Zongman: Unknowingly trapped in the hatchet

"Just because I have confidence doesn't mean I don't have confidence, mother style, seconds."

“What is the mother formula?”

This has nothing to do with the cultural differences between the island and the mainland. It’s just that Hikigaya doesn’t surf very often, so he naturally doesn’t know about this joke.

"The formula is reasonable and based on facts, while the mother formula is the opposite."

Su Qing said calmly.

"Wow, isn't this a bad idea?"

Hikigaya was worried that Su Qing would be beaten to a pulp by the women's boxing.

"Tsk, the formula is just a tool. How to use it depends on the individual, right? Am I not using the formula now?"

"……makes sense."

Suddenly, Su Qing put his hand on Hikigaya's shoulder. The sudden weight caused Hikigaya's left knee to bend, but he quickly adjusted it back.

"Hey, Hachiman just said he wanted to apologize with me. I was really touched. I didn't expect that Hachiman and I have such a deep friendship. Isn't he worthy of being my good son?"

"Hey, hey, I remember we were talking about being friends that day! And why are you calling me by my name all of a sudden?"

“Good friends in mainland China all call each other this way, so you have to learn to adapt.

Besides, what's wrong with calling me by my older son's name? "

Su Qing argued sophistry, but everyone who had been to school knew that Su Qing was right.

"As long as you are happy...but I won't admit it."

Hikigaya curled his lips, he knew Su Qing was just joking with him.

「Well, if we can even make such a joke, it means that we are really close, right? It’s a bit unbelievable.」

Hikigaya felt the pressure on his shoulders, which seemed to be a little more real, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"School is over too early, how about going to the arcade to play a few games? I haven't played it before, and I want to give it a try."

Su Qing suddenly proposed.

"No, I want to go back and keep me company for a while."

[I'm sorry, Su Qing, even if we have a good relationship now, it's not that important]

Sister? Come to think of it, Hachiman did mention her last time.

"Come on, we are here so early because of the exam. Is your sister taking an exam too?"

"Actually, my sister gets scared if she doesn't see me when she gets home..."

Hikigaya Ai told the truth.

"I'm trying to fool you, Dam. Why don't you join the service club and go home so late every day?"

Hikigaya's little lie was exposed.

"Well, actually I don't really like it..."

"I invite you."

"really?"

“More real than real fruit.”

"…Why didn't you say so earlier? Let's go."

[Sorry, Komachi, my brother needs to protect this rare friendship]

However, this was just Hachiman's superficial thought. What really touched him was...

[Hehehe, I finally found a good opportunity to trick Su Qing]

……

Friday night, Su Qing's house, after dinner.

“Is this an estimate?”

Su Qing looked curiously at Shiina who was sitting in the living room. He was stacking all the test papers in order and comparing them seriously.

"Yes, because I am worried that the results of the previous subject will affect my mentality for the next subject, so I always wait until the last minute to estimate the scores."

Shiina saw Su Qing coming closer and had no intention of covering the test paper. To her, there was nothing shameful about this.

"So how's the estimate?"

Because Shiina did not deliberately block Su Qing's sight, Su Qing just silently responded to Shiina's answer and saw it all.

"Hmm... it should be about the same score as before, but I can't judge some of the subjective questions too accurately."

Shiina put down his pen, and after estimating that his score remained at the same level, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Isn't that great? I heard from them that this exam is much more difficult than the previous ones. Many people said they wanted to jump off the building."

Su Qing played a hellish joke.

After hearing this, Shiina's beautiful eyes flashed with confusion. She couldn't understand what the connection was between the exam and jumping off the building.

"Why jump off the building if you didn't do well in the exam? Wouldn't it be better if you do well next time?"

"Yeah, if you don't do well in the exam, can't you just take it again next time? Since you know everything, why do you feel relieved?"

Su Qing suddenly looked at Shiina with a serious expression. Their relationship was now quite close, otherwise Su Qing would never have asked so directly based on their previous relationship.

However, the main reason why Su Qing spoke so directly was because of Shiina's personality.

"……I.."

