Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Xiao Ai Li and Xiao Zhen Ping
Momozawa Airi played here for most of the day and returned home feeling very satisfied.
She refused to let Jinpei Matsuda take her to the tram stop, saying it was too hot outside and she could go by herself.
"More than just happy birthday."
When he was leaving, Momozawa Airi stood at the door and waved at him with a smile.
"Be happy every day, Zhen Ping."
…
Not long after Momozawa Airi left, Matsuda Jinpei's parents returned home.
His dad, who had been playing baseball all day, said, "I'm so tired... Happy birthday, Zhenping..."
His mother, who had been playing baseball all day, said, "I'm so hungry... Happy birthday, Zhenping..."
Then they both collapsed on the sofa, gradually taking root, sprouting, blooming and bearing fruit.
It produced two fruits with the words "Zhen Ping, go cook quickly" written on them.
Birthday boy Jinpei Matsuda: "..."
He twitched his lips and went to cook resignedly.
When he came out with the same ramen as he had at noon, his father suddenly spoke.
"Hey, do you know her?"
Jinpei Matsuda looked up and found his father looking at the photo he had placed on the table.
The fair-skinned little girl cried at the camera, her eyes sparkling and her face full of tears.
Matsuda Jinpei: “…Pfft.”
...It's really cute.
Forgot to put it away.
Jinpei Matsuda took the photo without hesitation and put it in his pocket.
"I won't show it to you."
His father: “…”
The child has grown up.
His mother: "This must be a picture of Zhenping's girlfriend when she was a child. So cute."
A gossipy expression on his face.
Matsuda Jinpei: “…………”
His parents both knew that he had a girlfriend, but neither of them had ever met her.
Ever since he speculated that Momozawa Airi's parents might have passed away, Matsuda Jinpei rarely mentioned his parents in front of her.
Jinpei Matsuda thought his father was just asking casually.
After dinner, his mother went to the door to chat with Mrs. Hagiwara, leaving only Matsuda Jotaro and himself at home.
When Jinpei Matsuda was hiding in his room taking apart his watch, Jotaro Matsuda walked in casually.
"Zhenping's room is very clean."
A greeting was exchanged.
Matsuda Jinpei continued tightening the screws without even looking up. "If you have something to say, just say it."
Matsuda Jotaro: "..."
Matsuda Jotaro: "Is that photo of your girlfriend when she was a child?"
Matsuda Jinpei paused, then looked up at him: "What's wrong?"
The warm yellow light shone on Joutaro Matsuda's face, and his expression looked a little complicated for a moment.
"Ah, it happened a long time ago. It's quite mysterious."
*
xxxx year.
Early in the morning, elementary school student Airi Momozawa was walking to dance class with her schoolbag on her back.
She has watched a lot of idol animations recently, and pestered her grandmother to sign her up for dance classes, saying that she wanted to work hard to become a beautiful idol.
grandmother:"?"
Grandma was skeptical: "Can you persist in learning to dance?"
Momozawa Airi nodded seriously: "Of course."
However, she thought about the many interest classes she had abandoned halfway, paused, and added nervously, "Why not sign up for a trial class first?"
So I signed up for a trial class.
The dance class is far from home, and grandma has to go to the next block to buy supplies today, so she can't pick her up.
So Momozawa Airi went there obediently.
Because she was not familiar with the road, she left home very early.
There is an old commercial street near the dance class.
It's almost entirely filled with old shops.
There is a boxing gym at the entrance of the commercial street, and there are quite a lot of people there.
When Momozawa Airi was passing by the boxing gym, she was accidentally bumped by an aunt who came out to sweep the floor.
The aunt looked at her in panic: "Little friend, are you hurt?"
Momozawa Airi shook her head and solemnly declared, "Auntie, I'm fine. I'm gifted and a strong child."
Aunt:"?"
Momozawa Airi shook her head seriously: "Grandma said I have a thick skin, so I shouldn't be able to break it."
Aunt:"……"
The aunt burst out laughing and patted her head: "I'm sorry, little girl."
[Hasn't hired a new boxing coach yet...]
[Why did Ah Wu suddenly change jobs?! The training for the xxxx competition is about to begin, where can I find a new boxing coach?!]
[Even if one of them falls from the sky, it's fine! This is the first time our boxing gym can surpass the reputation of the one next door! ]
Unlike her gentle voice, the aunt's inner thoughts were very violent.
Momozawa Airi blinked her eyes, thinking that adults were really complicated.
When passing by a TV store, Momozawa Airi was attracted by the program playing on the TV in the glass window.
