Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 203 Rin-chan, please take care of it.

night.

Akizuki Makoto sat in the chair by the desk, holding a guitar in his arms, looking slightly embarrassed.

In front of him sat on the bed, wearing pajamas, Maki Shiina and Fuyuko.

The incident started when the three of them were chatting in the bedroom, and then Fuyuko suddenly suggested that she wanted to hear her brother play the guitar, and Shiina Maki chimed in.

Under pressure, Akizuki Makoto reluctantly agreed, and that's how things turned out.

"It's been a long time since I played, and I feel a little shy, especially since I also have to sing while playing."

Yes.

Not only did he have to play the guitar, but he also had to sing while playing.

He was very confident in himself in all aspects, but he really didn't have much talent for singing. Even during the summer, when he would sing for Dong every night, his singing skills didn't improve much.

Even now, he still sings off-key, even songs he's sung for a long time.

"It's okay, no one will think Cheng-kun sings badly."

Shiina Maki said with a grin, turning her head to look at Fuyuko sitting next to her, and asked, "Hey, right? Fuyuko."

"My brother sings very well."

Dongzi nodded gently, holding a black plush rabbit in her arms, looking very well-behaved and cute.

"Alright, then I'll sing..."

Akizuki Makoto took a deep breath, coughed a few times, cleared his throat, and then swept his long, slender fingers across the guitar strings.

The song he played was "Tokanai Koi Valentine Live," the version sung by Setsuna and played on guitar by Haruki.

The guitar has a beautiful sound, and even though I haven't played it for a long time, my skills haven't declined.

After a while, the beautiful guitar music was mixed in with Akizuki Makoto's clean and deep voice. He sang softly, his voice inexplicably melancholic.

Looking back on this song, it has a long and winding history, leaving one with a sense of melancholy.

Initially, it was Shiina Maki who bravely sang this song at Shiraishi Rin's freshman welcome party, which slightly moved him and increased his goodwill towards Shiina Maki.

But after a series of events, things took a sharp turn for the worse. Shiina Maki, who was on the verge of collapse, revealed her dark and somber side, and thus distanced herself from him.

During this time, however, he developed feelings for Ji Yexue, whom he should have disliked.

Why did I develop feelings for Ji Yexue in the first place?
Perhaps it was because of her consistently dignified demeanor, straightforward nature, and passionate and genuine love.

The time he spent bickering and arguing with her made him feel very happy and relaxed.

This is something that can never be replaced by anyone else; it is his most precious memory.

At that time, they were still forming a band, aiming to win the gold medal in the national competition.

At that time, Maki Shiina was still singing this song, foreshadowing her unrequited love.

But as the saying goes, life is unpredictable; no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

Before summer vacation was over, the good situation took a sharp turn for the worse. He should have been with Ji Yexue, whom he loved, but because he couldn't bear to leave Shiina Maki, he made the most foolish decision he had ever made.

He kept regretting it, but fortunately, the thought of giving up would occasionally flash through his mind.

Because she didn't give up, Maki Shiina is happier and more joyful than ever before, and she has successfully reconciled with her mother.

While feeling fortunate, Akizuki Makoto always misses the person he used to be.

If it were me six months ago, I would never have imagined that I would embark on such a dark, immoral, and painful path.

He completely distorted his moral compass, killed his former self, and became the person he is now.

Even when he used Shiraishi Rin to destroy the friendship of the trio, he didn't feel particularly sad or find it hard to accept.

I only felt a slight sense of guilt and regret, nothing more.

Now, Akizuki Makoto begins to play "Unreachable Love," expressing his longing and affection for Himeyasu.

It's really ironic, they were just one step away from winning.

Looking back on that night on the yacht, Akizuki Makoto still felt very regretful, but perhaps this was fate's choice; he was destined to walk a path that went against worldly ethics.

If he had truly slept with Ji Yexue that night, then even knowing Shiina Maki's situation later, he probably wouldn't have chosen her.

"...It sounds great!"

"Brother is great!"

As the song ended, Shiina Maki and Fuyuko clapped enthusiastically, praising Akizuki Makoto's performance.

Perhaps because he missed Ji Yexue, he sang the song without going off-key, with remarkable stability and deep emotion.

"Well, it's just so-so, haha..."

