After deciding to give up, he started to gain popularity

"Yeah, sometimes I come here alone to relax, doing nothing, just sitting quietly on the bench and watching everyone below my feet."

As Natsukawa Kanade spoke, he handed a bento to Kato, who took it and then handed him a cup of tea.

"This is?"

"It's oolong tea. My father's friend sent it to me. We have some extra at home and can't finish it. I'm sorry to bother you, Natsukawa-kun."

"Then I'd be honored to refuse." Xia Chuan Zou nodded.

Take a sip and the rich aroma will spread in your mouth.

Unlike the bottled drinks sold in supermarkets, oolong tea, which needs to be brewed to bring out its flavor, is slightly bitter when you first take a sip, but gradually becomes sweeter, filling your entire mouth with sweetness and leaving a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth.

In fact, this is because oolong tea contains a large amount of polyphenols, which will react with protein to form an impermeable film on the surface of the tongue, making the tongue temporarily lose its taste. Once the membrane is broken, sweetness will continue to surge up, leaving people with an endless aftertaste.

So it is important to savor the food carefully, whether you are drinking tea or anything else.

"It's delicious, thank you Kato."

"As long as Natsukawa-kun likes it." Kato Megumi's mouth corners slightly raised, and then she took out a can of tea from the bag.

"If that's not enough, there's more here, but you have to take it home before you can drink it."

"Eh? No, that's a bit..."

"Don't mind it, Natsukawa-kun. Dad doesn't like it anyway. It will go bad if you don't drink it."

"...Okay." Xiachuan Zou nodded with difficulty.

However, I still feel very ashamed.

It was just a meal of eel, but he accepted such a generous gift from Kato. Although the oolong tea was not very expensive, the thought was real.

"If Natsukawa-kun still feels bad, please treat me to dessert next time." Kato Megumi turned her head to look at him, and her gentle tone immediately soothed Natsukawa Kanade's heart.

"There's a new dessert that's been released recently. It looks delicious, but I don't have much pocket money..."

Xiachuan Kanade blinked at her and smiled knowingly.

"So Kato is such a bad boy, using the gift for his father in exchange for his own pocket money..."

"..." Kato didn't say anything, but her slightly puffy face and slightly red ears betrayed her mood.

Xiachuan Zou stopped teasing while he was ahead.

It would be difficult to deal with if Kato was really made angry.

After the chat, it was time for a pleasant meal.

The two of them enjoyed the delicious food while admiring the unique scenery of the rooftop. No one disturbed them, so their happiness was doubled.

……

In a blink of an eye, it was time to go home from school. Xiachuan Zou was invited to the principal's office. When he came out, it was almost dark outside the school.

"Student Council President..."

Xia Chuan Zou let out a breath, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

In the conversation with the principal just now, he learned a lot of information, and what concerned him most was the school’s attitude towards his resignation as student union president - advising him to change, but not agreeing with it.

The reason is very simple - during Natsukawa Zou's tenure, the students and faculty on campus all spoke highly of this student union.

Not only does his professional ability far exceed the level of previous years, but he is also seemingly on a path to surpass his peak. Naturally, the school will not let him go easily because of such achievements.

Maybe the school is not clear about how capable Natsukawa Kanade is, but they are very clear about how capable this student union is!

As the core figure of the student council, Natsukawa Kanade is the one who connects the students in the student council together. If he is suddenly removed and someone else is appointed as the president, will the same effect still be achieved?

Maybe it would be better, but the school is not willing to take the gamble.

You may think this is an exaggeration and that a student union president will not affect the operation of the school at all, but this is not the case.

The student union of Shuchiin Academy has special rights and status that are difficult to achieve in other schools.

It controls almost all student affairs on campus, from small matters like attendance checks and regulations to big matters like leading students in organizing campus festivals, school trips and other activities. Almost all policies issued within the school are closely related to the Student Union.

