The voice became louder and louder, and finally he roared in an almost angry tone, "Even if it's just dreaming, you have to stop it!"
"Hey, ah, this..."
She froze in place, at a loss, the corners of her lips moved slightly, opening, closing, closing, opening... She opened her mouth again and again to say something, but in the end, all the words she wanted to say were suppressed in her heart and turned into an inaudible apology, "I'm... I'm sorry, Hoshino-chan..."
The suffocating silence gradually filled the space, making it so difficult for people to breathe loudly.
"call……"
He exhaled heavily, and his manic voice slowly calmed down, returning to his cold appearance.
"Senior, you are always so fanciful, talking about miracles, happiness and so on all day long..."
He gritted his teeth, biting out words of reproach one after another, "Can you recognize the responsibility you shoulder? Try to do something serious! You are the president of the Abydos Student Union!"
Tear!
The harsh sound of paper being torn suddenly rang out in the room.
It also tore apart the memories of the past.
Hoshino Kotori suddenly woke up from her trance, the bright moonlight gently fell on her face, caressing her sweaty forehead.
Along with a cool evening breeze, the washed-out curtains rippled and a few crisp sounds of insects floated in.
The girl wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned to look out the window. The night sky, which was so familiar, seemed to have undergone some changes. Not only the moon, but even the stars seemed to have become much dimmer.
They were staring at him with their heads down, waiting for him, quietly waiting for him to make some decision.
Hoshino Takanashi rubbed the edge of the envelope in his pocket, feeling the rough touch from his fingertips and the sourness in his heart. He took a deep breath, and finally looked around the corridor full of memories and smiles, and engraved it deeply in his heart.
Click——
The wooden door of the activity room was gently opened, and the friction between the rollers and the gravel made a dry sound. The friction sound, which was barely audible amid the noise during the day, was now so clear and harsh.
The moonlight also took this opportunity to quickly rush into the room, illuminating a small corner, and also illuminating a poster that was torn in two and then carefully taped together and pasted on the wall.
Abydos/Desert Festival
Hoshino Takanashi stepped over the threshold, placed the envelope in his hand in the most conspicuous position in the middle of the table, walked to the poster on the wall, gently stroked the place where the tape was pasted, and felt the coolness coming from it.
"Desert Festival, the name alone makes me curious."
A finger passed over Kotori Yui's head and carefully pressed on the place where the girl's finger had previously passed. "I heard that some countries in desert areas seem to have sand swimming as an activity. I wonder if it was included in the Desert Festival in Abydos before. If I have the chance, I really want to see it for myself."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind in the room that he thought was empty. Hoshino Takanashi shuddered and subconsciously pushed his elbow backwards, causing a gust of evil wind.
But after realizing who the owner of the familiar voice was, the girl restrained her instinct and stopped at the moment when her elbow was about to hit the waist of the person behind her.
"...Teacher, can you make a little louder noise when you walk?"
Hoshino Kotori rubbed his aching shoulder from the sudden stop and turned away helplessly, "It's late at night, scaring people - especially elderly people like uncles - can easily cause a heart attack."
"I didn't scare you, Hoshino-san."
Si Wang withdrew his gaze from the poster, looked down at Hoshino Kotori in front of him, and shrugged, "The teacher has been sitting here obediently for a long time. When the door was opened, he waved to you and greeted you, but you looked sleepwalking and didn't notice it."
"Oh, really, teacher?"
Hoshino Takanashi touched the back of his head and laughed, "Maybe too many things have happened recently, one after another, and my brain is so busy that I didn't notice the teacher."
"Hmm, is that so? Then let's get this done as soon as possible so you can go back and have a good rest."
Si Wang hit his palm with an expression of "I see". He reached out and took out the "Letter of Withdrawal and Retrogression" that Kotori Hoshino had just brought and put in his pocket on the table, and placed it in front of Kotori Hoshino and slowly spread it out.
"Hey, Hoshino-san." Si Wang pursed his lips. "I took a quick look and the contents of these two letters seem to be similar. Which application letter do you need me to sign?"
"..."
Chapter 148: Shadows of the Past
"No wonder I couldn't find it anywhere, uncle. It turns out the letter is here with the teacher. It must have been stolen by Baizi-chan, right?!"
After a short silence, Hoshino Kotori complained as if nothing had happened, "Shirako-chan is really something, no matter how worried you are, you can't secretly look through your senior's schoolbag~"
"What nonsense are you talking about to an outlaw who plans to rob a bank every day, Hoshino-san?"
Si Wang put the two envelopes together, tapped them on the table, folded the edges neatly, and glanced at Xiao Niaoyou Xingye, "It's just rummaging through a senior's schoolbag, what's the big deal."
"It is because you are so unruly that the teacher has to teach Baizi-chan a lesson!"
Hoshino Kotori frowned and said in a serious tone, "If you leave it alone, you will probably become an irredeemable villain in the future~"
"Well, what Hoshino-san said does make sense. I will definitely find an opportunity to have a good talk with Baizi-san about this issue later, but the problem now is..."
