Chapter 153

Ishikawa Hayato thought she had given up, so he continued looking for the book.

Suddenly, out of the blue, she said.

"If we're dating, is it okay if I send it to you once a week?"

The air conditioner in the used bookstore hummed, and the resulting indoor airflow caused the wind chimes to sway, producing a crisp sound from the chimes that were only touched occasionally.

The sudden noise seemed to jolt me awake from my afternoon drowsiness.

Ishikawa Hayato stopped turning the pages of his book, and turned to the side in surprise and hesitation.

He looked at Liang, only to find that Liang was already staring at him silently.

Her golden eyes were calm and pure, revealing no color other than probing. Ishikawa Hayato tried hard to see, but he couldn't discern a single thought beneath her surface.

Moreover, her train of thought jumped so quickly this time that Ishikawa Hayato couldn't judge her level of seriousness based on the context.

He asked cautiously.

"Which is more important, the first part or the second part?"

I won't tell you.

Liang started flipping through the book again.

But Ishikawa Hayato knew she was avoiding his gaze; her mind wasn't on her book at all, and her gaze was even fixed on the side of the two of them closer to her.

After hesitating for a moment, Ishikawa Hayato didn't bother to observe her reaction. He looked at the book in front of him and said...

"I'm absolutely fine with this, but there's one thing I want to clarify, even though Kita me not to say it."

"Um."

"I'm dating Kita."

"Um."

The cold voice still lacked any emotion.

"Is this even acceptable?"

"Won't this affect my ability to get meal tickets?"

Ryo observes Ishikawa Hayato, but Ishikawa Hayato tries his best to ignore Ryo.

After learning what she was thinking, he feared that he might use his superhuman observation skills to give the "correct" answer.

"It won't affect anything."

"That's fine."

As she spoke, the sound of her shoes scraping against the ground filled the air.

Ishikawa Hayato looked to his side, where Ryo was squatting down with his hands on his knees, staring at him as if he were being observed.

And the expression on her face at that moment was something he was seeing for the first time.

Her eyes weren't raised as high as usual; they drooped slightly in disappointment, yet with a touch of gentleness. Her expression held concern and worry.

Her eyes were like a bottle of deep, swirling wine, drawing one in to observe the turbulent waves within them.

The curved eyelashes perfectly captured that color.

Ishikawa Hayato didn't know what expression to wear when facing her, so he sighed and then smiled.

"Hello, girlfriend."

"You jerk, boyfriend."

Her voice didn't sound angry; it was as if she were just softly complaining.

After watching Ryo finish speaking, Ishikawa Hayato continued searching for books, but his movements were a bit rougher than before.

He said.

"Since Liang has agreed, there is one more thing."

Liang stopped what she was doing, but didn't look at him; she listened patiently.

"Kita said that if anyone else in the band started dating me, we would automatically break up."

"Casual."

Her dissatisfaction did not diminish, and it was clear that she was not sulking because he was already having multiple relationships.

129. Shadow

Fragmented and similar experiences are hard to preserve for a long time; only different and deeply emotional memories are easy to retain in our hearts.

Liang felt that even after a long time, the experiences of this semester would not sink into the sea of the past as easily as before.

The beginning of it all was already deeply etched in her memory.

Being in the place where they first met made her quickly recall every scene and moment from that time.

That was when she and Nijika had just decided to form a band and were recruiting members.

A boy who seemed to have just left the school's sports club suddenly approached her and Nijika and asked to join the band.

At the time, she suspected that the boy might have joined because he wanted to be more popular.

After talking for a while, seeing that he genuinely wanted to learn, she finally agreed.

But she later discovered that the other person was an anomaly among ordinary people.

An abnormal person who follows their heart.

But they were of the same kind as her, and at that time she had a desire to get to know them.

But outliers are often the most dangerous; those with abnormal ideas and little contact with others are always the most dangerous.

However, it was only after learning about his past and after their first performance that she made up her mind.

This oddball genuinely wants things to get better. Although he said strange things like wanting to build a harem, relatively speaking, things are already pretty good.

