I have pure love with them

[I have arrived.]

Izumi, who was still on the train not long after school, was a little surprised when she saw the message sent by Toyokawa Shoko.

"Haqiu, is school over at this time?"

Staring at the message sent by Toyokawa Shoko, he calculated his current location and the approximate time it would take him to arrive at the apartment, then he sent a reply to Toyokawa Shoko.

"Another half an hour?"

With a slightly frowned brow, Shoko Toyokawa stood quietly in front of the apartment, walked slowly to a secluded corner, and then waited quietly, looking around the surrounding environment, mentally prepared to deal with any "unexpected" situations.

But the expected "accident" did not actually happen. Less than half an hour later, Toyokawa Shoko saw Izumi in school uniform, walking slowly towards her.

"Awaited."

"…Is this the apartment that Chihaya-kun rented?"

Looking at Izumi walking in front of her, Toyokawa Shoko still had some doubts in her heart and asked the boy in front of her for confirmation again.

"Ah."

From Toyokawa Shoko's eyes and expression, Izumi could see her surprise and disbelief, but he didn't explain too much. He just gently stretched out his arm and asked Toyokawa Shoko to follow him.

"..."

An Jing followed behind Quan, and the two of them entered the lobby of the apartment. Looking at Quan walking in front of her with slow steps, Toyokawa Shoko felt a little complicated.

The two people did not have any communication after entering the elevator, but in the small space, Quan smelled a faint fragrance belonging to Toyokawa Shoko.

'It seems that the environment has not made her ignore her personal image...'

Recalling that day when Shoko Toyokawa was about to throw the wine can at the door, facing Izumi at the elevator door, the corners of her mouth gradually curled up.

Ding--

The elevator door slowly opened. Quan looked back at Toyokawa Shoko and walked out of the elevator first.

"This is it."

"……Um."

Her eyes fell on Quan, but Toyokawa Shoko did not pay attention to the surrounding environment. At this moment, her heart was already in a tangle of thoughts, and she was in no mood to observe the surrounding environment.

She walked all the way to the door of Quan's apartment room. After Quan opened the door, Toyokawa Shoko collected her thoughts again, stood quietly in front of the door, staring at the open door in front of her, and a trace of suspicion emerged in her heart again.

He forced himself to suppress the thoughts in his mind and slowly walked into the house. The scene in front of him suddenly became clear.

"The piano is in the living room, please come in."

"Ah."

Seeing Quan taking out a pair of indoor slippers and placing them in front of her, Toyokawa Shoko slowly took off her own leather shoes, and her slender feet wrapped in Yuqiu's dark green stockings appeared in front of Quan.

The way she put on her shoes was also different from that of other girls Izumi knew. Her movements were gentle and graceful. It was not until Toyokawa Shoko put on her shoes and called her softly that Izumi slowly came back to her senses.

"Chihaya-kun?"

"Ok?"

"Any questions?"

Noticing that Quan's eyes were fixed on her feet, Toyokawa Shoko frowned and her face looked a little dissatisfied.

In her opinion, Quan stared at her as if he was worried that there was something dirty on her feet that would dirty his slippers, so she couldn't help but reveal a little dissatisfaction in her already sensitive heart.

"No, I just noticed that Ms. Toyokawa's socks seemed to be the same style as my sister's socks, so I was a little concerned."

"..."

After hearing Quan's answer, Toyokawa Shoko's expression improved slightly, but she still looked at Quan in front of her with a subtle look. She didn't expect that the other party would care about such a thing.

"Schools like Yuqiu that focus on grades and form have the same dress code for students, at least within the school, they hope that students will dress neatly and consistently."

“It’s worthy of being a famous and prestigious school.”

In response, Quan chuckled and praised, then retracted his gaze and walked towards the living room, while Toyokawa Shoko lowered her head to look at her feet.

"It shouldn't have any smell, right?"

In summer, if you wear leather shoes, you will sweat easily and accumulate some odor. No matter how much you pay attention to your personal hygiene, this is unavoidable. Toyokawa Shoko is actually a little concerned about it.

But seeing that Quan didn't care much about this matter, she let go of her inner confusion, slowly followed Quan's footsteps, and entered the living room together.

"here."

After entering the living room and looking in the direction of the sound coming from Quan, Toyokawa Shoko saw Quan's figure and a crystal piano with a transparent glow next to him.

"Blüthner?"

After seeing the piano, the girl spoke in surprise.

"Ok?"

"Well...why do you have this piano?"

Walking quickly to the piano, Toyokawa Shoko looked at Izumi in disbelief. It was hard for her to imagine that there was such an expensive piano in such a living room.

"bought."

"purchase……"

When Toyokawa Shoko heard Izumi's answer, her eyes fell on the piano, then on Izumi, and she seemed to be hesitant to speak.

In the past, when she saw this piano, she had a glimmer of longing and desire in her heart, hoping to own a crystal piano of her own. However, the expensive price was something that even her original family could not afford easily, and she had never asked her family for money.

However, I didn’t expect to see him here after so many years…

"Can I... touch it?"

