in the virtual world.

Before the ordered frame materials arrived, the puppeteer used some small wooden boards at home to make samples of flipped-out frames while teaching Shiraishi how to do carpentry.

The next day, there was another class.

Shiraishi walked listlessly to the school, and when he saw Manaka, he suddenly remembered that the day before yesterday this guy had asked him to help choose the gift that Ochiai Aoi should give on his birthday.

Shiraishi thought about it, and when Manaka was not there, he found Ochiai Aoi and asked euphemistically, "You're about to have a birthday?" ”

"yes." Aoi Ochiai looked away from the canvas, put down the pen, and looked at him with a sly smile, "Ayaya let you ask." ”

Shiraishi didn't realize who this "Ayaya" was.

The puppeteer sat on the easel, looked over the place, and reminded him, "It's Manaka." ”

Shiraishi nodded stiffly.

His slight pause was seen as a struggle between "selling brothers" and "not selling brothers". Aoi Ochiai held her cheeks funny: "If you want a gift, don't give it expensive, I'm short of money now, and I probably can't afford to pay it back." Well...... Preferably handmade! ”

It's such a simple thing to ask, and Zhenzhong has been grinding over there for a long time, and it's really difficult for a literary young man.

Shiraishi spit on Manaka in his heart, and made an OK gesture to Ochiai Aoi to ensure that it was delivered.

After school, Shiraishi told Manaka about Aoi Ochiai's request for a gift, but of course, he didn't mention that he asked directly. Manaka trusts him very much, because he feels that after asking Sugie Xu, every time he gives a gift, Ochiai Aoi seems to like it very much.

The days passed, and when the first frame was halfway through, Shiraishi went to Ochiai's birthday party.

It's said to be a banquet, but in fact, it's a simple meal at Ochiai Aoi, and the food is a buffet shabu-shabu. As soon as he entered the house, the steaming scene reminded Shiraishi of grabbing self-heating hot pot with his roommates in the middle of the night.

Aoi Ochiai looks a little different today.

Shiraishi always felt that she seemed to be more beautiful, and he didn't know where the beauty was, until one time when Ochiai Aoi wiped her mouth, Shiraishi caught a glimpse of a red mark on her napkin, and suddenly realized that this was makeup.

Thinking so, Shiraishi scooped up a bunch of potato chips and looked at Ayaya Manaka while eating.

I saw that this person had been staring at his plate with his head down, and his face to neck was flushed, as if he had just swallowed two taels of red peppers. And he was sitting far away from Ochiai Aoi, and he seemed to be aware of her changes today.

This reaction ...... Shiraishi slammed a can of beer and took a sip speechlessly.

As a result, until the end of the dinner, except for the gift giving link, Ochiai Aoi "inadvertently" touched the back of Shinaka Ayaya's hand, and the two of them had zero communication at all.

Watching the real aka Ayaya who rushed into the kitchen after eating, and grabbed the pot washing work with the two girls, Ochiai Aoi touched her lipstick, and re-patched the makeup that had fallen off, and sighed:

"I thought he would definitely say it on the occasion of my birthday, but I didn't expect ......"

Shiraishi looked at the two of them and really wanted to laugh, but considering his friend's face, he finally cleared his throat and held back.

"Laugh if you want, it's not like you to hide your temper." Aoi Ochiai put away the new-looking makeup bag and threw it back under the small table.

"Seriously, it would be nice to have half of you." She turned her head slightly and looked at Shiraishi with regret. Strands of hair slipped down her small, delicate ears, and orange sunlight slanted into the window, plading her well-defined side face with a warm hue.

She looked at the kitchen, listened to the sound of the water inside, and shook her head: "Always engage in those little actions that beat around the bush, but they just refuse to say seriously, 'Come and have a relationship with me', and people can't agree if they want to." ”

Shiraishi sat next to her and watched her, always feeling that if he found a camera and clicked one from this angle, he might be able to exchange all of Ayaya's possessions in Manaka effortlessly......

Just as I was thinking about it, I suddenly heard Aoi Ochiai ask, "You and your wife...... Who was the first to show his heart? You confess directly? Or did she find a way to hint at you first? ”

The puppeteer climbed onto the table, straightened the crooked toothpick holder in the blind corner of Ochiai Aoi's line of sight, and replied with his head held high: "Of course I said it directly, how can this kind of thing allow a woman to take the lead!" ”

The white stone eye next to it didn't blink: "Of course she confessed to me directly, but fortunately, otherwise we would definitely miss it." ”

“！” Ochiai Aoi looked at him and froze.

After a long time, she seemed to have opened the door to a new world, and nodded thoughtfully:

"Originally, I was wondering if I was a little too bold, but since your wife made the same choice, this kind of behavior should not be out of line.

“…… It seems that there is no need to decide what to hide on the back of the painting. ”

……

When he got home, Shiraishi didn't say anything and continued to learn the basics of carpentry in silence.

A month and a half later, he made two frames.

Under the puppeteer's pleased gaze, Shiraishi approached with an axe and made two gestures on the frame.

“？？” The puppet immediately became vigilant, "What are you going to ask again?!" ”

"It's not a big deal." Shiraishi looked at this puppet who would never answer a question if he was not persecuted, "Tell me everything you know about Ayaya Manaka and Aoi Ochiai." ”

The puppeteer paused inconspicuously: "...... What's there to say, and you made this frame! It's scrapped, and it should be you who is distressed! ”

"I don't really feel too distressed, all I want is a sense of accomplishment when I make it."

Shiraishi raised his axe with a solemn face: "Have you ever heard a word?" I don't think this frame is perfect enough, since you don't feel distressed, it's just ......"

"Wait! Wait a minute!!! We didn't have time to redo it! The puppet was in a hurry, and Da ran over, jumping up and outstretching his hand, trying to stop him, "I said! ”

The axe stopped when it was still a centimeter from the plank.

Shiraishi turned around, pulled over a cushion and sat down, politely motioning for it to speak.

“…… It's just this trick, you're not tired of it. Although the puppet relented, it still lingered.

Shiraishi didn't blush: It works, you don't care if it's one move or ten moves.

The puppet sat opposite Baishi angrily and thought for a while: "They are classmates who have known each other since college, and there is nothing to say in the truth, just an ordinary person, but they are Ochihe......