The Koushi arrived late

“Ningning, snap out of it. What are you looking at?”

The classroom was noisy after class. Wang Ning was staring out the window in a daze, propping her face up with her hand, when the voice called her back to reality.

Xiali leaned over her desk with both hands, looking down at her. When Wang Ning looked up, she was enveloped in her shadow.

The next second, Xiali bent down to bring their eyes to the same level, a brilliant smile on her face. “The next class is swimming. We need to team up. Let’s be partners!”

Wang Ning was still racking her brain about the news concerning Alice Girls’ Academy. “Gray Whale”… it was as if someone had deliberately sealed off the information. Besides that two-year-old news article, she couldn’t find anything else.

And reality wasn’t giving her time to investigate. The event was at 12 p.m. It was already 10 a.m. By the time the next class was over, the time would have arrived—could she skip class?

But what did “first place” mean? Who was the target? All these questions were jumbled together, shrouded in fog.

“Wait… the next class is swimming?”

Wang Ning paused and repeated the question.

Xiali seemed to be used to her occasional absent-mindedness, only feeling that the person in front of her was like a cat basking in the sun on a rock.

‘She got to see Ningning’s cute side again.’ Her mood instantly became even better.

But before she could say another word, the preparation bell rang. “Eh?” she exclaimed, pulling Wang Ning up and rushing towards the door, saying urgently, “Quick, quick! Let’s hurry, we still have to change!”

Wang Ning let herself be pulled along by Xiali but couldn’t help glancing back at the seat next to her—the familiar blue-haired figure was still not there.

Since yesterday, Boli An hadn’t come to class.

“Xiali, do you know where Boli An went?” Wang Ning asked the person pulling her along.

“Huh? Hmm,” Xiali looked back as if thinking, then said, “I’m not too sure about that. After all, for her, not coming to class is the norm, right?”

“It’s actually strange that we haven’t seen her skip class since the start of the school year.”

Wang Ning: “Huh?”

The path was damp after the rain. The washed leaves shone like green jade,凝聚着光芒. The shallow puddles reflected their figures like mirrors as they walked under the shade of the trees. Speckled sunlight cast mottled patterns on them.

A breeze carrying the scent of fresh grass brushed against their faces, and they occasionally saw a few other girls walk by.

Wang Ning stepped in a small puddle. Her gaze couldn’t help but drift to her wet sock. Droplets of water clung to her calf, sparkling brightly.

Before she could respond, she felt the person in front of her suddenly stop.

“Hold on, I have a handkerchief.” Xiali, who was always paying attention to Wang Ning, reacted almost instantly, pulling a white handkerchief from her pocket. She half-knelt, about to wipe Wang Ning’s calf.

Wang Ning instinctively wanted to step back, her voice hurried. “You don’t have to, let’s get to class first. I can wipe it later, it’s not a big deal…” But Xiali’s hand was already holding her calf, the other hand gently wiping it with the handkerchief.

“Wait, I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Wang Ning yelped. A ticklish sensation shot up her sensitive calf, and she bristled. She reached out a hand to take the handkerchief, but Xiali’s movements, though seemingly gentle, carried a force that brooked no refusal.

When it came to taking care of Wang Ning, Xiali would sometimes engage in “overly caring” behaviors like this.

Since the start of the school year, during the period when Wang Ning was most unfamiliar with this world, Xiali had been like a starting guide NPC—enthusiastic and cheerful. She had spent a lot of time with her and was one of the people around whom Wang Ning was most relaxed and unguarded.

Wang Ning’s peripheral vision caught two girls stopping not far away. Her face grew hot, and she tried to pull her leg back, but it wouldn’t budge.

‘Stop looking, stop looking! It’s just wiping a leg, what’s so interesting? You’d be better off watching a movie—’

Wang Ning lowered her head, trying desperately to hide her presence.

But she had no idea what those girls were actually thinking—

“Ahhh, I’m crying. What a stunningly beautiful scene! The Angel and her loyal divine attendant! I have new inspiration!” The ponytailed girl holding a book said excitedly to her friend, her face flushed with excitement.

The friend was a more reserved girl. She gave her hopeless friend an elegant eye-roll and said calmly, “Remember to send it to me when you’re done writing.”

The high-ponytail girl made an “OK” gesture and then giggled. “I’ll post it all on my personal school forum, just like the others…”

“And there’s even better stuff…” She leaned in and whispered in her friend’s ear, and a smile successfully appeared on her friend’s lips.

Even Wang Ning, an expert internet surfer, would probably never in her wildest dreams imagine that the school forum not only had all kinds of photos of her, but also… good stuff that you had to join the Angel Cult to see.

At this moment, Wang Ning was completely oblivious to all of this, simply relieved that her leg was finally clean.

She watched as Xiali carefully folded the handkerchief and put it in her pocket, and couldn’t help but say, “Give me the handkerchief. I’ll wash it.”

Xiali said calmly, “It’s a small thing. I can do it.”

Then, she took Wang Ning’s hand again and walked forward. This time, however, her pace was much slower. She said in a natural tone, “Let’s go, time for class.”

Wang Ning opened her mouth helplessly. Seeing that the person in front of her was completely unconcerned by her actions, as if this were just a normal occurrence.

‘This should be normal behavior for girls, right? After all, from what I’ve seen, best friends are even more intimate.’

Wang Ning thought with hesitation.

Despite the small interruption, they soon arrived at the swimming complex. Wang Ning looked at the indoor facilities, her eyes wide with amazement.

It was her first time here, and she still felt like such a country bumpkin.

This was even more luxurious than the high-end swimming pools Wang Ning had seen in videos in her past life.

‘A school for nobles, it really lives up to its name.’

Many people from their class had already arrived. Wang Ning was dazedly led around by Xiali. When she saw the three big words “Changing Room,” alarm bells went off in her head, and she had the urge to run.

Wang Ning clutched her stomach and said, “I suddenly don’t feel well. Can I ask the teacher for leave—”

Hearing this, Xiali immediately became serious, making Wang Ning feel guilty. She said, “Where don’t you feel well? I’ll take you to the school doctor.”

“If I remember correctly, there’s a small infirmary inside the swimming complex.”

Wang Ning: ‘!’

‘If we go, my cover will be blown!’

Wang Ning quickly changed her tune. “I feel like it’s not hurting anymore. It must have just been my imagination. Let’s not go to the infirmary.”

Xiali furrowed her brows and said seriously, “No. Every reaction and warning from your body should not be ignored. Don’t worry, I’ll just take you for a check-up.”

“I think… I’m fine now…”

“Let the doctor decide whether you’re fine or not.”

“…”

‘Xiali, a mother who was always a bit overly stubborn when it came to taking care of Wang Ning.’

Wang Ning wanted to cry but had no tears. She couldn’t argue her way out of it and regretted making up such an excuse. She would have been better off just—

“Oh my, has my dear little daughter gotten into some trouble?” a smiling voice, highly recognizable, came from nearby.

Wang Ning subconsciously turned her head and, sure enough, saw the pair of twins.