They all pushed me!

"Okay, but won't it delay Ruby's move? I'm here to help."

"It's not that urgent. I saw in the weather forecast that it will turn cloudy and cooler in the afternoon, which is just enough time for us to have a good meal and chat for a while. Oh, MEM啾 and Abizi are here too, and the three of us have almost cleaned up the room just now."

Kitagawa Rumi and Kurokawa Akane walked into the entrance hall chatting and laughing, and after changing into the slippers prepared in advance, they went straight through the living room on the first floor where no one was there. They took out three popsicles from the refrigerator in the kitchen, gave one to Kurokawa Akane, and continued walking towards the second floor.

"Where are Ryo-senpai and Ai-nee?"

"They have taken the first batch of large furniture to my new home first, and will be back with the second batch soon. Almost all of them have been transported."

Kitagawa Rumi answered casually that today was the day she would move out to live alone. This was what they had agreed on before. She would officially move out in September after the filming of the agency's new drama was completed.

"oh oh."

As they talked, the two walked into Kitagawa Rumi's original bedroom on the second floor. The big bed that was previously placed in the center had been moved away as she said, so for Kurokawa Akane, the first feeling he had was the visible emptiness.

"Hello, Chiyin."

"Good afternoon, Chiyin."

Seeing Kitagawa Rumi and Kurokawa Akane walking in, MEM-chu and Samejima Abiko, who were originally sitting on the many packed containers in the corner, waved and greeted her warmly.

Unlike Kana Arima, who stays outside of Kitagawa Rumi's social circle and is only close to Kitagawa Ryo and Ai, as one of Rumi's few good friends, the relationship between them has gradually become closer over the years after playing together a few times.

"Long time no see, good afternoon."

Just as Kurokawa Akane politely responded to the two, Kitagawa Rumi took two steps forward and passed the two popsicles to the left and right:

"Give."

"No need to guess, it's another Orange Bear."

MEMchu tore open the packaging without even glancing at it, bit off one of the little bear's ears, and showed a nostalgic look on his face:

"I always feel like eating these snacks I loved as a child makes me feel younger."

"Indeed, after I turned 20, I felt like I was heading for 30."

Samejima Abiko glanced at MEM啾 and spoke while licking the popsicle in her hand.

"Aaaaaaaaah...damn modern internet, please give me back the innocent Abiko of the past—"

Although he had just turned 21, but compared with the young girls around him, his age and all other anxieties were in contrast.

"Did Ruby move the bed too?"

Kurokawa Akane did not immediately join in the conversation, but looked at the large empty space in the room with some concern. After all, she had slept on this bed in this room at least a hundred or eighty times in the past three years, and she was not used to not seeing it all of a sudden.

"I asked my brothers and sisters to help me dismantle it and send it to my new home. I really like sleeping on this bed, so when they wanted to buy me a new one, I specifically refused. And unlike the last time I moved, this bed is not too big for two people to sleep on. It's more than enough."

Kitagawa Rumi had finished eating the popsicle, but she did not take out the remaining wooden stick and throw it away. She still held it on the tip of her tongue, turning it slightly left and right, as if she wanted to lick away the last bit of sweetness on it, and answered with a smile.

Kurokawa Akane naturally thought that Rumi was talking about how she often slept in this bed with him before, so he turned his gaze away and nodded with a smile:

"Indeed."

"By the way, the new drama starring Akane seems to be airing next month. I saw the latest promotional PV (trailer) on my phone this morning. His acting is really cool and sassy, ​​completely different from his usual impression."

MEM bit the bear's other ear and raised a thumb with his right hand.

"I saw it too. Everyone's acting is really good. But the names are weird. Something like Devil's Mailbox, Blunt Instrument Locker, etc. Are they nicknames?"

Samejima Abiko nodded upon hearing this and asked with some confusion.

"Well, I won't spoil the details for you yet, but it's very exciting anyway."

Kurokawa Akane himself was also quite confident about the drama, so he easily kept it a secret.

"Don't worry, I will definitely chase you as soon as possible."

"After all, this is Chi Yin's first time as the lead actor in a TV series. No, it should be Chi Yin's first time acting in a TV series. By analogy, it's just like our debut Live. We must support it. After all, it's also a new project of our agency. Um... there should be no problem in reposting it with a personal account, right?"

MEM啾 excitedly took out his phone and first liked the PV posted by the official account of "Tomorrow, Dad and Mom Are Away" this morning. Then he began to eagerly write the copy for the repost on the spot, typing in the text bar while reading:

"Are you searching for Akane Kurokawa? Akane Kurokawa? Or the new star of the LALALAI troupe? You just need to know that she is the most orthodox junior of Kitagawa Ryo? A new generation artist who can be both salty and sweet? The leading actress of director Hirokazu Koreeda's new play? Akane Love! Come on..."

