"Ah Xuan, it's been a long time."

An Shen got up and walked towards Li Xuan and greeted him happily.

Li Xuan, who looked gloomy on the outside and looked like a bad guy no matter how he looked at it, bent down slightly and nodded in greeting.

"Let's go upstairs for a drink."

The two then left the living room together.

An Li looked helpless, and said to Xia Jing, who looked confused: "Xia Jing, when you grow up in the future, don't look like them." ”

“…… Belch. ”

Judging from the evolution, Xia Jing only felt a sense of foreboding.

Li Xuan and An Shen will drink together, so they say that they have something to do here.

So—

"The guest who wants to see me is ......"

"It's me."

Xia Jing thought to himself, he guessed correctly.

The sand sitting on the sofa stared at Xia Jing with a sharp gaze.

Frankly speaking, Xia Jing didn't know how to get along with her.

When they met for the first time, they were taught a hard lesson by her, which made Xia Jing a little afraid of her.

"Personality is terrible, but there is a gentle side to personality." 1

This is Anno's evaluation of the sand.

However, Xia Jing didn't find anything gentle about the sand.

"Why not, don't you want to talk to me?"

Sand smiled meaningfully.

"Ah, no, no."

"I don't care what humans think of me."

"I don't mean that......"

"So, you should know what I'm looking for you for, right?"

Xia Jing thought to himself, not so much a question, but a questioning tone.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a clue."

Seeing Xia Jing's silent appearance, the sand frowned.

Seeing that Xia Jing was silent, Shazi frowned.

"Is it for, Yaya's business?"

"Ya's business?"

What happened to Yea?

Xia Jing was stunned and stupid.

Seeing this, Shazi somehow let out a long sigh.

She muttered to herself as if whining, "...... I can't stand it, I don't know what she likes about this man? ”

I remember hearing someone say something similar before. By the way, it was Lin Yu who said it that time.

It seems that he has a very bad impression in the hearts of some women of the Deer Clan.

Please, I want to sigh if I'm okay...... Just when Xia Jing was thinking like this, someone jumped out to ease his cheeks.

"Don't say that, little sand, people aren't as useless as you think."

That person was none other than An Li. She smiled as she helped refill the coffee, "He doesn't seem to feel very reliable, but he's a good boy."

"I don't understand. I think Ye Ya is just being led by the feelings of that girl named Fang Yuan, right?"

"Even if what you say is true, shouldn't the daughter of the deer clan accept the feelings of the original owner of the body and live together together? She's the boy that Ye Ya admires by the girl she has a crush on, and there's nothing wrong with that."

This is the so-called "ginger is old and spicy", and the sand is so blocked that I can't speak.

was disliked worthless in front of others, and Xia Jing also felt very embarrassed and embarrassed. But—since even Fang Yuan's name was put on the table, he thought about it and felt that it was time to show his courage.

And it's not just because of Fang Yuan's relationship.

Ye Ya also occupies an important place in Xia Jing's heart.

"That, Miss Sand."

The voice that should be confided is still not unpleasant.

"I may feel insecure, and I may not be able to use my power in a conflict with the Prosperityists...... But I will never leave Ye Ya and run away alone."

"I understand."

It was not surprising that it would be recognized by the sand.

"Anyway, you also repelled Nangong and successfully won Lan Yang to our side. I'm not going to belittle you kid indiscriminately. And I knew at a glance that all those guys admired you."

"Xia Jing, don't be surprised. Because the deer clan has no brothers and sisters of their own, everyone grew up as brothers and sisters. Therefore, it is also a custom for a man to have feelings similar to those of his sister-in-law."

Sand with an angry expression to An Li who added the explanation.

"You don't add more fuel to the vinegar."

"Oh, you don't forget, do you? When you brought Li Xuan back to the village, I strongly opposed it...... You scolded us in a rage?"

was turned out of the old tent, and the sand actually showed an expression of wanting to find a hole in the ground.

Xia Jing had the urge to advocate An Li's strongest doctrine. This mother is simply invincible in the world.

"Anyway, stop criticizing the person Ye Ya likes, this is my mother-in-law's order."

"I see. I really can't argue with you."

After a pause, her gaze shifted from An Li to Xia Jing.

"An Li is right, no matter how much I complain to you, it won't help."