Shiina didn't know how she should answer or what kind of answer she should make. This involved the deepest part of her heart, her pain. She didn't really want to hide it from Su Qing, but she really... really didn't know how to answer.

Moreover, how did Su Qing notice it? Even if the two of them were really close to each other, only a few fists away, it shouldn't be so obvious to be noticed.

The most important thing is, I just exhaled, why did Su Qing ask this?

Are [Absolute Sense of Smell] and [Gaze into the Abyss] really just as simple as their descriptions suggest?

Humans use their five senses to perceive changes in the surrounding environment, obtain information from the outside world, and appreciate this colorful world.

Originally, Su Qing's insight was already amazing enough, and after acquiring these two talents, Su Qing found that his original observation ability was further improved, and he felt no discomfort at all, as if he had always been like this.

Su Qing recalled the night of power outage again, and just like that time, he could sense Shiina's heart again.

It was not the kind of relaxation and joy that ordinary people feel when they worry about not doing well in the exam. If that were the case, Su Qing would never have asked such a stupid question.

The breath that Shiina exhaled was filled with a hint of sadness and confusion. As for joy?

Maybe there are, but it must be very small.

"Come to think of it, Shiina seems to help the teacher a lot at school. Last time I saw you helping the biology teacher move some equipment."

Su Qing suddenly changed the subject, supported himself with his hands behind his back, and relaxed his whole body with a light tone.

"Really? I do help teachers sometimes, but why don't I see you?"

Shiina breathed a sigh of relief because Su Qing didn't continue the previous topic.

At the same time, he was also recalling whether he had ignored Su Qing at that time, and whether he had greeted him but he ignored him because he didn't see him?

[If that's the case, it's not good.]

Shiina could only hope so she overthought it.

"You're worried that if I come up to you and say hello, you'll force me to move with you. I don't want to be a laborer."

Don’t say it, really don’t say it, this is the truth, but it’s not allowed to be said.

"…Do you think I'm the type who would force someone to do something they don't want to do?"

Shiina looked a little resentful, and her cheeks were slightly puffed up, which was very cute.

"That's it, let me think about it..."

Su Qing no longer leaned back lazily, but sat up straight, assuming the standard posture of a thinker.

Shiina was helpless. Why was she thinking so seriously? Was this the feeling she usually showed to Su Qing?

After a while, Su Qing sighed as if he had finally figured out the answer.

"As for Shiina, she would certainly not do such a disgusting thing.

After all, she is an angel."

Unlike before, Su Qing no longer used the teasing, playful and cheerful tone when saying the word "angel". Where did he seem to have heard this tone before? It sounded so familiar... as if he had heard it many times before.

Where is it... Oh, right, it's at school... Isn't that how they say these things in this tone?

But why? Why did Su Qing suddenly become like this?

"But I think you will force yourself to do things you don't want to do."

Su Qing turned to look at Shiina, who responded involuntarily, and the two looked at each other. For a moment, the air froze.

"What's the meaning……"

Su Qing's eyes were still as clear as water, and Shiina could even see his own reflection in the other's eyes.

"Isn't that so?"

Su Qing did not answer directly, but answered the question with a question.

And often, the questions do not need to be answered.

Because silence is the best answer.

"I always felt that you were putting on a forced smile at school.

Besides, why do you have to make everyone like you? "

Although they were not in the same class, Su Qing had quite a few opportunities to see Shiina because their classes were close and they had physical education classes together.

"But...if we don't do that..." Shiina became a little excited. She wanted to say something urgently, but she still didn't know how to start.

Her eyes dimmed a little, she lowered her head slightly, and her voice became low.

"Sorry, I just got a little excited."

"fine."

Su Qing shook his head, his tone gentle.

“Actually, it’s normal for someone to dislike you.

Because liking someone has nothing to do with "how nice you are."

When Su Qing said this, Shiina quietly raised his eyes and saw the warm light gently falling on Su Qing's profile, adding a bit of gentleness to him, which made Shiina stunned for a moment.

At this moment, Su Qing seemed to sense Shiina's gaze and turned his head slightly, his eyes soft and warm, like the arrival of warm spring and the melting of snow.

