Page 537
Page 537
At that moment, Takamatsu Akari, who was walking behind, was hiding behind Maki, peeking out her little head and secretly watching Ritsuki and Banami walking side by side in front of her. Her eyes were full of confusion and shyness, as well as a hint of envy that was not easily noticed.
"If you like him so much, why don't you go up and talk to him?" Maki noticed her gaze, lowered her head, and whispered in her ear with amusement, her tone full of playfulness.
"Ah... um... I... I... I'm a little scared," Xiaodeng said in a slightly trembling voice.
I'm afraid that if I were to talk to Hanami-kun right now, I would get so nervous that I wouldn't be able to control myself and my mind would go completely blank.
I was scared, and I felt embarrassed in front of him.
"Little Lantern is so cute, just like Riki-chan." Maki said sincerely, looking at her shy appearance, but a meaningful light flashed in her eyes, as if she was brewing something fun.
"Don't worry, I'll dress you up so well today that Hanami-kun won't be able to take his eyes off you," Maki said in a lighthearted tone.
Hearing Maki's words, Kodama couldn't help but feel a little expectant.
***
The group chatted and walked around, and soon arrived at the clothing store that Maki had recommended.
As soon as the group reached the door, a sales assistant in a uniform with a warm smile immediately came to greet them.
Her gaze first fell on Hanami, and when she saw his understated yet luxurious attire, her eyes instantly lit up—
As a sales associate who has worked in shopping malls for many years, she could tell the value of the clothes on Hanami's body at a glance.
The sales assistant immediately put on an even warmer smile and asked in a respectful and friendly tone, "Excuse me, sir, are you here to buy clothes for your girlfriend?"
"Uh, right?" Banami nodded subconsciously, mainly because she was still a little dazed and her mind hadn't quite cleared up yet.
Seeing this, the sales assistant's smile became even more enthusiastic. Her gaze slowly swept over the three girls behind her, and she asked with a smile, "So, which one of you is your girlfriend? I can recommend a suitable style for her based on her personality!"
Upon hearing this, Banami was instantly stunned: No, big sister, you really know how to talk.
This is a death trap!
For a moment, Banami didn't know how to answer and stood there, looking embarrassed.
At this awkward moment, Maki laughed first and said with a smile, "No, I'm not. I just came with them."
As she spoke, she cleverly took a few steps back, deliberately widening the distance between herself and Banami, leaving the stage entirely to Ritsuki and Takamatsu Akari.
Instantly, everyone's attention was focused on the two girls.
An eerie silence fell over the shop entrance.
Lixi was the first to react. She took a deep breath and spoke first, her tone a little unnatural: "Well... she... she's actually Banami's girlfriend. We're here today mainly to pick out clothes for her."
As she spoke, she gently reached out and pointed to Gao Songdeng behind her, her eyes filled with tenderness and a hint of barely perceptible bitterness.
Upon hearing Li Xi's words, Gao Songdeng suddenly raised his head, his face full of confusion and surprise. Then, a faint sense of guilt appeared in his eyes as he cautiously looked at Li hope.
Kelixi seemed oblivious to the complicated look in her eyes, and simply reached out and nudged her shoulder: "Alright, Xiaodeng, stop standing there, hurry up and go inside to pick out some clothes! This time, we're going to make Banami's jaw drop!"
Not far away, Maki held her cheeks in her hands, her eyes fixed on Tachibana and Takamatsu Akari. Watching the interaction between the two young girls, her pupils trembled slightly: "This is amazing... amazing... this is exactly what I wanted to see!"
Miss, please calm down and keep dry.
Chapter Seven: Delicious Rishi Sauce
Maki stood to the side and could clearly see Riki trying to suppress the disappointment in his eyes and pretend to be cheerful as he gave up the "girlfriend" status to Kodama.
The bitterness and struggle hidden beneath the strong exterior, the twisted emotions of pretending to be indifferent despite the heartache, caused Maki's sense of pleasure to soar instantly, almost making her lose control and become so excited that she lost her composure.
She quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth, coughed lightly, and suppressed the excitement in her eyes—no, no, this is only the beginning. She can't lose her composure so soon. There are more interesting things to come.
Composing herself, Maki immediately put on a gentle smile, stepped forward, gently took Takamatsu Akari's hand, and said in a light tone, "Akari, let's not stand here anymore. I'll take you to pick out some suitable clothes, I guarantee you'll look brand new."
Takamatsu Akari nodded gently, her eyes full of trust, and obediently followed Maki deeper into the clothing store. When she passed by Ritsuki, she stopped and whispered, "Th-thank you, Ritsuki-chan."
In the past, Lixi would have been very happy to receive Xiaodeng's thanks, but now, she could only force an awkward smile at her.
