Chapter 19

"It's okay, surprisingly easy to talk to."

Nakamori Akimi thought about it and realized that since they had talked it out that day, Fuji Shusuke had turned back into the gentle and handsome boy he was. He would talk to her about worldly things every day, like posting pictures of his younger brother and cacti. She almost thought he had returned to normal.

"It seems like you guys had a good chat." Atobe Keigo handed her the document. "The medicine is almost ready. Ask him out this weekend."

"It's just so-so, not very enthusiastic, but it should be no problem to arrange a date." Nakamori Akimi took the document and hugged it in his arms. Suddenly, he thought of the other two people. "Then can we start looking for the other two now? I still don't know who they are, and I feel uneasy."

"I've already asked someone to investigate Shitenhoji and Rikkai University. We'll have the results this week to see if there's anything unusual."

Atobe Keigo is still as efficient as ever, it feels so good to be his teammate!

"Then I'll focus on dealing with Fuji," Nakamori Akimi breathed a sigh of relief, "That's all, I'll be leaving first, President."

"Wait," Atobe Keigo suddenly stopped her, "Remember to tell me the time and place after you make an appointment with Fuji."

"Are you coming too? You'd better disguise yourself well. I'm afraid Fuji will misunderstand you and it will be difficult to deal with it."

"Don't worry about it. With my skills, he can't find me at all."

The confident look of Keigo Atobe was still fresh in his mind, so Nakamori Akimi really couldn't believe that the person who was not far away from them, wearing only a black baseball cap and sunglasses, and following them in a swaggering manner was Keigo Atobe.

Bro, can't you be a bit more technical when it comes to tracking? Who gave you the confidence to think you wouldn't be discovered? At least hide a little!

"What's wrong, Qiushi?"

Fuji Shusuke subconsciously followed her gaze, and Nakamori Akimi was so scared that he turned his head away. "It's nothing. Don't be distracted when you come out to play with me, Shusuke. Look, there's a drink shop over there. I'm thirsty. Let's go buy something to drink!"

"good."

There were no follow-up questions, no doubts, and the smiling look with narrowed eyes was particularly gentle and harmless.

But Nakamori Akimi always felt uneasy.

"What would you like to drink? I remember you liked strawberry juice, or has your taste changed even now?" Fuji Shusuke looked down at her. "Are you texting with your friends? If you're busy, come sit inside for a while. I'll take the order."

Just as he was about to send a message to remind Atobe Keigo that he was easily exposed, Nakamori Akimi immediately exited the chat page and said, "No need, I can order it myself."

She pretended to look at it for a while, "Ah, there's bitter melon juice here. It's rare to see a beverage store selling this. How about we try it?"

I didn't expect that bitter melon was actually set as a fixed container for medicine. This is really not her revenge. Fuji Shusuke, if you are suffering from bitterness, just blame that crappy system.

"Bitter melon juice? That's very bitter."

Fuji Shusuke really seemed to be just reminding her, not showing any reluctance at all, and even seemed a little eager to try.

"It's okay. I've been feeling a bit irritated lately, so drinking some bitter melon juice is just right to clear away the heat."

"In that case, let's order the sugar-free version. It has the original flavor and should be more effective."

Sugar-free?

Nakamori Akimi frowned fiercely. Was he trying to trick Fuji Shusuke or her? She just said that in vain.

"Sure, let's give it a try."

No matter how reluctant he was in his heart, Nakamori Akimi still pretended to be looking forward to giving it a try.

"Guys, bitter melon juice without sugar is very bitter," the waitress warned them sincerely, adhering to her professional ethics. "It's very unbearable if you try it for the first time."

"That's okay, we can accept that."

Fuji Shusuke declined her kindness and placed the order directly.

"Okay, two medium cups of bitter melon juice, sugar-free. Here's your receipt. Please wait."

Seeing that they insisted on doing so, the clerk had no choice but to change a set of tools and cook for them separately. After all, it would be terrible if the flavors mixed.

It's strange to say, but yesterday the boss suddenly asked them to launch a new product, bitter melon juice, and said they had to sell it even if they made a loss. She thought they wouldn't be able to sell even a single cup, but she didn't expect that there would actually be people who would buy this stuff, and it was sugar-free.

This is so painful.

The shop assistant sighed inwardly and handed them the prepared bitter melon juice.

"Enjoy your meal."

She said this, but what she really thought in her heart was: How can this be happy?

The waitress was still mourning for them in her heart, and then she saw the gentle boy who took the order take a sip and recommend it to the girl who was traveling with him with a happy expression.

"It tastes good, Qiushi, come and try it."

He could laugh after drinking something so bitter, did he have no sense of taste? The waitress was shocked.

Nakamori Akimi was also shocked.

Although she already knew from the information given to her by Atobe Keigo that this person's taste was a bit strange, she was still shocked.

