I.W.B.A.L

　　Thinking of the girl who confessed to him today and suddenly attacked him, Kento felt complicated. He opened the door reluctantly and faced the lady who came to his door.

　　"Good evening, is this Miyamizu Kento, Miyamizu-kun?"

　　"Excuse me, who are you?"

　　"I'm Kiyoura Mai, Kiyoura Setsuna's mother who lives next door. Excuse me, may I bother you?"

　　After the door opened, Qingpu Mai was stunned for a moment, then asked.

　　Looking at the young man in front of her, even though she had caught a glimpse of his profile the day before, it was only when she met him so closely that she realized that the young man in front of her seemed even more handsome than when she saw him at that time. His soft eyes and gentle demeanor gave Qingpu Wu a great liking for him at first sight, especially the barely perceptible sadness on his body. She also roughly understood why her daughter liked him.

　　It was like standing in the warm spring breeze, or facing the warm and gentle sunshine. The boy gradually warmed up her empty and lonely heart, and the faint sadness made her want to care about him...

　　Facing the girl who had just confessed her love to him in the afternoon, and looking at Mrs. Qingpu in front of him, Kento did not expect that the girl would take his words seriously, and that her mother would react so quickly.

　　But... he always felt that there was something wrong with the way Mrs. Qingpu looked at him?

　　"Of course, if you don't mind, please come in."

　　After opening the door a little, he had already seen the other party and roughly guessed the purpose of his visit. How could Kento possibly turn the other party away? At least he had to explain the matter of Qingpu Setsuna clearly.

　　He invited the other party into his room, took out his spare slippers, let Qingura Mai into his apartment, and closed the door casually.

　　Looking at Mrs. Qingpu, who was walking in front of him with a graceful figure and full of mature feminine charm, Kento's eyes were distracted for a moment, and he recalled something, then quickly looked away.

　　After entering the apartment, Qingura Mai did not notice the gaze of Kento behind her. Instead, she observed the layout of the apartment. She was a little surprised at the clean and tidy environment in the room. At the same time, her eyes noticed the steaming food in the living room.

　　"Did I disturb Miyamizu-kun's meal?"

　　Looking back at the boy behind her, Qingura Mai asked apologetically.

　　"Don't mind. Madam Qingpu is here. Is there anything?"

　　The dinner matter is not important. The key is the matter of Qingpu Setsuna. If he can make things clear with Mrs. Qingpu in front of him and let the girl give up, it will be a good thing for Kento and Setsuna herself.

　　After hearing Kento's answer, Qingpu Mai was silent for a moment. Then, remembering that the boy in front of her was the one her daughter liked, she nodded slightly.

　　"Yes, then, I asked directly, does Miyamizu-kun like my daughter, Setsuna?"

　　"That's a very straightforward question."

　　Hearing the question from Qingpu Mai, Kento was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect the other party to be so direct, but he didn't need to think about this question, so he gave an answer.

　　"Ms. Kiyoura, Setsuna is indeed very cute, but because we have only met briefly, I don't have any special feelings for her. Since Madam is here, she must have known what I asked of her, right?"

　　Qingpu Mai nodded.

　　"You need your parents' permission, right?"

　　Even now, Qingura Mai felt that was an answer to her daughter's rejection. Coming here now would only be to confirm the other party's attitude and make her daughter give up.

　　"Yes, love is a matter between two people, but it is not just about two people. If love continues, then marriage, a lifelong event, is inevitable. At that time, if both parents oppose it, then it will inevitably end in frustration."

　　Looking at Qingura Mai's expression as if she understood something, Kento continued speaking.

　　"So, in order to prevent a sad ending, it is better to let both parents make their positions clear at the beginning of the relationship."

　　"Probably. I understand. But even if I agree, will your parents agree?"

　　"...."

　　The development of the plot seems a little weird. Shouldn't he be against his daughter's premature love?

　　Looking at Qingura Mai in front of him who didn't seem to object, Kento fell into a brief silence, unable to speak for a long time, and nodded after a while.

　　"If it's a normal relationship... my parents probably wouldn't object. My father is a bit stubborn, but my mother has always been very tolerant of these things. Even if I'm dating a woman who's twice my age, she would be able to accept it."

　　"Huh?"

　　Qingpu Mai's heart skipped a beat. After hearing Kento's words, her heartbeat accelerated. In a moment, countless confusions and questions emerged in her mind -

　　"A woman twice my age? What does that mean? Could it be... me? No way? Why did you suddenly bring this up? Is he interested in me? No way! But if...'

Cherry Blossom Season: 18. Do you like older girls? [Come and vote]

　　"Miyazu-kun, do you prefer women older than you to those younger than you or those of your own age?"

　　"Um?"

