It's almost time; she needs to go to the cafeteria to wash the dishes.
Indeed, due to her increasingly dire financial situation, she was forced to take on several part-time jobs, including washing dishes in the college cafeteria.
Next, Huomu took his leave.
He knew it was Qiji's afternoon nap time and didn't want to disturb him too much.
For a moment, only Qiji, Liuli, and Bai Lili remained on the rooftop.
Liuli and Bai Lili sat next to him, one on his left and one on his right.
Qiji yawned.
He had barely slept well for the past month, and now he was inevitably feeling sleepy, his eyelids drooping and he couldn't stop himself from closing them.
I don't know when it happened, but I felt increasingly sleepy and couldn't stay awake any longer.
His eyelids drooped, and he fell to one side.
His head rested on the girl's shoulder for a moment.
Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Suyo that year was itself Miracle.
The direction that Qiji fell in was—
Liuli.
His head rested on Liuli's shoulder.
It smells like butterfly pea flowers.
Liuli was startled for a moment.
My whole body froze, my face flushed and my heart pounded.
Although I've read a lot of romance novels lately...
He considered himself a master among them.
But that's only in theory!
The practical experience of Liuli is perfect 0...
She had never even had this kind of contact with a man before!
In a moment of panic, she instinctively pushed Qiji's head away.
Although she regretted it the moment she made the move, it was too late.
Qiji fell to the other side.
They sided with Bai Lili!
His head rested on Bai Lili's shoulder...
As the saying goes, a racing heartbeat doesn't disappear, it just shifts.
The person whose heart is beating so fast now is Bai Lili.
She experienced once again the feeling of "heart pounding" that her mother had described.
Bai Lili pursed her lips nervously, not daring to move an inch, afraid that any movement would wake up Qiji.
Qiji- kun really loves to sleep.
The girl tensed up, silently thinking to herself.
Qiji- chan is so quiet and cute when she's sleeping...
I really want to hug him like this...
The moment this "unclean" thought arose in Bai Lili's mind, she quickly bit the tip of her tongue to clear her mind.
What are you thinking about, Lili?
You are engaged!
That's emotional infidelity!
I can't think about it anymore!
You like to Suyo! You like to Suyo! You like to Suyo...
Bai Lili quickly muttered to herself, trying to hypnotize herself.
Over here, Miss Bai's mind was in complete turmoil because of the slight physical contact.
Over there, Liuli was equally unable to calm down!
She watched as Qiji leaned on Bai Lili's shoulder, and Bai Lili looked completely blissful. She was filled with regret!
That spot originally belonged to me!
She did it first...
So, Qiji, do you even know what you're doing?
You're harming Bai Lili!
She's already engaged!
No, I must save Bai Lili!
We can't let her be stigmatized as "immoral"!
Because we are...
My best friend!
Liuli racked her brains, anxiously trying to figure out how to salvage the situation, but thankfully, the next moment—
The school bell rang!
Suddenly, she had a perfectly legitimate reason:
"Lili, let's go! Class is about to start!"
"The breeze is so refreshing, I... I want to stay a little longer... Liuli- san, could you... could you help me ask the teacher for leave?"
"No!"
Liuli immediately answered.
She practically dragged Bai Lili away from Qiji:
"This afternoon is Teacher Jing's first class teaching our class, so we need to make a good impression on her!"
When Liuli spoke, she was still as righteous and indignant as ever.
They're practically partners in justice.
The wicked Bai Lili was quickly persuaded.
She could only pout reluctantly.
"Oh."
As one of the three major Echo Families of the City of Kindling, the Thousand Faces Family is naturally well-informed.
The news of Suyo's defeat to Qiji had already reached his home.
The face beneath the mask of Thousand Faces Zhengxing was extremely grim.
They gave Suyo the best resources, yet she still lost to a boy from a common background!
"I said, sir..." Xiangyun, the mother Suyo, couldn't help but speak up.
"We should have chosen another ' Suyo ' candidate back then; poetry... she simply couldn't do it!"
When this matter was brought up, Thousand Faces Zhengxing's face turned ashen.
Doesn't he also want to find someone else?
but--
"We had already emptied all our savings to find this best opportunity to ' Suyo '!"
In such a rush, where could one find another genius no less talented than him?
Rather, finding that kid back then was already Miracle from heaven!
But Miracle is called Miracle precisely because it cannot happen one after another!
Xiangyun sighed upon hearing this.
She understood what her husband was saying.
But it is precisely because they once had the "best possible Suyo" that they find it even more difficult to accept this current ending.
"So what should we do next?"
A fierce glint flashed across Thousand Faces Zhengxing's face beneath the mask:
"Now that she has mastered the Armament, let's send her to the Sea of Consciousness. It's time for her to step out of her sheltered environment."
Xiangyun was startled. "But she's not even at the third level yet... Entering the Sea of Consciousness rashly, she'll die, won't she...?"
"She won't die! She promised us she would become the strongest!"
Don't forget, she's living as Suyo now!
Entering the Sea of Consciousness before reaching the third stage is dangerous...
However, if one is lucky enough to survive and break through to the third tier...
That's a qualitative difference from a regular third-tier Echoer!
If successful, given time, not only will I be able to compete for the position of clan elder, but I might even be able to contend for the position of family head!
Xiangyun remained silent for a moment.
For a Setsuna, a pang of reluctance flashed through her mind.
After all, Suyo was her daughter.
Even if he lost to that guy named Qiji, he's still an outstanding individual among his peers.
It far exceeded their initial expectations.
So even if you don't have to be the absolute best, becoming a genius second only to Qiji is enough, isn't it?
But when she thought of the Thousand Faces Family's cruel and twisted clan rules, and those covetous clansmen, she nodded in agreement with her husband's actions.
Since we've already chosen this path, let's be decisive and see it through to the end.
Suyo, who skipped class, did not go home.
She went to her brother's grave.
She ate half of the ice cream in her arms and left the other half for her brother.
She took off her mask and hung it on the tombstone, as if that would allow her to see her brother face to face again.
Only in front of her brother could she utter those words that had been bottled up inside her, words she dared not say on ordinary days—
Brother, do you know?
I have so many pretty dresses I want to wear, and so many nice hairstyles I want to try...
I really, really want to...
But I held back.
I thought that as long as I could endure enough and work hard enough, I could become you.
but...
Only today did I realize that in the face of true genius, the efforts of ordinary people are nothing but futile and useless waste.