August, there's still time.

As soon as the door opened, Xia Mo and the person outside were both stunned for a moment.

Two boys were standing outside the door.

The taller one was holding a huge teddy bear in his arms. The brown fur almost covered half of his face, and the creamy white ribbon bow on the bear's belly bounced up and down.

The shorter one followed behind him, holding a square gift box with gold musical note patterns printed on the wrapping paper.

The tall man moved the bear to the side, revealing his face—

He is Asuka's older brother, Saito Shoma.

He saw that the person who opened the door was Xia Mo, and his eyebrows shot up sharply.

"Late summer? What are you doing at my house?"

The short Nagi Hayato peeked out from behind. He had a deep-set face with prominent brow bones. When he saw Natsumi, he also paused for a moment, then his lips curved slightly, with a knowing look that said, "Oh, it's you."

But the surprise was still written all over his face.

Xia Mo also came to her senses and stepped aside to make way: "Sho-chan, Nagi-kun. Asuka is inside. I... came to play today."

Shojin and Nagi Hayato exchanged a glance. They had seen the boy the night of the fireworks festival, but they never expected him to show up at their house.

"Asuka's friend is coming over to play..." Asuka's voice came from the living room, tinged with nervousness and panic, but she forced herself to finish, "...Is that not allowed?"

She walked behind Xia Mo and peeked out.

Her voice trailed off halfway through her speech, her face flushed red to her ears, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, and her eyes darting to the side, giving off an expression that said, "I've finished speaking, so you're not allowed to ask any more questions."

Then her gaze fell on the teddy bear in Shoma's arms and the music box in Nagi Hayato's hands.

The huge teddy bear in Xiangzhen's arms was facing her, with round black eyes, a fluffy face, and a black button on its nose tied with a milky white satin ribbon bow.

Nagi Hayato stood to the side and hid the music box behind him.

The bird looked at the bear, then at the music box, then at its two older brothers.

"...Didn't you say you were going to buy games?" Her voice carried a calmness that said, "I knew it all along."

Xiangzhen coughed and tried to hide the bear behind his back—but the bear was too big to hide completely. He simply moved it from his arms to his back, and a fluffy bear head rested on his shoulder, making it look like Xiangzhen had grown a brown bear head with a bow tie.

"I did some shopping and then browsed around a bit," Xiangzhen said, trying to keep his tone calm, but he couldn't help but glance at Xiamo and then at Feibiao.

It's as if they're wondering, "What's going on between you two?"

"You went to the toy store and gift shop?" Asuka raised an eyebrow.

Nagi Hayato quietly moved the music box behind him, his movements more natural than his brother's, but the embarrassment of being "caught red-handed" was the same.

Hua Hua peeked out from the living room and, seeing the commotion in the entryway, immediately waved: "Ah, Shoma-nii! Nagi-nii! Long time no see!"

Shojin and Nagi Hayato both glanced at Hana. Shojin nodded slightly as a greeting. Nagi Hayato also gave a soft "hmm".

Hua Hua's gaze was fixed on the teddy bear and music box. Her eyes darted around, and suddenly she let out an "Oh—" sound, drawing out the tone.

"I know!" She clapped her hands, jumped off the sofa, ran to Asuka's side, and put her hands on her hips. "Is this a birthday present, Asuka-chan? Your birthday is coming up soon!"

Asuka's face flushed red, and she turned her head away: "...No, that's not true."

"Liar! Look at that music box! The wrapping paper has musical notes printed on it! And that bear! It's so big, who would buy such a big bear to keep at home for no reason? It must be a birthday present!"

"I said no, so it's no..." Asuka's voice grew softer and softer, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes as she shrank behind Xia Mo.

Hua Hua, relentless, circled around to the other side of Xia Mo's path and continued to press, "When is your birthday? August? July? Tell me, tell me!"

"I won't tell you..." Asuka hid behind Summer's End, her voice muffled.

Xia Mo stood frozen in place, unsure whether to move away or not, and could only stand there awkwardly, raising her hand to touch her earlobe.

Shojin, carrying the bear, was about to head towards Asuka's room when he heard the commotion. He stopped, turned around, and said expressionlessly:

"August 10th."

Asuka suddenly poked her head out from behind Xia Mo, staring wide-eyed at Xiang Zhen: "Brother!!"

Shojin ignored her, hugged the bear, and turned to leave. Nagi followed behind him, and as she passed Asuka, she gently patted her on the head before walking away as well.

"August 10th!" Hua Hua's eyes lit up like two searchlights. "That's less than two weeks away! Asuka-chan, you didn't even tell us!"

"I was going to say..." Asuka's voice trailed off, but then rose again, "Brother, how could you just tell someone like that?!"

Xiangzhen's voice drifted from the other end of the corridor, his tone as indifferent as if he were saying the weather was nice: "Isn't that your friend?"

Feiniao stomped her foot in anger, pouting deeply. Huahua laughed so hard she almost fell over, and Xiamo couldn't help but smile slightly before quickly pulling her lips back.

Feiniao glared at Xia Mo: "What are you laughing at!"

"I wasn't laughing." Xia Mo turned her face to the side, but the curve of her lips couldn't be suppressed.

You're clearly smiling!

"I really didn't..."

The mother bird peeked out from the kitchen, watched this scene, shook her head with a smile, and then retreated back inside.

Hua Hua grabbed Fei Niao's wrist and pulled her back to the living room, pressed her down on the sofa, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at her.

"Asuka-chan, confess! What else are you hiding from us? What do you want for your birthday? Tell us!"

"I don't want anything..." Asuka picked up a cushion and held it in front of her, only her eyes showing. "It's not some big day."

"Why isn't it a big day! A birthday is a big day!" Hua Hua persisted, "Xia Jun, don't you think so!"

As Xia Mo walked back down the corridor, she sat down on the single sofa to the side, thought for a moment, and said, "Yes, it's a big day."

Feiniao glared at him from behind the cushion: "Whose side are you on?"

"Speak up for reason," Xia Mo said.

"you--!"

Hua Hua nodded in satisfaction, sat down next to Fei Niao, and put her arm around her shoulder: "Alright, alright, I won't pressure you anymore. We'll think of the gift ourselves! Anyway, there are still several days until August 10th, we have plenty of time!"

Xia Mo touched her nose, glanced at the flying bird, then at the flower, and said nothing.

Outside the window, cicadas were chirping merrily. The aroma of curry wafted from the kitchen, mingling with the coolness of the air conditioning, slowly spreading throughout this late July afternoon.

"Really, you don't need to..."

Feiniao hugged the cushion tighter, covering most of her face except for her eyes, which were full of anticipation.

Are you sure you don't need to?

Summer's end brought a quiet thought.

You'd be a fool to believe that!