He will not betray my trust, and he trusts me;
He always keeps his eyes on me, but won’t tolerate me turning a blind eye to my own faults;
Even if the atmosphere became awkward because of me, he could still take the initiative to admit his mistakes gently, considering my feelings...
So, as long as he is around, I can move forward with confidence, right?
——The moment this thought appeared in her mind, Toyokawa Shoko could no longer deny it.
Now I have become weaker than ever before, and no longer like the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family.
"Really, this is not good enough..."
She closed her eyes and spoke softly.
I don't know how many times I have scolded myself like this since I met him.
Volume 19: Chapter Chapter We still have plenty of time
The breeze blowing through the pavilion stopped at some point.
Just like a still lake, after Toyokawa Shoko's sigh, the world froze quietly.
However, after a few seconds, the sound of a cup sliding on the table suddenly rang out.
As if he couldn't understand the atmosphere, Ming Hai casually broke the silence.
"Toyokawa-san, your weakness is that you are too impatient."
Without asking her for help, he picked up the teapot and filled it eight-tenths full with tea.
Toyokawa Shoko subconsciously looked up and wanted to say "Please let me do it", but the words that just came to her lips turned into "The tea is cold, I'll ask someone to change it for another one."
But in the end, no words were spoken.
"We are only fifteen years old. Whether we go abroad or get married, we need the consent of our guardians or parents."
Ming Hai spoke, without much of a preachy tone, just expressing his own thoughts.
His voice was like a thread mixed in the wind, gently and slowly wrapping around the girl in front of him.
"You don't even earn your living expenses, so what right do you have to say 'receiving help is weakness'? Don't you think this idea is too arrogant?"
"Face your own mistakes and try to improve them; recognize your own shortcomings and make up for them with the help of others - this is the true maturity for us, as minors, right?"
"So, Toyokawa-san—"
Ming Hai drank the tea, but the refreshing bitterness did not change his relaxed and casual smile.
"Don't worry, we still have plenty of time, don't we?"
"It doesn't matter if you are unpresentable or weak..."
Staring at her eyes that flickered like water waves.
Ming Hai suddenly forgot his original purpose, and didn't think that these words would make her regard him as her white moonlight.
It was simply because I wanted to help her get rid of that boring sentimentality; I wanted to prevent the immature child from feeling deeply guilty because of a simple setback.
That’s why I used my unfamiliar sincerity to say the encouragement that sounded awkward no matter how I heard it:
"Let's cross all these things that we take for granted."
"Then, sooner or later, Toyokawa Shoko will become stronger than anyone else - as long as you believe in it like I do."
Your expression should be as relaxed as possible and your tone should be as natural as you imagine.
Although this is an unfounded affirmation, we cannot get to the bottom of it at this time.
...Is this what so-called support is?
To be honest, I kind of want to cover my face.
Due to lack of experience, Ming Hai can only do this much. If the opponent still doesn't listen, then he has no choice but to leave it to fate.
In the silence after the words fell, Ming Hai took another sip of the bitter tea.
He once again realized how bad he was at this kind of thing.
——How can someone who can’t even encourage himself cheer others up?
but……
"...One day, sooner or later, right?"
Judging from the fact that the haze on her face gradually dissipated and her eyes became bright and clear again, and she was no longer lost and depressed, it seemed that this wave of chicken soup for the soul was surprisingly effective.
Ming Hai couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Just like saving a fallen girl, he felt his conscience was greatly satisfied and he relaxed again.
——Very good, the private goods part ends here.
The rest is related to the task.
"If you ever get to the point where you don't dare to move forward, come find me!"
Not wanting to miss the opportunity right now, Ming Hai drank the rest of the tea in the cup in one gulp and then stared into her eyes.
"As long as I am alive, no matter what difficulties you encounter, I will rush over to help you immediately."
“Eh?! This seems a bit…”
Toyokawa Shoko's eyes opened wide, and she was caught off guard by his serious gaze. She froze subconsciously, and even the blush that was slowly spreading across her cheeks became extremely bright.
However, before he could be moved by the affectionate promise, or forced to retreat by the heavy pressure.
Ming Hai continued with a serious expression:
"Don't worry, there is no one of my age who is more reliable and mature than me. With just one word from you, I can sneak you abroad overnight, even if you want to escape from the Toyokawa family. I will let you get rid of your identity as a young lady and freely choose the life you want!"
"?"
Toyokawa Shoko stood there with a question mark on her face. The boiling emotions and complicated thoughts in her heart instantly cooled down with these words, leaving only frozen silence.
...I was living well at Toyokawa's house, why would I sneak abroad overnight?
Even if I am forced into a political marriage in the future, I don't necessarily have to abandon my family and elope, right? At least my parents shouldn't be unreasonable people...
