"How's it going, kii-chan, can you hear anything?"

"Absolutely - no! It's too far apart. Maybe it's okay to just sit there!"

Kitano pointed to the seat behind the fifth watch.

"...I can hear you even if you sit so close, do you still need me?"

Nishino was very doubtful that bringing Kitano and the others here was the right thing to do. She had forgotten that it was Kitano who shamelessly pestered her so much that she allowed them to go with them.

Seeing that the value of his existence was denied, Kitano quickly said

"No problem, I can also read lips! I can definitely help Nishino-san!"

"Really?" Nishino was very doubtful. Her disbelief in this junior almost dropped to freezing point.

"Really, Houli-chan also knows, right Houli-chan?"

"Ah? Uh-huh, yes!...Wait a minute, kii-chan, what did you say?"

Kitano was eager to find a friend to prove it, while Weianna was dragging Gao Shan to talk about the exciting plot of the movie. Kitano suddenly called out and subconsciously agreed. When he realized it, his credibility had already been dragged down by him.

Kitano has already started her so-called lip reading performance

"What do you think of this movie?"

"It's quite interesting, especially the dog raised by the hostess. It's so cute."

"Right, I think so! I also want to raise one. Life in Tokyo is actually quite lonely."

"Then let's raise it together, Shixiao-chan."

"OK."

Then there is this barren dialogue, the tone of which is like reading, coupled with the beads of sweat gradually appearing on Kitano's forehead, which further highlights the falsehood of the content.

Under Nishino's increasingly sharp gaze, Kitano was finally defeated.

"...I'm sorry, Nishino-san, actually I can't lip read."

Seeing her obviously disappointed expression, Nishino, as a senior, couldn't stop scolding her, so he had to refocus his attention on Wu Geng and Zhong Yuan in the distance.

Looking from her direction, only Wu Geng's back could be seen. Although Zhongyuan seemed to be saying something and his lips were slightly parted, Nishino could not get any useful information from it. She noticed Zhongyuan's increasingly subtle expression.

She guessed that the atmosphere of the conversation was not harmonious, which made her feel much better.

After that, Zhongyuan left the meeting because of a phone call. When he came back, he only chatted with Wu Geng for a few words, and the two walked out of the cafe together.

Nishino hurriedly called the clerk, wanting to pay and follow him.

"The previous guest has already settled the bill for you."

"...Which one? The girl in a dress?"

"Yes."

Nishino subconsciously looked in the direction where the two left.

"Nishino-san, do you want to follow me now?" Kitano was gearing up. She felt ashamed that she had not helped before. She was determined to help in the future and earn enough impression points to join the five-horse team.

Gao Shan quietly observed Nishino's expression while being forced to talk by Weiyana.

But Nishino looked calm and did not speak.

——

On the other side, Zhongyuan, who was slumped in the car, let out a long sigh of relief.

"Guest, where are you going?" the driver asked.

Where to go? That is the question.

It was a rare holiday, and the call just now was not from her agent. She still had more than two hours of free time before the nine o'clock gate time. Would she just go home like this? She felt a little unwilling.

The driver was still waiting for her answer.

"...Master, please open some distance first."

Although the driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror in confusion, he politely didn't ask any more questions.

Although she didn't do any exercise today, Zhongyuan seemed to have lost most of her strength. She slumped on the seat, thinking it would be good to just rest for a while.

The phone rang again at this moment. After hesitating, she answered the call.

"Hey... I'm sorry, Ikuta-chan," Zhongyuan said, "I just hung up the phone on you in a hurry."

"Are you still at work? Are you bothering me?"

"No, I would like to thank you." She moved the phone to the other side and pursed her lips, "It's been a big help."

There was silence on the other side of the receiver. Zhongyuan thought Ikuta might be wondering now.

"By the way, what are Ikuta-chan doing now?"

"At home."

"Practice?"

"Absolutely." There was a pause, "Will Ri Yaxiang come? I just have a rest now."

"May I?"

"Come on, come on, my parents are not at home, I'm bored."

"Oh well."

"How long will it take for Riyaxiang to arrive? I may have to clean it up. The bedroom is very messy."

"In about thirty minutes."

…

After ending the call, the driver asked again

"Is there somewhere you want to go now?"

Zhongyuan nodded and suddenly thought of something.

"...By the way, is there a famous cake shop nearby?"

——

Although Ikuta has many hobbies and is often nicknamed the eldest lady in the group, her bedroom is actually not very different from that of ordinary girls.

There are dolls on the bedside, souvenirs brought back from overseas travels on the desk, and posters with photos of Nogizaka members since their debut on the wall.

At this moment, Ikuta hung up the phone and looked at the phone in a daze. His heart felt empty, and the wind blew in and out with a whistling sound.

After a while, she looked at the little flying bird sitting on the bed next to her, scratching her neck, and sighed.

"Asuka-chan, don't do this next time. This is not a problem that we should get involved in."

The little bird stretched out its legs and tilted its head slightly.
Chapter completed!