Don’t be sad, I’ll get better.
“Yamashita Izumi, this is quite dangerous! What if some bad guy takes you home for an overnight stay? Wouldn’t you be in peril then?”
Xia Yinuo believed that while the coffee shop’s ‘take-home’ service could expand business, its drawbacks were glaringly obvious.
“Sister, beast-eared girls aren’t as casual as you think. If we go to a client’s home, we must register their information. Moreover, they must be a VIP regular!”
Yamashita Izumi, realizing Xia Yinuo had surely misunderstood, hastily explained. She certainly didn’t want Chirp to think she was a materialistic woman.
“Then… Izumi, how much does an overnight stay cost?”
I trusted that Yamashita Izumi wasn’t a bad girl; I was simply curious and asked casually.
“I don’t do overnight stays. But if Chirp wants, just say the word.”
Yamashita Izumi felt an inexplicable joy. Chirp had shown intense interest in her, which she took as an indirect invitation to his home.
As happiness swelled, so did nervousness. Going to Chirp’s home—wasn’t that like indirectly meeting his parents?
What if his aunt and uncle disliked her? After all, her body didn’t match her actual age; she looked like a two or three-year-old child. Would his aunt and uncle approve of her relationship with Chirp?
Yamashita Izumi was incredibly conflicted, unsure of what to do.
“Izumi, can you come…”
An intense, sharp killing intent assailed me from directly ahead. I felt an invisible blade pressed against my throat; if I made the slightest move, that blade would undoubtedly sever my windpipe.
I glanced at Yinuo. Her arms were crossed, and her light blue eyes stared intently at me. Simultaneously, the suffocating killing intent vanished, leaving me with a terrible premonition.
‘I don’t know how Sister Yinuo will punish me. Thankfully, I didn’t finish my sentence just now, or I would surely have met a miserable end.’
“I’m sorry, Izumi, I… I’m sorry.”
Having been glared at by my sister, I dared not suggest she come to my house again. Otherwise, she would definitely be angry.
She seemed quite averse to Yamashita Izumi. Why was that? Did she dislike children? That didn’t make sense! Although Yamashita Izumi looked small, she was psychologically very mature.
“Oh…”
Yamashita Izumi was stunned, not understanding why Chirp had changed his mind. His previous words clearly implied he wanted to invite her to his home as a guest. Why the sudden apology?
Yamashita Izumi’s gaze shifted to Xia Yinuo, who had been silent, constantly staring at Chirp. Her gaze was off; it didn’t resemble a sister’s look at her brother at all, but rather the tender gaze of a lover.
“You two, what is your relationship?”
A faint unease stirred in Yamashita Izumi’s heart. Neither Chirp nor this ‘sister’ had ever clarified their relationship, and most people who came here were couples.
“Uh… we are…”
The words on the tip of my tongue were swallowed back down. Firstly, I didn’t want my classmate to know my relationship with Yinuo. Secondly, I cared deeply about what others thought of me.
“We’re a couple! Yamashita Izumi, I am Chirp’s first girlfriend, his last girlfriend, and his future wife. I’m Xia Yinuo, the class beauty of Class 2, Grade 9. Little sister, do you have any more questions? I’ll tell you everything!”
“A couple? You, you two can’t be, it’s impossible. Chirp, Chirp…”
Yamashita Izumi was utterly bewildered, her mouth continuously calling out Chirp’s name. She seemed to want Chirp to explain.
Yamashita Izumi’s small hand clenched the tray tightly, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Chirp, don’t you twitch when you come into contact with girls? How can you have a girlfriend? Chirp, she’s lying to me, right, right?”
Yamashita Izumi’s tears flowed like a broken dam. She had noticed Chirp since the beginning of the semester, sitting behind him specifically to keep him within her sight at all times.
Any girl who approached Chirp would make her angry. She never expected that in just one Sunday, Chirp would have abandoned her for a new love.
Although Chirp was unaware of her feelings, there was a proper order to things. Even if he were to find a girlfriend, he should first get the approval of the girls in the class. Yamashita Izumi simply could not accept him getting a girlfriend so casually.
“Sigh!”
I sighed helplessly. I had intended to find a suitable time to reveal this, but since Sister Yinuo had already spoken, I might as well tell Yamashita Izumi the truth. I had never imagined that having a girlfriend would affect Izumi so profoundly.
Long, long ago, all the students in our class had sworn an oath: never to date before adulthood. This was to be responsible for ourselves, for our classmates, and even more so, for the class’s image.
If the school discovered any couples in a class, or anyone dating, they would be publicly criticized. More seriously, they could even be expelled.
I had severely violated the class rules, broken my classmates’ vows, and betrayed their expectations. My situation with Sister Yinuo was even worse; if the school found out, I would definitely be expelled.
The thought of being expelled from school filled me with dread. I didn’t know where I would go after being expelled.
Currently, all schools refused to accept expelled students. I feared my relatives would find out, and even more, my neighbors.
They would surely look down on me, as I was an orphan. Being looked down upon meant being bullied. I could imagine waking up every morning to a pile of trash outside my door. Every time I returned home, the keyhole would be jammed with glue. Every time I slept until the dead of night, someone would be at my door, smashing it with a hammer.
I was terrified of walking through the community and being gossiped about by the old men and women.
“Look! It’s that wild child. With no parents, they still won’t learn good. Starting to date so young, they’re clearly not a good person.”
“No parents, where would they get their upbringing? They’ll end up in prison sooner or later. Don’t let your grandchildren play with them.”
No, I didn’t want such a fate. I didn’t want to be treated as an outcast, to be pointed at. And I certainly didn’t want to lose my classmates, my friends. Just as I hesitated, wondering whether to lie to Yamashita Izumi and claim it was Sister Yinuo’s joke, Yamashita Izumi ran out crying. I quickly chased after her, afraid she would spread the news.
Xia Yinuo raised an eyebrow, wearing a look of indifference, and continued to sip her coffee. Chirp was hers for the taking; she would not back down. What surprised her was that this little one actually harbored a hint of improper thoughts towards Chirp. It was simply laughable.
‘As long as I say I’m pregnant, Chirp will return to me, no matter how far he runs.’
Xia Yinuo had already anticipated Yamashita Izumi’s dramatic display. With her intelligence and her assets, what did that girl have to compete with her? No chest, no butt, yet she dared to try and steal her man.
I chased her all the way from the bustling downtown to the crematorium in the suburbs, finally cornering Yamashita Izumi against a wall.
“Izumi, please don’t tell anyone about this. Please, I beg you. If you keep this secret, I’ll agree to anything. For the sake of our friendship as classmates, please, you must keep this a secret.”
I directly knelt before Yamashita Izumi.