Zongman: Unknowingly trapped in the hatchet

?

The night in Ginza becomes increasingly hazy in the silver gauze woven by the fine snow, and the glass curtain walls on both sides of Marunouchi Avenue refract the street lights into a flowing river of stars.

Xueno and Su Qing walked along Marunouchi towards the subway station, the snow on their heels making sounds like a sobbing kitten.

She turned her face slightly, her deep blue eyes reflected the tiny snowflakes and a gift box.

As Su Qing's steps swayed gently, the wrapping ribbon on the surface of the box glowed like a pearl under the street light.

The gift box contains a music box.

I was just walking down the street and passing by a specialty store when the other party suddenly suggested that we go buy it.

The purchase took very little time, as if I had already decided what to buy, including the custom-made gardenia necklace.

The base of the music box is made of dark blue colored glaze, inlaid with silver threads to outline a thorn cage.

Mechanical butterfly wings are suspended in it, with diamond starbursts hidden under the enamel patterns.

In short, it is very expensive.

Su Qing even asked the clerk for paper and pen and wrote in neat handwriting.

Yukino didn't want to explore what was written on it, but she still caught a glimpse of a string of English words out of the corner of her eye.

Is it also for her girlfriend?

This is “love” huh…?

If it is in English and they are in a relationship, it would probably be "I love you".

No, if it was Su Qing, it would most likely be something like Natsume Soseki’s “The moonlight is so beautiful.”

Subtle and romantic.

Xueno had no doubt about Su Qing's taste, which could be seen from the music box he chose and the custom necklace he described.

But...why did you suddenly send so many valuable things?

Shiina Mahiru's information quickly flashed through Yukino's mind.

Unfortunately, she only remembered the appearance and names of all the teachers and students in the grade. It would be a bit difficult for her to remember specific birthdays.

After all, she had never had a close enough relationship with anyone to celebrate birthdays with, so it was unnecessary to remember such things.

However, Yukino still vaguely remembered the girl named [Shiina Mahiru], whose birthday was probably in December.

It must be a blessing to have someone remember your birthday.

As soon as this thought came to her mind, she pressed it into the depths of her heart and it froze.

Because it doesn't make any sense.

She hadn't asked anything about the music box since the beginning.

Who is willing to take the initiative to find dog food for themselves?

Oh...I suddenly miss Yui a little bit. Why?

……

Su Qing had no idea about Xueno's rich inner thoughts.

In the past, [Absolute Sense of Smell] could detect something to some extent.

But ever since that day when Su Qing started to exploit the [Super Memory] card bug, it no longer worked.

Covering the pollution level is a continuous and permanent process, just like the refresh rate of an electronic screen, it is just a matter of frequency.

This seems to have had some effect on [absolute smell].

In addition, concentration and reaction time have also declined.

However, Su Qing has almost reached the limits of the human body in these two aspects, and even if they are weakened, they are still much stronger than ordinary people.

So...it turns out that you can do whatever you want by exploiting the bug!

……

Suddenly, Yukino stopped in front of a malfunctioning colored lantern. Amid the crackling sound of a short circuit, she saw the little girl in a red down jacket squatting at the entrance of the fire alley with her head lowered.

Perhaps she sensed someone coming, the little girl slowly raised her face, revealing a little face that was red from the cold.

Xueno and Su Qing's temperament is very extraordinary among their peers. Many times, standing out from the crowd does not necessarily depend on appearance.

When she saw the two people, the little girl's eyes suddenly lit up.

She quickly ran towards them with the flowers in her arms.

Only after a closer look did Yukino notice that the transparent protective film was shiny and new.

Twenty roses are neatly inserted in absorbent sponges, and each petal maintains the perfect curvature of greenhouse cultivation.

Only then did Yukino realize that the other person was not a lost child.

"Big brother, you are so handsome~"

The little girl looked up and praised.

Her voice was very childish, and judging from her height and appearance, her age was roughly estimated to be only ten years old.

