Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 201 A Kiss Intertwined with Bitterness and Saltiness
"you!!!"

The moment she heard Makoto Akizuki admit it and saw his nonchalant attitude, Rie Niijima was instantly overwhelmed with anger.

She raised her hand high, intending to slap Qiuyue Cheng again, but just as she was about to strike, Qiuyue Cheng grabbed her wrist.

Then, he said in a cold tone, "I know you're angry, but that's enough. If you keep hitting me, Maki will notice the marks on my face."

He had no reason to be hit by Rie Niijima. If he wanted to stand up for his friend, then that initial slap should have been enough.

That's why he didn't dodge, but instead took the full force of the angry slap squarely.

Even now, Akizuki Makoto's cheek still hurts, and his mouth still has a faint metallic taste of rust.

"How dare you mention Maki-chan!"

Rie Niijima screamed as if in a fit of rage, forcefully shaking off Makoto Akizuki's hand and shouting through gritted teeth, "What do you take Maki for? Do you know what the consequences of your actions will be? Are you only happy when you've destroyed everything? You devil, you scum!"

She had previously thought that Akizuki Makoto was a respectable, reliable, and handsome senior.

Although he seems like a jerk when it comes to relationships, there's nothing he can do about it. His outstanding looks and other excellent qualities just attract all sorts of women.

Moreover, she also knew that Shiina Maki had not defeated Himeyasuki, and that Akizuki Makoto was with Shiina Maki because he couldn't let go of her.

If Akizuki Makoto and Hime Yuki have an ambiguous relationship, then she has nothing to say; it's a matter between the three of them.

But she couldn't understand why Akizuki Makoto would target Shiraishi Rin.

Originally, their band of five members fell apart due to relationship disputes, and now Akizuki Makoto is trying to cheat on Shiraishi Rin.

She didn't even dare to imagine how bad their relationship would become if Shiina Maki found out.

"I'm sorry, I won't explain to you why I did this."

Makoto Akizuki straightened his disheveled collar, retied his tie, and then said, "Don't threaten me. If you want to tell Maki, feel free to do so."

He had no need to hide it, nor did he want to avoid a future where he would be exposed.

That day will come sooner or later; it's better to do it sooner rather than later.

"you……!"

Rie Niijima stared wide-eyed, unable to understand why Makoto Akizuki could be so composed, as if he didn't care at all about being exposed.

That makes sense; if he were afraid of being exposed, he would have acted more anxious last night.

"What do you take Maki-chan for?!"

As Makoto Akizuki walked to the door of the activity room and was about to leave, he heard Rie Niijima's question from behind.

He stopped, turned around, and said softly, "Treat her as someone important."

"If you consider her an important person, then cherish her more! Why do you keep doing things that hurt her?"

Rie Niijima shouted angrily, feeling from the bottom of her heart that Makoto Akizuki was incredibly hypocritical.

If you consider someone important, why would you do something so cruel?

She didn't understand, she really didn't understand, she couldn't comprehend at all what Akizuki Makoto was thinking.

“I understand the logic, and I have my own reasons. I don’t need you to teach me.”

Makoto Akizuki remained calm throughout, treating Rie Niijima, who was filled with anger, with indifference.

"Saying you have your own reasons is disgusting and infuriating. Whatever your reasons are, they are no excuse for you to hurt and tease Maki-chan like this!"

"Yes, you're right, so I have nothing to say and nothing to explain. No matter what my reasons are, they can't cover up the fact that I hurt Maki."

At this moment, Akizuki Makoto, whose expression had remained unchanged, gave a self-deprecating laugh.

He understands the principles and knows the consequences of his words and actions.

But what could he do? He couldn't refuse Ji Yexue, nor did he have any reason to.

Now, Ji Yexue was also in this activity room, watching intently, which was why he didn't want to continue talking to Niijima Rie.

Last night, he told Ji Yexue about the exposure, and then learned that it wasn't Ji Yexue who leaked the information; the exposure was purely due to an accident.

Although he found it unbelievable, Akizuki Makoto was too lazy to guess what was going on. He believed that Ji Yexue would not lie to him about such a trivial matter, because there was no need for it.

