They all have special skills

Shaking her head quickly, Toyokawa Shoko's eyes turned cold again. She looked at Shimizu Akane and was silent for a moment before saying, "...Don't cause trouble for others. Also, listen to your father."

Akane Shimizu's smile widened, and she nodded heavily: "Yeah!"

----

Qing Shuichuan, who had been practicing Pure Yang Body for more than ten years, finally achieved his goal today. He was in a very good mood, which was completely different from Toyokawa Shoko, who was lying in bed as if she had been seriously ill.

His face was rosy, he walked with a breeze, and he even hummed a song while preparing lunch for the family, both big and small. In his background picture, flowers were blooming, and he looked prosperous.

When it was almost time for work, he took Akane Shimizu out. Before leaving, he half-knelt beside the bed and held Toyokawa Shoko's hand affectionately, repeatedly assuring her that he would say hello to the store manager tonight and come back as soon as possible.

Yesterday, the two of them were more than colleagues but less than friends, but after just one night, they instantly upgraded their relationship to that of an old married couple. Toyokawa Shoko, with a blushing face, was annoyed and kept urging him to leave quickly!

It’s none of her business when he comes back at night. All she wants is love by his side!

But having said that, after Shimizukawa took his little daughter out, seeing the small apartment suddenly become quiet, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but feel attached to someone, and felt a little lonely.

"Mom, how do you feel now? Do you want to sleep a little longer?" Shimizu Ai asked with concern, which made Toyokawa Shoko feel a little less lonely.

"I'm much better. Don't worry, Ai." Shoko Toyokawa touched her eldest daughter's head. After last night, whenever she saw Shimizu Ai or Shimizu Akane, she would have an extremely strong thought in her mind that "they are Shimizu and my children". She couldn't even ignore it on purpose. After so many times, she was too lazy to resist and just let it go.

The eldest daughter is very cute, just like her father. The youngest daughter looks like me, but on the inside... I don't know who she looks like, but she's also quite smart and lively. Judging from her appearance, she'll be well protected by her father in the future, unlike me now... That's enough.

Come to think of it, after severing ties with my family, this seems to be the first time I've felt so relaxed, without having to worry about anything else...

I have a whole day, and the weather outside is beautiful. I finally have some time alone with Ai. I think Qingshui has been taking care of her these days, and I haven't fulfilled my motherly duties at all. Today is my chance...

Shoko Toyokawa tried to get out of bed. It was now past eleven o'clock, and more than three hours had passed since her morning exercise. After lying down for so long, she had recovered some strength.

But under the worried gaze of Shimizu Ai, the moment Toyokawa Shoko's white toes touched the ground and she stood firmly, her thighs were still extremely sore and painful, and she couldn't help but grit her teeth and take a breath.

Seeing this, Qingshui Ai immediately held her arm and said, "Mom, if you haven't rested enough, you should lie down for a while. I'll bring lunch to your bedside later. You can also tell me directly if you need anything."

These considerate and caring words made Toyokawa Shoko feel warm in her heart, and she stopped complaining about that rude guy. She also became more determined to take Shimizu Ai out today to enhance the relationship between mother and daughter.

So the next moment, Toyokawa Shoko gritted her teeth and stood up. Although her legs were shaking like a newborn foal, which was quite funny, fortunately she managed to stand up successfully.

"It's okay, Ai. Mommy's almost done with her rest. Mommy's going to wash up now. After we have lunch at home later, can we go out and play together?"

Ai Shimizu looked at Shoko Toyokawa's reluctant posture, nodded in agreement with her words, and cooperated with her by showing joy.

But when Toyokawa Shoko was walking towards the bathroom, Shimizu Ai looked at her mother's slow and somewhat outward-leaning steps, and her happy expression instantly turned into worry.

In this state, is it really okay to go out?

----

On the side of the father and daughter, Shimizu Kawa and Shimizu Akane.

The fact that Akane Shimizu wore a mask and disguised herself as Shoko Toyokawa to take over the shift did not attract the attention of anyone in the store. This was indeed normal. After all, Shoko Toyokawa didn't talk much in the store. She would not take the initiative to talk to her colleagues unless there was something to do. She was quiet most of the time.