No, why am I thinking about eloping with him?!
Toyokawa Shoko quickly lowered her head, trying to hide her expression which she couldn't tell whether it was shyness or shame - she always felt that part of her brain seemed to have been burned out during the conversation just now.
As for Ming Hai, he was too lazy to care about her reaction.
He just continued to say the most affectionate words in the most unromantic tone, shattering the original warm and slightly awkward atmosphere into nothing left.
"Perhaps you don't believe it... My life probably exists just for this matter, right?"
"So, Fengchuan, please don't drive away such a dedicated, professional and attentive personal assistant just for the sake of your dignity."
"As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you, including myself."
"..."
It turns out that saying too many nice things can have the opposite effect.
Not to mention being touched, Toyokawa Shoko now wanted to politely ask him to shut up and stop saying exaggerated love words like "I wouldn't mind even if it means sacrificing my life."
Please, it's heavy, okay?
"... Never mind. Let's leave it at that."
She stroked her long hair and sighed helplessly, feeling inexplicably that she had met the wrong person.
I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt like laughing - the carbonic acid-like emotions continued to ferment in my heart, bringing an unprecedented new experience.
"Mr. Narumi is truly a very mysterious person."
Love to lie, smart, careful, gentle, inexplicably positive, clumsy but sincere encouragement, and all kinds of shortcomings and advantages...
The more I know about him, the more curious I become about what other sides of him I don't know about, and I can't help but want to continue to get in touch with him.
Toyokawa Shoko looked at him who was still talking, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly unconsciously. She didn't even know why she felt happy.
That's why I couldn't help but feel sad afterwards.
"You were full of lies yesterday, why are you so serious today?"
Of course she could hear it.
Those promises that seemed like serious nonsense actually contained an inexplicable sincerity and determination, and they were not a joke at all.
Not to mention his passionate gaze now, which is even more direct than the people courting on the streets of France. This heavy emotion from the heart is really unbearable!
Toyokawa Shoko really wanted to ask Ming Hai - is my charm really that great that you fell in love with me at first sight?
Volume 20: Chapter Chapter Phase , achieved.
Unfortunately, she didn't dare.
I'm really afraid that after he nods and says yes, I won't know how to face him.
Thinking of this, Toyokawa Shoko felt her ears getting a little hot, and she subconsciously fiddled with her hair again, secretly hiding the best evidence of her hesitation.
In order to be able to meet him tomorrow as if nothing had happened, she couldn't help but start thinking seriously about how she and he would get along in the future.
"Since you don't hate it, then... just leave it alone for now?"
Good, that's the end of the thinking.
——Sure enough, for her who is still immature, it is still too early to talk about love between men and women, and she can't make a conclusion no matter what.
Then just like he said, let's leave it to Shoko Toyokawa who will become powerful in the future to solve it!
Maybe it will take several years, or maybe it will be forever without you noticing...
In any case, while running the band, Toyokawa Shoko decided to think carefully about how to respond to the feelings that were too hot, yet so warm that she didn't want to let go.
She is not afraid of the unknown road ahead, nor will she be in a hurry to solve everything immediately like before.
After all, someone had already promised to rush to her rescue no matter what difficulties she encountered.
And she chose to believe this sentence. She believed him.
"Narumi-kun."
Toyokawa Shoko raised her head again and interrupted his chatter with a smile.
There is no need for any mental preparation, nor is there any need to carefully consider words.
Just looking at him, the words came out naturally.
"Although I don't know what kind of problems will arise in the future, I need to ask you for help..."
"Even so, can you please stay by my side and help me?"
Hearing that relaxed yet extremely serious tone, Ming Hai was somewhat surprised and was stunned for a moment, then nodded without hesitation.
"Of course, I always do what I say."
He has been waiting for this sentence for a long time.
"Thank you."
Toyokawa Shoko no longer concealed her happy smile. She swayed her body with joy, and her fingers unconsciously played with the ends of her hair on her cheeks. She was as happy as a child who made friends for the first time.
But although she was happy, she couldn't help but ask Xiang Minghai doubtfully when she recalled their conversation not long ago:
"Can you tell me why you rejected me before?"
"Decline?" Ming Hai frowned, "When?"
Pursing her lips slightly, Toyokawa Shoko looked inexplicably aggrieved when talking about this matter: "When you said you were not interested in operations... I thought that meant you didn't want to help me with the band's affairs."
Ming Hai felt confused instead.
"Because I'm really not interested. I don't want to lie to you, so I can only tell the truth, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that Toyokawa Shoko suddenly turned her head away, admiring the scenery outside the pavilion while taking a deep breath inadvertently.
...This guy, he wouldn't be shy like this, would he?
The type where defense gets lower the more it’s broken?
