How noisy.
I knew they were just a bunch of kids, but did they truly lack common sense? Didn’t any of them know not to disturb others during lunch break?
No, no, I needed to calm down. Ignore them, just ignore them.
After all, a promise had been made.
“Please, Xiaoling, this is already the fourth elementary school. Your father spent a great deal of effort to get the school to admit you. Please, please don’t cause any more big commotions, alright?”
“Hmm? Are you referring to those teachers who cried and collectively resigned because they realized they were far inferior to an elementary school student?”
“That’s precisely it! Your father knows you’re brilliant, but as parents, we still hope you can grow up like a normal child, alright?”
“But I don’t need to attend school at all. I already know all that stuff, and having to mix with a bunch of little brats sounds incredibly annoying.”
“…”
“Hey, were you just thinking to yourself, ‘She’s just a little brat herself, yet she has the nerve to criticize others’?”
“Hahaha, of course not! You’re definitely overthinking it!” My father, whose thoughts I had accurately guessed, quickly covered his embarrassment with a loud laugh. “Anyway, at the very least, even if you just go there to sleep, please go to school, alright? Otherwise, the neighbors will talk about us. Does it not matter even if they see you as a ‘delinquent’?”
What a dirty adult society.
“…Fine, I suppose I’ll go to school then.” I reluctantly agreed. “But in that case, who will look after Luo Tianlian?”
“Don’t worry about that! Your father’s request to work from home was approved by the company! Having you look after your sick sister before was just out of necessity, but now it’s perfectly fine! Go to school boldly and make a ton of friends! Oh, and it’s fine if you bring pretty girls home too!”
“…You really are my biological father.”
Hmph, why did I end up with such parents?
****
I arrived at the school, joining Class 3 of the 5th grade as a transfer student. As I expected, the classmates were incredibly curious about my arrival, but my aloof aura kept them from approaching.
Well, I wasn’t particularly interested in chatting with a bunch of kids anyway. I was here purely at the insistence of my foolish father, so let’s just sign a non-aggression pact.
Since I was too bored, I started analyzing recent murder cases on the scratchpad provided in class. Perhaps knowing something about me, the teachers completely ignored my behavior. Meanwhile, a student next to me glanced curiously at my drawings, then recoiled in fright. I was rather confident in the realism of my sketches, you know.
Time passed quickly, and soon the morning was over. After finishing the bread I’d brought, I rested my head on the desk, intending to catch up on the sleep I lost from reading all night. However, not long after I closed my eyes, the classroom erupted in noise.
Rustling.
Ignore them.
Rustling, rustling, rustling.
Ignore them, ignore them.
Rustling, rustling, rustling, rustling, rustling, rustling.
“You’re so loud!” I couldn’t help but roar, startling everyone into immediate silence. “Don’t you guys know it’s lunch break and you shouldn’t disturb others’ sleep?”
“You—” One boy stuck out his neck, but before he could finish his sentence, my glare silenced him.
I scanned my surroundings and immediately understood what was happening.
In the bottom left corner of the classroom, a group of boys had gathered, encircling a cute girl in a school uniform. So that was it. Adolescent restlessness, I presumed?
“If you want to flirt, I don’t care, but you are absolutely, positively forbidden from disturbing me, understand?” I fixed them with a murderous glare, and for a moment, no one dared to retort.
Okay, okay. It seemed they wouldn’t dare to make noise again. Satisfied, I settled back into my seat.
I remembered this girl, Yao Xinchang; she was a transfer student just like me. She was also incredibly pretty, which explained why so many boys were drawn to her. Her personality seemed quite shy, and facing so many people at once, sweat beaded on her forehead from fright. Yet, the other boys were completely oblivious, pressing forward relentlessly, eager to get closer to her.
‘Hmm? You ask what I’m going to do? Sleep, of course. What does this girl have to do with me? Although she’s quite attractive and will surely grow into a stunning beauty, should I play the hero? She can wait a few more years. I don’t have time for such antics, and I promised my father to be a good, ordinary student and not cause trouble. If I were to get involved now, I’d definitely earn the hatred of all the boys in the class.’
“Save me…”
Someone was quietly weeping.
“I’m so scared, save me…”
Was it that girl? I turned around to see her with her head bowed, trembling all over, tears slowly dripping down. No one else seemed to notice this happening besides me.
“…”
Ah, I’ve had enough! This is why I hate kids!
I forcefully pushed through the encircling crowd, standing towering over her. “You. Be my girlfriend.”
****
I seemed to have had an old dream.
The events within that dream had long been forgotten by me.
Including that girl.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“…Since I can hear your voice, it seems I’m not dead yet.”
“You were so close. If I hadn’t pulled out my trump card, it wouldn’t be me by your side right now, but an angel!”
