by warmth.

The physical education teacher finally arrived and arranged some ligament stretching, sit-ups, and classic sit-ups, which were considered easy exercises for high school girls. "Work in pairs and supervise each other. After you finish, you can move freely for the rest of the time, but you cannot leave school early."

Ichinose Sakuya lazily sat down on the floor again within three seconds after the teacher said dismissal. Although the wooden floor of the gymnasium was a little sticky to her skin, it was cool and really comfortable.

"Xiangzi, come and help me stretch first." Miss Sakuya tilted her head back and raised her hands high in invitation.

"Don't act like a tired kid. This isn't the right posture for stretching, is it?" Xiangzi held his forehead with his hand. Someone might not have a clear definition of his or her own charm. For a 16-year-old high school girl, Sakuya's development was excellent no matter how you looked at it.

Leaning back and then lying on her back, Miss Sakuya, relying on the presence of someone behind her, rested her head on Shoko's thighs with peace of mind, while her hands were wrapped around her still fleshless waist in a basketball shooting posture.

"Why can't Xiangzi gain weight?" Miss Sakuya moved her head with some envy and looked at Xiangzi's slightly stunned face.

"...It means Sakuya eats too much." Xiangzi turned his head away, trying hard not to move his eyes downward. The ponytail rubbed him and made him feel a little itchy. When he lowered his head, he could directly see someone's delicate collarbone and the solid-colored suspenders on her chest.

"Really? I don't think I ate much." Ms. Sakuya rubbed her head in confusion and said without any awareness.

"After all, Sakuya is always like this." Shoko's voice was trembling, and she complained a little. "When I wasn't paying attention, I did something unforgivable."

"Losing weight is very distressing, but dragging your friends to gain weight together should not be considered unforgivable, right?" Miss Sakuya said with a smile, thinking that Shoko had a rare sense of humor.

"Are you still going to do it or not?" Toyokawa Shoko took a deep breath and patted her slender hands on her waist, her tone sounding as if she was holding back something.

"Okay, okay~" With her legs spread apart and forming an acute angle of about sixty degrees, Miss Sakuya leaned forward with all her strength and stretched out her hand to reach the toes of her left foot.

"Xiangzi, please help me suppress it." The little village girl, who was completely unaware of the danger, said lightly.

"Sakuya, you asked for this." Miss Shoko narrowed her eyes, issued a disclaimer, and gently covered the pure white sportswear with her hands, applying a little force.

"I don't feel anything at all." Sakuya hooked her toes with one hand and turned back to complain calmly. "Shoko really didn't eat enough, did she?"

"I'm really sorry that I don't have much strength." Xiangzi raised his eyebrows slightly and moved a little closer, still using only 30% of his strength.

"Don't worry about me, it'll be okay if you use your body to press on me." The water was still warm, and the unaware country girl said confidently with her back to Miss Blue Hair.

Toyokawa Shoko pursed her lips, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up, her smile was very restrained, she was in a happy mood when she found that her prey was foolishly crawling into the cage by itself, bringing with it onions, ginger, garlic and star anise.

"Well, this is your own request, right?" Miss Xiangzi suddenly came very close, leaned down, and blew air on Sakuya's tender earlobe blatantly.

"Yes... yes, so what?" Miss Sakuya was panicked for a moment after being attacked, but she pretended to be calm and replied stubbornly. After all, it was in the school gymnasium, how could Xiangzi eat her?

"Nothing." With her pink lips slightly opened, Toyokawa Shoko took her hands away for a moment, then stroked along the spine, brushed across the neck, and then loosely grasped the low ponytail decorated with cherry blossom hair accessories.

"Wait... I should wait a moment, eh!" Miss Sakuya, who raised the white flag at the first moment, was still a step too late.

Behind her was the familiar warmth and gentle touch that she had never felt before. It was not until Xiangzi pressed his entire body against her back that Sakuya vaguely understood what it meant to be a gentleman who hides his talent in his heart...