However, his expression was different from before, and he looked a little melancholy and solemn.

And then—she said something that surprised Xia Jing greatly.

"After all, I'm here to thank you today."

「…… Huh?"

Sand sat upright and said, "I don't know if you've noticed. Ye Ya...... She's actually very vulnerable."

— Vulnerable?

Hearing this word, Xia Jing immediately closed his mouth in a straight line.

"Yes."

Xia nodded and replied. He had already discovered Yeya's side.

"She's always trying to make herself strong. Even so, her heart is still much more immature than her age...... I think she knows this herself, but she's still naïve."

"You mean, she's more vulnerable than you think?"

"That's right. But her personality is stubborn and stubborn. Alas, this is the same defect as her mother."

The sand smiled as if she was spitting bitterness, but then her expression tensed again.

"Xia Jing, have you ever heard Ye Ya mention Ye Chun's matter?"

Ye Chun - is the sister of Ye Ya who was killed by the Prosperity faction attacking the village.

"Uh......"

Xia Jing tried to remember. But I didn't have a special impression.

"It's like- my sister was supposed to succeed her as patriarch, or maybe she didn't have any plans to perform the ceremony. Did she ever say anything like that?"

"Ahh

Indeed, I have the impression of hearing these words.

"I remember the first time we met...... She's said these things."

「…… Really?"

Somehow, Sand Face had a sad expression.

And Ann Li is no exception.

"That kid still thinks so......

「…… What's wrong?"

Xia Jing couldn't hide his surprise. The sand lowered its head slightly.

"The former is correct. The second patriarch was supposed to be Ye Chun, but the latter was not what she said."

- How can there be discrepancies in the statement?

"Do you know what kind of illness Lan Yang has?"

"Yes."

It is said to be a disease of the deer family that stops growing.

What Shazi said next was the first information that Xia Jing had heard.

"Ya's sister is suffering from the same disease."

「…… Huh?"

"It's not a disease that can be cured by performing a ritual, so the responsibility of giving birth to an heir naturally falls on Ye Ya's head. Ye Yade replaced Ye Chun and gave birth to a baby girl who took over the patriarch's seat after Ye Chun...... This arrangement was accepted by everyone in the village. Ye Ya is the only one who refuses to accept it."

Why did Ya insist on such an unreasonable claim?

Xia Jing thought about it for a while, and immediately understood her reason.

"She...... I must think that my sister's illness will be cured one day."

"That's right. She firmly believes that her sister's disease is not incurable...... Even though her height had surpassed Ye Chun, she still insisted on that theory. That's why they stubbornly don't practice rituals and don't have children."

Ye Ya is stubborn and upright. This also causes her to seem unable to adapt when faced with some helpless things in this world.

Lan Yang was the same that time, Ye Ya couldn't understand the fact that she had erased her heart.

I don't want to give up, I refuse to admit it, I don't allow that to happen. The more she drilled into the horns, the more stubborn she became. Unable to let go of his dreams, he became unable to accept reality.

"I see...... Ya, doesn't she think admitting is a sign of vulnerability?"

It's just because she's trying to make herself strong, just because she feels like she has to be strong.

However, I didn't realize that it was actually a manifestation of escaping from facing myself and not having the courage to face reality.

"But that stubborn attitude is a portrayal of weakness. If she continues like this, she will break sooner or later."

The sand bent his neck and hung his head......

"Xia Jing, I beg you—can I ask you to be Ye Ya's pillar?"

…… He bowed deeply to Xia Jing, who had only been staring at him with a cold gaze a moment ago.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Only human beings can shoulder this responsibility...... No, it's you. Only you can make Ye Ya die. If it were you, maybe she would be willing to show her weak side. If it were you, maybe there would be a way to help her find her weaknesses. So, I ask you."

It is not an exaggeration to say that such a number of etiquette is too much for adults to write books to children.

Xia Jing closed his eyes.

Thinking back to Ya's people, Yaya's strength, Yeya's weakness, and then-

"Miss Sand, please keep your head up."

Xia Jing's mind conjured up another person's face.

"Don't worry, I'm not alone...... I'm not the only one who can support her."

"What do you mean by that?"

"There's another person who Yaya and I can rely on. Ye Ya and I both admired her very much. Just thinking about that person can become strong. So ......."

There's nothing wrong with that.

