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"You're Mr. Toyokawa's daughter, you can live wherever you want, but Hatsuka and I will live in your rented apartment. That's settled then, cough cough..."
Ms. Nao's tone was somewhat agitated. Even if Hatsune was naive, she knew she had angered her mother, and she quickly said, "I'm sorry, Mom, I... I just..."
The girl was so anxious that tears almost welled up in her eyes. Hatsuka gently patted her mother's back to help her breathe more easily. After a while, Ms. Nao gently waved her hand and said, "I know you mean well, but Hatsune, everyone is different. I've told you that many times."
Seeing her sister's embarrassed appearance, Chu Hua felt neither pleasure nor did she step in to smooth things over.
Compared to the somewhat silly Hatsune Miku, Hatsuka understands her mother's meaning better.
After all, there was an old man named Toyokawa Sadaharu in that family, or rather, her sister's biological father.
Her mother was a very proud person. Although Chu Hua didn't know how the two of them got together, her mother thought it was a mistake. In particular, Chu Hua felt that her mother probably thought that meeting Mr. Toyokawa was a betrayal to her father, especially since her mother also had to consider her feelings.
However, Chu Hua felt that her mother always overthought things, just like her older sister.
What difference does it make if a dead person and two elderly people, half-buried in the ground, spend the rest of their lives following their own desires?
This is how Sanko Chuka evaluates the dilemmas faced by her parents' generation.
So indifferent, it didn't seem like he was commenting on his own blood relatives.
Ms. Nao quickly changed the subject, showing some concern for Hatsune Miku's recent situation, and even expressing great curiosity about Toyokawa Shoko's current situation.
After all, they were the blood descendants of his "most beloved person," Chu Hua thought.
Just thinking of that girl made Chu Hua's lips curl into a slight smile. Under the surprised gazes of her mother and Hatsune, Chu Hua slowly stood up, put on her hat, and said, "Sis, why don't you go to the apartment with Mom later? I'll just wander around Tokyo for a bit."
"Eh? Do you want me to come with you?" Hatsune asked, sounding somewhat worried.
"Hatsune-nee, you came to Tokyo alone back then, and you were much better off than I am now," Chu Hua said in a lighthearted tone.
Hatsune was speechless for a moment. Every time she talked to her sister, she always felt a sense of guilt and distance.
"Ah, speaking of which, there's something I need to ask you," Chu Hua said.
"What is it?" Hatsune asked quickly.
"My phone is dead. Could you lend me yours for a bit? You can charge it when we get to the apartment so we can stay in touch," Hatsune continued.
"Ah..." Hatsune hesitated for a moment.
"What, is it not allowed?" Chu Hua asked.
In the end, Hatsune Miku swapped phones with her sister; she simply couldn't bring herself to say "no."
"Thanks, Hatsune Miku-neechan."
Chu Hua thanked her cheerfully, took her phone and left the coffee shop. She then unlocked the phone with the password very naturally, even though Hatsune had never told her the password.
"Hmph, I just wanted to try it out, but I didn't expect it to be that Hanami-kun's birthday this time. I always used Shoko-chan's birthday before. What a sentimental older sister."
She unconsciously tightened her hat, looked at the bright sunlight above her head, and said in a light tone, "Okay, who should we go play with first?"
Chapter Nineteen: The True Childhood Sweethearts
The lush forest near Tsukimori Girls' Academy still retained the dampness of the morning dew. Mikasa looked at the iron fence, taller than a person and covered with roses, which kept outsiders out of the school and protected the delicate flower buds growing in the greenhouse inside.
"Hmm, as expected of a young lady's academy."
As expected, it wasn't easy to enter the campus. Even so, the next moment, Chu Hua flipped over and leaped up, using her feet to straddle the fence, clearing the high "walled city," and landed lightly on the grass at the edge of the campus, her shoe tips crushing a few fallen petals.
Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting dappled patterns on the dew-kissed earth. Clutching Hatsune's phone, her fingertips hovered over the name "SAKI-chan" on the screen. In a somewhat boyish manner, she squatted down and scrolled through her sister's chat history with Xiangzi, making intrigued judgments about their relationship.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Hatsune Miku, you look just like a puppy." Her tone seemed to be a mix of surprise and admiration. She quickly stood up, sent a text message to the other person, and then found a smooth blue stone near the forest to sit on. She thought to herself, "As expected of Tsuki no Mori Academy, in this land where every inch of land is precious, there is still a forest. It makes me feel the same tranquility as on an island, and even... it reminds me of when I was a child, when I met a girl who came to the island for vacation by chance and played with her."
Not long after, light footsteps approached. Toyokawa Shoko, wearing the standard school uniform of Tsukinomori, had some grass leaves stuck to the hem of her skirt. She seemed a little hurried and puzzled, probably because it was during class.
Seeing the girl wearing a baseball cap sitting on the bluestone, she said somewhat nervously, "Hatsune? Why did you suddenly ask me to come here?"
Chu Hua didn't get up immediately, but looked up at her and a hearty smile appeared on his lips.
That smile was bright and cheerful, completely unlike Hatsune Miku's shy demeanor, which surprised Xiangzi slightly, or rather, was something he hadn't seen in a long time.
