"Wear it!"
"No!" Siegfried said anxiously. "Please let me explain this! That's not... there's a reason for this! I was just... well, this is..."
Siegfried began to stammer. Not being particularly articulate, he quickly became incoherent and unable to explain.
Was this terrible idea Otto's fault?
You could say that, but someone actually had to believe it!
Mother should have known that her relationship with Otto had hit rock bottom ever since she left.
Asking an enemy to come up with ideas for him, and then actually doing it.
Who!
The heck would believe that?
"Siegfried," Mother suddenly leaned onto Siegfried's shoulder and said, "hurry up and put it on. Explanations are useless, you know. You can't escape today."
"This is about the determination and perseverance of a warrior who is a real man, with backbone and the courage to challenge hardships."
"Even though you are wearing women's clothes, your heart remains a pure man's, daring to face the gaze of worldly society."
"Doing all this makes you a true macho man."
"I don't like a man who isn't macho."
"I'll! Wear it!" Siegfried took the outfit and went into the fitting room.
"Eh..." Kiana looked at Mother, suddenly feeling a bit chilled all over. She clearly felt her old man didn't want to, but what did the old lady say? He just had that look of resignation to death.
"What did Mother say?" Kiana was both curious and too scared to ask, but she asked anyway.
It felt terrifyingly intense.
"Nothing," Li Pu said with his arms crossed. "Just temporarily seizing the weakness of human nature."
Just like how Kiana called her mom, the weakness that Li Pu could exploit in Siegfried was right here too. Anyway, it wouldn't turn into any big trouble for now.
She would just tease him with it for a while.
"What a hopelessly devoted man," Li Pu said, unsure whether to mock or admire. "He really goes all out."
He really did go all out!
Siegfried seemed to know that he needed to use certain things to reverse his image in Mother's heart. A drunkard, an idle playboy, and an irresponsible father.
Perhaps when they were dating, these could still count as some advantages—drinking, looking cool, and being bold, while being idle could even be framed as being sociable.
Irresponsibility could even be twisted into having many friends and good interpersonal relationships.
Anyway, it basically followed the logic of women loving bad boys.
But once married with a child, it was different.
Staying like this was a massive deduction in every aspect!
He, Siegfried, now desperately needed to add points to himself, and no matter what, at least make Mother feel like he was a real man.
A macho man!
"Clatter~"
The curtain pulled back, and Siegfried's figure appeared right there.
On his head was a large star headband similar to White Comet's, and on his body, he wore a black-and-white halter strap dress. On his hands were Shokuhou Misaki's signature white long gloves.
On his feet were black silk stockings and high heels.
With a resolute expression, he looked ready to meet his doom.
He felt like a warrior about to set off on a campaign, truly giving off a bleak and desolate atmosphere.
"This is the kind of outfit a macho man should have," Siegfried said with a resolute expression. "How is it, Mother?"
"My outfit is extremely macho, right?!"
Overcome fear, ignore the gaze of worldly society. Face any situation and any challenge with calm composure.
Isn't this a macho man?!
By now, I must have earned a lot of points in Mother's heart, right?!
"Ah..." Li Pu gave a reluctant thumbs-up and said, "Indeed... extremely macho."
Why did she suddenly feel like she had lifted a rock only to drop it on her own feet?
It seemed things were getting complicated again.
Chapter 58: Cecilia Loves You
"Kiana."
Li Pu crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Go find somewhere to play for a bit, I want to talk to Siegfried about something."
"Eh..."
Kiana felt a slight sense of subtlety and said, "What do Mom and Dad need to talk about?"
Kiana felt the atmosphere was a bit delicate, and she was unwilling to leave. She always felt there was some sort of rift between Mom and Dad that she didn't know about and couldn't reconcile.
Kiana really didn't want to leave; she was so worried that if she went too far away, Mom and Dad would end up fighting.
The family she had finally managed to make whole again was going to shatter.
"I also..." Kiana tried to give herself the right to chime in and listen.
But before she could even finish.
"Kiana!" Li Pu suddenly turned serious and said, "Your input is neither needed nor welcome here. This is a matter between me and Siegfried."
"That's right~" Siegfried touched the back of his head.
That originally stern face, which looked so tragically determined like a warrior heading to the battlefield never to return, instantly lost its seriousness.
He acted like a silly boy and said, "Leave us some private space too. After all, we haven't seen each other in so many years."
"Catching up and reliving the past," Siegfried said, full of memories and warmth. "We need to recapture the feeling we had back then."
"Oh..."
Kiana let out a soft sound and stopped pushing the issue.
She seemed to understand a little bit.
After all, those burning years of passion also held many things worth remembering and discussing for her parents. Kiana could more or less understand.
Maybe she was really just worrying too much.
