The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

Not wanting to keep the secret any longer, Ping Xin continued, "Actually, although my sister won by a lot in this duel, Mizukuri surpassed her in one point, and it was this one point that determined the outcome of the entire match."

"...Wait, why is everyone looking at me like that?"

Curious Mizukami wanted to take a look, but was surrounded by people who were even more curious.

I'm sorry, Lan, this is a necessary sacrifice. Please be my "stand-in"~

“It’s time—

Although no one paid much attention, it was a competition after all, so of course there was a time limit. While Xiaoshi's movements were indeed sharp and ingenious, she spent over half an hour just making the chocolate paste. I felt for her, even watching her.

A bell sound came from the railing on the second floor, and everyone suddenly realized what was going on. They heard it when they were chatting happily just now. It turned out that this was really a competition.

An excellent system not only boasts a superior matchmaking mechanic, but also a more robust anti-fishing system, with time limits being a factor. Even showing off your skills in a game that's already a sure win is pure deception. Even he hadn't anticipated this would become a foreshadowing; it's truly fascinating.

"...It does taste good, and even I didn't expect you to start preparing two weeks in advance just to make chocolate from scratch, starting with fermented cocoa beans. The aroma and flavor of the finished product are simply overwhelming compared to ordinary industrial products... Hey, don't cry—"

He suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen his sister cry for a long time, although he knew she was always crying during that time. When he lay in bed, at the junction of wakefulness and sleep, life and death, Pingxin could always hear the sound of someone crying.

"Did I...lose?"

"Well, I lost...but the chocolate was really delicious. Let's do it again next year."

Even though he couldn't hear, couldn't see, and didn't know which side was true, this experience had a profound impact on him and kept him alive until the day when everything changed. Although his sister always appeared cold and emotionless to others, he knew deep down in his heart that—

Know that there is family affection and love between them.

I don't know who started it, but everyone started clapping. This applause was both encouragement to the winner and comfort to the loser, and it was also a drumbeat to urge them to keep going and compete again next year.

"Asuka Batoki... let's fight again next year." Mizukuri took the initiative to step forward and said.

As the weakling in this battle, the de facto loser and the ultimate victor, she felt that her victory was unfair and unwilling to accept it. Therefore, she decided to practice cooking from now on and strive to defeat the monster sister with her own strength next year. However...

The cold and indifferent beautiful girl with tears in her eyes just now didn't even have a wet mark on her face, let alone tears and snot. Could it be that her soft sobbing just now was all a special effect? ​​She even made a V sign to her -

In other words, you treated me as a cheap stepping stone from the beginning. No matter whether the final result of the game was a loss or a win, in the end, you were the winner, right?

......

...

..

"Lan, come on, come on!"

"Ohhhhhh!"

Sitting on the floor of the living room, Mizukami was rubbing the handle with a hand speed that was not even reached when she played the guitar. But as for technique... having fun is the most important thing. Do you understand the meaning of "killing a master with random punches"?

"Shi Xiao, what are you doing? Cut her in the middle!"

"Shut up, Senior Nilu, don't ruin my good thing——"

Different from the passionate Mei Zhulan, Xiao Shi knelt upright on the cushion. Mei Gannilu behind her was like a parent who came to watch the sports meeting, a coach under the boxing ring, and Uncle Qin Hong from Lanmen Oga, trying to lead her to victory. It can be said that the people watching were more anxious than the people fighting!

Xiao didn't want to exploit her physical advantage, so she kept her physical control speed down to the same level as Mizukura. However, this caused significant problems with her hand-brain coordination. Furthermore, Mizukura's haphazard attacks disrupted her rhythm, and the end result was a showdown between the two beginners.

"...Have fun, everyone." Standing at the fence on the second floor, Pingxin could clearly see what was happening below.

"Then you won't go down?"

Next to him was Yamada Ryo, and at the moment, the two of them were tasting chocolate treats made by others. Although no one except those two people cared (knew) that this was a competition, the judges still had to do their job well.

What's more, she had been looking forward to it for a long time, and in the end she almost fainted on the road due to hunger.

"Well...never mind. Everyone's having a good time. This is enough."

"Is that so... Since you put it that way, then it must be true. After all, you are very smart—"

"Yeah, because I'm smart~"

Although most of the time, I'm clumsy.

But as long as it's you, even if it's clumsy, it's fun to me.

