After deciding to give up, I became popular

"……？"

Xia Chuanzou's expression immediately turned strange, thinking that the girl was acting up, wondering what was going on.

222. Miko is small, cute...

While chatting, the line moved quickly, and it was soon their turn.

Although Iino is small, she seems to have a large appetite. She bought five large meat buns in one go and couldn't wait to taste them on the spot.

If Xia Chuanzou remembered correctly, her parents were quite busy with work, so she could be said to have been living alone most of the time. Today was also the same, acting alone, so these meat buns were all prepared for herself.

"Ah... I forgot that the president was also here..." Seeing Xia Chuanzou's gaze occasionally falling on her, Iino Miko seemed a little embarrassed, "I, I usually eat less..."

"I see..." Xia Chuanzou nodded, not feeling anything was wrong.

After chatting with the shopkeeper for a while and refusing his invitation to "come in and sit down", Xia Chuanzou wanted to go straight home, but he didn't expect Iino Miko next to him to not have left yet.

"Uh... Iino, are you waiting for someone?" Out of curiosity, Xia Chuanzou then asked, but unexpectedly, the other party shook her head.

"No, I'm alone..." Little Miko said weakly, and after a long stalemate with him, she took a deep breath and asked him, "Although it's a bit presumptuous... I still ask the president not to tell anyone about what happened today."

"...Ah?" Xia Chuanzou was immediately dumbfounded. He didn't understand, thinking that he had inadvertently spied on someone else's secret again?

"What do you mean?"

"It's just... about me buying five large meat buns... Ah, really, I don't usually eat that much, it's just that I happened to be in the mood today... appetite."

"This... it should be fine, right?" Xia Chuanzou thought for a while and decided to tell the truth, "Although five meat buns do seem like a lot, it's not something that would shock people, right? And not to mention others, I can eat them all myself..."

"No, no, no, it's completely different! How can girls compare to boys..." Iino Miko was a little anxious, as if she felt that he wouldn't keep it a secret for her.

So Xia Chuanzou once again very seriously replied to her: "Iino, listen to me. First of all, I'm not the kind of person who would talk about other people's rights and wrongs in casual conversations with friends. Secondly, I think it's very important to ensure an adequate supply of food. Like me, in order to ensure exercise and maintain my daily and growing needs, I also eat a lot. Finally... I think, no matter who it is, people don't pay too much attention to or get entangled in other people's lives. In reality, everyone is already spending a lot of energy just living their own lives well."

At least for him, just completing his duties and maintaining his non-collapsing social life was already exhausting, and he couldn't even think about paying more attention to other people's affairs.

"Um... so that means..." Iino Miko was listening quite seriously at first, but suddenly started to become sentimental as she listened, "Actually, the president doesn't care about my feelings at all... I see... That's right, how could anyone be willing to care about a 'troublesome busybody that people find annoying'…"

"..." Xia Chuanzou frowned, feeling that the other party's condition was a little off.

Normally, Iino Miko should be a stronger, more serious person. How could she be defeated by just two sentences he said today? And she also lost her usual sharp rebuttals and her consistent "overseer" style.

"Although it may not be appropriate for me to say this... if it's convenient, can you confide your troubles?" Xia Chuanzou thought for a while, still feeling that it wasn't good to just ignore this direct junior, maybe he could help her?

"Eh? Really? Is the president willing to listen?" Little Miko's eyes lit up, and then she immediately moved closer, tiptoeing slightly and looking up at him with a burning gaze, "Speaking of which, this is the first time I've met the president outside... Ah, perhaps it would be more appropriate to use Xia Chuan outside? Um... but we're not in the same grade, so I feel like it would be a bit presumptuous... Ah, how about this! Can I call you senior? How about Senior Xia Chuan?"

"Uh..." Xia Chuanzou couldn't handle her sudden enthusiasm and leaned his head back slightly, "There's no problem with the address, it's just... you're too close."

In his impression, this junior was still the shy child who was too nervous to speak on the student council president election stage. Although her strong sense of justice caused her to show her face everywhere in the academy from time to time, that should be essentially correct, but the result now is...

However, he also took the opportunity to observe the other party carefully.

Today, Little Miko was wearing a pure white dress with many petal-shaped folds adorning the skirt. Her smooth and silky chestnut hair was rarely tied up, but naturally fell to her waist, with slight natural curls. Her eyes were also chestnut-colored, but even brighter than her beautiful hair. The bangs that reached her eyebrows fell naturally, covering the bright forehead that should have shown her wisdom, but the cutest thing was this - her cheeks were slightly puffed up, and her face showed a touching little expression of "Great, someone is finally willing to talk to me."

Xia Chuanzou couldn't help but feel speechless, so you are also a little lonely person with no friends... But it would be better to swallow the food in your mouth before speaking?

"Speaking of which, where are your friends? I remember they're called Ofotoko Kobachi, right? Why don't you try confiding in her if you have any troubles..." Xia Chuanzou tried to offer suggestions.

Although he said that she could confide her troubles to him, his instincts still felt that girls' affairs were more suitable for girls to discuss among themselves, and there might be parts in it that he shouldn't hear.

