“…… 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 Ye'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 taking 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 and 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.

"Ah, that...... So what are you doing? ”

"I'm going home after shopping."

On closer inspection, he was holding a plastic bag in both hands.

He also wears tracksuits. This dress that vaguely exudes a sense of home, which feels very different from his impression of school.

"It's lunch and dinner at our house."

"Ah, you'll help with the housework too, huh? It's scared to death."

The conversation was smoothly opened.

So An Ye also teased Wang Chuan with an expression of peace of mind.

"Hmm." I nodded my head and said casually, "Because I don't have a mother at home, I do all the housework."

"Huh......

"Why, don't you know?"

After Anno's shocked reaction, he immediately showed a "miserable" expression.

「…… I'm sorry, I don't know."

"Oh, didn't that guy Xia Jing tell you?"

"Xia Jing already knew?"

"He's been to my house before."

Wow, Wang Chuan didn't look sad at all.

"You don't have to mind, anyway, my mom hasn't been seen for the past few days."

"That...... What's wrong with your mom? Well, just asking. If you don't want to say it, I don't have to know."

Could it be that the reason why Anno asked him sharp questions was because he inadvertently expected him to mention Aye's name?

"Haha."

Wang Chuan smiled bitterly, stepped over the bushes separating the park from the road, put two plastic bags on the bench, and sat down himself. Yasuno ran to the vending machine in the middle of the park and bought two bottles of juice and came back.

One of the bottles was handed to Wang Chuan.

"It's rare to meet outside, please."

"Is that okay? Thanks."

After Anye leaned his back against the fitness pole next to the bench, Wang Chuan spoke, "My mother has a man outside and ran away from home. I think it was when I was in elementary school. Actually, I didn't feel sad at all from that time, and all I thought was "yes~". After all, it's not for no reason, and my mother is not the kind of mother who is very gentle with her children."

"Really? But in the eyes of a third party, that kind of encounter feels quite heavy."

Anno replied, because showing a sad expression at this time was a faux pas.

"I think so."

Wang Chuan smiled faintly, and then nostalgia appeared on his face.

"On the contrary, Ah Ye cried into tears. Have you seen it before? That's her."

Wang Chuan's name made Anye's expression stiffen suddenly.

Even if this conversation has the meaning of inducing inquiry from the beginning, once it really cuts into the topic of Ah Ye, it is still difficult to hide the waver.

Anno tried his best to feign calm.

"Ahh Uh, you mean Sister Aye?"

"yes, yes. That's the man."

Wang Chuan didn't notice Anye's vacillation, and said lightly as if he was just gossiping, "She also said unashamedly that I want to be my mother. What will I replace the missing aunt as your mother, so you are absolutely not allowed to cry, like this...... I didn't shed a single tear."

Wang Chuan looked as if he thought it was ridiculous—but he seemed to feel a little happy.

"Sister Aye...... She'......"

Anno couldn't help but bite his lip.

She lowered her head and looked away, not wanting Wang Chuan to see the clue from her expression.

Ah Ye's personality always remains calm and composed, and is indifferent to anything. At least that's what she looked like when she was in the village - but she was like Ah Ye when she was with Wang Chuan.

Which one is the real her? Probably-whether it is the personality shown in the village, or the side of Wang Chuan's childhood sweetheart, it is the true face of the girl Ah Ye.

So—

「…… What?"

Anno couldn't help but imagine the picture of Ah Ye, a girl with a strong poker face.

"Please, don't make a fuss......

Yasuno muttered to himself in a low voice.

His expression was distorted, his heart was beating faster, and he was trying to tangle his left heart. The throbbing never calmed down.

The expression on his face was neither sad nor painful—

"Thank you for telling me so much, Wang Chuan—"

Yasuno realized some kind of emotion welling up in his heart, and exhaled at the same time.

She squeezed out a smile as much as she could, and her mood at the moment must not be detected by the friends in front of her.

