After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

At the wedding, the officiant stood in front of the bride and groom.

"Groom, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to faithfully follow the wedding vows, to love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, in beauty or in plainness, in success and in disappointment, and be forever loyal to her throughout your lifetime?"

Kiryu Masaki exchanged a smiling glance with Xiaosong Lisha and said without hesitation, "I do."

"Bride, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, in beauty or in plainness, in success and in disappointment, to love him, comfort him, honor him, and keep him, and be forever loyal to him throughout your lifetime?"

Xiaosong Lisha nodded with emotion, "I do."

The officiant spoke solemnly, "Then, please exchange your rings."

The two produced the prepared diamond rings and placed them on each other's ring fingers.

With the vows made, they embraced and kissed while the cheers and applause erupted from the audience.

Kagura Hikaru and the others clapped their hands too.

Being relatives, he and Kiryu Hina, of course, sat in the seats closest to the bride and groom, clearly seeing Xiaosong Lisha's pure white wedding gown glimmering under the lights, and Kiryu Masaki's suit could not hide his imposing physique.

A couple well-matched in virtue and beauty perhaps it was a match made in heaven.

It was hard to tell whether the makeup artist was incredibly skilled or if they naturally possessed such great features, for the couple embraced on stage looked to be in their thirties.

Outsiders would likely have difficulty guessing that the two already had a son and a daughter in high school.

And as their son and daughter, Kagura Hikaru and Kiryu Hina sincerely directed their eyes filled with blessings toward them.

Only their family knew their past difficulties, and both hoped that the couple on stage could smoothly walk to the end this time.

Kiryu Hina though held more personal hopes.

She of course wished for her father and Kagura Hikaru's mother to stay together eternally, and would actively work towards this end, because it meant that her and Kagura Hikaru's connection would grow stronger within this inextricable bond.

The recent easing of their relationship had confirmed this.

However, Kiryu Hina still harbored a sense of crisis in her heart.

Kagura Hikaru had told her on the day he regained his memory that they were even.

But Kiryu Hina was not naive enough to believe those words.

Especially after he returned, his sudden change in attitude only made it seem as if he had resolved to change his interpersonal relationships in secret.

During the amnesia, he had been like a canary trapped in a cage, stumbling in his relationships; Kagura Hikaru had misjudged the depth of Ayakoji Chiyoko's feelings for him.

But after he woke up, he didn't punish Ayakoji Chiyoko at all, wasn't that akin to indirectly encouraging her to keep doing the same?

No, it certainly wasn't.

Kiryu Hina believed that Kagura Hikaru was simply giving the other person 'one last chance'.

Ayakoji Chiyoko clearly understood this as well, for after that incident, she did not flirt with him again and had been very honest in playing the role of a 'good friend'.

She was even so cautious that she did not dare walk with Kagura Hikaru after school, fearing that he would mistake her for harboring ambitions again, thereby completely destroying their relationship which already had unseen fractures.

The current Ayakoji Chiyoko appeared to be forgiven but in reality had already slipped down the cliff, hanging on only by gripping a tree branch on the edge.

In everyone's mind, Ayakoji Chiyoko had always been a decisive person who dares to love and hate, either cutting ties completely or clinging persistently.

Maintaining such an ambiguous relationship did not seem to fit her character.

During those dark, tangled days, everyone thought Ayakoji Chiyoko had changed, but Kiryu Hina didn't think so; she believed Chiyoko had never changed.

As for her ability to stabilize her heart now, Kiryu Hina speculated that Kagura Hikaru and she must have made some agreements in private, like setting some conditions for dating her or the like.

Giving someone false hope, allowing for the maintenance of a seemingly normal relationship.

Just as he had treated Kohinata Motoyo.

Kiryu Hina watched the young girl holding flowers walk onto the stage and handed them to Xiaosong Lisha, clapping her hands with a smile, yet her mind was pondering completely unrelated matters.

