Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 25 Akizuki Makoto Decides to Redeem Himself

The next day.

Awakened by his biological clock, Akizuki Makoto felt unusually heavy upon waking, accompanied by a stuffy and humid feeling.

He opened his eyes, and what came into view was Shiina Maki, who was wrapped around him like an octopus with her arms and legs.

She was sleeping soundly, her peaceful sleeping face revealing a sense of happiness and contentment.

So……

What should we do now?

Should we wake her up directly, or try to break away from her?

After thinking for a moment, Makoto Akizuki chose to wake up Maki Shiina.

There was no way to break free; she was holding on too tightly, and trying to get away was definitely not an option.

"Shiina-san."

He placed his hand on Shiina Maki's shoulder, rocking her gently while calling out to her softly.

"Well……"

At his call, Shiina Maki murmured something, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

Forced awake, she was clearly still half asleep. She stared blankly at Akizuki Makoto, who was standing right in front of her, clearly not yet understanding what was going on.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto, following the method he had devised the night before, took the initiative to apologize: "Sorry, I must have been sleepwalking. I'm a bit sensitive to sleeping in unfamiliar beds."

"Eh...ah..."

Upon hearing this, Shiina Maki paused for a moment, blinked, and then realized the situation.

The events of last night welled up from the depths of her heart, instantly throwing her into a panic.

"No, no...it's not..."

She instinctively wanted to deny it, saying it wasn't Qiu Yuecheng's fault, that she had used time stop to carry him to bed, but the words wouldn't come out.

In the end, she could only remain silent, lowering her head and not daring to look into Qiu Yuecheng's gentle eyes.

Her guilt and remorse reached their peak at this moment, making her unable to face Akizuki Makoto.

"Can you let me go now?"

It wasn't until Akizuki Makoto spoke softly that Shiina Maki realized she was still clinging to him like an octopus, so she hurriedly let go of him.

"I am so sorry!"

Then, she jumped off the bed, knelt on the floor, and made a dogeza gesture to apologize to Akizuki Makoto.

This is not only an apology for holding Akizuki Makoto so intimately, but also for what happened last night.

Last night, Xingyu also controlled her mind. Now that she has calmed down, she realizes how terrible the things she did were.

If Akizuki Makoto hadn't said that he had sleepwalked into the bed, she wouldn't have known how to explain it.

"It's alright, it's alright, I didn't mean to blame you, get up quickly."

Akizuki Makoto hurriedly got out of bed and helped Shiina Maki up; he couldn't accept such a grand gesture.

……

Afterwards, the two went to wash up separately and then changed into Ming Sheng's uniform.

Shiina Maki was still wearing her winter school uniform, which she had packed in her bag and brought with her when she left home yesterday.

Breakfast was simple: an egg and bacon sandwich with milk—made by Maki Shiina.

Makoto Akizuki was in charge of making lunch, and he also made a portion for Maki Shiina, since it was just a matter of having a few extra ingredients.

After having breakfast, the two rested for a while before getting ready to go out.

After leaving the Akizuki house, Shiina Maki suddenly said, "Um... Akizuki-kun, shall we go our separate ways?"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Akizuki Makoto turned his head to look at the slightly timid Shiina Maki, and asked in confusion, "Why do we have to go our separate ways?"

"Because...you see...if you go to school with me...it's...not good if people see you."

What Shiina Maki was trying to express was probably that she was afraid of being misunderstood.

Of course, she was worried that it would affect Akizuki Makoto's reputation.

Qiu Yue smiled nonchalantly and said, "What's wrong with that? We're completely innocent; we're just going to school together."

"Okay, okay..."

Seeing that Akizuki Makoto said that, Shiina Maki had no objections. She still really hoped to go to school with Akizuki Makoto.

This could be considered one of her dreams. On their way to school, Akizuki Makoto brought up the incident a couple of days ago where she was cornered in the restroom, asking for some details.

When he learned that Satomi Sawada and the other three had forcibly held her down, placed books under her stomach, and punched her, he frowned deeply and his face turned extremely gloomy.

