Reflecting on this question kept Hojo Shouko silent all the way to the station, rely sipping her green juice bubble tea.
She glanced at the train and turned her head to say, "Aozawa-senpai, I’m going to head back first."
"Mhm."
Aozawa waved his hand.
Hojo Shouko stepped into the won-only carriage. She glanced around, found an empty seat, sat down, and placed the groceries she bought at her feet.
She looked at the green juice bubble tea in her hand; there was still a small half left.
Even when drinking absentmindedly, the habit of taking small sips ant she never consud too much bubble tea at once.
Habits, huh, Hojo Shouko thought, glancing around the carriage at groups of stylishly dressed young won laughing and talking together.
There were also so older office workers sitting quietly, easing the fatigue of work.
Hojo Shouko pulled her gaze back; an answer suddenly ford in her mind.
Indeed, it’s different.
With her, Aozawa-senpai probably only experienced that sort of mundane atmosphere, never the thrill of a roller coaster ride.
Her personality was very rule-abiding. In the eyes of the world, that equated to being boring and dull.
Being thrifty and good at managing a household doesn’t seem like a rit either.
At least, Hojo Shouko was acutely aware of this. Whenever she talked about such things with others, they would show a look of not understanding what she was talking about.
Is this a topic for girls?
High school girls don’t gather to discuss what’s a reasonable price for fish at the market, or what fresh at should look like.
How much should one pay for vegetables without being fleeced?
Hojo Shouko had tried to talk about this with many people before, but the feedback was never good.
She also knew that her personality was quite boring.
But she had no intention of changing.
The reason was simply that she was used to it, used to being disconnected from trendy topics.
Accustod to doing everything according to her daily plan.
Though others saw her plans as tedious, for Hojo Shouko, completing each one brought a small sense of achievent.
Sotis she envied those beautifully dressed girls, as well as the ones who could laugh and chat freely in front of others.
But as soon as she thought about having to do the sa, Hojo Shouko’s mind would beco inexplicably tangled.
What kind of topics should she talk about that wouldn’t bother others?
For example, while she had no objections to the topics young won discussed, she noticed middle-aged female office workers showing a hint of impatience with those conversations, even if they didn’t voice it.
Hojo Shouko wondered if she would disturb others if she tried to speak like them.
At this thought, the brave step she was about to take was imdiately retracted. It was also for this reason that Phoenix Academy Maggie seed exceptionally dazzling in her eyes.
She was the complete opposite of herself.
Every ti Hojo Shouko saw Phoenix Academy Maggie, she felt a twinge of envy but had no desire to be like her.
Because she knew very well she couldn’t do what Maggie did.
The train moved forward silently. Hojo Shouko looked down, sipping her green juice bubble tea, tasting the cold sweetness on her tongue.
This is fine.
Hojo Shouko repeated the words in her heart that she had thought countless tis before.
「...」
「She returned to the Hojo family ho.」
Hojo Shouko unlocked the main door. A pair of won’s shoes were in the entranceway, clearly indicating her sister-in-law had arrived.
She closed the door behind her and called out, "Brother, has Yoshikawa Sayuri-senpai co by?"
"Hi~ Shouko, it’s ~"
Yoshikawa Sayuri peeked her head out from Hojo Tetsuji’s room, a radiant smile on her face as she waved to Shouko.
"Good morning, Yoshikawa-senpai."
Hojo Shouko bowed; she held considerable fondness for her future sister-in-law.
This person was even more sincere than herself, not constrained by rules but moved by genuine purity of heart.
She spoke her mind without reserve, treating everyone with sincerity, and even if she knew it might hurt her, she wouldn’t change her approach.
To Hojo Shouko, this was a sign of remarkable strength.
Yoshikawa Sayuri said with a smile, "Shouko, you don’t have to be so formal. Every ti we et, it’s like it’s our first encounter. Just call Sayuri."
"That would be too rude. If you’re not satisfied with that form of address, should I call you sister-in-law?"
Hojo Shouko tilted her head, asking seriously.
Yoshikawa Sayuri’s fair cheeks quickly turned red as she stamred, "Th-that’s still too early; we haven’t even gotten our marriage certificate."
Hojo Tetsuji also rushed out hurriedly from inside the house, exclaiming, "Shouko, you shouldn’t say those things! Just call her Sister Sayuri for now."
"Yes, yes, call Sister Sayuri!"
Yoshikawa Sayuri imdiately straightened up, patting her flat chest, trying to project the reliability of an older sister.
Hojo Shouko watched the two and thought: This kind of relationship must be different from what Aozawa-senpai imagined love to be, right?
She felt that her brother and Yoshikawa-senpai were more like best friends in their romance.
The two had similar interests and compatible personalities, and could talk about many topics together, only blushing when the conversation turned to matters between n and won.
Love is truly mysterious, Hojo Shouko sighed internally, her face as serene as a still lake as she said, "Yes, Sister Sayuri. Are you two going out on a date?"
