Chapter 454: Preparations before that

"Ah, come to think of it, the last time was around this time. Looks like there won't be many days left."

Zhuo knew that if he wanted to fully meet Ling's expectations, his own strength alone was not enough. So, Zhuo picked a rare day before the exam when he could rest, found Ren, the best person to discuss with, and made an appointment to meet at a fast food restaurant after school.

Zhuo didn't intend to tell anyone about Ling's birthday rashly. However, Zhuo was witnessed by Ren on Christmas Day last year, and he already knew the approximate date at that time, so Zhuo had almost no hesitation in discussing this with Ren.

"If too many people knew about this kind of thing, it would make it difficult for me, so please don't spread it."

"I know. Who do you take me for?"

Perhaps because it was the gap between two peak hours, the fries didn't seem to be freshly made and had already softened. Ren picked up a fry and fiddled with it, narrowing his eyes in confusion and saying:

"As for that person, she's more alert than you are, and relatively speaking, she doesn't like getting along with others... or maybe she doesn't even want to get along with others, except you."

“…You are very clear about this.”

"Don't stare at me like that, it's scary... and don't be jealous. It's just because you are similar to her, right?"

"Ah... well, it's a bit like that."

Although he is somewhat different from Ling in nature, Zhuo always looks indifferent, thereby building an invisible high wall.

As his friend, Ren also knew that Zhuo had never thought about deliberately building good relationships with anyone. To be more precise, in Zhuo's mind, he probably thought that this was a meaningless thing, and that indifferent and spiritless behavior could be regarded as a measure to discourage others.

"Right, so I kind of know what she hates. I'm not the kind of person who would deliberately mess with my friend's girlfriend."

"I know that."

"Wow, I feel your trust in me!"

“You just felt it.”

At this point, if Zhuo didn't trust Ren he wouldn't have gone to him to discuss things, but for some reason, Ren acted as if he was flattered.

Why are you making such a fuss, Zhuo thought to himself. But soon, Zhuo found that his eyes gradually became worried, and for some reason, in the end, his eyes even turned into worry about Zhuo.

Zhuo lowered his voice slightly and asked, "What are you doing?"

"...What's wrong with you? You're suddenly so friendly to me. I'm worried."

"Don't look at me with that look that suggests you're suspicious of someone who's not feeling well!"

"Oh, what do you think——"

"Is that so~~"

Suspecting the impolite thoughts that might arise in Ren's mind, Zhuo glared at him. However, with the arrival of a voice of agreement, a figure attracted Zhuo's attention - following the scattered shadows, Zhuo raised her head and looked at her master.

As expected, Yurina was standing there. The smile on her face was as cute as always, but mixed with some malicious intent.

"...You just joined on your own."

"Oh my! Aren't you two boys sneaking around here? It's very suspicious! I just happened to see you, so I came over~"

Zhuo knew that Yurina was very busy because she was in Class A, but he didn't expect her to appear here, so he couldn't help but cast a suspicious look at her.

Yurina laughed as usual, "I didn't follow you~~" and sat down on the chair next to Ren as a matter of course, picked up the limp French fries and put them into her mouth.

"So, what are you guys talking about?"

"You just sit down and talk to yourself."

"Hehe, if it's something that Zhuo doesn't want me to know, he wouldn't say it, and he wouldn't discuss it with Tonggu. In that case, then I can know it. Anyway, what Zhuo wants to discuss is most likely related to Romanov."

Zhuo knew that Ren was a friend who was very good at observing other people's moods. What was troubling was that Yurina was always particularly perceptive in strange places. However, Yurina was also one of the witnesses of last Christmas, so she knew roughly what happened. Zhuo had originally planned to ask her for help, so now it saved the trouble of explaining it separately.

Having said that, Zhuo still felt inexplicably embarrassed that she had seen through the matter accurately. He sighed softly and let out the embarrassment that was churning in his heart.

“…It’s about sending that thing.”

Zhuo did not intend to hide it and answered frankly. "Look~" Yurina showed a smug expression.

"OKey~OKey~Okay, okay, I understand. I just want to give her a surprise."

"It's not a surprise... Even if she didn't say it explicitly, she should have guessed something."

"You are so bad!"

"There's nothing I can do about it. I can't hide everything from her. That would only make her more worried, which would be counterproductive."

I often hear that in some cases, surprises can also cause others to dislike them. Surprises are meant to please people, but if they are used in a way that provokes the other party's plan, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse? Therefore, Zhuo wanted to consider Ling's preferences as much as possible, and try to give her a satisfactory result, so that she would feel happy from the bottom of her heart.

"Hehe, what a lovelorn person."

"Whatever you say."

"Swish~~swish~~confused and lost~~addicted to it~~infatuated~~harming the country and the people~~"

"Hey, something weird got in there."

"So, what do you want to ask of Kiritani?"

"No, it's not a request... I just want to discuss what would be a suitable gift."

In short, because the time is chosen on Zero's birthday, you need to decide what gift to give and prepare it in advance. Sometimes, it takes some time to prepare birthday gifts. It feels a bit late to prepare birthday gifts now.

Although he was busy with his part-time job before and is now tied up because of the entrance season, Zhuo still regrets not being able to start preparing the gifts.

"Well, shouldn't you be the one who knows the answer best, Zhuo, who is closest to her?"

"After all, you are stuck with her 24 hours a day."

"Why are you two talking like that? And you guys don't stick together all day. Let's not talk about that for now - having said that, Zero has almost no material desires... If there is something he really wants, he will buy it decisively after careful consideration."

“I can totally imagine it.”

Ren reluctantly agreed. Even though they didn't communicate much, it was clear from his daily style that Romanov wasn't someone who would get tangled up.

"Romanov is not very good at talking about what he wants, but he tries to solve it himself."

Honestly, Ren hit the nail on the head once again.

Although, sometimes she would say 'I feel this and that, and need this and that', I almost never heard her mention that she wanted to buy something for herself.

Zhuo knew all this in his heart. While he was happy, he felt that Ling was restraining himself too much. A sense of anxiety gradually rose in his heart, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

"So, it seems that person really doesn't want anything."

Yurina seemed to have lost interest, and she supported her delicate chin with one hand while looking at Zhuo and saying this. Ren thought carefully and analyzed.

"Did she give anything last year? Or do you remember if she ever said she wanted anything? Even if you know some of her preferences, that would be great."

"Last year... well, I said it, that is..."

Zero did clearly say what she wanted, but - "It's better to fight for it yourself." This was Zero's original answer, and what Zero wanted at that time has now been obtained, that friendship called confession.

Zhuo knew very well how deep Ling's love for him was, which made her give up her past experiences, so as long as it was something Zhuo gave her, she would basically treasure it with satisfaction. This was not out of arrogance, but out of understanding of the other party.

However, this cherishment is more due to the additional factor of "gift", and because of the gift itself.

Zhuo knew that Ling would be happy no matter what he gave him, but even so, Zhuo still wanted to give Ling what she really wanted.

"…I felt a love deeper than the ocean."

"Is it on the same level as the Maria Trench?"

"You two!!!"

(End of this chapter)