A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"It's been so long since I've seen Xiangzi and Mu... so I can't be sure if they still enjoy our time together as much as they used to! Or... I don't want to leave them with bad memories anyway."

Gao Songdeng unconsciously clenched his hands and said in a trembling voice:

"Before forming [CRYCHIC], I was always alone. No one could understand me, and I could never understand others either... It was [CRYCHIC] that gave me the opportunity to change all that. It was everyone who made me feel less lonely... It was Xiangzi who taught me how to get along with others properly!"

“But even in the end, I still couldn’t do anything for them… All of this was because I was too weak, too incompetent! And now… because of Aine’s encouragement and companionship, I finally have the courage to start over. So this time, I absolutely don’t want to repeat the same mistakes, and I don’t want to lose my important companions again!”

Having said this, she raised her head and stared at Chihaya Tetsuya with extremely firm eyes that were sparkling with tears.

"Whether it's now or in the future... I will never abandon Aine. This is both my atonement for the past and my cherishment of the future. I... no longer want to be disliked by others because of my weakness..."

"…………"

Takamatsu Touma's answer shocked Chihaya Tetsuya deeply.

On the one hand, it was because of her uncharacteristic frankness and strength, and on the other hand, it was because of the deep regret and guilt she felt towards [CRYCHIC] and Toyokawa...

This kid seemed to have completely blamed himself for the disbandment of [CRYCHIC].

But in fact, according to the information he heard from Fengchuan, Fengchuan clearly wanted to use that method to make everyone resent her and naturally shift the blame to herself.

The two people's ideas did not match at all.

But even so, they all reached the same conclusion -

【CRYCHIC】It is destined that they cannot go back to the past, so instead of that past full of regrets and sorrows, they should grasp the present and the future.

……

"I'm sorry, Takamatsu-san."

Chihaya Tetsuya, who had completely understood Takamatsu Deng's feelings and thoughts, bowed his head deeply towards the girl in front of him who was about to cry.

The suspicion and vigilance in his heart had completely disappeared, and what remained was only sympathy and pity for the girl in front of him.

“I just said some very irresponsible things to you… I’m really sorry for making you feel embarrassed and sad. But please rest assured, all my actions were completely my own thoughts and had nothing to do with Aine, so you don’t have to worry about whether Aine has the same doubts about you.”

Chihaya Tetsuya assured Takamatsu Deng.

"So whether it's disgust or fear, just focus on me."

"Eh? I, I don't have such an idea at all!"

Faced with Chihaya Tetsuya's solemn apology, Takamatsu Deng hurriedly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and returned to his previous volume and tone.

“I understand. Chihaya-san isn’t deliberately trying to embarrass me. He’s asking me these questions out of consideration for Aine! So I don’t intend to blame you at all! Rather… your consideration and tenderness for Aine, I, I really like it… Ah, no, not like it! Should I say I admire it? Or yearn for it… Ugh, what word should I use at this moment…”

Takamatsu Deng, who is not good at socializing, fell into incoherent confusion because of his wording problems.

But no matter what, she did not hate Chihaya Tetsuya because of this fact, and she finally conveyed it to Chihaya Tetsuya.

“Whether it’s [CRYCHIC] or the band you’ve formed, I’m a complete outsider. So I don’t have the qualifications to give your band instructions… As Aine’s older brother, I only have one thing to say—”

Chihaya Tetsuya continued to keep his head down and said to the girl in front of him in an extremely serious tone:

"Takamatsu-san, from now on, please continue to get along well with Aine."

"Yes!"

Takamatsu Deng also nodded seriously and responded:

"I will definitely cherish the friendship and fate between me and Aine!"

"...Thank you, Takamatsu-san."

Chihaya Tetsuya's mood finally relaxed, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

Takamatsu Deng, who had been watching Chihaya Tetsuya closely from the beginning, also smiled from the heart after seeing this barely perceptible smile.

She could feel that at this moment, the two of them had truly understood each other's thoughts and accepted each other's existence.

At this moment, she was no longer as nervous as when she first came here. Not only that, just by looking at Chihaya Tetsuya's profile, which had let go of all his guard and suspicion, her heart would once again surge with the warmth she had just felt when she confessed her true feelings -

"I want to thank you too... Chihaya-san."

Takamatsu Deng clutched his uniform tightly in front of his chest and said to Chihaya Tetsuya:

"Those words I just said were secrets I'd never had the chance to tell anyone. Thanks to you, I was finally able to vent them and clarify my thoughts. This sense of relief... I haven't felt this way in a long time."

At this point, she suddenly remembered something, and then she quickly added:

“By the way, although it may be a bit unreasonable, I hope Chihaya-san can help me keep these things secret from Aine first! Well, sooner or later, I will explain all this to her in my own way. Before that, please give me a little more time.”

"Don't worry. I sent her away on purpose to prevent her from hearing this. The CRYCHIC incident has nothing to do with her. And the issues between you two must of course be resolved between yourselves."

Chihaya Tetsu also readily agreed:

“But before that, Takamatsu-san, please go wash your face… Your eyes are a little red right now, and if Aine notices, she might notice something.”

"Ah! That won't do!"

After hearing this, Gao Songdeng quickly stood up from the sofa.