As one of the more intelligent people present, she had seen through this relationship.
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Kagura Hikaru was deliberately maintaining a balance.

Including his tacit approval for Kohinata Motoyo to stay by his side, and forgiving Ayakoji Chiyoko, were all for this purpose.

Kiryu Hina didn't think he wanted to start a harem, the person she liked was very conservative in emotional matters, even a bit of a puritan, and would not allow himself to fall to that level.

At the same time, he also knew that no one would accept this proposal, which meant the destruction of all relationships.

If love wasn't the objective, then it must be friendship.

In the past, he had heartlessly severed ties with others, broken up with Ayakoji Chiyoko, and regarded Kiryu Hina, himself, as an enemy, but in the end, it was still she, whom he considered an enemy, who extended a helping hand to him.

That experience had a significant impact on Kagura Hikaru.

He realized that he could not truly cut off his feelings for others, and it would lead to adverse outcomes, so this time, he did the opposite, he maintained the emotional balance of everyone, and became friends, pure friends, with all of them.

Since graduating from junior high, friendship had always been Kagura Hikaru's psychological weak point, something Kiryu Hina had long noticed.

She had discovered early on that Kagura Hikaru was especially fond of Ai Cheng Hua Lian, even to the point of favoritism, which was completely different from the way he treated them, more tolerant, more trusting.

Kiryu Hina even knew they had a secret base on the rooftop of the old school building, where they would sometimes have lunch during their break time, and perhaps even exchange bento boxes with each other.

Outsiders might think he was fond of the other person.

If it were another woman, she would have gotten jealous and definitely put an end to their relationship.

However, Ai Cheng Hua Lian was a different case, Kiryu Hina believed that what Kagura Hikaru was seeking in her was 'pure friendship,' not romance.

The betrayal by Kohinata Motoyo was an unforgettable experience for them and marked the beginning of everything.

At that time, Kagura Hikaru tasted emotional failure for the first time, seemingly proving the famous view that 'there is no pure friendship between men and women.'

If even someone like Kohinata Motoyo could change because of love, all the more so other people.

Perhaps it was then that Kagura Hikaru developed a special fixation on 'friendship,' and that's why, when Ai Cheng Hua Lian stayed by his side as a friend, Kagura Hikaru didn't push her away.

What he sought was what he had once lost and hadn't felt since then, a kind of goodwill with no consequences, a contribution without a cost.

But sadly, he was unaware of Ai Cheng Hua Lian's true feelings for him.

She was also one of Kagura Hikaru's secret admirers, and a self-conscious person who only wanted to maintain the current relationship and not move forward in any way.

And that was precisely the sad part.

The more Kagura Hikaru yearned for her 'friendship,' the deeper Ai Cheng Hua Lian fell, and the outcome was entirely predictable.

It was like another twisted vortex, starting with just two people circling closer, but as it progressed, more people were drawn in, eventually dragging everyone into the sea, hurting each other.

Just like what she had experienced in the past.

Heh, one by one, none of them are normal.

Kiryu Hina laughed at herself mockingly.

Suddenly, she heard exclamations from around her, looked up, and a bouquet of lilies flew through the air, landing accurately in her arms.

Kiryu Hina, surprised, looked towards the stage and saw Xiaosong Lisha, who had finished the throwing motion, wrapping her arms around her husband, smiling and winking at her.

She seemed to understand, and looked towards Kagura Hikaru, who had the same surprised expression.

At weddings, when the bride throws the bouquet and it lands in another woman's hands, it represents a blessing for the latter's love life.

As if to say, you'll be the next to marry.

Kiryu Hina started to smile.

It seemed she had underestimated her stepmother, who evidently knew the family dynamics all too well.

The even better news was that her stepmother seemed to be supporting her.

Kiryu Hina proudly sniffed the lily petals and, under the table, she stealthily slipped off her shoes to rub Kagura Hikaru's trouser leg, signaling determination and ownership.

But she accidentally kicked another foot clad in silk stockings.

Her face stiffened instantly.