Band members, girls with fermented bean curd, step forward!

Page 33

She agreed without hesitation, then pondered how to get him to repay the loan.

Meanwhile, at Yoshinoya, with Chen and Liang going to the hospital, the two of them working there suddenly became busy, making them feel quite unaccustomed to their usual relaxed work schedules.

Ash and Rupa didn't have time to pay attention to the blue-haired girl who was huddled in the lounge, doing who-knows-what.

Rupa was very anxious after learning that her younger brother was injured, but she couldn't leave the front desk without working.

Until she saw Chen emerge from behind, specks of crimson blood seeping from her bandaged hand.

Her heart clenched with his pain. But she still had to work; she had to smile at the customers who came to dine.

She would take good care of her younger brother after he returned. As for that other person's matter, she would leave it to him to handle. She trusted him as always.

"Hey, thankfully, it's not expensive," Chen said in surprise, looking at the hospital bill.

After finishing his treatment, still wincing in pain from the stitches, he calculated the total amount he needed to repay Miss Liang and received some fairly good news.

The total cost, including the transportation and hospital fees, is around 30,000 yen. If he's frugal, he can pay it back this month.

"Miss Liang, I'll just take the tram home by myself. It's getting a bit late anyway, so it'll be just the right time for you to get home."

"As for the money, I should be able to pay it back this month."

His tone lightened; what he had initially thought would cost a lot of money now seemed less bad.

"Need not"

Miss Liang's unexpected words rang in Chen's ears, and he looked at Miss Liang, who was about to become his godfather, with surprise and joy.

"The money still needs to be repaid."

Her cold words shattered Chen's illusions. However, paying back debts is a matter of course, and besides, he still owed Miss Liang a debt of gratitude that no amount of money could ever repay, so he didn't react much.

Miss Liang's next words put him in a bit of a dilemma.

"Give me back 100 yen every day, and I want it to be given to me in person."

Ms. Liang made the following request regarding Chen's repayment method.

This repayment method is incredibly user-friendly. It's 100 yen per day, with no interest. You could say it's completely stress-free.

But as a price, it seems he'll be constantly bothered by Miss Liang.

Chen sighed helplessly and agreed to Miss Liang's generous terms.

A hint of joy seemed to flicker in Miss Liang's eyes, and the corners of her mouth appeared to be turning up. However, she quickly concealed it.

Chen didn't truly confirm that joy either. He simply assumed Miss Liang was happy because she had found more fun. He had absolutely no complaints about his good friend now; as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.

As he took his first step away, Miss Liang added one last sentence.

No need to come to the hospital for dressing changes.

She was prepared to take on the entire job.

Chen nodded to Miss Liang without asking why. He knew she wouldn't harm him, and considering her request, he guessed she wanted him to change her dressing himself.

After saying goodbye to Miss Liang, Chen boarded the tram and began his journey home.

When I arrived at the shop, Momoka-nee, who looked extremely angry, was already sitting there.

Clutching a half-empty beer can, she rushed over to Chen when he appeared at the door, her eyes filled with reproach, unable to contain her worry. She helped him sit down in the now-empty shop.

She wasn't drunk; she still needed to take care of Chen when she got home, so Tao Xiang controlled her urge to drink.

As soon as she entered Yoshinoya, Ash informed her that Chen had been injured by an ingrate. Enraged, she wanted to storm into the lounge and teach that ingrate Ash had mentioned a lesson. However, Rupa stopped her in the end.

Rupa said Chen would be back soon and she wanted her younger brother to handle the matter himself. Tao Xiang hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.

After finishing her busy work, she took her cleaning tools and went into the break room to clean up the messy floor.

Under her deliberate observation, the blue-haired girl was terrified by the sudden opening of the door, and her body trembled when she entered.

After discovering that she was merely cleaning up the broken pieces and food scraps on the floor, he quietly curled up again, burying his head between his knees, leaning against the corner of the wall behind him.

