"2 minutes and 50 seconds, amazing, Kamihara."

"It's okay. Nothing happens next, right? Kamihara looked into the distance of the playground, and his aunt was no longer there.

"Not for now."

"Okay, I'll go buy a bottle of water."

“OK。”

Kamihara said hello to Nishijima Daiki, who counted the scores, and began to walk towards the atrium. In front of the shoe-changing area of the school building, he saw Aunt Bertha and the headmaster in a suit and leather shoes talking about something.

Aunt and Principal Tangerine are already related, and Jiu Liuli and Qi Mingyue privately call the principal an uncle.

"Just came to the headmaster...? No, it shouldn't be. ”

Kamihara continued to stay on the sidelines, secretly observing the conversation between the two of them from a distance.

I could see that Principal Tachibana looked a little embarrassed in front of his sister, but he still nodded.

Aunt and uncle are now in a state of opposition, and Tachibana Qingyuan, as the uncle of the two little nieces, is sandwiched between his sister and brother-in-law, and it seems that he is also quite embarrassed.

After Madame Bertha had spoken a few words to him, Principal Tachibana left the place and entered the school building.

In less than five minutes, Kamihara Le saw Principal Tachibana walking down from the teaching building with Tianhai Jiu Liuli. Jiu Liuli followed behind with a low face the whole time, looking not in a good mood.

This is not the same as the way Kamihara has seen her in the past few days.

Although Jiu Liuli has been hiding from herself in the past few days, she will not answer her questions with a smile when she meets her, but she has always kept a smile on herself, which makes her seem to be in a pretty good mood.

Now......

What was found?

Kamihara's eyes have been on Aunt Bertha in front, with long flaxen-colored hair, so beautiful that it looks like a side face in a painting, with confident corners of the mouth and sky-blue eyes, all of which are quite familiar.

More or less, there are the shadows of seven bright moons and nine glasses.

Principal Tachibana brought Nine Glass to Aunt Bertha, who smiled and nodded at him, and Principal Tachibana left.

tomato

Facing her daughter, Aunt Bertha smiled with a gentle and beautiful smile.

The distance was a little far away, and Shen Yuanle couldn't hear what they were communicating, but Jiu Liuli lowered her head in front of her mother the whole time.

Aunt Bertha said a few words to Jiu Liuli and guided her towards the back garden of the school.

Kamihara followed quietly.

......

"Have you been practicing at school lately?"

Hiding behind the bushes, Kamihara heard Bertha Hekja say to her daughter on the shore of the lake in the back garden.

"No... Recently, it's been busy. ”

Kamihara looked through the leaves of the bushes and saw only the two of them standing by the artificial lake. The tall buildings in the distance are reflected in the surface of the school's lake.

"Busy? So, what are you busy with? I remember I was emailing you lately... You've been practicing the piano for almost thirteen years, and what could be more important than that. ”

"......" Tianhai Jiu Liuli was silent for a moment beside his mother, and then replied, "The affairs of the archery club, the affairs of the class, there is usually homework, and I have to cook in the morning......"

"Ruri, you have to know what an unavoidable talent you and July have in the piano. I won't talk about it because of the previous things in July, and Liuli, your talent is even higher than hers... Do you know the weight of your ability? ”

"Know... Mom said it many times. ”

Tianhai Jiu Liuli's voice replied under her mother's words was very small.

"You give the position of squad leader to July, just buy two rice balls for breakfast and eat, and retire the club, there's no need, this kind of thing."

Tianhai Jiuliuli raised his head almost instantly, and explained to his mother: "But, but that... That's not mom, you-"

"Are you still clinging to the past?"

"But before, Mom, you clearly told me—"

"Jiuliuli, memory is extremely ambiguous... When you think back to yourself eight or nine years ago, do you just feel particularly naïve? ”

......

"Do you really want to return...?"

"Retreated."

Bertha Hekja held her forehead very sadly, and sighed, her tone could be heard to be as flat as possible,

"Liuli, it's really unnecessary, since you can't go abroad and can't focus all your energy on the piano, then you have to spend more time staying in China now...... You know what I'm anxious about, the Chopin International Piano Competition every five years is not far off, and if you miss this one, you have to wait for the next five years, the next five years, how much time will be wasted? ”

"I, I know..."

