After deciding to give up, I became popular

A true warrior dares to face the bleakness of life. Seeing that the situation was unavoidable, Xia Chuanzou feigned composure and naturally handed over the stack of books he was holding.

As the saying goes, as long as I don't feel awkward, then it's others who feel awkward!

At times like this, whoever feels guilty loses the most!

He勉强说服了自己，甚至已经在心里给他自己的行为找好理由了，什么“是替朋友买的”“一时鬼迷心窍”这样的解释根本就是胡扯不顶用，不如直接就老老实实承认自己的需求好了，或许还可以从天理上来论赢对方！

He勉强说服了自己，甚至已经在心里给他自己的行为找好理由了，什么“是替朋友买的”“一时鬼迷心窍”这样的解释根本就是胡扯不顶用，不如直接就老老实实承认自己的需求好了，或许还可以从天理上来论赢对方！

Of course, that was what he thought, but the reality was—upon seeing those books, Yukinoshita Yukino simply raised her head and glanced at him very quickly, as if how or why he bought those books was completely irrelevant to her, even giving the impression that she hadn't even noticed.

But Xia Chuanzou wouldn't miss it. He clearly noticed again, noticed the disdainful look that flashed in her eyes during that glance, which was exactly like her usual self.

But he couldn't just rely on his feelings to assume that, and even proactively bring it up to provoke her, like "You're looking down on me, aren't you?!" Otherwise, wouldn't he be no different from that delinquent blondie from before? And it would make him seem even more guilty, as if he was the one at fault.

So, the following time became quite agonizing. While waiting for Yukino to get off work, he was very restless whether he stood inside the store or at the entrance, constantly feeling like he had done something wrong and was waiting to be judged and punished by his girlfriend, especially when passersby occasionally sized him up, this doorman, and then curiously cast inquiring glances at Yukinoshita Yukino, the clerk, only to be ignored by her. This feeling of "he's actually being made to stand as punishment" became even stronger.

Fortunately, Yukinoshita didn't lie to him. She was really about to get off work. Before he had to wait much longer, a smiling uncle came out from the back, amiably saying to her, "Yukinoshita, you can go home and rest. Thank you for your hard work today."

"Yes, thank you, Manager," Yukinoshita Yukino nodded and gave a slight bow to him, looking like she respected him very much.

The uncle, who was called "Manager," simply waved his hand. He was just about to say something more, but he noticed Xia Chuanzou, who had been standing next to Yukinoshita, and thought he was a customer who had come to buy books—which he actually was at first, but now he was trapped for various reasons.

"Sir, do you have any needs?" The other party's attitude was very friendly, and Xia Chuanzou couldn't ignore him, but it was also difficult for him to proactively say, "I'm waiting for Yukinoshita to get off work." He always felt like he would be misunderstood.

"He's waiting for me to get off work…" Yukinoshita Yukino, on the other hand, didn't have this worry and replied to the manager very frankly, and didn't forget to add at the end, "He's just… a friend."

"…" Xia Chuanzou really wanted to cover his face and complain about her, thinking, 'Isn't bringing it up proactively only going to cause more misunderstandings? And what do you mean by "just" a friend? Are you feeling wronged to be friends with me?!'

The manager was also obviously stunned for a moment, but he still wore a very amiable smile, but the words he spoke made people feel very speechless.

"I understand, I understand, friends, that's very normal… Oh, it's a young people's thing… Youth is so good…"

His expression was like he was watching a show, which made Xia Chuanzou amused, and the originally gloomy mood was swept away.

Only Yukinoshita frowned her beautiful eyebrows, as if she was dissatisfied with this development, but she didn't dwell on it too much. She left a sentence, "Then I'll go change clothes first," and left the front desk.

And when she disappeared from sight, the manager couldn't wait to talk to Xia Chuanzou again.

"This… young man? What's your name?"

"Xia Chuanzou. You can just call me Xia Chuan," Xia Chuanzou honestly replied, after all, he was Yukino's boss.

"Oh, oh, so… Xia Chuan, can you tell me, have you known Yukinoshita for a long time?" The manager looked at him with a smile, his always-squinting eyes actually made it difficult to detect his thoughts, but Xia Chuanzou could inexplicably feel it—he definitely wanted to gossip.

Then, as expected, the manager's subsequent words also convinced him of this idea.

"It's nothing special, I'm just curious about the extent of your relationship."