Human weakness and strength - Ye Ya once said that rituals are actually to use the strength derived from human weakness.

If so.

That person's strength should make up for Ye Ya's weakness.

That person's weakness should support Ye Ya's strength.

Because that person is in Ye Ya's body, guarding her forever-

"There must be no problem."

Xia Jing is categorically guaranteed.

"Even if Ye Ya really breaks it one day, Fang Yuan and I will straighten her up."

……

Not only is it a lie to claim that there is something to go to the Lost House, but he also did not go to the Lost House at all.

After wandering around aimlessly, Yasuno sat alone on a bench in a neighboring town's park.

Anno would find out that this park was purely by chance, but it was not as simple as going to the trouble of coming to the neighboring town.

Half of the reason is unconscious. As for the other half, it's because Ah Ye's family is in this town.

Having said that, Anno's eyes still didn't see the light of determination.

Holding the juice she had bought nearby, she watched the children play in a trance.

"I feel like an office worker who has been made redundant." She whispered.

Look up at the park's clock. It's almost noon.

Is Xia Jing home? The biggest reason for leaving home is nothing more than that he will feel embarrassed when he looks at his face, and on the other hand, he doesn't want to stare at his parents too much.

「…… I think I'll just defect and join the Prosperity faction."

There was a look of discouragement on his face, but he immediately denied his thoughts.

How can you say betrayal, betrayal.

"Forgot to ...... Isn't it better?"

That's what Ah Ye said to Anno before.

Forget what is up to you. Let's see if you want to forget me, or if you forget to fight.

Forget Ah Ye, in other words, as a member of the family, to join the battle and fight against Ah Ye?

Forget about fighting - does it mean giving up your identity as a deer and pretending to be a human to live a peaceful life?

However, Ah Ye did not propose to Anye the option of forgetting Ye Ya and the others.

This means that Ah Ye does not think that he is right to be in the situation of the prosperous faction right now. I am also well aware that what I am doing is wrong.

Even so, Ah Ye won't change his will.

Her actions and choices are based on efficiency, not on whether they are right or not.

If her purpose is only to ensure the personal safety of her childhood sweetheart Wang Chuan-

Ye Ya's ideal should be to just ask his own side to calm down this civil strife. Actually, this conclusion is not wrong. However, Ah Ye also decided on his own course after evaluating Ye Ya's thoughts.

If Yayana's side wins, it doesn't matter if Ah Ye dies in battle. As long as the idea of coexisting with human beings can be widely spread, the clan that may be unfavorable to Wang Chuan will also disappear.

On the other hand, if Ye Yana's side is defeated, and Ah Ye is on the side of his own family, this reason alone will put Wang Chuan's life at risk. Because human beings who are close to their enemies write about prosperity, they are often the target of quick desire to get rid of them.

That's why Ah Ye decided to join the prosperity faction. If the family wins, at most they will lose their own lives; If the prosperity faction wins, it will only need to protect Wang Chuan's safety from the inside - all actions have been the result of this brilliant calculation.

Divide the world into "important people" and "others", put them on the scale, and discard the lighter ones. This is the realization that Anno can't learn anything. Because of this, Anno can't come up with a way to stop Ah Ye's behavior.

Anno got up from the bench and threw the half-drunk juice into the trash.

Then she let out a long sigh and walked back in a trance.

At this moment, someone called Anno from the side.

「…… Anno-san?"

Ah Ye turned his head almost reflexively to look back.

"Ah......h

It was Wang Chuan with a surprised face.

"How so!?"

Yasuno muttered in a voice that no one would hear. Speaking of which, since she came to the vicinity of Ah Yezi's house, the probability of encountering Wang Chuan, who lives next door to her house, is naturally not low.

"What are you doing in a place like this?"

Wang Chuan asked.

"Ah, uh...... I—"

Anno looked flustered, but then he squeezed out a smile that was not an exaggeration to say that it was hypocritical.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Huh? Do you live around here?"

"No, my hobby is to find a random strange place, wander aimlessly and then go home."

「…… Curious, interested."

Although the relationship between the two at school is not bad, they are not close enough to talk alone. Perhaps because of the relationship between the poor and the unequal, Wang Chuan did not particularly sarcastically and ridicule An Ye's strange interest, but just gave a mediocre comment.