Dubian Che grabbed the overhead handle with one hand, his body swaying with the movement of the streetcar.

Ahead at the station, someone alighted from the first car, he walked over and leaned against the window behind the driver.

From here, the view was the best, not only could he see the scenery out both side windows, but he could also see the railroad tracks in front.

Although the next station was "Shinano Town."

When he got off, the women around him immediately lost interest; the streetcar was just a streetcar, and the conversations mere chatter, the inexplicable magic had vanished.

Leaving the platform, Dubian Che walked on the pedestrian bridge filled with bicycles when his cellphone rang.

◇

"Hello?"

"Where are you?" Xiaoquan Aonai asked.

Room 501, a rectangular table imbued with literary freshness, around which three young female teachers gathered, using speakerphone.

"Mr. Xiaoquan?" the youthful voice that came through the phone carried a smile, sounding very pleasant, "Near the pedestrian bridge at the station, almost there."

The smile in his voice brought waves of joy to Xiaoquan Aonai's heart—Dubian Che could not help but bring a smile to his voice because it was her on the other end.

Akiko and Miyazaki Mieko exchanged glances.

From Xiaoquan Aonai's eyes, they detected she was completely submerged in the joy of talking with her lover.

"Are you coming for dinner tonight?" Xiaoquan Aonai, oblivious to her friends' expressions, asked through the phone.

"The dinner is just incidental, aren't you mostly intending to lecture me?"

There was nothing really funny about it, but Xiaoquan Aonai still chuckled and said:

"The main thing is dinner, and then incidentally educating you, are you coming?"

Akiko and Miyazaki Mieko made faces of disdain.

Before this call, the three had agreed to let Dubian Che know about the authority of being a teacher, but now seeing Xiaoquan Aonai in this blissful mood, they had no expectations.

Making a call was one thing; they wondered what would happen when they met face to face.

"Sure." Dubian Che laughed in response, "Later, Akiko will definitely give me a hard time, Mr. Xiaoquan you have to protect me."

Akiko clenched her fists and grimaced.

Xiaoquan Aonai glanced at Akiko and then, smiling, said to the phone:

"Then you need to explain well for me to help you."

"I am your boyfriend, and you are my girlfriend, aren't you supposed to help me unconditionally? I'll be sad."

Boyfriend… Girlfriend... Xiaoquan Aonai's face turned crimson, the blush spreading to her neck.

Even though it was already a fact, admitting this relationship in front of others still made her so shy she wanted to bury her face in her hands.

The opposite Akiko was no longer angry, instead, together with Miyazaki Mieko, they teasingly stared at her.

Their mouths shaped the question, "Is the caller your boyfriend?"

"What boyfriend, I'm your teacher until you graduate! Dinner is ready; come over quickly!" she said sternly, and without waiting for Dubian Che to respond, Xiaoquan Aonai hung up the phone.

"I am a teacher!" Akiko said indignantly and then, sweetly added: "Dinner is ready; come quickly."

"Ha ha ha!" Miyazaki Mieko laughed heartily, her blouse forming attractive wrinkles as she shook.

Xiaoquan Aonai, her face still red, unsure of how to counter, simply walked away from the table and took out the rose she received today from her briefcase.

She placed it in a slender glass vase.

This vase, like the pen from Dubian Che, was bought while they were traveling in Kamakura over the weekend.

Looking at the blue rose, Xiaoquan Aonai recalled the two days spent in Kamakura.

She had thought that even with a boyfriend, it would be just like before—happily visiting spots, eating a variety of delicacies, taking beautiful photos.

But from the moment they hit the freeway, she started to miss Dubian Che.

In Kamakura, she wondered what he was doing;

while eating, she thought of calling him to ask if he had eaten on time and what he had eaten;

after every photo taken, of beautiful, fun, delicious, and novel things, she wanted to share them with him the first moment possible;

before going to sleep at night, she wanted to hear his voice.

It should have been the two of them traveling together now that they were a couple.

But that wasn't possible.

She had decided, until Dubian Che graduated, to act strictly as a teacher, making sure he completed his education.

Given that, she couldn't afford to show too much concern about the relationship.

On the other hand, for the two days she was away, Dubian Che had not called once.

In and out of class, chatting happily with two small girlfriends; during club activities, the three of them in a secluded classroom, she didn't know what they were up to.

The rose in front of her was meant for them, which was why she even received it.

Xiaoquan Aonai's earlier shy and expectant mood quickly turned to gloom, filled with a hint of jealousy and discontent.

"Ding dong," the doorbell rang.

She immediately walked over to open it, and Dubian Che's figure appeared in front of her.

"I ran back," Dubian Che said with a smile.

"Be careful. The pedestrian bridge isn't that far from here; it doesn't take long to walk." Despite this, Xiaoquan Aonai couldn't help but smile.

Just seeing Dubian Che made her forget about the two days without calls, the flirtatious exchanges with Kiyono Jiutiao, and the issue with the rose.

She took Dubian Che's backpack: "Are you hungry?"

"I wasn't, but I worked up an appetite running back, which is just perfect." Dubian Che switched into his personal slippers, which were a gift from Xiaoquan.

The couple walked into the living room to find Akiko exceptionally sitting with her feet on the ground, her face donned with the sternness of lecturing students.

She was lean and conventionally pretty, her somber face so strict that students wouldn't dare meet her gaze.

"Did Ms. Akiko lose some money or did a matchmaking attempt fail?" Dubian Che feigned ignorance as he sat down at the dining table.

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