Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 207 Consequences
"..."

As Ji Yexue and Qiuyue Cheng collapsed on the stage, lost in their passionate kiss, they were completely unaware that Shiina Maki, sitting below the stage, stared blankly at the scene with empty, lifeless eyes.

Suddenly, a tear slid down her cheek, and then the tears flowed out like a burst dam, blurring her vision in an instant.

The two kissed for almost a minute, until they both felt suffocated and couldn't breathe at all, before they finally let go.

After that, the furious art teacher took the two of them out and handed them over to the head of the teaching department for processing.

Just as Akizuki Makoto had predicted, his explosive remarks in art class and his public kiss with Hime Yuki disrupted class order, resulting in his removal from the position of student council president.

Furthermore, he was suspended from school and kept at home for a week to reflect on his actions, in addition to submitting a profound self-criticism.

The punishment was much lighter than Akizuki Makoto had imagined, probably because he didn't take off his shirt, revealing the women's swimsuit underneath his uniform.

If Ji Yexue hadn't suddenly appeared to stop him, and he had just taken off his clothes, he would most likely have been fired.

Now, he is charged with disrupting classroom order and other misconduct.

These can all be excused by saying that they are in the sensitive period of their teens and don't know how to handle emotional disputes.

But if you're wearing a girl's school swimsuit and showing it off in public...

That would be a blatant scandal, especially since the person who did it was the student council president of our school.

If this news gets out, it will undoubtedly affect the school's reputation.

After a series of punishments and reprimands, Akizuki Makoto and Hime Yuki were finally able to leave the dean of students and their homeroom teacher.

Although Ji Yexue was on leave from school, she suddenly barged into the classroom, pounced on Qiuyue Cheng, and kissed him passionately without regard for others. Naturally, she was subject to criticism and education.

After leaving the head of the teaching department, Akizuki Makoto and Hime Yuki parted ways.

Ji Yexue's guardian was summoned and asked to take her back to prevent her from having any further contact with Qiuyue Cheng.

However, the person who came to pick up Himeya was not Mrs. Himeya, but the female secretary that Akizuki Makoto had met in Osaka before.

When Akizuki Makoto returned to the classroom, the afternoon classes had already ended. When the students saw him, none of them said anything; they just stared at him with strange looks.

He didn't want to discern the meaning behind those gazes, but there was one gaze, calm yet filled with sorrow, that he couldn't ignore.

"...Maki."

Looking at the girl who was sitting quietly in the corner of the back row of the classroom, waiting for him to return, Akizuki felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if his heart was being clenched.

After he calmed down, he realized how outrageous his actions had been.

By publicly announcing his distorted views on love, not only will he be looked at differently and criticized, but Shiina Maki will also be affected.

Moreover, she faced far more criticism than he did, after all, she chose to date him even though she knew the truth.

To a normal person, she would definitely seem stupid and contemptible.

No one would willingly share their beloved unless they have some unusual fetish.

"Makoto-kun."

Shiina Maki stood up, left her seat, walked to Akizuki Makoto, and said expressionlessly, "Let's go home."

"……Um."

With a heavy heart, Akizuki nodded, picked up his schoolbag, and left the classroom with Shiina Maki.

Along the way, everyone they encountered looked at them with strange eyes and whispered among themselves.

Clearly, what happened in art class had quickly spread throughout the entire school.

For Akizuki Makoto, it was alright; he was suspended from school for a week.

A week later, the discussion about the matter had subsided considerably. Although he still received disapproving looks and strange glances from others, people no longer whispered among themselves whenever they saw him.

On the contrary, Shiina Maki will have a very difficult week.

As one of the parties involved, she could only silently endure the disdain, ridicule, mockery, and insults she received from others.

"Sorry, Maki."

Thinking of all this, Qiuyue Cheng felt guilty and said with a self-reproachful expression, "Because of my willfulness and impulsiveness, you have been hurt again."

"It's okay with me."

Shiina Maki forced a smile and said softly, "No matter what, I will not blame Makoto, and I will forgive everything about him."

In fact, she was not without dissatisfaction or complaints, and she did not want to pretend to be so gentle and considerate.