"…" Does that not count as something special? Xia Chuanzou thought, but he calmly maintained a way of speaking synchronized with Yukinoshita, "We should indeed be considered friends…"

Strictly speaking, it should be seen as the relationship between a former pursuer and someone who was once pursued, but after the previous events, he discovered that Yukino didn't reject him that much, and she herself had said that she recognized his friend status, so naturally there was no problem with the explanation.

"Knowing each other… it has indeed been quite a while," Xia Chuanzou nodded. Although it was only recently that they resumed a little contact and social interaction, just "knowing" each other, it had indeed been a long time.

"Oh, oh…" The manager nodded, and then asked him various questions, "Are you classmates? In the same class? By the way, how did you meet?"

He looked like a nice old man, but his curiosity was unexpectedly heavy.

"We're from the same school, but we're not in the same class…" Xia Chuanzou replied. He originally thought that the other party had already seen through his situation, but was "classmate" just a verbal tic of his?

"As for how we met…" Xia Chuanzou was a little embarrassed to say, but after all, he had basically answered the previous small questions, and if he avoided talking about it here, wouldn't it seem very strange? So, after thinking about it, he gave a very strange but reasonable answer: "Because Yukinoshita is very cute…"

Although the initial purpose was a bit impure, the essence was still the pursuit of beautiful things. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he liked her because he thought Yukino was super cute. He basically took action based on this impression.

"But after getting along, I realized that Yukinoshita is not just cute on the surface. In essence, she is also a very cute person," Xia Chuanzou nodded earnestly.

She is clearly very smart and has a good memory, but as a result, she often gets lost easily; although she has super high personal talent, she can quickly get started and master anything, but her physical strength is unexpectedly like a small fry; and she always has a pursuit of "correctness," so sometimes she seems too rigid and stubborn… Oh, right, and she always likes to be sarcastic. If it weren't for the difference in body size and tone, it would be completely correct to call her a "female imp."

But all of the above are Yukino's cute points, and every time he recalls them, he shows a heartfelt smile that is both amused and exasperated.

Because he has personally experienced these things, he now has more of a right to speak, and he speaks with certainty.

"Yukinoshita is indeed very cute," the manager on the opposite side also nodded in agreement, and then explained to him, "Since she started working here, the store's daily turnover has increased a lot. Some people even come specifically to see her, and they buy some books that seem to show off their taste, which has led to the fact that even those books that couldn't be sold before are now being bought…"

"And she's really smart. She learns things quickly, and she can handle the work herself in a few days, which saves me a lot of effort and helps me a lot. To be honest, I sometimes feel like, 'Is it a bit of a waste for such a good child to come to my store?'"

"The only slightly problematic aspect is—Yukinoshita seems to have some difficulty dealing with this kind of service industry work, and it's hard to show a smile… But it seems that many people also like this kind of taste, and even, as I said, they don't like to read books at all, but they make a trip just to see Yukinoshita…" As he said that, he raised his head and glanced at Xia Chuanzou.

"…" He inexplicably felt like he had been dissed.

"To be honest, Yukinoshita is almost the signboard of our store… I never knew that being beautiful was such an attention-grabbing thing?"

"…" Xia Chuanzou could feel that the manager's tone not only contained a sense of relief that Yukinoshita could work at his store, but also a kind of envy for her…

Of course, he definitely wasn't saying he envied her for being beautiful, probably envied the eye-catching effect caused by being beautiful or handsome.

The manager was really talkative. After that, he chatted with him about many things, and he would even think about telling him about the things that happened in the store, which really made him a little overwhelmed. He thought to himself, 'Why isn't Yukino back yet? If she doesn't come back, they're going to become old friends.'

"So, I'm actually quite grateful to Yukinoshita for bringing a bit of vitality to my lifeless bookstore," the manager said with emotion, and then suddenly interjected with the main topic, "That's why I wanted to understand you and see if you were the kind of guy who wanted to deceive Yukinoshita, but now it seems that you're also a good kid, after all, not many people are willing to listen to me rambling so much."

"…" Xia Chuanzou smiled awkwardly. He wasn't really willing to listen either, but he had no choice due to the situation.

"The main thing is that there are really a lot of bad guys like that. When I'm in the store, I can detect it and help a little, but outside, I'm powerless…" The manager sighed, and then said meaningfully, "But since there's a 'friend' like you, then I'm more or less relieved… You can definitely protect Yukinoshita, right?"

