Are you, as meal replacement users, ready for the consequences?

Page 50

"My little lamp is truly an incredible genius."

"Wha, what?"

"It's alright. I mean, Xiaodeng's lyrics are as good as ever. Her writing is just like poetry. You can feel the emotions just by reading a few lines."

Ningzi had never seen any of Deng's previous works; she only asked him tentatively to replace the image of someone who wasn't herself in Deng's mind.

If you guess right, you'll make a fortune; if you guess wrong, there's no consequence. This deal is incredibly worthwhile.

"Xiao Ning...do you like it? Actually, I've been wanting to show one of these books to Xiao Ning these past few days."

Deng got up from the floor, walking around the room in a pair of small, pure white cotton socks. She opened the drawer of the small cabinet next to the bed and rummaged through it for something.

Ningzi, facing Takamatsu's back, listlessly put down her notebooks as if discarding useless trash.

So this is Xiaodeng's home.

It's not big; it's too small compared to my old house. But compared to my current rental, it seems more than enough and perhaps too urbanized.

Xiangzi must have put in a lot of effort to find such a cheap and dilapidated place.

The room was clean and tidy with excellent natural light, allowing Ningzi to see the lamp's little feet encased in socks thanks to the superb lighting.

Such adorable toes, peeking out from under the socks, as if beckoning.

Ningzi openly spied on Deng's bedroom when Deng wasn't looking.

Just as she just said, this place is very lovely and cozy.

There was a somewhat old world map hanging near the entrance. The bed was a bunk bed, with a space in the middle of the lower bunk used as a desk.

Ugh, I really want to press that little lamp against the table and stick it there, lift its little legs to an exaggerated height, and listen to its groans of agony beneath my powerful body…

Ningzi got up from the ground; this was her first time visiting someone else's home.

Walking barefoot on the floor of Deng's house evoked a feeling of shame that was hard to talk about.

However, this feeling was not unpleasant; in fact, it gave Ningzi a slight sense of smug satisfaction.

"Little Lamp, haven't you found it yet?"

"I remember putting it here! Xiao Ning, wait a minute, I was looking at it last night, how come I can't find it now..."

"Take your time looking, no rush. How about I help Xiaodeng look for it?"

"This is too much trouble."

"It's nothing, my little nobody, it's just a small favor."

Now that Xiaodeng has agreed to help her find it, there's no need for her to pretend to be a demure, good-natured Yamato Nadeshiko and obediently sit on the ground waiting for the lamp.

Stepping onto the wooden ladder, Ningzi grabbed the handrails on both sides and climbed onto Xiaodeng's bed.

The gray-blue quilt is clearly a treasure trove with a touch of whimsy.

"Xiao Ning? Going upstairs is..."

"It's nothing, I just went upstairs to help Deng find something, Deng won't be mad at me, will she?"

"No! As for the bed, Xiaoning can use it anytime she wants!"

I can get on the bed anytime? That's awesome! I'll do it every day from now on. I'm going to live here forever.

Ningzi smoothed out her skirt and threw herself onto the bed with the lamp.

I have to say, the quality of the bed in this place is much better than the old one in the rental apartment... Luckily, Ruoye Mu helped replace a batch of furniture, otherwise I would still be sharing a small blanket with my sister.

The mattress with the lamp was a very thin layer. Ningzi placed her hands on it, thinking about which part of each area would have the lamp placed at night.

The area with the strongest fragrance, and the one with the pillow—that's definitely where the penguin head for the lamp should be placed.

There were several small holes in that area, probably caused by a toenail that was too long.

"And then, here..."

Ningzi's hand paused; she seemed to have... touched a strange spot.

Peeking out from under the bed frame, Ningzi saw that Deng was still looking for something in the closet and hadn't noticed her movements.

Ok…

Toyokawa Ningko lifted the blanket and noticed that the area her fingers touched was a darker color than the rest of the sheet, and it felt strange to the touch.

The area in the center of the bed has a rather...dark and damp feel to it.

Did you spill your drink while hiding in bed? Pfft, no wonder you're such a lowly nobody.

Ningzi covered her mouth and chuckled to herself as she lay on the bed of the little fish, one of her feet sticking out of the mast and swaying back and forth in the air, quite ostentatiously.

"Hmm, this tastes really strange."

The smell on my hands was reminiscent of Toyokawa Shoko's moldy dreams mixed with Hachiman Kairin's lovely sweetness.

Okay, that's weird... but I really want to smell it again.

"Just one more sniff, just one more..."

It smells so good...it's really so comforting the more you smell it!

Her tense body gradually relaxed, and on the soft mattress, Toyokawa Ningko felt that she didn't want to move at all.

This feels so good. It wouldn't matter if I died here.

He died in Deng's house, in her bed, with Deng's sheets as his head and her pillow as his tombstone. Deng was his concubine who mourned him.