Even during the summer vacation and outside of weekends, her grandmother still only allowed her half an hour to watch TV every day.
...But grandma usually watches idol dramas very enthusiastically. Momozawa Airi often secretly watches TV when she goes to the living room to get some water.
Tomorrow, two episodes of her favorite bishoujo anime will be broadcast in a row, so Momozawa Airi told her grandmother early on that she wanted to move today's TV watching time to tomorrow.
So she shouldn't watch TV today.
Momozawa Airi pinched the shoulder strap of her schoolbag in a tangled manner, with drooping eyebrows and slowing down her pace with melancholy.
...Just take a look, it shouldn't be a problem.
She had already passed the TV store more than ten meters away, and her heart was still struggling with her conscience.
In the end, the desire to watch TV overcame the principle of being a child who keeps his promises.
Just take a look...! Just watch it for a few minutes less tomorrow!
Momozawa Airi took several steps back and stared at the TV intently.
This is a boxing teaching program, in which the teacher is teaching everyone boxing skills.
Momozawa Airi remembered the new moves she had just learned from the very capable Fūya Rei some time ago, and decided to be an elementary school student who could master them all.
She stared at the screen, gesturing carefully in front of the glass window, following the teacher's movements with small punches, and also adding the kicks taught by Furuya Rei.
Left hook!
Right hook!
Left kick!
Right kick!
She became more and more excited, and for a moment she couldn't hold back her strength, and on impulse she performed a sudden and swift combination of turning around, kicking, and punching.
Bang.
Pop.
There was the sound of a can falling to the ground and the liquid spilling out.
By the way, there was also the muffled sound of her bumping into someone.
Momozawa Airi: "..."
【Today is my son’s birthday...】
【Alas...I can't find a job.】
[…Her posture seems a little off.]
[…He’s about to kick me up!!]
She turned her head in horror and found an uncle standing next to her.
The other person had no expression on his face, and his hand was still holding the can.
Momozawa Airi bowed earnestly: "I'm sorry!!! I'm so sorry!!! I'll use my pocket money to compensate you with a can! QAQ"
She opened her schoolbag and looked through it crying, only to find that she didn't have enough pocket money.
I couldn't resist and bought an extra piece of chocolate yesterday.
Momozawa Airi: "..."
God is warning her! She shouldn't watch too much TV in secret!
And be mindful of your finances! Be self-disciplined! Otherwise, you won't have enough spare funds to deal with emergencies!
You must learn this lesson ah ah ah ah ah——
She became more and more frightened and reflected on her behavior in her heart, not knowing what to do.
The uncle who was kicked by her seemed dazed. He did not blame her or ask her for compensation.
The can on the ground had been thrown away, and he just stared at the traces of wine on the ground for a while.
Hearing the commotion, the old men and women from the TV shop came over, observed for a while, and tried to comfort the uncle.
"Young man, this girl is being very sincere in her apology. How about we compensate you with a can on her behalf?"
The old man glanced at him and suddenly spoke.
"Drinking won't solve your problems."
The uncle stared at the ground for a moment, then shook his head: "No need."
Momozawa Airi tried hard to recall the voice she had just heard and felt that this uncle should be a middle-aged man with children who was not satisfied with his life.
Maybe going through a mid-life crisis.
Momozawa Airi didn't know what this meant, but the uncle from the Maeno family next door often said this.
...It seems that today is the birthday of this unlucky uncle's son.
Momozawa Airi pinched her fingers, feeling more and more embarrassed.
"..." Uncle suddenly spoke, "You just used your strength in the wrong place, and your punch was not fast enough."
Momozawa Airi: "?"
She stared blankly at her uncle who stood up straight.
The uncle paused, looking a little conflicted, but finally demonstrated a punching motion.
"..." Momozawa Airi blinked and imitated the punching action.
She has a strong learning ability and can imitate very well.
The uncle looked at her and slowly gave her a few hints.
Momozawa Airi tried it and found that the punch looked much better this way.
"Uncle, you are so awesome."
She gave a sincere compliment.
The old lady said: "Hey, this young man is quite flexible."
Grandpa: "But it looks familiar... I feel like I've seen it somewhere..."
The old lady looked at the old man meaningfully and shook her head.
Having learned something new, Momozawa Airi was very happy and decided to show it off to Furuya Rei tomorrow.
By the way, show off to the new boy who moved in.
He hardly spoke, but that didn't stop her and Rei Furuya from telling him some of the interesting things in their lives that they thought were interesting.
“Are you a boxing coach?”
When asked this question, the uncle's expression was somewhat complicated.
