Chapter 73: Ning Wanciu, Help Me

An Yu didn’t let Ning Wanciu take the blackboard eraser. 

It was only the first step—how could she get stuck here?

It didn’t matter that she couldn’t reach. 

She could just have Ning Wanciu lift her up. 

That way, she was still the one wiping the board—she was merely borrowing the power of her big pillow.

Yes, An Yu simply wanted Ning Wanciu to hold her up so she could clean the blackboard comfortably.

An Yu turned her back to Ning Wanciu, eraser in hand, facing the blackboard, already prepared to be lifted and wipe the unreachable spots.

But Ning Wanciu didn’t move at all.

“Ning Wanciu?”

An Yu’s cool voice reached her ears, snapping Ning Wanciu out of her daze.

She never imagined An Yu would suddenly ask her to hold her.

Although… An Yu had asked for hugs countless times before.

But, but this was too sudden! She wasn’t mentally prepared!

Still, there was no one else in the classroom right now. 

Even if she hugged An Yu, no one would see. She’d held her many times before—it should be fine.

Having just regained her senses, Ning Wanciu quickly fell into thought again. 

She hesitated—should she do it or not? 

This was a problem.

An Yu, however, had no idea what Ning Wanciu was thinking. 

All she knew was that if Ning Wanciu didn’t lift her, she couldn’t reach the very top of the board.

…

…

So An Yu said it again, this time without skipping words: “Hold me up. Can’t reach.”

She turned her head. 

Her pure amber eyes stared straight into Ning Wanciu’s, making the taller girl’s face flush red.

“Ah—ah? Can’t reach… right… got it.”

Ning Wanciu nodded quickly and hurriedly hugged An Yu from behind, lifting her so she could wipe the board properly.

So that’s what she meant!

She had thought An Yu just wanted a hug for no reason.

Goodness, An Yu didn’t mean anything by it—why was she overthinking so much? 

How embarrassing!

Ning Wanciu’s cheeks burned faintly, and her heartbeat quickened.

Even though she was only lifting An Yu to clean the blackboard, that soft little body was pressed tightly pressed against her.

She gently wrapped her arms around the slender waist and lifted An Yu higher.

There was one thing Ning Wanciu had gotten wrong. 

It wasn’t that being alone meant she could hug freely.

On the contrary—when it was just the two of them, overly intimate contact felt even more shameful.  

It was embarrassing, secretive, and made her terrified of being caught.

She could feel An Yu wriggling upward bit by bit to reach higher spots.

She looked so serious and hardworking.

“Ning Wanciu, hold tighter.”

“Cough—mm, mm…”

An Yu must have felt Ning Wanciu’s grip loosening, because she told her to hold on properly or she’d fall.

Little did she know, Ning Wanciu just wanted this to end quickly.

This position was far too embarrassing. 

An Yu didn’t care, but Ning Wanciu was getting paranoid. 

What if someone’s brain short-circuited today and came to school early?

Even the sound of duty students from other classes passing by in the hallway made her jump.

“Ning Wanciu, to the right.”

Because she was overly nervous, Ning Wanciu didn’t hear An Yu and kept glancing toward the door, afraid someone might burst in.

“Ning Wanciu?”

“Ah! W-What is it?”

An Yu fell silent. 

Why did Ning Wanciu feel so strange today?

Whatever. 

Finish the blackboard first.

“To the right. This side’s done.”

“Oh—oh!”

Ning Wanciu obediently carried An Yu to the right corner—the part An Yu couldn’t reach.

Feeling the tiny movements of the girl in her arms again, Ning Wanciu didn’t know what to do with herself.

…

“Mmm, almost done.” 

An Yu was nearly finished. 

Only a small spot in the upper-right corner remained.

It was a little far, though.

But no problem—she could use Ning Wanciu’s height!

An Yu stretched her arm to the limit and wiped hard at the corner. 

Because she used too much force, her uniform began to ride up…

“An Yu?”

Ning Wanciu let out a startled cry.

But An Yu didn’t notice anything wrong and continued wiping with all her might until she finally reached the spot.

“Mm, done… ngh!”

“W-Woah!”

Because the position was too unstable, one moment of inattention sent both of them tumbling backward.

Fortunately, Ning Wanciu reacted fast and tightened her hold on An Yu, preventing her from hitting the ground.

Now one of them was leaning against the corner beside the podium, the other cradled safely in her arms. 

Thankfully, neither was hurt.

“Nn…”

“Phew… seriously, are you okay, An Yu?”

Ning Wanciu opened her tightly shut eyes. 

She had been way too nervous just now.

She felt much better now.

“I’m fine.”

…

“Good… wait, huh?”

Ning Wanciu’s eyes widened in shock at the scene before her. 

Because of An Yu’s exaggerated stretching, her uniform had ridden all the way up to her chest, revealing a glimpse of her underwear.

Her snowy-white little tummy was completely exposed to Ning Wanciu.

And Ning Wanciu’s hands were still holding it.

No wonder it felt so nice—smooth and soft like mochi. So that’s why…

Ning Wanciu unconsciously pinched An Yu’s fair waist.

What am I doing?! What am I thinking?!

“Nn…”

“S-Sorry!”

Ning Wanciu hurriedly let go, but the uniform didn’t fall back down—it seemed to be caught on something.

The tender, pale waist and belly remained fully on display.

“I—I… ah…”

Ning Wanciu didn’t know what to do and closed her eyes again, her face turning slightly red.

“What’s wrong, Ning Wanciu?”

An Yu’s puzzled voice came from beside her. As always, she didn’t care at all.

This wasn’t a problem, right?

Besides, Ning Wanciu was apologizing again. She really was acting strange today.

An Yu didn’t bother fixing her clothes. Ning Wanciu was warm—she wouldn’t feel cold like this.

…

So she snuggled closer and whispered softly into Ning Wanciu’s ear, “Ning Wanciu, why are you closing your eyes?”

An Yu tilted her head. Ning Wanciu’s heartbeat was speeding up, her face growing redder. An Yu didn’t understand.

Since she didn’t understand Ning Wanciu’s behavior, she would just ask.

“An Yu, you—”

“Mm?”

Ning Wanciu secretly cracked her eyes open and saw An Yu looking exactly the same as ever—only now even closer, completely unbothered by the exposure.

“Your clothes! Your clothes!”

Hearing that, An Yu blinked. 

She still didn’t understand why Ning Wanciu was reacting so dramatically, but she knew the problem was her uniform.

An Yu reached down to pull her shirt back into place—but it wouldn’t budge.

There was a thread. It was snagged.

“Ning Wanciu, help me.”

Without waiting for a reaction, An Yu grabbed Ning Wanciu’s hand and placed it directly on her own clothes.