Why are you selling flowers at such a young age, and in such cold weather?

"Well, thank you."

Logically speaking, children would not lie, so he should be very happy.

However, Su Qing's reaction was very calm, which could only be attributed to his personality.

The little girl didn't seem to mind Su Qing's attitude at all. She turned around and raised her head with a smile.

The snow quickly fell from her crooked ponytail.

"Big sister, you are so beautiful! Big brother is so lucky to have a girlfriend like you!"

"Eh……?"

The little girl's words were like a boomerang, considering that she was vaguely envious of others just now.

Yukino's heartbeat skipped a beat slower than usual, her eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, and her pupils reflected the snowflakes that had just fallen to the ground.

Why is it considered so?

She was clearly trying to maintain the proper distance between friends tonight.

Or did she simply not understand the scale and was misunderstood?

"Hehe, so big brother, do you want to buy a flower for your girlfriend?"

The little girl seemed to be completely unaware of Yukino's surprise, thinking that it was just the shyness of her first love, so she blinked mischievously and raised the flowers. They were roses.

"One cherry blossom costs 3000 yen. It's imported and a very special variety, so it's a bit expensive..."

"I think it's called Ecuador...?"

"Ecuador?"

"Yes, big brother knows a lot!"

Su Qing took a look at the rose and it did look a bit like that variety.

It is late autumn now, and roses do not bloom in this season. I think it must be a human-controlled variety.

But even so, 3000 Sakura yen is actually very expensive.

But if it is an imported Ecuadorian variety, it makes sense.

Of course, the premise is that this has to be true.

"No, thank you. Besides, this elder sister and I are not in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship."

It’s different now that he has a girlfriend. In the past, given his personality, he wouldn’t have emphasized this.

Xueno glanced at Su Qing and quickly looked away.

"It can be cheaper, how about 2500 Sakura yen?"

The little girl was stunned for a moment, and the next moment she quickly lowered the price.

"Sorry, little sister, we don't really need these flowers."

Yukino half-knelt down, trying to keep herself at the same height as the girl, her voice gentle.

"Eh……?"

A trace of disappointment flashed across the little girl's eyes, and then it was quickly hidden, as if it were an illusion.

"Okay then, goodbye, big brother and big sister."

The little girl held a rose in her hand, and her footsteps left traces on the snow as she walked back, which were shimmering with the oil paint of a neon sign, like a dying rainbow fish.

Yukino was staring at the girl's back.

In the blurry reflection of the corner glass, the afterimage of the red down jacket was swaying, like the wolf grandmother in the fairy tale who would eat lost children.

"and many more!"

Yukino stretched out her hand as if to grab something, and her voice was short and rapid.

"Is there anything else, big sister?"

The little girl turned around and tilted her head.

The light shone on her red face from the cold, and the roses didn't look so bright anymore.

Anyone would feel sympathy in such a scene.

But Su Qing noticed that there was a glimmer of joy hidden in those clear and tender eyes.

"Can I ask why you are out selling flowers alone so late at night?"

"My mother is sick and I want to make some money... But I'm not alone, my mother is with me!"

That childish voice was so innocent that Yukino's eyes softened instantly.

"So...where is your mother?"

"My mother?" The girl smiled with her eyebrows curved, and then, under Yukino's puzzled gaze, she stretched out one hand and pointed towards the sky.

"My mother is in a very far place for treatment and needs a lot of money. But everyone told me that my mother is always by my side. Look, that's my mother!"

Yukino and Su Qing looked up following the girl's gaze.

The night is boundless, the stars are connected into lines, and the unclear faces are hidden in the snow.

It really looks like the outline of a mother.

"My mother's last name is Xingye, and her name contains the word 'Xing'. She used to love looking at the stars the most!"

The children's voices wrapped in honey shattered on the snow.

The girl probably said and thought about this more than once.

As if he had practiced similar theater lines countless times.

Skilled in making people feel distressed.

……

……