Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 561

Consider more people.

Xiangzi rubbed his temples.

"Alright, we're here to discuss this anyway." She led Stuff to a nearby meeting room. "How about this modification..."

.......

The hands of the clock slowly turned toward the end of the day.

In the end, only one conference room in the building where the firm was located had its lights on.

Xiangzi noticed the fatigue that Stuff unintentionally revealed, so he took the initiative to end the conversation and put the tablet away.

That's enough for today.

"And the rest..."

"We'll talk about the rest tomorrow; it's already very late today."

"Ms. Toyokawa," Stuff said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. Before leaving the meeting room, she turned back and asked, "Aren't you coming down with me?"

"I have some things to do, I'll leave later."

Is there anything else? Isn't she home yet, it's so late?

Stuff blinked in surprise.

"Then I'll leave first."

"Hmm." Xiangzi nodded, then looked down and rummaged through his schoolbag.

The office building was quiet, with only the meeting room lights still on.

After Stuff left, Xiangzi took out the test paper he hadn't finished that afternoon from his schoolbag and buried himself in writing it.

"..."

I still have a lot of homework to finish. Anyway, Chuhua isn't home today, so it doesn't matter whether I go back or not. There are showers at the company, so it shouldn't be a problem to spend the night there.

Most importantly, she didn't want to stop.

If you stop, you'll think of things you don't want to remember.

Xiangzi bit his lip, realizing he was getting distracted while writing, so he turned around, went to the bathroom to wash his face, and came back to continue.

The only sounds in the quiet space were the ticking of the clock and the scratching of pens on paper. The lights in the conference room stayed on until late at night.

Toot——

Xiangzi looked up from the pile of documents and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Someone messaged me?

Xiangzi blinked.

[Chuhua: I'm home, where are you?]

"...It's already finished recording?" Xiangzi picked up his phone and sent his location to Chuhua.

Chu Hua: I'm coming to pick you up now.

[Xiangzi: (typing)] Art7 Yierba Fish Temple Shrimp

No need, I'm not planning to come back tonight.

Xiangzi's fingertip hovered over the send button. After hesitating for a while, he finally deleted the sentence and started over.

[Xiangzi: No need, I can come back by myself.]

Chu Hua: Then I'll prepare some late-night snacks for you.

[Xiangzi: Okay.]

Xiangzi put down his phone, let out a long sigh, slumped into his chair, and stared at the light strip on the ceiling.

“…Let’s go home,” she said.

So I packed my things, put on my backpack, and went downstairs.

Raising his hand towards the empty street, the ring on his left hand transformed into a soul gem resembling an Easter egg, emitting a faint glow.

However, just as something was about to happen, Xiangzi suddenly withdrew his hand.

She lowered her eyes and looked at the Soul Gem in her hand.

"Perhaps we shouldn't use it."

She put the Soul Gem away, turned around, went to the next street, and hailed a taxi.

Although it hurts to spend the money, it's still better than recklessly using magic.

Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Xiangzi looked at the ring on his left hand, closed his eyes, relaxed his shoulders, and leaned back in his seat for a short rest.

Except when necessary, she doesn't want to remember that she is a magical girl.

Two years have already passed like this, and it will probably continue like this in the future.

That's it...

Always......

Pretend that day never happened.

The Tale of Transcendence: Stars and Us: Chapter 746 Did I Make the Wrong Choice?

The next morning, at the same time as the day before, Xiangzi woke up naturally amidst an indescribable anxiety and chest tightness.

Whether she actually "woke up" is still debatable.

My eyes are as sore and uncomfortable as ever. The alarm clock hasn't gone off, and it's still dark outside.

It's the weekend, a time that should be for rest, and she didn't set an alarm, but she still woke up naturally.

Every weekend is like this.

Xiangzi sighed and climbed off the bed.

I have a slight headache, which is a daily occurrence. Every single day, I feel this way when I wake up in the morning.

In the past two years, she hasn't had a proper night's sleep. As soon as she closes her eyes, her mind starts to wander uncontrollably.

Dreams and insomnia were intertwined; she couldn't tell whether she was dreaming or just lying in bed lost in thought while suffering from insomnia.

It's the weekend, and she should be going home to catch up on her sleep by now.

but......

Xiangzi glanced back at her bed and swallowed hard. Her back was covered in cold sweat, as if she had experienced some dramatic ups and downs while she slept. Although she was indeed in very poor mental condition, she couldn't lie back down.

If she lies back down, she'll probably start having dreams again.

Xiangzi covered his forehead and, supporting himself against the wall, walked out of the bedroom.

He walked step by step to the living room, but even this short distance felt like he was about to collapse from exhaustion. Xiangzi slumped onto the sofa.