He glanced at Momozawa Airi, seeming a little bit unbelievable about her friendly attitude.
Finally, he slowly shook his head.
"No, I just practiced."
"Have you practiced?"
Just then, a strange voice interrupted their conversation.
Momozawa Airi turned her head and found that it was the aunt from the boxing gym whom she had just met at the entrance.
She was holding a large bag of garbage and was about to throw it away at the garbage disposal next to the TV store.
The aunt smiled at her, then turned to look at the uncle and started talking: "You know boxing? How long have you been practicing? Are you interested in becoming a boxing coach? I just saw that your moves are quite standard, you look like a capable fighter."
Grandpa: "Junko, you haven't found a new coach yet."
Grandma: "How can a boxing coach just drop down from the sky?"
Auntie: “Isn’t it coming?”
Momozawa Airi blinked and felt that it was time for her to go to dance class.
After saying goodbye, she continued walking forward with her schoolbag on her back.
After walking a few steps, she suddenly turned her head.
"uncle."
The uncle who was chattering around aunts, grandmothers and grandfathers was stunned and looked at her.
"Happy birthday to your son."
Momozawa Airi nodded with a smile.
“…”
It’s great to have a mom and dad.
Even if I am frustrated and in a bad mood, I still remember my child's birthday.
Momozawa Airi turned around with a bit of envy and walked towards the dance class alone.
Don't be envious! Love pear!
As she walked, she was mentally educating herself.
You have a grandma!
Grandma will cook super delicious meals for you on your birthday! She will also treat you very well!
You must be very nice to grandma too!
…
*
Watching the little girl skipping away, Jotaro Matsuda still found it a little unbelievable.
Since the mistaken arrest, he has been unable to find any job near his residence and has encountered difficulties everywhere.
He drinks all day long. Today, the wine in his house is all gone, and only this can of beer is left.
Drinking from a can is uninteresting.
He came out soberly to buy some wine and a birthday cake for Jinpei Matsuda, and randomly found a block a little far from his home.
Since the accident, he rarely buys things near his home.
As he held the can of beer, a thought flashed through his mind.
...Why not quit?
As a result, as soon as I opened the last can of beer, it was spilled in a weird way by an unfamiliar kid.
It was as if God didn't allow him to drink.
…and then another job opportunity came up.
Life seemed to have taken a turn, giving him an opportunity to change.
He had tried hard to change before, but there had never been a suitable opportunity, as if life was against him.
After negotiating with the owner of the boxing gym, Jotaro Matsuda was directly pulled in to give a trial lesson.
The boss was very satisfied and patted him on the shoulder, asking him to come to work tomorrow.
Jotaro Matsuda was on his way home.
He rarely felt happy.
He recalled his experience today and suddenly felt that something was wrong.
Didn’t that kid say “Happy birthday to your son”…?
How did she know…?
Jotaro Matsuda thought about it and felt that he might have heard it wrong.
Thinking of his young son, Jotaro Matsuda smiled.
Go back and prepare well to celebrate his birthday.
First...let's buy a cake and take it home.
…
On the way, he met Jinpei Matsuda and Kenji Hagiwara who were about to go out.
Today is the last day of the summer camp and the school held a party.
The cultural committee member, Kenji Hagiwara, was going to perform in a stage play, so Jinpei Matsuda took a leave of absence to accompany him back and get "the coolest jacket he must wear on stage" from home.
...and played a few games by the way.
Jinpei Matsuda glanced at Jotaro Matsuda.
His father didn't smell of alcohol and his eyes looked clear.
...and even looked a little happy.
Ever since his father became an alcoholic, they had communicated much less.
Because his father is not very clear-headed most of the time.
“…”
Jinpei Matsuda pursed his lips and was about to ask Kenji Hagiwara to go with him when Jotaro Matsuda stopped him.
"Happy birthday, Zhenping."
Matsuda Jotaro paused and gave a somewhat reserved smile.
He raised the note in his hand.
"I ordered a birthday cake. You can eat it when you get home from the camp."
Jotaro Matsuda looked at Kenji Hagiwara.
"Kenji, come eat with us."
“…”
Jinpei Matsuda blinked, seeming a little surprised, but finally responded awkwardly.
After a while, he added unnaturally: "Today is a party... maybe it will be a little later in the evening."
Hagiwara Kenji rolled his eyes and agreed: "Okay, uncle, I will definitely come."
…
From that day on, when Jotaro Matsuda returned home, the bag he carried was no longer filled with wine.
*
After experiencing the torture of dance class, Momozawa Airi walked home pitifully.
