Faced with Kiana☆'s aggressive stance, Fu Lin leaned back slightly, a helpless expression appearing on his face. This was the first time he had seen Kiana☆ like this.
Could this all be the choice of Steins; Gate?
Fu Lin sighed lightly, then quickly waved his hands and said,
"Alright, alright, I'm scared of you. I'll go, okay? But you really like Mei☆, don't you?"
Without thinking, Kiana☆ replied,
"Of course."
-----------------------------------
The next day at noon, sunlight poured onto the rooftop of the campus. Kiana☆ arrived as promised, and not far behind her, Fu Lin also walked forward steadily.
As they pushed open the iron door to the rooftop, they immediately saw Mei☆ sitting calmly on a chair.
"Mei☆-senpai~ we're here!"
The moment Kiana☆ saw Mei☆, a bright smile blossomed on her face. She excitedly rushed over, held Mei☆'s hands, and said happily,
"Mei☆-senpai, look! I told you I would keep my word, and here I brought him! Also, you two have met before, so after this meeting, you'll definitely become good friends!"
However, Mei☆'s gaze remained fixed on Fu Lin, her eyes seemingly hiding some complex emotions.
Then, Mei☆ nodded slightly, but at the same time silently and slowly withdrew her hands from Kiana☆'s warm palms.
Fu Lin, who had mentally prepared himself all night, put on a kind smile, stepped forward gracefully, extended his right hand to Mei☆, and said in a friendly tone,
"Hello~ Mei, please take care of me from now on."
Upon hearing Fu Lin's greeting, Kiana☆ quickly corrected him,
"Ah, Fu Lin, you can't call Mei☆ just by her name. You should call her 'Mei☆-senpai.'"
At Kiana☆'s reminder, Mei☆ snapped back to her senses, gently shook her head, her body trembling uncontrollably, and tightly gripped Fu Lin's outstretched hand, whispering in a mosquito-like voice,
"It... it's okay."
Seeing this, Kiana☆ nodded obediently, but when her gaze fell on Mei☆ tightly holding Fu Lin's hand, a strange look flashed across her face.
Then, Kiana☆ giggled and teased playfully,
"Mei☆-senpai, I can understand how happy you are to make a new friend, but even so, there's no need to keep holding Fu Lin's hand like that!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mei☆ instinctively tightened her grip, unwilling to let go.
However, under Kiana☆'s gaze, Fu Lin felt uneasy and gently freed his hand from Mei☆'s grasp.
After Fu Lin pulled away, Mei☆ slowly raised her head, her deep eyes staring straight at Fu Lin.
The moment their eyes met, Fu Lin felt as if countless invisible threads wrapped around him, pulling him into an abyss, suffocating him.
But only after a brief moment, Mei☆ quickly adjusted her emotions and once again showed a gentle, sweet smile like a spring breeze, softly saying,
"Sorry, I got too excited."
Facing Mei☆'s sincere apology, Fu Lin came back to his senses, coughed lightly, and tried to remain composed as he replied,
"Ahem... it's fine, I understand. Let's hurry and eat, or else we'll run out of time."
Kiana☆ immediately nodded in agreement,
"Yes, yes, Mei☆-senpai, what have you prepared today?"
Saying that, Kiana☆ blinked and looked at Mei☆ expectantly.
Mei☆ gently took out a bento box from her bag, passed Kiana☆, and handed the carefully prepared lunch to Fu Lin.
Fu Lin naturally reached out with both hands, skillfully accepted the bento, and as he opened the lid, a tempting aroma wafted out.
Looking closely, it was filled with all of his favorite dishes, making Fu Lin's heart stir. He instinctively looked up, meeting Mei☆'s gaze.
At that moment, Mei☆ greeted him with a smile as warm as spring and as bright as sunlight.
Fu Lin softly said, "Thank you."
At that moment, Kiana☆ standing to the side noticed that the first bento wasn't for her. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
She hurriedly stepped forward, waving her hands and eagerly asked,
"Mei☆-senpai, what about mine! Where's mine?"