She stared at the ceiling, her chest heaving. Sweat soaked through her thin nightgown, and she still felt a tightness in her chest, as if something was accumulating there. She raised her hand and groped for something on the coffee table—this was the thing she had struggled to come to the living room for.

However, no matter how he groped around, his palm couldn't touch the thing he wanted.

Just as Xiangzi was becoming increasingly anxious and impatient, a hand picked up the medicine bottle from the coffee table.

"Chuhua..." Xiangzi squinted at the figure that had appeared silently, "Shouldn't you..."

Chu Hua picked up the medicine bottle that Xiangzi had been groping for, gently helped Xiangzi from a lying position to a sitting position, skillfully poured out two pills from the bottle, and with her other hand picked up the kettle and poured a glass of water.

This medicine is a sleeping pill that can put her into a deep sleep where she won't dream.

Many times when she couldn't hold on any longer, she would use this medication to get a good night's sleep. Over time, she has become dependent on it.

"Xiao Xiang."

".......Thank you." Xiangzi took the pills, popped them into her mouth, and drank some water that Chuhua had poured for her.

After taking the pills, Xiangzi immediately felt much better.

She knew it was mostly psychological comfort, but it was true that some of the pent-up frustration in her chest seemed to be released with each breath.

She let out a long sigh.

"feel better now."

"It's a little better now," Xiangzi breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’ve been doing this a lot lately, don’t overwork yourself.” Chu Hua sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the sofa, her head resting on Xiangzi’s knees, like a dog asking for interaction.

“…Hmm.” Xiangzi nodded vaguely and raised his hand in response to Chuhua’s request.

He continued, finishing the question he hadn't finished asking earlier, "But you, why aren't you sleeping? You probably don't have any plans for today."

"I was so excited after recording the song that I accidentally played on my phone for too long." Chu Hua scratched her head and said with an embarrassed smile, "I was just feeling a little sleepy."

"Then go catch up on your sleep." Xiangzi ruffled Chuhua's hair vigorously. "Don't overwork yourself."

"That's what I should be saying to you," Chu Hua said, feigning anger, pouting as she looked up at Xiangzi. "I've only been busy for these past two days this month, while you've been like this every day, and it's all over now..."

The sound stopped suddenly.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold when Chu Hua was halfway through her speech.

"What already?" Xiangzi squinted.

She knew what Chu Hua wanted to say but dared not say, and her slightly better mood plummeted back to rock bottom.

"It's nothing," Chu Hua shook her head and changed her words.

“Go and rest for a bit. How about we sleep together?” She turned around, knelt down next to the sofa, took Xiangzi’s hand, and looked at his profile in the darkness. “Just like before.”

"I can't sleep." Xiangzi shook his head, rubbing his forehead. "You should go back to sleep first."

She didn't want to talk right now, and she didn't want Chu Hua to keep trying to make small talk with her.

Because of what she had just said, the pent-up emotions in her chest became agitated, and she could clearly feel her mood worsening.

"But you haven't had a proper rest in a long time..."

"I'm fine." Xiangzi clearly expressed his refusal and quietly pulled his hand away from Chuhua's. "It's really okay, Chuhua, you go to sleep first."

"......"

Chu Hua's head drooped listlessly.

After a while, she changed back to the previous position, leaning against the sofa with her head pressed against Xiangzi.

"what are you doing?"

"I'll stay here with you." Chu Hua closed her eyes and said as if she were sulking, "This is my own decision."

“You haven’t rested for at least forty-eight hours. You’re the one who needs sleep more than I do right now,” Xiangzi said, frowning.

“You can sleep here too.” Chu Hua looked up at Xiangzi. “I just wanted to keep you company, Xiao Xiang.”

"That's enough, stop acting like a child, okay?!"

The atmosphere around Xiangzi suddenly became incredibly tense, filled with a palpable sense of impatience. Before Chu Hua could even react, she had already jumped off the sofa and headed straight for the entrance.

"I just want to be alone right now, please."

"Xiao Xiang?!" Chu Hua turned around abruptly. "Where are you going?"

"Go out for some fresh air." As he spoke, Xiangzi had already put on his shoes and disappeared out the door.

"But you just took sleeping pills—"

The sound of the door closing lingered in the room.

Chu Hua stared blankly in the direction where Xiangzi had disappeared, then lowered her head, lay down on the sofa, and buried her face in her arms.

"I said the wrong thing again."

The leather of the sofa still retained Xiangzi's body heat.

For Xiangzi, the memories from two years ago haunted her like a nightmare. And for Chuhua, it was no different; she too would often think of Dolores, and of the future she had envisioned with Dolores.

Chu Hua took a deep breath and bit her lower lip hard.

"Doloris, did I make the wrong choice?"