　　Subconsciously asking the wrong question, Qing Pu Mai looked at the boy in front of her who was looking at her with strange eyes, and she also realized that she had said the wrong thing. Just when she wanted to explain what she meant, she didn't want the other party to misunderstand her and think that she had some intentions towards him...

　　"Age is not a problem. For me personally, as long as I like someone, age doesn't matter. I like someone, and age has nothing to do with it."

　　I don't know what kind of thinking was behind Qingura Mai's question, but Kento still gave an answer and explained his personal view on love.

　　"It has nothing to do with age?"

　　Looking at the boy in front of her, Qingura Mai was a little surprised. Most boys of this age like girls of the same age as themselves. It is not that there are no boys who like people older than themselves, but they are very few. People like Miyamizu-kun in front of her who don't mind age are even rarer.

　　A young man who doesn't mind age in love is really dangerous to Qingura Mai. She feels her heart beating vigorously, and her dormant heart feels waves of throbbing.

　　Even though Kiyoura Mai has been single since giving birth to Kiyoura Setsuna, she has not thought about starting a family again. Her own conditions are not bad, and her figure has not changed after giving birth to Setsuna. Many men also show interest in her on a daily basis.

　　But for some reason, she had no feelings at all towards the men around her.

　　In the past, she had always used the excuse of 'considering Setsuna's feelings' to convince herself, but now, looking at the boy in front of her, Qingura Mai had to admit that the reason she was not interested in those men was simply because she didn't like those older people.

　　She is no longer young, and even if she walks with Setsuna, not many people would doubt that they are sisters. She has begun to age, so she feels repulsed by men of similar age.

　　She couldn't accept that she was no longer young. Only young boys, and only when facing those young people who were still young, could she feel that she was still young....

　　Looking at the young man in front of her, Qingpu Mai understood her own heart and her own thoughts. She clasped her hands in front of her body and gently covered her heart, feeling her heartbeat that was no longer calm.

　　"Miyamizu-kun, would you mind dating someone older than you?"

　　"..."

　　Hearing Qingpu Mai's question, Kento felt that the atmosphere in the room seemed to be getting more and more weird. Looking at Qingpu Mai in front of him, whose eyes were fiery, as if she wanted to eat him alive, he was speechless for a moment. He didn't know why Qingpu Mai suddenly cared so much about the topic of age.

　　"I personally don't mind it, and my mother doesn't have any special requirements in this regard. But my father has always been stubborn and can never accept things that challenge common sense, so he may prevent me from having any relationship with women older than me. Even if he allows it, he will never let me have a relationship with a married woman."

　　Kento, who had vaguely sensed some crisis, brought out his father and used him as a shield.

　　The moment he finished speaking, he noticed that Mrs. Qingpu's eyes in front of him had become clearer and calmer, but her eyes were always observing him, which made him unable to understand. Wasn't she here today to discuss something about Setsuna?

　　Why are you so obsessed with the topic of 'older women'?

　　Kento who was stared at by Qingpu Mai looked vague for a moment, thinking about how to shift the topic back to the matter of Setsuna and let Madam Qingpu in front of him persuade Setsuna properly -

　　"I already understand that Miyamizu-kun has no feelings for Setsuna, so even if I agree to Setsuna dating you, you are just cooperating with Setsuna to satisfy her beautiful fantasy as a girl, right?"

　　Kento was about to change the subject, but he didn't expect that Mrs. Qingpu in front of him would change the subject so quickly. He glanced at Mrs. Qingpu in front of him, whose expression had calmed down, and nodded slightly.

　　"Miss Setsuna... and I still don't know enough about each other. Maybe it was because of my momentary affection that she wanted to date me, but I have been in Tokyo for too short a time, and there are still many things I need to understand and deal with. I am afraid it is difficult to take care of her feelings, so..."

　　Most of them were excuses, but Kento had come to Tokyo, and there were indeed a lot of things that needed to be dealt with in the next period of time. Even if he was dating Setsuna, it would be difficult for him to always take care of her feelings.

　　He did not deny that he felt empty and lonely during this period, but that did not mean that he had completely let go of everything and could date girls without any scruples.

　　The reason why he proposed to Shanna that they should date after their parents agreed was because he felt empty inside, and Shanna's initiative made him waver.

　　Although he seems mature and considerate of the future needs of both parties, he is just confused inside.

　　"I understand. I will persuade Setsuna to reconsider this matter. However, Setsuna has been very stubborn since childhood. Once he has made up his mind, he will not give up easily. Miyamizu-kun..."

　　"I know what to do."

　　Qingpu Mai nodded slightly and inadvertently noticed the lunch box on the table and the Jinping burdock inside.

　　"Did Setsuna make this for you personally?"

　　"Um?"

　　Following Kiyoura Mai's line of sight, Kento noticed the Kingpin burdock on the table and was stunned for a moment.

