The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

Chapter 4000: For Whom the Heart Beats ()

"I'm sorry Karin...you left me alone."

"Yeah, I'm fine...how about her?"

Kadodade Karin was a little worried. She was worried that Hiranobu had heard something strange from her, that he would be entangled by that evil person, and... she was worried that she would lose everything she had now.

"Ah↘↗, that person... It's okay. After I paid the medical bills and compensation, she was so happy that she cried. People like this are only after money. If you want, you can do it yourself. After all, these people can be 'sent away' with a little money--"

"No, forget it..."

Hua Lin breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Ping Xin's appearance as usual made her feel at ease. To be honest, Hua Lin was terrified when she saw Ping Xin take action. It was like a pet kitten suddenly turned into a tiger, or the dog next door suddenly turned into a pack of wolves skilled in hunting.

She'd never seen Hirayoshi truly angry, and she probably wouldn't again. It was also the first time Karin had ever seen someone slap someone in the face, sending them flying like in the movies. The scene was so surprising she couldn't react in time. Hirayoshi's hidden side might frighten others, but Karin was truly happy to have met someone who was truly angry for her, someone who would stand up for her, someone who would stand up for her no matter what...

But the person before was right. She was born without blessings, was an unloved child, and was an unloved black crow. She had nothing and had no right to make a wish to the person before her.

"......Thank you."

"Huh? Oh... I should be apologizing to you because I ruined this date out of impulse."

Pingxin rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed. This innocent and harmless look was his most primitive self. He was like the monster in the special effects film that "evolved" according to the outside world's reaction. He would always return all the malice from the outside world with more powerful and fierce means.

"No...I'm fine now. So just enjoy your date with Asuna. I'll be leaving today."

"Um......"

Pingxin stood there and watched Hua Lin and Delta get in the car and drive away. Even without any super powers, he could feel Hua Lin's low mood——

It's screwed, this time.

But he didn't care. After all, anyone who is walking on the street and is suddenly bitten by a dog will feel unhappy, although it may be a bit dog-like to say so. But forget it... go somewhere else, after all, when you are unhappy, you should go somewhere else...

Finally, Pingxin returned to his old, familiar park, where he could find peace of mind. Like a hometown, a place he always cherishes, this was his favorite place now, a place he couldn't quite complete at home.

"Ciallo~ Ping Xin's secret base has been discovered--!"

That voice... that familiar greeting! But why is she here?!

As far as Ping Xin knew, this meme, which he had only used once, this way of greeting was only used by that person in the world—

"...Asuna, why are you here?...Karin, who needs comfort, isn't here."

"But there's a child here who needs comforting, right?"

Asuna Ichinose picked up the kitten that was crawling on Hiranobu's legs and sat on it herself. The kitten was a little grumbling at being woken up, but after finding that the new cushion was bigger and softer, it continued to doze off. The two kind-hearted people were also easily favored by small animals and therefore did not care about their dissatisfaction.

"...etc?!"

To be honest, until today, Hirayukobu couldn't say that he was immune to Asuna's Yokaku aura. Normally, he would only approach Asuna when Karin was around, so this was probably the first time the two of them had been alone together since they met.

And it’s too close!!!

Very dangerous in every sense!!!

“Touch~Touch~”

"...!"

Asuka Hirayobu's current height is 178cm, while Ichinose Asuna's is 167cm, which is quite tall for a girl. Sitting on Hirayobu's lap, Asuna cuts the 11cm height difference in half and then shrinks it even further. Hirayobu's heart races as he looks at the pretty face before him.

This seemed to be the first time that Pingxin was face to face with a member of the opposite sex other than his younger sister. The hand gently stroking his head reminded him of his father's warmth and his mother's softness. A familiar impulse almost surged in his heart and eyes, and even the physical impulse was dissolved by the psychological touch.

“…too close.”

Pingxin brushed her hand away and looked away. As he had said before, he was not good at responding to kindness.

"Eh—but haven't we always done this before?!"

Too close, the distance between two hearts is too close——

Although Pingxin couldn't feel Asuna's heartbeat through the thick "cushion", he could feel as if there was a Tyrannosaurus Rex rampaging in his heart. However, besides being ferocious, the pair of little hands waving in the air looked a little cute.

"...How did you find this place? I guess I never told you about this place—"

"Hmm... ah, I see. I came here because I wanted to see Hirashin... Wow! There are so many cute kittens here, on the slide, in the trees, and everywhere on the ground~"

I see, this is a very "Asuna" reason...

"I'm sorry, Asuna. I hurt Karin and—"

"Sh ...

Asuna raised a finger and pressed it to Hira Nobu's lips, interrupting him. After gently placing the kitten on the lawn under the shade of the distant tree, Ichinose Asuna returned to the other swing and sat down again, this time the two of them were finally in the same position.

"Ping Xin seems to have something to tell me. What is it?"

