".....Thank you," Kiyono Lin said, her cheeks blushing slightly as she averted her gaze.
"It’s nothing; the male lead protecting the director is to be expected."
Dubian Che spouted nonsense, and Kiyono Lin immediately snapped out of her shyness, lifting her head to look at him.
"Wait a second, the male lead is supposed to protect the female lead. Moreover, even if you, Mr. Dubian, are trying to curry favor with me now, your demise at the end won’t change."
"I’m not trying to curry that kind of favor."
Kiyono Lin eyed Dubian Che suspiciously.
From underneath the meticulously crafted shirt, his neck and collarbone, strong and lined, along with that slightly smiling face, and the direct gaze...
Dubian Che and Kiyono Lin turned toward the voice, and in the distance, Yuzao Haomei, saying ’excuse me’ and ’sorry,’ pushed her way through the crowd toward them.
Following her were Mayi Asuka, Hanaoka Chaozi, and Ichiki Kui.
The fireworks festival at the Shengong Outer Garden was one of Tokyo’s top three fireworks events, a grand celebration with over a million participants. Since Dubian Che’s high school in Shibuya wasn’t far from here, he wasn’t surprised to run into classmates.
But when had Yuzao Haomei started to feature in "The Ichiki Kui Love Story?"
Yuzao Haomei approached and without hesitation inserted herself between the two—facing Kiyono Lin, her back to Dubian Che.
"Miss Kiyono, what a coincidence, are you here to see the fireworks too?"
"Um, no, not exactly," Kiyono Lin struggled to deal with people who were enthusiastically proactive.
"Then what are you here for?"
"Filming a movie?!" Yuzao Haomei raised her volume without regard for public standards, "You can call me Haomei! I modeled for a while in middle school and even helped the film research club shoot a promotional video!"
"Is that so? That’s pretty impressive. I was actually planning on inviting you too, Yuzao, but we only just started today and I hadn’t had the chance to notify you."
"Really? That’s great! What kind of movie? Tell Haomei all about it!"
Dubian Che had had enough.
Yuzao Haomei talked non-stop, her body constantly moving, her simple yet strangely attractive high ponytail swinging about, making Dubian Che feel like sneezing.
The train was packed with people, barely leaving any space to breathe, let alone to step back.
’A ponytail attack? Do you think you’re Ying Lili or something?’ Dubian Che sniffled twice, suppressing his urge to sneeze, while the familiar scent reached his nose.
Mayi, his senior, had come up next to him.
Dubian Che didn’t glance sidewise, trying his best to act as though he hadn’t noticed her.
But in his peripheral vision, he could clearly see Mayi intently staring at him.
Not only that, but as she stared, her snow-white tender skin gradually flushed with color.
Then, the excited Mayi sneakily reached out towards Dubian Che.
Dubian Che slowly turned his head and met Mayi’s eyes, her cheeks openly flushed red.
He looked at her lips, and at that moment, he heard once again those sweet words she had said before.
It was the second day of the Wind Instrument Club’s training camp, early in the morning, at the edge of the forest.
["Che, look, this is a hand(冫中)."]
’Really don’t do this!’ thought Dubian Che, as he gave Mayi a look.
But Mayi’s clear eyes brimmed with inexplicable tears, as if she was unable to comprehend his message.
Dubian Che then turned his gaze towards Hanaoka Chaozi and Ichiki Kui, hoping they would make Mayi reconsider.
But they were busy with their phones, seemingly selecting pictures to post on Instagram.
"You!" Yuzao Haomei suddenly turned around, her eyes wide behind her contact lenses.
Dubian Che’s eyes were inadvertently brushed by her ponytail, and he desperately blinked, straining to keep from tearing up.
"What are you doing turning around like that?" he contained his inner rage.
Yuzao Haomei’s eyes, filled with fury, glared silently at him.
"What’s wrong, Yuzao?" Kiyono Lin asked softly.
"No, it’s nothing." Yuzao Haomei shot Dubian Che a warning glance and continued discussing the video footage she had on her DSLR with Kiyono Lin.
"I plan to put this part at the end of the movie, even though it’s the very beginning of the story..."
As she heard Kiyono Lin explain, Yuzao Haomei recalled what had just happened.
Dubian Che had just touched her butt!
And he had been very cunning, deliberately using the back of his hand!
Many disgusting jerks reported in the news would use such a tactic, and if caught, they’d argue, ’I just accidentally brushed you with the back of my hand, who do you think you are, who would want to harass you?’
Tears threatening to escape his eyes, Dubian Che, and Yuzao Haomei, who once again felt her butt under attack, mentally cursed each other out.
Thankfully, the train ride from Shinano Town to Shibuya Station lasted only two minutes.