Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 97 A grudge remains
The order was quickly served: three parfaits and three cakes, neatly arranged in front of the three of them.

The bottom of the strawberry parfait is a layer of strawberry puree, topped with a layer of pink and white ice cream.

When it reaches the top of the cup, four halved strawberries are placed around the edges like blooming flowers, and a spiral of ice cream is squeezed into the center, garnished with a vanilla bean.

Like the strawberry parfait, the cantaloupe parfait looks exquisite, making it a little difficult to know where to start. It feels like if you dig in even a little bit, the fruit garnishing the top of the cup will collapse.

Shimizu Rei counted the strawberries on the parfait and asked, "It's so strange. Twelve strawberries cost them over 10,000 yen, but here they only used four, and a cup is only 1980 yen."

Upon hearing this, Akizuki Makoto laughed and said, "Idiot, they definitely didn't use the same kind of strawberries. The expensive ones are carefully selected by them."

"I want you to say it!"

Shimizu Rei glared at Akizuki Makoto, then let out a soft hum to hide her embarrassment and shame.

Then, she picked up a spoon, scooped out a piece of ice cream mixed with strawberries, and put it in her mouth.

The ice cream has a silky smooth texture that melts in your mouth, and the strawberry flavor is just right—sweet and sour.

Her eyes lit up suddenly, and before she could even praise it, she quickly scooped up a few more mouthfuls and ate them.

Before her, Dongzi had already eagerly begun to taste it.

Dongzi started eating the strawberry parfait the moment it was served.

While Akizuki Makoto and Shimizu Rei were still talking, she had already taken several bites, her pink lips stained with pink and white ice cream.

Seeing this, Akizuki patted Dongzi's head and scolded, "Dongzi, watch your eating manners, you're all covered in graffiti!"

"Well……"

Dongzi covered her head with both hands where Qiuyue Cheng had hit her, pouting slightly, and whispered, "Dongzi knows... Brother, don't be angry."

"Remember this next time: even if it's the most delicious food, you can't be in such a hurry. No one's going to take it from you."

While lecturing with a stern face, Akizuki Makoto picked up a napkin and wiped the cream off Touko's lips, finally patting her head.

"Alright, keep eating. There's more here if you're still hungry."

Only then did Dongzi pick up her spoon and continue eating. This time, she was more mindful of her table manners and wasn't in such a hurry.

Akizuki Makoto felt relieved, but when he turned around, he saw Shimizu Rei beside him, secretly picking up a napkin and putting it on his lips, which were still covered in ice cream.

When she saw Akizuki Makoto's gaze fall on her, she gave an awkward smile.

"……The same to you."

Akizuki Makoto tapped her on the head, thinking to himself, "Why are they all so dense?"
"There's no way around it, it's just too delicious."

Shimizu Rei rubbed her head, feeling a little aggrieved. In the comics she read, when a girl got cream on her lips while eating dessert, the boy would smile indulgently, wipe the cream off for her, and then eat it himself.

Why did I get a flick on the forehead from Akizuki Makoto? Is this guy allergic to romance?

She had even been hoping that Akizuki Makoto would do that, so she "accidentally" smeared some not only on the corners of her lips but also on the tip of her nose.

"It's delicious, but you have to consider your image when you're out. You're eating like a big cat covered in graffiti."

"Tch, Ah Cheng has become more sophisticated since coming to Tokyo. He used to steal watermelons from the fields with me, and we'd split one in half and eat them covered in juice."

"...How dare you say that? Didn't you drag me there by force? And you stole from my family's land, which made my parents scold me."

Speaking of this, Akizuki Makoto felt a little nostalgic; it all happened when he was in elementary school.

While reminiscing about the past, the three of them leisurely finished off the desserts, then ordered three servings of black tea, whiling away the time until evening, when a gentle crimson hue spread across the horizon.

Makoto Akizuki only ate half of his parfait, and then used it to feed Touko.

Dongzi had quite a big appetite when eating dessert; she ate one and a half parfaits and one and a half cakes.

Akizuki Makoto only took a small bite of the three cakes with a spoon before sharing them with Fuyuko and Shimizu Rei.

On the tram home, Fuyuko seemed to have played too much and leaned on Akizuki Makoto's shoulder, falling into a light sleep.

She is in poor health and has been staying at home for many years, so her physical strength is extremely weak, only slightly better than Shiraishi Rin, who has been in a wheelchair for five years.

"It all feels so unreal..."

Looking out the car window at the dusky sky, Akizuki Makoto couldn't help but sigh softly.

He couldn't help but start reminiscing about the two weeks he had spent after awakening the system.

