The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

Asakura Toru and Fukumaru Koito continued to explain, but it was obvious to anyone who could tell that Ichikawa Hina hadn't remembered anything. After all, Hina would forget about unimportant people and things that had nothing to do with her.

"Ah... Sorry, I kind of understand. This is the kind, right? The one using the boyish "servant" as the first person pronoun, like a maid-in-law... I can't accept it—!"

Ping Xin used the pink-haired hammer to hit the ground without crying, but nothing happened.

"Ah, sorry again, this is a bit shocking for me... Could it be women's clothing?"

"Although she is wearing women's clothes, Tou-chan is really a girl! Shin-chan, you are so rude!" At this moment, even the little animal-like girl couldn't help but want to scold him. It turns out that they didn't know each other's gender after being together for more than two years?

Although Toru was indeed mistaken for a boy when he was a child because he often wore pants and used the first-person pronoun "servant", they were so close at that time that they never took a bath together... They had never even been to each other's house before, so it's okay.

"Sorry, sorry... It's hard to accept, but I think I've accepted it now... Yeah, probably. No wonder you four formed a group. I thought the producer and the boss were also bewitched by Toru-kun. If it were a woman, this would be very normal - Toru-kun, ahhhhh!"

"Hehe...Yes, I am."

Although she was a little surprised that she had always been mistaken for a boy, that was all. Because Asakura Toru cared about the relationship between them, and seeing how much Hiranobu cared about her, being mistaken for a man didn't seem to matter.

And the way he looks now is really interesting, just like before.

"This is the first time Hina and I have met in real life, right? Anyway, let me introduce myself. My current name is Asuka Hiranobu, so you can just call me Hiranobu."

"Hey~...Hina (I) am Hina, so you can call me Hina too~"

"Well...if it's a letter, is that not okay?" When Hirashin and Hina were chatting, Asakura Toru suddenly interrupted.

"Eh...this one——should be okay?"

Hirayuko tried to make eye contact with Enka to clarify, but was avoided, so he had no choice but to answer like this. After all, he had been mistaking Toru-kun's...Toru's gender before, and now if he were to refuse such a request, wouldn't that put a wedge between them?

But no one noticed that Higuchi Enka's hands were trembling slightly. What was she thinking at this moment?

I don't know, but she suddenly said, "You just said... this was the first time we met in real life. What's going on? And... when did you 'get to know' everyone?"

Although he was confused, Hirayuki figured he'd answer any questions his girlfriend might have, so he pulled out his phone and explained, "Koito, you should know. This note... [Happy Sunday], is actually Hina?"

"Ah...really, the avatar is the same." Koito said in surprise.

"I was originally just seriously asking for advice online on how to be happy. Of the few helpful answers, Hina's advice was the most pertinent, so I asked for some advice... even though it was for a fee."

"Ahaha~ I see... What a coincidence~ Thanks for the coupon from the dessert shop, Heishin~"

Hinana also remembered this person. Although she had only replied a few words casually at first and felt that his seriousness was a bit annoying, she would occasionally chat with him after seeing that he had really become happy and even gave her a coupon that could bring happiness.

"As for Koito, we met by chance in the park. As for Tohru-kun... As for Tohru, I didn't realize it was her until just now. As for Hina, I recognized her when she took a photo of chocolate flowers and shared it with me. It was all just pure coincidence... As for Enka, it was me—"

"Nothing... Let's go, we're already late, let's go inside."

"..."

Ping Xin said nothing, just nodded and led them inside and introduced them loudly to others.

Besides this, what else did he feel?

Maybe it's over between them.

Chapter 96 Asakura

"So the one with brown hair is Ms. Asakura, right? And this one... is Ms. Higuchi Maruka, and then there's the cute Koito who I met before, and Ms. Ichikawa Hina who I meet for the first time. Good morning, everyone~" With a standard curtsy, the beautiful girl in a maid outfit greeted the four people.

"Um..Morning, maid?"

"This beautiful girl wearing glasses and a maid outfit is Murokasa Akane, a classmate... Maid is just her personal hobby. She would be very happy if you could treat her as a real maid~"

"Aha~ What a cute maid outfit~... Is the person over there also a maid lover?" Ichikawa Hina asked, pointing at the beautiful maid costumed woman who was sitting under the shade of the tree over there.

"No, they're real maids, responsible for... all sorts of things. Until you can tell who's who, you can just call them shadows."

