"You've been padding the ball for an hour. Aren't you tired?" asked the little girl sitting on the stone bench.

She looked small, and the loose dark sportswear on her body made her look even paler and more delicate.

She asked the little boy who was padding the ball on the volleyball court next to the stone bench.

In fact, it was not appropriate to call it a volleyball court, because there was nothing here except for the volleyball net.

Compared to the little girl, the little boy looked quite strong.

His back was straight, and his short flaxen hair looked a little messy at the moment. His bangs were a little tangled because of sweat.

Although his face was young, one could vaguely see that he would be handsome and dignified in the future.

He stopped padding the ball and held the volleyball in his arms. After a moment of silence, he said, "I don't know what else to do besides padding the ball."

"You can go home," said the little girl.

She spoke unhurriedly, without the slightest fluctuation, and her expression was as calm as before.

"I spent all my money." When the little boy said this, his expression and tone did not change at all.

The little boy explained briefly.

This place was still quite far from his home. After all, it was the last stop of the bus he took.

After getting off the bus, he was hungry and used the rest of the money to buy rice balls – just enough money to buy one rice ball.

"Ran away from home?" The little girl's dark cat eyes slowly blinked.

"No." The little boy shook his head, "I just don't know what to do at home, so I came out."

The little girl nodded and stood up.

The little boy thought she was going to leave. After all, when he came here, the little girl had been here for who knows how long.

He was padding the ball while she was in a daze.

Unexpectedly, the little girl asked, "Do you want to play against each other?"

The little boy was silent for a moment, "Okay."

So they played against each other for an hour.

The girl looked small, but she was very stable when it came to catching the ball. No matter how much strength the young boy used, she was able to catch the ball steadily and accurately pass it back, which made the young boy surprised and somewhat impressed.

When it was almost over, the sky was already dyed with the sunset. The golden and red colors complemented each other. It was indescribably magnificent.

After the game, the little boy suddenly said, "My father taught me volleyball. We used to practice like this."

The little girl: "Okay."

Then they went to a nearby convenience store, ate rice balls together, and drank drinks.

"Thank you." The young boy said.

"You're welcome." The little girl sipped her yogurt seriously. "I'll take you to the station."

"Thank you."

On the way to the station, the two of them did not speak again. It was not until they reached the station that the young boy said, "My parents are getting a divorce."

The little girl was still very calm. "Okay."

Hence, the two of them continued to remain silent.

Before the young man got into the car, the little girl suddenly said, "Perhaps to them, divorce will make both parties feel better, so don't be sad.

Goodbye. "

When she said this, she was still very calm. That white and quiet little face was a little more mysterious under the setting sun. There seemed to be a stream of light flashing in her black pupils, which made the little boy's heart palpitate for a moment.

"… Goodbye."

This was the first encounter between Tian Tong Xing and Wakari Ushima.

Akihito Matsukaze's comment was, "I always felt that it was filled with a heavy melancholy literary style."

Tian Tong Xing did not take this matter to heart until she met Wakari Ushima again at Shiratorozawa Elementary School.

She remembered that September afternoon.

As for how the two of them became familiar … Tian Tong Xing did not remember clearly. She only remembered that they naturally formed a very stable contact. Every week or two, they would have volleyball basic training. Occasionally, Akihito Matsukaze would join in when he was interested. Sometimes, they would go to the library together. If they met at the school's canteen after work, they would eat together. During the holidays, they would occasionally go shopping or eat together.

After entering high school, although the two of them were still in the same school, there were a lot of trivial things to do at the beginning of school. The two of them were in different classes, so the two of them had less contact than when they were in middle school. They only maintained the habit of exchanging emails every night.

Rin Ikuda: "If I didn't know that you and Ushima Kun were exchanging emails every night, it would be hard to believe that the two of you could actually be considered good friends."

Tian Tong Xing: "Eh, Zhaoyan also said that."

Rin Ikuda: "…" It seemed like she really enjoyed it in Tiantong Jiang.