Everything felt like a very unreal dream.

Many times, when he looks back on what has happened in the past few weeks, he feels a sense of unreality.

Not only was his peaceful daily life disrupted by three abnormal women, but now he also has a younger sister to take care of.

He didn't find his sister troublesome, or dislike her; he was just worried about whether he could properly fulfill his responsibilities as an older brother and guide her growth.

"What are you talking about?"

Shimizu Rei, who was sitting to the side, looked at Akizuki Makoto with a puzzled expression when she heard his soft words.

"It's nothing, I just think today went by so fast, the day is almost over."

"Haha, let's play badminton together tomorrow! It's been so long since I played badminton with Acheng. I'm pretty good now, you know!"

"Tomorrow...?"

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Yuecheng realized that he didn't seem to have anything planned for tomorrow, so he nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll come tomorrow morning."

"Ah Cheng, don't let me beat you until you cry."

"You're the one who's crying, aren't you? I've never been beaten to tears."

"Ah! I told you, don't bring that up again!"

"Didn't you bring this up first?"

Amidst cheerful bickering and playful banter, the tram passed eight stops and returned from Ginza to Bunkyo Ward.

Shimizu Rei went back to the hotel to change her clothes, returned the shirt that belonged to Akizuki Makoto to him, and then went home with him to continue to freeload off him.

Dinner was prepared by Qiuyue Cheng, and it was very lavish, consisting of three dishes and a soup, all of which were his specialties.

After finishing his meal, Shimizu Rei lingered for a while, until nearly nine o'clock, before suggesting that he go back to rest.

No matter what, she had already bothered Qiuyue Cheng long enough, and even if she was reluctant to leave, she had to go back.

Anyway, we can see each other again tomorrow. I'll go back to the hotel, take a shower, and then get some sleep. When I wake up, I'll be able to see Akizuki Makoto again.

Looking at the wall clock, Akizuki Makoto suggested, "It's so late, let me take you home."

"Haha, Acheng, do you think I'm a child? You actually want to give me a gift."

Shimizu Rei couldn't help but laugh out loud, partly because she felt that Akizuki Sei's courage was too much, and partly because she was happy for his sentiment.

At least, Akizuki Makoto still cares about her and treats her like a girl.

"Alright, enough nagging. Even if you're the same age as me, you're still a girl. It's never safe to walk alone at night."

After making his firm decision, Akizuki Makoto said to Touko beside him, "Touko, go take a shower. Your brother will be back when you're done."

He had already filled the bathtub with hot water; he remembered that Dongzi liked taking baths.

"Good~"

Fuyuko obediently responded, returned to her bedroom, and took a wooden puppet into the bathroom. Meanwhile, Akizuki Makoto had already put on his shoes and left with Shimizu Rei.

Walking along the street lit by streetlights at night, all around was quiet, with only faint sounds coming from the houses on both sides of the road.

A cool evening breeze blew in my face, making me feel refreshed and comfortable.

"I went to the competition on Monday, but unfortunately it was in the morning."

Perhaps feeling that the silence along the way was too strange, Shimizu Rei took the initiative to speak and bring up a topic.

"Hmm, what a pity."

Akizuki Makoto responded absentmindedly, preoccupied with thoughts of tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning, after playing badminton with Shimizu Rei, he wants to go and take a look at where Shiina Maki works.

He had already asked beforehand, and Shiina Maki was working even on weekends, with her shifts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Shimizu Rei hadn't noticed Akizuki Makoto's absent-mindedness. She looked up at the dark, boundless sky and continued, "You had a lot of fun today, thank you for spending money."

"It's nothing. Thank you for playing with Dongzi all the time."

Makoto Akizuki was still absent-minded, but his thoughts had shifted from Maki Shiina to Touko, and he was thinking about Touko going to school.

If she wanted Dongzi to go to school, she would probably only agree to go to the same school as him, right?
However, Ming Sheng's transfer requirements were too strict, and there were many procedures to complete, which troubled him.

"...What's wrong with you?"

At this moment, Shimizu Rei finally noticed that Akizuki Makoto was absent-minded.

She unconsciously stopped in her tracks, looking at Akizuki Makoto's well-defined profile through the dappled light of the streetlamp.

Although Akizuki Makoto was looking straight ahead, seemingly not seeing anything, his gaze seemed to be looking into the distance.

And his expression, in her sixth sense as a woman, was definitely the kind of look that only appeared when he was thinking of a certain woman.

"Huh? What are you asking?"

When Akizuki Makoto noticed that Shimizu Rei had stopped, he also stopped and focused his gaze on her.

