Cursed with Peach Blossoms

In this way, Yi Chen safely passed the night, and his school life briefly welcomed a moment of peace.

Time quickly arrived at the first of the new month, the day points were distributed.

The classroom was noisy and chaotic in the morning; the school system had a bug, and the points were not distributed.

The classroom was filled with groans and slumped figures as time continued to march on.

After school, Kushida Kikyo came to invite Yi Chen to grab a meal.

Yi Chen thought it would be better not to provoke her, so he agreed.

The two arrived at a dessert shop, where many couples were sweetly eating desserts together.

Yi Chen looked around, and Kushida led him to a seat in the corner.

After ordering their desserts, Kushida looked at Yi Chen adorably and said shyly:

"Oh, there are so many couples here. I'm sorry, Yi Chen, this is my first time at this shop too."

Yi Chen said indifferently:

"It's fine, I haven't been here either. As long as the dessert tastes good, that's all that matters."

Kushida said with a hint of coyness:

"In the eyes of others, it looks like we're a couple too. Haha."

Yi Chen gave a dismissive laugh:

"Haha, is that so? Well, that would be a good thing. In the eyes of others, being able to have a girlfriend like you would be quite lucky."

Yi Chen's thoughts:

Seriously, big sister, I have no idea what you're up to. I'm currently terrified of upsetting you.

If you have something to say, can you just say it? Can't we just part on good terms? I don't have the intelligence of Ayanokoji.

Kushida Kikyo smiled sweetly:

"Yi Chen, you're teasing me again. Do you act like this with every girl?"

Kushida looked at Yi Chen with her large, sparkling eyes.

A strange feeling welled up inside Yi Chen:

Although this girl is calculating, I have to admit, a girl who is slightly chubby, cute, and good-looking like her is quite pleasant to look at.

And so, Yi Chen and Kushida continued to stare at each other.

Kushida's face turned bright red:

"Yi Chen?"

Yi Chen snapped back to reality:

"Oh, oh, sorry, I was spacing out."

Kushida:

"Yi Chen, you still haven't answered my question."

Yi Chen:

"Hmm, I remember now. I only act like this with you. I don't really talk to anyone else, do I?"

Upon hearing this, a smile bloomed on Kushida's face:

"Is that so? Thank you, Yi Chen. I'm very happy you kept me company today."

After the two finished eating, Kushida had to go meet her friends, so they parted ways.

After the two separated.

Kushida sat on a bench, looking into the distance.

Thoughts:

"Yi Chen, is it? As expected, I can easily win him over with my charm. Still, he is quite handsome."

Yi Chen walked alone, but a faint sense of unease lingered in his heart.

"That Kushida looks innocent and cute, but she is actually deep and calculating. I must not let her trick me."

He muttered to himself.

After his meal, Yi Chen planned to go to the library to borrow some manga to read, since he didn't have many points left.

To save Yamauchi Muraki, Yi Chen and Ayanokoji had split the cost of 100,000 points.

Arriving at the bookstore, Yi Chen quickly found the sequel to the manga he had bought last time.

As Yi Chen reached out to take the manga, a faint, girlish fragrance drifted from beside him.

At this moment, a girl with pink hair stood quietly behind Yi Chen.

Yi Chen took the manga and turned around.

Bang!

"Ouch, that hurts."

A delicate female voice rang out.

Yi Chen's chin had been bumped, and he felt a sharp pain himself. As he looked up, he realized the pink-haired girl before him was none other than...

"Ichinose?"

Ichinose Honami looked anxious:

"I am so sorry, classmate. It was my fault for bumping into you."

Yi Chen looked at Ichinose in silence, and the two locked eyes.

Yi Chen:

"It's fine."

Yi Chen's thoughts:

My god, she is way too beautiful. That long pink hair and those features—truly, this is an anime world.

A slightly curvy figure, and she's a student from Class B, too. This is amazing.

But we probably won't have any interaction. I remember this girl seems to have some troubles... whatever, let's just borrow the manga first.

Yi Chen stepped aside to leave, but Ichinose grabbed the corner of his shirt.

"Um, wait a moment, Angela Yi Chen."

Ichinose's face turned slightly red as she spoke.

Upon hearing the name Angela Yi Chen, Yi Chen realized that he was destined to have no connection with Ichinose.

