She just took a simple look around after exiting the station entrance and then walked towards the equally eye-catching Dubian Che at the newsstand.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.

"Just got here," Dubian Che replied.

"Jiutiao didn't come?" Kiyono Lin teased.

"Dislikes how remote Itabashi District is."

"Don't say Itabashi District is remote while you're at Itabashi Station," she lectured, then smiled lightly, "but I have never been here either."

"Same kind, you better run, you are about to get beaten." Dubian Che walked towards a nearby zebra crossing.

Kiyono Lin also stepped forward, "Same kind is a derogatory term, I suggest you use a different phrase."

"Same old, same old? Birds of a feather? Like-minded?"

"Like-minded originally had neither a positive nor a negative connotation, you didn't know that, did you?"

"I knew."

"Oh," Kiyono Lin, hand on her chin, smiling beautifully, said, "Aren't you always proud of your understanding of Chinese culture? Turns out you're not as clear as I am."

"I said I knew already."

"Obstinate."

"I know this one! It's from Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng's 'Golden Lotus' Chapter 30, right?" Dubian Che said proudly.

"Is 'Golden Lotus' any good?" Kiyono Lin asked with a casual smile.

"Speaking of which, Itabashi really is like the countryside," said Dubian Che.

The two were passing by the train tracks.

The railway tracks in the summer, with grass growing wild in the middle and on both sides, conveyed a sense of wilderness.

Suddenly, someone on the opposite side came herding a flock of sheep, munching grass as they walked—seeing such a scene in Itabashi District in summer wasn't strange.

Above the railway tracks, intertwined and extending wires stretched across.

Dubian Che was staring at the wires when a gust of wind blew.

"Ah!" He blinked.

Kiyono Lin turned her face to look at him, inquiring with her eyes, "What happened?"

"Got dust in my eye," Dubian Che, rubbing his eyes, said, "Even superheroes have weak points when it comes to their eyes."

"No, Superman's eyes emit superheat rays. Let me educate you, that's not a laser but a kind of wave ray with temperatures up to 6100 degrees and speeds hundreds of times faster than light. Plus, it primarily uses the wave for collisions and heat as an auxiliary. Superman can freely adjust the intensity and temperature of the impact."

Kiyono Lin, giving a little lesson, handed him a water-blue handkerchief with a dolphin pattern.

"I was talking about me, not that Superman," Dubian Che wiped his eyes with the handkerchief, "but I'm surprised you watch those kinds of movies."

"What kind of person do you think I am in your eyes? A boring girl who only reads books?" Kiyono Lin said helplessly.

"Definitely not one to watch Superman."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Her face unseen, her voice clear and pleasant, "Not only do I watch Superman, but I also watch Doraemon and, under someone's coercion, have watched 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.'"

"Putting 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' at the end, are you trying to start a fight with me?"

"Haruhi is wilful and unreasonable; it seems inevitable that you like me."

"You actually admit you're wilful and unreasonable?"

"When it comes to being honest, I am very self-aware."

"Thank you," Dubian Che returned the handkerchief.

"You're welcome."

Leaving behind the Itabashi District station tracks where they could best Dubian Che, the two walked into a shopping street.

"Why did we come all the way to Itabashi District?" asked Dubian Che.

"Open those dust-blinded eyes of yours and look at the street," Kiyono Lin responded.

Dubian Che glanced around, "It's Itabashi District, what about it?"

Kiyono Lin sighed, explaining, "Although it's one of Tokyo's twenty-three districts, the prices here are cheaper than in Shinjuku District."

"Prices?" Dubian Che repeated the word, "What, did the Kiyono family go bankrupt? I can sponsor you."

"How much?"

"Let me think," Dubian Che hadn't checked how much money he had to date and simply totaled the amounts the system prompted, "A hundred billion yen, roughly, might be more, might be less; is that enough?"

"At least a trillion."

"That's not sponsorship, that's buying the Kiyono family, isn't it?"

"If you take over the Kiyono family, any decision must go through my approval—a ninety billion dollars deal just to sell out, if my mother hears this, she might change her mind."

