“That’s all for today’s lesson. Before you head home, I want every Awakened student to send me a reflection essay and a future academy plan. It must be no less than 6,000 words. Hand it in by next Monday, or else. Heh heh.”
It was nearly 3:00 PM. Following those gentle words of advice from Teacher Yu Qi, who was known for his Iron Fist, the day’s classes finally came to an end.
Although a combined 6,000 words for the reflection and plan sounded like a lot, it wasn’t too bad considering tomorrow and the day after were Saturday and Sunday.
Two days was plenty of time.
“A Qi, see you at the church tomorrow then.”
Mo Yu, who wore the Green Bracelets, walked Su Qi to the school gate while clinging to her arm.
After a quick wave, he headed toward the familiar bus stop.
Once Su Qi waved goodbye, a voice chimed in. “Hmph, finally gone.”
An Xiaoling, who was holding Su Qi’s other arm, puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
Su Qi could hear the faint hostility toward Mo Yu in An Xiaoling’s voice.
Combined with how she had been sandwiched between the two of them during class all day, even she could pick up on things.
Although Su Qi was somewhat slow when it came to romance, after spending the day together, she could clearly see the affection and favoritism An Xiaoling and Mo Yu held for her.
Once upon a time, when Su Qi was still a boy, he had fantasized about being surrounded by beautiful girls while reading power-fantasy novels.
But after experiencing it for a whole day, Su Qi felt more like crying.
‘Being liked by multiple girls is actually quite a burden.’ She hadn’t dared to speak all day, and facing their competitive glares felt like a mountain of pressure.
And that was just the start.
Aside from An Xiaoling and Mo Yu, there was Senior Sister Lin Xue, who wanted to “eat” her in the literal sense, and Elder Sister Wen Yin, who wanted to “eat” her in every sense of the word.
‘If the four of them ever get together in one room, it feels like it would cause a massive problem!’
After seeing off her good friend Mo Yu, Su Qi got into An Xiaoling’s car.
They chatted about how to write the reflection and the plan as they drove toward Lin Hidden Mansion.
Once An Xiaoling parked in the underground garage, the two continued their idle chatter as they pressed the button for the 15th floor in the elevator.
Ding-dong!
When the elevator reached the 15th floor and Su Qi stepped out, she spotted a familiar, graceful figure. It was none other than Gu Wen Yin.
“Wen… Elder Sister Wen Yin, you’re here.”
Today, Gu Wen Yin was dressed conservatively to hide the sweet scent she emitted as a Demon Enchantress.
She wore a loose blue-and-white jacket with slim-fit jeans, and a baseball cap covered her long purple hair.
Despite the modest clothing, her slender figure and the naturally sweet aura around her still made one’s heart skip a beat.
Seeing Wen Yin, Su Qi greeted her and was about to ask why she was there and why she hadn’t knocked.
However, Su Qi quickly remembered that Wen Yin used to be a Yandere.
Since the woman had a collection of Su Qi’s photos, she obviously knew her class schedule.
She was likely specifically waiting here for Su Qi to return.
“Hey, bad woman! What are you doing here? I won’t let you take Sister Su Su away!”
While Su Qi looked at Gu Wen Yin with surprise, An Xiaoling — who had just gotten rid of one rival, Mo Yu — stepped forward.
She planted her hands on her slender waist and stood beside Su Qi.
‘Seriously, I have way too many rivals.’
At school, there was Mo Yu.
At home, there was that traitor Lin Xue.
And now, before even getting through the front door, Gu Wen Yin had ambushed them.
Gu Wen Yin watched the little Loli, An Xiaoling, protect Su Qi like a mother hen.
Although An Xiaoling’s voice was high-pitched, clear, and full of hostility, she just seemed like a cute, bratty kid.
Gu Wen Yin remained calm. In fact, a soft, gentle smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
According to her observations after the elevator doors opened, Su Qi hadn’t trembled or recoiled like she did the last time they met. Though she was still a bit stiff, it was a good sign. Perhaps after a few more visits, her little Xiao Qi would once again become that cute neighbor… little sister.
Ignoring An Xiaoling’s hostility, Gu Wen Yin set the gift boxes she was carrying on the floor and took off her baseball cap.
Her narrow, phoenix-like eyes crinkled with a smile as she looked at Su Qi.
“Xiao Qi, I saw you bring that little guy home yesterday. Since you had class today, I bought some small clothes and toys for the little guy. I also got some clothes for you, along with your favorite fruits…”
She paused, her expression softening into a slightly lonely look. “But most importantly, I just wanted to see you. Now that I have, I’ll be going.”
Seeing Gu Wen Yin turn to leave with such a dejected expression, Su Qi felt a pang of guilt. Before she could think it through, the words slipped out.
“Elder Sister Wen Yin, why don’t you come inside for a bit before you go?”
“Alright.”
Gu Wen Yin didn’t hesitate or act polite; she immediately agreed to stay.
Click —
Perhaps hearing the voices outside, the door to the Cangyou Wildcat Team base was opened from the inside by a pale, delicate hand.
