"Tell me about it, what's going on between you and Kitagawa-san?" Akira looked at the bowing Wakana with a gossipy expression.
If there was anything more joyful than eating melon, it would definitely be having the melon split open and handed to you.
"We're just ordinary friends." Wakana hesitated for a moment, then continued, "It's just that Kitagawa-san asked me to make clothes for her."
"Nothing special happened, like a little perk?" Akira smirked. "After all, a beautiful girl like Kitagawa-san, anyone would like her, right?"
"Did you feel anything?" Akira asked.
"Hmm, a little." Wakana replied, then his mood began to sink again. "But someone as reclusive as me, who has hardly any friends in class, Kitagawa-san probably wouldn't like someone like me."
Akira placed his hand on Wakana's shoulder. "Wakana, let me ask you a question."
"Go ahead, Akira-kun."
"Does making clothes make you feel ashamed?"
"No, I don't feel ashamed. I'm very happy when I make clothes."
"Then why do you think you're reclusive and have no friends?"
"Because I'm reclusive, I have no friends," Wakana murmured.
"No, it's because you like making clothes that you have no friends." Akira shook his head. "Because making clothes takes up your social time, leaving you no time for most people."
"Wakana, do you know what makes you different from most people?"
"I don't know."
"Then I'll tell you." Akira said with certainty. "It's your dedication to what you love. Your passion surpasses most mediocre people in this world, which is why you seem out of place in the eyes of others and even disliked."
"Because of passion, you can endure the loneliness of not socializing and turn it into motivation to move forward. Because of passion, you can strengthen your inner self and make yourself go toward your goal regardless of anything."
"But Wakana…" Akira paused, looking at the confused Wakana in front of him. Without minding the age difference between them, he gently patted his head. "Passion is not lowly; it is a beautiful virtue."
"Genius scientists are not pitied for their lonely childhood, nor are they slandered for having few friends. Be more confident, Wakana."
Wakana stared blankly at Akira, who was lecturing him. His eyes lost their color for a moment, then were filled with brilliant light. He quickly wiped away the tears that couldn't stop overflowing from his eyes.
"Thank you, Akira-kun. I've always been afraid to tell others about the things I like, and I've been afraid to say that I'm learning tailoring. I really lacked courage."
Akira took a deep breath. "If someone used to belittle you because of your hobbies, then you shouldn't be sad; instead, you should feel lucky. Because if someone dismisses a person simply because of a hobby, then he is truly too superficial."
"Understood!" Wakana responded loudly, tears still flowing uncontrollably.
"So, Wakana, do you actually like Kitagawa-san?" Akira suddenly asked.
"Eh??" Wakana's hand, which was wiping tears, instantly froze in mid-air, his face still a mess of snot and tears.
The whole scene seemed to freeze. Wakana looked at his hand wiping tears, then at the smiling Akira in front of him.
Akira-kun, you didn't just comfort me like this because of that question, did you?
You're not really one of those people who just enjoys watching others suffer, are you?
No way, no way?
"I like her a little." Wakana finally succumbed to Akira. He had a feeling that if he still didn't dare to admit it, Akira might pull out another theory to make him cry uncontrollably.
"If you like her a little, then go after her!" Akira encouraged Wakana. "If you don't go after her, then I will."
"Doesn't Akira-kun already have someone he likes?" Wakana argued.
"What if someone else pursues her?" Akira said in a gloomy voice, like a demon. "Once Kitagawa-san is pursued by someone else and eventually stops contacting you, you'll just have to continue living your college life alone…"
Besides, both of them are adults now; what is there to be afraid of?!
Of course, it's impossible for Kitagawa-san to be pursued by others; this concerns the plot of the manga.
However, if he didn't say that, how could he ignite Wakana's sense of crisis?
As a pure love warrior, he couldn't sacrifice himself to create opportunities for the two of them to get closer.
Akira thought to himself that he had gone to such lengths. If he had a matchmaker system, he would definitely be able to use its functions freely and wantonly right now.
Unfortunately, he didn't.
Fortunately, Wakana still had some conscience and finally straightened his attitude, nodding to him with a firm tone. "Yes, I want to pursue Kitagawa-san."
I feel a bit like a system giving out quests.
Akira complained a bit, then said, "Is your plan for today to make clothes?"
"Yes." Wakana replied.
"Then let's stick to your plan today. I learn things pretty quickly, so you can teach me while you make clothes." Akira replied.
"Are all the patterns for the clothes done?" Akira looked around, seeing the uncleaned paper scraps.
"Most of them are done; the rest won't be needed for a long time." Wakana replied. As he entered work mode, his expression became much calmer.
"Then let's start now."
Wakana walked out of the room to wash his face, calmed his emotions, then returned to his workbench, picked up a pair of scissors. "What I'm doing now is cutting fabric."
"For cutting fabric, the first thing we need to do is understand the material of each fabric and determine the direction of cutting…"
"Then it's about how to sew the already cut fabric according to the prepared patterns…"
"The techniques we usually need for sewing fabric generally include these types. The first type is…"
Akira watched Wakana's explanation while checking the system messages.
[Sewing lv1: 5 / 100]
[Sewing lv1: 18 / 100]
…
A day of learning is truly fulfilling and happy.
Akira held a piece of scrap fabric, practicing the sewing knowledge Wakana had just taught him today.
"Do you think this treatment is okay?" Akira handed over the fabric he was holding and asked. "I think it's not much different from what you explained."
"Sugoi, Akira-kun learns really fast." Wakana said in surprise.
"I hope I can help you soon." Akira said somewhat modestly, taking back the fabric from Wakana's hand. "I'll practice a bit more."
"By the way, Wakana, are you still working tonight?" Akira looked up and asked.
"Sumimasen! I'm going to see my grandpa tonight, so I might not be able to host Akira-kun." Wakana said with a wry smile.
Overall, although Akira came to him to learn tailoring skills, it didn't actually take up much of his time. On the contrary, he would need Akira's midterm exam tutoring later.
Thinking about it this way, he was actually the one who benefited, and Wakana felt even more guilty.
"Alright."
After having dinner with Wakana at his house, Akira went home alone with his backpack.
The May evening sunset wasn't particularly beautiful. Akira walked on the bustling asphalt road, and the sense of loneliness he'd felt since transmigrating hit him uncommonly hard.
He took out his phone and sent a message.
The "Good morning" he had sent in the morning hadn't been replied to yet, but he still said:
"Today I learned tailoring with a classmate. He's actually making a cosplay costume for a female classmate."
He hesitated for a moment, then opened the chat box and typed:
"Inui-san, I just saw the sunset. It's beautiful."
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Beautiful wallpaper