After deciding to give up, I became popular

"Why don't you go eat if you're hungry? It's about that time, isn't it?" Natsuki Katsuragi glanced at her and sighed.

He didn't know when, but a leash suddenly appeared in his hand, naturally connected to the Fujiwara family's golden retriever. But the problem is, wasn't he the one who was supposed to be walking the dog?

"Oh no, not today. Toyomi-nee is coming home today, so I have to wait for her to cook. She'll be sad if I eat out."

"So… then why don't you just go home and eat?" Natsuki retorted.

Chika Fujiwara puffed out her pink cheeks, as if scolding him, "What are you saying, President? How can I leave you and run off alone?!"

"…" Natsuki had a dark line on his face. It was as if he were some kind of elementary school student who needed to be taken care of.

After walking and chatting for a while, a vending machine appeared by the roadside. Natsuki happened to be a little thirsty, so he turned and walked towards it. "What do you want to drink?"

"Hmm… Ramune… no, that's not good. It's not quite summer yet. Or carbonated juice? But I really want to drink Ramune… Or maybe both…"

"Too bad, there's only one option." Natsuki said expressionlessly, thinking that this girl really didn't know what it meant to be polite. It was one thing to choose, but she actually wanted everything!

"Ehh~ President is so stingy…" Chika muttered, and then, under his murderous gaze, finally made a decision, "Then I'll have the carbonated juice. I'll save the first Ramune of the year for the real summer!"

"I don't understand where you get this sense of ritual from." Natsuki shook his head, then skillfully bought two cans of carbonated juice and presented them to Chika Fujiwara.

"Orange or green apple, which one do you want?"

"Hmm… Damn, you're using that move…" Chika was a little troubled.

Natsuki glared at her and urged, "It's already nice of me to let you choose first. Don't be silly, hurry up…"

"Eh… then I'll have the orange one…" Chika hesitated for a long time before finally making a decision.

But when Natsuki handed her the orange juice, as soon as she pulled open the ring pull, she stared at him with a pitiful expression, making it difficult for him to drink.

"Then you drink this?" Natsuki sighed, glad that he hadn't taken a sip yet, so it didn't matter if they swapped.

But Chika still hesitated and couldn't make a decision, still staring at the soda can in his hand with a pitiful look.

"Hey, don't go too far! I want to drink it myself too!" He glared at Chika lightly.

"I won't snatch yours!" Chika puffed out her pink cheeks and said sullenly, "I'm just… a little curious about what it tastes like."

"Then you can just try it next time, right?" Natsuki glanced at her, still holding the opened soda in his hand.

"Oh, President, you don't understand. These things should be satisfied immediately! By the time the next time comes, the mood will have changed, and I might want something else!"

"Then just buy one yourself now."

"I didn't bring any money." Chika put her hands on her hips and said matter-of-factly, "To prevent being tempted by food, I never bring money when I take Pace out to play!"

"But aren't you being tempted anyway?" Natsuki mocked.

"That's not it! It's clearly… it's the president's temptation! It's the president's fault!"

"Wow, you, I'm treating you to food and drinks, and you're saying it's my fault. There won't be a next time!" Natsuki pretended to threaten. He didn't really think so, anyway, Chika Fujiwara just liked to talk nonsense.

But it was quite effective, because he saw Chika's small face blushing, revealing a very embarrassed look.

"I… I didn't mean that… I just… just…"

But she stammered for a long time without being able to say anything. Natsuki was a little helpless, "So which one do you want to drink? Do you want to switch back or not?"

"Uh…" Chika was also very troubled. After hesitating for a while, she hesitantly opened her mouth and said, "Or… let me try a sip and see?"

"Then you should have said so earlier, why hesitate for so long?" Natsuki retorted, then reached out and handed over the soda.

Chika took it blankly, but her movements became even more awkward than before.

Natsuki looked at her with a puzzled expression and couldn't help but urge, "What are you waiting for? Make a decision quickly. I'm almost dying of thirst if you're not thirsty."

So Chika calmed down, but looked at him with a very strange look for some reason, and then slowly took a small sip from the soda can.

She first smacked her small mouth, tilting her head as if she was carefully savoring the taste, and then commented to him, "It's not good… Anyway, it's definitely not as good as the one in my hand."

"It's as if you've drunk that one before?" Natsuki retorted, then reached over and took back the soda can.

He naturally didn't care about Chika having just drunk from it. This kind of thing was quite indifferent to him. As long as the other person didn't mind, it was fine.

After taking a big swig, Natsuki wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, revealing a satisfied expression.

