Chapter 230 Cultural Festival (End)
"Does everyone feel that the class monitor and Jiuhua-san are not getting along recently?"

"Have it?"

"Feel the same."

"The two of you. Haven't they always been like this?"

"Runa-chan, you are really out of date~ Now the situation is even worse! Yesterday after school, when I went into PABLO to buy a cake, I happened to see the two of them in the store. Guess what? There was only one double-cheese cheesecake left in the store! But there was only one left in the store, and I was curious about what they would do, so I secretly watched from behind."

"What? Keep talking, keep talking!"

"Two people were bickering and mocking each other over a piece of cake, and even the shop assistant couldn't stop them!"

"What? I thought they were fighting."

"That's almost it! If there weren't so many customers in the store, they would definitely fight with their momentum!"

So that's the origin of the empty box at home yesterday?
On the third day of the cultural festival, Fujii Itsuki stood outside the door of Class A's classroom with his hand on the door handle.

He couldn't help but wonder, why is the relationship between these two people becoming increasingly strained?

Didn't they understand each other's thoughts and thoughts? Why were they fighting over a piece of cake?

The same thing happened with the two bowls of noodles yesterday morning.
It gives me a headache just thinking about it.

Fujii Itsuki put down his hand and did not enter the classroom again.

He turned and walked towards the office, chin clenched, thinking about their situation as he walked.

Although there is no clear romantic relationship between him and the two girls.

But judging from their performance, Xinchun and Xiaojiuhua both seemed to put themselves in the position of "wife".

And not a fiancée, but a wife.

Judging from the situation when cooking noodles yesterday, could it be that they were arguing about who is "bigger" and who is "smaller"?
No no no, this is too ridiculous.

Fujii Itsuki almost laughed at his own thought.

What era is this? Why are there still people arguing about such things?

When he returned to the office, he saw Akai Muzi had just put down her briefcase and was greeting her colleagues. It was obvious that she had just arrived at the school.

"Ashu, good morning to you too." Akai Muzi turned her head and looked towards the door.

"morning."

After saying hello, Fujii Itsuki saw Akai Muko looking at his face left and right. He felt a little confused and was waiting for her to ask a question, but she just smiled and sat back in her seat.

Fujii Itsuki returned to his seat and asked her quietly when other colleagues were not paying attention:
"Muzi, what were you laughing at just now?"

"Nothing." Akai Muzi smiled.

"Nothing? You're already laughing, stop teasing me."

"I was just laughing at someone who looked so happy these days. I guess he must be living a happy life. Alas, I don't have such good fortune."

".Is it that obvious?"

"It seems pretty obvious to me anyway."

Akai Muzi sorted out the documents, folded them up, and placed them on the table. After covering her face, she lowered her voice and asked Fujii Itsuki, "By the way, what's going on between you and the two of them now?"

"."

"Tell me, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Is this good?"

"Ah Shu, although they all volunteered, don't tell me that you secretly did something with the female students. You dare not take responsibility for it, and you don't even dare to tell me?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not afraid of this. I just think it's not good to say it in the office."

"You're just telling me, there's nothing wrong with that. So let's go check out the stage play now? We can just chat on the way."

"It's up to you."

After Akai Muzi finished organizing the documents, Fujii Itsuki followed her towards the gymnasium.

On the way, the third day of the cultural festival was still as lively as ever.

The playground was full of stalls run by students, selling food and handicrafts. Girls sold towels they had woven themselves. In short, there was everything.

Akai Muzi glanced at Fujii Itsuki beside him, and seeing that he looked thoughtful, she couldn't help but gently bumped his shoulder.

"Why, are you still thinking about them?"

"Muzi, is there any way to make them both quiet down?"

Akai Muzi couldn't help laughing, "Isn't the script for the stage play you prepared for this cultural festival a method?"

"I'm afraid this won't work. Although it did work a little, new conflicts have arisen between them."

"Tell me?"

Fujii Itsuki stopped walking, lowered his voice slightly, and explained to Akai Muko the current situation of the two girls.

After listening, Akai Muzi was thoughtful, "I see... But, Shu, I'm sorry, I can't help you with this."

"Muzi, you..."

"Ashu, you have to understand that women are all competitive, especially Xinchun and Xiaoyue, two girls with very high ambitions. They are fighting over who has a higher status and who is the third party. Isn't it obvious? Both of them think they are the rightful ones."

"How about keeping everything fair?" asked Fujii Itsuki.