"Then why are you still in Itabashi District?"

"Let's check out this store." Kiyono Lin led Dubian Che into a photography equipment store, "What's the point in winning first place at the Cultural Festival using family money?"

"Isn't the club budget enough?"

"A camera tripod just needs to be functional, and just because things are cheaper in Itabashi District doesn't mean they're of poor quality."

"Even though your family is so rich, you're thinking about how to save and compete fairly with others using club funds, Kiyono..."

"Instead of wasting air and speaking meaningless words, you might as well come help choose." Kiyono Lin examined the material and durability of a tripod.

"I really hate you." Dubian Che stepped forward.

After much deliberation, they bought the tripod and walked down the drab, color-faded shopping street of Itabashi District.

Children on holiday gathered around a freezer full of ice cream; an Akita Inu, avoiding the sun, slept in the shadow of a roof.

The two of them ate one 40 yen and three 115 yen soy flour bread rolls.

"It really is cheap," Kiyono Lin nodded satisfactorily, looking pleased with her choice of location.

"I don't know if this counts as a date," Dubian Che said, looking at the plastic bag that had contained the soy flour, "but don't you think buying a girl rolls for 40 yen each undermines my billionaire status?"

"Speak plainly."

"I'm hungry." Dubian Che crumpled the plastic bag into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket. "Two small rolls aren't enough."

A small cake shop with only three tables.

One table was occupied by two full-time housewives, one was commandeered by a fearless Siamese cat, and they sat at the one by the window.

They ordered square-shaped cakes, alternating layers of cake, cream, fruit, and more cake, topped with strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

Three strawberries, the middle one still bearing fresh green leaves.

Each had a slice of cake and a cup of coffee.

Dubian Che cut a piece of cake with a strawberry and ate it all in one bite.

As the sweetness intensified to its peak, he picked up his mug and sipped the slightly bitter coffee.

Dubian Che looked out the window, enjoying the deliciousness and the leisure.

"Do you think it's alright to come out and have dessert alone with me when you have three girlfriends?" Kiyono Lin lifted her eyes and asked with a smile.

Behind her, across from Dubian Che, the two gossiping housewives, who had been admiring Dubian Che, now looked at him with indescribable gazes.

It was like seeing a crow rummaging through trash at the roadside.

"It's fine," Dubian Che said, enjoying another bite of his cake, "Meiji knows and she approves."

"Approves?"

"She agrees that I should be with you," Dubian Che said.

It wasn't just the housewives; even the female cashier behind the counter turned to look at them.

Only the Siamese cat still lay there comfortably asleep.

Kiyono Lin set down her fork, picked up her coffee, and her eyes showed contemplation.

"Is she letting you owe her, planning to marry you someday?" She set the coffee down, her clear eyes quietly watching Dubian Che.

"Yes," Dubian Che picked up the only strawberry with leaves.

"What do you think?"

"I, of course, want to be with you, to embrace you without restraint, but," Dubian Che put the strawberry in his mouth, "you wouldn't want that, would you?"

"I've said I would defeat them all."

"Mm," Dubian Che wasn't sure what he was agreeing with.

He had eaten half the strawberry, with the leaf still held in his hand; debating whether to eat it or not.

Kiyono Lin reached out with her delicate hand and removed the broken leaf for him.

"Thank you," Dubian Che swallowed the strawberry.

"This is a difficult thing," Kiyono Lin set the green leaf on the table, "I admit I've underestimated Jiutiao Meijie."

"It's my fault," Dubian Che said.

"No one is to blame," Kiyono Lin suddenly smiled lightly, "unless we blame ourselves for falling in love too late."

"If I had loved you earlier, I would have been expelled from the club."

"So, no one can be blamed unless we don't love each other."

"That's absolutely impossible," Dubian Che took a sip of his slightly bitter coffee, "Let me put it shamefully, the more we can't be together, the more I want to make you love me."

"I feel the same," Kiyono Lin also took a sip of the slightly bitter coffee.

"Birds of a feather," Dubian Che chuckled.

This time, Kiyono Lin didn't rebut.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.