The ingredients were bought on the day they were needed, including the morning's bread.

Buying ingredients and cooking every day, I wonder if it's possible to keep it up for a lifetime, but trying it out occasionally, like this August, is no problem at all.

Having finished purchasing the ingredients, Little Lian was already tired.

I originally planned to visit a coffee shop named 'Maruyama' together to buy coffee beans, but the two ladies ended up going by themselves.

Dubian Che, the two young ladies, and Little Lian, all four sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, eating cone ice cream while they waited for them.

Next to Dubian Che were a pile of shopping bags, at Little Lian's feet was her kid's bike, she wore a sun hat, and in her arms, she hugged a large-eyed dragonfly toy.

In front of them was a small forest park, equipped with some children's facilities among the tall trees.

Slides, seesaws, a train engine, a maze made of ropes.

"Shall we go play?" Jiutiao Meijie asked Little Lian.

Little Lian, focused on her cone ice cream, lifted her head to glance at the park upon hearing the question.

"Will Meiji come and play too?" she asked.

"Have Lin accompany you," Jiutiao Meijie said.

Little Lian turned to look at Kiyono Lin.

Kiyono Lin was so tired she didn't even feel like talking, just quietly shook her head.

Little Lian looked back at Jiutiao Meijie.

"Let your brother accompany you," Jiutiao Meijie murmured, glancing at Dubian Che.

Little Lian then looked towards Dubian Che.

Just as Dubian Che was about to speak, a group of fashionably dressed children came by, chatting away.

As they neared the forest park, they ran giggling toward the toys.

In a blink, the previously deserted children's facilities were filled with kids.

Little Lian watched them blankly, as this was her first time seeing so many peers.

"We'll play after you finish your cone," Dubian Che said.

Little Lian quickly devoured her cone.

At that moment, Jiutiao Meijie advised, "Little Lian, if they ask you where you're from, just say Tokyo. And if someone asks where you live, say 'Firefly Road' in the forest villa."

"Okay, I got it, Meiji," Little Lian replied.

Little Lian finished her cone and immediately jumped off the bench, looking expectantly at Dubian Che.

Dubian Che stood up and walked toward the park with Little Lian.

A few steps away, he turned back and said to the young ladies still leisurely enjoying their cones, "Keep an eye on the things."

Jiutiao Meijie didn't say a word, just waved her hand.

As she watched the two depart, Jiutiao Meijie spoke up, "So, getting close to Little Lian is your tactic for getting close to Dubian?"

"Not entirely," Kiyono Lin said, looking at her ice cream cone.

Sunlight filtered through the tree leaves above, warming its appearance.

"Do you think, Dubian has seen through your despicable means?" Jiutiao Meijie said with a teasing smile.

Kiyono Lin calmly glanced at her.

"The decisive reason I'm kind to Little Lian is that she's Mr. Dubian's sister. Is such a thing necessary to be seen through?"

After speaking, she smiled, "If you think I'm cold-hearted, then Mr. Dubian likes girls like me, no, he likes me."

After a long moment, Jiutiao Meijie sighed:

"Sometimes I'm truly envious of you. Why is it that I'm always winning, yet still worry about this and that? Why can't I be more optimistic?"

"Because you know you can lose."

Jiutiao Meijie scoffed, "I can't be as absurdly optimistic as you, but I have the absolute confidence that I will not lose. The always truthful Kiyono Lin, tell me, do you truly think you can beat me?"

"Regardless, I won't lose," Kiyono Lin said as she watched Dubian Che playing on the seesaw, recalling the star-filled Pacific night.

Lost in thought, she suddenly felt a cool sensation on her fingertip.

A drop of her cone's melting ice cream, from being too long in the sun, fell on her snow-white, slender finger.

She stared blankly for a moment, then took out a tissue and gently wiped it away.

The two stopped their conversation and looked towards the park.

Dubian Che and Little Lian were on the seesaw, and a little girl in a princess dress stood to the side, watching them.

Dubian Che exchanged words with the little girl, then vacated the spot.

Little Lian was silent at first, but she quickly joined the princess-dressed girl in play.

The two played on the seesaw, slid down slides, and eventually sat atop a slide, not going down, exploring the large-eyed dragonfly toy together.

They seemed to compliment each other's sun hats and dresses.

Little Lian was expressive with her hands and feet, while the princess-dressed girl would sporadically make a comment, leaving Little Lian dazed.

Then, with a serious face, Little Lian spoke up loudly.

The girl in the princess dress said something faint, causing Little Lian to freeze again.

From Dubian Che's expression, it seemed the children weren't arguing but rather having a pleasant conversation.

Suddenly, the girl in the princess dress pointed at Dubian Che under the slide and said something, after which, Dubian Che turned back to them.

"What's up?" Jiutiao Meijie asked.

"City kids are really precocious," Dubian Che said as he flopped down onto the bench.

After a while, Little Lian slid down the slide and ran over here.

The princess-dressed girl followed behind her.

Reaching the trio, Little Lian clenched her free hand in front of her, animatedly asking Dubian Che:

"Che, does Santa Claus not exist?!"

Before Dubian Che could respond, the princess-dressed girl behind Little Lian proudly said:

"Lian still believes in Santa Claus in first grade."

"Che! Does Santa Claus really not exist?!" Little Lian shouted.

"Doesn't exist, the perverted big brother who stands under slides peeking at girls' underwear?" the princess-dressed girl said to Dubian Che.

She pinched her beautiful princess dress sleeves, twisting her body with some arrogance and pride.

Dubian Che turned to face the two young ladies and asked, "See what I mean?"

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