Ping Xin snapped his fingers, and Delta, who had been following her, appeared with the bird perched on her shoulder, placing the plate and tongs in his hands. This ninja-like, on-demand behavior surprised them, but it was worth it that Ping Xin and Delta had prepared in advance.

"You can take as much food and drinks as you want here. Since we've booked the place, the people here today are all people I know. Just be casual and hang out with those who interest you—" After distributing the white plates and tongs for picking up food to the four people, Ping Xin made a gesture of invitation.

"Aha~ Since it's a buffet, Hina (I) want to go over there and take a look~" After saying that, Ichikawa Hina ran to the dessert area. It was just as I heard, a super free existence.

"...Enka-chan?"

Higuchi Enka silently took the plate and walked off in her own direction. Fukumaru Koito, sensing something was amiss, followed. Hirayuko wanted to follow, but now seemed like the wrong time. They could discuss this privately later.

"Toru-kun...Toru, is there anything you want to eat?" Seeing Toru Asakura standing there looking at him after taking the plate, Hirayuki was a little curious.

"It doesn't matter if it's Toru-kun or Toru... because it's the same thing. It's me."

"Hmph~... You're still the same. I've always admired your open-minded attitude since we were little. I was a little worried just now, but as expected, you're still the same, Toru. You haven't changed."

"...Isn't it still faith even if I believe it?"

The two smiled at each other, and after knowing that Tou Asakura Tou was waiting for him, Heishin took her around and talked about the past and present topics.

"Hmph... So this guy has a childhood sweetheart like this?... By the way, is there any black material about him in the past?" asked Nilu, who was sitting on a chair and eating meat.

"Hmm... can't tell the difference between male and female? Eh... elementary school students?"

"No, no, no, she's more like Koito. She's a year older than us, and her name is Meganelle."

Ping Xin hurriedly explained before Nelue got angry, but when he turned around, he found that Nelue had no unnecessary reaction at all.

"After all, this girl is different from you. She's not deliberately offending me. And most people who see me for the first time are surprised. I've long been used to it..."

Besides, being constantly irritated and falling for your provocations was just part of the game. Of course, Meganelle would never say such things, even if beaten to death.

"But what about the girl named Higuchi Enka you mentioned before? It's not like she would suddenly... Forget it, it's up to you, but if you dare to leave me, I will kill you~" After leaving a sentence that could not be ignored with a smile, Nel took the plate and left. She was also a complete meat lover.

"Hmm... What did you mean by that just now?"

Hirayuko could only introduce today's dishes in a roundabout way. There was no other way. Were you going to ask him to say something like, "I originally thought you were a man, but I still accidentally hit Enka"?

He couldn't do it, even though he always pretended to be thick-skinned.

"(Hira Nobu, you) can make snacks now? Which one did you make?" Fortunately, Asakura Toru did not intend to ask further questions. Instead, he asked about the things that had just been introduced.

"Today, there's no food here that I made. I asked the shadows to prepare it all... Hey, don't look so depressed. Well, I'll make it now. What do you want to eat?"

"Um...Is that okay?"

Asakura Toru looked around, as if asking if it was okay to cook now, or if it was okay to cook just for me? As always, it was hard to tell what she was thinking. Sure enough, Toru, whether it was Toru-kun, Asakura Toru, or Toru, hadn't changed at all.

"...Well, there is a little bit." After looking at the beautiful girl of the Takarazuka style next to him, Ping Xin chose to tell the truth. After all, it does not feel good to speak against one's conscience.

"Then...meat."

Toru Asakura touched her stomach. She felt a little hungry after coming here.

"Is meat okay? ...I thought you'd take this opportunity to order some rare and complex dishes to test my skills."

"Eh?...But it's going to be difficult, Shin."

Ah, there is actually someone who cares about me, I am touched... He is worthy of being the first friend I have made in my life!

"Hehe... My cooking skills are now good enough to be called a top-notch chef. No matter how weird the subject is, feel free to throw it at me. If you can't figure it out, I'll just go online and learn how to make it!"

Although he didn't know what a "special chef" was, seeing that Hirayuko was really excited, Toru clapped his hands first. They'd been getting along the same way since kindergarten, so it looked like they hadn't changed.

"That...delicious meat, especially delicious meat."

"Got it! Since we're going to eat soon, let's make some quick dishes. For example, the honey-glazed barbecue would be perfect with the naan or flatbreads they're handing out. Rolling it up with other ingredients is also recommended~"

"Haha~...Great~"

Asakura Toru gave a thumbs up. Although he didn't know what it was, how to make it, or how it tasted, he still felt excited.