Akizuki Makoto scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and smiled sheepishly.

Afterwards, with the constant praise from Fuyuko and Shiina Maki, he sang several songs according to their requests, and then quietly played the guitar.

This warm and pleasant time allowed Akizuki Makoto to relax, and the worries in his heart dissipated along with the cheerful smiles of Shiina Maki and Fuyuko.

With them around, my heart wouldn't be on the verge of collapse.

"It's getting late, it's about time to go to sleep."

After finishing playing the guitar, Akizuki Makoto looked up at the wall clock. It was already 11 p.m., and it was almost time to go to sleep.

Dongzi had been looking sleepy before this, and kept yawning.

"Yes, then I'll head back now."

Shiina Maki nodded, smiled, stood up, and said goodbye to Akizuki Makoto and Fuyuko.

Akizuki Makoto doesn't go to sleep with her every day; he only goes two or three times a week.

...It's just that every time I go there, a fierce battle ensues.

After saying goodnight to each other, Akizuki took Touko to the bathroom to wash up, and then they lay down on the bed together. He stroked her head and coaxed her to sleep.

Although he had some doubts about Dongzi before, that doesn't mean that Dongzi wasn't his most cherished younger sister.

However, he didn't go out of his way to bring up the future with Dongzi.

Let's leave what the future holds for the future; there's no point in discussing it now.

Akizuki Makoto deeply understands this.

He never imagined that he would become like this.

"The future..."

Qiu Yuecheng murmured to himself, closed his eyes, released his consciousness, and let himself drift into sleep.

If Dongzi doesn't change in the future, then he can take care of Dongzi for the rest of his life.

Since he's already such a disgusting person, it wouldn't hurt for him to become even more disgusting for the sake of the existence he cherishes.

……

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Makoto Akizuki and Maki Shiina arrived at the classroom together and then went back to their seats.

Then he noticed that Shiraishi Rin, who was sitting next to him, looked somewhat listless and had red and swollen eyes, as if she hadn't slept well last night and had been crying.

Akizuki asked directly, "Did Niijima come looking for you yesterday afternoon?"

"……Um."

Shiraishi Rin nodded slightly, still keeping his head down, his voice deep and hoarse.

"And then, what happened?"

"...betrayed them, broke off all ties." Shiraishi Rin didn't explain the process, but directly stated the result, which was enough to explain what had happened.

"This is really..."

Akizuki Makoto didn't know what to say for a moment, and finally said with a touch of emotion, "You don't have to go to this much. Although I need your cooperation, you can also refuse me."

In fact, Ji Yexue seemed to have lost interest in asking him to cheat on Shiraishi Rin yesterday.

The fact that she didn't reappear, didn't issue any instructions, and heard her tearful account yesterday is enough to tell the truth.

Doing this is completely pointless. Even if Maki Shiina found out, she probably wouldn't break up with him or blame him.

Shiina Maki knows him well; she knows he cheated on Shiraishi Rin with Himeyasu because of Himeyasu.

Therefore, she would be sad alone, but she would not blame Akizuki Makoto.

This is what they owe Ji Yexue, and even if they are retaliated against, they cannot have the slightest complaint.

"...If I hadn't completely rejected it back then, it would have been all over."

Shiraishi Rin sobbed softly, the fact that she had betrayed him would not change no matter how much she repented.

"In short, I have to apologize, but that's all."

With a sense of apology, Akizuki bowed his head to Shiraishi Rin and said, "From now on, I'll need your cooperation at any time."

"……Um."

Rin Shiraishi nodded absentmindedly, continuing to immerse herself in her own world of sadness.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto stopped talking, thinking that he should let her sort out her feelings on her own.

Although he felt sorry for Shiraishi Rin, he had no other emotions besides feeling sorry.

He knew that his relationship with Shiraishi Rin was just a charade, so he didn't intend to comfort her, lest the charade become real.

The more Shiraishi Rin liked him, the more trouble he would have. So, except for necessary moments when Ji Yexue gave orders, he would try to avoid contact with Shiraishi Rin.

He truly treated Shiraishi Rin completely as a tool.

……

After the first class in the morning, Shiina Maki, who was unaware of what was going on, went to Akizuki Makoto's seat.