It hurts so much to stretch my legs QAQ
Her tears had been wiped away by the beautiful older sister who was learning to dance with her.
The beautiful sister said her name was Yukiko Fujimine and she was also here to take the trial class.
"If you want to be a big star, it's necessary to learn some dancing."
Fujimine Yukiko smiled and wiped her tears with a napkin, blinking her eyes.
"I signed up for the wrong class. I didn't expect to be in a beginner class. But my classmates are all cute little girls, which makes me feel really good."
Yukiko Fujimine helped Airi Momozawa fix her loose bun.
Momozawa Airi shook her head weakly: "I still don't want to be a big star. You are more suitable, and your dancing is beautiful."
She thought for a moment and added, "Sister is also very beautiful."
Fujimine Yukiko: "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha this is so cute, little sister, come and give me a kiss."
Thinking of this, Momozawa Airi reached out and wiped her right cheek a little embarrassedly.
The lipstick marks left by Yukiko Fujimine's kiss were difficult to wipe off and left traces on her face.
When the class was over, several elementary school students who were about the same age as Momozawa Airi were picked up by their parents.
Fujimine Yukiko looked at Momozawa Airi, who was changing her shoes alone and said, "Little sister, are you going back by yourself?"
Momozawa Airi nodded: "Yeah."
The topic should have ended there, but listening to the happy laughter of the elementary school students around her, she instinctively lied: "My parents are too busy and don't have time to pick me up."
The moment she finished speaking, Momozawa Airi subconsciously looked down at the ground.
"Sister, sister, I'm leaving now. It's nice to meet you. You will definitely be a big star."
She pursed her lips, stood up, and ran out with her schoolbag on her back.
It disappeared in the blink of an eye.
…
At this moment, Momozawa Airi was walking slowly on her way home with her schoolbag on her back.
There were a lot of people crossing the road at the intersection.
Momozawa Airi followed the large group and crossed the road slowly.
The people crossing the street were divided into two groups, one going to the other side of the street, and the other coming from the opposite side.
Momozawa Airi was one of the group that went across the street.
She walked at the end of the crowd, looking at the bustling city and the children in front of her holding their parents' hands, and suddenly felt a little lonely.
After all, she is still a child. Not only did her path to becoming an idol suffer a tragic setback due to her inability to bear the pain, but today she accidentally spilled someone else's beer. In the end, she was walking alone on a strange road with no one to talk to. Momozawa Airi felt a little sad.
"You are very happy today."
"……snort."
"Then why don't you come to our stage play at short notice? I can give you a new supporting role!"
"...I don't want to! Even if I really want to participate, I want to play the leading role!"
"Yeah—that's true. You're the birthday girl today."
…
Two boys came towards us.
They were the group heading in the opposite direction from her, crossing the road talking and laughing.
Their conversation drifted into her ears.
Momozawa Airi looked at them blankly, then quickly looked away.
She didn't see their faces clearly, but only felt their happy emotions.
It seems that the curly-haired boy also has his birthday today.
Momozawa Airi suddenly felt an inexplicable courage in her heart.
I want to do something to immerse myself in the lively city atmosphere around me.
Even if only for a moment.
The two boys were getting closer and closer to her.
Getting closer.
Just as she passed by the high-spirited curly-haired boy, Momozawa Airi suddenly said something in a low voice.
"Happy birthday to you."
The faint sound instantly dissipated in the hustle and bustle of the city.
After saying this, Momozawa Airi walked quickly forward and whizzed away with her schoolbag on her back.
The curly-haired boy was stunned for a moment and turned his head to look.
"……Thanks."
He looked at the dense crowd hesitantly, vaguely remembering that the person walking next to him just now was a girl.
"Xiao Zhenping! Let's go! The green light is almost over!"
…
Traffic began to flow through the streets again.
*
Now.
Momozawa Airi remembered this when she went to the convenience store to count the goods in the evening.
When she opened her wallet, she found that the photo of "a super cute little girl smiling brightly at the camera" that she had originally wanted to give was still lying in her wallet.
Momozawa Airi: "?"
Wait, what pictures did she give away???
With a serious expression, she carefully recalled the various items she had kept in her wallet.
The ID photos are still there, the cute photos are still there, and the group photos are still there.
So……
Momozawa Airi racked her brains for a long time and realized that she had sent out the photo of herself crying in the dance class.
Momozawa Airi: "..."
That time, she pestered her grandmother to sign her up for a one-day trial class, but she started crying because of the muscle stretching before half an hour into the class.
Later, she went home crying and dejected, and never mentioned becoming a beautiful girl idol again.
