What a Terrible Day

"Why did you take so long?" Horikita Suzune, eager to recover quickly, sounded somewhat dissatisfied.

When she came here.

She had seen where the vending machines were.

So she could not understand what Shi Cheng had been doing for so long after leaving.

Horikita Suzune could not help frowning.

This guy had not done something weird with her phone, had he?

Shi Cheng's eyelids twitched wildly.

He was not that far gone yet.

"Here. I ran into someone I knew just now." Shi Cheng unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

Hearing his explanation, Horikita Suzune felt slightly relieved.

In truth, she had no choice.

Because there was no one she could rely on.

"Feeling better?" Shi Cheng sat down beside her, concerned about her condition.

Horikita Suzune braced herself with both hands and tried to stand.

But her legs were still weak and limp.

Horikita Suzune shook her head helplessly. "Still no good."

"It's fine. There's still plenty of time before the Library closes." Shi Cheng signaled for her not to worry.

But Horikita Suzune did not see it that way.

What if she still had not recovered by then?

She did not want to pin her hopes on something uncertain.

After thinking it over carefully, Horikita Suzune said with a serious expression, "Shi Cheng, please take me back."

That was her decision.

Rather than sit around and wait for disaster.

She preferred taking action.

And at this time of day.

There would be very few people on the way back.

That would avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Though it was not like she was afraid of it.

"Are you sure?" Shi Cheng raised a brow and asked again.

Given her current condition, physical contact was unavoidable.

He had not expected her to make such a firm decision.

That was surprising.

"Yes, hurry up." Horikita Suzune urged him impatiently.

Making her say it again was downright awful of him.

"Fine." Shi Cheng shrugged.

If she was not afraid, then neither was he.

As he helped her up, Shi Cheng smiled and brought up the past. "You're not going to cross the river and burn the bridge again once we get there, are you?"

The words made Horikita Suzune blush a little.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand!"

"Really?"

Shi Cheng tightened his grip around her waist.

"What are you doing?!" Horikita Suzune's face instantly turned red as she glared at him angrily.

Shi Cheng smiled. "I just don't want to get taken advantage of again."

"You!" Horikita Suzune's eyes widened.

She wanted to say something, but unfortunately, she could only rely on Shi Cheng right now.

Horikita Suzune silently stewed in anger, building up her resentment for the moment.

The trip back went smoothly.

After all, Horikita Suzune had calculated it precisely.

"Huh? Shi Cheng, Horikita?" When the elevator doors opened, Kushida Kikyo looked at the two of them in surprise.

Then she noticed something was wrong.

"Horikita, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

The person she least wanted to see had appeared.

Horikita Suzune turned her head away, not wanting to say a single word.

Shi Cheng, having been given permission, answered for her.

"It's nothing. She's just exhausted."

"I see. That's a relief." Kushida Kikyo clasped her hands together, a faint smile appearing on her face.

But to Shi Cheng.

That smile carried an inexplicable meaning.

Was this the bad woman he had pegged her for?

Her thoughts were not innocent at all.

Did she not know what kind of person Horikita Suzune was?

Why was she making wild guesses here?

If Horikita Suzune had been looking directly at her.

They would have started arguing for sure.

"Let me help." Kushida Kikyo came over to the other side. "You're heading to the Girls' Dormitory next, right? It's not very convenient for Shi Cheng, is it?"

"None of your business!" Horikita Suzune irritably shook off Kushida Kikyo's outstretched hand.

Her goodwill rejected, the smile on Kushida Kikyo's face instantly stiffened.

Even at this point.

Horikita Suzune still refused to accept her kindness.

Kushida Kikyo was having trouble holding it together.

Fortunately, there was a third person present.

Otherwise, she truly would have exploded.

They were only friends in name, so was it really necessary to reject her so fiercely?!

"Kikyo, are you okay?"

Kushida Kikyo fought back the tears threatening to fall and gently shook her head.

Her pitiful appearance was devastatingly effective, and Shi Cheng's tone softened further.

"You know what Horikita is like. Well, she doesn't mean any harm."

By the end, Shi Cheng had nearly burst out laughing.

"I understand." Kushida Kikyo lowered her head, her neatly arranged bangs concealing her eyes.

Unfortunately, they were not long enough.

Something off in her gaze could still faintly be seen.

But compared to Kushida Kikyo, whom he could only look at.

Shi Cheng's attention was focused more on Horikita Suzune.

Soft and fragrant.

"Then we'll be leaving first."

Feeling that Horikita Suzune's patience was about to reach its limit, Shi Cheng quickly led her into the elevator.

They had delayed for quite a while, so it was normal for her to be unhappy.

"Mm, I understand." Kushida Kikyo sensibly stepped out of the elevator and did not try to squeeze in any further.

Her face was not that thick.

After leaving the elevator, they arrived at Horikita Suzune's dorm room door.

"You can go back now." Horikita Suzune coldly shook off Shi Cheng's support.

Crossing the river and burning the bridge this quickly?

Shi Cheng refused to indulge her and directly made a request. "Aren't you going to invite me in for a meal?"

If he did not bring it up now.

Who knew whether there would be another chance next time?

Of course he had to seize it.

Horikita Suzune did not respond directly, her tone icy. "You two seem quite close."

Ah!

Hearing the unmistakable jealousy in her stiff tone, Shi Cheng understood.

Was this the so-called damned competitive spirit?

Even if they were sworn enemies.

Shi Cheng explained, "You know how she is. Didn't she say during her introduction that we should call her Kikyo?"

It was unclear whether Horikita Suzune accepted that.

In any case, she stopped talking and silently opened the door.

Looking at the slowly closing door.

Shi Cheng shook his head and calmly walked inside.

Tsunderes really were exhausting.

"Why did you come in?!" Horikita Suzune glared angrily at this unreasonable guy.

"Silence means consent. Where are the slippers?" Shi Cheng looked around.

Horikita Suzune lightly bit her delicate lip and took out a spare pair of her own.

"I don't have the strength to cook right now, so be careful you don't starve to death."

"It's fine, I can wait." Shi Cheng shamelessly said, "Even until tomorrow."

Horikita Suzune fell silent.

She was starting to regret this.

This was a terrible guy.

And thinking that she had let him in herself.

Made it seem even worse.

Fortunately, during the trip back, she had regained a little strength.

It should be enough to make a meal and send him packing quickly.

"Wait here." As they entered the not-so-large living room, Horikita Suzune gave the order with all the authority of the host.

"Mm-hm." Shi Cheng looked around again.

Unlike Sakura Airi's room, which had many decorations.

Horikita Suzune's place could be called extremely plain.

Other than what the dormitory came with.

There had barely been any changes.

Shi Cheng nodded approvingly.

She was a girl who knew how to live sensibly.

Clink, clank!

From nearby came the occasional sound of things bumping into each other.

It could not be helped.

She was not at full strength right now.

Mistakes were inevitable.

But Horikita Suzune still gritted her teeth and persevered.

She had only one thought at that moment: get Shi Cheng out of here as quickly as possible.

"Why did you come over? Didn't I tell you to wait?" Horikita Suzune asked, looking slightly alarmed.