“By the way, there’s one more thing.”
Bai Xiaozhi called out to Wu Xiaomi.
“…Hm?”
Ever since Bai Xiaozhi had that talk with her, Wu Xiaomi had been in a daze all day.
Especially since she just ran into Ah Fu.
That made her thoughts even more scattered and her mind absent.
“Next week, we’re having a Friendship Association with another school. As the Chief, I have to perform on stage.”
So?
“Come with me. Treat it as a side quest—there should be a pretty good reward,” Bai Xiaozhi said.
Me?
But I don’t have any talents.
“Siren Dance. Use that. No need for Water Spirit Summoning, just do the dance moves.”
What about you?
“I’ll play the piano.”
Since when did Xiaozhi know how to play the piano?
“I’m learning now.”
“……”
Is this the confidence of a genius?
Sigh…
Suddenly, I felt a bit guilty.
Even middle schoolers know that even a thoroughbred needs to eat its fill to show its talent.
Xiaozhi was like a buried thoroughbred. Her family used to be too poor to let her see the wider world and show her gifts. Survival and studies ate up all her time and energy. Only now did I realize she was actually so smart, with such a strong ability to learn.
The world is full of hidden geniuses. Once the snowball of poverty starts rolling, no matter how high your talent, you can only drown in the mud.
Fortunately, Earth blew up.
“By the way, I awakened my Sequence during a fight. What about you? What kind of situation did you awaken in?” Bai Xiaozhi asked.
She awakened Combat Technique Sequence 79 while beating up the former Chief. To awaken to a Sequence under 80 on the first try—her talent shocked the academy mentors for a long time.
Since she herself awakened her ability in a dangerous, protagonist-style outburst, Bai Xiaozhi couldn’t help but worry about Wu Xiaomi.
She has Shaman Sequence 79—did she also run into danger? Otherwise, how could she have awakened?
“There’s a butterfly~ovo”
Wu Xiaomi seemed deaf, her expression silly as she chased after a butterfly and ran off.
“……”
Awakening because she was scared by her first period—Wu Xiaomi decided to let that secret rot in her stomach forever.
Let this secret be buried by time!
She turned her head and saw Bai Xiaozhi was calling Nanalia.
Nanalia: [Reason for awakening? First period, of course—woke up in the morning, saw myself bleeding and got scared. Even though I awakened to Sequence 79 right away, a genius among geniuses, but with this reason for awakening, I could laugh for a year—]
Onlooker Nanania: [Pfft… Sorry, I couldn’t hold it in.]
Onlooking Former Shaman Couple: [hahahaha——]
They were all laughing hysterically.
Wu Xiaomi: (:зゝ∠)
Whatever.
As long as I stay chill, no amount of teasing can get to me.
Laugh all you want, stinky Xiaozhi! I know you want to laugh! No matter how you laugh, it won’t break my guard!
But Bai Xiaozhi didn’t laugh.
“Waking up and seeing your quilt covered in blood, you must have been really scared,” she said, gently patting Wu Xiaomi’s head. “Don’t be scared. From now on, I’ll help you clean up every month.”
“……”
“I’m older than you. You can treat me like a big sister. It’s only natural for a big sister to take care of her little sister,” Bai Xiaozhi added.
…Nonsense! I’m clearly older!
…
Pressed seaweed, as a snack, is low-cal, filling, and you can eat it for a long time without worrying about gaining weight.
Downside is, it crumbles easily, and it’s expensive.
Wu Xiaomi clapped her hands, shaking off the seaweed crumbs.
Probably because of Bai Xiaozhi’s aura as her deskmate, and that “strangers keep away” icy stare, none of the nearby classmates dared to approach Wu Xiaomi to say hi.
Which was just as well. As a social-phobe, Wu Xiaomi was happy with the peace and quiet.
But she quietly activated her Spirit Hunting Instinct, eavesdropping on her classmates’ conversations.
[Too cute! How can there be such a cute girl in the world?]
[Should we go say hi?]
[I’m afraid Chief Highness will snap my neck.]
[Actually, the Chief is super good-looking too, just a bit too fierce…]
[Then you go distract the Chief?]