Looking at the dejected Shiraishi Rin, she asked with concern, "Rin-chan, what's wrong? You seem really sad."

"..."

Rin Shiraishi pursed her lips, remaining silent, unsure how to face Maki Shiina.

It seems that Rie Niijima did not tell Maki Shiina about her relationship with Makoto Akizuki.

Although she didn't know why she wasn't told, there was no doubt that as the betrayer, she didn't deserve to continue being friends with Shiina Maki.

Rie Niijima probably wanted her to be sensible and distance herself from Maki Shiina.

"Hey, Rin-chan, why aren't you saying anything? I'm worried about you."

Shiina Maki continued to press for answers, walking around to the aisle next to Shiraishi Rin, and crouching down to examine her expression.

This action finally elicited a response from Shiraishi Rin.

She turned her head to the side, not letting Shiina Maki see her expression, and said in a low voice, "Don't call me Rin-chan, Shiina-kun."

"Eh?"

Shiina Maki's eyes widened in disbelief, and she stammered, "W-why? Why did this suddenly happen?"

"..."

Akizuki Makoto watched the two talking quietly, thinking to himself that Shiraishi Rin was truly an extremely serious person.

I feel sorry for her; she went to such lengths to repay a debt of gratitude.

She was just putting on an act, but in the end she gained nothing and lost two close friends.

"...Because I don't want to be friends anymore, we're not friends anymore."

Shiraishi Rin, suppressing her pain, said in a trembling voice, "Not only Shiina-san, but Niijima-san too, I've broken off all ties with her."

"what……"

After a moment of stunned silence, Shiina Maki suddenly realized something and nodded, saying, "Really? Rin-chan is going to break off our friendship with Rie-chan?"

"..."

Shiraishi Rin remained silent, but her face, turned to the side, betrayed her impending tears.

Akizuki Makoto saw everything clearly, which made him feel even more pity for him.

"It seems that something has happened to Rin-chan that I don't know about, for various reasons."

Shiina Maki nodded and smiled, "Alright then, since Rin-chan says so, let's break off our friendship."

Unexpectedly, she calmly accepted the breakup with Shiraishi Rin, without even getting emotional about it, only wondering for a moment.

"This is probably because..."

Akizuki Makoto had a guess in his mind, but he didn't say it out loud and wisely kept silent.

This was not something he could interfere with, nor did he even have a say in it.

"Cheng-kun, could you stay with me for a little while?"

Shiina Maki stood up again, walked to Akizuki Makoto's side, and extended an invitation.

"Well, of course."

Akizuki Makoto nodded, got up, and left with Shiina Maki.

As he was about to leave the classroom, he unconsciously glanced back and saw Shiraishi Rin slumped over the desk, her shoulders heaving.

After leaving the classroom, Shiina Maki led him to the infirmary.

If you ask why we came here, it's because it's a great place for conversation and chatting.

After asking the school nurse for permission to use a bed, Shiina Maki lifted the curtain and sat on the medical bed covered with a white mattress cover.

"Chengjun, please sit down as well."

She patted the empty seat next to her and smiled, though the smile seemed somewhat forced.

"Are you alright? You seem to be struggling."

Following instructions, Akizuki Makoto sat down next to Shiina Maki and said softly, "I'm a little surprised that you accepted Shiraishi's breakup so calmly. I thought you would be very emotional."

"I wouldn't do that."

Shiina Maki, seemingly wanting to appear excited in public, playfully punched Akizuki Makoto in the chest, feeling a little embarrassed.

Then, she suddenly laughed sadly and said softly, "Rin-chan looked so pained and told me we were breaking up, how can I ask her any further questions?"

So, you're just going to accept it like that?

Akizuki Makoto was somewhat surprised, and had a feeling that things were not so simple.

"Well... there's nothing we can do about it, isn't there?"

Shiina Maki looked slightly troubled, rested her head on Akizuki Makoto's shoulder, and said, "I can't interfere with Rin-chan's matter anymore, so I can only entrust it to you, Makoto-kun."

"...Why are you asking me to do this?"

"Hehe, who knows?"

Maki Shiina smiled playfully and stuck out her tongue.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto also laughed, but his smile was full of helplessness.

This is really frustrating; everything has been seen through.

(End of this chapter)