“Big brother~~ I’m heading to school first?”
“Eh eh eh? Why the rush? It’s still early, isn’t it? What about breakfast?”
“There’s something at school~~ I’ll eat while walking~~”
“What could be that urgent? Hey? Hey? This girl really is… a woman’s heart is truly hard to guess.”
The moment Zhong Siji returned to the kitchen with the things, Zhong Xinya blew past him like a whirlwind.
Though nowadays that phrase was mostly used for men.
Zhong Siji glanced at the bento box on the table and, without thinking much, picked it up and stuffed it into the insulated bag along with the steamed buns Grandma had bought.
The dishes he’d made today would be too light if eaten with rice; the buns would be just right.
“Siji, what’s with Xinya? Did you bully her again?”
Zhong Siji’s grandma also walked in carrying the breakfast she’d bought.
This elderly woman past sixty had eyes even sharper than in her youth, so much so that even when Zhong Siji met them, his heart would tremble a couple of times.
“How would I dare? Later she’d just make me a whole box of bitter melon to eat.”
“Didn’t you make Xinya cry her eyes out last time? And now that you’ve started making your own bentos, who knows if you’re still afraid of that punishment. You’re a boy yet still so naughty, always teasing your little sister—what for? Who would dare marry you like this? When the time comes and no one wants you, just marry your little sister then.”
Hearing Grandma’s thunderous remarks, Zhong Siji felt the world spin.
He wanted to argue a couple more points, but remembering that he really had made Zhong Xinya cry just now, under Grandma’s righteous gaze he felt guilty.
“No no, I’ve always treasured Xinya like the apple of my eye. Grandma, let’s stop here~~ If we keep talking I’ll be late too.”
Just like his little sister, Zhong Siji grabbed his breakfast and schoolbag and vanished with a whoosh.
“What’s going on, old woman? The two kids had a fight? I saw both Xinya and Siji bolting away as fast as rabbits.”
Grandpa walked up unhurriedly from behind Grandma.
Grandma didn’t answer right away. After a few silent breaths she slowly said, “Are we meddling too much in matching them up? No matter what, Siji is still our grandson.”
“That’s why I say, it all depends on fate. At most we can give a little help. In the end it’s the kids’ own fortune—who can interfere with that? …And also, the older people get, the more they want to see some youthful romance.”
“You old geezer, you’re so wicked.”
“Heh, now that you’ve caught me you start complaining? You old hag.”
…………….
…………….
…………….
“Hairstyle OK! No eye gunk in the corners OK! Mental state OK! All OK!”
On the road Zhong Siji had to take to school, Xu Runhui was carefully checking her appearance.
Looking at her selfie on the phone that looked several times more handsome than yesterday, Xu Runhui nodded in satisfaction.
Little sister was right.
For a woman, compared to whether her chest was small or whether she looked handsome—those trivial details—she should value her mental state more.
Xu Runhui still remembered her saying: “If a woman looks listless, like big sister used to and still does, men take one look and think this woman’s too weak, they don’t like it. On the contrary, if you take care of your mental state so that a man sees you at a glance and thinks this woman has energy, then it’s good. Even if your chest is especially big or you don’t look that handsome—ah~~ men will still like you. Why? Because you have strong yang energy, and men like that.”
Although after saying that she’d been beaten up by Xu Runhui on the grounds of being young and not learning properly and speaking in a weird tone, what she said still made a lot of sense.
“Now everything is ready, only missing Si…….. Waahhh!!!”
Just as Xu Runhui was feeling smug about her excellent condition, a hand suddenly patted her shoulder, making her cry out.
“Classmate Runhui, good morning……… Waahhh!!! Wh… what’s wrong?”
The newcomer was none other than Zhong Siji.
At this moment he was also startled by Xu Runhui’s reaction.
“Ah! So it was Classmate Siji. You really scared me to death.”
“Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to say hello, didn’t expect to scare you.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I was just… just recalling yesterday’s dream.”
Xu Runhui couldn’t very well say that the day before yesterday she’d been dragged into an alley by those Momoi thugs, right?
Even though the one who’d saved her was also Classmate Siji, even so she didn’t want to recall that black history again.
“Eh, what kind of dream did Classmate Runhui have?”
“It was………….”
Wait wait wait wait wait! What’s with this sense of distance?
Am I having a normal chat with Classmate Siji!?
And Classmate Siji is the one actively continuing the topic!
Although yesterday Classmate Siji was also the first to greet me, it feels completely different!
This is as big a difference as friends saying hello when they meet versus some idiot!
…….I get it! So that’s how it is! Classmate Siji and I are already ‘friends’!
Compared to yesterday when it was limited to just ‘classmates’ and ‘people who happen to walk the same way to school,’ of course it’s closer!
Xu Runhui suddenly felt grateful to Yan Yanyan. Thank you, Tai…… ptooey! Classmate Yan Yan! Thank you! Thank you for bravely speaking up and making Classmate Siji think we’re friends!
Even though your chest is small, you look handsome, you’re popular, you’re frivolous, you’re black-bellied, and you care about Classmate Siji—I don’t envy you one bit. But ah!
Thanks to you! Thanks to you, Classmate Siji and I are friends now! Thank you, Yan Yanyan!
“Eh, that’s pretty interesting, Classmate Runhui’s dream. Didn’t expect the culprit to be a toilet plunger hiding in the wardrobe. Really unexpected.”
“Haha, is it?”
What? My dream?
A toilet plunger hiding in the wardrobe?
What kind of dream did I even tell Classmate Siji?
“Mm-hm-hm, as long as Classmate Siji likes it.”
Although she didn’t know what she’d said, as long as she changed the topic it would be fine.
No need to be afraid at all, because at least until we reach school, I’m alone with Classmate Siji!
And at school, I won’t let you two have any alone time! Didn’t expect that, did you, Classmate Yan Yan?
The fruit born from the seed you planted is mine now!
That was how it should have been, only…………
“Classmate Siji~~ good morning~~”
“Classmate Yan Yan? What a coincidence. Didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“Yesterday when we parted here I was thinking, it seems we’re both taking this road to school. Didn’t expect we never ran into each other before.”
“Mm, maybe because we weren’t familiar before? Plus the time was short so we didn’t notice. Yesterday when I first ran into Classmate Runhui it was the same. Right, Classmate Runhui?”
“Y-yes, Classmate Siji.”
“Classmate Runhui, you’re here too? Good morning to you as well~~”
(Idiot, you think I can’t think of what you can think of?)
“….Good morning, Classmate Yan Yan.”
(This guy’s eyes are clearly saying “Idiot, you think I can’t think of what you can think of?” Damn it!)