Chapter 221 Tree's Humiliation
The gray-blue sky was gloomy, and fine raindrops fell silently from the sky.

The stone slabs and asphalt roads on the ground were wet by the rain, reflecting a faint halo of light. Vehicles on the street drove slowly, and the tires made sounds when they passed through the puddles, and the splashing water droplets flashed under the dim street lights.

Fujii Itsuki held an umbrella and found Jiuhuayue in a community park not far from the school.

She sat on the swing opposite the bench, her hair wet and sticking to her cheeks, and she looked haggard and weak. Hiiragi Rinka stood by her side, holding an umbrella for her, with a hint of uneasiness in her eyes.

Fujii Itsuki stopped at the park entrance for a moment, his eyes met with Hiiragi Rinka's. She noticed him immediately, and after a slight hesitation, she walked forward and bowed slightly, "Teacher Fujii, I'll go back first."

"Go back?" Fujii Itsuki repeated softly, seeming a little surprised by this sudden farewell.

"Yeah." Hiiragi Rinka nodded lightly, without saying anything more, and turned to Jiuhuayue, "Xiaoyue, I'm going back."

Jiuhuayue remained silent, her eyes still downcast. Hiiragi Rinka looked at her deeply, sighed, nodded to Fujii Itsuki, bowed, and then slowly left.

Fujii Itsuki took her place, stood beside Jiuhuayue and held an umbrella for her.

The child lowered her head and said nothing. The swing swayed gently and water flowed down her wet hair. It was unclear whether it was rain or her tears.

Fujii Itsuki wanted to speak several times but didn't know what to say. He could only stay by her side quietly, letting the rain hit the umbrella, making a monotonous and depressing sound, lingering in this deserted park.

Bang, bang, bang.
Raindrops kept hitting the umbrella.

Fujii Itsuki looked past the eaves of the umbrella and saw a few leaves in front of him that were washed down by the occasional rain and stuck wetly to the corner of the wall by the road. The rain was getting heavier and the air was filled with the scent of grass and soil, as if the whole world was immersed in an inescapable gray.

Fujii Itsuki didn't know how long he stood there. He only saw a faint light coming through the shop window across the street.

".Let's go back."

Jiuhuayue on the swing suddenly spoke, and Fujii Itsuki was a little surprised.

“I’ve been sad enough today.”

Fujii Itsuki tilted his head slightly, and seeing her embarrassment, he felt distressed, "I thought you would ask me more questions."

"Ask questions? What can I ask?" Jiu Huayue lowered her head and gently swayed on the swing, with a hint of weakness in her tone.

"I can answer anything you want to know."

Jiuhuayue did not respond, but asked in a low voice while gently swinging on the swing:

"Uncle, what do you think I look forward to most in my life?"

Fujii Itsuki looked up at the gray sky and thought for a moment, "I want to have a complete family."

"Uncle, do you think I have it?"

"No."

"Can you give it to me?"

"."

Fujii Itsuki was silent, the emotions surging in his heart were difficult to express in words.

Silence fell over the two of them once again, with only the swing swaying gently in the breeze.

"Let's go home."

"Xiao Yue."

Jiu Huayue suddenly chuckled, "Uncle, you are almost thirty years old, don't you feel embarrassed to call me a little girl like this?"

At this time, Fujii Itsuki looked at Jiuhuayue's smile again, feeling sad. He wanted to speak, but after opening his mouth, he couldn't think of any words to keep her.

He knew that no matter what he said, as long as he still cared about Matsumae Shinchun in his heart, he was destined to be unable to respond to Jiuhuayue's expectations.

"It's okay, it's okay!"

Jiu Huayue showed that familiar smile again, "I'm not a fragile person. I'm used to it. If I'm sad, I can just sit alone. As for being rejected, I should have expected it. How can I, who is cold and always has a bad face, be liked?"

"Don't say that." Fujii Itsuki reached out to comfort her, but didn't know where to start.