He suddenly changed to a very serious tone, which made Xia Chuanzou begin to realize that Yukino's statement that "there aren't many customers like that" was probably false. Judging from the manager's statement, there were probably many, many of them! But she was probably afraid that he would worry, so she didn't want to tell him directly.

And it seems that since she was a child, Yukino has been "bullied" for various reasons. As a result, even now that she's in high school, it still hasn't changed, as if the world is full of malice.

"Yes, I understand," Xia Chuanzou nodded seriously in response to the manager. "I will always protect Yukinoshita. I swear on my honor…"

In fact, even without the manager's instructions, he had always done so, because he had promised her long ago that he would save her until she no longer needed his existence.

"Of course, please take care of her more when she's working part-time, Manager. After all, that girl is actually… quite clumsy in some ways…" Xia Chuanzou also wanted to say something more, but he suddenly froze while speaking, because the corner of his eye caught sight of Yukinoshita Yukino, who appeared in his field of vision at some point.

Of course, she was dressed in casual clothes. After all, it wasn't a school day, so naturally she didn't need to wear a uniform outside.

For Xia Chuanzou, he hadn't actually seen Yukino in casual clothes many times, because most of the time when he asked her out, he would always be flatly rejected, unless he used an excuse like "choosing a birthday gift for a friend," then it might be possible to hook Yukino-cat, which is why some of his friends could even celebrate their birthdays several times a year.

—All thanks to Xia Chuanzou.

Today, Yukino was wearing a simple shirt, with a light jacket on the outside, which seemed to be quite warm, but the lower body was completely different. It wasn't much different from the uniform skirt issued by the school, but it was a black and white striped style, which looked ordinary, but when worn on Yukino, it looked very cute, and it was difficult to hide a cold and refined temperament. It wasn't like, it was completely a cold flower, always giving people a feeling of being unattainable.

In short, cute Yukino-chan.

Xia Chuanzou couldn't help but want to give her a thumbs up, wanting to praise her for her good taste in clothes, but looking at her calm gaze, he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have said something like "Actually, Yukino is also clumsy sometimes" just now…

Isn't this the end?!

Xia Chuanzou still wanted to struggle, and still didn't believe it, and asked as if to confirm: "Uh, when did you start hearing?"

He hoped that the other party could lie a little bit, or better yet, say some good news, but Yukinoshita Yukino just glanced at him lightly, ignored him, and instead said to the manager: "Then I'll go back. Thank you for your hard work."

Xia Chuanzou: "…"

Oh, wow, it's really over. The person you were "badmouthing" behind their back caught you.

PS: Sleeping, sleeping, I really can't stay up anymore. I feel like my whole mind is starting to wander. Damn, I have to get up at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning to barbecue. Spare me, please. Luckily, I don't have to drive this time.

Oh, I have to get up at 8 o'clock, and it's 5 o'clock now… Yay, I can sleep for 3 more hours! I'm going to get enough sleep this time (mental breakdown)

237. Cat-Noshita Meow-no

—Yukino wasn't as angry as he had imagined.

Although she hadn't spoken proactively since leaving the bookstore, judging from the expression on her face, she didn't seem very angry, and even seemed to not care at all about Xia Chuanzou's statement that "Yukinoshita is actually a clumsy person."

She walked along silently, seeming completely self-contained. Natsukawa Kanade was secretly relieved but also puzzled. In the past, she would have definitely taken the chance to insult him, but now she was acting like this… it was truly baffling.

So he kept pace with Yukinoshita in silence, not wanting to provoke her again. It wouldn't be good if he annoyed her even more.

He didn't know where she was taking him, but following her couldn't be wrong—this thought lasted until Yukino suddenly stopped and turned to look at him with a very puzzled expression: "What are you doing following me? I'm going home now."

She spoke words that were hard to understand.

"…" Natsukawa Kanade's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.

Huh? Wasn't… wasn't she implying that he should follow? Natsukawa Kanade was somewhat lost.

He recalled the glance Yukino had given him before leaving the bookstore, and then she had started walking. He had thought it meant he should follow… And wasn't something wrong? That kind of thing had just happened, and she had said "We'll talk after I get off work," but now she was asking, "Why are you following me?"

What was he supposed to say?

"…"

"Well, since you've already followed me…" Yukinoshita Yukino sighed, as if she was very helpless. She pointed to the apartment door right next to them and said softly, "Since you're here, come up for a bit. I have something to give you anyway."

"Uh…" Natsukawa Kanade was taken aback, but he nodded in response. "Okay… By the way, do you need me to help you up the stairs?"