Today is a busy Saturday, everyone has their own things to do, so no one will pay special attention to her.

On the way to the store, Qingshuichuan briefly told Qingshui Akane the general process of what she needed to do today. As soon as she arrived at the store, Qingshui Akane started to get familiar with the work.

What she said before was not an exaggeration. Her athletic talent was probably inherited from Shimizu River. Her hands and feet were very fast, and her palms and arms were also quite strong.

As a girl, she can do what Qing Shuichuan did, holding a tray full of food in each hand and delivering it to the customer's table with ease.

If there are no problems during the initial familiarization phase, there will be no problems later on.

When there were problems with customers paying the bill and ordering food, she would obediently call Qingshuichuan to handle it. All in all, the substitute job went more smoothly than they had initially thought.

After the busy lunch hour, the afternoon became much quieter, with only a few tables of guests ordering afternoon tea and sitting there chatting.

The two chefs on duty were leaning on the windowsill, looking at the two people huddled together in the front hall with envy: "Sure enough, that Shimizu guy must have found Toyokawa. The two of them are so close together. Don't fire a flash bomb in broad daylight!"

"That's great! I also want a girlfriend like that. It wouldn't matter if I married into her family..."

"Oh, do you want a key?"

"?"

Meanwhile, Akane Shimizu, who was huddled with her father, was holding her phone and looking at the photos her mother had sent of her and Ai Shimizu at the amusement park. She marveled, "Mom looks healthy and in a great mood... As expected, that famous writer was right. The stomach is the gateway to a man's heart, while the gateway to a woman's is undoubtedly Yin... Ah!"

After being hit on the head with a "dong", Qing Shuiqian touched her head and looked at Qing Shuichuan who had retracted his knife with an aggrieved look on her face: "Dad, I'm quoting classics and talking about a serious topic. There's no need to hit me."

"You call me daddy, and you're already so old, but you still don't know what you can and can't say."

"I'm just genuinely happy for you guys, really..." After muttering softly, Akane Shimizu enlarged the photo her mother sent her. The two of them were playing on a water yacht, and her elder sister was spraying people with a small water gun.

My own sister can actually show such an innocent and cute side. I will save it and bring it to the future, and show it to my sister who always has a serious face when she grows up. It should be considered a dark history and make her look shaken.

"...Come to think of it, I haven't said thank you yet." Qing Shuichuan, who was wiping the plates, stared at the seats in the restaurant to prevent any shameless people from running away with the bill. This kind of thing has happened in the store before, so he had to pay attention.

Akane Shimizu raised her head, her lips curved into a cat-like shape, and asked knowingly, "What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for allowing your mother and I to progress so quickly. If we had just let things develop slowly on our own... I don't think what happened last night would have happened during high school. At least we'd have to go to college."

"There's one thing I'm not sure about."

"what?"

"Dad, are you thanking me for successfully bringing your relationship with Mom to a new level and improving your feelings? Or... are you thanking me for letting you... um... let you taste Mom? After all, once you get past the first time, the second and third times will become quite natural. In the future, if you want to go to Mom again, she won't refuse, right?"

After saying this, Akane Shimizu looked at Shimizu Kawa with anticipation. He suddenly laughed silently, then put down the plate and raised his left hand high.

"Well!"

Akane Shimizu was hit again, and this time the force was much stronger than before!

"Dad, you're really going too far. Sooner or later, you'll knock me into a fool..." Akane Shimizu covered her head with her hands and curled her lips helplessly. "But Dad, don't be too proud too soon. Although Mom seems very happy now and has begun to accept you, there are still very important issues that have not been resolved."

Qingshuichuan sighed with regret, it was indeed so.

"As for Shiyu's mother, and Eriri's mother... Dad, how are you going to explain this to her frankly? Otherwise... let me help you solve this problem."

"No need." Qingshuichuan didn't even ask her what her specific ideas were or what she planned to do, and refused without thinking.