"No, it's just that the weather is really nice today. I suddenly miss my childhood. Hey, Xiao Xiang, how about we go catch rhinoceros beetles? This forest is perfect for it. I don't think anyone has ever caught one before."
Of course, they are all young ladies, unlike wild boys who get themselves all dirty.
Xiangzi blinked and said, "But I didn't bring an insect net."
Xiangzi wasn't refusing; he was simply stating the difficulties involved.
Chu Hua was even happier to see this and said, "As expected of Xiao Xiang, it doesn't matter if there's no insect net, watch me."
After saying that, she walked over, took Xiangzi's hand, and led him into the forest.
"Want some? I bought them on the way here." Then, Chu Hua took out two popsicles with water droplets still on the packaging from somewhere. They were the kind of mixture of food coloring, corn syrup, and water that adults really hate children eating.
Not to mention, the noble ladies of the Moon Forest probably haven't even seen them.
Without hesitation, Xiangzi took it, tore open the outer packaging, and bit open the plastic opening with her teeth, revealing a hint of her wild nature. Then she began to suck on the sweet-tasting ice water inside, which was indeed refreshing in such hot weather.
Her appearance surprised Chu Hua, who then smiled and said, "Xiao Xiang is still the same as before."
On the surface, she is a respectful young lady, but in reality, she is full of curiosity. She is not afraid of getting herself dirty, and even... When Chu Hua roasted silkworm pupae to eat, Xiao Xiang showed a slightly strange expression while eating them, but still asked Chu Hua for a second one.
"Hmph, don't underestimate me." Xiangzi said with a hint of pride while biting into a popsicle. After all, she had really worked as a civil engineering girl. When she was tired on the construction site, these popsicles were very refreshing. She had eaten quite a few of them.
Chu Hua couldn't help but burst into laughter, and then Xiangzi said directly, "Hey, you're Chu Hua, right?"
Chu Hua was slightly taken aback, then said, "Of course I'm Chu Hua, Xiao Xiang, what are you talking about?"
Ke Xiangzi gently shook her head and said, "I'm not talking about SUMIMI's Misaka Hatsuka, but the little girl I played with when we were kids."
"I originally thought I could keep it a secret for a while longer. Did I really pretend to be that convincing?" Chu Hua asked curiously.
Xiangzi shook his head slightly and said, "Maybe others can't recognize you, but to me, you are completely different from Hatsune Miku."
The same baseball cap, similar eyebrows and eyes, but that straight back, the unwavering gaze when speaking, and the neat short hair peeking out from under the brim of the hat were all completely different from the timid Hatsune Miku in her memory.
"Oh dear, Xiao Xiang and Sister Chu Yin have developed such a deep bond already. Humph, I'm really going to get jealous." Chu Hua pretended to be jealous, which made Xiang Zi laugh.
It seems that merely having the same appearance is not enough to fool the young girl, Toyokawa Shoko.
Thinking this, Chu Hua looked at the lush, ancient tree in front of her. She nimbly jumped onto the trunk, giving Xiangzi the feeling that she was doing parkour. Then, on the trunk, Chu Hua picked up a rhinoceros beetle, its shiny black shell reflecting shimmering light.
Then, to Xiangzi's surprise, he jumped down, placed the rhinoceros beetle inside a transparent box he had prepared beforehand, handed it to Xiangzi, and said with a hearty smile, "Long time no see, Xiangzi, this is a gift."
Xiangzi accepted the box containing the rhinoceros beetle with some emotion. Although Chuhua had grown up so much, the current Chuhua easily reminded Xiangzi of her when she was a child.
"Hey, Chuhua, you've come to Tokyo..." This even made Xiangzi feel a little reluctant to part with this long-lost, true childhood friend.
As if she could understand what the other person was saying, Chu Hua said, "This time I should settle down in Tokyo. My mother is not in good health and came to Tokyo to recuperate, so I came with her. We are currently choosing a school to transfer to."
Xiangzi quickly said, "Then how about you study at Yuezhi Forest? Then we can become classmates."
With the Toyokawa family's capabilities, sending Hatsuka to study here wouldn't be a problem.
Hatsune: Huh? (Why haven't you ever invited me like this before?)
Chu Hua, however, smiled with a hint of amusement and said, "Well, I'd like to visit a few more schools and choose the one that suits me best."
Upon hearing Chu Hua's polite refusal, Xiangzi realized he had been too excited and nodded gently, "Well, in any case, we can play together more often from now on."
Hatsuka teased, "But if I really contact you often, won't Saki's boyfriend be jealous?"
Xiangzi blushed slightly and snorted, "I don't need to care about him."
However, she did not deny having a boyfriend in front of her childhood sweetheart.
Chu Hua gently put on her baseball cap and said, "I just came to say hello to Xiao Xiang today, so I won't disturb your class, Saki-chan."
"Hey, are you leaving already? Do you want me to see you out?" Xiangzi asked quickly.
Chu Hua waved her hand and said, "I want to wander around by myself today."
After saying that, she easily climbed over the fence in front of Xiangzi and left the Moon Forest silently.
