Chapter 473 After That
After saying that, Ling sat next to Zhuo and held his hands with his own.

What was he doing? Zhuo blinked in confusion, only to see Ling looking at him with a serious and loving gaze.

With this magnificent look, Ling placed Zhuo's hand on her forehead, as if praying.

"Zhuo, congratulations on turning one year older. Thank you for coming into this world and meeting me. I hope that in the coming year, Zhuo will continue to live the life you want."

Ling's voice was like a gentle hell, yet pious and firm. She used this voice to express her blessing.

The sincere and transparent blessing voice made Zhuo feel an indescribable shyness, but a smile appeared naturally at the corner of his mouth.

"…I should be the one saying thank you. Thank you for not being driven away by my cold eyes."

If I hadn't met Zero, I would probably still be living a depressed life, and I wouldn't have the experience of falling in love with someone. I would just live my life day by day.

Meeting Ling is a priceless gift in itself... even if there are too many accidents and calculations involved... but if Ling also has a positive view of their meeting, Zhuo feels that this is perfect happiness.

"I feel that the fact that I can meet you is something that I would never have dared to dream of in my previous life. It can already be called a miracle. Because normally speaking, I don't have the elements to get close to you at all."

"You're saying that again. Sigh... Whether it's my destiny or not, I think you will definitely meet someone very good. I'm the lucky one."

Zero raised his head, examined his face as if he were observing a work of art, and stroked his cheek with his hand.

Zhuo couldn't help but feel shy and looked away.

This is also a strange thing. Even though the two of them have been through everything, this kind of emotion still arises - Zhuo thinks that this may be related to Ling's overly direct way of expression for a long time.

"…Rather than saying it was fate, I prefer this statement—two lines that were far apart intertwined."

"Then I should thank my red thread for tying it to Zhuo's."

"Why does it sound so awkward?"

"is it?"

"Exactly."

Zhuo certainly wouldn't say such a depressing fact as 'there are thousands of worlds, and they can be reset at any time by the gods who look down on all living things'.

As if sensing Zhuo's seriousness and profound meaning, Ling first tilted his head to look at him, as if he thought he was funny, and then gently let his fingers slip into the gaps between Zhuo's fingers.

The small, slender fingers were tightly intertwined with Zhuo's fingers, unwilling to separate.

It was as if they really wanted to tie the already intertwined red threads together tightly from now on.

Zhuo subconsciously did the same as Ling, and firmly hooked her fingers with his own. This action first made Ling look over, and then she looked at the TV with a look of peace of mind, as if she had doubled the taste of happiness, and tightened the strength of her grip.

A popular song and dance program was playing on TV. The sounds of singing and dancing filled the atmosphere with joy. Ling's faint whisper was hidden in it, clearly reaching Zhuo's ears.

"If that really happens, Zhuo, just knock me out and take me away. I will definitely fall in love with you again."

She stared at the TV from beginning to end, as if she had not said anything, or had said something insignificant.

The quiet and peaceful profile shows no uneasiness or worry, indicating that the person who said this firmly believes it in his heart.

Zhuo was fascinated by Ling's appearance, and his throat moved involuntarily.

She was so dazzling, exquisite, and lovable that one would want to possess her - Zhuo bit his lips tightly, trying hard to stop himself from making any strange noises.

"…Zero. Um, I have something to ask of you."

"Please go ahead." "...That is, even if it's just for a moment... Can you just pretend to ignore me for a while?"

But Zhuo finally surrendered honestly.

After he finished speaking to Ling, Ling blinked his eyes in a cute and confused manner, then changed his expression to the strange one he always had after being stared at and peeked at by Zhuo, and nodded.

"...Too much indulgence is a burden on your body."

"……That's not it!!"

Zhuo realized that Ling was thinking about something strange and felt a little embarrassed, so he slowly pulled his hand out and wrapped his arms around her body.

Ling's body trembled, but this did not mean resistance or disgust. The intimate time they spent together made Zhuo feel certain.

While feeling the warmth of Zero's soft body, he carefully but firmly pulled Zero into his arms and put his face against her slender neck.

"…Sorry to interrupt your TV watching. Just for a moment."

Ling hummed softly - perhaps Zhuo's stammering made her feel itchy - but she did not push Zhuo away.

On the contrary, Ling also put his hand behind Zhuo and gently stroked him, as if to say, "I really can't do anything about you." Zhuo realized that he was the only one who was confused this time.

"…If you want to act like a spoiled child, Zhuo can just say it directly."

"You're so annoying, this isn't acting like a spoiled child... I'm a man."

"what is that?"

“…You’re so annoying!”

This impulse is difficult to explain, and Zhuo is unwilling to explain it.

The impulses that were usually suppressed burst out at this moment.

He himself was very skeptical: he actually liked Zero to such an extent.

He wanted Ling to keep paying attention to him, only to him, and wanted the red thread that bound them together to never separate, no matter if the world would continue to fall... But Zhuo couldn't say these words. He could only accept the kindness of his beloved girl in silence and share the warmth from her like a spoiled child.

……

It seemed like just a moment, but in the eyes of some people it seemed like a long time had passed.

In short, the March exams have passed. Whether they like it or not, this batch of high school students will finally leave their campus and pursue their own careers.

Perhaps many of them will never have the chance to meet each other again in this lifetime.

Junior students blocked the door of the opera hall and rushed towards the senior high school students who were coming out.

Zhuo saw the schoolgirls crowded around Kanda tearing off the buttons on his shirt with a posture of eating him alive; saw Morigu secretly hiding the top button of his collar; saw Yurina and Ren who took the initiative to give away the buttons when the bodyguards stopped them...

...Zhuo finally turned his head and looked to the left.

"It seems that Her Majesty the Queen is still in power. No one dares to come to us. Let's go home."

"it is good."

Feeling the fingers flowing between his fingers like water, Zhuo held them tightly and headed for home.

(End of this chapter)