59, Elysia, Tears Falling Like Rain
At night, a light drizzle still fell outside, pattering against the window and making it impossible to sleep.
The air conditioner was on, so there was no need to worry about the room becoming too stuffy. Wrapped in a blanket, Xu Qi had to admit... he really found it difficult to fall asleep.
Although there had been times before when he had passed out from gaming and slept together with Alysia, this time... this time was clearly different.
Xu Qi stared at the raindrops outside. The sound of the rain seemed not to be striking the window, but his heart instead, making him unbearably restless.
At that moment, Elysia was lying right beside him.
And only two days ago... he had been intimate with Mei in bed.
Thinking about it that way, he really was a scumbag.
He had even claimed that he would work hard to fulfill what Sister Yae had said—to take both Alysia and Mei for himself!
But now that the moment had come, he was somewhat afraid. Afraid of what? Afraid of taking on another responsibility... afraid of facing Mei... afraid that he would hurt them.
Xu Qi was a little lost. He had never been good at handling matters of the heart.
"Xu Qi, are you asleep?"
The voice came from behind him. The fact that Elysia was lying in the same bed as him suddenly became even more tangible...
"Not yet."
After replying, he heard rustling noises from Alysia's side.
Had she... turned over?
Wouldn't that mean...
Just as he was thinking this, someone grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.
"Turn around. Let's chat."
Elysia... did you really have no idea how dangerous this was?
Although that was what he was thinking, Xu Qi obediently turned over. Looking at Elysia so close to him, he felt as though he were in a dream, even though the room was pitch-black.
How could Xu Qi possibly not like Elysia?
Even now, he could still recall the feeling of love at first sight when he had first arrived at the Golden Courtyard and met Alysia.
His heart had almost seemed ready to shatter beneath the impact of this girl.
"Hmm? What is it? Staring blankly?"
Alysia waved a hand in front of Xu Qi's face. If he had seen correctly, she should be bare-chested right now.
Indeed, Xu Qi remembered clearly that after showering before bed, Alysia had put on nothing but a camisole nightgown before climbing into bed. At this moment, he could even see her fair, delicate shoulder.
Damn it, Xu Qi... did your night vision really have to make its presence known at a time like this?
"Just speak honestly. Don't get handsy."
"Hmph... You're so fierce with me. How come I never see you treat Mei like this?"
How could that be the same? But he couldn't bring himself to say it...
"Xu Qi, before dinner, your mother pulled me aside and whispered a few things to me."
"Whispered things... You're really adorable, Elysia."
"Is that so?~~ I am a beautiful girl, after all!~~"
That wasn't a compliment... Xu Qi almost couldn't stop himself from covering his face. But he didn't dare make any large movements, afraid of touching Alysia and causing some unnecessary misunderstanding.
"What did my mom tell you?"
"She told me a lot about what you were like as a child, and also... also..."
At this point, Elysia became somewhat hesitant, and Xu Qi couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
"And what else?"
"She said... she said that although you're decisive and efficient when handling things, you're always indecisive when it comes to relationships... She said I should take the initiative, so things might actually work out."
My mother really does understand me...
"Xu Qi, is that true?"
You're a girl lying in the same bed as me, and then you ask me this question. Don't you find that strange?
But Xu Qi subconsciously ignored those questions. Perhaps Elysia did too. After remaining silent for a while, he suddenly told her a story.
"Actually... although Mei was my first love, she wasn't the first girl I ever liked."
Elysia's eyes lit up! She loved listening to people tell stories, especially stories about Xu Qi.
"When I was in high school, I liked someone. Things were going pretty well between us, and we were only one confession away. But... I was always hesitant. Perhaps I was afraid.
"In any case, after the college entrance examination ended, she may have grown tired of my ambiguous attitude. So... she found herself a boyfriend and went her separate way from me."
"Eh?" Elysia couldn't help moving closer as she said, "How could she do that? That girl was terribly wrong."
"Hmm?"
Xu Qi was a little confused. When normal people heard this story, shouldn't their first reaction be that the guy was the weirdo?
"She should have taken the initiative! Relationships were the responsibility of both sides. If one person hesitated, then the other had to take the initiative! Replacing you outright—what was that supposed to mean? That only proves she never liked you!"
"Per... perhaps."
Xu Qi scratched his head, suddenly feeling that... Elysia seemed to have a point.
"That must have been painful for you. I can tell that you really liked that girl."
"It was all right. It's already in the past. Besides, don't I still have..."
At that point, Xu Qi suddenly stopped—damn it... There was no way he should say "don't I still have Mei" in front of Elysia...
"Mei, right?"
Elysia finished the sentence for him.
The atmosphere between them fell silent again.
"Everything always comes back to Mei..."
