Are you, as meal replacement users, ready for the consequences?

Page 20

"Ah, I'm alright."

Shiina Tatsuki stopped drumming a little embarrassed and went to wipe the windows near the floor-to-ceiling glass.

How embarrassing! Why did you have to expose me at this time?

I bet someone saw me using my fingers as drumsticks.

Even Shiina Riki, who looked very strong, blushed a little.

"Uh-huh?"

She sprayed washer fluid onto the large French windows and was about to clean the glass when she unexpectedly saw two familiar figures.

"That is…"

lamp!

And those near the lamp...

"Toyokawa Shoko?"

"what?"

Staring incredulously at the two people walking hand in hand downstairs, a nameless anger rose in Shiina Tatsuki's eyes.

"Huh? This guy dares to come looking for the lamp?!"

No, I really can't stand it anymore!!!

"Boss lady, my friend is here. I'm going to greet him. I'll be right back!"

Lixi stuffed the glass cleaner and a wet rag into the boss's arms, untied her apron, and rushed downstairs.

"It's the boss, not the boss's wife!"

……

"Little Lamp, look! This flower glows!"

As if showing off, Toyokawa Ningko held up a wildflower she had picked from the roadside and waved it in front of Takamatsu Akira.

"Is...is that so? It seems...yes?"

Takamatsu Akari rubbed her eyes uncertainly:

Glowing light? Really? Why can't I see it... Am I having a mental breakdown?

"Oh right? It's glowing, a dazzling light streaking across my throat, making me feel really good right now."

"As long as Ningzi is happy!"

Although Deng couldn't understand, he thought Ningzi was amazing.

Ningzi looked adorable when she held up the flower; you could even see two tiny, dancing hearts in her amber eyes.

"This is for the lamp, I hope the lamp will accept it."

"Okay! Okay, I like it very much!"

Gao Songdeng carefully pinched the base of the flower, afraid of damaging the petals.

It was just a wildflower... but because Ningzi gave it to her, it was given a different meaning.

Once you get home, make them into dried flowers and put them in a small box; that way, they can be stored for a lifetime.

"Little Lamp, you must accept my gifts for the rest of your life."

Today is my second lifetime.

Gao Songdeng silently counted in his mind.

"Little light!"

"what?"

A strong arm pulled her away. This guy who suddenly barged between the two of them was so domineering. He protected Takamatsu Akari like a chick behind his back while glaring at Toyokawa Ningko with a very aggressive look.

"Li...Xi?"

"Lixi?"

Where did this middle-aged woman come from?

Deng and Ningzi called out the name of the visitor one after the other, Ningzi's tone filled with confusion.

Why is this person so agitated?

It was as if he had offended her.

Anyway, smiling at her should be fine, right?

Just as Toyokawa Ningko's lips curled into a smile, Shiina Tatsuki retorted with a dark expression.

"You bastard, you still have the nerve to come back? And now you're all grinning like an idiot, what do you take the lamp for?"

"what?"

Why are you so aggressive right from the start? Did I disband her band or steal her boyfriend?

"I…"

Toyokawa Ningko tried to speak, but her tongue seemed to be stuck shut by water, and she couldn't open it no matter what she did.

A strong electric current stimulated her trigeminal nerve, dragging her back to a long, forgotten past.

I think I vaguely remember this guy…

Her name is Shiina Mashiro.

It was a season of falling cherry blossoms. On the stone steps outside the airport, Ningzi, who had been asked by her sister to come, waited idly for the arrival of her guests.

Her sister told her to go pick him up from the airport alone, and the person she had been waiting for for so long was Shiina Mashiro, a British exchange student standing in front of her.

then…

Then I can't remember.

"Hey, are you even listening to me? What are you trying to do with the light?"

Shiina Ritsuki crossed his arms. If looks could kill, Neko would have been tortured to death by Ritsuki hundreds of times over by now.

"..."

Riki's words brought back even more memories for Ningzi... Back then, she and Shiina lived together, spending countless ordinary yet heartwarming days together...