The way she cried was so funny that a beautiful sister present couldn't help but take a photo of her and gave it to her after class.
...Well, that beautiful sister later became a big star known all over the world.
Thinking about the photo that was mistakenly sent out, Momozawa Airi felt deeply regretful.
If she had known, she would have turned the photo over and looked at it before sending it to her!! This gave Jinpei Matsuda something to laugh at her!
“…”
As she stared at the new beer on the shelf, she suddenly remembered the photo album she had seen at Jinpei Matsuda's house not long ago.
By the way, I recalled what happened on the day when I took that crying photo.
...So that's Jinpei Matsuda's father.
Momozawa Airi clicked her tongue twice, thinking that the world was really small.
It's... quite fate.
It turns out that she had wished Jinpei Matsuda a happy birthday many years ago.
Momozawa Airi couldn't help but think of what Matsuda Jinpei had mentioned before casually: "My father was once mistakenly arrested."
“…”
She recalled half-jokingly confessing her feelings to Jinpei Matsuda in the afternoon.
It wasn't just that I wanted to steal snacks, I mainly wanted to help my grandma.
But she subconsciously packaged it in a more humorous way.
“…”
Momozawa Airi looked at the shelves and felt that she might never have changed.
She was still not used to being honest with others.
...Or try it later.
Momozawa Airi pursed her lips and walked to the next shelf.
The previous inventory is completed.
It's time to start counting new products.
*
Matsuda Jin lay flat on the bed, thinking about the many things he had just heard, and felt an inexplicable subtle feeling in his heart.
Like... fate or a bond or something.
His father: "That day was really mysterious and quite a coincidence."
…So it was her.
Could it be that she was the one he met when crossing the road later... But how did she know that it was his birthday that day?
Jinpei Matsuda turned sideways and stared at the cushion on the ground in a daze.
I always feel that Momozawa Airi is a little weird, as if something is wrong.
His father suggested inviting Momozawa Airi to dinner at home.
When his mother heard about it, she said, "Ah, meeting the parents? What should I wear that day?"
Matsuda Jinpei: “…”
Jinpei Matsuda looked at his parents who were even more anxious than he was, twitched his lips and refused.
...It is better to proceed step by step and not be impatient.
Matsuda Jin lay flat on the bed in a daze for a while when his cell phone suddenly rang.
[Momozawa Airi: Give me back the photo!!!]
[Matsuda Jinpei: You said you wanted to change it]
[Momozawa Airi: QAQ I took the wrong one, it shouldn’t be this one! ]
【Matsuda Jinpei: [Dog's back.gif]】
Jinpei Matsuda held the photo of Momozawa Airi crying between his fingers and chuckled.
[Momozawa Airi: Then I'll take a picture of your princess photo and set it as my phone wallpaper! ! And my lock screen too! !]
She threatened harshly.
[Momozawa Airi: Maybe someone will see it! !]
【Matsuda Jinpei: I also have your photo】
【Momonosawa Airi:......】
[Momozawa Airi: QAQ just pretend I didn’t say anything]
[Momozawa Airi: Jinpei, I suddenly remembered something very important.]
【Matsuda Jinpei: Well, you go ahead.】
He remembered that Momozawa Airi had seen the photo album today, and felt inexplicably nervous.
Will she still remember this?
【Momozawa Airi: First, it’s about the photo album =v=】
【Matsuda Jinpei: Yes.】
[Momozawa Airi: Secondly, I wish you a happy birthday once again =w=! It’s been a long time since I’ve sent you this blessing!]
【Momozawa Airi: Many, many years! 】
“…”
A tacit understanding.
Although she didn't point it out directly, Jinpei Matsuda understood the deep meaning of this sentence.
Jinpei Matsuda blinked and subconsciously tightened the edge of his phone.
……fate.
【Matsuda Jinpei: [Dog running.gif]】
He hadn't sighed for a few seconds when his phone rang again.
【Momozawa Airi: To be honest, when I described the album today——】
[Momozawa Airi: Did you think of something else, hehe]
[Momozawa Airi: [Bunny Jumping.gif]]
Matsuda Jinpei: “?”
The rare vague feeling of emotion that had been there before slowly disappeared.
[Momozawa Airi: Then tell the truth! Do you have that kind of thing in your room?]
She seemed to be gathering strength.
Matsuda Jinpei: “…”
【Momozawa Airi: Adult comics! 】
Matsuda Jinpei: “…………”
He just knew it!!
[Momozawa Airi: Surprise inspection! Is there anything under the bed?!]
Matsuda Jinpei: “………………”
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