Elemental Charges and Bitter Realities

By now, Aileen understood everything.

Outside the cubicle, a fervent energy raged, while inside, the girl was utterly numb.

There was no online gaming, no idle chatter, no seeking advice, and certainly no diligent efforts from the Student Union President.

There was only A’Yao’s favorite reward day.

Was she happy?

Oh, she was ecstatic; from Aileen’s vantage point, directly facing Xi Yao, she watched the girl being embraced by Xi Ruo.

Every flush on that adorable face, every gesture, every smile, and every sway of her ‘snow mountains’ was startlingly clear.

While Xi Yao reveled in her joy, Aileen found herself unable to even crack a smile; despite the sweltering heat, her body trembled uncontrollably, though thankfully, tears didn’t betray her. Still, her emotions were undeniably in turmoil.

The very amplitude of her ‘snow mountains” trembling revealed the depth of the girl’s current fury.

Recalling the period since choosing Xi Yao, Aileen had endured immense hardship, tirelessly running between various factions, meticulously crafting plans, and exhausting herself completely to help Xi Yao ascend to the presidency.

Within the Student Union, she faced ostracization from others, occasionally even finding threatening letters tucked away in her desk drawer.

Neither the incomprehension of her colleagues nor the pressure from her senior adversaries had managed to break Aileen’s resolve.

Yet now, witnessing Xi Yao utterly lost in pleasure, unable to extricate herself, Aileen erupted in fury.

‘Fine, then. While I’m out here fighting tooth and nail on your behalf, you’re enjoying yourself. I wouldn’t ask for your full effort, but at least a modicum of exertion would be appreciated.’

‘Just last night, I specifically went to your dorm, urging you to apply yourself these days, to avoid rolling around in bed with Jiang Li and expending too much energy.’

‘And what do you do? You… you *didn’t* roll around with Jiang Li. Instead, you came straight to your sister, didn’t you?’

‘Seems you have quite a few girls ‘charging’ you!’

‘And Xi Ruo, as the elder sister, how could she do such a thing to her younger sibling?’

‘The crucial point is, if you were going to do it, why talk about ‘elemental charging,’ leading Aileen to misunderstand and believe you were playing a game together?’

To comprehend any potential dialogue today, Aileen had even gone out of her way to play the game, delving into many related aspects, enduring torment from the Stormterror without giving up.

Little did she know until today that Xi Ruo wasn’t playing ‘Genshin Impact’ at all.

She was playing ‘Yuan Pi’ (TL Note: A derogatory Chinese slang term, ‘yuán pī,’ used to describe overly zealous or annoying fans of the game ‘Genshin Impact,’ often implying they are obsessed or toxic. Here, Aileen uses it to imply the activity itself is a ‘toxic’ or ‘annoying’ version of the game, rather than the game itself).

What was Aileen to do? She could play ‘Genshin Impact,’ but could she play ‘Yuan Pi’?

‘Emmmmm… wait a minute, could she *really* not?’

****

Outside the cubicle, within the blonde girl’s line of sight, Xi Yao’s elemental charge was now full.

Just as Yan Rui had demonstrated on her phone, unleashing an ultimate move or an elemental burst was a beautiful sight.

Frost condensed into shimmering dew, a descent of myriad blossoms.

“All right, go back and get some good rest. Don’t even think about that treadmill of yours for the next couple of days.”

Xi Ruo, in high spirits and brimming with confidence, gently lifted Xi Yao into her arms. “Remember to find me if anything comes up; don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Xi Yao, too weak to speak, lay limply in Xi Ruo’s embrace, occasionally murmuring soft acknowledgements that conveyed, ‘I hear you.’

Aileen’s lips curled into a cold sneer, thinking to herself, ‘What pressure could *she* possibly have? All the pressure is right here with me.’

‘Still relaxing, still resting? So, you’re telling me elemental charging here doesn’t expend any stamina, does it?’

‘If you’re so capable of charging, then prove it! Get up now and come with me to the campaign tour!’

‘Can you even stand?’

‘Probably not.’

Xi Yao lay on the sofa for a good while, slowly recuperating. Meanwhile, Xi Ruo deftly tidied up her surroundings; her small backpack, fully equipped with wet wipes and towels, suggested she had anticipated everything.

One could only say that her roommate’s tactics were perfectly executed, and Xi Ruo’s tactical implementation was equally flawless. Striking while the iron was hot, exhausting the opponent while bolstering one’s own strength, they allowed no moment of respite.

Now, Xi Yao could only lie obediently, watching Xi Ruo meticulously clean up.

Then again, she seemed quite content just lying there, at least from Aileen’s perspective.

The blonde girl narrowed her eyes.