A second later, a snow-white, fluffy figure lunged out of the room and jumped straight into Su Qi’s arms, licking her with a tiny pink tongue.
“Xi — Xixi!”
“Giggle! Xixi, stop it, that tickles!”
Because of the presence of the adorable Su Xixi, the oppressive atmosphere in the hallway lightened considerably.
Holding the mischievous Su Xixi, Su Qi entered the mansion.
An Xiaoling kept a close eye on Gu Wen Yin as the older woman followed them inside.
Upon entering, Gu Wen Yin’s brow furrowed slightly.
Having fought with her twice, she knew perfectly well that Lin Xue liked Su Qi and was a direct rival.
While she was talking to Su Qi at the door, she had felt Lin Xue watching them from the entryway.
Normally, a rival like Lin Xue would have tried to stop her from coming in.
‘Why is she staying so quiet and not blocking me? Instead, she’s acting unusually obedient, sticking close to Su Qi. Something is definitely wrong!!!’
“We are the incarnations of justice! Ultraman Beam!”
“Xi — “
When Su Qi carried Su Xixi into the living room, she saw that the television — which was usually off — was playing an Ultraman cartoon.
Looking at Su Xixi in her arms, who was excitedly punching and kicking along with the characters, Su Qi realized that Senior Sister Lin must have turned it on to keep the little guy entertained.
With the lively little creature and the sound of the TV, the feeling of hostility and awkwardness dissipated slightly as Su Qi and the three beautiful girls sat down.
However, as someone who was usually a social wallflower, Su Qi still felt immense pressure.
Especially from the three of them. Setting aside An Xiaoling’s genuinely puffed-up face, both Lin Xue and Sister Wen Yin had stiff, polite smiles that didn’t reach their eyes.
No matter how she looked at it, it was terrifying.
“Senior Sister Lin, hold Xixi for a second. I’ll go make tea for everyone.”
Su Qi escaped to the kitchen.
She took some fruit out of the refrigerator to slice and started boiling water. Just as she finished a plate of apples, she heard a sound.
Ding-dong —
The doorbell rang. Su Qi was a bit confused. Every member of the Wildcat Team had a key. Who would be visiting right now?
She looked toward the living room.
The three girls were sitting on the sofa, motionless, as if they were performing some sort of ritual. Su Qi took off her apron, wiped her hands, and went to the foyer.
“Coming, I’m coming!”
She looked through the peephole and was instantly delighted.
The person at the door was Ye Fufu, the woman she had recently visited to ask for help with her sister’s treatment.
Thinking about the contents of the letter from her mother, Su Qi wondered if her sister had already woken up.
With that thought in mind, a bright smile lit up Su Qi’s fair face. She opened the door sweetly.
“Sister Fufu, you’re here! Please, come in.”
In the living room, the three beautiful girls who had been staring each other down all turned their heads at Su Qi’s excited, sweet shout.
When they saw the Holy Nun, Ye Fufu, Lin Xue and Gu Wen Yin didn’t think much of it, assuming Su Qi was just anxious for Su Lulu’s recovery.
An Xiaoling, however, narrowed her eyes. As a Lily Novel author, she caught a fleeting sense of excitement radiating from Ye Fufu the moment Su Qi pulled her into the room.
‘Something’s not right!’
“Sister Fufu, didn’t we agree that I would go to the church to help tomorrow? Why did you come today?”
While An Xiaoling was pondering, Su Qi had already pulled Ye Fufu to the sofa and poured tea for the four guests.
After taking a sip of tea, Ye Fufu slowly pulled a black-and-white nun outfit from her Space Ring and handed it to Su Qi.
“I just finished a few missions at the Adventurers’ Guild upstairs. I remembered you lived right below, so I stopped by to bring you your nun uniform. When you help out at the church tomorrow, you’ll be acting as a Confession Nun. It’s very simple; you just wear the uniform and listen to people’s confessions. Of course, Little Qi, you can try it on now. If it’s uncomfortable, I can order a new set for you.”
As Su Qi took the soft, black-and-white uniform and saw the matching pair of pure White Silk Stockings, her fair face flushed a light shade of crimson.
‘Emmm… I have to wear this to help out? This feels embarrassing in so many ways!’
Still, the job of a Confession Nun sounded surprisingly easy. Looking at the bags of gifts Gu Wen Yin had brought, Su Qi suddenly remembered something important.
Since Wen Yin, Lin Xue, and Fufu were all here, she might as well give them the bracelets her mother had sent.
Without overthinking it, Su Qi opened the box from her mother and handed three of the Green Bracelets to the three women.
The moment they put them on, something surprising happened.
Once the bracelets were all being worn, they began to emit faint, rhythmic ripples of Spiritual Energy.
Su Qi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt like the sweet, refreshing fragrance coming from the girls had become much more potent.
Smelling that faint, spiritual scent, Su Qi subconsciously rubbed her legs together, feeling a slight stir in her lower abdomen.
She had a nagging feeling that there was something not quite right about these bracelets.
However, she quickly pushed the thought aside.
‘These bracelets were a gift from Mom. Mom wouldn’t play a trick on me, right?’