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But, but, once I know you have someone you truly love in your heart, I... can no longer deceive myself.
Having experienced that future, she was no longer willing to bind the boy with pity.
Banami looked at the crying girl and remained silent. He knew that Riki wouldn't want to hear him say sorry, but he couldn't say anything else either.
"Can you give me a hug, just like back then?" Lixi said in a slightly trembling voice.
In that future, Hanami, who decided to choose Maki, made the same request when they broke up.
Without hesitation, Banai embraced the girl in his arms.
He also liked the girl in front of him very much. Who wouldn't like such a kind, clumsy girl who would become withdrawn when she got angry? But... when he came into this world, the first person he met was her.
"I won't give up, Banami." Then, he heard the girl's trembling voice.
Even knowing that I'm not the person you love most, I still won't give up.
"Do I seem braver to you now?"
Chapter Eighty: To My Sister Lixi
By the time the two returned to the pavilion in the park, Maki's emotions had calmed down a bit.
Banami doesn't really understand the changes in Maki's heart right now. After this fan creation, she must be different from before, otherwise the sisters' bodies wouldn't have returned to normal.
Whether this change is good or bad, even the person involved probably doesn't know for sure right now.
Lixi walked over and surprisingly helped her older sister up, which surprised Zhenxi, since she had done a lot of things to hurt her younger sister, both in reality and in the "future".
"Sister, let's go home together," Li Xi said in a muffled voice, sounding like she had been crying.
But she looked more neat and cheerful now than before.
After all, we were abandoned like that in the future. Looking back now, it's just a breakup, nothing more.
Modern young women possess a certain open-mindedness that allows them to find joy even in hardship.
Many people lack courage not because they are afraid of pain, but because they are afraid of imagined pain that has not yet arrived.
Compared to herself, Maki was surprised to find that Riki, who seemed fragile, was much more resilient.
"Hanami, let's go home first." Riki looked into the boy's eyes, but Maki still subconsciously avoided them.
The two sisters reacted very differently.
But then, Banami took out a player that looked like an MP3 player from her pocket and gave it to Riki, saying, "This is for you. It's something that Xiaodeng and I secretly recorded."
Banami once told Xiaodeng that there was a song that expressed her feelings and she hoped that she could sing it to Lixi.
However, now I think that both Ritsuki and Maki are very suitable for this song.
Lixi accepted it without hesitation.
As Banami watched the two sisters leave, he wondered if he had finally resolved their inner conflict. He didn't really know.
He only knew that he had done his best.
Speaking of which, besides the two sisters, only Teacher Da Xiang was included this time. After all, the system's criteria are based on the importance of the plot. For example, Su Shi and Aine are basically supporting characters with only a few lines, but the system automatically filled in the gaps.
I wonder how Ms. Daisho is feeling right now. Even Banami is a little afraid to look at her.
However, as the boy watched the two sisters' backs, he suddenly saw Maki turn around, wave, and say to Hanami, "Bye-bye."
Despite the myriad emotions swirling within her, Banami simply waved her hand gently in response.
***
It was nearly dusk, but the bus the two sisters boarded was nearly empty, so they naturally settled into the back seats.
However, Maki couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Li hope said, somewhat annoyed.
"Do you remember? Even though we lived under the same roof, we almost never rode the bus together. I remember when we were in school, we happened to go out together, but when we took the bus, you would deliberately stand far away, even though the seats next to me were empty."
From then on, Maki would deliberately go to school at different times than Riki.
Of course, the excuse was something like needing to go to school early for an inspection by the disciplinary committee.
"I'm an idiot, I only do stupid things and get stuck on trivialities, you don't need to worry about me."
Lixi frankly admitted that because she didn't want people to compare her to her sister, she always avoided being around her when they were out.
In retrospect, this was a foolish thing to do, and it also inadvertently hurt Maki, who was living under someone else's roof.
Although Lixi always thought she was her biological older sister.
"Yeah, even though you're a bit slow, you're improving really fast," Maki teased.
Li hope turned her face slightly away, looking somewhat embarrassed.
After experiencing that future, the sisters' relationship did not fall apart; instead, it... subtly progressed.
"Want to listen to Banami's new song?" Riki changed the subject.
“But wasn’t that written for you?” Maki asked.
"Shiina Maki, from now on, your things are your things, and I'll split my things 50/50 with you," Riki said calmly.
Maki was slightly surprised, but smiled and said, "Pity me?"
“Yeah, is that not allowed?” Li hope said, somewhat annoyed.
Why does this woman always misinterpret other people's good intentions? Whoever marries her will be in endless trouble.
She is sensitive and petty. She seems to smile often, but it's all an act. She's always pursuing those metaphysical and ethereal things. In the words of Banami, she's a female literary youth.