"When the time comes, you must not accept a settlement; you must pursue the matter to the end."

"Oh……"

Shiina Maki nodded blankly, unconsciously grabbing Akizuki Makoto's sleeve, and asked somewhat uneasily, "Then, Akizuki-kun, will you come with me?"

Makoto Akizuki has already said that he will report this matter to the school, call the parents of Satomi Sawada and the others to discuss compensation first, and then issue a punishment.

The consequences are likely to be quite serious, since Mingsheng University, as a top-tier institution, is very averse to bullying incidents.

If your reputation is damaged, the loss will be huge.

"Yes, I will."

In response to Shiina Maki's question, Akizuki Makoto gave a smiling answer.

Then, Shiina Maki laughed, and her uneasy expression vanished instantly.

As long as Akizuki Makoto was by her side, she had nothing to fear.

……

Upon arriving at Ming Sheng High School, many people stopped and stared at the seemingly incompatible pair of Akizuki Makoto and Shiina Maki, whispering among themselves.

"Hey, isn't that the vice president?"

"Who's that girl next to him? She actually comes to school with him."

"That's strange, why is she wearing a winter school uniform? Is it that cold?"

When Shiina Maki felt many inquisitive gazes directed at her, her inferiority complex was immediately triggered.

She couldn't help but lower her head and distance herself from Akizuki Makoto.

Akizuki Makoto immediately noticed this and said, "Shiina-kun, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you to have more confidence in yourself?"

After thinking about it before bed last night, he came to a conclusion: since the dog system is unreliable, he will save himself!

The way to save oneself is very simple: correct the abnormal female personality.

If Shiina Maki could become more confident, cheerful, and make friends, then her desire for him probably wouldn't be so strong, right?
Let's talk about Ji Yexue.

They had no grudge against each other, and she had no interest in him. The reason she was targeting him was purely out of the blue.

The solution is simple: he just needs to try to reduce his presence and make himself less outstanding, and then relieve Ji Yexue's pressure.

...He just didn't know how to help Ji Yexue relieve her stress.

But that's not urgent. The priority is to deal with Shiina Maki first, since her situation is more serious. She uses time-stop to get close to him every day.

"But...I'm a little..."

Shiina Maki spoke timidly, hunching over and lowering her head like an ostrich, trying her best to minimize her presence.

Little did she know that by doing this, she would attract even more attention—mainly because she was standing next to Akizuki Makoto, it was impossible for her not to be noticed.

"Hey! Good morning, Vice President."

Just then, a cheerful voice suddenly broke into their conversation from behind.

Makoto Akizuki turned around and saw that it was Ryusuke Kurosaki, a junior member of the student council. He nodded and replied, "Good morning, Kurosaki."

Ryusuke Kurosaki looked at Maki Shiina, whose head was bowed so low that her face was obscured, and asked curiously, "Vice President, who's next to you? Aren't you going to introduce her?"

"My classmate, Shiina Maki."

Makoto Akizuki first introduced Maki Shiina, then pointed to Ryusuke Kurosaki and said to her, "Let me introduce you, this is Ryusuke Kurosaki, a second-year student and also a member of the student council."

"Hello, Shiina-senpai, nice to meet you from now on!"

Ryusuke Kurosaki immediately bowed and greeted her loudly, but did not press Shiina Maki about her strange appearance.

"Hello...please...please take care of me."

Shiina Maki responded in a trembling voice, her social anxiety and withdrawn personality fully displayed at that moment.

Upon seeing this, Akizuki couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, she's a little shy, don't mind her."

"Woo..."

Shiina Maki let out a low groan of annoyance, moved closer to Akizuki Makoto, and gently tugged at his sleeve, as if signaling something.

"Alright, we'll be going now. See you at the student council later."

Akizuki sincerely understood, bid farewell to Kurosaki Ryusuke, and left with Shiina Maki, entering the shoe locker in the school building.

(End of this chapter)