"Eating takoyaki and then drinking a can of carbonated juice is really super comfortable."

Chika held the drink, her face also showing a satisfied and happy expression, as expected, she was also a gluttonous idiot.

"Let's go." After she finished drinking the soda, Natsuki spoke, then turned in another direction, "It's getting late, I'll take you back."

"Ehh? I don't want to go home yet…" Chika muttered, then looked at the golden retriever who was obviously already dozing off, "Pace doesn't want to go home either, right?"

"…"

How can you be so embarrassed to say such a thing? You use your dog as a shield every day!

"Didn't you say you were hungry? Then go home and eat early, so your family doesn't have to worry."

"That's true…" Chika pouted and muttered, "It's rare to run into the president, I want to wander around outside a little longer…"

Natsuki naturally didn't agree with her, thinking that this guy was treating him like free labor. She found an excuse to come out and play but didn't want to walk the dog, so that's why she said that.

"Then we can go out and wander around next time… of course, without Pace."

"Oh, oh…" Chika nodded repeatedly, then squatted down and whispered to the golden retriever beside her, "Look, Pace, the president is a bad person, he told me not to bring you next time, it's too much, right?"

Then she patted its head and continued to talk nonsense, "So Pace needs to continue to work hard, strive to make the president like you too, so that he will always be thinking of you in the future."

"Hey, don't try to drive a wedge between us!" Natsuki curled his lips, also squatted down, and patted the golden retriever's head, "Don't believe your idiot master's words, you are very cute, very likable, I don't hate you."

Putting aside everything else, just the fact that this golden retriever understands human nature is a big plus, and it's always quiet and doesn't make noise, highlighting emotional stability. It can even tolerate a master like Chika Fujiwara.

"Hmph, it's just nice words." Chika hummed.

Natsuki simply ignored her, then stood up again.

"Okay, stop messing around, get up quickly, I'll take you back."

"I remember the president doesn't live on the other side?" Chika stood up and hurried to catch up, "You don't have to take me, I can go back by myself."

Natsuki put his hands in his pockets, "What if you get lost?"

"I'm not a child, how could I get lost?" Chika said angrily, feeling like she was being looked down upon, "And I have Pace with me."

"Then what happened before when you were separated from it?" Natsuki retorted.

Although she said it was because of him before, he didn't think that such a well-behaved golden retriever would abandon its master and run to find a stranger it had only met twice, even though that stranger seemed to have a pretty good relationship with its master.

"Uh… I, I said it was because I saw the president…" Chika stammered.

Natsuki stopped looking at her and focused on walking the dog.

The journey seemed less boring as they chatted.

"Speaking of which, summer is almost here, even though winter just ended." Chika complained.

"It's normal, because we're in an industrial society now, which easily creates a heat island effect." Natsuki explained to her, "Plus, there's global warming, and excessive human intervention has changed the earth's original ecological environment."

"So, is it actually our human fault?" Chika looked thoughtful.

"You can't say it's entirely like that." Natsuki shook his head, "The struggles that creatures make to survive can at most be seen as instinct, but human instincts are particularly numerous and vigorous, and they also have the ability to change the surrounding environment because of this."

If he had to choose, he would naturally prefer to stay in a modern industrial society like this rather than return to the old days, even though this kind of era is not all good, but overall, ordinary people can still survive more easily.

"Regardless of whether other creatures or the earth itself are willing, the fact that this world is dominated by humans is a fact, and the specific direction still depends on this group." Seeing that Chika was also interested, Natsuki couldn't help but analyze a little more.

"In other words… if humans are willing, they can also make the earth more beautiful? As long as the direction is right?"

"Theoretically, that's how it is." Natsuki nodded, "But in reality, it's basically impossible. It's like the eternally unchanging topic—war and peace. Everyone knows that war is terrible and will bring unparalleled serious consequences, but war still exists and happens from time to time."

"As long as there are more than two individuals, disputes are inevitable. The only thing ordinary people can do is to do their best."

"…" Chika nodded, seeming to have some understanding, "In that case, only by becoming someone who can influence other people's thoughts can one ultimately better transform society, right?"

"…" Natsuki glanced at her, also a little puzzled as to how the topic gradually turned to this, "Don't overthink it. Your current task is to study hard. It's okay to think about this kind of thing later."

"Eh?" Chika looked at him with some surprise, "I thought you would say… doesn't the president think I'm just thinking nonsense?"

Natsuki shook his head, "How could others know what everyone is thinking? Maybe in other people's eyes, your kind of consideration is just thinking nonsense, but I think that no matter what the purpose is, since there is thinking, it proves that it is not completely useless. I think, therefore I am. The same principle can also be applied here."