She didn't comment on the young lady; Chen would handle everything once he returned. Her sensible younger brother surely shared the same expectation. She would fulfill his wishes.

Seeing that Tao Xiang had already gone up to check on Chen, she and Xiao Zhi also surrounded him.

Xiao Zhi seemed to want to touch Chen's bandaged right hand, but quickly withdrew his hand, thinking that he would hurt him.

Rupa stood behind Chen, letting his head rest against her abdomen, gently stroking his head with one hand.

Tao Xiang gripped his uninjured arm tightly, and the strength she used showed her determination to get to the bottom of things.

The three women's concerned looks and actions put him under immense pressure, so he had no choice but to take the initiative and speak to them.

"Cough, it's okay, Sister Xiaozhi, Sister Rupa, and Sister Taoxiang. I went to the hospital and got a few stitches, and I'm almost healed now."

"Huh? You got stitches?"

Tao Xiang hadn't expected it to be this serious, and her voice suddenly rose, making sure the young lady in the lounge could hear her clearly.

She knew there was no way to change Chen's decision, but she still wanted to do something for him in her own way.

"It must hurt a lot, right?"

Tao Xiang continued to call out to Chen, her voice filled with concern, as she looked towards the lounge. She used her eyes to suppress his urge to stop her.

It's good to let Teacher Da Xiang know what he did; it will make communicating with the little blue octopus easier later.

Chen didn't interrupt Tao Xiang's thoughts any further, allowing her to continue improvising.

Xiao Zhi's pupils contracted the moment Chen uttered the words "stitching".

She dared not imagine how much pain Chen You would suffer after going to the hospital, not only having to remove the bandages suggested by Ms. Liang, but also having to disinfect the area again with alcohol, and even enduring the sensation of needles and thread piercing her skin.

Tears welled in her eyes, and her anger deepened.

Rupa paused slightly in the hand that was stroking his head, then wrapped his other arm around his shoulder, pulling Chen closer to his body, trying to ease his previous pain.

"It's alright, Sister Xiaozhi, Sister Rupa," he gently shook his head, indicating that they didn't need to worry.

"I just can't work as fast anymore," he said, feeling somewhat helpless about his current situation.

My right hand is my dominant hand, but for the next two weeks I'll have to work with my left hand, which will definitely make me much less efficient.

What frustrated him even more was that playing the guitar requires two hands, and he only had a month to practice, meaning half a month would be wasted. He wouldn't be able to explain this to Mygo.

"Maybe this is an opportunity. I can get to know Cat Cat and have her take my place. Then, if I want to quit later, wouldn't that make it more legitimate?"

He tried to find joy even in hardship, but a deep sense of resentment still welled up inside him.

"Fine, two weeks it is then. Let's avoid inviting the cat if we can avoid it, but we should still treat her to a few more matcha parfaits as a contingency plan."

After thanking them sincerely for their concern, Chen indicated that she needed to go to the lounge alone to talk to Teacher Da Xiang and try to cure this patient through talk therapy, lest all of Fei Xiang's efforts be in vain.

He asked Rupa to prepare another meal, holding the plate in one hand, and gestured for Rupa to open the door for him.

When Xiaozhi and Momo saw him still worrying about the unfamiliar girl, his expression was extremely fierce. It was unclear whether this was partly due to disgust for the girl and partly due to jealousy of Chen's behavior.

Rupa smiled helplessly at him and obediently prepared the meal for him.

He spoke up at the door beforehand to remind Miss Xiangzi that it was him.

"Ms. Toyokawa, I'm coming in."

Chen reminded Teacher Da Xiang at the door that although the possibility was almost zero, it was still best to avoid further harm.

Pushing open the door, Miss Xiangzi hurriedly got up, brushing the dust off her clothes.

The tear tracks at the corners of her eyes were very obvious, but the red marks on her cheeks had faded considerably.

Her attention was focused on Chen's bandaged right hand; she knew he must have endured a lot of pain.