"Because of Maodian, I usually can't see you a few times, and my guidance to you is limited, practice more, everything else is not important... Do you understand? ”

"Got it, I'll do what my mom says......"

Kamihara couldn't stand it anymore, he knew that his aunt regarded Jiu Liuli's piano talent as very important, otherwise his aunt would not have mentioned this matter to Jiu Liuli many times after the divorce.

But what is this?

As a "daughter", does Jiuliuli only have one "piano talent" value for her aunt?

"You just understand. What questions are not? ”

"No more..."

"Okay, you go back," Bertha Hakja glanced at the lady's watch on her wrist, "I still have work to do, this is a temporary time to meet with you, if I hadn't told your uncle, I guess Maodian's phone call came to me again, okay, you can go back." ”

"Hmmm......"

Kamihara raised his head again, looking through the bushes at Jiu Liuli, who was bowing his head beside his mother, she was usually gentle and generous, almost a perfect person. And now, she is just a little girl who bows her head next to her mother.

Have you considered your daughter's thoughts in this matter?

Jiu Liuli has always wanted to say something to her mother but didn't dare to say anything.

Kamihara Le inexplicably read the discomfort in her heart from this lost expression.

Qi Mingyue said that her sister was very sad on the day her mother left on the plane.

Jiu Liuli has always regarded her mother as very important, because for her, her mother has always been the window of her soul, and she will take her out at a very young age, take her out to eat, and see the outside world.

After that, he would even run to his father's study in the middle of the night, look through the window to see the direction that his mother often came in, and wait for her to come and see him.

Bertha Hekjamu sent Jiu Liuli back to the school building before turning around.

However, when she shifted her gaze to the other side, she saw a person.

A light smile suddenly appeared on her face, her head tilted slightly, and her blue earlobes sparkled:

"It's Xiaole, aren't you in class right now?"

"Good afternoon, auntie. I'm in class at the moment, but I just happen to be in PE class. ”

"Oh, so you're out for a walk after warming up?"

"Walking?" Kamihara shook his head, "It's not a walk, aunt, I just saw you enter the school on the playground, and I was curious about your purpose, and I have been following you here." ”

"You mean, tracking?" Bertha Hekja smiled but didn't smile.

"Yes."

"Why are you stalking me?"

"I just said that, curious about your purpose... But the answer is similar to what I thought, you really came to find Jiuliuli. ”

Bertha Hekya speculated with interest the purpose of his appearance before him, "I'm just here to keep Jiuliuli practicing the piano." I didn't expect the matter at the airport to be put on the table by the girl in July, and it is impossible for me to take Jiuliuli out of the country at present, from this point of view, you can rest assured. ”

Bertha Hekja's tone was gentle... But it was this gentleness that made Kamihara feel angry.

"Lady Bertha, I want to know, what kind of existence does Nine Glass have for you?"

When Kamihara Le asked this sentence solemnly, Bertha Hekja froze slightly.

She guessed the purpose of Kamihara's coming to her.

The expression quickly returned to normal.

"Beloved daughter." Bertha Hekja's answer was simple.

"Madame, do you know your daughter's feelings for you?"

"Let me think, reluctant, dependent... There is also the relationship built by the memories of getting along in the past, which can be called the mother-daughter relationship for the time being. ”

Bertha Hekja's tone was frivolous, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

"So what did you do with that part of your feelings?"

Bertha Hekja laughed softly, "You kid is so funny to ask me this question...... But I can tell you very clearly, oh, I am using this part of my feelings to let Jiu Liuli try to get closer to the direction I want. ”

"You're so selfish."

Bertha Hekja smiled even more: "Yes, I'm selfish, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that, at least Jiuliuli can get the happiness she wants by my side." ”

"You're just taking advantage."

Bertha Hekja turned around, faced the mirror-like lake, shook her head and said, "Xiaole, why care about what to use or not, isn't it correct to be mutually beneficial?" You're happy, I'm happy, Jiu Liuli wants to be close to her mother, and I want her to shine in the piano world, and in terms of results, this is completely true. ”

"You're just trying to satisfy your own selfish desires, have you ever thought that Jiu Liuli wants these by herself? Raising an excellent daughter, adding a beautiful footnote to your own unfulfilled dreams, I think you are more like an agent than a mother. ”

Even if, even if Jiu Liuli did something wrong, he was still angry with her, but things were one yard at a time.