[No thanks, I like being alive.]
Eavesdropping on compliments, her vanity was satisfied, mood +5
Too bad, this wasn’t the kind of intel Wu Xiaomi wanted to hear.
[Sigh, this Friendship Association is super important. I wonder if Chief Highness can handle it.]
Even though the boys in class were whispering and sneaking glances at Wu Xiaomi, some people were still talking business.
[Too bad the Chief enrolled too late. If only she’d joined before the Academy Competition, we wouldn’t have gotten beaten so badly…]
[We already embarrassed ourselves enough. If our act at the Friendship Association can’t beat theirs, we’ll be a laughingstock.]
[To be fair, the Chief’s combat power is already top-notch. Nobody’s perfect. For this Friendship Association…let’s not expect too much from her.]
[Hey, let’s talk about that new student who just arrived.]
Hmm… In the end, the topic still shifted to me.
I thought you two could resist the call of hormones.
[What about her?]
[I heard the Chief helped her sign up for the Friendship Association performance too. She’ll be on stage with the Chief.]
[Oh wow! That’s something to look forward to! The super cute new girl and the Chief with her amazing aura… By the way, what will they perform?]
[Supposedly, it’s a story from their hometown, about friendship or something. I don’t really get it.]
So there’s a story.
I thought I’d just have to dance.
But thinking about how I, a tough-as-nails real man, was forced by Nanalia to learn a graceful dance style, and now even have to perform on stage, my cheeks couldn’t help but heat up.
Heh, all for survival. Just a stopgap measure!
“Alright, class is starting.”
An unfamiliar mentor entered the classroom.
“Before we begin, I’ll say a few words about the Friendship Association,” the mentor’s gaze swept over Wu Xiaomi and Bai Xiaozhi.
Friendship Association again.
Looks like the school is really taking this seriously.
“They say it’s a celebration to foster friendship, but nobody wants to lose face in front of that arrogant bunch, right? We already lost all our dignity two weeks ago.”
“Artistic cultivation and elegance are just as important as combat ability for students of Yuling Academy.”
“I hope everyone will do their best to prepare for the Friendship Association. Those who make outstanding contributions to the school will receive a special grand prize.”
A special grand prize?
How big?
The mentor didn’t explain, just left everyone in suspense and moved on to the next topic.
…
Class wasn’t much different from her previous life’s high school, and Wu Xiaomi couldn’t really get interested.
To prepare for the Friendship Association, there were hardly any classes scheduled these days.
Since there’s no class, might as well go practice “Siren Dance”.
Following the signs, she entered the Art Building where the Piano Room and Dance Practice Room were.
The Art Building was dimly lit, and the corridors had a damp, moldy smell, like no one had been here in ages.
The Dance Practice Room and Piano Room were separated by a wall. Bai Xiaozhi went into the Piano Room, while Wu Xiaomi entered the empty Dance Practice Room alone.
“So empty…”
The Dance Practice Room was ridiculously dark, making her feel inexplicably uneasy.
Weird.
The school kept stressing how important the Friendship Association was, yet only Bai Xiaozhi and I are in the Piano Room and Dance Practice Room.
Does no one else need to practice?
Even though it was already dusk and almost night, it’s not like students would go rest this early, right?
Or… is there some campus ghost story here I don’t know about? Maybe that’s why students stay away? After all, Piano Rooms are notorious for ghost stories.
Ha, as if there’d be that many ghost stories—
Wu Xiaomi smiled at herself in the giant floor mirror, trying to pump herself up.
Just then, a notification popped up before her eyes.
[School Announcement: All students performing at the Friendship Association, please gather at the school gate. The school has just rented a Piano Room and Dance Practice Room outside the campus.]
Rented outside the school? Why?
We have them right here on campus!
Next door, Bai Xiaozhi’s piano stopped abruptly.
Her communicator rang.
[Chief Highness, where are you?] It was a classmate.
“In the Art Building on campus, Piano Room.”
[Art Building? Piano Room? But…] The classmate looked very strange.
[We don’t have an Art Building on campus…]