That evening, Miku and May stayed at Mochizuki's place for dinner again.
After all, May was there for the food Shiina Mahiru made.
As for Miku, she wanted to stay a little longer.
After dinner, both of them left reluctantly, as they had school again tomorrow.
...Sitting on the sofa, Mochizuki was scrolling through short videos on his phone.
"According to the latest news from this station, last night, a first-year student at Chiba Soubu High School was involved in a collision with a large truck at an intersection because he was looking at his phone while riding his bike.
The student has been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment and is temporarily out of danger...
We will continue to monitor the student's physical condition..."
The boy in the video was wearing the Soubu High School uniform, but his face was blurred, making him unrecognizable.
However, the bicycle's appearance was not blurred.
The tires were already deflated, becoming flat strips.
The basket on the front of the bicycle was crushed into a ball, the frame was twisted beyond recognition, and the handlebars were precarious...
We can imagine that the impact at the time was considerable.
Next to it were a pair of framed glasses that had fallen to the ground, and a full-screen phone.
There were also some A4 papers, seemingly with the three large characters "Project Proposal" written on them...
The thick lenses of the glasses were shattered beyond repair, as was the phone screen, and the ground was covered in glass shards.
Then the scene changed, and the student had changed into hospital clothes, his head wrapped in layer after layer of white cloth, only his two eyes were visible, but they were tightly shut, and the person seemed to be in a coma.
...Mochizuki felt it looked somewhat familiar and was thinking about who it could be in his mind.
Shiina Mahiru, who was beside him, also heard the sound from Mochizuki's phone and said in surprise, "Eh, a student from school?
That's scary, you really can't look at your phone while riding a bike."
"Yeah, yeah."
Seeing Mochizuki's indifferent look, Shiina Mahiru pouted in dissatisfaction, "Night, you too, you can't look at your phone while walking!"
"I know..."
Somewhat helpless, Mochizuki swiped past this video.
"Why did the famous actress Sakurajima Mai retire without reason?
This video will take you to uncover the story behind Sakurajima Mai...
Like and follow."
Mochizuki was a little surprised, he didn't expect to have encountered Sakurajima Mai yesterday and see her video on his phone today.
In the video, there were some photos of Sakurajima Mai, but very few frontal shots, and some characters Sakurajima Mai had played in TV dramas and movies.
"Eh, Sakurajima Mai... I heard she's a senior at school."
Shiina Mahiru said, she didn't expect Mochizuki was actually scrolling through videos of a female celebrity!
Mochizuki didn't expect Shiina Mahiru to know even this, she really didn't just like the school, but knew all aspects of it.
Next, he scrolled through several more videos of advertisements endorsed by Sakurajima Mai...
Shiina Mahiru: Why are there so many videos of Sakurajima Mai?
Forget it, she's a big star anyway, very far from us.
...Continue to swipe past one video after another.
"There are ten days left until the release of Sword Art Online, or SAO for short.
This fully immersive virtual reality game will bring you a revolutionary gaming experience...
Come join us for a thrilling adventure in Aincrad...
We'll be waiting for you in Aincrad!
Click the link in the bottom left corner of the video to pre-order the game device."
Frame after frame of promotional animation flashed across the phone screen, greatly attracting Mochizuki.
His finger unconsciously clicked into the purchase link.
"What!
98,800 yen!"
This was still the discounted price for pre-ordering...
Mochizuki was startled by the five-digit price, but thinking about it, it was reasonable.
Compared to their research and development costs, which were astronomical, 98,800 was nothing.
However, without hesitation, gritting his teeth, Mochizuki began to fill in the shipping address and make the pre-payment.
Any hesitation would be disrespect to this game.
If he didn't pay the full balance by then, not only would he not get the game device, but the pre-payment would also not be refunded.
Mochizuki silently complained in his heart, it was a huge rip-off, but he still had to buy it.
"What's wrong?"
Shiina Mahiru asked, looking at Mochizuki's constantly changing expression, had he scrolled to some strange news again?
"Nothing."
Mochizuki replied, it was better not to tell Shiina Mahiru about gaming.
..."Hmm?
Shiina Mashiro..."
Mochizuki was a little confused, could she be Mahiru's relative, or a sibling?
Mochizuki asked curiously, "Mahiru, do you have a sister named Shiina Mashiro?"
"Eh, Shiina Mashiro?"
Hearing a name so similar to her own, while making Shiina Mahiru confused, also raised a thread of worry in her heart.
Could it be that Mom and Dad... behind her back...
Mochizuki handed the phone in his hand to Shiina Mahiru, and Mahiru also nervously took the phone, feeling a little uneasy.
Shiina Mahiru started watching the video.
In the video, a blonde girl appeared whose appearance was completely on par with Shiina Mahiru.
Like Miku, she had an expressionless look, and this girl seemed a little naturally spaced out, with very fair skin and a pair of slightly phoenix-like eyes.
Her eyes were fixed on the drawing board in front of her.
Her somewhat slender fingers held a brush and constantly copied on the drawing board, at a speed that was quite shocking, and a beautiful and perfect painting gradually became clear...
The onlookers below also burst into thunderous applause.
"British genius painter, Shiina Mashiro, why did she disappear without a trace?
And it seems she transferred to Sakura Country...
Hailed as the most genius young painter, what kind of charm do her works possess!
Let's find out..."
After watching the introduction in the short video, the big stone that had been hanging in Shiina Mahiru's heart finally fell, and she felt relieved.
This girl was a mixed-race, and had lived in England before, so she had no connection with her family.
Although her parents' family was not an ordinary one, it had no connection with England.
As for the name, it should just be a coincidence.
Mahiru had thought that her parents had a new daughter behind her back, but it seemed she had overthought it.
Speaking of which, she hadn't contacted her family for a long time either.
"I don't know her, I don't have such a relative."
Shiina Mahiru returned the phone to Mochizuki and shook her head.
"Is that so, the name is too similar, I thought..."
"Hmm... don't keep scrolling through videos!
It's bad for your eyes."
Shiina Mahiru said admonishingly, and besides, the short videos Mochizuki scrolled through kept emitting girls' voices.
"Okay, okay..."
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