"Senior Qiuyue, please stop. I can pretend I didn't see anything yesterday."

Rie Niijima's tone suddenly softened, and she pleaded with a hint of tears in her voice, "If Maki-chan finds out, she will be in great pain, and our friendship will end because of it. I don't want that."

"..."

Akizuki remained silent, offering no answer, his expression turning gloomy.

“I know that Senior Akizuki has his own reasons. It’s not what you just said. It’s not that he only made a move on Rin because he was interested in her.”

Seeing that Makoto Akizuki remained silent, Rie Niijima continued speaking, her voice filled with sorrow.

"If that's really what Senior Akizuki was thinking, then she could have made her move a long time ago, instead of doing this all of a sudden."

"I'm sorry, Senior Akizuki, I hit you and I apologize, but could you please listen to me and stop here?"

"If this continues, things will only get worse, and more people will be hurt."

Yes.

As Rie Niijima said.

If Qiuyue Cheng follows Ji Yexue's instructions, he will surely face an abyss of misfortune.

He would hurt the important people around him one by one, hurting them countless times.

This creates a vicious cycle: hurting someone for someone else's sake, and then hurting someone else for someone else's sake.

Makoto Akizuki knew that this was wrong, just as he had known it before, yet naively and greedily wanted to take responsibility for both of them.

But how could he possibly resist Ji Yexue? Even if he knelt down and begged her, she probably wouldn't agree to stop.
Ji Yexue is now on the verge of collapse; various factors have brought her to the brink of mental breakdown.

Akizuki Makoto wants to heal her emotional wounds, even if it hurts the people she cherishes.

"I'm sorry, Niijima, but I've already decided to do this. Now that things have come to this, isn't it too late to back down?"

Akizuki Makoto gave a dejected smile as he rejected Niijima Rie. His heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp knife, the pain almost suffocating him.

He destroyed the friendship between the three of them with his own hands, and also hurt someone who was extremely important to him.

His sins cannot be redeemed, because he keeps accumulating sins.

"How... like this."

In an instant, Rie Niijima's eyes widened, revealing an expression of utter despair.

She took two steps back in disbelief, stumbled and fell to the ground, her vision suddenly becoming blurry.

Hot tears gushed from her eyes, and she covered her face with her hands, unable to hold back her sobs any longer.

She cherishes her friendship with Maki Shiina, Rin Shiraishi, and the time she spent with them is an irreplaceable treasure.

She had thought their relationship would last a long time and that they would be best friends for life, but now, because of Akizuki Makoto, their relationship was on the verge of collapse.

She longed to tell Shiina Maki, but she dared not.

Once it's said, their friendship will be instantly over.

Shiina Maki understands that Akizuki Makoto had his reasons for attacking Shiraishi Rin, but she will never associate with Shiraishi Rin again unless she accepts Shiraishi Rin's existence.

"……goodbye."

Makoto Akizuki glanced one last time at Rie Niijima, who had collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, and left the light music club's activity room with a heavy heart. This time, Rie Niijima was powerless to stop him and could only watch him leave.

"I have to say, you're really heartless."

Ji Yexue, who was invisible, walked to Qiu Yuecheng's side and said with a grin, "How come I never noticed before that you were this kind of person? You rejected me without hesitation. Are you trying so hard to please me?"

"...Does that even need to be said?"

Akizuki Makoto's face was grim as he said in a low voice, "Even if you don't believe me, I'm willing to do anything for you. That's my resolve."

The moment he finished speaking, Ji Yexue's smile vanished instantly.

"Then let's get rid of that guy!"

Immediately afterwards, she suddenly screamed loudly, her face contorted into a ferocious and distorted expression.

When she heard Akizuki Makoto say, "I would do anything for you," she was instantly overwhelmed by an unparalleled sense of impulse, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

They claim they can do anything, but in reality, they can't do anything at all.

"Get rid of that guy! Do anything for me! Isn't that what you said!"

Ji Yexue continued to shout relentlessly, her face contorted slightly with excitement.

