Chapter 368, Honor

"You must be kidding me... My brother actually has a girlfriend..."

"Why are you so surprised..."

"Because my sister has never brought a man home... When we were little, my brother told my sister that he didn't like girls..."

"This time, that time."

It seemed like I had said something like this to them at some point in time.

By the way, Haneda's sister, that is, Haneda's sister, is naturally not a girl that Zhuo can get to know naturally. She is naturally one of the girls that Zhuo was dragged by Sa Chiko to meet all over the town, and she is one of the small group of people who can continue to keep in touch with Zhuo afterwards.

But if you think about it carefully, since Zhuo and his friends have returned to their hometown, and there are several former "blind date" friends living near his home, it is not surprising to meet Yutian sister. It is also possible that he will bump into a girl directly.

"Is your sister okay?"

"Very good. Although I'm out now, I should be back soon, right?"

“I see, that’s it~”

This sentence made Zhuo feel a little relieved. It's not that he didn't want to meet her, but he didn't know how to deal with her after meeting her.

Perhaps because she saw Zhuo showing a relieved expression, Haneda's sister looked up at Zhuo with a hint of uneasiness on her young face.

"...Do you still like your sister?"

Although I don’t know what Haneda told her sister, Haneda’s sister actually believed this.

“Yes, as a friend.”

But using the word "still" is not right. It would be more appropriate to say "no longer", although this is also her misunderstanding.

It’s not that I don’t like it, but it’s also not that I like it.

We are just friends, and that’s the result of clarifying everything. Even so, since we haven’t been in touch for many years, if we say we are just friends now, the relationship would be too bland and fragile.

Maybe the best thing to do is to let the fate end.

Zhuo felt that the misunderstanding between Haneda's sister and Haneda himself was inevitable. Moreover, even if there was something wrong, Zhuo would have rejected it directly at that time. He might have said something hurtful because of his dull emotions, hurting the other party and doing something that would directly sever the relationship.

Having said that, the relationship is already distant enough now. Therefore, it is not a bad thing to gradually disappear from the relationship with old friends.

This was not an intentional cut-off with malice, it was simply a departure, that's all.

"Brother will not associate with sister anymore?"

"Well, we still have to keep in touch. It all depends on whether both parties have time. Besides, everyone has to go to school, and we can't go back to the leisurely time we had before."

Lying would only add to the sadness, so this time Zhuo told the truth.

Although he said a lot, Zhuo actually knew that he would probably stay in Tokyo. He would probably be wandering in the future... Well, maybe he would follow Lu Mingfei on his way to escape. Of course, since Zhuo had agreed to it, he would definitely not regret it.

Anyway, he has got what he wanted most.

That's probably it. Zhuo has realized that he is drifting away from the past world. He may meet different people and make different friends. Maybe Lu Mingfei is not as bad as he thought. Maybe the paralyzed senior brother also had his own fantasies. Maybe... the real world should have such an awareness. Maybe Zhuo will not get along with them. Maybe they can't even stand on the same side.

In short, Zhuo has already awakened.

Since we are destined to go far apart, many of our current friends will loosen up or break off ties.

Sister Haneda seemed to want to say something, but before she spoke she looked behind Zhuo.

"Hua Zhi, who are you talking to..."

By the way, Haneda's sister's full name is Haneda Hanayuki.

Zhuo turned around and saw a face he hadn't seen for a long time.

"……haven't seen you for a long time."

Zhuo didn't leave because he liked someone but couldn't get her, as Haneda's sister thought, so Zhuo looked over without changing his expression. Haneda's voice was a little awkward.

Because the other party directly expressed his embarrassment, Zhuo couldn't help but laugh.

"Long time no see. The last time we had a good conversation was two or three years ago. It's great to see you so energetic."

"That should be my line... You're much more spirited than I expected, Utsunomiya."

"Well, I'm still in good spirits. I'd rather say that my physical condition has improved a lot compared to before... Oh, this is my girlfriend, Zero Razumovskaya Romanov." "Huh~ I've grown up and become more arrogant. I actually found such a beautiful girlfriend."

"Well, I also think it's my honor."

“…Indeed.”

Zhuo shrugged at Haneda, who was surprised by Zero's exquisite appearance, and turned back to look at Zero.

"It's been such a long time no see."

"Yes."

"By the way, my mom said before that you seemed to bring back a very beautiful girl during the summer vacation. I didn't expect it to be true. Do you plan to stay in Tokyo in the future?"

"Well, I have my own life there, and I live a very fulfilling life there. There is no other reason to come back except to see my parents."

"That's it."

"Well, maybe I won't have many opportunities to talk to you, Haneda, in the future."

"It's possible. It would be nice if you stayed there. Oh, don't take my sister's words seriously. She was just joking."

Haneda lowered his head and kicked away the stones at his feet, then he suddenly raised his head after tightly closing his lips.

"That is to say, there probably won't be much connection after this, since our residences and friendships are different."

"Yeah, that's about it."

"Then I'll tell you, I liked you when I was a kid - huh, this is the first time I call you by your name."

"..."

Even after hearing such words, Zhuo didn't react at all, to be precise, not a single word.

Zhuo felt that he might be a little too heartless, but he didn't see Haneda look hurt, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now that I've said it, I feel relieved. I also felt guilty in front of the real owner. I'm sorry."

"Well, don't worry about that. I think it's good this way. Haneda has someone he likes now, right?"

"Ah."

"Then I wish you success~"

"Thank you, you too... Even so, you have succeeded."

"Yes, it is."

"You've really changed, both in appearance and in heart... If it were before, I would definitely say "How could that happen~~"

"Haha, that's true."

"That's it, then? Your girlfriend is still waiting."

"Goodbye...Haneda."

"Ah."

Although we say goodbye as a "parting", I don't think we will actively say goodbye.

Zhuo doesn't think it's cold to think this way, he is just sorting out these relationships that are necessary for separation.

After they parted, Zhuo and Ling still walked on the roadside with their fingers intertwined. Ling on the side was particularly dazzling, probably because he was bathed in sunlight.

"...Zhuo Zhen has already made up his mind."

Zhuo was walking slowly, admiring the nearby scenery, when he suddenly heard Ling's low murmur.

"Yes, you are the main reason for who I am now, and the biggest contributor to helping me figure out the direction for the future. What do you think?"

"pleasure?"

Zero tilted his head and looked at him.

"That's great."

(End of this chapter)