"Today's wanderings have had an unexpected reward. It's like a blind cat can also run into a dead mouse."

"It's not that useful information, is it?"

Wang Chuan smiled wryly, as if he hadn't discovered Anye's original intention.

"Really? It would be fun to reveal the secret that you are good at cooking to the school, right?"

「…… Preferably."

"Isn't it possible that a girl will arouse her maternal instinct when she hears it? Don't you want to be popular?"

"Please spare me."

Wang Chuan shrugged his shoulders jokingly.

"Haha, don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Goodbye.

Anye waved goodbye to Wang Chuan.

"Well, be careful on the road."

Wang Chuan also got up from the bench and waved lightly to An Ye.

It wasn't until he turned around and left the park that Anno took off the mask that hung on his face.

Instead of expressions of sadness and pain, they emerged naturally.

"Want me to forget?"

She muttered under her breath.

"Be less self-righteous...... I have taught others a lesson."

There was an irrepressible anger in his tone.

What was she kidding? An Zhi thought to himself.

Does Ah Ye want to teach him that he has already forgotten about it?

Forget Wang Chuan as a person, and forget his feelings for Wang Chuan.

The implication of her words is that she has long forgotten the strong idea of sobbing to Wang Chuan and saying "I will be your mother", and gave up without any nostalgia? With just such a little thought, what right does she have to take it, my purpose is to ensure his happiness' This kind of words put gold on her face? Can such an approach also be called enlightenment?

Anno thought back to himself two days ago who was shocked by Aye's momentum and looked embarrassed. It's no wonder that Xia Jing and Ye Ya will be taught a ruthless lesson. The whole person became so cowardly and haggard, and in the end he even wanted to rely on his parents to solve the problem.

As the head of the divided family, he relied on the previous generation to solve the siege, and there is nothing to be ashamed of in this matter.

The shame is that he just wants to hide under the umbrella of his parents and bring trouble to his friends-

Anno's steps became unwavering.

She looked straight ahead, pursed her lips slightly, and hurried all the way home.

……

Natsukei left the Yasuno house about ten minutes before noon.

Because it was close to lunch, Anye's parents generously entertained Xia Jing to stay and eat, but unfortunately the refrigerator at home was already filled with the meals prepared by his mother before going out to work. If he didn't go home and eat it, he was embarrassed to his mother, so Xia Jing had to refuse the other party's kindness.

When I got home, it was past noon. Both parents went out, and Xia Jing was the only one left at home. After eating a microwave-heated lunch, Xia Jing returned to his room and took the golden branch to do many experiments. I didn't expect the process to be quite interesting, and two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

The doorbell rang at almost three o'clock.

Although Xia Jing felt that Bacheng was here to persuade people to order the newspaper again, he couldn't pretend to be dead and didn't hear it, so he had to say through the intercom in the room, "May I ask who you are?" to ask about identity.

Unexpectedly, it was an unexpected voice.

"It's me. Is Xia Jing here?"

Xia Jing's thoughts suddenly stopped. The fact that she had only talked to Shazi a few hours ago about her was naturally one of the reasons, but the biggest factor was that Ye Ya personally came to the house to find Xia Jing, which was the first time that she had ever experienced it.

After two seconds, Xia Jing came back to his senses and answered.

"I heard my voice and asked, are you asking for fun...... You wait for me."

Xia Jing went to the entrance and opened the door.

「…… Why are you still wearing your school uniform?"

Finding that Ye Ya looked a little happy, Xia Jing asked, "Do you like the colonel's uniform?"

"It's a lot lighter to wear."

"Really? Let's talk about it first."

No matter what happened, he couldn't stand in the entrance and talk, so Xia Jing invited Ye Ya in the door.

Ye Ya looked around excitedly.

I thought Ye Ya was fresh to Western architecture-

"Is this where you grew up?"

But it seems that she is thinking about something that will make people blush.

"Ugh...... Come and sit here."