As for why the way the two of them got along was "strange" and "strange", it was because they did not communicate much when they were together. It was the best embodiment of "mutual silence". Tian Tong Xing and Wakari Ushima did not feel that there was anything wrong with this way of getting along.

Akihito Matsukaze clicked his tongue in wonder, "To some extent, to be able to adapt to this kind of almost zero communication … Could it be that the two of you are mentally connected?"

Tian Tong Xing: "You're thinking too much. There are no mental power users in this world."

Akihito Matsukaze was speechless, "What I mean is, is there some kind of special telepathy between the two of you?"

Tian Tong Xing thought for a while and shook her head, "But when I'm with Wakari, I don't feel anything special."

Akihito Matsukaze: "There might be, but you don't know it yourself?"

Tian Tong Xing did not comment.

This was also why Akihito Matsukaze said that Tian Tong Xing was good at dealing with other people's emotional problems.

Tian Tong Xing muttered, "Well, if I had known, I would have taken on a few more 'Love Saves the World' missions."

Akihito Matsukaze's face was cold, "Have you forgotten what happened the first and last time you did the 'Love Saves the World' mission?"

Tian Tong Xing: "…"

Akihito Matsukaze smiled, "You almost beat the mission target to death."

Tian Tong Xing retorted, "That's because the guy is sick in the head. And after beating him up, the mission was completed, which means that my method is still very effective."

Akihito Matsukaze smiled faintly, "Ah Hing, don't forget that most of the mission targets are sick in the head."

"… Forget I said anything."

Tian Tong Xing was subtly silent, "I really admire those colleagues who are passionate about doing love missions. They are all holy fathers and mothers."

"You're thinking too much. I've asked them, and they all said that although the mission target is sick in the head, it's very useful."

Tian Tong Xing: "…" She really could not think about the word "useful".

Tian Tong Xing then concluded, "Since you can't sort out your thoughts, just let nature take its course."

The two girls who had fought on the edge of life and death with zero experience in love were inexplicably melancholic.

It turned out that a vacation also had its troubles.

"Tiantong Jiang, sorry, I'm late." Rin Ikuda ran in front of Tian Tong Xing, panting.

Tian Tong Xing collected her thoughts and reached out to help Rin Ikuda tidy up her messy hair, "No, I just arrived too. Let's go."

The two walked side by side to Sendai City Art Museum.

During the Golden Week, a certain artist who had recently become famous in the industry held an oil painting exhibition at Sendai City Art Museum.

Father Shigeda brought a few tickets home, and Rin Ikuda invited Tian Tong Xing to see the exhibition together on the second day of the Golden Week.

Rin Ikuda smiled, "From time to time, I see Tiantong Jiang reading art magazines. You sketched so well in art class, I think you wouldn't refuse to come to the exhibition."

Tian Tong Xing nodded, "I specialize in oil painting."

Rin Ikuda's interest was immediately piqued, "Really?

Do I have the honor of seeing Tiantong Jiang's works? "

She scratched her head and said embarrassedly, "Actually, my father owns an art gallery. My mother is an art professor, and she also specializes in oil painting.

Unfortunately, my talent in painting is average. In my mother's words, I'm too crafty, so it's hard for me to achieve anything. "Rin Ikuda shrugged indifferently.

Tian Tong Xing reached out and patted Rin Ikuda's head, "What parents are good at may not be good at, isn't that normal?"

Rin Ikuda pushed up her glasses, "Actually, I don't care about this anymore.

Do I have the honor of seeing Tiantong Jiang's works? "

Tian Tong Xing took out her phone from her handbag, unlocked it, opened one of the folders in her photo album, and handed the phone to Rin Ikuda.

"I drew it casually when I was bored, so I took a few pictures." Tian Tong Xing said casually.

Rin Ikuda stopped and looked at her with a complicated expression.

Tian Tong Xing, "???"

Rin Ikuda asked in an unusually bitter tone, "I drew it casually when I was bored … Tiantong Jiang, when did you start learning oil painting?"