Si Wang raised the [Letter of Withdrawal from School and Association] in his hand and said, "Xingye, which application form do you think I should sign?"
"..."
Hoshino Takanashi fell silent again.
Although I knew that the teacher would definitely ask for an explanation when he came over tonight with the application letter I wrote, it was still quite frustrating that I still couldn't get around this topic after going around in circles for a long time.
"...I really don't have the teacher's ability to change the subject." Hoshino Kotori scratched his cheek and forced a smile, "It seems that I can't avoid this question tonight...right?"
"There's nothing I can do. In fact, the teacher is also quite helpless."
Si Wang also shrugged helplessly, "Xingye classmate, you actually understand it yourself, when your resignation letter was discovered by Baizi classmate, you can no longer avoid this issue, and you must give an explanation to your lovely juniors."
"But think on the bright side..." Si Wang pointed to his face and said with a smile, "It's better to explain to me than to Bai Zi, isn't it?"
"...Eh, it seems to be true. Reality is really a headache."
After tilting his head and thinking for a long time, Hoshino Kotori sighed helplessly, then pointed to the corridor outside, "Teacher... can you walk over there with me?"
"Of course no problem~" Si Wang put the two envelopes into his pocket and smiled at the girl, "Then I will respectfully obey your command."
"Really? Teacher, please don't be so polite all the time..."
Seeing Si Wang's smile, Xiao Niaoyou Xingye's courage, which was not easy to muster, suddenly disappeared. His shoulders slumped and he couldn't help but complain, "It's making it impossible for me, an uncle, to be serious."
"Ok."
Hearing this, Si Wang immediately put on a serious look and nodded solemnly, "Xingye, let's be frank!"
"..."
The corner of Hoshino Takanari's mouth twitched, and he walked out of the activity room with Si Wang in silence.
But inwardly I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and felt a lot more relaxed.
The stars are still the same stars, and the moon is still the same moon.
Obviously, everything was the same as when they came here, but for some reason, Hoshino Takanashi felt that everything was brighter, shining with a beauty that was refreshing and pleasant.
"Wow... the windows here are sealed with newspapers, why is there still so much sand..."
Hoshino Kotori coughed twice and waved his hands randomly in front of his nose, raising a cloud of gray dust. "Is it because there are too few of us? No matter how hard we clean, we are still helpless in the face of such a large building..."
"It sounds like Hoshino-san is quite strict with himself. Teacher, I think the environment here is pretty good."
Si Wang's index finger brushed the window sill, with only a thin layer of dust on the edge of his fingertip. "You know, when Bai Zi first brought me to Abydos and saw the state of your school, I was even prepared to not take a bath for a month and only sunbathe every day."
"…I know you're trying to comfort me, but that's really too much."
Seeing Si Wang's serious look, Hoshino Kotori chuckled twice, then looked at the sand dunes outside the window, and couldn't help but sigh, "But the only high school life I've ever had is all sand. If I think about it carefully, it's really monotonous."
The girl took out a handkerchief from her pocket, held Si Wang's palm, gently wiped the dust off his fingertips, and sighed, "It's inevitable that the teacher would have such a weird association."
"It seems..." Si Wang looked down at the girl who was wiping his fingers and said thoughtfully, "Xingye-san really likes Abydos."
"Eh--"
Hoshino Kotori deliberately dragged out the last word, and his orange and blue pupils couldn't help but look up at Si Wang, and asked in surprise, "I have said so many bad things about Abydos, teacher, do you actually think that I like Abydos?"
"It's because you said so many bad things about Abydos that I feel that way."
Si Wang squatted down and looked into the girl's eyes. "If you didn't really like me, why would you spend your only high school life in a school with only sand in it?"
“…it is said that before the desertification, Abydos was a fairly large comprehensive school.”
As if embarrassed by Si Wang's slightly teasing look, Hoshino Kotori subconsciously turned his head away, avoiding Si Wang's sight, and began to say something completely irrelevant, "But such memories and feelings are actually completely nonexistent for me, an uncle~"
Si Wang did not interrupt the girl's confession, but listened quietly.
"After all, in my memory, this school has been a mess since the beginning. There's not even a decent thing to be seen."
Hoshino Kotori's eyes drifted out the window and landed on the undulating sand dunes. Underneath, buried was the former Abydos. "Uncle, when I entered school, the main Abydos school had already been buried under the sand. The seniors at that time are no longer around. The Abydos school that you see now is just a branch school that we once moved to avoid desertification after moving several times."
Si Wang didn't say anything. He continued to remain quiet and listened attentively. Then he gently held the little hand of Kotori Yui that was holding the tissue and gently covered it.
A warm current quietly flows through my heart, and all the pores on my body seem to open at this moment, making me feel as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring.
Hoshino Kotori suddenly felt that no matter it was the evening breeze or what he was going to do next.