"Even during the day, when we were at home, I noticed you kept stumbling over your words. You were thinking about Mei, weren't you... It was the same with me. No matter what we talked about, Mei somehow always came up."
Xu Qi gradually lowered his head. He didn't quite dare look at Elysia.
"She seems to have... already fused with you. You really are like a married couple... You're Mei, and Mei is you, like you're completely intertwined."
"Do you know? I really... envy her so much... I envy Mei so much. She met you so early, and she could express her feelings for you without any reservations.
"In that regard, I'm far behind her... By the time I realized what I truly felt, perhaps everything had already become too late."
Xu Qi suddenly raised his head. Only then did he notice the tears at the corners of the girl's eyes, falling down her cheeks drop by drop like the drizzle outside.
"I like everyone in the Golden Courtyard. I like every single one of them. I thought... I thought my feelings for you should be the same, but somehow... it feels a little regrettable.
"These feelings seem much heavier than what I feel for everyone else. This love also seems much heavier than the love I have for anyone else.
"When did it begin? It's really troubling... I... How could I have failed to notice? Why did I..."
"Alysia!"
The impulse in his heart made Xu Qi pull the girl into his arms.
Damn it, Xu Qi... you really were damnable!
How could you make Elysia cry right in front of you?
But those tears seemed impossible to stop, no matter what.
When Elysia felt Xu Qi's embrace and the care in his heart... she finally understood what she had missed.
Her tears poured out like a burst dam, soaking through the shirt over Xu Qi's chest, while Xu Qi...
The moment he embraced Elysia, he also understood something.
Some responsibilities were ones he had to shoulder.
Just as Yae had said, whether it was Mei or Alysia... he couldn't let either of them be hurt, Xu Qi!
I Did Something Really Stupid
Sorry, I'm an idiot. I wrote Chapter 60 on the computer at work, and only realized after I got off that I hadn't copied it onto my USB drive. The computer at home only has the first half of Chapter 60. The second half is gone. I'm losing it.
That was truly an unbelievably stupid move. Don't worry, everyone. I'll send out Chapter 60 first thing tomorrow morning when I get to work. I'm very sorry. I'll make it up tomorrow and release three chapters: 60, 61, and 62.
As for Chapter 61, there will be a little bonus, so please look forward to it.
Since this is already a standalone author's note, I might as well give you a preview here. "A Summer in Binhai" is obviously going to be the swimsuit arc. It should begin either in the middle or toward the end of the volume. As for the pacing, it'll be like before: a steady stretch of daily life to develop the characters, along with a short story that further deepens their characterization. That's about it.
Once again, I apologize to everyone. I'm truly very sorry.
60, Let's Use Me as a Rehearsal Subject for My Elysia
The sobbing continued for a long time before finally quieting down.
And Xu Qi... he also calmed himself, only then noticing that Elysia really did seem to cry often.
She was the same whenever she watched a touching anime or movie. She would often shed tears by herself, or simply curl up against his shoulder and sob.
She would even mutter, "Is this the beauty of humanity?"
As if you weren't human yourself.
Thinking of this, Xu Qi gently stroked Alysia's back and laughed.
For some reason, when he saw Alysia curled up in his arms and crying her heart out, his first thought wasn't anything else, but... So she could cry like this over a relationship too.
It was as if the perfect fairy in his eyes, someone who should have been untouched by the mortal world and flawless to the point of perfection, had acquired the tiniest trace of dust.
And when Xu Qi realized that he was the one who had added that trace of dust to her...
To be honest, the feeling in his heart was a little strange, but it was probably mostly pleasure...
Moreover, she seemed even more real in front of him now. He could clearly feel that Elysia, as a person, was lying in his arms.
She wasn't some immortal, or some other kind of flawless deity.
This feeling of tempting an angel to fall was probably the dark side of human nature.
All I could say was, I'm sorry for being born human.
"Y-you're still going to hold me for how long? You can't take advantage of me like this... I'm going to cry again, you know?..."
"You already cried."
"Hmph!... Xu Qi, you should learn from Kevin's meticulousness, not from Kevin how to stay single."
"But I have Mei, don't I?"
"I think humanity is beyond saving if people end up like you."
In Xu Qi's arms, Alysia raised her head. The two looked at each other, then couldn't help laughing.
"Xu Qi, you really have led me astray."
"Yeah..." With his chin resting against Alysia's head, Xu Qi stroked her back and said, "I'm slowly tempting you into becoming a bad woman."
"Then you'll have to take responsibility."
"Mm... I will. I turned you from a perfect fairy into a flawed human, so even if the heavens were to strike me with five thunderbolts..."
Before he could finish, he was silenced.
Alysia covered Xu Qi's mouth with a solemn expression and said seriously, "You're not allowed to swear on that."
Xu Qi's expression softened. He nodded gently, and only then did Alysia remove her hand.
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