He hadn't been completely idle on the way here. From what he had observed, Yukino's foot injury hadn't fully healed, and she was walking a bit awkwardly, which made him a little worried.

"…" Yukinoshita looked at him and suddenly fell silent.

Natsukawa Kanade figured she might be a little embarrassed. After all, the Ice Queen was always very strong-willed, so he simply became a little more assertive.

"Yeah, I'll help you. After all…"

"The apartment has an elevator. No need to go to unnecessary lengths," the Ice Queen's clear, cold voice floated into his ears.

Without a trace of tenderness, chillingly cold.

"…" Natsukawa Kanade almost choked, feeling incredibly awkward. "Cough… It's just that I've never been here before…"

Fortunately, Yukinoshita didn't seem to want to make fun of him. She just pursed her lips and urged him to get moving. Natsukawa Kanade naturally responded and followed.

Slightly different from his apartment, Yukino lived in a nicely decorated studio apartment, whether she was picky about accommodation or because of her family. The infrastructure inside and outside the apartment was very complete, and of course, the rent was higher.

But since she was a bit of a rich girl, it shouldn't be a problem for Yukino, right? Thinking this, Natsukawa Kanade suddenly realized something was wrong—wasn't Yukino working part-time?

Because it was so common for high school students to have part-time jobs, even he had done it for a while, he had subconsciously overlooked it. Now that he suddenly realized it, he began to suspect that Yukino was short on money recently.

Yukino hadn't worked part-time before. It was probably a sudden decision, but in his impression, she wasn't the type to spend money lavishly, nor would she overspend on impulse like him. And the key thing was that she should have a lot of allowance and a small fortune, right?

So what had she done to end up short on money?

Natsukawa Kanade was very curious, but given their current relationship, even if he asked, Yukino would definitely avoid it, right? After all, it had always been like that before, and now it was even more so—she never revealed personal matters to him.

"We're here."

After the elevator stopped, the two walked out and turned into the corridor next to them. After Yukino opened the door, he finally had the honor of stepping into the home of the second girl who had actively invited him.

Besides Eriri, he had only been invited to Yukino's house. Although he had been to Senpai's house, strictly speaking, that didn't count since he wasn't invited; he had "trespassed," so it didn't count.

Although her tone was cold and she always exuded an aura that kept people at arm's length, Yukino was actually super considerate and thoughtful, giving the impression of a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko, squatting down to push slippers towards him.

"They're new, no one has used them." When she stood up, her brow seemed to furrow slightly.

Because his attention was always on her, Natsukawa Kanade noticed and understood. Her foot injury hadn't healed, and it might become more serious again because of the amount of walking today.

She really likes to act tough, Natsukawa Kanade sighed inwardly.

"Sit in the living room for a bit. I'm going to change…" Yukinoshita pointed to the TV remote on the coffee table and then to the TV. "You can watch TV, or you can just space out. Do whatever you want, but don't peek."

"I wouldn't peek!" Natsukawa Kanade retorted. "What do you take me for?"

Yukinoshita Yukino pursed her lips and clearly, coldly, uttered two words: "A boy."

Natsukawa Kanade: "…"

So she was waiting for him there!

He instantly couldn't hold back and immediately understood the subtext of her words—you bought that kind of book, it's hard not to worry about you peeking while she changes.

Logically speaking, a lewd book is a lewd book, but peeking at someone changing is too terrible! Besides, what's so good about a clearly meager body…

"I feel like you're thinking about something terrible…" Yukinoshita frowned, still looking a little uneasy.

"It's your imagination," Natsukawa Kanade said, pouting. He thought, girls' intuition is really outrageous. "Don't worry, I definitely won't peek. After all, that kind of thing only has meaning if someone invites you…"

"Save your daydreaming for your dreams," Yukinoshita snorted, then ignored him and went straight back to her bedroom.

After she left, Natsukawa Kanade sat down on the sofa.

He didn't plan to turn on the TV. He mainly felt a bit restrained in someone else's home, and since this was his first time visiting, he should at least act like a guest, right?

Girls always take an inexplicably long time to change. He didn't know about other boys, but for him, it was just a matter of taking off clothes and putting on clothes, and the time it took wouldn't even exceed 2 minutes. That even included the action of throwing the worn clothes into the basket, and Yukino herself was someone who pursued efficiency. He thought she would change quickly, but she was also so slow, not coming out of the bedroom for a long time.

Natsukawa Kanade even started yawning out of boredom.