‘Be happy, truly happy. Enjoy it for a while longer. Soon enough, I’ll have a surprise for you.’

After a period of rest, Xi Ruo gently helped Xi Yao sit up. “Let’s head back to the dorm to rest. There’s only a sofa here, and what if you catch a cold? Do you have the strength to walk back to the dorm yourself? Or should I ask your roommate to pick you up?”

“No, no, no, there’s no need,” Xi Yao quickly shook her head, summoning a sliver of strength from her soft, delicate body. “I can still manage; returning to the dorm won’t be a problem, and it’s not far.”

She wouldn’t dare; if Jiang Li were to see her in this state, it would be disastrous! After all, she had taken leave from her morning and evening exercises, skipping both her morning run and sit-ups, all under the pretext of urgent official business.

While this location wasn’t far from the dorm for Xi Yao, it was a bit of a distance for Xi Ruo. Thus, the two didn’t linger long, gathering their belongings and preparing to depart.

Aileen was still deliberating when to make her exit—whether to go directly to the dorm to find her, or to hasten her steps and intercept her midway—when she suddenly overheard the two conversing at the door.

“Wait, my bag is still inside. I forgot to grab it.”

“How could you be so careless? You only brought one item to begin with.”

“I couldn’t help it; I was just too comfortable, and my mind went completely blank.” The girl pouted playfully.

Yet Xi Ruo wasn’t easily fooled. “Hmph, don’t think I can’t tell you’re playing innocent with me again. That clever little mouth of yours is always so articulate.”

Two and a half years of practice had certainly paid off; heaven rewards diligence.

“Go quickly and get it,” Xi Ruo said, glancing at the time. “The school bus is about to depart.”

She needed to take the school bus back, and since the bus had fixed departure times at each stop, missing this one would mean waiting another fifteen minutes.

“How about you go back first, Sister Xi Ruo? We weren’t headed in the same direction anyway.” Xi Yao suggested.

“But in your current state… can you walk alone?”

“Of course I can. Otherwise, how would I have walked out of the room just now?”

Xi Ruo considered this and realized it was true. Looking down, she saw Xi Yao’s two fair, tender legs standing quite straight, her walk steady and devoid of much weakness.

“All right, then rest well. Call me if anything comes up.”

“Mm-hmm, goodbye, Sister Xi Ruo.”

Returning to the main hall, the surroundings had been thoroughly cleaned, even the floor beside the sofa, which Xi Ruo had meticulously wiped with towels and wet wipes, leaving no trace of the ‘descent of myriad blossoms.’

However, a rich, sweet, intoxicating floral fragrance still lingered in the air.

Xi Yao collapsed onto the sofa and massaged her thighs. In truth, she wasn’t as energetic as she had just appeared; her thighs still felt somewhat tingly and numb, a sensation that intensified further up.

“That felt truly wonderful…” The girl hummed, eyes half-closed.

Initially, she had worried that Xi Ruo’s lack of experience might lead to low elemental charging efficiency. Yet, to her utter surprise, precisely because Xi Ruo had no experience, she simply disregarded conventional methods and forged an entirely unconventional path.

The moment it began, not only was Aileen stunned, but Xi Yao herself was dumbfounded.

All in all, today had been quite delightful; host and guest alike were thoroughly pleased, and everyone felt genuinely happy.

Although Xi Ruo had continuously claimed she wouldn’t be fooled by her again, nor listen to the words from that clever little mouth, she was clearly delighted while listening, a smile playing irresistibly at the corners of her lips.

This way, the threat was surely neutralized. Xi Ruo was so far from the high school division that her occasional visits were solely for conducting Xi Yao’s ritual, her attention completely consumed, leaving no room for other matters, such as Sister Wan.

Speaking of which, what kind of experience would it be if it were a gentle elder sister like Sister Wan?

Xi Yao gently patted her own face, mentally chiding herself as a ‘fickle flirt.’

Having just received her ‘reward,’ her little head was filled with naughty thoughts; innocent A’Yao couldn’t be blamed. Material conditions determined consciousness; these thoughts arose from her body’s changes.

‘It was all Sister Xi Ruo’s fault!’

Her little mind wandered for a while, as the numbness in her upper thighs gradually shifted from complete to partial. Feeling sufficiently rested, Xi Yao prepared to return to her dorm.

Of course, she still remembered her purpose for staying: to retrieve her small backpack.

But…

“Strange, where could it have gone?” The girl searched the sofa with a puzzled expression. “I used it just when I changed clothes.”

Just then, a pair of jade-like hands held up a small backpack, placing it before Xi Yao. “Are you looking for this?”

“Yes,” Xi Yao instinctively revealed an expression of delight. “Tha… th-?”

Her smile vanished instantly.