Jiu Huayue stood up and walked out from under the umbrella. Leaving the umbrella's shelter, the rain immediately soaked her shoulders and school uniform.

Fujii Itsuki wanted to follow her with an umbrella, but the child lowered her head in the rain, turned her back to him, lowered her shoulders and suddenly spoke:
"Uncle, please don't follow me. I'm just a little tired and want to go back and rest."

"I follow you."

"Need not."

"I'll follow you back."

"Need not."

"I'll follow you back."

Jiuhuayue sighed softly, her tone revealing weariness, ".It's up to you."

She picked up her soaked schoolbag and walked towards home. Fujii Itsuki followed closely behind her, holding an umbrella beside her.

All Fujii Itsuki could do now was to stay by her side and hold an umbrella for her.

It's ironic that she was smiling when she held an umbrella for herself at school.

But after school, she held an umbrella for her, and her heart was sad all the time.
The rain gradually intensified, and the drizzle covered the streets like a mist, blurring the lights in the distance. Fujii Itsuki followed Jiuhuayue silently, holding an umbrella over their heads to keep the cold rain out.

The dim light of the street lamp passed by them, lengthening and shortening their shadows. Jiu Huayue lowered her head, her footsteps heavy, and the soles of her shoes made a slight "puff" sound on the slippery road. Her shoulders were already wet by the rain, and her school uniform was tightly attached to her thin body, making her look embarrassed and thin.

Fujii Itsuki followed her, trying to find a suitable topic, but the words that flashed through his mind were stuck in his throat.

"You know what, uncle," Jiu Huayue suddenly broke the silence, her voice muffled by the sound of rain, "Sometimes, I feel like a fallen leaf on this street, scattered by wind and rain, stuck in a corner, and no one will care about me anymore."

"But you are not a fallen leaf." Fujii Shu looked at her and said in a gentle tone, "Xiaoyue, don't you have your own direction and meaning?"

"Is there any?"

"Of course, you want to participate in the national competition with a trumpet—"

Fujii Itsuki only finished half of his words.

"Uncle, you are very clear about this, right?"

Jiuhuayue didn't say anything else, but just quickened her pace a little when she lowered her head again.

Fujii Itsuki silently adjusted his pace, always keeping a distance from her.

The two walked in silence, passing through several alleys until they saw the familiar door light of Jiuhuayue's house.

Fujii Itsuki stopped and tilted the umbrella slightly to block more rain from her head.

Jiuhuayue took out the key, opened the iron gate, and was about to enter the room along the path in front of the house, but on the other side of the yard, she saw Mrs. Jiuhua with her back to them.

Jiuhua Zhenling stood under the pavilion, her eyes fixed on the rain curtain, holding a mobile phone in her hand, and seemed to be talking to someone.

Perhaps because of the sound of rain, she did not notice any movement outside the door.

"Ah, I've already told Xiaoyue about this." Jiuhua Zhenling's voice came faintly, revealing a familiar indifference. Fujii Shu was about to speak, but was stopped by Jiuhua Yue.

"Yes, the Matsumae family is indeed very interested in Fujii."

"Yes, yes, of course, the relationship between the two of them is of course important. I have been following the steps since arriving in Otaru. Long Yi, don't worry."

Jiuhuayue frowned and took steps closer to the pavilion.

"Xingchun's attitude is also very firm. It seems that she has decided on Fujii."

"No need. Xiaoyue is still surnamed Jiuhua after all. As long as Xiaoyue gets along well with Fujii, he will be the son-in-law of the Matsumae family in the future. Won't you get what you want sooner or later? Hey, Longyi, why rush it now?"

Jiuhua Zhenling's words were intermittent, mixed with a hint of helplessness.

When Fujii Itsuki heard this, his brain stagnated for a long time because the amount of information was too much.

What does Mrs. Jiuhua mean by this?