Seeing that something was wrong with Riki, Banai tried to comfort her, but Riki kept avoiding her. Banai could only secretly resolve to find another opportunity later.
Over the next few hours, Maki led Takamatsu Akari to browse around, and soon mysteriously led the girl into the changing room.
Every now and then, the little lamp made strange noises like "woo-wah-ah-ah".
Damn it, Shiina Maki, what exactly are you trying to do to my cute little lamp?!
"Bona and Riki shouted in their hearts at the same time."
A few minutes later, Maki gently pulled back the curtain of the changing room, reached out, and tenderly pushed Takamatsu Akari out from inside, smiling as she said, "Alright, Yuuki, Akari is out. What do you think?"
When Banami saw Takamatsu Akari's appearance, she was instantly stunned. Compared to the pretentious and mature urban style that Riki had chosen for Akari yesterday, which was completely out of place with Akari's temperament, Maki had chosen a completely different style for Akari, which was a natural and fresh forest style.
Xiaodeng wore a light dark green knitted sweater, its soft and fluffy texture clinging to her petite figure, making her appear exceptionally docile. She paired it with a beige English-style knee-length skirt and black leather boots matching the ones worn at school. Far from looking out of place, these boots accentuated her petite and delicate figure.
Xiao Deng, who usually wore loose and casual school uniforms and seemed rather inconspicuous, was now dressed in a forest-themed outfit that brought out her innocence and cuteness to the fullest. Her petite stature was no longer a flaw, but rather a kind of adorable charm that made people want to protect her. The shyness in her eyes added to her charm, making her look like a penguin that had just come out of the forest... uh,?
Hanami stared blankly at the other person, while Kodou became increasingly nervous: "Hanami-kun, what...what do you think?"
At this moment, Banami had only one thought in her mind—cute, so cute, so cute that he wanted to immediately pull her into his arms and gently rub her hair, like hugging a doll.
However, seeing that Banami remained unmoved, Kodama immediately became worried again.
Just then, Maki came to Hanami's side and slipped something into her hand.
"Are you staring blankly? What are you doing? Hurry up and put the lamp on."
When Banami looked down, he realized it was a hair clip. He quickly went to Xiaodeng and personally pinned the hair clip to her bangs, making her look different from usual and giving her a unique and fresh look.
"You look so beautiful right now, Xiaodeng," Banami whispered.
Xiaodeng's heart trembled slightly. Was she now considered an attractive girl in the boy's eyes?
She didn't dare to ask, but simply lowered her head, wanting to cry.
Unlike yesterday when I cried out of shame, this time I want to cry out of joy.
Seeing this, even the sales assistant next to her couldn't help but smile like an aunt.
Indeed, the innocent charm of young boys and girls is the most beautiful thing.
As Li hope watched this scene, her expression became even more complicated.
***
Soon after, the four left the mall. The sun was shining brightly, dispelling the chill of late winter. In the plaza not far from the mall, a huge Ferris wheel was slowly turning.
Maki suggested, "Hey, Hanami-kun, since you're out and about, why don't you take Kotori and ride the Ferris wheel?"
Maki pointed to the huge Ferris wheel not far away.
"I made an appointment with my parents to have dinner with Lixi, and I have to head over now."
Li hope's eyes widened slightly. Clearly, this was a lie, a lie that... would allow Banami to be alone with Kodama.
Clearly, for Kodama and Banami now, their existence and Maki's are superfluous.
"Um, Riki-chan..." Suddenly, Kodama wanted to say something.
But Lixi interrupted her, saying, "Oh right, I almost forgot. Sis, let's hurry up and go, or Mom will get angry."
"Hanami, remember to take good care of Akari, or I won't let you off the hook."
As Li Xi said this, his heart ached terribly, but he still maintained a cheerful expression on his face.
After saying that, Li hope hurriedly pulled her sister away to say goodbye to the two of them.
Watching the girl walk away, Xiaodeng stared blankly at Lixi's back. The next moment, Banai couldn't help but hold her hand tightly and said, "Xiaodeng, let's go, let's go ride the Ferris wheel."
Just like any ordinary couple.
***
In a corner not far away, Riki held Maki's hand and looked at the two people not far away.
"Even though Mom and Dad aren't here, would you like to have afternoon tea with me, something we rarely do?"
Maki said in a slightly teasing tone.
Kelixi simply watched the two people not far away in silence.
"How does it feel to personally send off the person you like?" Maki asked in a lighthearted tone.
"I..." Li hope wanted to be stubborn, but the words got stuck in her throat and she couldn't help but swallow them back down.
She was indeed happy for Kodama, but seeing Banami with Kodama never stopped making her feel bitter.
"Would you like to hear what the two of you say when you're on a date?" Maki asked with a light laugh.