Chapter 32: Want to try climbing frame?

"Hey, Koito... over here~"

Arriving at the agreed-upon park, no one was there. Fukumaru Koito heard the same strange, ambient noises as before, but this time she wasn't as panicked, even mistaking a passing kitten for a god. After looking around for a while, she finally found her target thanks to a shadow on the ground.

"...Ah, Pingxin-ge, why did you climb up there? It's very dangerous!"

"It's okay~ It's okay~... Look, there's a safety rope up there, similar to a rock climbing project, so you can get down quickly—"

After tying the belt and pulling the rope, Pingxin rose and fell to the ground in two or three steps.

"Oh, there's a device like this... I had no idea."

"Haha, of course, because I added it~"

"So that's how it is... Is everything okay?!" Fukumaru Koito covered her mouth in surprise.

As we all know, parks with fitness equipment are generally built by the government. As for why the climbing frame here is so special...that's another story.

"No problem, no problem. Like I said before, this is already 'my territory'."

"Well, that should be fine, right? But what exactly is 'my territory'..."

It's really fun to tease Koito. He'll startle when you play with him, and make surprised noises when you feed him. His eating and chewing sounds are also adorable. He's always positive, hardworking, and meticulous in everything he does.

Besides that, she's not only cute but also kind-hearted. I've always thought it would be nice to have a sister like her. Unfortunately, my mother seems to have a difficult physique for pregnancy, and at the time, there was a struggle between the adult soul and the child's body...

Fortunately, we have all changed, but we have also not changed——

"Well... Xiaoyi, do you want to try it? We have the props now, and I'm watching over you, so it's safe, okay? The belt doesn't pinch your waist, and the rope doesn't rub your hands, so it's safe and guaranteed. As long as you're not afraid of heights, I recommend giving it a try~"

"Hey, is it okay!?"

Look, she's like that, "suddenly her eyes light up, and then her whole body unconsciously reveals a smile and a feeling of anticipation." It hasn't changed. If she had a tail, it would definitely shake as hard as an electric fan, right?

Even though she might get angry at the time of being fooled, she will never bear a grudge and will continue to trust you afterwards. She is simply the perfect “experimental subject”. But she is so cute, how could I bear to lie to her?

"Well, of course, put the backpack here first...Okay, it's tied now, you can play freely~" Pingxin put Koito's backpack on the swing, and then tied the belt for her from behind.

"Thank you, thank you, Brother Pingxin!"

"You're welcome~"

And as long as you are nice to her, she will thank you. But Ping Xin doesn't like this. Although it is polite, but doesn't saying thank you every time make us seem unfamiliar?

"A-Actually!...Um...Actually, I've thought Hirashin-san and Tou-chan were amazing since kindergarten. They were so young, but they could climb up such a high climbing frame. It's really impressive...even though it's very dangerous!"

"Yeah, I'm listening~"

If you need courage, I'll give it to you, as long as it's good for you. And now that I think about it, it was really dangerous. At the time, he was kind of just being stubborn. In layman's terms, he was just getting carried away. Perhaps it was because his personality became more childish as he got smaller.

"But Xin-chan suddenly disappeared, and I was really sad at that time—"

"......Feel sorry."

"Ah, that's not what I meant. Um, that... Anyway, seeing that Shin-chan hasn't changed and is still the same as before, I'm really happy... It's not that you haven't changed at all! That... that..."

"Alright, alright, Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse... Haha, do we have to climb anyway? With Koito now, he should be able to climb up with me to the top right here."

"Together...mmmm...mmmm!"

"Okay, let's get going then—oh!" Ping Xin took the lead and began climbing on the climbing frame, a place he had climbed countless times in the past six months. Looking back at the beginning of it all, he wanted to die but didn't want to, and it was a great relief that he almost died but didn't.

"Eh, but safety measures...wait!"

"Haha, I won't wait~"

Hirayuko climbed slowly, just like he did when he was a child. Fukumaru Koito didn't want to see him leave alone again, so she started climbing too. She might be quite good at chasing after people—

She will not give up, and neither will he. Sooner or later, they will all...

"Ah, so this is what it's like standing at the top—"

It turns out that standing here is not scary at all...it turns out that the scenery here is so beautiful...is this the scenery they saw back then?

He watched for several minutes, until Xiaoyi felt a slight chill, and Pingxin did not disturb her, nor did he affect her feeling of this belated joy and sense of accomplishment.