Akai Muzi couldn't help laughing again and said, "Take the example of cooking noodles you mentioned. If two people cooked a bowl of noodles for you at the same time, whose noodles should you eat first? No matter who you choose, the other one will feel that he has lost. There is no balance at all."

The two walked to the beech tree outside the gymnasium entrance. Akai Muzi patted his shoulder and said:
"So, it is actually the most difficult to achieve a true balance. I have a suggestion for you, just a suggestion, that you keep a little distance from them recently, so that they will take the initiative to approach you, and maybe they will not care about these small conflicts."

"You make it sound like you're playing with feelings."

"That's true. But it's still necessary to keep a little distance. It also allows the two of them to calm down. If you appear in front of them at the same time, will they quarrel over you again?"

"That's true."

As soon as the two of them walked to the entrance of the gymnasium, Fujii Itsuki saw Chitose Yangkui and her friends walking together.

At the same time that Muzi and I discovered her, she also discovered the two of them.

Chitose Yangkui seemed to be talking to her friends in the distance, and the next second, she ran to Fujii Itsuki, smiling.

"Brother Tree~~"

"Ahem, you have to call me teacher at school." Fujii Itsuki coughed.

"Qian Sui, your brother Shu is being serious with you."

"I know! But Sister Muzi shouldn't say this!"

Akai Muzi secretly shook her head, this girl was too protective of Ashu.

Yang Kui Chitose's gaze returned to Fujii Itsuki's face and asked excitedly, "Brother Shu, Xinchun Xiaoyue and the others will be performing their play this afternoon, right? Brother Shu, are you going to watch their rehearsal now?"

"Well, as an instructor, I always have to take another look at them before going on stage."

"Then I want to go too! I want to see everyone rehearsing the stage play!"

"That's okay."

The three of them then walked towards the back of the gymnasium.

"I heard that Xiao Jiuhua had a quarrel with several classmates before, and scolded one of them until he cried?" Qiansui blinked and asked with pretended curiosity.

Fujii Itsuki raised an eyebrow, "How did you know that, Chitose?"

"Rinka told me. How is Kouka now?"

Akai Muzi half-jokingly said, "I didn't realize Chitose actually cares about Satsuki."

Yang Kui Chitose waved her hand casually, "We are good friends~"

"As for Xiaoyue, there's no need to worry. Her relationship with other classmates has always been cold, and the argument that day didn't change anything. With Xinchun helping her take care of her relationship with everyone, she should continue training." Fujii Itsuki explained.

When they arrived at the dance studio, Fujii Itsuki was afraid of disturbing them, so he just watched secretly from outside the window.

Right now, the crew members haven't put on the special costumes for the stage play, but they are all concentrating on their lines, taking them very seriously.

Fujii Itsuki stared at him intently, and after looking at him for a while, Yang Kui Chitose quietly pulled the corner of his clothes.

"what happened?"

Fujii Itsuki asked in a low voice, and after he turned his head, Yang Kui Chitose leaned close to his ear:

"Brother Shu hasn't been with Qiansui for many days~"

The girl's whisper was soft and warm, and Fujii Itsuki felt a little guilty for a moment:
"I'm free today after Xinchun and her friends' stage play ends. Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere is fine! At home, in the seafood market, in the supermarket, it's all fine!"

Fujii Itsuki couldn't help but reach out and rub her head, "Then listen to Chitose."

"Great!"

"Shhh! Be quiet."

"Okay, okay."

It can be seen that Qiansui is very happy.

It must be said that Chitose has been focusing on his career recently.

The weather in Otaru has been pleasant recently, and it has welcomed another wave of tourists. Yang Kui's hot spring shop in Otaru is quite famous, so naturally there are many tourists.

In this situation, even if Chitose really wanted to stay with him, she had to go back to help her adoptive parents.

She has really grown up.

Fujii Itsuki felt both relieved and a little guilty, feeling that he had indeed ignored her.

If the three were arranged in chronological order, Qiansui would be the one who had been with him the longest.

"Shall we go to the auditorium and wait for the play to start?" suggested Fujii Itsuki.

"Uh-huh!"

When they arrived at the stadium, Akai Muzi had already bought the movie tickets.

This ticket was hand-drawn by Xinchun and her friends, and costs 300 yen each.

Fujii Itsuki took the ticket and took the two of them to a corner seat where they sat down, surrounded by strangers.

A red curtain hung in the center of the stage, hanging high, almost covering the entire ceiling of the gymnasium. There were all kinds of lighting equipment, and it was obvious that Tachibana Kita had invested a lot in this cultural festival.