Hearing their intimate conversation would undoubtedly make Lixi feel even more distressed and bitter, but...
"How do we eavesdrop?" Li hope asked instinctively.
Maki's smile widened as she said, "Konata's hair clip is actually a small listening device, but its range is only fifty meters."
Was this also part of your plan, Shiina Maki?
Chapter Eight: Little Lamp: It's not like we haven't done it before.
The giant Ferris wheel slowly turned, swaying and rising into the sky. The cabin was quiet, and the sunlight shone through the glass, warmly falling on Hanami and Takamatsu Akari, but it could not dispel the subtle silence between them.
Xiao Deng sat slightly to the side, her hands gently resting on her knees, staring blankly at the street scene outside the window—the houses in the distance gradually shrank, the crowds on the street became dense dots, and the withered branches of late winter swayed gently in the breeze; everything seemed so distant and blurry.
Her eyes were vacant, her brows were slightly furrowed, and there was a hint of sadness at the corners of her mouth, as if she were deep in thought.
As Banami sat down beside her, her gaze unconsciously fell on Kodama, and a strange emotion welled up in her heart.
This was the first time he had seen such a delicate and tender sorrow, similar to that of an ordinary girl, in Gao Songdeng, a girl who always seemed somewhat different from others and even had a somewhat "inhuman" quality.
The boy was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but speak softly, his tone gentle and cautious, as if afraid of disturbing the girl beside him: "Um, Xiaodeng, are you... still bothered by what happened yesterday?"
Finally, Xiaodeng's attention returned from the scenery outside the window to the small space. Then she shook her head vigorously, looking at the boy with her pure eyes, as if she were trying to tell him something.
In fact, there was a hint of reproach in his eyes for Banami's feigned ignorance.
Seeing her like this, Banai sighed softly, his tone knowing, and said gently, "You're thinking about Riki, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Takamatsu Akari stiffened slightly, then nodded gently, her long eyelashes drooping. She habitually lowered her head, her fingertips tightly gripping the hem of her clothes: "I... at this moment should only be thinking about Hachimi-kun. It's rare to have the opportunity to be alone with you."
Lixi-chan... said the same thing to me.
But ever since I got on the Ferris wheel, all I could see in my mind was Riki-chan's departing figure...
I'm sorry, Hanami-kun.
As he spoke, Gao Songdeng clenched his fists so tightly that they even caused deep wrinkles to form on his brand-new Mori-style sweater.
Seeing this, Banai quickly reached out and grasped her hands tightly, holding her soft, cold little hands firmly in her warm palms: "But... this is what Riki wanted. She wanted to help you and wanted to see you happy."
However, Xiaodeng's eyes were already a little misty: "But I know that Lixi-chan also likes you, Banami-kun, and may even like you more than I do."
However, Riki-chan still gave me the chance to be alone with you.
At this point, Xiaodeng paused for a moment, staring blankly at the boy, her eyes brimming with tears.
"And I, knowing all this, still took advantage of Riki-chan's kindness, and even pretended not to understand her sadness. Because... because I also like Hanami-kun, and I... also want to be alone with you."
I... don't want to give this opportunity to Riki-chan, who also likes you.
So... I could only watch helplessly as Riki-chan went back, unable to say a word.
At this point, Xiaodeng's voice choked slightly, and she said tremblingly, "Hanami-kun, I feel like... I'm not myself anymore."
The next moment, Banami could no longer hold back. She turned slightly and gently embraced the girl in her arms, stroking her hair with her hand. Her tone was gentle yet firm, full of comfort: "That is proof that you have completely become human, Kodama."
Xiaodeng was held in his warm embrace. Her body stiffened slightly, then slowly relaxed. She raised her head slightly, her eyes full of confusion, with tears still clinging to her long eyelashes as she looked blankly at Banami.
"Selfishness, possessiveness, the desire to be with the person you like—with these thoughts, you're already a complete human being." Banami gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes.
Hearing this, Xiaodeng's eyes revealed a hint of bitterness and panic. Finally, she pursed her lips and said...
"Hanami-kun, being human is really hard."
***
However, what the two were unaware of was that in the cabin behind them, the Shiina sisters were holding a small listening device, through which their conversation could be clearly heard, every word falling clearly into Ritsuki and Maki's ears.
"But I know that Riki-chan also likes you, Hanami-kun..."
"I...don't want to give this opportunity to Riki-chan, who also likes you..."
Listening to Xiaodeng's monologue and sobs through the bug, Lixi's spirit was instantly shaken. The emotions in his heart surged like a tide, and tears welled up uncontrollably, sliding down his cheeks. He even unconsciously joined Xiaodeng in sobbing softly.
"Xiaodeng, you really... you don't need to care about me..."
"Such a good opportunity to let you and Hanami develop your relationship..."
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