People in Tokyo, the world is clear

The two children are indeed the same person.

Having expressed her feelings here, Tetsuko Aida was stunned by the girl's question.

"Aida-senpai seems to be alone all the time."

"Ah, I'm not planning on finding a partner at the moment."

This answer made the short-haired girl sitting opposite her open her eyes wide. She turned her head and looked at the person next to her.

"Can you tell me the reason?" This time it was Lin Sen's turn to ask.

"I've dated several people, but in the end we weren't suitable and we never ended up together." Tetsuko Aida glanced at the sea outside the window.

"You don't plan to continue?"

"Yeah, I'm tired. I have brothers in my clan. Under this premise, my parents don't have any pressure from the family, and they are not the kind of stubborn people who must continue the family line."

"So, you plan to live alone from now on?"

"Yes."

It was just a casual answer.

But Tetsuko Aida saw that the two children sitting opposite her looked at each other again.

When she looked again, the words that came out of the boy's mouth made her hold the handle of the chair and almost jump up from the seat.

"It seems that Miss Aida is of the same kind as us."

"...etc?"

No?

After standing up, Tetsuko Aida noticed a detail from a wider perspective.

Although they were sitting together, the two children in front of her no longer made any intimate gestures to express their relationship in front of her.

Looking back, ever since leaving the camera's lens, the two of them have never held hands again.

At this moment, Xiaolin crossed his arms and kept a serious expression, while the girl's hands were folded on her thighs.

Then, Tetsuko Aida heard a male voice:

"Ito and I have the same attitude towards life as you."

"Eh?" Tetsuko Aida turned to the girl, "Ito too?"

"Ah."

"..."

Only now did Tetsuko Aida finally understand why the two children in front of her had become like this.

No matter what, we are just friends.

but--

She is so young and should be enjoying love, but why is she the same as me, a man in his 40s?

Tetsuko Aida took another look at the man and woman in front of her.

Based on what she had seen and heard during their interactions, she firmly believed that Ito definitely wanted to take Kobayashi down.

He was a man with a lot of experience. Combined with the boy's decadent temperament that was rare for his age, Tetsuko Aida immediately guessed it.

It seems that this kid has a story.

She then summarized the information she had obtained. However, due to the one-sided way in which she had obtained it, even an experienced woman could still piece together a bizarre story.

A long time ago, there was a female singer named Qingshan, and there was a boy named Xiaolin who loved her.

Xiaolin pursues Qingshan passionately, but to no avail. Disheartened, he closes his heart and locks away his love, but still wants to do his part to help Qingshan realize his dream.

During this period, a boy named Kobayashi met a girl named Ito.

The two people have feelings for each other, but they can't be together because of these things.

Therefore, in this situation, Ito can only try to find another way to approach and melt him in another way——

It was supposed to be a difficult and fruitless endeavor. However, by sheer chance, the two children happened upon a renowned photographer one day. Through these chance encounters, their hearts slowly began to grow closer...

The more she thought about it, the more intense Tetsuko Aida's emotions became.

The key to breaking down the barrier between these two children lies with the photographer. Through chance encounters and filming, the gears of fate begin to turn.

In other words, in the final analysis, the miraculous power that can give this story a perfect ending comes from—

I’m Tetsuko Aida!

"..."

See? Rumors are born that simple. All it takes is the misinterpretation of correct information.

Photographer Tetsuko Aida was not unaware of this, but she was simply too confused by the situation.

She really wanted to see the two children in front of her achieve success.

Just now, when they were only wearing single clothes, their healthy and beautiful bodies, their seemingly restrained yet sweet way of interacting with each other, and their shy and somewhat resistant but adorable expressions when they hugged each other, both of them feeling enjoyment -

Wow.

Kind and outstanding young people, at the best age, meet their perfect match. Then, openly appreciate each other, and maybe even fall in love... This is absolutely the most beautiful thing in the world!

How can we allow things and events to hinder and interfere with us?

At least, that's what Tetsuko Aida thought.

Therefore, I developed an inexplicable sense of mission.

Regardless of the final outcome, during the time we spend together, we should find a way to improve the relationship between the two children...

She has no choice but to do so!

Chapter 39 Physiological Reactions

"Come to think of it, I remember Xiaolin talking about his unsuccessful suicide attempt."

Tetsuko Aida decided to start from this angle.

I noticed that when the young man mentioned this, the short-haired girl next to him curled her fingers and tilted her eyes, glancing at him secretly.

It seemed that she knew about this and cared about his feelings about it.

And the boys’ reactions are even more interesting.

stunned.

Then, he stared at her with a negative look in his eyes and spoke clearly, hinting that she should end the topic:

"I mentioned it to Ms. Aida during our last chat. I didn't expect you to still remember it."