The student council president is the one who leads those talented people, based on the entire student council, and is responsible for ensuring that all students in the school live a "proper high school life."

This responsibility is no small matter.

Considering Shuchiin Academy's special status as an "aristocratic school", a "mixed-school student" like him (meaning a student who did not progress all the way up from the elementary school but transferred in the middle of the term) should not be able to serve as the student council president.

There is a high probability that he will be just like the senior who joined the school. Even if he becomes the president, he will be quickly driven out by the students.

All these turning points are due to the existence of Shinomiya Kaguya, because she represents the Shinomiya Group and she is its vice president.

At the beginning, because he liked Kaguya Shinomiya, he kept attacking her. Facing such a young lady, he had only one way to do it - challenge, challenge continuously.

From academic performance to professional skills, from interpersonal relationships to personal hobbies, no matter what he is good at or not good at, he will not show any weakness.

No matter what field it is, he will challenge Kaguya Shinomiya. Only by defeating her and defeating her continuously and making this genius young lady feel frustrated, will she be able to face him as a person and notice his existence.

At first, he naturally only lost but never won, but it didn't matter, he had plenty of energy. His grades weren't as good as hers? Then he would study hard; his skills weren't as good as hers? Then he would find a way to practice and surpass her!

He almost forgot what those days were like. He only remembered that he slept less than 5 hours a day.

Fortunately, he managed to get through it, and the result was that he defeated Kaguya Shinomiya head-on!

First, he defeated her with a perfect score in an exam, then he challenged her with her strengths, constantly undermining her arrogance, and finally conquered her!

After that, she became his vice president and helped him, Natsukawa Kanade, to secure the position of student council president, until the day he chose to let go...

Shinomiya Kaguya recognized his abilities, which Natsukawa Koushi knew very well, but as a lover, he was not the first choice, which Natsukawa Koushi also made clear.

However, if he abandons everyone as a friend just to avoid a broken heart, he is undoubtedly a coward.

He had done such cowardly things countless times before. Whenever it was late at night and everyone was asleep, he would think of those things and fall into deep self-blame and want to go back to the past.

Until that rainy day, Kato's gentle words gave him strength.

Escape? Take responsibility? Whatever! As long as he is willing, then do it!

No longer living according to other people's ideas, but following his own heart.

"I want to... be everyone's friend forever!"

Laugh with them, play with them, live with them every day, I don't want to give up this possibility no matter what.

Therefore, he must abandon the past and face a brand new self.

022. This is the first time I accepted it!

The cool moon is like eyebrows hanging in the willow bay, and you can see in the mirror of the mountains.

The moonlight on Friday was exceptionally bright, and the cool breeze blowing on his face blew away the sorrow in Xiachuan Zou's heart.

Since when, whenever people look up at the starry sky and see the rising crescent moon, endless thoughts will surge in their hearts.

Whether he was forcing himself to express sorrow in writing new poems or he really felt something in his heart, the atmosphere he created was filled with the word sorrow. However, Xia Chuan Zou did not think so.

The moon is cool and elegant, yet embraces everything; it hangs high in the night sky, yet shines into people's hearts. Needless to say, it is very inclusive. It has carried the emotions of countless literati and poets throughout the ages, but its most commendable feature is its ability to soothe people's hearts.

No matter how strong the emotions are, whether it is homesickness, longing for family, or indignation, they can be relieved and healed in an instant as soon as you see it.

So, all that remains is respect and love for it.

At this moment, Natsukawa Kanade was wandering alone on the streets of Tokyo, wandering around aimlessly, enjoying the scenery along the way under the bright white frost.

Noisy izakayas, busy snack bars, and office workers who are in a hurry after just returning from overtime work, each culture is quite distinctive, and if I really want to list them one by one, I would probably have to write a research paper.

Just as Natsukawa Kanade was thinking about what to eat, a cheerful girl's voice sounded in his ears.

"President? What are you doing here?"