"Sorry, can't do that."

Makoto Akizuki shook his head, his voice filled with sorrow, and said, "Now that things have come to this, I can no longer abandon Maki. It's all too late."

Yes.

It's already too late.

This applies not only to him, but also to Ji Yexue.

Even if Makoto Akizuki has now dumped Maki Shiina and is with her, it's already too late.

They will not find happiness, because their suffering is built upon the suffering of others.

Akizuki Makoto will always care about Shiina Maki, and he will never be able to forget or let go of her.

And she will also hold a grudge about everything that happened between Makoto Akizuki and Maki Shiina.

They were destined to fall together into the abyss of misfortune, pleading for salvation.

Even if that redemption is filled with distortion, despair, and pain.

“…I hate you.”

"I know, I hate myself too."

"...Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because I'm an idiot, I keep making irreparable mistakes."

“…It’s so painful.”

It's unclear when the two stopped walking, but Ji Yexue, who had been walking beside Qiuyue Cheng, suddenly threw herself into his arms, sobbing and pounding on his chest.

While Akizuki Makoto was in pain, Himeyasu was also in great pain.

She thought she would be happy to destroy everything, but she was completely wrong.

She felt no joy, but rather an immense emptiness, as if a gaping hole had been torn in her heart.

"I'm in so much pain too."

The moment Qiu Yuecheng heard Ji Yexue crying and talking about her pain, the string that had been taut in his heart snapped.

Tears welled up instantly, and my heart was filled with uncontrollable pain and confusion.

He didn't know why they were hurting each other like this, nor did he know what their future would hold if things continued this way.

"I regretted it countless times, so much so that I felt like vomiting, and even thought about dying."

"Why did I make that decision?" I've asked myself this question countless times.

"Even if I were given another chance to go back to the past, I'm afraid... I would still do the same thing."

Now that things have come to this, Makoto Akizuki can no longer let go of Maki Shiina.

Even if he could travel back to an earlier time, to a time when they were complete strangers or had just met.

Even if he could have severed ties with Maki Shiina by then, he would no longer have been able to do so.

because……

During this time, he experienced Shiina Maki's gentleness.

That genuine desire to comfort him was effectively conveyed to him.

So even if he travels to the past, he will intervene in Shiina Maki's life countless times to save her.

"Why...why can't you just choose me firmly?!"

With tears streaming down her face, Ji Yexue questioned Qiu Yuecheng, pounding her fist on his chest and shouting, "Why do you insist on making me compromise!"

"Can't you just let me go? Can't you just be with me? I don't want to share you with anyone else!"

"I love you, I hate you, I can't tell anymore... I don't know what kind of feelings I should have for you."

After venting her pent-up emotions, Ji Yexue stopped pounding Qiu Yuecheng's chest and instead buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

Akizuki Makoto held Ji Yexue tightly, without saying a word.

At this moment, even an apology seemed superfluous; they just wanted to snuggle together, seeking each other's warmth and presence.

During the time they didn't meet, Ji Yexue both hated Qiuyue Cheng and missed him.

Because of her intense hatred, she missed him terribly; her mind was filled with thoughts of Akizuki Makoto, leaving no room for anything else.

"Tell me, what do I want—"

Just as Ji Yexue was about to say something, Qiuyue Cheng suddenly lowered his head and, to her astonishment, kissed her lips, silencing her from saying anything more.

"Woooooooo..."

Ji Yexue struggled desperately, sobbing incoherently, but Qiu Yuecheng held her tightly, making it impossible for her to break free.

Gradually, her struggles lessened, and finally she closed her eyes as if giving up.

"This kiss tastes...so salty."

As she closed her eyes, a moist, salty taste reached her lips.

Their tears mingled together, flowing between their tightly pressed lips.

It was as if their burning passion for each other had merged together at that moment.

At this moment, Ji Yexue felt a brief moment of peace.

She still hated Akizuki Makoto, still loathed him, and still refused to forgive him.

but……

She didn't dislike the fact that she was embracing him at this moment, sharing a slightly salty and bittersweet kiss.

(End of this chapter)