After leading Ye Ya to the living room, Xia Jing invited her to sit on the sofa. After that, I started to worry about what to do next. Not knowing how to entertain guests is a normal thing for high school boys - especially when the guests are of the opposite sex in the same year.

Ahhh

"Wait a minute, you can turn on the TV first."

Xia Jing hurriedly ran to the kitchen. But I don't know where the tea is. The dead horse opened the cabinet and took a look, and found orange juice, so Xia Jing poured it into a cup and added ice cubes. It should be okay, right? Since it is unopened, it means that this bottle is ready to be drunk by guests, right?

It would be more perfect if there were more snacks - driven by this thought, Xia Jing took the pudding in the refrigerator without permission. Despite the note that said "Mom wants to eat", Xia Jing chose to ignore it and poured the pudding on the plate.

When ready, Xia Jing put the juice and snacks on the tray and brought them back to the living room.

「…… What the hell are you doing?"

Ye Ya lay in front of the TV, staring at the dark picture.

"Oh, Natsujing."

She turned her head back in that position.

"How do you open this thing?"

"You don't even know anything like a remote control, do you? Hey, you're standing up."

"Now, you can take it and eat it."

With that, Xia Jing put the juice and pudding in front of Ye Ya.

「…… Summer Scene."

"How? Do you hate pudding?"

"You're really a good guy!"

Ye Ya suddenly shouted loudly. If you look closely, her eyes are shining brightly.

"And it's orange juice! The combination of orange juice and pudding is ......!"

「…… What do you usually eat?"

Seeing Ye Ya, who was no different from a child, Xia Jing sighed.

"I drink tea and eat steamed buns every day."

Doesn't Lost House have a refrigerator?

"There are potato chips too. It's a pity that Anai is strict and doesn't agree to give me food. I'm worried I'm going to get tooth decay or something."

"She's really a dead man who overprotects her master."

Ye Ya took the spoon in her hand and began to enjoy the pudding with relish. Looking at her happy appearance, my mother, who didn't eat the pudding, would also feel relieved in the spirit of heaven. Although my mother is not dead - and Xia Jing has a premonition that she will be scolded by her.

Because Ye Ya was noisily watching TV, Xia Jing helped her turn on the power when she suddenly remembered the important problem.

"Why did you suddenly come here alone today?"

"Ahh

"Everyone went out, and I was so idle, so I decided to go out and hang out. I only knew the location of your house, so I came and looked. I'm going to take the bus myself, isn't it?"

"You said everyone else was out of the house?

Xia Jing hesitated for a moment whether to praise her for taking the bus alone, and finally gave up, lest she hold her up and her tail cocked. Moreover, all the people in the Lost House have run out, which makes Xia Jing even more curious.

"Lin Yu and Lan Yang slipped out early in the morning."

"The two of them seem to have gotten along well."

In the days when Lan Yang first reported to the Lost House, Lin Yu was no exception to be highly vigilant about her—but unconsciously, the two suddenly became intimate. It should be said that it was Lin Yu who began to pester Lan Yang.

I have the impression that the beginning of April is the watershed, and the Lin Yu birthday party that was held during that period is around the time. As for what happened between the two of them, it is unknown.

"Where's Anai?"

"Today I asked her to help repair the sword...... It's just that she won't let me go over the thunder pool because of the danger. It's nerve-wracking, you're not wrong at all, she's really protecting me too much."

It's really surprising that the maid also seems to know how to operate precision instruments. Anyway, where did she repair it in the Lost House, and how did she repair it? And where did she get the tools?

"You can't sneak away from Ana, do you?"

"She stopped me severely. But after explaining to her that I was going to find Xia Jing, she agreed to let her go."

It seems that he is quite trusted by Ana.

"I see...... No, wait."

Just after Xia Jing listened to the general context, he suddenly thought of Anye's matter. So he asked Yea about it.

"Anno? I didn't see her coming."

"That guy slipped out when he said he was going to the House of the Lost...... Really."

It seemed that Anye's mood was even more depressed than Xia Jing imagined.