Following the sound, he soon saw a pink-haired girl with a dog greeting him. The black bow on her head was particularly eye-catching.

It was Fujiwara Chika.

At this moment, she was not wearing her usual school uniform, but a green dress with a white butterfly tied at the neckline, which made her look very lively.

"Good evening, Fujiwara." Natsukawa Kanade nodded at her in response.

I originally wanted to enjoy the night in Tokyo by myself, but someone suddenly stopped me and I had to give up.

The most important thing is that he encountered the stupid Fujiwara, and he would be hard to escape in a short time.

"It's so late, are you still playing outside and not going home?" Xiachuan Zou asked curiously.

If I remember correctly, the Fujiwara family's house rules are quite strict, and there are curfews, so it was quite a coincidence to encounter them.

"Pace wants to come out and play!" Fujiwara Chika shook the dog leash in her hand with a happy smile on her face.

Xiachuan Zou looked at the golden retriever lying beside him and found that it had its legs crossed, its eyes were confused, and it was yawning.

"..."

Are you sure you didn't come up with this idea?

"Ahem... Anyway, it's getting late. If nothing else..."

"President, please wait a moment. I need to talk to Pace first." Fujiwara Chika waved her hand, signaling to Natsukawa Kanade not to be anxious.

Then she squatted down and said something in the golden retriever's ear. The dog stood up, looked at Natsukawa Kanade and Fujiwara Chika, and then walked away while biting the leash.

"..." Xia Chuanzou opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

Just now...was that golden retriever observing him? It seemed like Fujiwara was talking to it? This was too weird!

Are all dogs nowadays so smart?! Or are animals in Japan allowed to become spirits?

The amount of information was so huge that it shocked Natsukawa Kanade for the entire year.

"Fuji, Fujiwara...what did you say to it just now?" Seeing Fujiwara Chika jogging towards him, Natsukawa Kanade could no longer hold back his curiosity.

"I didn't say anything. I just let Pace go home by himself, and then I walked around outside for a while." Fujiwara Chika said as a matter of course.

"I can actually understand it..." Xia Chuan Zou curled his lips in disbelief.

But when I think about the fact that there are girls like Fujiwara in this world, it’s no wonder that dogs can be so human.

Even when the magical girl Natsukawa Kanade appeared the next second, she was able to suppress her emotions and accept it.

"President, have you had dinner?" Fujiwara Chika said with a smile.

She looks so happy every day, and rarely doesn't smile. Compared to her, Natsukawa Kanade feels that his life is much more bitter.

"not yet, what about you?"

"I don't have one either!" Fujiwara Chika raised her voice slightly, and then extended her hand to Natsukawa Kanade.

"I happened to meet the president today, so let me take you to a great store!"

Without waiting for Xiachuan Zou to refuse, she grabbed his hand and ran away.

Handsome men and beautiful women, one in front and one behind, coupled with the eye-catching school uniforms, the breath of youth suddenly hits you, and the office workers next to you burst into tears.

"Wow... I remember there was a girl holding my hand like this before..."

"Don't brag, at most I'll just pull you aside and say 'Aibo, Ramen Iku thief!' That's all."

“…So that’s not it?”

"Ah? ... What the hell? No, no, you, don't scare me!"

"What's wrong? In my heart, I've always had you..."

"You, you, you, don't come over here!"

"..."

Natsukawa Kanade could no longer hear the tragic love story happening on the roadside. He was taken into a ramen restaurant by Fujiwara Chika.

It is deserted and remote, located at the deepest part of the alley, and the name of the shop is most commonly named after the owner.

The interior decoration is quite old-fashioned, but the sanitary conditions are very clean.

There weren't many people in the store, scattered around in groups of three or four. There were almost no people who came in groups like Natsukawa Kanade and his companion.

It can even be said that apart from the two of them, the only people left were some office workers who had just got off work.

"Ramen..." Natsukawa Kanade murmured.