What does it mean that in the future I will become the son-in-law of the Matsumae family, and Jiuhua Ryuichi will be able to get what he wants?
What does he want?
Is Jiuhua Longyi a resource of the Matsumae family?
But even if he got engaged to Xinchun and became a son-in-law, how could Jiuhua Longyi get help?

Fujii Itsuki thought for a long time and finally came up with only one point.

That is.
He subconsciously turned his gaze to Jiu Huayue.

Unexpectedly, Jiuhuayue already had a sullen face at this time and started walking towards the pavilion.

Jiuhuayue's footsteps were hurried and powerful in the rain. She walked towards the pavilion without saying a word, and water drops fell from her wet school uniform. Fujii Shu was startled by this sudden movement, thinking that something was wrong, and could not help but quicken her pace.

"enough."

Jiuhuayue suddenly stopped in front of Jiuhua Zhenling, her voice trembling and suppressed but full of anger.

Jiuhua Zhenling was stunned for a moment, then quickly put down the phone, with an unnatural smile on her face, "Xiaoyue, why are you back? It's raining so hard outside, aren't you still rehearsing at school at this hour?"

Fujii Itsuki stood behind her, unable to interrupt, and could only witness the confrontation between mother and daughter.

"What did you mean by what you just said?"

Jiuhuayue interrupted her mother, her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the effort.

"That was just now."

"I finally know why you suddenly came here, mother. I was wondering why you were so kind and wanted to come here to get my forgiveness. It turns out that you and Long had planned this all along. You were just lying to me about coming to see me and help me. You just wanted to trick me into obeying your wishes."

"of course not."

There was a flash of panic in Jiuhua Zhenling's eyes, mixed with a trace of genuine reluctance.

She sighed softly, looking helpless:

"Xiaoyue, you misunderstood. Father just wants to find a good future for us. Your father needs the help of the Matsumae family in Tokyo. You and Mr. Fujii get along so well, which is good for everyone."

"benefit.?"

Jiu Huayue almost yelled, tears mixed with rain running down her face. The pain and disappointment in her eyes poured out like a tide, "You never asked me what I really wanted! You only care about the interests of the family and your father's plans! Until now, I am just a pawn in your eyes, right!"

"how come."

"I, I, I."

Jiuhuayue was so angry that she sighed.

She held her head tightly.

She didn't know what she should do.

She didn't know who she should trust.

She didn't even know where she should put herself at this moment.

She wanted to cry so much, but something was weighing on her heart, so she couldn't cry at all. She could only feel the pain in her heart.

The next second, she suddenly let go of her hands holding her head, immediately snatched the phone from her mother's hand, and shouted angrily at the other end of the phone:
"I've had enough of you! You lied to me every time, every time, every time, every time! When did you ever treat me as your real daughter? I've really had enough of you! I know it! In your eyes, I will always be nothing more than a worthless tool! Enough, enough, really enough!"

Jiuhuayue's voice was tearing. After she finished speaking, she turned around abruptly and ran towards the door, tears in her eyes, just wanting to escape from it all.

Fujii Itsuki didn't have time to think and immediately chased after him, throwing his umbrella aside.

Jiuhua Zhenling could only watch from afar under the rain pavilion as her daughter rushed out the door. Her emotions were also surging at the moment. Seeing her cell phone dropped on the ground, she picked it up.

Staring at the screen, Jiuhua Zhenling felt that it was just like her own home, torn apart.

"Hey, Long Yi, why can't you let go of this obsession?"

"Little Moon!"

Fujii Itsuki finally grabbed Jiuhuayue's hand and forced her to stop, "Xiaoyue, calm down! Don't be impulsive!"

"Calm down? I've been calm long enough!"

Jiu Huayue wanted to shake his hand off fiercely, but she couldn't get rid of it at all. The girl couldn't help but shed tears. The rain soaked her hair thoroughly, and her crying face and sobbing sounded particularly miserable and miserable in the rain.