“Is that so? That wouldn’t be so bad either.”
Weakly, I opened my eyes, instinctively assessing my surroundings.
White walls, a white bed—everything was white.
“I see. This is… a hospital.” Feeling relieved, I closed my eyes again. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Don’t worry, you haven’t been in a coma for ten years or even half a month. It’s only been about a dozen hours. Thanks to your little girlfriend, you’re now staying in a luxurious private suite at Xingjiang Hospital!” Xia Luohua said with a teasing grin, but at the moment, I had no strength to retort. The stab wound in my abdomen from last night was still throbbing with pain.
“…Where’s Bingying?”
“Here, she’s napping right beside you.” Xia Luohua pursed her lips. “That girl certainly has willpower; she stayed up all night by your side. It wasn’t until I told her I’d wake her when you stirred that she finally lay down for a short nap.”
“Is that so? She must be exhausted. So, are you going to wake her?”
“Well, that depends on your own wishes. Besides, the situation is already chaotic enough.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?” I noticed the unusual tone in her voice.
“You’ll see for yourself,” Xia Luohua said ambiguously.
Mentally prepared, I slowly opened my eyes. Inside the room stood five people: me, a smiling Xia Luohua, Lili the succubus maid who was glaring at me with inexplicable fury, Bingying napping beside my bed, and… me, standing at the head of the bed.
…Hmm?
Wait a minute.
Why were there two of me?
No, on closer inspection, while their face and attire were strikingly similar, their height and measurements were vastly different. If I had to describe it, it was probably a younger version of myself.
“Are you… Luo Tianlian?” I tentatively asked.
“What, you actually recognize me? Looks like your brain isn’t completely fried yet.” Luo Tianlian openly admitted her identity.
“Why are you… dressed like me? And aren’t you the one who hates going out the most?”
“Hah? Whose fault do you think it is? I was happily playing games at home when I suddenly received a critical condition notice for you, you idiot. I had no choice but to pretend to be you and rush over here. Didn’t I tell you not to cause me trouble? I really want to open your head up and see if a nerve got wired incorrectly!”
“My apologies, my apologies! It’s my fault!” I quickly apologized. “To show my remorse, how about we have beef stew with potatoes tonight?”
“…Hmph, don’t think a mere beef stew with potatoes could bribe me!” My sister snorted, though her anger had somewhat subsided. “However, there are some things you still need to explain to me properly.”
“Eh, what are you talking about?” I feigned ignorance.
“Don’t play dumb with me! Confess honestly why you were so severely injured that the hospital had to send a critical condition notice to your family! Do you know how worried I was? You idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!” My sister stomped her foot in frustration, and even the hat covering her long hair fell off.
It was then that I noticed she had rushed to the hospital wearing only slippers. Feeling a pang of guilt, I quietly explained, “Sorry, sorry, I was just trying to figure out how to turn back into a man, who knew it would turn out like this…”
“So, did you succeed?” my sister asked.
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you change back?”
Hearing her words, I instinctively lowered my head, then was astonished to find… my chest was flat. I pulled back the bedsheets, and upon seeing my manhood, I finally let out a long breath. I seemed to have truly turned back into a boy.
“It’s probably because the Witch’s Seed inside you disappeared,” Xia Luohua shrugged.
“Is it because of that man?” I said with a complicated expression. I never expected the very person who wanted to kill Bingying would be the one to restore me. But if that’s the case, didn’t that mean I could have used this method from the beginning…
“I’d advise you not to think that way,” Xia Luohua remarked indifferently. “In reality, once a Witch’s Seed is rooted in the human body, it’s almost impossible to remove. Forcibly extracting it usually leads to the host’s death. The only reason you’re still alive right now is because of my item sustaining your life.”
“Item? What item? Are you talking about… these bandages?” I asked, puzzled.
“Tsk, those aren’t ordinary bandages. That’s the Shroud of Turin! As long as you have a single breath left, wrapping yourself in it guarantees you won’t die. It’s an ultra-rare, SSR-grade item with a drop rate of only 0.001%! For the Master to use such a precious item to save a worthless wretch like you, it’s truly infuriating… no, utterly disgusting!” Lili muttered, glaring coldly at me.
‘What the hell is ‘SSR’? Is gacha culture rampant in your school too?’
Xia Luohua nodded in agreement. “As she said, if you remove these bandages, you’ll die instantly.”
“…Then why did you save me?” If it was truly as Lili said, I didn’t believe this woman would spend such a rare item to save me based on our meager acquaintance.
“Well, after all, seeing someone I know die right in front of me is a bit unbearable… But you guessed right. My main reason for saving you is that I’ve taken an interest in you.”
“Huh?” I looked utterly bewildered.
“Not clear enough? Then I’ll be more direct. I want you to become mine.”