What makes Kamihara feel angry is that the woman in front of her is holding her daughter hostage in the name of her mother to do something she doesn't want to accomplish, what is this? Is this also a mother?

For her, Jiuliuli is just a tool, a tool to achieve the goals she needs.

The corners of Bertha Hekya's mouth rose, and she didn't react to his aggressive words, Pingtang, and even could only describe her thinking tone with Pingtang, who saw through everything, "Xiaole, it seems that you still don't understand what I mean, Jiu Liuli has gained the proximity of her mother through these things, and this is the happiness she needs." ”

"Even if all this is a hypocrisy?!"

Bertha Hekja faced him again, clasped her hands over her shoulders, then stretched out an arm, and continued to say to Kamiharaku: "It's not an illusion, Jiu Liuli got what she wanted, that's the truth. ”

"Keep talking about the facts, and don't care about your identity at all, right?"

"You mean 'Mother'? Xiaole, I think I've already said that for Jiu Liuli, I'm still her mother, no matter what my behavior is. ”

"Lady Bertha, Jiu Liuli doesn't know that you are no longer the mother she remembers, right? Ms. Bertha. ”

Bertha Hakoya was said to be grim-faced.

Kamihara continued to refute: "In Jiu Liuli's view, her mother is the person who gives her care and love, her mother's love for her, and the warmth that her mother brings her...... When I was a child, Jiuliuli was a caged bird, and for Jiuliuli, Mrs., you were the wings that took her out of the cage and the window to peek into the world...... Now you are, at best, a liar using your past self to deceive your daughter. ”

......

Bertha Hekja laughed too, her shoulders swaying, and she reached out to cover the corners of her mouth, and the ornament in her left ear seemed to shimmer with her laughter.

"So, Xiaole, do you think I'm doing something wrong?"

"Undoubtedly, wrong."

Bertha Hekja raised her beautiful chin, and the single earring on the left side shone under the reflection of the light on the surface of the lake, "Xiaole, I don't deny what you said, whether I am a liar, selfish, or unworthy of being a mother...... Your purpose is nothing more than to want me to take care of Jiu Liuli's affairs, but if she loses me, do you know what that means?

"She's going to lose her purpose, she's going to lose the happiness she wants, even if it's my deception, but that's what she needs...... For her, whether it's the piano or the bow, it's all because of me, and she's just responding to my expectations....... What does she have of herself without me? Who can give her what? Shiori already owed her and July, and with the current situation, it was impossible to ask her to do anything!

"She is different from July, she doesn't have what she wants, all she can do is to spread her tenderness, let everyone feel her good, and then get her sense of being needed.

"In the end, Xiaole, you don't know Jiuliuli enough."

Kamihara felt an indescribable dullness in his heart, and there was a fire of ignorance slowly rising in his heart.

He knew he was angry, and he tried to keep his voice from trembling.

"Lady Bertha, even if what you say is true, even if Jiu Liuli needs you to bring her a goal, but as a mother, as a mother, don't you think you are too much?!

"As a mother, is Jiuliuli just a tool for you?!"

Bertha Hekja's expression was still calm, so calm that she seemed to be fully aware of her mistakes and able to carry them on:

"If my news is correct, you don't have a good relationship with Ruri at the moment, right? I also deliberately moved out to live...... Jiuliuli, the kid said it was his fault...... As long as the child is wrong, Jiu Liuli will definitely run to apologize, and you haven't gone home yet, which proves that you haven't forgiven her yet, in this month's time, Jiu Liuli should have apologized to you countless times? ... Aren't you hurting her more than me?

"As a 'persecutor', I can still give Jiuliuli a target and give her the sense of presence she needs.

"What can you give Liuli?"

What can I give to Jiuliuli?

Bertha Hekja's words stabbed straight into his chest like a sharp blade.

Be... Yes, what can you give Jiuliuli?

Aren't you still angry with her and hate her?

In the face of her sincere apology, she also said cruel words like "You don't come to pester me again".

The words were very heavy and ruthless, and Jiu Liuli cried because of it.

Qi Mingyue also said that her sister went back that day and cried alone for a long time......

But the next day, Kamihara Le still saw Jiu Ruri with a smile on her face, and she took out the lunch box she had made early and handed it to herself, as well as cookies.