Just by looking at her, Fujii Shu felt a deep sense of guilt and powerlessness. He wanted to get closer to her and say something, but he found that he couldn't say anything. He knew that he couldn't be the support in her heart and couldn't fill the huge emptiness in her heart.

Gradually, Jiuhuayue cried until she almost lost her voice. The rain hit her body wantonly, and her suffering was like the heavy rain curtain, covering the entire street.

Fujii Itsuki couldn't bear it anymore, so he pulled her in front of him.

Jiu Huayue pushed him away and told him to go away and leave her alone.

But Fujii Itsuki didn't care. He just hugged her first and then talked about it later.

Gradually, Jiuhuayue stopped resisting and chose to accept it, hiding in his arms and sobbing.

"Are you feeling better?"

Standing under the eaves on the street, Fujii Itsuki heard the girl in his arms stop sobbing and asked her in a low voice.

"hungry."

Fujii Shu was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect her to say such a thing suddenly. He looked down at Jiuhuayue in his arms, the girl's face was still covered with tears, but there was a hint of stubbornness and grievance in her eyes, as if she was venting the depression in her heart in this way.

"Are you hungry?" Fujii Itsuki couldn't help but let out a bitter smile and said softly, "Then let's find a place to eat something and warm ourselves up."

Jiuhuayue didn't say anything, but just nodded silently. Her face was still buried in Fujii Shu's chest, as if she was using this posture to hide her inner fragility. Her body was trembling slightly, as if she was still recalling the unspeakable pain just now.

Fujii Itsuki raised his head and looked at the convenience store sign not far away. The light was blurred in the rain, but it was the only light at the moment. He gently pulled Jiuhuayue away from his arms, "How about changing clothes first and then eating?"

"Eat first."

“You’ll catch a cold.”

"Eat first."

"Then eat first."

After entering the convenience store, he immediately took Jiuhuayue to the hot food area. He picked some oden and steaming ramen and placed them on the dining area outside the convenience store.

Jiu Huayue looked at the hot air in front of her, her eyes were empty for a moment, then she picked up the chopsticks and started eating without saying a word. Her movements were not elegant, and even a little hurried, as if she was suppressing her inner emotions by eating.

Fujii Itsuki sat opposite her, watching quietly without making any noise to disturb her.

At the same time, he took out his phone and searched for nearby B&Bs. It's not good to catch a cold in the rain.

"Finished?"

"So fast?"

"Ah."

"Do you still want to eat?"

"Not for now."

"There's a B&B not far from here. How about I take you there first? Take a shower and don't catch a cold."

"Ah."

Seeing that she did not refuse, Fujii Itsuki immediately took her hand and took her to the nearest B&B and booked a room after paying the money.

As soon as Jiuhuayue entered the room, she sat on the edge of the bed without saying a word. Seeing her like this, Fujii Shu felt heartbroken. He found her a bath towel and asked her to take off her wet school uniform first. He helped her run some hot water.

I don’t know if Jiuhuayue is sad or tired or what, but she is very obedient now.

When Fujii Itsuki came out after running the hot water, she saw that her sailor uniform, pleated skirt, over-the-knee socks and other items were all thrown aside.

"Okay, the hot water is ready, go take a shower."

"."

Jiuhuayue didn't say anything, just nodded, then covered her body with a bath towel and went to take a shower.

"finished Wash."

As the girl spoke, Fujii Itsuki looked up at her and noticed that Jiuhuayue's bath towel was tied tightly.

"Xiao Yue."

"Uncle, I don't want to talk about what happened today." Jiu Huayue turned her head away.

".Okay then, it's getting late now, you should go to bed early, I'll go get a room next door."

"You stay."

".Leave?"

"Aren't you afraid that I'll commit suicide or something in this room alone?"

"."

Can't argue.

"Then I'll get a blanket and sleep on the floor."

"Sleep with me."

"Xiao Yue."