Hearing Kiana☆'s question, Mei☆ was momentarily stunned, hesitated for a moment, then quickly pulled out another bento from her bag and handed it to Kiana☆.
Seeing this, Kiana☆ cheered excitedly, "Yay! Finally my turn!"
Saying that, Kiana☆ grabbed the bento, opened the lid, and the rich aroma made her drool.
At the same time, Mei☆ took her own bento and slowly sat next to Fu Lin, while Kiana☆ also sat beside him.
Thus, Fu Lin was seated between the two of them.
The surroundings were quiet as the three sat peacefully, bathed in the warm sunlight, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility...
...
By evening, the sunset dyed the sky a brilliant orange-red like blood.
After cleverly finding an excuse to send Kiana☆ away, Fu Lin rushed to the appointed place following the note Mei☆ had left at noon.
When Fu Lin finally arrived at the quiet grove, the surroundings were eerily silent, even the birdsong sounded unusually clear.
Standing there, Fu Lin anxiously looked around but couldn't see Mei☆ anywhere.
At that moment, a pair of soft hands suddenly reached from behind and tightly embraced his waist.
As the arms tightened, Fu Lin felt a warm breath press against his back, accompanied by slight trembles.
Then, a very familiar voice whispered in his ear, "Fu Lin..."
That voice seemed to carry endless longing and grievance, instantly tightening Fu Lin's heart.
His body stiffened slightly, not knowing how to respond at first, but he quickly calmed down and softly replied, "Mm."
Though it was just one word, it seemed to carry countless unspeakable emotions, like a thousand words condensed into one.
Hearing Fu Lin's response, the hands that had tightly embraced his waist slowly loosened.
At the same time, a stifled sobbing reached Fu Lin's ears, the cries like a suppressed flood, intermittent and heartbreaking.
Fu Lin frowned slightly, quickly took out a clean tissue from his pocket, turned around, and handed it to Mei☆.
Mei☆ did not take the tissue but instead raised her head with a wronged expression, teary-eyed, looking at Fu Lin with trembling lips and said,
"Fu Lin, seeing you alive is really wonderful."
Fu Lin lowered his head, staring at the ground, and said in a deep voice,
"Sorry, forgive me for leaving without a word."
This brief apology seemed filled with endless guilt and remorse.
However, Mei☆ standing opposite showed no reaction to his apology.
Her eyes widened, instantly turning red, tears welling up as she burst into a series of rapid-fire questions,
"I don't want to hear that! You're alive… but why did you turn away without a word after seeing me? Why have you been avoiding me? Why..."
At this point, Mei☆'s voice choked, her chest heaving violently, clearly in a state of extreme agitation.
After saying all this, Mei☆ abruptly stopped crying, only quietly staring at Fu Lin.
Her eyes were filled with complicated emotions — anger, confusion, and deep grievance.
She so desperately hoped to hear even the slightest explanation from Fu Lin's tightly closed lips!
Just a little would bring warmth and comfort to her wounded heart.
But as time passed, Fu Lin remained silent.
This silence was like a heavy hammer smashing Mei☆'s heart, shattering all her hopes, dreams, and expectations into nothing.
At the same time, Kiana☆'s figure suddenly flashed in Mei☆'s mind, her bright smile, playful words, and all the moments between Fu Lin and her from that morning came flooding back.
Mei☆'s originally agitated emotions suddenly calmed down as if frozen by a spell.
Her expression turned cold and still, with no trace of emotion. Staring straight at Fu Lin, she asked in an unusually calm yet sorrowful tone,
"Is it because of her?"
Facing Mei☆'s question, Fu Lin gently nodded, then quickly shook his head.
"Yes and no."
Instantly, the air around them grew heavy and suffocating. Fu Lin reached out and gently pulled Mei☆ into his arms.
"Sorry, I can't explain it to you right now. Even if I did, you might not believe me, so please don't ask anymore, okay?"
Mei☆ quietly leaned against his chest, listening to the fierce beating of Fu Lin's heart, and murmured, ".....Okay."
In the small grove, Fu Lin and Mei☆ quietly leaned against each other, the scene peaceful and harmonious.