I was still angry at the time, and the first thing I thought about when I got the things made by Jiu Liuli was to just throw her cookies in the trash......

Now that I think about it, hahaha, what a naïve approach.

Kamihara is angry not only at Bertha Hekja's motherless gesture, but also at his own naivety in the past.

Say what has been put down before, and can already calm down.

But in the face of Jiu Liuli, who wanted to apologize sincerely, he still said to her, "Don't pester me again".

It's no wonder that when Jiu Liuli faced her request to make a bento all the time, she also immediately and decisively agreed.

Not only does she feel guilty about what she did wrong, but she also has a sense of being needed.

I can't get used to her mother's approach, so I took the initiative to stand up and point out the other party's mistakes... But in the final analysis, Bertha can still give Jiuliuli a target, and he ...... I can't give her anything.

Myself... What the hell are you doing...?

Bertha Hekja shook her head with a gentle expression: "If there is nothing else I want to ask, I will leave first...... I'm not hostile to you, Xiaole. I understand even what you say, but the reality is like this, Liuli's kid is very lacking in love. ”

Very lacking in love...?

Truly... It's no wonder that Jiu Liuli, who has always been gentle and generous, said thank you to herself at the beginning for cooking for her.

It's no wonder that Jiu Liuli always wants to help herself, and she doesn't want to be too tired.

It's no wonder that Jiu Liuli tries to take care of herself when she is sick.

No wonder Jiu Liuli would cast a different kind of gaze when she let Ah Ling be coquettish.

It's no wonder that after interacting with himself, he ran to buy a set of clothes for himself and put them on himself.

In the final analysis, Jiuliuli is very lacking in love and lacks his sense of existence.

That's why she thinks about everyone, for the sake of the only sister who understands her.

And made a mistake because of it......

......

Kamihara was complicated again, she made a mistake, why should she care about her mood?

Why did you stand up and refute your aunt for her after you were tired of what her aunt said?

Jiuliuli is uncomfortable, isn't it exactly what you want to see?

No, no, no, absolutely not.

Deceit...

Shen Yuanle was as cheerful as Huo Ran, and he figured it out.

Yes, I have been deceiving myself all along.

Don't care what you say, face it calmly.

Say that you will never forgive Jiu Liuli, just live your own life.

This is fundamentally contrary to one's own heart.

In fact, he has always been evading, even if Kiyosawa Otoha proposed that he take the initiative to face Jiuliuli that time, he was also evading.

The real face should be to face your own heart.

Bullying others, taking advantage of others, and making others uncomfortable is never something you want to see.

"Aunt," Wondering what it was all about, Kamihara raised his head calmly and looked back at Bertha Hekja, "I won't admit what you're doing. ”

"Oh? So what do you want to do? We're getting closer now, let me think about what that word should say, yes, accomplice. ”

"Auntie, we are very different from the beginning, I am deceiving myself, and you are deceiving others, and you are still using your own daughter, no matter from what point of view, we are far from being complicit."

"As a result, we're all doing the same thing."

"I've always believed that the process is more important than the result."

"Without results, the process is dispensable, and only the results can speak for themselves."

Kamihara smiled with relief, "I'm not denying consequentialism, and I have no intention of correcting your thoughts, I think I've gained enough from you, thank you." ”

"What?"

Bertha Hekja watched as he bowed slightly to herself and turned away.

"Got the most out of me...? What does it mean......"

......

Kamihara turned around and left the artificial lake in the back garden, and Bertha Hekja also turned around and walked towards the school gate a few seconds later.

Stepping on the cobblestone road back to the teaching building, Kamihara carefully recalled the conversation with his aunt just now... There is no point in correcting the right and wrong of the aunt, and the important thing now is how to make Jiu Liuli realize the true thoughts of the aunt.

The respected and loved mother said that it was just a tool to use, and anyone would be uncomfortable, right?

So... How do you make Jiu Liuli calmly recognize and accept this?

...... As Kamihara was thinking about it, he suddenly stopped.

He lowered his chin-pinching hand and looked in amazement at a young girl sitting behind a bush flower bed with her legs in her arms.

The girl in the Western-style school uniform leans back against the flower bed, her head is bowed, and her flaxen-colored hair hangs down... The little face has an indescribable haggard and dark ......

Kamihara subconsciously opened his mouth and shouted her name:

"Nine Glass ......"