"You don't even hesitate to lie," Kiyono Lin said beside him.

"Actually, every night I confess to God three thousand times in my heart."

"You really don't hesitate at all."

"There's still a bit."

"Zhengji: I also want a girlish style."

"Mr. Dubian: The time to test my skills has come."

"Zhengji: Huh?"

"Mr. Dubian: Nothing."

"Meiji: How carefree."

"Mr. Dubian: Not at all."

"Meiji: Not at all and you still won't let me in?"

"Mr. Dubian: ...Oh."

"Shall we enter?" he asked Kiyono Lin.

Kiyono Lin, her eyes showing contemplation, pondered, "Let's go in and see."

"If those people talk about you again, I'll nail them to the cross."

"Lies."

"Have birds poop on their heads?"

"I don't care about what those people think of me."

"But I do, so it's settled. The first time they insult you, I'll let it go, but if there's a second time, they must be slightly embarrassed."

"Can you command the birds?"

"How could I?"

"I want to see, perform it for me later."

"Please listen seriously."

The two entered the church; Dubian Che sat next to Jiutiao Meijie while Kiyono Lin sat alone in the row behind them.

Jiutiao Meijie, looking forward, shrugged at Dubian Che with all but her thumb curled.

Dubian Che obediently placed his phone in her hand.

Jiutiao Meijie, with slender, attractive fingers like Kiyono Lin's, tapped into the gallery.

Upon seeing the first photo, she scoffed disdainfully.

Delete.

The second photo.

"Even holding hands behind the back."

Delete.

The third photo.

She held it away to look closely, smiling, "It's quite cute, though."

Delete.

This scene seemed familiar; Dubian Che stealthily glanced back at Kiyono Lin, who was indifferently watching the choir.

Dubian Che gave her a look, signaling her to observe the current Jiutiao Meijie.

Kiyono Lin looked.

Jiutiao Meijie tilted her head and scrutinized her swimsuit photo mockingly.

"Like you?"

"Boring."

Kiyono Lin diverted her gaze back to the choir.

The next moment, her pretty little face turned away so Dubian Che wouldn't see, her slender shoulders shaking.

It seemed that the scene had hit her funny bone.

The performance unexpectedly lasted long. During the intermission, the phone - which could withstand anyone's scrutiny, as Dubian Che actually didn't want to hide anything from them - and the two women said goodbye to the ladies.

Little Lian remained alone on the lawn, ultimately not completely at ease.

They left the forest and saw Little Lian, Kazuki, and a group of children playing a game similar to drop the handkerchief.

As they sang, they circled around a person crouching in the center—the "ghost."

When the singing stopped, the ghost had to guess who was behind them; the guessed person became the next round's ghost.

The innocent singing and the carefree laughter and chatter drew the attention of bystanders.

"She's having a lot of fun," Jiutiao Meijie commented.

Little Lian, the one in the middle, looked serious and didn't even notice their arrival.

"Let's take a walk in town," Dubian Che suggested, smiling.

After speaking, he raised his voice and called towards the lawn, "Little Lian!"

"Che!" Little Lian turned to look.

"Ah! Lian is cheating!"

"This round doesn't count! Let's do it over!"

Realizing she was still in the game, Little Lian quickly turned back.

Apparently, there was no need to tell her their whereabouts.

The trio didn't purposefully walk to the end of the street. Seeing a coffee shop, they decided to go in and sit.

The coffee shop was decorated in an old-fashioned, mild, and elegant style.

Narrow corridors lined with booth-like seats flanked them, four seats per section, private and serene.

They sat near the coffee shop courtyard, able to see the grayish trees.

There seemed to be a chestnut tree, with green spiny fruits hanging on it.

On the tree roots, lush moss that Kiyono Lin had mentioned grew beautifully.

"It's said that Karuizawa occasionally experiences sun showers and thunderstorms, and I hope to encounter one this month," Dubian Che said.

"Soaked clothes, what's there to see?" Jiutiao Meijie sipped her coffee and placed it down immediately, finding it too hot.

The cups they used were new ones sold by the shop, pre-heated with hot water.

"Getting drenched is certainly uncomfortable, but I think there are many things in the world, like eating horse sashimi, that are worth trying once though not necessarily a second time."

After saying this, he concluded, "Whether it's sunny or rainy, I'd like to experience it all."

