Chapter 18: She might just have sand in her eyes
That night, Zhuo lay on the bed with his eyes closed, thinking about what had happened that day.

Although there are many bloody twists and turns, but putting aside the facts themselves, it is just a small matter and don't take it to heart.

After today, he will no longer have anything to do with those people and will just be acquaintances.

Zhuo told himself this and fell asleep.

……

Sunday passed peacefully, with no more accidents.

Monday was the day to go to school again, and Zhuo came to school as usual.

Just as Zhuo had hoped, the relationship between him and Ling remained limited to strangers who knew each other.

The two would meet each other at school, but they would just nod and say hello to each other and would never say a word.

The same is true for Zero.

"Zhuo, I hate you~" Kiritani Ren looked at Zhuo with a resentful face.

Zhuo was now turning around and lying on his desk.

"Don't come on, it's none of my business."

"Of course it matters," Ren complained, "It's because you didn't come that Yamamoto and I have such a hard time."

I think Ren and Yurina were exhausted preparing for the sports festival last weekend.

Zhuo rolled his eyes and said, "If there is any truth in what you said, it wouldn't be completely unreasonable."

After saying that, he looked around the classroom. On the other side of the classroom, Kanda was in good condition. He was also preparing for the sports festival. It was probably because he exercised regularly that he was not as half-dead as Ren.

Even now, there were still some people gathered around Kanda's seat, discussing something, and they looked busy.

That's amazing, Prince!
Isn’t this kind of socializing tiring?

Zhuo thought about it and looked towards the corner of the classroom.

She was a petite girl, sitting in the corner with her arms draped over the table like a primary school student.

Her hair was so light that it was almost pure white and was braided into a braid, revealing her pale and clear profile as she stared quietly out the window.

In such a noisy occasion, she still looked so out of place, and seemed more like an ice sculpture isolated from the world.

After just a quick glance, Zhuo looked away.

Even so, Ren, who had been watching Zhuo, discovered him.

Ren also looked in the same direction. Even though there were many people in that direction, Ren was able to determine at a glance that the person Zhuo was looking at was Ling, and his expression became clear.

"Come to think of it, Zero only comes to school on weekends. I didn't see her at all on Saturday."

“Everyone is busy.”

"That's right, but Zhuo..." Ren looked back, "Have you decided what event you want to participate in, the sports festival?"

"..." Zhuo was silent for a while, then asked, "Can I not participate?"

"Of course not. What are you thinking? Everyone has to play at least two sports."

"So complicated."

Benevolence:"……"

……

Finally, Zhuo randomly chose two sports, basketball shooting and tug-of-war. The former only requires hands, while the latter allows him to fish secretly.

He didn't even choose the red team where Yamamoto was, and of course he didn't choose the blue team where Zero was, but instead chose the yellow team where the squad leader Kanda was.

Although Zhuo and Ling had some unexpected events the day before yesterday due to some fateful circumstances, they live in different worlds.

There is no way a romantic comedy future could develop between them.

Zero has her own future.

Zhuo should also have his own life.

The girl who was like an ice sculpture, the girl who was like an ice sculpture, she must need the magma from hell to melt. There will be no intersection between them anymore.

This is what Zhuo thought.

……

"what are you doing here?"

Zhuo never expected that he would transform into Wang Jingze so soon, not even in his dreams.

His cognition lasted only a day, maybe only half a day, before it was ruthlessly shattered in an alley on his way home.

At this moment, he was riding on his beloved bicycle, supporting himself with one foot on the ground, stopping at the intersection, and asking the girl squatting in the alley.

The conscience of heaven and earth,

If he knew that this person was Zero, he would never have said hello.

Let me first talk about the cause. At this time, the anime "Shaving" has not been released yet, but in Neon, it is possible to pick up a homeless high school student on the roadside.
(ps: Don't read it if you haven't read it. Even the green-haired turtle couldn't stand it after reading it. I can only say that it is worthy of being a story about a person who lives a good life. Even perverts can't sleep after reading it. It is too destructive to one's world view. This book is pure love, so I will skip it.)
This kind of girl is called a suitcase girl in Neon. As the name suggests, it refers to a homeless Neon girl who is waiting for kind people.

When Zhuo saw a girl in a white dress squatting in the alley with her forehead against the wall like a stray cat, he also felt that he had met such a girl with a suitcase.

But he never thought,

is zero.

Actually, it’s not his fault. Let’s not talk about why Ling was squatting here in a dress and sandals.

Just one thing.

How could Zero be squatting in a shabby alley with such a...sad expression?

Sadness? This was the first time Zhuo thought of this word.

This is also the reason why Zhuo never thought that the girl was Ling after seeing that she also had blonde hair, and therefore mistook her for a stray cat.
It's understandable, right?

But after recognizing the cat, he regretted it and wanted to slap himself twice! You are such a pervert and want to get something for nothing. You usually see so many stray cats but don't pick them up. Now you ask for a cat with a good figure. You deserve it!

Zhuo reflected deeply on himself.

After seeing Zhuo, Ling gradually returned to her signature expressionless face. If the memory just now and the current oolong had not been convincing enough, Zhuo would have felt that what she had seen before was all an illusion.

"Good afternoon, Utsunomiya-san." Zero greeted.

It seems that she doesn't want to talk about her own affairs.

"Oh, good afternoon."

Zero said nothing.

Zhuo thought about it and realized that since they were all classmates, it would not be good to just leave like that, so he said.

"Although I don't know what happened to you, since we are classmates, remember to come to me if you have any difficulties. Although I don't want to help with small matters and I can't help with big matters, you can still come to me if you have any difficulties."

Then Zhuo prepared to slip away.

Now that we have identified the perpetrator, we should retreat. He can't drive the car, so the best strategy is to get away as soon as possible.

So Zhuo put away his legs and walked away.
During this process, Zero kept looking at him with calm eyes and said nothing.

She neither asked for help nor felt sad. This was Zero's normal state, and this was Romanov in Zhuo's eyes.

Moreover, Zhuo didn't think that he could really help Ling. At least in the plot three years later, nothing happened to Ling. This was the evidence.

Therefore, when Zhuo left, he stood up and pedaled the wheel.
He runs really fast.

Go back home and eat and drink, and pretend you haven't seen what happened in the alley.

Zhuo is aware of his ordinariness, so he thinks there is no need for him to be like the hero in the novel, who stands up for justice, saves a fallen girl, and then wins her heart.

Besides, Zero is not a fallen girl.

She might just have sand in her eye.

(End of this chapter)