"Hmm… a bit obscure…" Chika shook her head in distress.

"It's normal, because this sentence was said by a philosopher, and as everyone knows, philosophers are one of the most difficult groups in the world to understand."

"One of?" Chika tilted her head, as if she had grasped a blind spot, "Are there other difficult groups to understand?"

"Yes." Natsuki glanced at her lightly, then added, "Similar to that, there are also mental patients and… female groups."

"They are considered one of the most difficult groups in the world to understand."

"…" Chika was stunned for a moment, then suddenly reacted, as if she was also a girl, so she puffed out her cheeks and protested, "Bias! It's all bias!"

"…" Natsuki was silent.

Mainly, as far as he personally was concerned, the thoughts of philosophers were actually slightly easier to understand.

After Chika made a fuss for a while, the two of them reached their destination.

As mentioned before, in order to facilitate going to school, Chika and her two sisters lived outside, in a relatively luxurious house with a yard. Natsuki had been there before. At that time, the entire house was surrounded by various large bodyguards. Today, there were none, not even a gatekeeper, which made people feel a little more relaxed.

"We're here, go in, I have to go back too." Natsuki spoke to Chika beside him.

"Won't the president come in and sit for a while? And stay for dinner or something?" Chika suggested, then tugged on the dog leash, looking at the golden retriever as if she was asking it to think of a way.

This golden retriever was really very understanding. It was obviously very sleepy, but it still struggled to stand up and slowly walked to Natsuki's side and licked his hand.

"Okay, okay, I'll come see you next time." Then he looked at Chika, looking a little helpless, "Asking the dog to keep guests is something only you can do."

"What's wrong with that…" Chika pouted, "And Toyomi-nee's cooking is quite good!"

"I know, I've eaten it before." Natsuki nodded, but still refused, "Let's talk about it next time, I'll come for a formal visit when I have the chance."

That last time didn't count, he should bring a greeting gift next time.

"Hmm… okay, then bye president, see you tomorrow." Chika waved her hand with a slight regret to bid him farewell.

Natsuki also responded, "Yeah, see you tomorrow."

248. Heartfelt Service from the Angel

I made up with Mahiru... No, we weren't really fighting in the first place. It's just that the angel was too shy and had been avoiding me for the past few days, but today she finally allowed herself to get a little closer.

After dinner, Mahiru sat on the sofa as usual, hugging her cushion and whiling away the leisurely time. I sat next to her, and we chatted idly.

"I wish we could chat happily like this in the classroom too..." the angel suddenly exclaimed, probably inspired by the camaraderie of classmates in a TV drama. She couldn't help but prop her cheek with her hand, pouting in a slightly sulky manner. "We finally got into the same class, but it's already the middle of the semester, and we still haven't really talked much."

I turned to look at her. "What's wrong? ...Do you feel like our usual interactions aren't enough?"

"It's not like that," the angel shook her head. "It's just that the atmosphere at home and at school is different, and..."

"And?"

"Umm... it's just different!" The angel suddenly hit me with her pillow. "Anyway, you're so oblivious, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"I can't agree with that," I retorted, quickly reacting to her sneak attack and blocking her subsequent offensive.

In my opinion, the angel was much more oblivious than I was. At least I could sense the strange atmosphere that had suddenly appeared in the class, but Mahiru seemed completely oblivious, still thinking that no one had noticed our interactions and that we were hiding it well.

A slightly helpless expression crept onto my face.

"That's what I said before, Mahiru doesn't need to hold back. If you want to talk to me, just come over. Or should I take the initiative to find you?"

"No, you absolutely can't come over," the angel shook her head vehemently. "If you do that, strange rumors will definitely spread about you again, right? I don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"..." I didn't know what to say.

It seems like she's always been like this, caring more about my situation than her own feelings. And if I suddenly told her that our 'close' relationship might have already been exposed to our classmates, it might upset her for a while... Well, maybe it's better to let her realize it on her own.

Anyway, the classmates are already being obvious enough. During the forest school trip, the fact that Mahiru stayed behind to wait for me to wake up had already attracted the attention of other students. Only she herself is still clueless.

Seeing that I had suddenly fallen silent, Mahiru pursed her lips and looked at me with dissatisfaction. "You absolutely can't come looking for me!"

She had to remind me again because she knew very well that if I started talking to her in class, her feelings might be completely exposed, and then it wouldn't just be a matter of causing me trouble.

"Yes, yes, I know," I sighed helplessly.

"You sound like you're just placating me..." the angel pouted, dissatisfied.