Even at this moment, Shimizu Rei still felt that he wasn't looking at her, but was thinking about another woman.

In fact, she guessed correctly; the person Akizuki Makoto was thinking about was Ji Yexue.

He thought that if he asked Himeyasu for help, then Touko would definitely be able to transfer to Mingsheng High School smoothly.

After all, Ming Sheng High School was founded with investment from the Ji Ye family, so arranging for a student to enroll is just a matter of a word.

But asking her for a favor would be tantamount to owing her a favor, and who knows if she would use that as an opportunity to make demands.

Shimizu Rei pursed her lips, resisting the urge to ask Akizuki Makoto who he was thinking about. She gently shook her head and said, "...It's nothing. It's just that Makoto seems to be thinking about something. He doesn't listen to me and just gives me perfunctory answers."

"Sorry."

Even his apology seemed perfunctory, because he didn't want to explain to Shimizu Rei what he was considering.

The main reason was that even if he talked to Shimizu Rei, it wouldn't make a difference, so he wanted to use an apology to get rid of the topic.

“…Go back, Acheng.”

Shimizu Rei lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression, and her voice was very deep.

"Li, you..."

Akizuki Makoto noticed something was wrong and was about to ask what was wrong when Shimizu Rei suddenly shouted, "Idiot Makoto!"

"...?!"

Akizuki looked astonished, not understanding why he had been scolded.

But what puzzled and confused him even more was that Shimizu Rei turned around and ran away immediately after scolding him!
"Hey, Li!"

Akizuki Makoto shouted at Shimizu Rei's retreating figure and chased after her, wanting to get to the bottom of things.

However, Shimizu Rei was running too fast. Even though he tried his best to catch up, there was still a distance of five or six meters between them, and this distance was increasing at a visible speed.

"No, when did she become able to run so fast?"

Makoto Akizuki fell into self-doubt, wondering if it was because he usually neglected his exercise and ran too slowly, or if Shimizu Rei had switched from badminton to track and field.

He felt that Shimizu Rei's running speed must be around 100 meters in 10 seconds.
Thus, they chased after her all the way to the hotel. Akizuki watched helplessly as Shimizu Rei entered the hotel, and in the end, he could only gasp for breath and give up the idea of ​​asking her for clarification.

Since Shimizu Rei is so unwilling to face him, it's the normal choice to let her calm down on her own.

"...Let's ask again tomorrow."

As Qiuyue Cheng thought to himself, he looked up and glanced at the brightly lit hotel before turning and leaving.

As he turned to leave, he was unaware that Shimizu Rei was hiding in the shadows of the hotel, observing him.

Only after he left did Shimizu Rei emerge from the unseen shadows, her face filled with disappointment.

In order to shake off Akizuki Makoto and prevent him from catching up, she even used her abilities to strengthen her nervous system, allowing her to run faster.

This has consequences; it doubled the burden on her body, leaving her extremely exhausted, feeling as if her chest is about to explode, and her heart pounding wildly.

"Acheng, have we grown this far apart...?"

Shimizu Rei muttered to herself, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

After their long separation, she was happy that Akizuki Makoto could still treat her without any reservations as before, but she also found that Akizuki Makoto had become somewhat unfamiliar, and she could no longer understand his thoughts.

This is actually normal. They used to live together and their social circles were almost intertwined, so they could know about each other's affairs immediately.

But now they've separated and are living their own lives.

It's like when two very close friends part ways one day.

Although we may still share drinks and laughter when we meet again, after the gathering, we will return to our own lives, becoming two parallel lines that never intersect.

And that's the problem.

Because she had a crush on Akizuki Makoto, she wanted to know everything about him and integrate into his life and social circle.

She wanted to know in detail who Akizuki Makoto had met in Tokyo and what had happened to him.

But Makoto Akizuki would only respond with friendly words, laughing it off and saying that nothing happened in Tokyo.

This is normal. Most people feel that it is unnecessary to talk about the people they know in normal social interactions and the details of their daily lives. Otherwise, it would be too strange, like being monitored.

"While I was striving to become better, you had already become so outstanding that I could never reach you..."

Rei Shimizu murmured absentmindedly, feeling a wave of sadness and emptiness wash over her.

A tragically thick barrier had already formed between her and Akizuki Makoto.

The current Akizuki Makoto is a young, promising, handsome, and intelligent writer.

She was just an ordinary high school girl striving to win a gold medal in a major competition.

I'm just sharing some everyday moments to help you all relax; what follows is a hellish battleground!

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(End of this chapter)