"Do you agree or disagree?"

Fujii Itsuki really didn't want this to happen, but
I can only agree.

"alright."

Later, Fujii Itsuki lay down next to Jiuhuayue.

Even though I was sleeping with Xiaoyue, I just couldn't be happy because of the atmosphere today.

Maybe Xiaoyue was really tired from crying today. When Fujii Itsuki was tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep, she fell asleep first.

This kid.
When Fujii Itsuki looked at her sleeping face, he couldn't help but mutter to her.

Just now she mentioned suicide or something, and Fujii Itsuki was quite scared.

He remembered that this hotel had a very advanced anti-theft chain, so he walked over, fastened the anti-theft chain, locked it with the room card, and threw it under the bed.

Only after closing the windows and other things did Fujii Itsuki feel a little more at ease.

He lay down next to Jiu Huayue again.

Today is indeed the case.
I don’t know how much time passed, probably after midnight.

Fujii Itsuki fell asleep and had a dream. He dreamed that on the day when he first met Jiuhuayue, she jumped in front of him.

Obviously, it had nothing to do with me at that time. Obviously, even if Jiuhuayue died in front of me, I was just a witness. But looking back now, my heart is filled with reluctance.

Uncle, uncle, uncle
How sweet did this child feel when he called me with a smile?

She could have been smiling, smiling happily
I don’t know if it was because I thought of Jiuhuayue’s smile, but in the second half of the night, Fujii Itsuki felt inexplicably warm.

This is a special kind of warmth, as if it wraps up your whole body.

I fell into the dreamland inexplicably.

The feeling became stronger and stronger, until Fujii Itsuki opened his eyes dazedly.

Why is this feeling so strange?
There was also a faint sound.

When I think about it, I feel like I'm being pressed down by something.

Fujii Itsuki muttered to himself as he picked up his phone in a daze. He turned on the flashlight function with one hand, opened his eyes, and shone his hand reluctantly towards the center.

He was just stupid.

"X-Xiaoyue.?!"

"Humph."

Jiu Huayue just ignored him and placed her hands on his stomach, closed her eyes, and minded her own business.

"No, Xiaoyue, this won't work!"

Fujii Itsuki wanted to get up, but found that his whole body was weak.

Come to think of it, I'm still not energetic
I can't concentrate my mental energy at all, or maybe I'm too focused to be distracted.

wrong? !
Why are my hands and feet still tied? !
No wonder it was so difficult to hold up the phone just now.

No, it’s not working at all!
Fujii Itsuki closed his eyes tightly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and could only use an almost pleading tone:

"Xiaoyue, Xiaoyue, don't do this, really don't do this--"

His voice stopped abruptly.

so close!

so close!

Just a little bit! Just a little bit!
Fujii Itsuki felt a little scared.

"Tsk," Jiu Huayue raised her chin slightly, looking disdainful, "You're just being stubborn."

"Xiaoyue, Xiaoyue, please be gentler, please be gentler!"

"no!"

"If you don't pay attention, we'll be doomed, right?"

I didn’t bring it!
"That's perfect!"

"X-Xiaoyue, you are definitely kidding, right?"

"Who's kidding you? I've figured it out anyway. Wouldn't it be better if I did it earlier?"

Fujii Itsuki was crying and laughing.

He is just like that.!

Ugh.
"you"

Jiu Huayue was suddenly stunned, paused for a few seconds, and stared at him as if she had sensed something.

"."

Fujii Itsuki wanted to slap his face with his hands, but he couldn't.

Ugh.
Ruined.

Totally screwed.

"Uncle, why are you such a jerk?"

"That's enough! You are not allowed to say that!"

".You still don't allow me to tell the truth?"

Fujii Itsuki lay on the pillow, completely speechless.

"Wait, Xiaoyue you can't you-!"

"Of course, how can I be enough?"

"."

Suffer, pure guilt
(End of this chapter)