"Huh? This is it?"

Ningzi's right hand touched something papery. She reluctantly turned her head and saw a long string of musical notes and annotations.

She squinted and carefully read the words on the sheet music.

"Haruhi...Kage?"

Ch65. Emotions Hidden in the Spring Shadows

Haruhi Shadow?

An unpleasant name.

So cringey.

It feels like it was just randomly copied from some light novel written by a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferer.

Toyokawa Ningko pulled her small feet back out of the room and, as if she were at home, covered herself with the lamp's blanket.

The lamp and the blanket were very comfortable, reminding her of the good old days when she could sleep on the bed in the old house all day long.

However, could this be a piece of music written by a lamp?

The hand holding the sheet music trembled.

Huh, is it really possible?

Holding the score very carefully close to her eyes, Toyokawa Ningko decided to evaluate the work with the eyes of a professional.

“If it were written by a lamp, then it would be different.”

If it is indeed an authentic work by Takamatsu Todoroki, this piece covered with tadpole-like scribbles has the potential to be considered platinum.

"If this name came from my family's lamp... then 【Spring Shadow】, which doesn't seem like a name at first glance, is actually a beautiful name full of artistic conception."

Although the characters are a bit small, they seem to resemble my own.

Not sure, take another look.

"Xiao Ning! I found her!"

The light speaks very quickly and with great force; this is the distinctive, radiant voice of Takamatsu when she is slightly aroused.

cute.

"Oh, okay, I searched the bed for ages but couldn't find anything."

With a thud, Ningzi grabbed the sheet music and jumped out of bed. She leaped down from the second-to-last step and landed on the floor with a thud.

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground startled Deng.

"Xiao Ning, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing. What does the lamp want me to see?"

Ningzi deliberately created a commotion to attract unwanted attention, then hid the sheet music behind her back and moved close to the lamp.

"Ah, this is it... I was writing it last night, and I want to... show this page to Ningzi... Please! Please accept it!"

Takamatsu was steered back to the initial topic by Ningzi, who handed over a blue notebook with a jellyfish printed on the cover with both hands, leaning forward and presenting it in a very solemn manner.

"Huh? Is it that grand? I'll watch it very carefully, Lamp."

"Okay... thank you!"

Ningzi placed the sheet music on the table beside her and took Xiaodeng's notebook to look through it.

It seems that Deng really enjoys collecting things; he uses almost all the same style of stationery.

Even after this heavy rain stops, I will remember it and move forward. The first raindrop of today made me lift my head...

Ningzi's eyes flashed with surprise, and her tone of voice gradually increased as she read the lyrics.

"Using a transparent umbrella to create a world for oneself... quietly hiding within it..."

It's written really well.

If my initial praise of Deng's writing as good, as unique and elegant as poetry, was tinged with personal feelings, then this praise is absolutely heartfelt.

Ningzi even sensed that she was jealous.

My mother would have been even happier if I could have written something like this when I was a child.

If I can smile more in the last moments of my life and be proud of my daughter's work, I won't have to be frowning every day because of my daughter's illness.

I wish I could have that level of skill.

I really admire Deng's talent; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a qualified poet and a first-rate composer.

Jealousy lingered for only a brief moment before vanishing, leaving Ningzi with only the radiant love and...pride that shone through after the surface dust had been brushed away.

"I love it so much... It's so well-written, can you write like this for a lifetime, Little Lamp!"

"Ikkyu?"

The topic suddenly became very heavy. Ningzi's words were like a lump of iron, suddenly tied around Deng's waist, making her unable to move.

However, the heavier the sense of security, the more obvious it becomes, and Takasō Tō will feel very happy after hearing it for a lifetime.

Hearing it from Ningzi again and again, he felt reassured each time.

I really hope that peace of mind can accompany me for the rest of my life, so that my future will no longer be just a monotonous gray, but...

Takamatsu carefully raised her head; the color she most wanted to see was right in front of her.

Blue... I hope that blue will adorn my life in the days to come.

Let the gray sea thank the jubilant blue jellyfish.

"By the way, Xiaodeng, there's something else I want to ask you!"

"What! I'll answer all your questions truthfully! As long as it's Xiao Ning's question!"

The lamp's reply sounded like it was being proposed to, filled with excitement and joy.

"No, it doesn't need to be so formal. I'm just curious about it."

"this?"

Ningzi pointed to the sheet music on the desk, took a few steps back, and drew it down.

Holding the sheet music by the two corners, Ningzi tried her best to speak in a natural and steady tone:

"I never expected that Xiaodeng still kept it. It really surprises me."

The handwriting on it is very similar to my own, you could even say they were made from the same mold.

And this sheet music reappeared in Takasatsu Teng's home, lying gracefully on her bed.

If I guess correctly.

This sheet music must have been left behind by Xiangzi.