Yi Chen's thoughts:

Damn it, Angel, why did you give me such an embarrassing name!!!

Regaining his composure, Yi Chen looked at Ichinose indifferently:

"Are you calling me? Is something the matter?"

Ichinose said with a bit of hesitation:

"Um, you are Angela Yi Chen from Class D, right?"

Yi Chen's face darkened upon hearing this:

"Yes, what about it, classmate?"

Ichinose:

"Hello, I am Ichinose Honami from Class B. It's nice to meet you."

Yi Chen:

"Hello, I am Yi Chen. Just call me Yi Chen. It's nice to meet you too."

Ichinose:

"Um, Yi Chen, there's just something I need help with. Could you come outside with me for a moment?"

Yi Chen thought about it; Ichinose didn't seem to have any ill intentions, so helping her out wouldn't be a big deal.

Yi Chen:

"Sure."

After Yi Chen finished registering his book loan, Ichinose led him to the back of the library.

Once they arrived, the two stood still, and the atmosphere became awkward.

After seeing something, Ichinose walked up to Yi Chen, and the two stood very close to each other.

The atmosphere instantly became quite ambiguous.

Ichinose looked up into Yi Chen's eyes, and Yi Chen looked down at Ichinose.

When Ichinose realized Yi Chen was looking at her, she immediately lowered her head, her gaze darting around, her cheeks flushed.

Ichinose whispered shyly:

"I'm sorry, please wait a moment. It will be over soon."

Yi Chen:

"Alright."

Soon, a girl ran over, and upon seeing the intimate posture of Ichinose and Yi Chen, she said indignantly:

"Ichinose? What is the meaning of this?"

Ichinose said shyly:

"This is my boyfriend, Angela Yi Chen from Class D."

Yi Chen felt his heart tremble at these words, momentarily unable to face the question.

The girl heard this and ran away crying.

Only Yi Chen and Ichinose were left behind.

Ichinose said to Yi Chen, full of apology:

"I'm sorry, Yi Chen. I used you as a shield. I really didn't mean to, and I will find a way to make it up to you."

Yi Chen was still somewhat dazed:

"..., it's fine, but I think you should give that girl a clear answer. But now..."

"It doesn't matter, it's about the same anyway."

Ichinose:

"I'm really sorry. Next time, I will definitely give others a clear answer, and I will definitely make it up to you."

Yi Chen looked at the adorable Ichinose before him, an indescribable feeling rising in his heart.

Yi Chen spoke calmly:

"It's fine, it doesn't matter. I don't need any compensation; I don't think it's a big deal."

"If you can, next time you're in a difficult spot, you can continue to use the same excuse to reject others."

Ichinose looked at Yi Chen in shock.

A gentle breeze blew by, casting the reflection of the setting sun upon them both.

Yi Chen suddenly realized he might have said the wrong thing.

Yi Chen was visibly flustered, thinking to himself:

Damn it, what did I just say? What's going on? Why did I say something like that?

Ichinose covered her mouth and laughed happily upon hearing this:

"Really? Thank you, Yi Chen. Then next time someone confesses to me, I'll just tell them you're my boyfriend."

Yi Chen's face burned, his cheeks flushed with a deep red.

Yi Chen looked at Ichinose nervously.

Ichinose's arched brows and bright, watery eyes were fixed on him, her cheeks rosy and her lips a soft pink.

"It, it doesn't matter. You can just say that next time."

Ichinose laughed out loud happily:

"Haha."

Ichinose stepped forward and took Yi Chen's hand:

"Thank you, Yi Chen."

Yi Chen felt his body temperature rise sharply, steam rising from the top of his head.

Yi Chen:

"It's nothing."

Ichinose said happily:

"Thank you for today, Yi Chen. I'll treat you to a meal next time. Let's exchange contact information first."

Yi Chen:

"Okay."

After the two exchanged contact information, they arrived at the entrance of the library and parted ways.

Ichinose:

"See you next time then. I'm really looking forward to it."

Yi Chen's face was as red as an apple, and he whispered:

"Okay."

Just like that, Yi Chen returned to his dormitory in a daze.

When night fell, Yi Chen opened his phone and checked his balance: 80,000 points.

Checking his messages:

Ichinose:

"Yi Chen, thank you for today. Good night."