"It's too late. I'm going to start timing." Xiangzi seemed very satisfied with the slight trembling of the girl under him. He stroked her ponytail, which she had fiddled with three times, with one hand and said with a breath.

"Okay." Sakuya buried her head tightly to hide her sensitive little ears.

"Your movements are not standard, so we have to start the timing again." Miss Xiangzi, who was very strict, circled her hot little ear with one finger and refused righteously.

Ms. Sakuya closed her eyes and looked up, as if if she didn't look, the fact would not have happened.

"10,9,8..." Xiangzi whispered for a few seconds, breathing out like orchid, and his right hand continued to fiddle with his flaxen hair that was the cause of the mistake.

"...2, 1, very good." Xiangzi stood up, rubbed the big chestnut head and praised.

"As expected of me, I actually held it in!" Ms. Sakuya wiped the sweat from her forehead and said with double meaning, it feels like this stretching is much more tiring than running.

"It's really amazing..." Xiangzi chuckled and once again approached the visibly trembling girl. "...But there's another side."

This is all Sakuya's own fault.

Chapter 196: Friends of Friends

The bell for the end of get out of class rang punctually. The math teacher behind the desk put down the chalk at the right time, patted the colorful chalk dust on his hands, and turned to the young girls in Group A of the first year.

"Although the sports meet is coming soon, I still hope that everyone will stay focused. The midterm exam will be coming soon. If you want to improve your grades, you must practice more after-class exercises, and don't just play when you get home."

"Yes~" the girls replied in a dragging voice. Some had already packed their schoolbags in advance and their eyes drifted to the musical instrument backpack at the end of the classroom.

"Everyone has worked hard today. Remember to copy the example questions on the blackboard before leaving." The math teacher covered his mouth with his hands and chuckled. He ignored the students' complaints and walked away with the lesson plan in his arms.

The classroom suddenly became noisy. The pink-haired transfer student who had only dared to flip through guitar techniques secretly during class could finally take out his phone openly and send a request to the group to gather this afternoon.

She stretched herself leisurely, and politely declined Xiao Wu and the others' invitation to go to Yamabuki Bakery. Chihaya Ain quickly and methodically packed her books into her schoolbag. Now, little Ain is a guitar private who is focused on studying.

"Xiao Deng, let's go to RiNG together after the astronomy club's event is over~" Miss Aine patted Takamatsu Deng who was taking notes obediently and said in a cheerful tone.

"...Sorry, Aiyin, it's my turn on duty today." Gao Songdeng carefully put away his notes and put his deskmate's pea-shaped notebook with an emerald green cover back together, apologizing a little embarrassedly.

“Is that so? Then I’ll help Xiao Deng. It’ll be easier if we’re alone.” Miss Aine put down the guitar bag she was carrying halfway, picked up the eraser, and wiped away the intertwined functions and quadrants one by one.

Gao Songdeng didn't say thank you, but just stood on tiptoe with a smile on his face and arranged the magnets neatly by color in the upper right corner of the blackboard.

The hustle and bustle behind me gradually faded, and the vibrant noise turned into an empty classroom filled with sunshine. I was alone in the early spring, but now I have found like-minded partners.

She jumped again, trying to push the magnet to the top corner.

“Is this how it’s supposed to be placed?” Ichinose Sakuya also stood on tiptoe and put the red cylindrical magnet back in place.

"Thank you, Sakuya-kun." Takamatsu Deng was a little dazed for a moment. They had drunk tea together in the astronomy club last week, but he had the illusion that he hadn't seen Sakuya-kun in school for a long time.

“You’re welcome.” Sakuya stood on tiptoe and exerted light force. With her hands behind her back, she landed gracefully under the podium and looked into the amber pupils openly.

Takamatsu Deng's eyes were still as bright and lively as ever. It took him a moment to confirm in his heart that this was the familiar Kosaki.

“Sakuya, come and help me take out the trash.” Miss Aine carried the trash and began to use the sudden appearance of labor without any hesitation.