Tian Tong Xing thought for a while, "When I was five."

Rin Ikuda's tone became even more bitter, "I also started learning oil painting when I was five … Sure enough, there's no harm if there's no comparison between people."

Tian Tong Xing, "???"

Rin Ikuda, "Tiantong Jiang, can I send a picture of your oil painting to my mother?"

Tian Tong Xing, "… Okay." Wasn't this topic jumping a bit too fast?

She sent a picture of the oil painting to Rin Ikuda.

The two of them waited outside the art gallery for Ikuda's mother's reply.

Ikuda's mother replied very quickly, "Which master's work is this?

Did you go to other art exhibitions with your friends?

No, there's only Aoki-sensei's art exhibition these days. "

Tian Tong Xing, "…"

Rin Ikuda pushed up his glasses, "You know what I mean, Tiantong Jiang."

Tian Tong Xing, "…"

Rin Ikuda simply replied to Ikuda's mother, saying that they would talk about it in detail when they got home, and then put his phone back into his handbag.

Rin Ikuda snorted, "Sure enough, Tian Tong classmate doesn't know that she's a genius."

Tian Tong Xing, "…" Maybe she had a little talent for painting, but her current level was probably because she had been painting for a long time … After all, if the time for completing tasks was included, it was hard to calculate her and Zhaoyan's age.

But she couldn't say this, so Tian Tong Xing frowned with some distress.

After a moment of silence, Tian Tong Xing asked, "Are we still going to the art exhibition?"

Rin Ikuda, "Of course, of course, why not? We're already here."

Tian Tong Xing, "…" She felt that Ikuta's persona had collapsed.

The two of them went into the exhibition hall after checking their tickets.

It was ten o 'clock in the morning, and there weren't many people in the exhibition hall, so there was a leisurely silence.

The lighting in the exhibition hall was very good, and the oil paintings were either hung on the wall or displayed on easels, and the placement of the paintings was also very artistic.

Under the paintings, there was a brief introduction of the author's name, the name of the work, the background of the creation, and so on.

This artist obviously advocated photorealism, and most of his works were landscape paintings, and he was good at using light and shadow effects to make the oil paintings look like photos.

"I feel that Tiantong Jiang leans towards classicism." Rin Ikuda was still recalling Tian Tong Xing's oil painting photos. "The technique also seems to lean towards classicism."

Tian Tong Xing looked at an oil painting hanging on the wall and corrected Rin Ikuda's words, "Actually, I'm a fence-sitter who wavers between classicism and romanticism."

Rin Ikuda, "… Please say something else."

Tian Tong Xing readily followed his advice, "I prefer to combine classicism and romanticism."

Rin Ikuda was satisfied.

When the two of them walked out of the exhibition hall, it was already one o 'clock in the afternoon. The two of them, who were hungry, went to a nearby ramen shop.

Rin Ikuda sighed, "Tiantong Jiang's not an artist, it's a big loss for the oil painting world."

Tian Tong Xing held the cup with both hands and drank tea.

If she didn't join the Space Administration, would she have become an artist?

But this kind of assumption was meaningless.

Tian Tong Xing narrowed her eyes slightly and heard Rin Ikuda continue, "Unfortunately, sometimes a hobby can't become a career."

Tian Tong Xing nodded in agreement.

Other than going to art exhibitions, Tian Tong Xing spent the rest of her time at home and didn't go out.

It wasn't until the last day of Golden Week that she went out to meet Wakari Ushima at a barbecue restaurant.

This barbecue restaurant was located on the fourth floor of a shopping mall and was quite famous. If you wanted to eat in the restaurant, you had to make a reservation in advance.

The shopping mall was also famous and attracted a large number of customers every day.

The light fragrance of the tea and the mellow taste made Tian Tong Xing's mood a little better.

She held the cup with both hands and slowly sipped the tea, then covered her mouth and yawned silently.

So sleepy.