What happened next? Why is Mashiro so angry? Did I... do something wrong?

"Shiina, I think there's been some misunderstanding between us..."

"Huh? Shiina?"

My anger level is about to burst! What did this guy call me? Shiina?

"You bastard, you did this on purpose, didn't you?!"

Shiina Ritsuki grabbed Toyokawa Neko by the collar; although he wasn't very tall, he was still ahead of Neko.

Ningzi, in her hands, looked like a chick whose fate was being strangled.

"Lixi!"

Once he regained his senses, Takamatsu Akira reached out to stop him.

Oh no, Lixi has misunderstood, this isn't Xiangzi.

So, Lixi... had so much dissatisfaction with Xiangzi? If I had been more serious... Xiangzi wouldn't have said those things that upset Lixi.

Ultimately, it's my fault. If I had known earlier that Li Xi would be here...

"Little lamp?"

Lixi stared in disbelief at Gaosong Deng, who was holding her hand. Deng's call calmed her down a bit.

"Don't stop me, I'm going to teach this guy a lesson."

Since you still dare to hurt Gao Songdeng, I think you really need to be taught a lesson.

Ningzi, who was being grabbed, blinked innocently.

Although she doesn't remember what happened afterward, she can analyze the situation based on the current context…

Did I abandon Shiina Mashiro?

No wonder she was so angry…

But Li Xi? Oh, that's what Xiao Deng called her too. Did she change her name too? Why do people these days like to change their names and then fawn over people they used to know?

The lamp is one, and so is Lixi.

"I'm sorry, Lixi, that was my fault... I won't abandon you again..."

"Huh? You're...you're here? What are you saying?"

Shiina Ritsuki couldn't believe her ears. What had she heard? She seemed to hear…

Toyokawa Shoko said she wouldn't abandon me again? No way, do you think I'm just being coquettish?

"Huh? Are you out of your mind?"

Taking the opportunity, Deng blocked Ningzi behind her and saw Ningzi's neck, which was slightly red from the friction of her collar.

"Lixi-chan... that was too much!"

After Takamatsu Akari mustered up her courage and finished speaking, she pulled Toyokawa Ningko away from the battlefield.

Shiina Riki was left standing there, bewildered and at a loss.

ha?

Chapter 25. Can you protect me for the rest of my life?

Shiina Makoto... Tatsuki.

That girl... I think I remember something about her.

Takamatsu's battery life was impressive; it dragged Toyokawa Neko, who was reluctant to leave, for five blocks without stopping.

Are you going to participate in a large marathon in the future, my little lamp?

"Ningzi, I beg you, please don't leave me..."

My feet were forced to run, and the words Shiina Tatsuki had said in the past echoed in my ears.

It was a rainy night, absolutely a rainy night. At 6:32 PM that evening, I left Shiina Tatsuki.

What was the reason again?

A bright pink sedan flashed past Deng Yu Ning.

Yes, it was because of a car accident.

I had an accident.

That rainy night, I was in a car accident. My hair was disheveled and wet, sticking to the asphalt road, and fresh blood was seeping from my skin. The weather in December was already cold, and only the burning blood kept me from freezing to death...

That's right... but then what?

The lamp's pace has not stopped, like a tireless racehorse.

As the two women turned a corner, Toyokawa Ningko caught a glimpse of a row of telephone poles standing by the roadside.

Yes, I grabbed onto a utility pole very close to the scene of the accident and frantically escaped from under the car after losing my lower body.

I retrieved my phone from the rubble; the screen was cut into three pieces, but it worked perfectly fine.

Impossible. No phone can be used after it cracks.

This is fake, but I did make a phone call. What did I use to make the call?

I climbed all the way to the phone booth.

I made a phone call.

"Xiao Ning, are you alright?"

I made a phone call. I called Deng... no, I called Lixi.

Toyokawa Ningko felt a wave of dizziness. She thought she heard Takamatsu Akari calling her, but she couldn't say anything.