“Sigh… this question of ours…”
On the podium, the old teacher spoke slowly, explaining the problem, while An Yu was already bored enough to want to fall asleep.
But she couldn’t sleep—because she had made a promise.
At this moment, An Yu rested her chin on one hand, her beautiful amber eyes half-open, wearing a lazy expression.
She couldn’t be bothered to listen to the teacher’s lecture.
After all, she had already taken these classes before!
She had no intention of sitting through them again.
And then…
An Qing was staring at her again.
Today, she’d done it even more times than usual.
It was really annoying.
The sunlight fell on An Yu’s face, but she showed no reaction.
The natural resistance was indeed useful.
At least the sunlight shining on her face no longer felt harsh or blinding.
But still…
That was the only use it had!
I don’t want sunlight resistance—can’t I have an An Qing resistance instead?
Every day it’s just staring and staring.
What’s so interesting to look at?
Does she think I can’t tell?
No, this won’t do.
An Yu decided to fight back.
So she glared fiercely in return.
As soon as she thought of it, she acted.
She turned toward An Qing and gave her a fierce glare—only to lock eyes with her.
An Qing, unfazed, returned the look calmly and even smiled warmly.
That one gentle smile, however, made An Yu shiver slightly.
Ugh… what’s the reborn heroine plotting again?
Before tonight’s Recognition Banquet, there shouldn’t be any plot triggers, right?
After all, she had glared so ferociously!
So why was An Qing smiling like that?
Doesn’t she know that my “fierce glare” looks about as threatening as a kitten blinking?
An Yu thought to herself in exasperation.
As for why An Qing was paying such close attention to her today—it wasn’t just because of tonight’s banquet.
She also couldn’t figure out why An Yu had blatantly ignored her yesterday.
That made An Qing extra wary.
An Yu’s mind is terrifyingly deep.
If I hadn’t exposed her myself in my previous life, I might never have realized she was deceiving me all along.
So, in An Qing’s view, An Yu must be preparing for some confrontation.
She was too calm otherwise.
In short, An Yu had only herself to blame.
If she had just acted a little more normal, An Qing wouldn’t be so suspicious.
Now she could only endure An Qing’s constant gaze, waiting for the lunch break to arrive.
At least once it came, she could go outside with her big pillow (Ning Wanciu).
Surely An Qing wouldn’t sneak around some corner outside to spy on her, right?
Even a reborn heroine couldn’t be that creepy.
Convinced, An Yu nodded slightly to herself, feeling a bit more relaxed.
She fixed her attention on the clock, waiting eagerly for the bell.
“Sigh… so, there’s actually a much simpler solution to this question. Just remember this method; we’ll cover the complex ones later…”
On the podium, the old teacher lightly tapped the blackboard with the pointer to draw the students’ attention.
But An Yu didn’t even glance over—clearly, the clock was far more interesting.
3… 2… 1…
Ding-ling———
As her mental countdown reached zero, the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break.
“Sigh… class dismissed, then.”
The old teacher, true to form, didn’t drag the lesson out. After packing up his materials, he turned and left the classroom.
An Yu immediately perked up. She stood, stretched lazily, then quickly ran over to Ning Wanciu’s seat and reached out her hand.
“Ah, An Yu, you’re so fast…”
“Mm.” An Yu extended her hand further, motioning for Ning Wanciu to take it.
“Alright, alright, I know—you want to go nap outside, right?”
Ning Wanciu smiled helplessly and held the small hand reaching for her.
An Yu’s hand was soft and warm—it felt nice to hold.
Ning Wanciu had noticed that yesterday.
The two girls looked at each other, hand in hand.
Just as Ning Wanciu was about to stand up, she noticed Huai Xiang staring blankly at them.
“Wah—Xiang Xiang?”
Ning Wanciu called out in confusion, but Huai Xiang didn’t respond.
She was fixated on their joined hands.
“Hmph~ Hmm~”
“Eh… wh-what’s wrong…?”
“So you two really did forget about us! And why are you holding hands so naturally? What happened yesterday after I was dragged away by Shimumeng!?”
Huai Xiang’s voice held a hint of wounded complaint.
Yesterday, Cheng Shimumeng had suddenly pulled her away, and she hadn’t seen what happened afterward.
Now these two were holding hands openly.
Next time, would they hug right in front of everyone…?
Wait—they already did hug yesterday. Never mind, then.
“N-no, it’s nothing really…”
It truly wasn’t anything special. Just like today, An Yu had been the one to ask.
“Tch, I knew you wouldn’t say!”
Huai Xiang pouted and turned to rummage through her bag.
After a moment, she pulled out a dainty little box of pastries.
Turning back, she puffed her cheeks slightly.
“Little An Yu, did you forget about me!?”
An Yu tilted her head in confusion, not understanding why Huai Xiang was saying that.
She hadn’t forgotten. The red-haired girl was Huai Xiang—she was sure of it.
“Uuuu, so you did forget! You promised me yesterday that I’d get to feed you today! And now you’re just running off with Wanciu!”
An Yu blinked.
That… did sound familiar. Yesterday, to calm the raging redhead, she had made such a promise.
“Ah! You really did forget! Little An Yu, you’re so mean!”
Huai Xiang puffed her cheeks even more, clutching the dessert box and pretending to look sad.
Seeing her pitiful expression, An Yu panicked slightly.
Because she had been so tortured by boredom earlier, all she’d thought about was the bell ringing and napping with Ning Wanciu in the sunshine—she had completely forgotten Huai Xiang’s request.
But still…
It wasn’t entirely her fault! It was that unreasonable reborn heroine’s fault!
Otherwise, how could things have turned out like this?
An Yu sighed helplessly, then took the dessert box from Huai Xiang’s hand and opened it.
Inside were an assortment of delicate sweets, all of which An Yu had never seen before.
She casually picked one up and placed it into Huai Xiang’s mouth.
“Mm!”
Huai Xiang froze mid-fake sob, staring at the two small fingers before her, blinking in surprise.
She had just been reverse-fed by An Yu.
“Sorry. Next time, I’ll remember you, Xiang Xiang.” An Yu said earnestly—everyone else called her that, so she copied them.
Seeing the serious expression on the cute little loli’s face, Huai Xiang’s heart started to race.
So cute… so gentle. Even when she’s the one who’s supposed to be teasing, An Yu still worries about her.
She’s an angel!
And she called her Xiang Xiang!
Huai Xiang’s heart melted instantly.
When she saw that Huai Xiang was no longer sad, An Yu finally relaxed.
As expected, I’m a genius at comforting people.
Of course, An Yu had no idea that Huai Xiang had just been joking.
Now that Huai Xiang was smiling again, maybe she could finally try the pastries herself.
They look delicious… I want to eat them.