"...I hurt someone, crippling them even though we'd only just met. I was cold-blooded and ruthless, abusing the resources at my disposal for my own selfish desires, disregarding laws and morals like the people I hate. I...seemed to be avenging Karin and those she'd hurt, but in reality, it was just a reminder of the past, and..."

Ping Xin talked a lot, his back hunched with each word, and the darkness within him grew stronger with each additional word. Most of the time, he appeared to be a rational person, aware that he harbored a lingering darkness within himself, and that was precisely why he kept his distance from others.

Afraid of others, afraid of himself, afraid of everything beyond his control, this is Ping Xin, an unprecedented coward.

"...I see—that's too complicated, I don't understand anything at all!"

Asuna, who was happily swinging on the swing while listening to Hiranobu's confession, said, "I don't know anything because I am Ichinose Asuna."

"sorry, I--"

"Pingxin, you keep apologizing. Who are you apologizing to, and what are you apologizing for? I don't know the complicated things you just said... but Pingxin, you must have your own reasons for doing what you do, right? After all, Pingxin, you are smart and powerful, much more powerful than the rest of us—"

If that's the case, then isn't it normal for you to do something I wouldn't have thought of? And whether something like that is right or wrong can be determined by whether you truly regret it, Pingxin. After all, you're pretty smart, after all~"

Yeah...who am I apologizing to and for what?

Maybe it was because of the old man who had gently taught me to love my fellow human beings... Although Ping Xin rejected his logic of "God has his own arrangements" from the bottom of his heart - because when he asked for help, he didn't see any shadow of any god at all, only the white-haired old man was always with him.

As for now... perhaps it's about the faith in his heart? He yearns for freedom, yearns for strength, yearns for... those heroes of the past. Whether real or fictional, the spirit of heroes always shines brightly. So dazzling... whether it's those heroes or the girl beside him -

"...I have no regrets. If I did it again, the result would be the same."

Ping Xin spoke out the answer in his heart without hesitation, and then the doubts in his heart about himself melted away like snow encountering the sun.

"That's fine, isn't it? After all, I make mistakes all the time~"

"...Is Asuna also troubled?"

That incredibly lucky Asuna? Asuna with the surname Ichinose? That "Goddess of Luck" who seems to be blessed by the world? Does even such a lucky person have her troubles? It turns out her life isn't all smooth sailing...

For some reason, Pingxin's heart calmed down. He looked at the girl beside him. Today, Asuna was not dressed in her school uniform, nor was she wearing the fluffy animal pajamas she had worn when they met at home that morning. Instead, she was a beautiful woman with both youthful and sexy looks.

Two exposed bra straps flanked her bare white shoulders, paired with a low-cut white sweater and a black silk choker, creating a strikingly beautiful image. Unlike the plain upper body, the lower half was a dark plaid skirt. The long length covered her entire thighs, but made the exposed calves appear even whiter and more prominent.

On her feet are delicate white socks with lace edges and brown calfskin shoes, which JK often wears with school uniforms. From top to bottom, her outfit highlights a simple and plain beauty. Just like Asuna herself, she gives people a simple and pure beauty that makes it difficult to look away.

Before, he always thought of Asuna as someone who was impossible to communicate with, difficult to approach, and completely different, but now it seems that she is just an ordinary girl.

"...Look, there's a beautiful bow here? And here too!"

Ichinose Asuna first tucked her hands into her sleeves to give herself a "cute sleeve" attribute, then waved her white sleeves to show off the small black bows on them. Perhaps she was in high spirits, she even wanted to pull down the neckline, which had already "reached the bottom line (of Shinhe)," to show off the bows on the black lace bra underneath.

To be honest, Ping Xin is boki...

"..."

Perhaps this time he was truly moved. It wasn't a purely physiological reaction like in the past when Asuna had hugged him unilaterally, but rather he was "excited" because it was Asuna who was doing this. He was very curious about what kind of troubles Asuna, the "woman of the plane", was having in her heart. If he didn't ask now, he would never have another chance. He had a premonition that -

"...Asuina, you just changed the subject on purpose, didn't you? What exactly are you talking about as 'troubles'..."

Even before Hiranobu's malicious questioning was over, he noticed something was off about Asuna. Hiranobu's question was the final straw. Asuna sat quietly on another swing, unlike the lively playfulness she had just a few minutes ago. Her eyes looked a little... glazed?

"Hmm..." Asuna was in a daze.

At this moment, she was like a puppet that had been wound up and returned to its original position. Even the cat on the ground failed to attract her attention. What was going on?

"Ah! What? Ping Xin, what did you say just now?" Asuna suddenly came back to her senses after more than ten seconds and asked belatedly.

This didn't seem like a "delay" issue, but more like... Alzheimer's? Uh... early-stage dementia? He didn't bother searching on Baidu. It was common knowledge that a quick search on Baidu would reveal all sorts of illnesses, and a quick online inquiry would reveal anything incurable. If this wasn't the first time this had happened, then Murokasa Akane, Asuna's good friend, would surely know about it.

