Chapter 232

"Need not..."

Having lost sight of even her short-term goals, she was at a loss for what to do. She stood there blankly, staring at the ground in a daze.

"Let's sit down and take a breather to change our mood."

He pulled Nijika over, and she let him, slowly moving over and sitting down next to Ishikawa Hayato.

In the park, where some leaves had fallen, as dusk approached, the two were calming down from the shock they had just experienced.

A long-awaited autumn breeze finally brought a sense of relief and relaxation to the two of them.

Nijika finally recovered and complained with slightly puffed-out cheeks.

"My sister is being really mean."

Despite having just had a big argument with Seika, Nijika still calls Seika "Onee-chan" (a term of endearment for Hoshika).

Ishikawa Hayato knew she cared a lot about her older sister, and this was just a small complaint about her family, so he simply agreed with her.

"It was really scary when it rushed out."

He finished speaking and chuckled twice.

Nijika glanced at him and realized that the man was actually smiling. She couldn't help but admire him; she had been completely terrified just now.

Even now, she doesn't know what to do next. The thing that needed to be hidden has been exposed. She can only choose between going back to apologize to her sister and insisting on staying with Ishikawa Hayato.

She compromised in that way because she couldn't make a decision.

At that moment, Ishikawa Hayato, who was standing next to him, took a deep breath as if to relax, and clapped his legs loudly with both hands.

"Alright, Nijika, although it's embarrassing to talk about this now, let's resolve this matter now."

"Um..."

Nijika pursed her lips, trying to force a smile, but her voice, though tinged with laughter, was full of helplessness.

But things didn't turn out the way she expected. Ishikawa Hayato looked at her intently and seriously to confirm.

"Nijika just agreed to my conditions, didn't she?"

Nijika was stunned. Did Ishikawa Hayato mean... he wasn't going to give up on her?

She couldn't believe that Ishikawa Hayato would still want her sister to approve of their relationship under these circumstances.

Her thoughtful gaze shifted, her shoulders slumped limply, and finally she let out a long sigh.

"Hasn't Hayato-kun understood the situation yet? There's absolutely no way my sister would agree to this."

Ishikawa Hayato could naturally see that Nijika liked him, and he liked Nijika too, so there was no way he could let go.

He had no intention of letting the two sisters of the Ijichi Family quarrel. As long as he still intended to date Nijika, he would have to face Seika's challenge.

Actually, you don't have to face Seika. If you just act cute and beg Nijika now, she will definitely try to win it over with Seika, even if it's difficult for her.

But Ishikawa Hayato would never do that; he would only choose to be Nijika's support, not rely on Nijika.

"Because it seems that Nijika still likes me, I can't give up. I absolutely won't allow Nijika to be secretly disappointed by herself."

"Furthermore, I hope we can take a happier path, which will inevitably require Seika's consent. I will earnestly ask Seika for help."

Nijika turned around and slightly turned to face Ishikawa Hayato, letting out a soft sigh.

"How cunning! Treating me like this even now, and being so persistent with me..."

She dared not meet Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, and instead shifted her focus to gazing out at the autumnal park.

Fallen leaves, dusk, an empty sky.

The vibrant summer, drawing to a close, is scarred by the deep autumn.

"Let me give it a try."

As she was feeling sad about the scenery, she heard Ishikawa Hayato say that, and she turned to look at the boy she had been relying on for the past six months.

His gaze was firm, as stubborn as iron in this autumn, untouched by any color.

In the past, whenever she made a mess of things, it was always this seemingly unreliable and eccentric teenager who cleaned things up.

Nijika didn't reply. Instead, she turned around and carefully examined the spot where Ishikawa Hayato had been hit. She reached out and gently touched the spot where he had been struck.

"You just got hit by your sister, does your face hurt?"

She asked with concern in her eyes.

Ishikawa Hayato met her worried gaze.

From arguing with Seika just now, to getting him out of the conflict, and now to comforting him, it's been Nijika protecting him all along.

Although Ishikawa Hayato didn't need it, he was still happy to be protected by Nijika, and it gave him more confidence to face Seika.

Ishikawa Hayato remained unfazed by Seika's anger, asking with a grin.

"How about Nijika blows it?"

Upon hearing his words, Nijika subconsciously looked up, but after noticing the smile on his face, her expression instantly turned into an extremely disgusted cat face.

Her hand, which had been lightly touching the spot where Ishikawa Hayato had just been punched by Seika, now gently pressed down.

"Hayato-kun, go blow it yourself!"

"It hurts!"

Ishikawa Hayato retreated with lightning speed, covering his face and screaming as if he were about to cry.

"Hey, hey, I told you not to push yourself."

Nijika stood up nervously, looking at him uneasily.

"My heart aches so much, Nijika actually hurt me..."