If he really let his youngest daughter handle everything, where would his authority as a father be? Moreover, he also felt that this kind of thing had to be solved by him in the end, and it seemed weird to let other people interfere.

"Have my future self ever told you how I resolved the relationship between your mother and the others?" But let's be clear, it's okay to ask myself how I resolved this problem in the original timeline. After all, it's still me, so just take it as a reference.

Qing Shuiqian shook her head: "Dad, how could you possibly tell me this? When I was born and grew up, everyone was already accustomed to the life at that time and was enjoying it."

Although he didn't get a definite answer, Qingshuichuan didn't show much disappointment.

Akane Shimizu continued to ask with concern: "Dad, what are you going to do next?"

Qing Shuichuan answered without hesitation: "What can I do? Tell your mother the truth about the situation. Do it tonight when we get home. Regarding the relationship between me, your mother Shiyu, and Eriri, I didn't think it necessary to tell her so clearly before, but last night we...were all confirmed. So she has the right to know these things. If you continue to hide it, it will only cause more trouble the longer you delay."

"Indeed." Although it was just a decision made according to the rules, Qingshui Akane felt that there was no problem. With her mother's personality, if she felt that she was betrayed and deceived, she would definitely be very angry. It was the best choice to take the initiative to confess to her before she realized it. In fact, if she really wanted to say it, she could have confessed to her after waking up today, but it would not be too late to tell her a little later when she went back tonight.

"Let's buy some of Mom's favorite food tonight and talk to her when she's in a good mood after eating."

"Yeah." Qingshuichuan nodded.

At this time, a table of guests in the front hall stood up and took their belongings. It was obvious that they had finished their meal and were ready to leave.

"You wipe the dishes here." After giving instructions to Qingshui Akane, Qingshuichuan went to the cashier.

Shimizu Akane had just picked up a dry cloth and hadn't had time to wipe it when someone called her from the employee passage behind her: "Toyokawa, someone's looking for you at the back door of the restaurant."

"Someone is looking for me?"

"Yes, it's a girl, waiting for you." After the colleague delivered the message, he walked away.

Akane Shimizu was feeling nervous. Someone came to look for her mother at this time, and it was a girl... Who was it?

Come to think of it, my mom's friends during this period...seems to be just those few...

Akane Shimizu touched the mask on her face, glanced at Shimizu River at the cashier counter, thought about it, and decided to go and take a look herself. This was not a big deal, and she felt that she should just act according to the circumstances.

----

Ruoye Mu stood at the back door of the restaurant, looked up at the sky blankly, and lost in memories.

When Xiangzi went to see Su Shi and her friends' live performance that night, she burst into tears and ran out of the venue.

Ruoye Mu didn't know why she acted like that, but afterwards he felt a little regretful about his wooden reaction.

No matter what, Xiangzi was crying and was sad, so I should chase her out. Even if I didn't know what to say, it would be better to stay with her.

But I didn't do that. Instead, the boy who was following me at the time followed me out without hesitation.

I don’t know what happened to Xiangzi after that. Is she still sad?

She didn't answer the calls I made at different times.

Is Xiangzi angry with herself?

Su Shi asked me to do something, and I urged her again this morning...

Su Shi was determined to reunite CRYCHIC and even risked her own life to do so, but there was no doubt that they could no longer go back.

Only if Xiangzi explains it to her personally will she completely give up...

Beneath Wakaba Mu's serene expression as he looked up at the sky, a mixture of complex emotions surged.

Because she was afraid that if she told Xiangzi in advance that she was coming to meet her, she would refuse.

So she chose to come uninvited. She had already arrived at the store door an hour ago, but after seeing Xiangzi's busy figure through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window outside the store, she chose to turn around and go to a nearby cafe to kill time.

Now that the store was almost empty, she chose this familiar place and spoke to an employee in the store, asking him to call Xiangzi for her.

I hope she... won't be sad anymore... and won't be angry with herself...

"Ruoye..."

Wakaba...ah?

Hearing the voice, Ruoye Mu slowly turned his head and looked at the person beside him. With ice-blue hair and amber eyes, there was no doubt that it was Xiangzi.