She also wanted to complain to Akizuki Makoto and vent her anger on him.

But these things only annoy Akizuki Makoto.

What's the use of her being dissatisfied now that it's already happened?
Not to mention criticizing Akizuki Makoto.

For Ji Yexue's sake, Qiuyue Cheng would do anything, and no matter how dissatisfied she was, she couldn't interfere.

She didn't want to be the kind of woman who would cause trouble or annoyance to Akizuki Makoto, so she could only endure it.

She even endured the betrayal of her best friend when he was implicated.

That day, after breaking up with Rin Shiraishi, Rie Niijima told her on Line that Makoto Akizuki and Rin Shiraishi had met privately.

She didn't feel anything, because she guessed that it was Ji Yexue's doing.

As a woman herself, she knew very well why Ji Yexue did this.

All I wanted was for her to experience what it felt like to be betrayed and have her loved one taken away.

"I'm so sorry, Maki, I'll make it up to you."

Seeing Shiina Maki's forced smile, Akizuki Makoto's guilt intensified, and his chest ached as if it were about to split open.

"This sentiment is enough; I don't need Chengjun to compensate me."

"but……"

"Alright, Cheng-kun, stop overthinking it."

Shiina Maki interrupted Akizuki Makoto and said softly, "Perhaps even Makoto himself hasn't realized that you're almost at your limit, right? Don't be so hard on yourself, and don't continue to hurt yourself."

"...I'm sorry, it's all my fault, but I've made you worry instead."

Akizuki Makoto instantly became dejected and said with annoyance, "I'm such a bad boyfriend. Not only can I not let you have all my affections, but I also make you worry about me all the time."

"Alright, stop saying things like that!"

Shiina Maki pretended to be angry, glaring at Akizuki Makoto with puffed-up cheeks, and said, "I'm already very happy, so it doesn't matter if I can't have Makoto all to myself."

In any case, she took all of Akizuki Makoto's first time.

Whether it was her first kiss or her first time, she got it all.

Akizuki Makoto never specifically mentioned that his first kiss was forcibly kissed by Himeyasuki a long time ago, nor did he say that Shimizu Rei was his first love. Shiina Maki never asked, so he didn't explain, since there was no need to explain.

Therefore, this beautiful misunderstanding will likely continue indefinitely.

"...Thank you, Maki, you really are a good woman."

"Hehe, that's right. You can praise me a little more, okay? Don't hate yourself, it will make me feel bad, after all, I like Cheng-kun the most."

"Yes, that's right. If Maki were to hate herself, I would feel sad too."

Now, a smile finally appeared on Akizuki Makoto's face, and his gloomy heart felt a little lighter.

Sure enough, he couldn't let go of Shiina Maki. Her gentleness was like the sweetest poison, corroding his soul and making him unable to resist.

After leaving the school, Makoto Akizuki suddenly suggested, "Maki, why don't you also take a leave of absence for a while? Why don't you stop coming to school for a while?"

He was really worried about letting Shiina Maki continue her studies during this sensitive period, fearing that she would face criticism and prejudice.

If he were there, it would be fine, but others wouldn't dare say it to their faces.

But if it's just Shiina Maki alone, they become unrestrained.

"Forget it, I know Cheng-kun is worried about me, but there's no need for that."

Shiina Maki shook her head and said softly, "I'm not the same person I used to be. Now, no matter what others say about me, I won't care."

"But……"

Makoto Akizuki wanted to say something more, but he fell silent after seeing the determined look in Maki Shiina's eyes.

Since Shiina Maki has said so, he can't say anything more, otherwise wouldn't that be denying her changes?

"Chengjun, as long as you are by my side, I would not hesitate to fight against the whole world."

Shiina Maki hugged Akizuki Makoto's hand tightly and whispered, "Please stay with me forever."

Makoto Akizuki could feel that Maki Shiina's body, pressed tightly against his, was trembling slightly.

In the afternoon, Ji Yexue's sudden appearance made her feel a great sense of crisis.

Although she knew very well that Akizuki Makoto would never abandon her now, she still couldn't help but fear that Akizuki Makoto would be taken away from her.

