Izumi Kurose shook her head slightly, and raised a faint smile again.

Shiraishi Qianren nodded, took back the notebook, lowered her head slightly, and looked at it.

Everything is in plain sight.

Now they can express something without words occasionally.

After a while, Shiraishi handed the notebook again.

"If Kurose-san gets entangled again, I will help you and protect you."

"Thank you, Shiraishi-san. But I'm more worried about you than I am, I'm afraid that if I move in two days, you'll be retaliated against."

Shiraishi Qianren took the notebook and looked at this line of words, her expression was stunned for a moment.

The change in her expression was fully visible to Izumi Kurose, and she couldn't help but wonder why she was stunned.

Is it strange why he would say such a thing?

Or is it ......

What about a moment of excitement?

This is according to the general plot of light novels and gal games, which is generally the latter, right?

'No, no, no! How can Shiraishi-san's heart be so impressed by me, Izumi Kurose, your mind is too impure! ’

Thinking that he might have misunderstood something, Izumi Kurose scolded himself in his heart, and then abandoned the idea.

What he didn't know was that everything that Shiraishi Qianren showed was a disguise.

No matter when, where, what kind of expression, demeanor, or words, they are all pretended!

The past few days of getting along are all disguises!

"Don't worry, I can protect myself, I've been living alone for five years, and I can deal with danger even if it's in danger."

Izumi Kurose looked at this line of words, and his mood was indescribably complicated.

The sophomore year of high school has lived alone for five years, so does it mean that Shiraishi Chiren has been independent since junior high school?

At an ignorant age, is it already lonely and strong, and doesn't need anyone to live?

He did not know, but he respected it, and there was no sympathy and pity.

For Shiraishi Chirei, sympathy and mercy are blasphemy, and she doesn't need it.

But—he wanted to help Chiren Shiraishi and become friends with her.

Whether she needs it or not, Izumi Kurose will try to be friends with her and interfere with her.

"Shiraishi-san, you're very powerful. I am the one who should be worshipped."

When I handed the notebook over, a melodious bell rang from the back of the school building.

The teacher put away the textbook at the right time, and after saying a word after class, he walked out of the class door.

Shiraishi Chiren glanced at the notebook and then at Izumi Kurose, then stood up and walked outside.

'Keep up. Izumi Kurose understood what Shiraishi meant when she looked at him just now.

So, he stood up on his heels and followed behind Chiren Shiraishi.

And Masatake Hirazawa, who just wanted to take Izumi Kurose to go around the lower grade class, smiled when he saw him and Chiren Shiraishi walk out one after the other.

'Forget it, I'll take care of my business......

——

Leaving the classroom, Shiraishi walked ahead on his own and came to the atrium outside the teaching building.

In a remote corner where no one was around, she stood in front of the vending machine, put in five hundred yen coins, and bought a bottle of coffee.

Then, she looked sideways at Izumi Kurose and asked, "Kurose-san, what do you want to drink?" ”

"I'll have a bottle of black coffee, too." Izumi Kurose said as he took out his wallet from the belt of his suit.

"No need, Kurose-san, I'll ask for it."

"......"

"It's just a bottle of coffee, don't be polite to me."

"Okay......"

In this way, Shiraishi Chiren bought two bottles of coffee, sat on a bench next to her, and handed out one of them.

"Thank you."

Izumi Kurose nodded in thanks and took the coffee, but she didn't mean to sit down, so she just stood straight.

Shiraishi Chiren glanced at him like this, and said softly, "Kurose-san, sit down and talk." ”

"Oh......"

Izumi Kurose sat next to Chiren Shiraishi, with a little distance in between.

"When I take a lunch break, I'll go and apply to my teacher to start a club."

"Hmm."

"After school in the afternoon, let's go to Jimbocho to look at the house."

"yes, yes."

"If you're satisfied, you'll start moving tomorrow."

"Hmm."

Although Izumi Kurose was a little puzzled as to why Shiraishi Chiren suddenly said this, he still nodded and replied first.

"Then the day after tomorrow, are you going to live in a house in Jimbocho?"

“…… Well. ”

This time, Izumi Kurose was silent for a long time before he nodded slowly and squeezed a syllable out of his closed teeth.

Suddenly mentioned by Shiraishi Chiren like this, to be honest, I feel a little reluctant.

The two days that I lived with Shiraishi Chiren felt unexpectedly warm and cheerful.

This is quite similar to his ideal life.

Who do you live with, go to work or school together, and go to the supermarket to buy ingredients together in the afternoon and return to a home that is not big and slightly crowded, but every place is full of memories and traces of life.

Then we cooked, ate, washed dishes, bathed together, and sat together at night watching TV, playing games, chatting, and laughing.

Finally, I slept with happiness and longing to meet a better tomorrow.

Although he and Shiraishi Chiren are not in this relationship, how to say it, he is a lonely person, the island of his hometown is still quite backward, and he has no friends since he was a child.

That's why he studied hard, got out of the island, and was determined to change this life and create a future for himself.

Although the future of the island is peaceful and indisputable, it will be mediocre and inactive for a lifetime.

It's not that Izumi Kurose can't accept it, it's just that he feels that people have to work hard to change their lives, and they can't be satisfied with the status quo.

His parents and three generations of his ancestors were simple fishermen who lived off the sea.

If he inherits this kind of life, he will definitely be poor in the future.

He doesn't want to be poor, because he can work hard to change so that his family can have a better life and no longer have to endure the wind and sun of the sea.

Filial piety comes first - Izumi Kurose remembers this ancient Chinese saying.

No matter where he was reborn, his parents were the ones who gave birth to him, and he had to repay and be grateful.

——

Shiraishi Chiren turned her head sideways, looked at Izumi Kurose's slightly lowered face, and said softly, "Kurose-san, how about staying like this?" ”

Hearing this, Izumi Kurose's eyes widened slightly, and he looked sideways at Shiraishi Chiri.

With the lovely cherry blossoms drifting away, her hair was slightly blown by the wind, and the tight cherry lips were reluctant.

“……”

Izumi Kurose looked at her wordlessly like this, losing the ability to think.

After a long time, he rolled his hoarse and dry throat and asked in a low voice:

“…… Why? ”

He wanted to know why he was retained, and for what purpose Shiraishi Chiren kept him.

“……”

In the face of this inquiry, Shiraishi Qianren pursed Min's lips and remained silent.

It was a moment of urgency, tension.

“…… It's nothing, when I didn't say it, please forget what I just said, Kurose-san. ”

Chiren Shiraishi turned her head away from Izumi Kurose and said in a tone that was almost sad.