It rained the whole night last night and it was so noisy that Tian Tong Xing opened her eyes and stared blankly for the whole night. Even after drinking the calming tea, it didn't help. It wasn't until 5: 30 in the morning that she fell asleep in a daze.

However, the tenacious biological clock made Tian Tong Xing wake up an hour later and she couldn't fall asleep after that.

Although she took a nap at noon, Tian Tong Xing still felt sleepy.

Because of the lack of sleep, Tian Tong Xing could only cancel her plan to watch the practice match.

Tian Tong Xing yawned silently again.

The seat chosen by Tian Tong Xing was a two-person booth.

The seat was near the window and the bamboo curtain was half drawn. It blocked the sunlight outside the window but didn't block the view of the guests. There were a few pots of green plants on the low window sill.

Looking out from Tian Tong Xing's seat, she could see the gradually darkening sky outside the window. The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the large clouds with a rich or light golden color.

Under the dusk, the street lights were lit up one by one. The number of pedestrians and vehicles on the road gradually increased, forming a lively and peaceful picture.

Tian Tong Xing looked out the window for a while and then moved her eyes back to the teacup.

After drinking a few more sips of tea, Tian Tong Xing felt that her sleepiness had subsided a lot.

"Ah Hing, long time no see."

Hearing the familiar male voice, Tian Tong Xing looked up and saw the handsome and imposing young man standing in front of her.

He had short flaxen hair and his bangs were a little messy. His handsome face was slightly sweaty, but it didn't reduce his calm and majesty.

His back was straight, and even though he was only wearing simple dark sportswear, he still had an imposing manner.

"Long time no see." The corners of Tian Tong Xing's mouth raised imperceptibly.

When Tian Tong Xing received the address of the barbecue restaurant from Wakari Ushima, she also received a message from her younger brother.

[Younger Brother: Oh oh oh oh, I won, I won, hahahahaha]

[Younger Brother: Qingye City West is pretty good. Wakari Kun was suppressed at the beginning of the second round. So scary ~]

Tian Tong Xing could almost imagine that when Tian Tong Jue said "so scary", his face must be in high spirits, and his eyes must be shining.

Therefore, after Tian Tong Xing said, "Long time no see," she added, "Congratulations on winning the practice match."

"Yes, thank you."

Wakari Ushima looked at Tian Tong Xing with a stunned expression.

The girl in front of him had a picturesque face and a calm expression.

Under the light, her entire body seemed to glow.

Wakari Ushima always knew that Tian Tong Xing was beautiful. She didn't need to do anything to attract people's attention.

Wakari Ushima unconsciously clenched his fists.

He sat across from Tian Tong Xing and placed his backpack on the inside of the chair.

Wakari Ushima took the hot towel from the waiter with both hands, thanked him, and wiped his face and hands with the hot towel.

The waiter brought another set of chopsticks and a cup of tea, then took the hot towel from Wakari Ushima's hands and bowed slightly before leaving.

Tian Tong Xing pushed the menu in front of Wakari Ushima.

Wakari Ushima flipped open the menu and looked at it seriously.

After he finished reading the menu, Wakari Ushima said, "Shall I order?" Tian Tong Xing rubbed the teacup and nodded.

Wakari Ushima saw Tian Tong Xing nod, then pressed the service bell.

Although it was already lunchtime, the dishes were not served slowly. Plates of thinly sliced meat and vegetables were quickly served by the waiter.

Tian Tong Xing began to grill the meat and vegetables.

Wakari Ushima first filled a plate of fried noodles for Tian Tong Xing, then filled a plate for himself, and began to eat slowly.

As an invisible kitchen killer, Tian Tong Xing didn't dare to ask Wakari Ushima for help even though the grilling was very simple. She didn't want to see or eat meat or vegetables that looked like charcoal, and she didn't want the electric grill on the table to short-circuit.

So the two of them began to eat the grilled meat and vegetables in silence.