The two girls either agreed or didn't; it wasn't clear if they supported such a view.

Dubian Che didn't expect their approval or any rebuttal.

The conversation started casually, and ended just as casually.

"Did you just stand up for me?" Kiyono Lin asked Jiutiao Meijie, smelling the aroma of her coffee.

Jiutiao Meijie glanced at Dubian Che, "Such a small gesture, and you expect us to reconcile? Naive."

"What exactly should be done for you to reconcile?" Dubian Che asked them, and himself too.

"Lick my shoes."

"Call me sister."

Dubian Che looked out at the courtyard, where ancient trees loomed and sunlight shone brilliantly, yet the courtyard remained cool.

"I've said it, your closeness with her prevents you from thinking clearly, from viewing her objectively; you only consider things from her perspective. Once you calm down, maybe you can find a way," Jiutiao Meijie stirred her coffee.

The coffee of the summer, it takes a long time to cool down to a drinkable temperature.

"Can't view me objectively?" Kiyono Lin repeated quietly, "So, Mr. Dubian, how do you see me?"

"How else can I see you, just as I see you," Dubian Che replied.

"I'd like to hear as well," Jiutiao Meijie stopped stirring her coffee.

Dubian Che picked up his coffee and took a sip; sometime or another, he had stopped being afraid of the cold or the heat.

He remembered once; when he had run back to that shabby rental house in the pouring rain, he had felt cold.

The sticky sensation of his soaked shoes crept up his chest again.

Just as annoying as the supermarket salmon — one slice isn't enough, but two slices are too much.

All of those were incidents from a year ago.

"Can't say?" Jiutiao Meijie asked.

"Thinking."

"Lies."

"Starting to think now."

Dubian Che set down his coffee cup, fingers tracing the wooden tabletop's grains.

"Suddenly asking me to speak, I can't think of what to say; let's take the people who spoke behind her back as an example."

The two waited quietly for him to continue.

"I think, they are a bunch of jerks," Dubian Che said calmly, "They, no, these people, altogether aren't worth a single hair of Kiyono's."

Amid the faint white steam of the coffee, Kiyono Lin showed Dubian Che a knowing smile.

"Lucky you can stand her," Jiutiao Meijie continued stirring her coffee.

"Lucky that Kiyono can stand me too."

"Why can you stand him?" Jiutiao Meijie asked Kiyono Lin.

"Because Mr. Dubian is the only one who from the bottom of his heart thinks there's nothing wrong with what I do, who finds my manner beautiful," Kiyono Lin said in a plain, matter-of-fact tone.

"As long as he holds that thought, you'll never find a way to reconcile with her," Jiutiao Meijie said lightly.

"Compared to reconciling with you, maintaining such a thought is more important."

"The choice isn't yours," Jiutiao Meijie turned to Dubian Che, "What do you want to do? Reconcile? Keep that thought?"

"Can't the two coexist?" Dubian Che asked.

"No," Jiutiao Meijie answered.

She put down her spoon, propping her chin on her clasped hands, looking at Dubian Che, "What do you plan to do?"

Dubian Che looked at his coffee in front of him.

"Whatever happens to others is fine, but no matter what, I want you two to reconcile."

Jiutiao Meijie picked up her coffee, its temperature having cooled enough to be drinkable though still hot.

"And how exactly, Mr. Dubian?" Kiyono Lin asked Dubian Che.

He stared blankly at the cup of coffee in front of him, his reflection lost in thought.

"It seems no method has yet been thought of," Kiyono Lin lifted her cup and sipped her coffee.

The three fell into silence, each sipping their coffee.

"School's starting, and it's the Cultural Festival; what does the Human Observation Department plan to do this year?" Dubian Che suddenly said.

"There's no rush on that matter," Kiyono Lin, clearly not fond of the Cultural Festival, remarked.

"Every club must have an event, we're idle now, thinking about it early is good. If we make another movie like last year, Karuizawa is a ready set."

"Let's talk about it in a few days," Jiutiao Meijie said, looking over the courtyard as she drank her coffee.

Dubian Che nodded, the spoon stirring the coffee cup, making the reflection disappear.

"Anyway, there's still a while before school starts," he said calmly.

And so they sat, slowly drinking, chatting sporadically, and when they felt it was time, the three of them left.

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