Before MEM啾 had finished reading the text, Kitagawa Rumi was already laughing so hard that she fell on a box next to her. Kurokawa Akane's earlobes were even dyed red, and she rushed forward to grab MEM啾's phone.

"Why do I feel like you've been poisoned by the modern Internet to the same extent as I have?"

Abiko Samejima on the side complained with a look of disgust.

"After all, I am also a part-time short video blogger on TikTok, so I have to know a little bit about this kind of popular stereotyped writing."

MEM laughed and raised the phone in his hand high, relying on his height advantage as an adult to prevent Kurokawa Akane from touching it. The two of them played for a while before they stopped.

"It definitely won't be posted like this, and the commercial reposts and promotions by official accounts are usually decided by the operations department."

MEM啾 bit the last bit of the little bear in her hand, while slyly showing her cat mouth to Kurokawa Akane.

The four of them ate popsicles while chatting about their daily lives all over the place, until they had finished all the popsicles in their hands. Then they went to throw away the garbage and wash their hands, preparing to clean up the last few things left in the room. They packed up the things they were going to take to their new home and threw the things they didn't want into the trash bag.

"It's only when you're packing up that you realize how troublesome these things are."

After a while, the four people's eyes were focused on the only big guy left in the room, the trophy display case on the wall.

Although this big guy was placed on the other side at first, since the number of trophies on it gradually increased, Kitagawa Rumi moved it directly to the side facing her live camera and set it as the background board for the live broadcast.

Now, three years have passed, and although the space is not completely full, it is filled with various trophies and medals of all sizes, which account for three-fifths of the space. The trophy in the middle, representing the Rookie Award, is particularly eye-catching.

"It seems a bit troublesome to take down the trophies one by one and transport them separately from the display cabinet. How about just locking the cabinet door and leaving the trophies inside and moving them together?"

MEM stroked his chin and carefully put forward his suggestion.

"It will definitely get bumped during transportation."

Samejima Abiko has a different opinion. She knows how much importance Rumi has always attached to these things.

"Well, since there are many of us here to help, it should be quite convenient if everyone helps take a few seats."

Kurokawa Akane also nodded and shared the same opinion as Samejima Abiko. After all, during the nights she stayed here, she often saw Kitagawa Rumi carefully and patiently wiping the trophies one by one, and the most precious one was naturally the Rookie Award.

"Ah—I didn't plan to bring this."

But what surprised everyone was that, just as they were giving advice one after another, Kitagawa Rumi suddenly shook her head and said calmly:

"Just leave it here."

"But didn't Ruby say before that she wanted to fill this place up, win all the awards she wanted, and collect all the trophies she had reserved?"

MEM asked subconsciously, with a bit of disbelief in his tone. Samejima Abiko and Kurokawa Akane were almost equally surprised, and they all cast doubtful looks at Kitagawa Rumi, who suddenly had a cold expression.

It can be said that everyone in this room has seen the number of trophies in this display case increase from nothing to its current number. They also know the purpose of Rumi buying these, so they find it particularly difficult to understand.

"Because I want to start over, I'll just leave the past glory in the past. Besides, this will motivate me to work harder, yes, work harder."

Kitagawa Rumi pursed her lips, reached out her hand and once again touched the Rookie Award trophy that she had touched and wiped countless times before. She could even remember the joy and excitement she felt when she just got it and wanted to hug it to sleep.

But this feeling of nostalgia and remembrance only lasted for a moment. Kitagawa Rumi quickly pulled her hand away, turned around, and returned to her normal expression. She waved her hand casually and said:

"Besides, I don't want to burden you all. It would be great if I could save some energy. If I move the trophy every time I move house, then in a few years, I will probably have to hire people and cars to help me move these things in addition to you guys."

But even so, MEM啾 still felt a little strange:

"I always feel like Ruby is different these days. You came to training the earliest in the past two months, and you ranked first in the competition for the center position of the new album's single last month. Not only did producer Kaburagi-san say that you are in incredible shape, but even Ms. Saito asked me to watch over you more often and take more rest."

"Isn't what MEM啾 said a good thing?"

Kitagawa Rumi looked away awkwardly, lowered her head slightly, and whispered in a voice that only she could hear:

“…In fact, I should have done what I am doing now when ACE first debuted.”

"It's pretty good. I just want to say this. It seems that adolescents always give people a feeling of growing up suddenly after a certain day. After all, I live alone now."

MEM啾 smiled and hugged Kitagawa Rumi's shoulders from behind, and stretched her hands down:

"Hey, grow up..."

Before Kitagawa Rumi could react, Samejima Abiko came over and looked at it seriously, muttering to herself:

"It looks like Shaoji's database needs to be updated again. It's really the most rigorous to see it with your own eyes."

"Hey, hey, don't, here, Xiao Qian, save me——"

"Oooo."