It seems not so cold anymore.
Chapter 149 The murderer is actually me? !
"Well, don't worry, teacher. Not all bad things happen when you come to Abydos."
Feeling the strength and warmth coming from his palm, Hoshino Takanashi laughed, "Perhaps it is because of moving here that I was able to meet Shirako-chan, Nomiya-chan, Ayane-chan, and Serika-chan..."
Having said this, the girl paused. She looked at Si Wang holding her hand tightly and suddenly showed an extremely bright smile, "And meeting the teacher."
"Oh, now that I mention it, uncle, I really like this school, right?"
"Yes, yes, although your words, Hoshino-san, fully express your love for Abydos, and also deeply moved the teacher."
Si Wang subconsciously tilted his neck back to avoid the sincere smile that was too dazzling for him, and said half-seriously, "But aren't you really setting some weird flag?"
"Hehehehe, there's nothing we can do about it~"
Hoshino Kotori didn't seem to understand what Si Wang meant. Instead, he followed Si Wang's literal meaning and puffed out his chest proudly. "Who told you to always take all the problems into your arms? It's as if any problem in your hands is like smoke. With a gentle blow, it will disappear without a trace. It makes people want to rely on you involuntarily~"
"So..." The girl held Si Wang's hand with her backhand, stared into his eyes, and said seriously, "Teacher will definitely let Bai Zijiang and the others rely on you forever, right?"
"You specifically emphasized Shirako-san and the others, so is Hoshino-san planning to find someone else to lean on?"
Si Wang raised his eyebrows and put on a righteous expression, "As your teacher, I have to carefully examine the person you choose to rely on. If it is a black boiled egg or something like that, I will reject it harshly."
"Hey, I've been so careful and even picked a time when you're not in school..."
Hoshino Kotori's originally serious face suddenly fell, and the whole person deflated like a deflated ball, "So you still can't hide it from the teacher?"
As if she had thought of something, the girl instantly put on a vigilant expression, and immediately pulled her hand out of Si Wang's grasp, protecting it in front of her chest, "Teacher, you didn't secretly hide a bug on me, did you? This will put you in jail."
"There's no point in changing the subject, Hoshino-san."
Si Wang calmly used a change of subject to bring the girl's attempt to divert the topic back on track, "Even if we take a step back and let the teacher know that I am willing to sign your withdrawal application without the knowledge of Bai Zi and the others, then at least you should give the teacher a reasonable reason. Don't you think so, Xingye?"
Deathly silence instantly struck the noisy corridor.
Si Wang and Hoshino Kotori fell silent at the same time.
"Eh——I failed to change the subject. Uncle, I guess I can only tell you the truth?"
After a short silence, Hoshino Takanashi was the first to speak and break the uncomfortable silence. The girl scratched the back of her head in distress and said, "Actually, two years ago, I received a proposal from the black guy that the teacher mentioned."
"The black guy's proposal?"
Si Wang pretended not to understand. He put his hands behind his back, took out a tissue from his system backpack, wiped the bench in the corridor, and motioned for the girl to sit down and talk.
"Well, the black guy never gave his name, so I just called him [Black Suit], and he seemed happy to accept it."
Hoshino Takanashi nodded, sat down on the bench, and stretched his body. "Should I say it's a proposal, or should I say he's trying to poach people... Anyway, since I joined Abydos, he basically comes to see me once a month, and the most recent time was the day before yesterday~"
No, Hoshino-san, you are wrong. It is only 11:43 now. It will take another 17 minutes before you can say that the black-salted egg came to see you the day before yesterday.
"If it's convenient..." Although he was thinking about some irrelevant thoughts in his mind, Si Wang still asked honestly, "Can I ask what the content of the proposal is?"
"…dropped out of Abydos High School and joined a company that was hiding in the black service."
Hoshino Kotori was silent for a while, then frankly stated the content of the proposal, "If they agree to this condition, they are willing to immediately assume half of Abydos' current debt."
"Hmm~ How should I put it? Just listening to it, the stench of a pig slaughtering plate hits me in the face. It can be said to be a very adult proposal."
Even after listening to it again, Si Wang still felt it was outrageous and couldn't help but sigh, "I guess... no, there's no need to guess, don't even think about it, they will definitely use the other half of Abydos's debt to continue threatening you, Xingye, and order you to do something you are willing to do."
"Well, that is indeed a creepy guy... Although Kivotos is very big, I have never seen a type like him. Teacher, please be careful if you encounter one in the future."
Hoshino Takanashi did not suddenly realize, nor did he deny Si Wang's words. He just reminded Si Wang and said calmly, "It's just that I have always felt that without me, Abydos might collapse, and Bai Zichan and the others... especially Bai Zichan, might become homeless again, so I have always rejected their proposals..."
"Since you were worried that Shirako and the others would be homeless, Hoshino..."
Si Wang smacked his lips, and suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart, "Then why are you not afraid now?"
"Because I met you, teacher~"