But why didn't she just call him by his first name, but instead used his last name so politely? Was Xiangzi... still angry with him?

"Xiangzi, hello." No matter what, Ruo Yemu first bowed slightly to her and greeted her.

"Hello... Hello." Akane Shimizu was not used to this kind of literary way of conversation, but she still responded in a polite manner.

Ruo Ye Mu blinked her indifferent big eyes and looked at her good friend who she had grown up with. She vaguely felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't tell what it was exactly.

"Let's go over there and talk." Akane Shimizu pointed to the flower bed not far away. After all, their current location was too close to the back door of the restaurant. Several colleagues from the kitchen were smoking nearby.

Ruoye Mu nodded and followed her for a distance.

It was also during this process that Ruo Ye Mu discovered a point. He hadn't seen his good friend for just a few days, but why did he feel that...his height had suddenly increased a lot?

She couldn't help but stare at her friend's small leather shoes to check if they had any insoles or something like that.

Akane Shimizu stopped by the flower bed. She thought about her mother's personality, slowly crossed her arms in front of her chest, and repeatedly told herself to be serious. She lowered her eyes slightly, but did not speak first.

After all, she didn't know whether her mother had made an appointment with Aunt Ruoye before. If she took the initiative to ask what she wanted to talk to her about under such circumstances, it would seem strange. So it would be better to say nothing for now, let the other party speak first, and then she would respond step by step.

Seeing that "Xiangzi" was just looking at him without saying anything, Ruoye Mu thought she was angry with him, so he apologized first: "...I'm sorry for coming here to disturb you without making an appointment."

So you came here to look for your mother without permission...

Qingshui Qian understood and shook her head: "No." She was very frugal with words. After all, the more she talked, the more mistakes she made. Without understanding the situation, it would be better for her to speak less.

But speaking of which, Auntie Ruoye was very cute when she was young, delicate like a doll... I kind of want to pinch her soft-looking face, it must feel so good...

Ruoye Mu didn't know that she had been unconsciously attracted to her future junior. She just felt that Xiangzi was particularly cold to her today, which made her a little sad. She didn't know how to make amends, but she still needed to do what Su Shi asked her to do. "Su Shi also saw you on the stage that night. She asked me to contact you and said that she wanted to meet you no matter what to make things clear."

She said these words without much hope, expecting Xiangzi to reject or scold her, but that didn't happen.

Xiangzi touched her chin, which was unusual for her. Her eyes were filled with deep thought, as if she was trying to recall some very distant memories.

Ruo Yemu didn't dare to make a sound and just stood there waiting obediently.

After a moment, based on what she knew, Akane Shimizu roughly understood what was going on.

Sushi...you're referring to Aunt Nagasaki, right?

The bassist of the band that my mother first formed, she continued to interact with my mother in the future. She was a very gentle woman who was very friendly to me and my sister.

I still remember my father saying that of the few things my mother regretted in the past, the most embarrassing one for her was being betrayed by a partner she trusted, which destroyed all her years of forbearance, planning and hard work. Another thing was that she shouldn't have said those words to Aunt Nagasaki in such a young and impulsive manner.

Image: "You are...", Location: "Images/1729677810-100413974-112263934.jpg"

At that time, my mother was at the lowest point in her life. She felt that Aunt Nagasaki, who had been pestering her, was only concerned about herself and did not understand her difficulties at all. After being harassed to the point of being unable to bear it any longer, she also thought that it was better to suffer a short pain than a long one, and for the other person's own good, she hoped that she could move on from the past and face the future positively.

Without hesitation, he cut the Gordian knot and said some extremely aggressive words to her, which caused Aunt Nagasaki to be upset for a long time and stay at home in depression and unable to recover.

Although the ending was happy and Aunt Nagasaki regained her spirits, for my mother, those words were as cold as a knife, and the damage they caused her was also a fact...

There were obviously other better ways at the time, but my mother chose the simplest and most direct one.

Akane Shimizu could understand her mother. If it were her, with her home suddenly gone and her father wrongly accused, she would definitely not be able to remain patient with any unimportant things.