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"Ugh—"
The cold wind swept by, and the dizzy Tsundere Young Miss finally woke up. She suddenly stood up straight, quickly reached her hands behind her to cover her skirt, and then, like a winding doll that had stalled, her head slowly and stiffly turned, looking behind her.
Kitahara Makoto looked up at the sky, as if nothing had happened:
"The weather is nice today."
Ahhhhhh!
People only talk about the weather when they have nothing else to say, so… it must have been seen, right!
"T-today ends here… I have something else to do, so I'll go back first…"
Nagasaki Soyo's sense of shame exploded instantly, her pretty face flushed crimson and hot, almost dripping blood, nearly fainting from embarrassment.
Even the Tsundere Young Miss couldn't withstand this level of shameful torture. Her steps faltered, and she fled in a hurry.
"Good news, it's estimated that the Tsundere Young Miss won't be targeting me for a while…"
Kitahara Makoto continued to look up at the sky. After his body calmed down, he looked up and finished the rest of his drink, then got up and left the amusement park, heading to Tsukinomori Academy.
There was no conversation along the way.
Half an hour later.
As the sun set and birds returned to their nests, Kitahara Makoto arrived at Tsukinomori Academy.
Standing outside the music classroom, he could vaguely hear the low flow of piano music, giving a rather heavy and melancholic feeling.
Kitahara Makoto raised his right hand and gently knocked on the door.
"…"
The piano music stopped abruptly, and the classroom suddenly fell silent.
"I'm coming in."
Kitahara Makoto waited for a few seconds, but no one responded, so he gently raised an eyebrow, reached out and pushed open the door of the music classroom, and walked inside.
He swept his gaze and saw Togawa Sakiko sitting in front of the piano, her body tense, her face turned towards the window, and she was haphazardly wiping her eyes with her hand.
A lot had happened in the past two days. Bocchi-chan and Kita hadn't come, so today the music classroom still only had Togawa Sakiko.
Kitahara Makoto stepped forward. With the setting sun outside the window, he quickly saw the tear stains on Togawa's pretty face, and the moist mist in the girl's eyes.
"Did someone bully you?"
Kitahara Makoto's expression immediately darkened, and a surge of anger suddenly rose in his heart.
Togawa was now a partner in exorcism. If someone bullied her, it was equivalent to bullying himself. He couldn't tolerate it, he absolutely couldn't!
"N-no one bullied me…"
Togawa Sakiko wiped her cheeks, denying it in a low voice.
"No one bullied you, so why are you crying so sadly?" Kitahara Makoto frowned.
"No one really bullied me." Togawa Sakiko looked up, her eyes misty, "When I was playing the piano just now, I don't know why, but I suddenly remembered old things… My heart feels so heavy…"
Kitahara Makoto: "…"
So that's it.
It should be the second effect of the piano keychain that took effect.
[New Effect: Symphony of Destiny. When you carry this item, your piano music will more easily evoke emotional resonance. This effect also applies to yourself.]
Before school ended in the afternoon, Kitahara Makoto had given the piano keychain to Togawa. This item was useless to him, and Togawa Sakiko was very curious, so he casually gave it to the girl behind him.
Now it seemed that when Togawa Sakiko was playing the piano alone, she triggered the second effect. The piano music she played happened to be a melancholic tune, which is why she became the tearful Togawa-chan she was now.
"Wipe your eyes." Kitahara Makoto handed over a tissue and said gently, "It's the special effect of the keychain, it can make people feel emotional resonance. From now on, when you practice piano, don't play sad pieces."
Togawa Sakiko bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, unable to wipe away the mist in her eyes:
"I… I did something very wrong… I hurt many people… It's all my fault…"
It seemed the effect of the item was a bit strong, and it wouldn't stop anytime soon.
Looking at the tearful Togawa, Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"Do you want to lean on my shoulder?"
"…"
Unexpectedly, Togawa Sakiko did not refuse. After biting her lower lip and thanking him in a low voice, she gently rested her head on Kitahara Makoto's shoulder.
Not long after, Kitahara Makoto felt his shoulder getting a bit wet.
Could the item's effect really be that powerful?
Kitahara Makoto was skeptical.
However, there was another possibility: the girl's emotions had been suppressed for too long, and now that they were finally released, she couldn't stop…
She was originally a high-and-mighty young lady, but her family fell into decline overnight, completely hitting rock bottom. Not to mention a sixteen-year-old girl, even most adults would probably not be able to withstand such a blow.
But Togawa Sakiko not only gritted her teeth and endured it, but also single-handedly took on the heavy burden of supporting her family.
Forming a band required money, daily life required money, taking care of her useless father required money, going to school required money… In the face of the cold reality, the girl's youthful dreams were pale and powerless, like a paper airplane with broken wings, crashing down.
The green spring waves under the sorrowful bridge, once reflected a fleeting glimpse.
The girl's pride and self-esteem prevented her from speaking the truth, and she was even less willing to be pitied or sympathized with. Therefore, Togawa Sakiko ultimately chose to withdraw from the band in a self-destructive manner, hurting others while also severely punishing herself.
Was it wrong to roughly withdraw from the band and hurt her teammates?
Of course, it was wrong.
Things in the world have always been separate matters; there is no such thing as good deeds offsetting bad ones.
But has it reached the point of being unforgivable and utterly wicked?
Apparently not.
If he started saving her now, he could completely pull Togawa-chan out of the dark mire.
Kitahara Makoto suddenly felt that he should do something.
He originally had no intention of interfering. As an adult, he should respect others' destinies and let go of his urge to help. Moreover, when he first met Togawa, even if he wanted to save her, he was equally powerless, after all, he himself had to work hard to earn money.
But now it was different—
Empty words couldn't save anything, but money could.
As long as the exorcism group could become an overnight sensation, achieving financial freedom wouldn't be a dream. Once the cold beast of reality was dealt with, the remaining obsessions and entanglements could be easily resolved.
Stomach medicine, entanglement, collapse… and only then can salvation be achieved?
Sorry, but I simply choose to be their sugar daddy!
Time quietly passed, minute by minute, and the music classroom quickly grew dim.
After an unknown amount of time, Togawa Sakiko finally sat up straight. Looking at Kitahara Makoto's completely soaked shoulder, her pretty face quickly flushed, and she hurriedly said:
"I'm sorry, I got Kitahara-kun's clothes dirty…"
"You can just wash it when you get back." Kitahara Makoto didn't care. He turned to look at Togawa, whose eyes were slightly red and swollen, and said softly, "Do you feel a little better?"
"Much better," Togawa Sakiko nodded slightly. "Thank you for your concern, Kitahara-kun."
Seeing that Togawa still looked off, Kitahara Makoto changed the subject.
"Since you're fine now, wipe your nose. You've got snot bubbles coming out."
"Eh eh eh?"
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face quickly flushed red, and she hastily wiped her nose. After realizing she had been tricked, her cheeks puffed out involuntarily, a surprisingly cute little gesture.
"There's no snot... or that kind of thing, okay?!"
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