She could compromise, she could not be Akizuki Makoto's first choice, and she could accept that she had no official status and was the hidden third party in the three-person relationship.

But all of this is because she knows very well that she is not the person Akizuki Makoto likes the most.

She was Akizuki Makoto's second love, while Ji Yexue was Akizuki Makoto's unrequited love, a love that was both loving and hateful.

She was completely incomparable to Ji Yexue; she lost in every aspect.

Akizuki Makoto originally belonged to Himeyasu, and she was merely an outsider.

Therefore, Ji Yexue would never tolerate her existence. In Ji Yexue's eyes, she was not just a philanderer, but an irreconcilable enemy.

Makoto Akizuki is incapable of reconciling their relationship, and it's impossible for him to date both of them at the same time.

How long can Akizuki Makoto hold out under these circumstances?
What Shiina Maki was worried about was this situation. She was afraid that Akizuki Makoto would become more and more eager for Himeyasuki and eventually abandon her to fall into Himeyasuki's arms.

"...Yes, we'll be together forever."

With a heavy heart, Akizuki nodded. He no longer disliked Shiina Maki saying such weighty words to him.

Because they have become an indispensable part of each other.

To separate them would be to tear their flesh apart, and separation would be fatal for them.

Shiina Maki was indeed not Makoto Akizuki's first choice, but his second favorite, but his feelings for her were undoubtedly genuine.

"Maki, let's sleep together tonight."

To soothe Shiina Maki's unease and loneliness, Akizuki Makoto offered to spend the night at her place.

"Eh?"

Shiina Maki looked surprised, but then immediately understood Akizuki Makoto's thoughts, and smiled brightly, saying, "Yes, I'm looking forward to it."

……

After returning home, Makoto Akizuki and Maki Shiina said their goodbyes for the time being.

Akizuki Makoto planned to sleep a little longer. He felt a bit tired, since he hadn't slept much all day, only a few hours in the morning.

As he threw down his schoolbag and went back to his bedroom to start taking off his clothes, he suddenly remembered that he was still wearing Ji Yexue's competition swimsuit under his uniform.

"...I am a hopeless pervert."

Akizuki Makoto gave a wry smile and quickly took off his uniform and swimsuit, changing into a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Immediately, he felt much lighter and had a sense of ease, like a fish in water.

After carefully tidying up Ji Yexue's swimsuit, he suddenly remembered that he actually still had one of Ji Yexue's items.

So he went to a corner of the room and found the loafer that had been left in the sports equipment room and then picked up by him in a locked compartment of the wardrobe.

After that, he never had the chance to return the shoe to Ji Yexue—mainly because he had forgotten that he had picked up such a thing.

If he hadn't seen Ji Yexue's swimsuit today and remembered the starting point of their love-hate entanglement, he probably would have just forgotten about that loafer in the locked compartment of the wardrobe.

"Let's find some time to return it along with the swimsuit."

As Akizuki Makoto secretly thought about it, he packed up the loafers and competition swimwear and put them into the locked compartment.

Then, he lay on the bed, cleared his mind, and prepared to fall asleep.

But just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone, which was on the desk next to his bed, suddenly vibrated and sounded a message notification.

At that moment, he immediately became clear-headed and instinctively felt that this was news he could not miss.

So he opened his eyes, fought off his sleepiness, got out of bed, and picked up his phone.

The moment he unlocked his screen and saw the message, his sleepiness vanished instantly.

I will contact you tonight.

This was a message sent by Ji Yexue, and the words were extremely ambiguous, making it impossible to tell what she wanted to do or what she meant.

Even when Akizuki Makoto sent her a message to inquire, Ji Yexue showed no intention of replying, only indicating that the message had been read.

Qiu Yuecheng lay on the bed for half an hour, until he completely gave up and was certain that Ji Yexue would not reply to him now, before he put his phone next to his pillow.

He closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and fell into a deep sleep.

So much happened today that he was extremely exhausted and was so sleepy that he fell asleep the moment his head hit the bed.

But he kept holding on because he didn't want to miss any news about Ji Yexue.

(End of this chapter)