"Okay, how about we go together after we finish sweeping the floor?" Sakuya waved her hand and began to pick up the small pieces of garbage along the aisle of seats.

The scraps of paper were packed up along with the dust, and Ms. Sakuya nodded her head in satisfaction. Aine and Xiao Deng's attitude towards her did not change much. It seemed that her sister's disguise in Hanegaoka was quite successful, just as perfect as her own disguise in Tsuki no Mori.

"Why aren't you accompanying Xiangzi today?" Chihaya Aine took half of the garbage bag and asked in a playful voice.

“Don’t act like Xiangzi and I are always together.” Ms. Sakuya blushed slightly and retorted in a low voice with a righteous tone.

“I see. I thought Sakuya-chan and Shoko were dating.” Miss Aine put her hand on her chin and said thoughtfully.

"How is that possible? Xiangzi and I are both girls. Aiyin's idea is really weird." Someone felt guilty for some reason and still refused to admit it.

"They are obviously very close. They hold hands secretly during self-study classes and often play the piano together after class, right?" Chihaya Aine seemed to be prepared and refuted the question by citing historical records.

“How did Aine know that!?” Sakuya retreated tactically, looking slightly shocked.

"Kanzaki-san told me, Xiao Deng knows it too, right~" Aine looked around proudly, the gray-haired little animal whose job was taken away was holding the school magazine and last week's duty list that were not put into the garbage bag, feeling a little at a loss.

"Hmm... Sakuya and Xiaoxiang are indeed very close." Takamatsu Deng subconsciously glanced at the fan fiction published in the school magazine. The writing was excellent and there were also special illustrations. It seemed that it was completed by Anshinin and Hailuo from the Department of Literature...

The content may have been slightly embellished with literary techniques, so that even the ignorant Takamatsu Deng can understand the sincere feelings hidden behind the text.

“So what if it’s true? Isn’t this normal between good friends?” Miss Sakuya, who had never expected that the traitor was the one she promoted, regretted her decision and the cold light of steel seemed to be reflected between her lips and teeth.

Chihaya Aine subconsciously wanted to deny it, but then she shifted her gaze to her beautiful right hand.

The facts seem to be the same as what Sakuya said... Whether it is with Xiao Deng or Su Shi, I have held hands more than once, and Li Xi also often gives me special lessons in music theory. If this level can be considered a relationship, then wouldn't I be a scumbag?

This is absolutely not the case!

The two people, who were of similar height, nodded in tacit understanding, reached a consensus, and threw this slightly embarrassing topic into the recycling area along with the garbage.

Gao Songdeng hesitated for a moment in front of the school newspaper, then put it into the recycling bin. Anyway, Senior Anxinyuan would always give everyone a copy during the student union meeting.

"Okay, we've won the duty day. Would you like to practice with me in the astronomy club for a while, Sakuya-chan?" Chihaya Aine adjusted quickly. Having already conquered F#, she finally had the confidence to invite Sakuya-chan, who had the best temper, to play with her.

"Sure, but only for a while." Ichinose Sakuya estimated today's schedule, nodded in agreement, and made a small patchwork.

“Why? Isn’t Sakuya going to RiNG with me and Deng today?” Aine tilted her head in confusion.

"I'm going..." Sakuya coughed lightly, lowered his eyes to peek at Xiao Deng's reaction, and said calmly. "But I have other plans, so I may not go with you."

The gray-haired little animal noticed the gaze and raised its head, blinking into the apologetic gray-blue eyes, then nodded slightly.

She is no longer the lonely and helpless little stone. More people should hear Kosakuya's music that influences people silently.

"Oh, I see. Is it the cat band that Miss Chuhua was in?" Aiyin answered excitedly. If it was true, she might even be able to meet a living superstar.

"That's about right..." Miss Sakuya said, thinking about each word. "She's a friend of Hatsuka."

Chapter 197 Memories of a Rainy Day