Xiangzi tilted his head slightly, looking at the black rhinoceros beetle that Chu Hua had given him.
Although she resembles the carefree Chu Hua I remember, I always feel there's something different.
Regardless, seeing his childhood sweetheart made Xiangzi very happy.
After leaving the Moon Forest, Hatsuka continued to scroll through her sister's phone, specifically her chat history with a boy named "Yana Miyu".
Leaving aside the content, the format of the chat made Chu Hua a little nervous.
Hatsune would send six or seven text messages, such as "What do you want to eat tonight?", "How about short ribs?", "What time will you be back today?", and other trivial things.
Then, usually Hatsune Miku would send six or seven messages, and the boy would only reply once, and the message would be very brief, or rather, perfunctory.
"Whatever," "Anything you like to eat is fine," "No reply."
This conversation clearly showed Chu Hua the relationship between the two, making her unable to suppress a smile.
"Although I've heard about it from my mother, I still want to see it with my own eyes, that Hanami-kun."
I've decided, let's go check out Haneoka now.
Chapter Twenty: Man, What can I say?
After leaving the Moon Forest, Hatsuka quickly found Haneoka High School by following the navigation on her phone. Compared to the fence of the Moon Forest, it was much easier to enter Haneoka. Hatsuka had been worried about how to find the boy, but she saw a tall boy protesting with a basketball on the sports field.
Haneoka High School is currently an all-girls school, so the identity of the only boy wearing the school uniform is self-evident.
"I have to say, you guys are really going too far. You expect me to take on your entire women's basketball team all by myself," Banami complained, holding a basketball.
Standing on the other side, Aine, dressed in a basketball uniform, said with a grin, "Didn't you brag that if you lost, you'd treat all the girls in the class to ice cream?"
The other girls also laughed along. Normally, with Banami's height and the boys' stamina, she could easily crush either side no matter which team she joined.
As a result, Anon-chan played a trick and isolated Hanami, refusing to assign him any teammates. What's worse, his original teammates are now on Aine's side.
"I get it, Chihaya Aine, you just want to rush up and grope me during the match!" Hanami shouted.
Ai Yin blushed slightly and shouted, "Narcissist! Besides, we've already arranged teammates for you!"
These words made Banami even more nervous. He pointed at Kodama, who seemed a bit lost, and shouted, "Kodama can be considered a teammate?"
As a result, Takamatsu Akari excitedly shouted, "I...I'll do my best!"
You can't even hold a basketball properly, yet you're saying you're trying to improve?
For some reason, it reminded Banami of the comical scene of a penguin chasing a basketball, making quacking noises.
"Alright, let's begin."
Then, before Banami could agree, the girls started on their own. And including Aine, these girls were not entirely inexperienced, especially Chihaya Aine, who was a member of the girls' basketball team in junior high school. Of course, she was also a member of the light music club, badminton, and student council. In short, she was curious about everything and knew quite a few sports.
Before long, Banami, who had no other way to use her strength, was pulled along and Aine threw the ball into the net, looking quite dashing.
Banami was amused by these girls. Although it was nice to see Aine sweating it out on the court, as her boyfriend, he couldn't let her feel so stifled.
He looked at his only teammate, Xiaodeng, who looked bewildered. After being stared at, Xiaodeng still covered his little fist and shouted, "I will do my best."
Banai couldn't help but cover her face.
Just as he was about to kick off, Ai-yin and several girls surrounded him.
"And you still say you're not trying to take advantage of me!" Banami tried to attack with trash talk.
As it turned out, Ai Yin actually pinched his head, and he was stunned for a moment. Ai Yin took the opportunity to steal the ball, and the offense and defense were reversed. Soon, Ai Yin and her team scored again.
Hanami shouted at the referee on the sidelines, "Referee, Chihaya Aine attacked me maliciously just now, that's a foul!"
Referee Motoyo Nagasaki said with a smile, "Where did Anon-chan attack you? I couldn't see it."
"She..." She pinched my nipple; Banami simply couldn't bring herself to say it.
He shouted in a fit of impotent rage, "Corrupt referee! I want to file a complaint! This is a corrupt referee!"
Su Shi coldly replied, "For attacking the referee without cause, player number 24, Banai, received a yellow card. One more time and he'll be off the field."
Man, what can I say?
Banami glanced at Aine, who was holding the basketball triumphantly, as if to say: "The referees, witnesses, players, and spectators are all my people. What can you do against me?"
As for why Aine and Suze were tormenting him so much today, Banami guessed that it was because that idiot Riki let it slip.
Although Riki isn't the type to show off, she's just too stupid—stupid enough not to hide the fact that her relationship with Banami has progressed.
It was probably during band practice that Li hope accidentally revealed something.
Seeing a hint of despair in her eyes as she looked at her only hope, Kodama clenched her little fist and said, "I...I'll do my best."
Just then, a blonde girl wearing a baseball cap appeared by the basketball court and asked, "Can I join?"
All eyes were on her. Banami paused, looking at the girl in the baseball cap before her. Her features were indeed familiar, though her aura was slightly different. But Banami didn't think much of it at first, simply asking, "What are you doing here?"
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