“You need to meet friends who like you and love people who won’t make you cry.

Go to the faraway place you want to go and fulfill your dream.

To become the person you most want to be.”

Su Qing's voice was ethereal and long-lasting, and Shiina was dazed for a moment.

[Su Qing is really, cunning...]

"What if there is no..."

Shiina murmured subconsciously in a trance, her voice very soft, like a lost girl talking to herself.

"Then just go on the journey of searching gently, neither hurriedly nor slowly, and search slowly.

Even if you can’t find it now, don’t worry, because the most beautiful scenery often blooms quietly without you noticing.”

Su Qing spoke every word carefully and sincerely.

"W-W-What are you doing…Shiina?"

It only takes one... to break the beautiful and warm atmosphere.

pillow?

"S-Sorry, but please don't look at me right now!"

Shiina's slightly hurried voice came. Even though Su Qing's vision was blocked at the moment, he could guess that Shiina's ears must be so red that they seemed like blood could drip out.

"I don't want to look, I don't want to look, uh - anyway, you don't have to be so hard, uh -"

The angel was merciful after all and spared Su Qing's life.

Feeling that he could breathe a little through his mouth and nose, Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief even though the pillow was still pressing against his face.

However, because the distance was too close, Su Qing seemed to be able to smell the faint fragrance of the pillow, which seemed to be somewhat similar to the smell on Shiina's body?

Thinking about it carefully, it seems to be true. During this period, Shiina hugged this pillow whenever she had time, so it was normal for it to have a little smell.

But this feeling is really strange, just like a traitor suddenly appeared in the family.

After a while, Su Qing felt the force from the pillow gradually weakened, and then fell on his knees.

However, Su Qing closed his eyes tightly at this time and asked.

"So, can I watch it now?"

【What?】

Shiina saw Su Qing's tightly closed eyes and the frown on his face, and chuckled.

"Now, it's OK."

Adjusted so quickly? Su Qing was surprised.

"Thank you."

Shiina said softly.

"Well, you're welcome."

Although I don't know what Shiina is thanking me for, it's definitely correct to say "you're welcome."

“You know what I’m thankful for?”

"Well...I don't know."

Su Qing was not embarrassed and just smiled back.

"Hehe, if you don't know, then it seems that I am more cunning, right?"

Shiina suddenly stood up and took a few steps. Because of the air flow, the scent of gardenia became stronger.

"Cunning or something, are you a little fox?"

"Well, who knows? It's hard to say whether it's true or not."

Shiina's voice is clear and pleasant, with a hint of playfulness and agility, like a butterfly flying lightly in spring, making people feel happy.

"Then I am the Big Bad Wolf and I will eat you!"

Su Qing just likes to make jokes.

"Don't big bad wolves eat little white rabbits?"

The knowledgeable Shiina pointed out Su Qing's mistake.

"I am the great evil grey wolf, and I love to eat cunning foxes like you."

Su Qing retorted.

"Yes, is that so..."

"That's it."

"Well, I have something else to do, I'll go back first..."

When Shiina left, she was obviously in a panic, and her steps were quicker than usual, as if she was really worried that the big bad wolf would eat her.

It seems that it won’t adjust back so quickly?

Su Qing sighed helplessly, "Am I a bad, vicious person? I cooperated with your performance but was still treated as a real big bad wolf."

It's really chilling~

Su Qing looked at Shiina's departing figure with a gloomy look in his eyes.

Everyone in this world has their own secrets. This is true for Shiina, and so is Su Qing.

Su Qing had no intention of exploring Shiina's past and experiences, nor did he intend to gossip about Shiina's deepest secrets.

He just didn't want to see the little girl hiding on the swing in the park on a rainy day, looking distraught, but still wary and coldly refusing other people's umbrellas.

Just because of this.

So, he did it.

That's all.

In the living room, for some unknown reason, the lights flickered twice and returned to normal after a moment.

On the sofa, Su Qing was still sitting there, without moving.

But the gaze remains the same, deep and quiet.

……