Under normal circumstances, Heishin would definitely choose to ask Karin, but today, because it was Heishin's fault that she encountered something bad, Heishin decided to keep his distance for the time being. Perhaps this would be better for both of them...

"......I see--"

After sending a Line message to Akane, she told Hiraishi that this was Asuna's "bad cycle." It wasn't a bad cycle, but rather a depression and slowed reaction time caused by the accumulation of stress. Should the official name be "Uh--cycle"? The cure was to take her out...

Why does it look like a big dog that's depressed because it can't go for a walk?!

"...I'm sorry, Asuna. It's all my fault for telling you about my negative emotions. I thought you were the sun that always shines, but I didn't expect you to feel sad because of these things—"

Looking at it this way, perhaps Asuna isn't the sun, but a "purification device" that absorbs the negative emotions of those around her and then transmits positive feedback (positive emotions)? Thinking about it this way, she's really amazing...

Pingxin held Asuna in his arms, and then rocked the "cradle" like a mother, humming a tune softly. It was an unknown little song that had accompanied him throughout his previous life.

"...Pfft—Ping Xin, what are you doing? Why are you doing something like this? It's so funny!"

I originally wanted to let Asuna take a nap to relieve the stress, but I didn't expect that Hirayuko would be laughed at by Asuna who ended the "uh~~ cycle" early because she was too funny.

"...I'm going to turn evil! I'm going to have Jade Syndrome!"

Hirayuko, furious and powerless, buried his head in Asuna's neck and rubbed it furiously, shaking his hair as if to activate a hidden backup energy source. The two people of similar mental age played here, like kittens clinging to each other on the side of the road.

"Wait...it's so itchy--hahaha!"

Asuna also tickled the itchy spot on Hirayuko's waist...Did I ever say that Hirayuko is actually very ticklish?

“Hahahahahahahaha~! You’re so brave… Watch out!”

"Wow, the big bad wolf is here to catch the little white rabbit~!"

The two began to chase each other "fiercely" in the old park. Sometimes they slid down the slide together and got stuck in the middle of the small slide together, sometimes they climbed up the climbing frame together, and sometimes they kept circling around the circular tap pool like they were performing a duet. Finally, they turned on the faucet and played a water splashing game to wash away all their unhappiness.

The cats hiding everywhere just took a first look and continued to do what they were doing. After all, there was already a male biped running around normally, and today there was just one more female biped. The poop scooper had nothing to be afraid of!

In the end, Asuna was the first to run out of energy and collapsed directly on the lawn, while Hirayukoshi lay beside him.

"...You know what, Asuna?"

"what?"

"Actually...actually, I was scared of you at first because I thought you and I were completely different human beings."

One is like the sun, emitting warm light all the time, and the other is like a black hole, endlessly devouring everything in the world. No one can observe his true inner self.

"...Ping Xin, do you know?"

"...What?"

"Actually, I kind of hate you now~"

“…I see—”

Ping Xin was relieved. As expected, we are two completely incompatible types of people...

"But I like you too!"

"Ahem...will you continue?"

As expected, he had no idea what girls were thinking. He should develop more mind-reading skills in the future, Ping Xin thought.

"I hate you so much - because whether it's Nero-senpai, Karin, or Akane, you all have your own little secrets with them, and you never intend to tell me."

"..."

"I won't hide anything from you, so... let's not have any secrets between us, okay?" Asuna stretched out her index finger and drew a heart shape on Hirashin's chest, as if measuring his sincerity.

Weak fingers should not have had any effect on the well-trained steel body, but Pingxin's heart seemed to be held in Asuna's hand, beating up and down with her fingers.

"I--"

Chapter 98: The Gift of Destiny

When her sister Asuka Ma saw Hira Nobumasa covering the "red mark" on his neck, looking around and hesitating, she understood everything. She didn't expect that the strongest player on the field was this Ichinose Asuna?

Mizukuri looked at Ping Xin's embarrassing appearance and felt very disappointed. You are really handsome when you act cool, but you look really embarrassed when you are being played around by the "bad woman". You need educational guidance!

The two "mothers" who had originally been urging their "son" to go on a blind date were now completely distraught, completely forgetting who had bowed their heads and asked the "Four Heavenly Kings" to come out that night in the large bathhouse. It was like the child who had been urged to go on a blind date had found a wife who was talentless, immoral, and in debt. They were dissatisfied with everything and wanted to pull out a feather duster and order a "bamboo shoots and pork" meal.

Ping Xin pretended not to notice the two men's icy gazes, which seemed to have materialized into something real. He then began to talk about other things and performed the traditional Yan Kingdom art of "Tai Chi". He had a style that was quite victorious, using the "turtle breathing method" to survive until the end. Muzan was immediately praised as an expert! And he really could play the turtle to death. After all, if nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely survive the longest...

Right now, Hirayuko just wanted to kill himself, who had lost his rationality because of Asuna's sudden charm. He was like a righteous ally. Look at what you've been protecting!