"No, it's a bit... actually, Kobachi has her own things to do on weekends, and we only act together when we have to go to school..." Iino Miko shook her head, and then showed a trace of loneliness on her face.

"..." So Xia Chuanzou increasingly felt that things seemed a little unusual.

This junior's troubles seemed to be the kind that she couldn't even mention to her friends? Then what about him? Was his status as a school senior and student council president enough?

In other words, she might need to provide life advice... He might be able to handle this.

Xia Chuanzou nodded secretly in his heart and already had many ideas.

After all, she was at this age, and the things she worried about were nothing more than academics, love, friendship, etc., and anything more would be beyond the scope.

So he patiently waited for the other party's next sentence, and then heard Iino Miko say somewhat dejectedly:

"Actually... today is my birthday."

"..."

Ah, this is indeed beyond the scope, Xia Chuanzou thought.

223. Little Miko, big appetite.

"Actually, today is my birthday," Iino Miko said with a lonely expression, "But my mom and dad... haven't come home these days because of work, so I guess I'll be spending it alone again this year."

"..." So Xia Chuanzou was silent.

If you had to divide the degree of loneliness into levels, celebrating your birthday alone would probably rank at level 7 or 8. Although it needs to be fine-tuned a bit due to personal factors, it's actually not too bad.

However, this is obviously aimed at people who still have a longing for "birthdays" and think it is a day worth celebrating, but for people who hardly care about the concept of "birthday", this degree of loneliness is not worth mentioning at all, and may even be completely indifferent.

And in Iino Miko's situation, this sudden sentimental appearance clearly shows that she cares a lot.

"Then... do you have any plans for today?" Xia Chuanzou didn't know how to comfort her, maybe he should mention something happy?

Judging from the other party's actions, although she was quite sad, she didn't seem to have given up completely, so there was still room for remedy.

"If you don't mind... maybe I can participate?"

He understood that feeling better, he had spent a long time alone, and because he had been rained on, he wanted to pass an umbrella to others.

"Eh? Can you?" Iino Miko's eyes lit up, and she quickly became happy again, although there was still a hint of worry in her tone, "Senior clearly has his own things to do, it's okay if you don't..."

Iino Miko was indeed a good child, even at this moment, she was still thinking about whether it would be inconvenient for him.

"Actually, there's nothing to do, so it's definitely no problem to accompany you... for a while," Xia Chuanzou shook his head, now that things had come to this, he couldn't possibly say that his next plan was to go home and sleep until noon.

Fortunately, he usually didn't sleep much, and after getting used to it, he could always squeeze out energy by working hard.

"There are a few too many people here... How about this, let's go sit in the park over there, and you can also tell me your original plans," Xia Chuanzou suggested.

After all, the two of them were still standing in front of someone else's shop, and although the shopkeeper definitely wouldn't mind, he couldn't go too far. But the most important thing was that the difference in physique between him and Miko made him look like a unscrupulous young man who was about to abduct a minor girl.

Of course, Iino Miko had no intention of opposing Xia Chuanzou's proposal. For her, it was best to have someone accompany her, which showed that there were still people who cared about her after all.

So, with Miko's consent, Xia Chuanzou took her to the small park he often went to - the blessed place where he picked up the angel.

After sitting on the adjacent swing, Xia Chuanzou then encouraged his junior to speak: "If you want to celebrate, you should have made your own plans, right? I'd like to hear them if you don't mind."

He felt that this junior was still a little embarrassed, so he used the phrase "I want to hear" to guide her, which also made it easier to bring the two closer together.

"Um... actually..." Iino Miko was indeed a little embarrassed, but what she said next made Xia Chuanzou a little confused.

"Actually, I was planning to just wander around and then go home after eating something... because, I haven't been here much, so I wanted to taste the local snacks and desserts."

"I see..." Xia Chuanzou nodded to show that he understood.

A very classic foodie mindset, and whether it's to celebrate good things or vent frustration, eating is indeed a good choice. The only thing to worry about is the problem of the body getting fat and out of shape.

"Then what else? I mean - after satisfying your appetite? Are there any other arrangements? Like going to see a movie or something..."

"Ah, no, I just wanted to eat some desserts," Iino Miko shook her head.

Xia Chuanzou felt that her life was too monotonous, so he reminded her: "Even if you say that, there's still a lot of time left, right? Not to mention the afternoon and evening, you can't even pass the time in the morning..."

"Ah? No, I used to be like this, and then a whole day would pass without me realizing it," Iino Miko looked at him questioningly.

So Xia Chuanzou was stunned.

"A... whole day?"

"Yes, a whole day, and sometimes I even feel like there's not enough time and I can't finish shopping," Iino Miko nodded obediently. She didn't have many ways to reward herself, and her favorite was to listen to music all day while hugging a doll, or to go out and look for food all day, but because the latter lacked a sense of "companionship", she preferred the days with a doll.

"..." Xia Chuanzou opened his mouth, suddenly seeming to realize something, "A whole day... spent eating?"

