“That really pisses me off!”
Zhong Siji was still fuming when he walked out of the office.
By now the students who were supposed to have left after school were mostly gone, and only his figure remained in the empty corridor.
He could barely understand a gossipy little boy like Zheng Zipan having that kind of misunderstanding.
How could Wu Di, a mature, experienced adult in her twenties, say something so irresponsible?
What did she mean, which one did he like more between Xu Runhui and Yan Yanyan?
They were his brothers-in-arms… uh, sisters-in-arms, his dearest friends!
How could he possibly fall for them?
Only some pervert so thirsty he could not stand it would make a move on friends he knew inside and out, right?
Uh… it seemed he did not know them inside and out at all.
Then that made it even worse!
How could you talk about liking someone without understanding each other?
He, Zhong Siji, had only been friends with Xu Runhui and Yan Yanyan for a few days, okay!
Wait…
Only a few days…
A thunderbolt split straight down onto the crown of Zhong Siji’s head.
That was right.
Only a few days.
A sudden sense of crisis welled up from the bottom of Zhong Siji’s heart.
Although everyone was getting along all right now, if they did not deepen their understanding and maintain the feelings, even the present harmony would one day drift farther and farther apart.
Good feelings ought to be maintained with care!
Zhong Siji, who had almost completely lost contact with his old friends after the world changed, felt this even more deeply.
Although, to be fair, he had not had any friends close enough to keep in regular contact with after graduation in the first place.
“But… what am I supposed to do?”
Never mind that he did not even know Xu Runhui’s and Yan Yanyan’s preferences.
He had no idea how to handle relationships with friends at all.
The first half of his youth, when he thought about it carefully, seemed to have nothing worth remembering except fighting.
The first thing that surfaced in his mind at that moment was…
“Gege, although I have no intention of interfering in your interpersonal relationships, friends and such are still necessary for a high schooler, right?”
Xinya’s cute and reliable little face.
“That’s right. How did I forget I can still ask Xinya! From what she says she’s really popular at her school, friends and such she can grab by the handful. I don’t know why she’s never brought any of them home, but however you look at it she’s way better at this than I am, right?”
With his heart now settled, Zhong Siji noticed that a set of footsteps had appeared in the corridor that had originally held only him.
At first he paid it no mind.
This was not the corridor of his own house.
Anyone walking here would not be strange.
But very quickly he sensed something off.
Not only did those footsteps basically match his own pace, they stopped when he stopped and walked when he walked, yet when he turned his head there was not even half a figure to be seen.
“Someone’s tailing me?”
Why?
Although he had all sorts of messy rumors in Taogu, those should not have gotten in anyone’s way.
Most of the rest of the time he also came and went alone and had never offended anyone.
However you put it, it should not have been enough to bring on a tail, right?
He could not figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
Zhong Siji kept his original pace, then suddenly accelerated and cut around the corner before turning it.
The footsteps behind him indeed grew hurried.
And just as she rushed anxiously around the corner, a sturdy large hand seized her collar in one grab and pinned her against the wall.
“Talk!” There was a coldness in Zhong Siji’s questioning that was not usually there.
“Why are you following me?”
The tail did not speak, only panted roughly, as if she had been frightened.
Only then did Zhong Siji discover that the one tailing him was a cute girl with golden wolf-tail short hair.
Yes.
Cute.
That word, which after the world changed could rarely be used on girls, was fully manifested on this girl.
Her fine nose was delicate and straight, her large eyes were full of bewilderment, and her small, exquisite doll face made people want to pinch it the moment they saw it.
Her lips were pink, tender, and captivating, plump like the vesicles of a freshly ripened pomelo.
The golden wolf-tail short hair added a contrasting touch of heroic spirit to that cuteness.
Zhong Siji was a little stunned for a moment.
Aside from Xinya, he had never seen a girl this cute…
Wait!
Xinya!
The thought of his little sister instantly restored clarity to Zhong Siji’s eyes.
He loosened the hand gripping the girl’s collar and asked, “Ahem! Classmate, is there something you need from following me?”
The blonde girl did not speak, only continued looking at him timidly.
Zhong Siji suddenly felt as if he had seen this face somewhere before.
He narrowed his eyes and scanned her twice carefully, then felt as if he had never seen her.
How inexplicable.
He released the girl’s collar.
“Classmate, you can remain silent, but if you keep this up, I’m going to report you to a teacher.”
“Don’t say that…”
The girl finally opened her mouth.
“Good that you can talk. Classmate, what exactly are you following me for?”
“I… I…”
Just as the girl was at a loss, a silver-white figure rushed over at high speed.
“A-Hua! I waited and waited on the left and waited on the right, and I just couldn’t wait for you… Classmate, what business do you have with our A-Hua?”
The newcomer was a girl with silver-white short hair who was a little taller than Zhong Siji.
The blonde girl A-Hua whooshed behind her.
Zhong Siji did not stop her.
“Nothing much. This classmate has been following me for some reason, and when I asked her what the matter was she wouldn’t say.”
The silver-haired girl glanced at him, and her expression suddenly turned sorrowful.
She stroked the blonde girl’s head, her voice gentle and low.
“I understand. A-Hua may have only seen her older brother’s shadow on you, classmate.”
“Her older brother’s… shadow?” Zhong Siji’s heart suddenly trembled.
“Mm. When A-Hua was very little, she… Back then she loved following behind her older brother the most. Classmate, you look somewhat like her older brother. It may be because of that that she was in a daze for a moment. We’re truly very sorry for causing you trouble.”
The blonde girl lowered her head so that her expression could not be seen, but the hand that was gripping the silver-haired girl’s arm and still could not stop trembling was enough for anyone to see her present sorrow.
…Brother and sister?
“I understand the situation…”
Zhong Siji wanted to say something comforting, but when the words reached his lips he could not say anything at all, and could only shake his head and offer a single sentence.
“Then I’ll take my leave first.”
“We’re truly extremely sorry for causing you trouble!”
Zhong Siji did not reply, only waved a hand.
Only after Zhong Siji’s figure disappeared at the end of the corridor did the silver-haired girl relax.
She put on a bitter face and said to the blonde girl A-Hua, “Young Miss, he’s already gone. Can you let go of my hand?”
“A-Yu, although I’m very grateful you helped me get out of that tight spot, but… what the hell is ‘seeing my older brother’s shadow’! Where would I get an older brother from!”
“Wasn’t that to help you explain, Young Miss…”
“Then find a reason that’s easy to patch up later! How am I supposed to explain this to him after this? Conjure an older brother out of thin air?”
“Then I didn’t have any other choice either! Besides! Isn’t this still because you got discovered, Young Miss! An observer can’t get too close to the observation target. Wasn’t that what you said yourself, Young Miss!?”
“…You’re right, A-Yu.”
A-Yu had clearly not expected the Young Miss, who never admitted fault, to admit it so cleanly.
She was silent for a while before slowly saying, “Why do you insist on having him join no matter what? If not for just now… you hadn’t even spoken a word to him.”
At first she had only felt he was very interesting, but now she always felt
“…a bit alike.”
“Young Miss, what did you say?”
“Nothing. I’m a little tired today. Let’s go back first.”
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