But when she smelled the aroma of rice and saw Chen struggling to hold the plate of freshly cooked beef rice in his left hand, she could no longer hold back her tears.

"Why?! Why do I have to cook another meal?!" Xiangzi's heart screamed wildly.

"Wouldn't that mean I'd never be able to repay what I owe you?!"

Watching Chen close the door with his heel, she covered her lips, tears streaming down her face.

The events that had transpired after she and her father were driven out of the Toyokawa family flashed through her mind at this moment.

The father, who initially tried to pull himself together, soon became addicted to alcohol.

He began to adopt the bad habits of those petty thugs, and his attitude towards her became increasingly rude.

He either asks her for money to buy alcohol, or asks her to buy alcohol for him, or he squanders his hard-earned meager salary on pinball machines.

He always said he would definitely recoup his losses, but the number of times he asked for money back increased and became more frequent.

And she, who once held expectations for her father, has been reduced to a working machine, seemingly only there to meet his demands.

Even though I've already cut back on everything, I can only afford one proper meal a day.

But he still wanted to kick him out of the house!

After being treated this way by his father, Xiangzi wandered aimlessly through the streets after get off work today.

She didn't know where she should go, or where she could find refuge.

But because she didn't eat well every day, she simply didn't have the energy.

Finally, her body issued a warning and shut down on its own. Her previous memories stopped when she reached the edge of the alley.

Clearly, all I had to do was leave her alone. Why, Chen, did you have to pick me up from there and make me face reality again?!

As long as they ignore me, that's fine! I can just pass out there and never, ever have to face this reality that I can't stand anymore!

She couldn't describe her feelings—gratitude, regret, sadness, and even anger towards Chen. All of these were intertwined.

She messed everything up. She hurt her savior.

And now, after he came back, he was still... still worried that he hadn't eaten! He used his awkward one hand to serve himself a hot meal!

She burst into tears.

Moving her legs slowly, she stood in front of Chen, no longer caring about her image, revealing all her emotions.

With her hands clasped in front of her, she bowed deeply to Chen.

"sorry!"

Because her upper body was parallel to the ground, her tears no longer slid down her cheeks, but instead, following the force of gravity, slammed heavily onto the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Her words escaped her lips intermittently, choked by sobs.

"You must have suffered a lot, all because of me... I've caused you, who kindly tried to help me, to suffer..."

Her lowered gaze was fixed on Chen's right hand, and the throbbing pain in her heart, which had been numb all along, had never felt so real.

The three people outside the door were pressed against it, listening intently to what was happening inside.

"I...I have no way to repay your kindness with words..."

She stopped Chen from helping her up, her firm words resounding.

“I will work, I will continue to work to pay off all your losses. You probably won’t be able to work normally, so I will quit my job to help you until you recover.”

"Alright, Toyokawa-kun."

Xiangzi's heart skipped a beat when her words were interrupted. She pleaded with Chen not to be gentle with her anymore; she couldn't live without him.

Chen ultimately didn't grant her wish. To him, Teacher Da Xiang seemed to be preparing to fly away after repaying a debt of gratitude, which was unacceptable.

"I don't need you to repay the money."

Chen's words filled her with even greater despair; she realized that she seemed unable to live without this classmate, Chen.

It was only the second time we met, it was only the second time we met.

She was torturing her own heart in agony.

We've barely even exchanged a few words, so why, why can't I live without you?! Why can't I imagine a life without you?!

Her body trembled as she received Chen's words, which were like poison.

As for Chen, he really doesn't need Teacher Da Xiang to repay the money.

Even with Miss Liang in that state, he has absolutely no financial pressure.

Moreover, given Xiangzi's situation—she can barely afford to eat—asking her to repay the debt would likely mean she starves to death.

"Could you help me put my food on the table? My arm is a little sore."

He looked at Xiangzi, who was maintaining a 90-degree bow, and felt somewhat uncomfortable.