After the four girls had some fun, the matter of the trophy display case was naturally ignored. After picking out the last few things left in the room and packing them up and throwing them away, the only thing left to be disposed of was the doll that was forced to be moved to the container because the bed was removed.

"…I definitely need to take this with me, but I won't pack it. I always feel uneasy. I'd better carry it myself."

After hesitating for a while, Kitagawa Rumi finally told her how to deal with it, reached out to take the object, and held it in her arms out of habit.

As she grew older and her body developed, this doll, which was huge in the beginning, gradually changed from super life-size to life-size, and then from life-size to half life-size. Now, when she was sixteen years old, it had become a small doll that could be held in the crook of her arm with just one hand.

It can only be said that it was fortunate that Kurokawa Akane had only stayed at the Kitagawa family in the past two years, so that she could show her maternal side by imitating Rumi's expression. After all, if it had been a few years earlier, she would probably only be able to imitate the completely opposite kind of attachment and dependence of a child on her mother from Rumi nestling in the arms of her doll.

Just then, the sound of a car stopping was heard downstairs. Kitagawa Rumi looked out the window:

"Brother and his friends are back. Let's move these packed things downstairs. These are all clothes. Although they are not too heavy, everyone should be careful when going downstairs."

The other three nodded in agreement, and then followed Kitagawa Rumi's instructions to pick up several containers that were to be transported to the new home, and carefully moved them down from the second floor.

"Thank you all for coming to help Ruby today."

After returning home, Beichuan Liang took the boxes one by one and put them into the rented pickup truck downstairs, and thanked his sister's friends with a smile.

"It's okay. There aren't many things. It's not easy for Senior Liang to call a moving company over. Besides, we are just lending a hand."

MEM, who successfully demonstrated the spirit of an adult, took the most things, but in response to Kitagawa Ryo's thanks, she just waved her hand disapprovingly. Ai on the side also handed her a tissue in time, allowing her to wipe the fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

"Well, I've asked Mr. Izaki to pick you up in a while. After we've cleaned up Ruby's new home, I'll invite you over for dinner tonight. I'll cook for you myself!"

"Great - I haven't eaten Liang-senpai's cooking in a long time. I'm lucky."

Upon hearing this, MEM啾 immediately made a "yeah" gesture and celebrated happily.

"Then Ruby, come with us this time."

After chatting with the other two and asking what kind of dishes they would like to eat in the evening, Beichuan Liang turned his attention to his sister who was standing there holding a teddy bear.

"Ah."

Kitagawa Rumi looked back at the three-story house again, then nodded gently in agreement, and followed Kitagawa Ryo and Ai into the car.

The car started moving quickly and smoothly. Just as Kitagawa Rumi was staring at the scenery passing by the window in a daze, she suddenly heard Kitagawa Ryo's voice:

"If Ruby lives outside alone, the first thing she should pay attention to is..."

But after saying just this beginning, Kitagawa Ryo's voice stopped there. Kitagawa Rumi saw through the rearview mirror of the front seat that her brother was biting his lips hard, blinking violently several times, and breathing heavily, but in the end he was unable to finish the rest of the words.

Beichuan Liang only felt that his throat was extremely dry, as if something was blocking it. The moment he saw his sister sitting quietly in the back seat holding her doll through the rearview mirror, he was speechless.

Ai, who was sitting in the passenger seat, seemed to have anticipated this situation. She nodded and added:

"Your brother has been writing down some notes on this in the past two days. I'll send you the electronic document after it's been sorted out."

“…I will read it carefully.”

"Well, if anything happens, remember to call home."

"I see."

Perhaps because she felt the atmosphere in the carriage was too heavy, Kitagawa Ai sighed helplessly and comforted her husband beside her:

"It's not like we won't see each other again for a year or so. The drive only takes 40 minutes. No matter who suddenly misses whom, they can just take a taxi back and forth."

Saying this, loving yourself is also curling your lips:

"And it was Ruby who decided to move out. Ruby personally participated in the decoration of the new house. She selected all the designs that she liked best."

"Well, brother, you don't have to worry at all."

Hearing the hidden meaning of love, Kitagawa Rumi nodded immediately and smiled at her brother in the rearview mirror:

"Just like my sister said, if you're really worried, you can come and check on me occasionally, just like my brother would check if I was secretly playing with my phone under the covers at night."

Hearing his sister say this, Beichuan Liang's expression relaxed a little:

"Ah."

"But I don't want to see someone with piles of dirty clothes, takeaway boxes piled up to the doorstep, and lazing on the sofa playing with their phone three days later."

"Huh - so in my brother's imagination, I will become like this in three days. Am I such an unreliable sister?"

Kitagawa Rumi waved the fluffy arms of the doll in her arms in protest.

[What my brother will see at that time will definitely be a more impressive sight than this.]

Chapter 4: Heartache has teeth (5k)