"Then should I go watch a movie?" Kiana said. "Just call me later."
With that, Kiana seemed to actually go watch a movie, her figure quickly merging into the crowd and disappearing. Only she, Siegfried, and a few onlookers remained here.
"You should change out of this outfit first," Li Pu turned around and said. "I'll wait for you outside."
"Isn't this outfit macho?" Siegfried spread his arms wide and said casually, "You're right, though—breaking through worldly prejudices lets you see through a lot of things."
"Hiss~" Li Pu instantly felt a chill run through her body, and a certain part of her tightened.
This Siegfried wasn't actually awakening some weird hobby, was he?
"I was just teasing you," Li Pu put on a serious expression and said. "Stop wearing that, let's talk about something serious."
"It's very important."
"Hahahaha~" Siegfried chuckled. He could naturally pick up on something from Li Pu's tone, so he stopped making a fool of himself. With three silly laughs, he pulled the curtain, changed back into his own clothes, and walked out.
"You've changed a lot," Siegfried stood beside Li Pu and said. "I almost feel like I don't recognize you anymore."
"You really do need to get to know me again," Li Pu said. "I am Li Pu, and you should learn to remember this name."
"Instead of that name, Cecilia."
"But you..." Siegfried intended to persist.
"The person who came to my door the other day was you, right?" Li Pu interrupted Siegfried. "How did you know I lived in that apartment complex? Did Kiana tell you, or did you follow me?"
"Does it matter?" Siegfried shrugged and retorted.
"Of course it does." Li Pu walked out of the shop, slowly heading along the hallway as she said, "I saw your appearance today, so you must know my true self."
"Hehehe~" Siegfried followed behind her, not answering and only using a silly laugh to brush it off.
"You pulling this stunt today," Li Pu said, "someone plotted it for you, right?"
"Otto?"
"What makes you say that?" Siegfried neither denied nor admitted it, instead asking in return, "Do you think he has any reason to help me?"
"In this academy," Li Pu said with confidence, "although theoretically Theresa has the highest authority and as the principal she has the right to directly appoint or hire teachers."
"But in reality, Theresa is more like a mascot, isn't she?"
"Regardless of whether she's a mascot or not," Li Pu continued, "Otto should be the second person with real power after Theresa."
"Theresa might let you in and arrange a formal staff position for you."
"But she definitely wouldn't do this; it's completely unnecessary."
"If you could enter normally, you wouldn't have done this."
Li Pu glanced at the Siegfried beside her and said, "Since Theresa wouldn't do that, the only person with the authority to arrange for you—and even directly assign you to mentor Valkyries while making a fool of yourself—is Otto."
"Don't make that face," Li Pu said with contempt. "There's nothing difficult about this, a little deduction makes it obvious."
After all, she had to act like the omniscient king.
Who in the world could be better at deduction than her?
"It really was Otto's idea," seeing that Li Pu had guessed it herself, Siegfried didn't bother to hide it. Of course, there was no need to hide it either.
He and Otto weren't really on the same side anyway.
"What did Otto say to you?" Li Pu asked curiously.
"..." Siegfried shut his mouth. Even though they weren't truly on the same side, Siegfried felt it was better not to speak of certain matters.
"Fine." Li Pu shrugged.
Since Siegfried was unwilling to speak, she didn't want to ask any further.
"Let's be blunt," Li Pu said. "I don't know what Otto told you or what he promised you. But I think both your and his goals will be hard to achieve."
"Because my name is Li Pu, I am not Cecilia."
"I know." Siegfried gritted his teeth, his body stiffening slightly for a second or two before he started walking again and said, "It doesn't matter."
"No, this does matter," Li Pu said. "Perhaps Cecilia still deeply loves you."
"But I won't, because I am Li Pu, not that Cecilia."
"Mr. Siegfried," Li Pu stopped in her tracks, standing right in front of Siegfried, and said, "Please don't mistake me for Cecilia."
Lay the cards on the table. Always scheming and trying to use others would only result in dropping a rock on one's own foot, as it now appeared.
There was no self in Kiana's eyes, and likewise, no self in Siegfried's eyes.
In their eyes, there was actually only one person.
And that was Cecilia.
Right now, it wasn't Li Pu sinking deeper and deeper, but these two people sinking deeper and deeper. Rather than ending up trapped beyond redemption, stubbornly clinging to a single belief of their own making by the very end.
It was better to shatter the illusion and cut the Gordian knot quickly.
"Is it really like this?" Siegfried sighed and said, "Could it be that you truly have no feelings left at all?"
"Including towards Kiana?"
"Yes," Li Pu replied. "Including towards Kiana, I am merely using her."
"Using her to achieve my goal."
Li Pu tilted her head, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
Before you continue