Now, just by thinking about it in his mind, Riki can come up with a whole host of Shiina Maki's shortcomings.
“Sure, I love being pitied. Since that’s the case, then I’ll share your husband with you from now on,” Maki teased.
Li hope snorted and said, "Fine, I've never planned to get married in this lifetime anyway."
Shiina Tatsuki will no longer be a dodder, but the only people she can truly love are those she had when she was still a dodder. Besides her sister, Koyuki, and Hanami, there will never be anyone else.
"Fool," Maki said softly.
"Idiot or not, are you going to listen or not? If not, then forget it," Li hope shouted.
“Of course I’ll listen; only a fool wouldn’t,” Maki said with a smile.
It's just that compared to the carefully crafted smiles of the past, this one looks more natural.
So the two sisters sat in the back of the bus, their bodies swaying slightly as the setting sun swept by, each with an earphone in their ear.
Lixi pressed the play button, and then the voice of that little animal-like girl came through.
"Lixi, I'm sorry for saying hurtful things to you."
"Understandably, if it weren't for you, I would never have been able to take this step and admit that I like Hanami-kun."
"I'm sorry, and thank you."
"The next song was written by Hanami, and I want to sing it for you."
Can we still be friends?
The hamster-like girl sincerely apologized, and Li hope next to her teased, "That kid, we clearly swapped bodies, but she was the first to realize something was wrong based on her intuition."
Li hope was slightly taken aback, and then her nose felt a little sore.
The crisp sound of a guitar rang in their ears; the melody was probably composed by Banami herself.
"Please listen to this song, 'Drifting Soul'."
*In the mist, I saw a path
*Extending into the distance I cannot see.
How much further do I have to go before I reach the end?
The end of the road will eventually appear.
I will constantly reflect and ask myself questions.
Why I chose this path
I seem unable to understand.
The true meaning of choosing this path
I must accept my fate; my goal seems so far away.
So tell me why I'm here.
Listening to the song written for them, the two sisters leaned their shoulders together gently in the sunset, and then seemed to fall asleep.
Their heads slowly came together.
I recalled why I was here.
That's because you want me to stay.
No matter how much wind and rain lies ahead.
I will forge ahead relentlessly and never stop.
I will keep moving forward, searching for my answers.
***
When Lixi opened her eyes again, it was already the next morning. The song from yesterday was still playing in her mind.
"A wandering soul...?" she murmured.
Then, feeling a little lighter, I went downstairs to my sister's room. After what happened yesterday, the two sisters' relationship was back to normal, or even better than before.
But when she quietly pushed open her sister's door, she couldn't see anyone.
That's strange, does she go to school so early?
Lixi still wants to go to school with her.
The sisters' relationship improved starting with going to school together.
However, when she saw the letter on the table, her mind went completely blank.
"To my dearest sister, Lixi: By the time you read this letter, I will already be on my way to the airport..."
Chapter 81 Wandering Souls
"To my dearest sister, Lixi: By the time you read this letter, I will already be on my way to the airport..."
After finishing writing the letter, Shiina Maki placed it on the table. She then carefully cleaned the room she had lived in for many years until... it looked spotless.
Then, Maki arrived at the Shiina couple's room, quietly opened the door, and went inside. Seeing that the couple was still fast asleep, she couldn't help but smile.
But perhaps due to her age, she was having trouble sleeping. Mrs. Shiina opened her eyes, seemingly half-asleep, and upon seeing Maki's appearance, asked groggily, "Maki... what's wrong..."
"It's nothing, I just wanted to see you all," Maki said with a smile.
"Silly child..." Her already hazy consciousness quickly took over, and Mrs. Shiina fell asleep again.
Maki seemed satisfied, slowly closing the door behind her. She leaned her head against the doorframe and said in a suppressed voice, "You two must take good care of yourselves... I'm sorry..."
After saying that, Maki took a deep breath, as if she remembered something, and went upstairs to Riki's room.
She also quietly went in. Compared to Mrs. Shiina, Ritsuki, who seemed to have resolved his inner conflict, was sleeping even more soundly.
Looking at her younger sister's sleeping face with a smile on her lips, Maki couldn't help but want to reach out and wipe the drool from the corner of her mouth.
In the end, however, she didn't dare to reach out her hand.
"Just scold me when the time comes, don't get angry. But... anyway, with him by your side, I guess you won't get too angry."
Maki was about to turn and leave when she suddenly remembered something and took something from Riki's desk.
As dusk fell, taxis heading to the airport were already waiting at the door.
"Ms. Shiina, it's almost time," the driver reminded her.
"Yes, sorry, I'll be right there." Maki said, then looked up at the place where she grew up.
Happiness, sadness, loneliness, excitement—countless emotions surged like a spilled soy sauce bottle, making Maki's nose sting with tears.
In the end, she turned around and left the house.
Bye now.
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