　　His reaction also made Qingpu Mai understand that her daughter really liked the other person, and her mood was a little complicated.

　　"That kid seems to really like you. If possible, I also hope that Miyamizu-kun can seriously consider dating Setsuna. You feel confused now. I don't support you dating Setsuna, but if one day you really like Setsuna, then... it's about time. I'll go back first."

　　"Well, let me take you there, Mrs. Qingpu."

　　"Just call me Wu. Calling me Madam sounds a bit too old."

　　"...Well then, Miss Mai."

　　"I like this name. Then, I will go back and persuade Setsuna."

　　Qingpu Mai, who was standing at the door, looked at the young man in front of her, bowed slightly to say goodbye, and walked towards the stairs. Kento, who stayed at the door, stared at her slender back. The smell of her perfume still lingered in the air, which made Kento sigh. He went back into the house and closed the door.

　　While waiting at home, I was restless. I said I was preparing dinner, but I ended up standing in front of the kitchen counter. I couldn't control my hands when cracking an egg, and the eggshells broke into the bowl. With mixed feelings, I casually made a simple dinner and waited for my mother to come back...

　　Click——

　　The door lock was unlocked. Following the sound, Qingura Shanna looked towards the door and saw Qingura Mai coming back.

　　"Mother."

　　"Setsuna, I'm back."

　　"How about it?"

　　Qingpu Mai came back, gently closed the door behind her, and walked into the living room. Looking at her daughter's expectant and uneasy eyes, she was silent for a moment and smiled slightly.

　　"Of course I agreed. After all, she is my lovely daughter. It's your first love, so you have to do your best!"

　　"...."

　　Looking at her daughter who was sitting on the sofa, her whole body limp as if she was relieved, Qingura Mai felt a little uneasy and guilty, but she maintained a smile on her face.

　　"However, even though I agree to let you date Miyamizu-kun, there is one thing I hope you can agree to with your mother."

　　"What?"

　　Setsuna raised her head, her cheeks flushed with cute but suppressed excitement, and looked at Kiyoura Mai.

　　"You have to tell mom about your relationship with Miyamizu-kun. At least let mom know how far you have developed. Only then can mom feel at ease letting you date Miyamizu-kun. Okay?"

　　As he blinked, he didn't quite understand why his mother made such a request, but the thought of being able to date Kento occupied his entire moment, so he didn't think much about it and nodded in agreement.

　　"Um!"

　　— — — —

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Cherry Blossom Season: 19. Please respect my dignity as a man

　　On the 25th, the time left for school to start is getting shorter and shorter.

　　Kento woke up in the morning, sat in his room, washed up simply, looked at the ingredients stored in the refrigerator, heated up the leftover miso from last night, prepared his breakfast simply, then sat in his room in a daze, thinking about what he should do.

　　"I had thought about writing an award-winning work before, but it's not that easy to write an award-winning work."

　　I had submitted an article to a magazine before, but given the magazine's general efficiency, it would take at least three days to get a reply. Since it was a weekly magazine, I would have to wait at least a week.

　　He glanced at the calendar in front of him and found that today was Tuesday. Sitting in his room, the idle Kento began to miss the past time.

　　Even if I had nothing to do like now, at least I could, as an adult, enter the adult areas of rental shops and bookstores without any scruples, buy some magazines or CDs, and use them as entertainment at home.

　　"If I write something like that now, even if I submit it, no one will accept it. I have to wait until I become an adult, which will take four years. Four years..."

　　Four years have passed, and I guess all the works he wrote have been piled up in the room and have turned yellow and moldy, right?

　　"I wonder what Sayuri is doing now..."

　　Sawamura family.

　　Sayuri Sawamura felt that her daughter's reactions had been a little strange recently. She always stayed in her room in a daze. When she went to call her for dinner, she knocked on the door and entered her room, only to find her staring at a strange painting.

　　When she walked closer, she found that the painting was not the restricted scene she had expected, but was full of blood and darkness.

　　In a dark room, a man fell in a pool of blood.

　　"Is this type of work?"

　　Looking at her unconscious daughter, Sayuri Sawamura came behind her daughter and shouted to wake her up who seemed to be still in a daze.

　　Eriri woke up with a start, turned around to look at her mother, her mind went blank for a moment, and she hurriedly prepared to close the painting in front of her, but when she was about to click the 'X', she remembered that her mother had entered the room at some point and probably saw everything clearly, so she gave up such a useless action.

　　"A work of revenge? Like a work where an ignorant girl is toyed with by a man lying in a pool of blood, and after a period of degradation, she repents and takes revenge with a knife?"

　　From the picture, one can vaguely see the person holding the knife, a young girl. Sayuri even feels that she looks a bit like her own daughter.