Chat?

Not...a magazine interview?

Although confused, Tetsuko Aida is no fool.

Kobayashi displays the so-called "I-person" temperament in front of the camera, but in reality he is more like the kind of person who talks freely and doesn't hide much.

The reason why she is deliberately avoiding the topic now is that she doesn't want him to get too attached to that matter.

Obviously, it was because of one person - the kid named Ito who was next to him.

You didn't want her to know about that interview?

More doubts piled up, but Tetsuko Aida respected and obeyed the other party's hints and choices.

Go down the stairs:

"Oh, of course. Something as controversial as this is bound to make people curious, right?"

—That’s right. When Ito was present, Kobayashi, the writer who wasn’t even a little famous, Mr. Itsuki, seemed to be deliberately concealing his identity in this regard.

So much pointless speculation. Perhaps the answer lies in his works?

Tetsuko Aida somewhat regretted not having found the time to read this guy's work. After all, she didn't particularly appreciate the vague medium of words. To her, direct expression through images was always more vivid and profound.

However, this is not the time to dwell on these things. What is more important at the moment is to try to help the two children in front of me build a bridge of understanding between each other and break down the sense of alienation between them off-camera.

An old story that both of them knew was obviously a good entry point.

The female photographer smiled and listened to the young man continue what she was saying.

"Ms. Aida wants to know whether that experience has any impact on my attitude towards life, including my views on marriage and love." Lin Sen straightened his sitting posture and lowered his arms from across his chest.

"That's smart, Kobayashi." Tetsuko Aida nodded with a smile. "After all, I decided to remain single after going through several relationships and getting older. But logically, when I was as young as you, I still had a lot of yearning and longing for love. So, I wonder if your decision at such a young age is due to this past."

“To be precise, it’s very relevant.”

"Can you talk about something more specific?"

"That might be a little inconvenient. After all, we only discuss the details with important friends. Ms. Aida is not one of them."

"You boy."

Tetsuko Aida recalled their last meeting. Back then, she had declined to use her connections for his help, saying they weren't close enough friends. Unexpectedly, he'd learned the trick and put it to good use.

Not angry though.

Because, he noticed that when he talked about the so-called important friend, the expression of the little Ito who was secretly glancing at him seemed to flicker. It seemed that he was a little happy.

This child must be the one who knows the "important" details. At this moment, he's probably happy about his own "uniqueness."

"..."

This guy may seem like a piece of wood, but in fact he has some words that can touch girls' hearts from time to time.

As a member of the opposite sex, Tetsuko Aida certainly understands what it means to be treated as a "special person" by the person you like.

I was also happy to see the expression of a certain short-haired girl that could not be concealed. Even the corners of her mouth were slightly raised because of that cuteness.

The relationship between these two children seems awkward even to outsiders, but it is unexpectedly sweet.

But curiosity is like a boat. When impressions accumulate like water, it is inevitable that the rising tide will lift all boats.

"Well, let's just talk about our current views on love. Is that okay?"

"We can talk."

"Let me tell you what I think first." Tetsuko Aida called the flight attendant over, stuffed a bill mixed with a tip into her pocket, politely asked for help bringing some non-alcoholic drinks, and asked for some things to pass the time.

Then, turning his head, he smiled and said, "I think love is the most beautiful thing in the world."

“How come you see?”

"Two strangers met by chance in the vast sea of ​​people. Because of the good feelings bestowed by heaven, they decided to do good for each other without any compensation."

Tetsuko Aida raised her head and sighed, "This may be the purest thing in the world."

"I don't think so." Lin Sen's tone was flat.

"Hmm?" The female photographer wasn't surprised by the answer. She tilted her head and stared at the young man with a smile. "Why do you think so?"

"So-called love is nothing more than self-deception. Essentially, it's just a matter of following one's own aesthetic preferences, determined by genes and upbringing, to select the so-called suitable reproductive partner. Furthermore, the so-called selfless kindness towards the other person is simply a function of hormones and other physiological factors."

Lin Sen's voice was cold and ruthless.

He went on to say:

"Hence, the phenomenon of wanting but not getting occurs. You project your idealized image onto someone who triggers your physiological alarms, and then you pretend to be open and honest. You think you're deeply affectionate, but in reality, you're just a clown driven by your own hormones."

"Xiao Lin is good at biology. He's a top student in a related field, right?"

"Just a college dropout."

"So, to Xiaolin, so-called love is not worth mentioning."

"Um..."

Tetsuko Aida pinched her chin and looked at the boy in front of her who made such a shocking statement.

What made him like this?

The current speculation is that it is a failed love.

A further inference is that he must have had the so-called "clown" experience, which allowed him to see things so clearly.