The damage Seika inflicted on Ishikawa Hayato wasn't even enough to break through his defense; in a game, it would barely reduce his health by a single point.

But he's a fun-loving person, and when the atmosphere gets right, it wouldn't be right not to put on a show.

Nijika's face suddenly darkened, and she turned around.

"It seems everything is alright, I'm going back."

Seeing that she was really about to leave, Ishikawa Hayato quickly stopped acting, steered the conversation back to the main topic, and reached out to take her small hand.

"Wait, Nijika, I don't want you to worry anymore. Let's get this over with, so... okay?"

Nijika paused and turned around. Without thinking much, she smiled, a smile full of ease and vitality.

"If Hayato-kun is so insistent, then everything depends on your results."

She agreed.

She retracted her original ambiguous decision and handed over the reins of her future to Ishikawa Hayato, letting him handle the matter.

Relieved, Ishikawa Hayato couldn't resist teasing Nijika.

"Will you not breach the contract this time?"

Nijika's expression darkened; clearly, this was not something she could laugh off.

She sighed.

"Even though Hayato-kun like this, you've never broken your promise, but I am... However, this time won't be the case."

She raised her gaze as if she had no qualms about it, her red eyes staring directly at Ishikawa Hayato.

At this moment, Ishikawa Hayato, who had been teasing her, felt a pang of guilt.

"Very well, I'll go find Seika to resolve this now."

He hurriedly stood up, full of vigor, and looked up at the stars, ready to charge forward without hesitation.

Nijika's expression changed when she saw his impatient look.

"Hey! Wait, if you go now, your sister will kill you!"

She cried out and held onto him tightly, as if afraid he would really go and die right now.

Ishikawa Hayato, exasperated by her noise, turned to look at her with a helpless expression.

"Does Nijika think I'm that weak...?"

Nijika was taken aback, and her voice lowered.

"Hayato-kun."

"Um?"

"I can't do anything, whether it's being hurt by my sister or hurting her in a certain way, or I'll regret it."

"This isn't called going back on your word; it's called adding preconditions."

Ishikawa Hayato corrected.

She breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the bench. Ishikawa Hayato, seeing her still somewhat uneasy expression, sat down next to her as well.

He said with a smile.

"Nijika hasn't forgotten how the shop manager chased me for ages but couldn't hit me once, has she?"

Concern can cloud judgment, Nijika genuinely hadn't recalled Ishikawa Hayato's extraordinary fighting prowess.

Memories that had been lingering for almost half a year suddenly flooded her mind. She immediately recalled the scene of Ishikawa Hayato standing next to her sister, flamboyantly dancing the hula, while her sister was completely helpless.

She felt relieved, but soon realized the problem again.

She stared at Ishikawa Hayato with disdain and asked.

"So, Hayato-kun, did you deliberately let my sister hit you to make me feel guilty?"

"Did I use this opportunity to make more demands on Nijika?"

Ishikawa Hayato countered with a question.

Nijika was slightly startled.

Seeing her still looking curious, Ishikawa Hayato explained.

"I only got beaten up by the store manager because I was trying to steal her precious younger sister, and I wasn't just dating her younger sister. Of course, I also hoped that the store manager would calm down."

"It's no use."

Nijika smiled, completely ignoring Ishikawa Hayato's talk about dating other people. She knew her older sister's temper well; once she got angry, she wouldn't calm down easily.

"Um."

Ishikawa Hayato nodded reluctantly, but then patted his chest.

"But don't worry, I'll make sure the store manager accepts it properly and won't have any complaints about Nijika."

"Um."

Nijika gazed at him intently for a long time; her voice contained everything.

After making their decision, Ishikawa Hayato and Nijika walked back to the starry sky together.

On the way, she still had a worried expression on her face, her gaze sometimes looking left, sometimes right, and occasionally lingering on Ishikawa Hayato.

Nijika had shown signs of unease and nervousness before, but this time was different. She didn't seem to be trying as hard to hide her emotions as she had before.

Unconsciously, she lowered her guard and revealed her true self in front of Ishikawa Hayato.

She seemed so nervous she couldn't sit still. After glancing at Ishikawa Hayato again, she remembered something and asked a question.

"Hayato-kun, doesn't your face really hurt?"

"Unfortunately, no."

As Ishikawa Hayato spoke, he glanced at Nijika said, feigning seriousness, "If it would hurt, I would have had Nijika kiss and blow on Qun Lu Jiu long ago."

When he looked at her, Nijika instinctively looked away.

She wasn't a shy person; she just kept her emotions to herself and didn't want anyone to know.

Ishikawa Hayato's gaze seemed to penetrate her defenses and see right into her heart, which was why she always avoided him when she had something on her mind.

But this time she looked back again and said with a light laugh.

"If you want to be praised, lower your head."