Toyokawa Shoko's gaze fell on Izumi, her eyes full of anticipation, like a little girl who had seen her favorite toy.

356. A girl with long flaxen hair? Pink hair!

The warm afternoon sun shines on the girl's cheeks, casting a soft yet dazzling glow.

Quan, half leaning on the sofa, listened attentively to the soft piano music played by the girl, tapping his knees with his fingertips to the rhythm. His expression was gentle, as if he was looking at the girl, but also as if he was looking through the girl at the vast fields.

For Quan, being able to have a young girl play melodious and pleasant piano music for him in a private apartment is an enjoyment he has never experienced in his life.

As the last note fell, Toyokawa Shoko, who was immersed in the playing of the piano, slowly opened her eyes and lowered her gaze on the black and white keys. She suddenly thought of a line from a classic movie she had seen before.

[The keyboard has a beginning and an end, and you know exactly where the 88 keys are, there is no mistaking them.]

'It is completely different from the reality which is full of changes.'

A trace of melancholy emerged from Toyokawa Shoko's heart again. She stared at the piano keys in front of her, her white fingertips gently touching the keys. A trace of sadness flashed through her heart, and then she slowly looked behind her, only to find that Izumi, who was originally standing behind her, had sat down on the sofa at some point.

"What is the name of this piano piece?"

After the piano music stopped, Quan slowly opened his eyes and looked at Toyokawa Shoko. Seeing that the girl seemed to be in a depressed mood, he did not speak abruptly to disturb the girl's meditation. He waited until the other party looked at him before he slowly asked.

"The Girl with Flaxen Hair" is a prelude composed by French composer Debussy, who was inspired by the line "The gentle and charming posture of a distant lover sitting among the blossoming orange trees" in the poem of the same name by Léon de Lille.

In response to Quan's questions, Toyokawa Shoko answered them skillfully.

“It’s fresh, peaceful, and full of energy. It makes you feel like a girl is singing softly in the early morning.”

"..."

When hearing Izumi's comments on her piano playing, Toyokawa Shoko's expression did not change much.

“Excellent performance.”

"Thank you."

In response to Quan's praise and affirmation, Toyokawa Shoko pursed her lips slightly to express her gratitude.

"I want to change my previous decision, Ms. Toyokawa."

Izumi, who was sitting on the sofa, slowly stood up, looked at Toyokawa Shoko who was sitting in front of the piano with a smile, and stretched out his hand from a distance.

"Would you like to be my personal pianist?"

"……What's the meaning?"

Seeing Quan suddenly say that he wanted to change his mind, Toyokawa Shoko felt a little nervous, but after hearing Quan's words, she couldn't help but frown, and a puzzled look appeared on her face. She didn't quite understand what the other party meant.

"I really like the piano that Ms. Toyokawa just played. It healed my tired spirit very well, so I want to hire Ms. Toyokawa to be my exclusive pianist. She will play the piano for me for an hour every day for one month."

"I'm happy that Chihaya-kun likes the piano I play, but—"

"30 yen, per month, and you only need to play for an hour a day."

"..."

Shoko Toyokawa, who originally thought that this job was not suitable and was ready to refuse, suddenly fell silent. Facing the three fingers raised by Izumi and the admiring expression on his face, she felt conflicted.

In her current job, even if she works full time every day, her monthly income is less than half of the 30 yen.

30 yen a month, and only need to play the piano for one hour a day, which is equivalent to an income of yen per hour a day, which is ten times the current minimum hourly wage in Tokyo!

It was hard for her not to be moved by the offer made by Quan, and...

Her eyes fell on the crystal piano in front of her. She also liked this piano very much. Once she rejected the conditions given by Quan, it was really hard for her to imagine when she would be able to come into contact with a piano of this level next time.

Izumi noticed Toyokawa Shoko's gaze and his eyes also fell on the crystal piano. He also sensed a little bit of Toyokawa Shoko's inner struggle.

"Ms. Toyokawa, you like this piano, don't you? If you are willing to accept this job... then, in your spare time, Ms. Toyokawa can use this piano at will. To me, it is just a decoration, but in the hands of Ms. Toyokawa who understands it, its true value can be revealed, isn't it?"

"..."

After hearing what Izumi said, Toyokawa Shoko felt a little confused. She didn't understand why the other party would buy such an expensive piano if he didn't know how to play the piano.

"Even if it's just for display, aren't brands like Yamaha more well-known?"

But Toyokawa Shoko didn't think that Izumi would know that she had once been fascinated by this piano. No matter how much she thought about it, she could only treat it as an unexpected coincidence.

Sitting quietly in front of the piano, she pursed her lips, while Quan looked at her quietly.

"Why me? I just want a pianist. It's easy to hire one in Tokyo, right?"

"But, the only pianist I know is Ms. Toyokawa, and... I think Ms. Toyokawa also needs this easier job. If I can help you, as a friend, I think it would be mutually beneficial."

She opened her mouth and instinctively wanted to refuse out of her self-esteem, but when she was about to refuse, reality made her fall into silence.