Wakari Ushima was very considerate. From time to time, he would use the serving chopsticks to place cooked meat and vegetables on Tian Tong Xing's plate. He would also pour drinks or pass tissues for Tian Tong Xing.

If the food turned cold before Tian Tong Xing could eat it, he would change a new plate for Tian Tong Xing and eat the cold food himself.

Tian Tong Xing had been cooking the whole time. From time to time, she would give Wakari Ushima delicious beef rolls such as pork tongue and pork belly. Occasionally, she would sneakily place a few pieces of grilled eggplant on Wakari Ushima's plate.

Wakari Ushima looked at the grilled eggplant on his plate. His left hand, which was holding the chopsticks, paused for a moment. In the end, he ate the grilled eggplant, but he frowned as he ate it.

Tian Tong Xing's expression didn't change, but there was a hint of a smile in her cat eyes.

Wakari Ushima was speechless.

The two of them behaved intimately, but they didn't talk in low voices like the guests at other tables. This attracted a lot of attention from the waiters.

Although there was no communication, the two of them didn't feel awkward.

Although Tian Tong Xing looked delicate, her appetite was bigger than the average girl's. In addition, Wakari Ushima was a growing boy, so there wasn't any food left on the table in the end.

The waiters poured new tea for the two of them. Wakari Ushima and Tian Tong Xing slowly drank their tea and sat in silence for a while.

Then, Tian Tong Xing said, "Let's go."

Wakari Ushima said, "Okay."

The two of them stood up together to pay the bill. Only then did Ohshima Ruori realize that Tian Tong Xing was wearing a smoky gray dress today. The dress was designed to fit her waist, outlining her graceful curves. The knee-length hem of the dress was slightly open, revealing her smooth and smooth calves and exquisite ankles. She looked even more dazzling.

Noticing Ohshima Ruori's gaze, Tenotongxing turned her head to look at him. Her dark and quiet cat eyes seemed to glow under the illumination of the light, revealing a bit of genuine doubt.

Wakari Ushima unzipped his bag and took out a black sportswear jacket. He gently put it on Tian Tong Xing. His expression didn't change, and his tone didn't change at all. "It's cold outside."

Tian Tong Xing blinked in surprise. "… Okay."

The waiters at the cashier who witnessed the whole process were speechless. Customer, are you really not jealous?!

Are all male high school students so possessive these days?!

The two of them paid the bill and walked out of the barbecue restaurant.

Seeing that it was still early, Wakari Ushima lowered his head and asked Tian Tong Xing, "Is there anywhere else you want to go?"

Tian Tong Xing thought for two seconds. "I want to go to the painting shop on the third floor."

Wakari Ushima didn't have any objections.

Before going to the painting shop, the two of them went to the bathroom first.

Tian Tong Xing stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She took off her jacket and put it on again. In a flash, she suddenly understood something, and her mood became a bit strange.

Tian Tong Xing originally wanted to buy oil paints, but the brand she always bought happened to be out of stock. She had no choice but to buy new oil paints, pencils, and sketchbooks.

Wakari Ushima followed Tian Tong Xing with a shopping basket. He frowned when he saw that Tian Tong Xing pursed her lips when she couldn't find the oil paints she wanted to buy.

After leaving the painting shop, the two of them went to the volleyball supplies shop to look for knee pads.

Tian Tong Xing was very casual when she bought the knee pads. The shop assistant recommended a popular one on the market.

Wakari Ushima said, "Tian Tong doesn't like to wear knee pads."

The Tian Tong he was referring to was Tiantongjue.

Tian Tong Xing said, "Yeah, I bought it as a sample. I plan to knit one for him personally."

Wakari Ushima didn't say anything.

Tian Tong Xing said casually, "Knit one for Wakari too?"

Tian Tong Xing was actually just asking casually, but Wakari Ushima directly said, "Okay, thank you, Ah Hing."

Tian Tong Xing heard this and turned to look at Wakari Ushima. However, she found that Wakari Ushima was also looking at her.

The two of them looked at each other and quickly looked away.

"Ah Hing, let's go home."