“When I was little, I could finally reach a place I had never dreamed of reaching. But as I grew up, I finally reached it. However, I lost the motivation to climb, the original goal, and my reason for wanting to do so.”

"..."

"The climbing frame hasn't moved, nothing has changed much, it's us who have changed... but at the same time we haven't changed, and the view here is proof of that."

Going to the top because that's where the climbing frames are?

No, because he/she is here, we are all here—

"Right, right! Brother Pingxin may not know, but do you know what day it is today?"

Seeing Fukumaru Koito trot over to the swing and rummage through her backpack, Heishin smiled.

"Yeah...why don't you tell me, Koito?"

"Hehehe..As expected, I can't do without Ping Xin brother~"

So this is it, this is so cute~

......

...

..

"Oh, oh... Is it really okay for me to receive such a wonderful gift?" After receiving the chocolates handmade by Hirayuko, Fukumaru Koito felt a little flattered. But she quickly said happily, "Thank you so much... Can I open it now?"

"Well, of course... I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

"Well! Then... I'm going to open it——"

Fukumaru Koito opened the box, and her eyes lit up and fluctuated, and finally she revealed an excited and happy smile. This is what I wanted to see——

Although the sister who appears cold but is actually clingy is great when she's young, I really want a cute and serious character like Koito. If I add a tsundere and rebellious sister, it would be perfect...

Hmm, it seems a little familiar... Could it be that I really know such a person?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Chapter 33: Don't Want to See & Meet

"A pink bunny, a light blue seal, an orange kitten, a gray-brown puppy, a red and blue pony, a yellow and green... fox? Oh, and a flaxen kangaroo!"

"Strawberry, blueberry, orange, milk chocolate, cranberry. The yellow one is a little fox with matcha chocolate mixed in. The kangaroo has a child inside, so it's hazelnut chocolate mixed with dried fruits. If all the solid chocolates were different flavors, it would be easy to get tired of them, so this time I went with a combination of chocolate cookies and different fruit flavors."

"Wow, I didn't know Ping Xin was so good at making pastries! ...Sorry, the chocolate I gave you was from the store."

Fukumaru Koito was in a low mood. If there was anything about her that Hirayuko was dissatisfied with, besides the "thanks" that made people feel distant, the "apology" that was always too strict with herself was even more annoying.

Before receiving Ping Xin's gift, she had already given him a Valentine's Day gift: a high-end chocolate gift box she had carefully selected after receiving money and a sign from her parents. In the East, Valentine's Day is not only a day for men and women to express their love, but it has also gradually come to mean thanking those who take care of them.

However, I have reason to suspect that the so-called "righteousness chocolate" is just an excuse for merchants to promote their products and an excuse for arrogant losers to find for themselves.

"Yeah, that's true..." After all, one of them was a meticulously prepared handmade chocolate treat, while the other was just a gift box of purchased treats. If they didn't know, it wouldn't be a big deal. It would be okay if they were awful, but Ping Xin was doing it perfectly.

"Then... I will punish you—"

"Shhhhh! Punishment... I know!"

So don't just believe everything someone says. If I really wanted to, I could trick you into bed three times and you'd still be paying me back. Honey, be more careful...

"Well, your attitude is very good, as expected of Koito. Then... I will punish you, and then you can learn to make sweets with me. Anyway, you are not going to the private school (cram school) now, so you should have some free time, right? This time next year, let's exchange chocolate sweets again~"

"!...I see!"

Hey, hey, why are you almost crying again? This is obviously a normal thing for me to say... Doesn't it seem like I'm bullying you? It's almost making me feel guilty.

"Oh, yeah, let me tell you a secret... after you finish eating the snack, something really amazing will come out~"

"Really?...Wow——I'm really looking forward to it...But is it really okay for me to eat such a beautiful and delicious snack by myself..."

That’s it! ...This cute one is my Itobo. Do you have one?

"It's okay... Hehe, this is all part of my plan. After all, that's just Koito's personality~... Look, there's actually more than one of each type of cookie, and they're all sized so that even a child can eat one in one bite. This big box isn't just for looks—"

I'd call it a family sharing pack. It's the size that would take a while to finish even if the whole family were to eat together, so feel free to share it with your family, friends, and... them. I allow it... and after I give it to you, Koito, it's yours. You're free to share it with anyone you want~"

"!..Thank you Shin-chan!"