"Pork belly, beef tenderloin, beef shoulder, beef tongue, chicken wings, chicken legs, chicken meatballs...that's about it. Anyone else want some honey-glazed barbecue? If so, just let me know—!"

"...squeak."

Asakura Toru was the first to respond.

"Here... squeak?"

"Well... Anyway, Roselia should have one too."

"Squeak...squeak?"

"Squeak!"

Well, he successfully led a group of people astray. It turns out that this guy Tou is different from others...

"Alright, little mice... Chef needs to prepare it now. Anyway, it should be ready in ten minutes or so!"

"Oh~~!"

But as expected, nothing has changed——

Chapter 97 Higuchi

"Enka-chan, aren't you going?... They seem to be doing something over there, it's quite lively."

"...It's okay if I don't go."

Although Higuchi Enka's tone of voice, attitude and even facial expression were no different from usual, Fukumaru Koito felt that something was wrong.

If Enka didn't want to talk about it, then she didn't have to ask. But that didn't mean she was going to sit back and watch it all happen. She had to do something...

For example, talk therapy like Xin-chan!

"Um... As for Enka-chan, has she met Hiroshin-nii somewhere before? If so, why are you avoiding him now?"

"...It has nothing to do with you—"

The cold expression and cold words instantly froze the courage Fukumaru Koito had finally mustered. However, the one who felt even more uncomfortable than her was the woman who had spoken those words, Higuchi Enka.

For a moment, she thought the other three and Nobu... Ping Xin had conspired to deceive her and use her for their amusement. But fortunately, it wasn't the case. Things didn't develop in such a bad direction.

But their love is destined to develop in the worst direction, because he is him, she is she and she is she.

"...This is a matter between me and that guy. It has nothing to do with you, Koito, so you don't have to worry about it."

In the end, he softened his heart. After all, even if he said something at this moment, since she was not present, it would only be a vent of his anger on Koito, and she did not deserve to be treated like this.

"Could it be that the boyfriend that Enka-chan mentioned before... is Nobu-chan?"

"No, no!"

It can't be him...it has to be him, why is the letter an ordinary letter? Why——

"...I don't know what happened, but it seems like things have been going on between Nobu-chan and Enka-chan for a while now."

Fukumaru Koito sat next to Enka, but turned her head away from her sight.

But come to think of it, it's true... How ironic, the two people who had the worst relationship back then almost developed that kind of relationship. It was truly the worst dream ever—

So, why did they have such a bad relationship back then? It seems that for two children who were equally precocious, they should get along better than others, but the fact is just the opposite.

Maybe... maybe there was more or less a reason for "fighting" for Toru at that time. After all, both of them wanted to be the best friend of Toru.

But as expected, the most fundamental reason was that he had a very sharp personality at that time, almost like a hedgehog, and there was a personality conflict between him and "me". If he hadn't changed, we would probably have been enemies for life. But after that, both sides became the opposite of what they were then.

And "I" also became the person I hated the most, the way he looked at that time...

"Ah...what a disgusting feeling—"

It wasn't that she wanted to cry or be angry, but rather a kind of absolute emptiness that could not bring in any emotion, a kind of empty fullness appeared in her body.

In the end, she is still just admiring him, but no matter how much she admires him, he will never become a truly beautiful being...so she will lose, and this relationship is doomed to end in failure.

But so what?

As long as she doesn't care, as long as she lets go of those useless emotions like she used to, then she won't take it seriously, won't be sad, and won't cry. So, you shouldn't have any expectations from the beginning...

No expectations, no disappointment, right?

The activities over there seemed to be in full swing. A large group of people gathered there and many people exclaimed from time to time. The orange flames suddenly shot up from time to time, and even the two people in the distance could see it clearly.

But what's the point? What's the point of just seeing...

Her flame was extinguished, replaced by a presence that was not as cold as the river water, but clearer, brighter and more beautiful.

It's impossible no matter what—

The so-called "If Asakura can do it, Higuchi can do it too" is just a Cinderella spell. It will lose its effect at midnight, revealing the dirty and broken me inside. Moreover, the spell itself is...

That's enough, it's pointless to talk about this now!

Because they were the same... Asuka and Asakura were the same, but they and Higuchi were different. From head to toe, top to bottom, inside and out, they were completely different, a difference that could be described as a dimension of difference.

"Are you still concerned about the drowning incident?"