"Mm."
Hojo Tetsuji nodded.
Yoshikawa Sayuri’s cheeks reddened even more, and she blurted out, "Tetsuji, I’ll go outside and wait for you."
She hurriedly left.
Hojo Tetsuji scratched his head and said, "Shouko, I’ve drawn six manga drafts. Please color them for ."
"Sure, leave it to ."
Hojo Shouko nodded, watching her brother and Yoshikawa Sayuri leave the house.
After the door closed, she withdrew her gaze and placed the groceries in the kitchen.
It was still early, so she was not in a hurry to prepare the food.
Hojo Shouko headed to her brother’s bedroom, where she found the manga drafts that needed to be colored on the desk.
She glanced over the storyline.
Compared to previous stories, the plot of her brother’s manga had taken a sweet turn after the characters officially entered into a romantic relationship—the type of sweetness that made one’s lips curl unwittingly into a smile, tempting one to roll around on the bed.
The Milky Way Self-Defense Force had turned into the Milky Way Love Team.
It was a wondrous change brought about by love.
Suddenly, a flicker of curiosity crossed Shouko’s mind. If I were in love, what changes would it bring about in ? Would I remain the sa as I am now?
She pondered the thought but couldn’t find an answer, so she took out the manga drafts along with the ink and brushes and began to color.
「...」
After finishing the coloring work, it was ti for lunch. Since she was eating alone, she didn’t prepare anything complicated—just made shrimp fried rice using the leftover rice from the morning.
Placing the dish on the table, she picked up a pair of chopsticks, brought her hands together, and said, "Ti to eat."
The air offered no response, which was to be expected when dining alone.
Hojo Shouko ate with her head down, not looking at her phone.
She seldom used apps like TikTok, YouTube, or Twitter.
The most frequently used app on her phone was LINE, primarily because of Sumr Flower and Aozawa.
Hojo Shouko was one of those rare girls who could live her life without being glued to her phone.
After she finished her shrimp fried rice, she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
DING! Her phone screen on the table lit up.
Unlocking it, Shouko saw a ssage from Sumr Flower: "Shouko, have you just finished lunch?"
"Yes. Is there sothing you need?"
"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see if my guess was right."
Natsuka Yanagimachi’s ssage was as lighthearted and idle as ever, but Shouko didn’t feel annoyed. Instead, she patiently responded to every one of Natsuka Yanagimachi’s questions.
"Congratulations, you guessed right."
"There’s no sense of achievent in that. Your daily routine is as precise as the calendar on your wall," Natsuka Yanagimachi quipped. She was lying on her bed in a room decorated with many pink, girlish touches.
However, the walls were adorned with various handso photos of mature n.
The air conditioning allowed her to cuddle with a life-sized bear during the sumr. "This isn’t the sort of activity a girl should be engaging in during sumr. Co on, get lively!
"Buying groceries on the dot every morning isn’t sothing we should be doing."
"Sumr Flower, it’s not exactly the sa. I now go to the market with Aozawa-senpai in the mornings."
"Eh? That’s news to ! When did you and Aozawa-senpai start going to the market together?"
Sumr Flower, who had been lying there listlessly, quickly filled with curiosity. She sat up, pressed the teddy bear under her, and crossed her snowy legs. "When you guys go buy groceries, do you hold hands or brush shoulders?"
After sending that ssage, Sumr Flower felt that plain text wasn’t enough to satisfy her intense desire to gossip.
She directly initiated a voice call.
Once connected, Sumr Flower asked, full of curiosity, "Co on, spill the beans! No holding back."
"Sumr Flower, it’s not what you’re thinking. It’s just that Aozawa-senpai has to buy groceries during his holidays too, so we agreed to visit Adachi Market together in Kita-Senju. I help him haggle to save so money," Shouko explained.
"Tch, that’s it?" Sumr Flower sounded disappointed.
"After we’re done, Aozawa-senpai buys a milk tea as a thank-you," Shouko added.
"That’s basically a date?!"
Startled by Sumr Flower’s sudden shout, Shouko blinked, slightly confused. "Sumr Flower, I just go to the market with Aozawa-senpai to buy groceries."
"Shouko, tell , isn’t the market a place where you feel relaxed and happy?"
"Yeah."
"Then a place where a man and a woman go on a date is sowhere they feel relaxed and happy. Are you still going to say you and Aozawa-senpai aren’t dating?"
Sumr Flower confidently argued her skewed logic. She felt the need to nudge Shouko into realizing she was actually dating Aozawa-senpai.
Shouko countered, "But Aozawa-senpai probably isn’t interested in the market."
"But he doesn’t hate going there with you, and him buying you a milk tea afterwards is undeniable proof," Sumr Flower insisted.
Shouko fell silent, once again contemplating Aozawa-senpai’s views on love.
What am I really hoping for?
She was confused and didn’t know what to answer.
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