"I, I'm going to wash my face now... Um, where is the bathroom..."

"Just walk to the end inside. Ah, as for the towel, you can borrow Aine's first. It's the pink one."

"Yes, I understand!"

After saying that, Gao Songdeng hurried to the bathroom and quickly used cold water to cool down the remaining heat in his eyes.

And then, when she was about to borrow the pink towel as Chihaya Tetsuya had suggested, the sea-blue towel placed next to it instantly caught her attention.

(This towel... should belong to Mr. Chihaya, right?)

Is it a sea blue one... I wonder how it differs from Aine's...

……

For some unknown reason, Gao Songdeng inexplicably reached out for the light blue towel, but when her hand touched the slightly damp softness, she immediately retracted her fingers as if she had received an electric shock.

(What was I planning to do?!)

Gao Songdeng, who regained consciousness, quickly took the pink towel and wiped away the water droplets on his face.

(My mind must be spinning from the conversation just now… I’m clearly still a guest at someone else’s house, I absolutely can’t slack off like this any longer!)

boom--!

"I'm back!"

While Takamatsu Deng was still nervous about his own confusion, Chihaya Aine finally returned home with the drinks she had just bought.

"Eh? Where's the light?"

"I'm here!"

Hearing Chihaya Aine's call, Takamatsu Deng hurried out of the bathroom.

“I was just washing my hands! Um, I borrowed Aine’s towel for a moment…”

"It's okay, it's okay. I just happened to need to wash my hands! Brother, this is for you."

As Chihaya Aine spoke, she handed the plastic bag in her hand to Chihaya Tetsuya, and then she walked into the bathroom with the same brisk pace as before she left.

"..."*2

After that, Chihaya Tetsuya and Takamatsu Deng exchanged a secret glance and then walked towards the dining table.

“I heard from Aine that you don’t like fish roe, so I avoided those… Oh, and I didn’t order shrimp either. After all, that would make you feel… what’s it called, the feeling of ‘eating life’, right?”

"Eh? Chihaya-san, can you understand that feeling too?"

"I wouldn't say I understand it, but I can say it's easy to imagine. After all, one of a designer's jobs is to understand these relatively abstract and subjective feelings as best as possible."

"I see……"

"I'm done showering—huh? What were you two talking about?"

"About the relationship between 'life' and 'sushi'."

"Is this the title of some philosophical essay?"

"Alright, alright, come over and sit down... Takamatsu-san, how much wasabi sauce would you like?"

"Just a little bit will do."

“Okay… I won’t ask about Aine.”

"Hehe, I'll leave it to you, brother~"

Just like that, as if nothing had happened, Chihaya Tetsuya continued to entertain Takamatsu Touma clumsily and seriously.

However, without the brother and sister noticing, Takamatsu Deng looked at Chihaya Tetsuya much more frequently than before.

"……so good."

"Hmm? Deng, what did you just say?"

"Nothing at all."

This weekend seems destined to be much longer than usual.

Chapter 12: As a First Step to Change

"Come to think of it, I never asked Deng why he wanted to form a band before."

After lunch, Chihaya Aine, who was resting in the living room, naturally talked about the past with Takamatsu Deng.

"As for me... ahem, the reason is simple. I just want to be popular."

If this had happened before, Chihaya Aine would definitely not have admitted it so readily.

But since she received support and guidance from Chihaya Tetsuya, she no longer regards it as something shameful.

"After all, Hanqiu has a strong musical atmosphere. If I had thought at the time that if I could make a name for myself in the band, I might become a school celebrity..."

"……Amazing."

What surprised Chihaya Aine was that this statement, which she thought was basically equivalent to self-explosion, received an evaluation that was completely beyond her imagination.

"This direct and pure reason... is truly amazing!"

Takamatsu Deng immediately looked at Chihaya Aine with longing.

"For someone like me who gets nervous just by being stared at... I can't even think about becoming popular!"

"Huh? Can you still understand it this way?"

Chihaya Aine scratched her head blankly.

"Um... the light? Generally speaking, my behavior would easily be considered vain."

“If it’s just a matter of being clever or relying on luck by simply doing nothing, then perhaps that’s true. But Aine has actually put in some effort, right?”

Takamatsu Deng said in an extremely serious tone:

“As long as you have the ability and hard work to match your popularity, then you won’t just be vain, but a shining star! I think Aine has the potential to become a star—Hmm!”

"Wow! Deng is indeed my best friend!!!"

Before Takamatsu Deng could finish his words, Chihaya Aine rushed over and hugged Takamatsu Deng.

"In this world, besides my brother, you are the only one who would say these words to me! I love you!"

"Woo——"

Takamatsu Deng, who was suddenly hugged, felt embarrassed at first, but then the increasing pressure made her expression change from shyness to embarrassment in an instant.

“Um, Aine…”

"What's the matter, the light?"

"A little, a little sad..."

Gao Songdeng gently patted the arms that were around her shoulders.

"I can hardly... breathe..."

"Eh? Oh, sorry!"

Seeing Takamatsu Deng's face that had turned a little red, Chihaya Aine quickly loosened her arms.

"Because I was so happy just now, I accidentally used all the strength I usually use to hug my brother!"

"No, it's okay."