Of course, what shocked her even more was that he showed no sign of returning to normal after drinking.

[Sorry, Ms. Nakamori, there seems to be a problem with the recovery potion here, and it's not working as expected. We are working on it urgently, so please be patient for a moment.]

She knew that things would not go so smoothly.

It's not that she was disappointed. After all, she had seen how unreliable this game was. She was just speechless, but she couldn't show it in front of Fuji Shusuke, so she could only try her best to pretend that nothing was wrong and tasted the bitter melon juice.

yue——

She only got a little on her lips, but the pungent taste still penetrated into her throat and nasal cavity, and she almost vomited.

"How is it, Qiushi? Are you used to drinking it?"

As he spoke, Fuji Shusuke had already finished the bitter melon juice in the cup.

Is this something for humans to drink?

Nakamori Akimi's face was as green as the bitter melon juice in her hand.

"I might not be used to it."

Nakamori Akimi glanced at his empty cup with a lingering fear and smiled sheepishly. Putting aside the question of whether she was used to it or not, if she took another sip, she might die.

"You really haven't changed. You still can't stand bitter things." Fuji Shusuke seemed very happy. "If you are not used to it, order another one. How about strawberry juice? I remember you used to like it."

He seemed to have mentioned it many times today. Nakamori Akimi rolled his eyes thoughtfully and nodded with a smile. "Sure, I really like strawberry juice."

No wonder, she doesn't like drinking any juice.

After ordering another glass of strawberry juice, Nakamori Akimi began to think about how to get out of this situation. The medicine wasn't working, and she couldn't really spend the whole day wandering around with Fuji Shusuke. If she continued like this, she would become a liar, deceiving innocent boys.

Let her think about what excuse to come up with...

At this moment, Fuji Shusuke seemed to meet someone he knew.

"Sanada?"

It was Genichirō Sanada from Rikkai University. He was looking at something on the display wall next to the escalator with a serious look on his face.

"Ah, Fuji?" He turned around immediately after hearing the voice. He seemed surprised to run into an acquaintance here, but he quickly greeted politely, "Long time no see."

Then he turned his gaze to Nakamori Akimi who was standing beside him, "Who is this..."

"Hello, Sanada-san. I'm Nakamori Akimi, a second-year student at Hyotei Academy High School."

By the way, there was no training camp in this timeline, and they didn’t know each other yet.

"Hello, Nakamori-san. I'm Genichirō Sanada, a sophomore at Rikkai University High School."

After all, they were strangers they had just met. After a brief introduction, Nakamori Akimi could only listen to their conversation in a daze.

"Why is Sanada in Tokyo?" Fuji Shusuke glanced at the display wall in front of him and said with understanding, "Is he here for a concert?"

"Yes, today is Ms. Hino Kahoko's Tokyo tour day. Tickets for this tour are hard to come by. Thanks to Atobe, I have the honor of being able to come and see her."

Atobe?

Nakamori Akimi's expression changed slightly, and she wondered why Atobe came here so openly, it turned out that he had a trick up his sleeve.

"Atobe, no wonder I saw him nearby, it turns out he had an appointment with you, Sanada."

Fuji Shusuke's words really shocked Nakamori Akimi. She asked why she felt uneasy. It turned out that Fuji Shusuke had already discovered Atobe Keigo a long time ago. He might have imagined some bloody plot just now. No wonder he kept talking about the past. He was probably referring to her.

These two people each have 800 tricks on their minds. Compared to them, Nakamori Akimi feels like she is just a little white flower, pure as can be.

"Ah, yes, I did make an appointment with Atobe to meet here." Sanada Genichirō checked the time, "He should be here soon."

As soon as the words fell, Atobe Keigo's flamboyant tail voice rushed over, "Huh? Sanada, why did you bring two tails with you?"

He said this as if he had no idea why there were two more people.

"What? It's Fuji and Nakamori." He flicked his hair nonchalantly. "Why, are you also interested in Hino Kahoko?"

This is a natural way to start a conversation, Atobe, I didn't realize you're such an acting talent—

A complicated expression flashed across his face, and Nakamori Akimi just called out "President" stiffly.

"I don't really pay attention to this aspect, but Qiushi, I remember you are very good at the violin, right?"

What is it? Yes, not at all!

Nakamori Akimi tried to smile. "It would be an exaggeration to say I'm good at it. I'm just a little bit good at it."

In fact, she's completely new to the instrument... If anything, she only knows how to play the shamisen. That was when she didn't do well on an exam as a kid, and after hearing the song "Green Pine," she was so moved she started learning it out of anger. Now, she's just good at it.

So, Tsukishima Sakuramu, why did you make her so versatile? Can't we just be normal and have a normal campus romance? She really doesn't have the nerve to pretend to be so versatile!