Chapter 148 – School Days

1

Zhao Xinning watched from the shadows.

When she saw Lin Xi and Xia Xun leave school together, she finally confirmed that Xia Xun’s name belonged on her blacklist too.

She had long suspected that there was more than friendship between Lin Xi and Xia Xun.

Shi Yu’s “resurrection” had left Zhao Xinning with an unprecedented sense of crisis. She therefore decided to investigate every single one of Lin Xi’s relationships.

She had no idea until she looked-and what she found shocked her.

There were far too many girls close to Lin Xi!

Not all of them had made Zhao Xinning’s list, though. For now, only two absolutely had to be eliminated:

Shi Yu and Xia Xun.

Once those two were gone, nothing could stand in the way of her yuri future with Xi.

What Zhao Xinning hated most were romance stories that treated competing love interests like stocks for readers to bet on. She often bitterly lamented why the childhood sweethearts in those stories never simply eliminated their rivals.

That was the strategy she intended to follow.

“Shi Yu isn’t human, and Xia Xun will be even harder to eliminate,” Pluto said. “I don’t have any good ideas right now either.”

“I do.” Zhao Xinning chuckled.

“What is it?”

“I’m going to stop being human.”

“Huh?!”

“Do you know about the Demonized Human? A Demonized Human is a Dark Realm Disaster created when a human falls into corruption.” While searching for a way to grow stronger, Zhao Xinning had stumbled across information on the Demonized Human. “The Calamity Witch wasn’t the only one who destroyed S City. A Demonized Human was involved too.”

“It was just that the Calamity Witch was so powerful that she completely stole the Demonized Human’s thunder.”

“The point is, the Demonized Human really exists. So why can’t I become a powerful Demonized Human too?”

“Xi isn’t human anyway. She’s the Blazing Blast Witch. If I transform myself into a Demonized Human, I’ll become an ‘Artificial Witch.’ Then Xi and I will be a perfect match!”

Pluto: “I’m supposed to be your extreme side, so how are you even more extreme than I am???”

Suddenly feeling that its very reason for existing was in jeopardy, Pluto immediately decided that it needed to become even more extreme.

“I fully support your decision to become a ‘witch.’ Xi did say that no matter what you did, she would accept you.”

“The Demonized Human who partnered with the Calamity Witch to destroy S City may have shared an unusual relationship with her.”

“Worst-case scenario, you and Xi can join forces to ‘overthrow and rebuild’ Z City, creating a paradise that belongs to the two of you alone.”

Zhao Xinning: “…”

“Pluto, aren’t you taking this a little too far? Let’s be more conservative and not get too extreme.”

“Still, thank you for supporting me, Pluto.” Zhao Xinning was no longer uncertain. “Yes, it’s decided. I’ll let Shi Yu and Xia Xun enjoy their triumph for a little while longer.”

Zhao Xinning already had an idea of how to “evolve” into a “witch.”

“I’ll go to the black market.”

“Besides selling all kinds of weapons created by modifying Dark Realm Disaster specimens, the black market is bound to have information on the Demonized Human.”

“There must be plenty of criminals and extremist fanatics trying to become a Demonized Human.”

“But I’m doing it for noble, pure love. That means I’m not falling into evil-I’m evolving.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” Pluto said. “But if you become a witch and sacrifice everything for Xi, only for her to reject what you’ve become, what will you do?”

“Good question,” Zhao Xinning said. “Then I’ll have no choice but to remake everything-reset the universe to zero and restart the world.”

“Put simply: if I can’t have it, no one else gets to have it either!”

Pluto: “…”

What kind of School Days plot was this supposed to be?!

…

“Lin Xi, do you and Zhao Xinning often come to school together?”

Xia Xun had spotted Lin Xi and Zhao Xinning entering the school together several times now.

“Yeah.” Lin Xi admitted it without hesitation.

“The friendship and bond between Xinning and me is something no one else could ever understand.”

“Oh, so you have a crush on her.”

“Xia Xun! What’s wrong with your comprehension skills? I said friendship and a bond!”

“Then what if she likes you?”

“Impossible. How could Angel-sama ever like someone like me?”

“Angel-sama???”

“Yeah. In my heart, Xinning is Angel-sama.”

“Then what about me? What am I in your heart?”

“An All-Round, Super-Invincible, Perfectly Beautiful Magical Girl.”

“Oh my~ Lin Xi, you really know how to make a girl happy~”

Lin Xi: No, I’m not! I didn’t! Don’t make things up.

“All right,” Xia Xun said, relieved. “Zhao Xinning may have been by your side first, but thankfully, I’m the one who confessed first.”

“Lin Xi, no matter what happens, you have to consider me first. Only then can you consider Zhao Xinning.”

“Got it?”

What did any of that have to do with anything? None of it made any sense… Still, Lin Xi nodded along.

Xinning clearly only sees me as her best friend, too. If she liked me, why wouldn’t she confess?

Lin Xi wasn’t self-absorbed enough to assume Angel-sama liked her. She wasn’t nearly that conceited…

…

As soon as they entered Xia Xun’s house, Lin Xi couldn’t wait to see Little Mi do a backflip.

On the way there, Xia Xun had told her that Little Mi could not only do a backflip, but even several in a row.

Had Little Mi turned into some kind of cat spirit…? Then again, Little Mi wasn’t an ordinary cat to begin with.

“Little Mi, showtime!”

Little Mi: Motherf-!

Under Xia Xun’s command, it was forced to perform.

“Whoa!” Lin Xi exclaimed in amazement. “Little Mi really can do a backflip! That’s Little Mi for you! With a body that agile, riding a bicycle might not be out of the question either.”

“Huh? Lin Xi, do you want to see Little Mi ride a bicycle? Sure. That’s what I’ll train it to do next.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm!”

Little Mi: Fuck my life!

You two are flirting, and I’m just a prop to you, is that it?!

“Um, Xia Xun, I think Little Mi has an objection. Its fur is all puffed up.”

“Really?” Xia Xun glared at Little Mi. “Little Mi, you wouldn’t want me to put you in timeout, would you?”

Little Mi: “…”

On this day, Little Mi finally remembered the terror of being ruled by humans… And also-Mom, I want to go back to Langlang Mountain2!

After playing with the adorable Little Mi for a while, Lin Xi and Xia Xun began their cheerful gaming session.

Xia Xun lounged back on a beanbag and opened her arms.

“Lin Xi, come here~”

“No.”

“This is the one request of my entire life!”

“You say that about every request.”

“But this one really is!”

Once again, Lin Xi fell victim to a cherry-blossom scheme!

Footnote:

• School Days(日在校园): A Japanese visual novel and anime infamous for its obsessive love triangle and violent ending.

• Langlang Mountain(浪浪山): A reference to the animated short Nobody from Yao-Chinese Folktales. “Mom, I want to leave Langlang Mountain” became a meme about escaping an exhausting life; here, the phrase is jokingly reversed.