She gradually tried to get closer to him.

This is a rare, harmless member of our own kind.

After their first trip to the countryside, she felt relaxed in his company and experienced a growing sense of understanding between them, which brought her a quiet happiness.

And then, I learned about his past, and the friends who, even after that situation, were still willing to come and see his performances.

She finally understood what kind of person this was and realized that this person was probably one of the few she could get along with and feel comfortable around.

It's not just about getting along well, but about working together effectively.

She knew very well that this feeling wasn't one-sided; it wasn't just one of them keeping in step, but rather that they both naturally accepted each other's presence.

But she also realized that this man was serious about building a harem.

She had considered that perhaps after some time, either she would give up her persistence, or he would choose to give up his harem. Regardless of the circumstances, the two of them would eventually come together naturally.

But in the end, she was worried about unforeseen circumstances and chose to give up her persistence early.

But unexpectedly, we were still a step too late.

The first one I dated.

It should be her.

Sensing Ryo's nonchalant tone about him having multiple relationships, Ishikawa Hayato didn't show any happiness.

He roughly understood how the other person felt.

He didn't continue to sow discord between Liang and others.

Instead, they continued searching for books.

He paused for a moment after finding a book, then took it directly to the shopkeeper to pay.

After he walked back, he asked without turning his head.

"Found it?"

"No, it's an old book that I'm interested in."

After quite some time, I finally found the textbook that the boss had mentioned, the one I vaguely remembered, in a secluded corner.

The two left the secondhand bookstore one after the other.

As soon as Liang stepped out of the bookstore, he yawned.

"I'm a little sleepy, I'll head back now."

She didn't even glance at Ishikawa Hayato as she spoke, and turned to leave before she finished.

Ishikawa Hayato knew this was Ryo's usual way of dealing with a low mood.

In this situation, it's already quite remarkable that she's not angry; trying to upset her further would only make her more dissatisfied.

The best option is to let her go back and then compensate her.

But even knowing this, Ishikawa Hayato still went up.

Her concession was not a reason for him to ignore her. He also knew that in this situation, it was impossible to let go of the resentment in her heart with just a few words; on the contrary, it might cause her to explode.

Before she stepped out of the cool shade, Ishikawa Hayato took her hand.

He saw the warm light filtering through the cracks in the house, illuminating her bangs. When his hand was pulled, she stiffened and didn't move.

In the stifling air of a summer afternoon, Ishikawa Hayato pleaded.

"Just like that, just like that, let me finish."

Liang retracted the half-step she had taken, but did not turn around.

"I'm truly sorry for causing this situation; I accepted it in advance..."

Liang suddenly interrupted him, speaking in an angry yet merely cautionary tone.

"You can keep it from me."

After she finished speaking, Ishikawa Hayato paused for a few beats before replying in a very calm tone.

"Does Liang think this is suitable?"

Ishikawa Hayato dislikes hiding things, especially important matters; he only tells white lies to children.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Liang's retreating figure and saw her fall silent. After a moment, she relaxed her shoulders and let out a long breath.

"Liking people similar to yourself can lead to all sorts of troubles."

She turned around as if accepting it, her eyes slightly dimmed.

I'm so sorry I got angry without my permission.

"No, I'm the one who's wrong. As a womanizer, I actually made Ryo feel unhappy during our relationship."

Ishikawa Hayato was serious when he said that.

He knew very well that he hadn't been able to comfort her; rather, she had let go of her inner turmoil on her own and even apologized to him. Was this the composure of an older woman?

Liang gave him a disdainful look, as if to say, "Listen to what you're saying."

Before Ishikawa Hayato could say anything, she stretched out her small hand and fanned herself.

"It's so hot."

"Now that we're full, shall we go back and listen to CDs?"

Ishikawa Hayato reluctantly complied with her.

"The boss will think we're weird."

Ishikawa Hayato knew she wasn't angry at all, but was deliberately teasing him.

He shook the cold hand he had been holding and said coquettishly.

"Sister Ryo ~"