"Ah, it's not like I'm eating all the time, I always have to, pick a store and a menu first, right? And then if I encounter something that doesn't taste good, I'll be a little unhappy and won't want to eat it," Iino Miko explained. For her, the main purpose was to eat delicious food, so she had to pick and choose, but in order to follow the sense of justice in her heart, she would not waste food even if it was not delicious.

But Xia Chuanzou didn't understand her underlying meaning at all, and thought she was the kind of person who liked to order one of everything and then taste a little bit of each. In that case, although it would be a bit of a waste of food, it would indeed satisfy the need to try more things, and today was her birthday, so it was perfectly fine to be a little willful.

"I roughly understand what you mean," Xia Chuanzou nodded, but after thinking about it, he still offered his own suggestion, "The experience of eating alone is indeed better, you can choose and select yourself, but there are also some things that are more interesting to do with two people. Today is also a good opportunity, so why not... try it a little?"

Since he had promised to accompany the other party for a while, he naturally couldn't be perfunctory and felt that it would be better to give this junior a rich and pleasant experience.

"For example, watching a movie, visiting a museum, or playing bowling, going to an aquarium or zoo, these things would definitely be more interesting with two people, right? Of course, if you have better ideas yourself, that's also fine, I have no problem with that."

After all, it was still the other party's own birthday, so he definitely had to follow her opinion. He was just appropriately reminding the other party that "they can now say that the two of them are acting together", so there were definitely more things to consider.

Hearing his words, Miko Iino's eyes lit up, and she nodded excitedly:

"In that case, there is indeed something I've been wanting to try!"

"Is that so?" Kanade Natsukawa glanced at her appreciatively.

"I'm all ears."

"Senior, please come with me to an all-you-can-eat barbecue!"

Kanade Natsukawa: "…"

He thought he must have misheard.

224. A Worrying Junior

In the end, Kanade Natsukawa, with a complicated expression, agreed to accompany her to the barbecue restaurant, but because such restaurants don't open in the morning, the two decided to wander around outside for a while to kill time.

The weather in early May was bright and sunny, and because it had rained last night, there was a bit of humidity in the air, which made the temperature feel less intense.

The cherry blossoms were still in full bloom, and occasionally a gentle breeze would blow, creating a fluttering scene of falling petals like rain. As the two walked along, they could see young couples walking side by side everywhere. The occasional eye contact between them created a shy and heartwarming, sweet and sour atmosphere.

Kanade Natsukawa didn't feel anything in particular, probably because he had seen it so many times, or perhaps because such things often happened to him in the eyes of others, so after getting used to it, he could ignore the pervasive atmosphere of copulation. As they say, familiarity breeds indifference—

"Every spring is a season suitable for animal reproduction."

He neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement, but it was undeniable that most people seemed to agree, which was why there were so many people coming and going.

Miko Iino clearly didn't go out much. She was quite curious about the young couples who were obviously dating, but at the same time, she found the scene too stimulating and couldn't help but avert her eyes.

"Holding hands and hugging are fine, but this is still on the street. How can they… how can they be so lovey-dovey!" Miko Iino's gaze stopped on the side of the road, in a slightly secluded spot that could still be seen at a glance.

Kanade Natsukawa followed her gaze and saw a couple indeed, embracing intimately and whispering sweet nothings. Their hands were restlessly wandering, and their behavior seemed to suggest further developments…

So he withdrew his gaze and tried to instruct his junior with a normal attitude: "Perhaps they can't help themselves… But this type is still a minority, so it's best not to pay too much attention and be influenced by them."

There will always be some strange birds in a big forest. With so many people in the world, there are always some guys who like to pursue stimulating things and are not satisfied with a peaceful daily life. There's no need for them to pay too much attention.

"But… isn't it ultimately a bad influence? At least they shouldn't affect others… We shouldn't cause trouble for others…" The junior was clearly concerned, and her unique sense of justice began to kick in, and she wanted to stop them sternly.

Kanade Natsukawa patiently reminded her: "You have to know that this is not at school. Outside, there are far fewer rules and restrictions. For them, this is just a hug, right? At most, there will be a kissing part, but if that's all, it doesn't constitute a violation of the law, right? If you call the police for this, they'll think you're making a fuss over nothing and wasting police resources."

In the end, this level of behavior is only a moral issue, but since they don't care about morality, you can't bind them.

They might even ridicule you for being a "primitive man."

Miko Iino was somewhat unwilling, but she also felt that he made sense, so she could only reluctantly withdraw her gaze, looking sullen and very concerned.

Kanade Natsukawa found her a bit strange. In every way, caring about this kind of thing seemed a bit off. He feared she was becoming obsessed with maintaining discipline at school.

"How's life at school lately? For example, the previous forest school, was the activity successful? Did you encounter any difficulties?" Kanade Natsukawa tentatively started a topic, and the next second he saw her emotions visibly sink again.

She really is an easy-to-understand child, he thought.

"If you have any problems, feel free to discuss them with me. After all, I'm the one who asked you to be in charge of the overall arrangement for the first year."

Seeing him say this, the junior seemed hesitant, but was still willing to speak.

"Actually, it's like this…" Miko Iino took a deep breath and slowly began to speak.