“This stadium has become like a movie theater.”

After hearing Fujii Itsuki's mumbling, Yang Kui Chitose secretly took his hand in a corner where no one else could see, and whispered:
"It seems that Brother Shu has never taken Chitose to the cinema."

"Want to go?"

"I want to, I really want to."

"Well, I'll take you there on Saturday."

When Yang Kui Chitose heard him say this, she was so happy that she looked at him for a while and her heart was filled with sweetness.

"Then later on"

"What are you mumbling about?" Fujii Itsuki listened attentively.

"I was thinking...if we can date legitimately in the future, Brother Shu will definitely continue to take me there, right?"

This child is so pitiful.

"Even if we're not dating, isn't it my responsibility to take you there?"

"But I always spend Brother Shu's money"

"You're my sister, it's only natural that I buy you something."

Qiansui turned her eyes away, her cheeks as red as the sunset, her heart filled with sweetness.

At this moment, the lights in the stadium suddenly went out and the audience gradually quieted down.

The curtain of the stage slowly opened, and the spotlight cast a dim glow, illuminating the scene in the center of the stage - in the dark forest, tall ancient trees had intricate roots and branches intertwined in the sky, and the sound of thunder and rain rolled in through the speakers.

Following the rhythm of thunder, the Twilight Princess, played by Jiu Huayue, walked out slowly in a purple cloak.

She walked through the dense forest carefully, with a serious and focused look, as if she was looking for something. Her every step seemed to step on the audience's heartstrings, and every subtle movement made people hold their breath.

Suddenly, thunder roared.

"what!"

Fujii Itsuki turned around and it seemed like someone in the audience couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

Then he heard people whispering, "The young actor's acting is great," and "The effect is great."

"Ashu, has the school approved special funding for you?" Akai Muzi couldn't help but ask.

"No." Fujii Itsuki answered in a low voice.

“How can the effect be so good?”

Fujii Itsuki doesn't know either.

But from the current point of view, this is due to the scene arrangement and Xiao Jiuhua's excellent acting skills.

Just in the opening scene, the solemnity, fear, and inner strength of the Twilight Princess as she stepped into the dense forest were all shown on her face, and the sound of thunder and rain set the atmosphere.

In the next scene, Prince Dawn, played by Matsumae Shinharu, appears, focusing the audience's attention again.

She was wearing silver armor, walking with firm steps and a heroic look.

Her voice was clear and powerful, and every word was packed with emotion and power.

Her eyes were fixed on the Twilight Princess on the other side of the stage. Although they were clearly opposites, her gaze was filled with a complex mixture of emotions - concern, ambivalence, and love that could not be concealed.

The audience watched with bated breath, as the deep emotions and potential conflicts were revealed in just one glance.

Fujii Itsuki noticed that Chitose Haruki was also fascinated by the show.

This proves that everyone’s acting skills are really great.

After nearly 40 minutes of performance, the plot entered its final climax. Many years after all the grudges and battles ended, the Twilight Princess came to her brother's territory. When she walked to the room where the two had stayed as children and picked up a wooden sign she had given to her brother when she was a child, she finally understood.

It turns out that even if I hate my brother for various reasons, my brother still remembers me and the promise they made to each other to stay together forever when they were children.

All he did was to make it natural for himself to accept the entire kingdom.

Her fingertips gently touched the cold and heavy wooden sign, as if she had touched an eternal oath. Her eyes slightly reddened, and she finally understood her brother's silent love and care.

She couldn't help but hug the wooden sign and burst into tears.

The music slowly began, and its gentle and hopeful melody echoed in the theater.

Twilight Princess's expression changed from confusion to determination, and she then smiled with relief, as if she was reconciling with past hatred and finding strength to face future challenges.

Jiuhuayue turned to face the audience and looked up at the sky, as if she saw the hope called tomorrow.

The stage lights gradually brightened, and the last beam of light stopped on her. She held the token in her hand, her eyes firm and gentle.

The curtain slowly closed and the audience burst into thunderous applause.

Fujii Itsuki looked towards the stage and was somewhat moved by Jiuhuayue's acting.

Ugh.
This stage play is based on the childhood stories of Jiuhuayue and Matsumae Shinharu. Jiuhuayue should have put in some real emotions here, right?

She... No, it should be said that both of them should understand the things that each other can't let go of in their hearts, right?
Fujii Itsuki couldn't help but follow the audience and applaud the people who had just performed.

(End of this chapter)