Chapter 48 – Sakura Schemes and Devious Tricks

To counter Misaka Shirai’s fan club, Chu Wenmu had been constantly “recruiting troops” lately, expanding Xia Xun’s fan club.

“As long as we stand united, we can definitely win this ‘war’ and send Xia Xun to the throne of Moe Queen!”

Lin Xi wasn’t nearly as fired up as Chu Wenmu. “Senior, does Xia Xun care that much about becoming Moe Queen?”

Chu Wenmu shook her head.

Lin Xi frowned. “Then isn’t this basically forcing the imperial robe onto her shoulders? Xia Xun is being pushed onto the throne against her will?”

Chu Wenmu shook her head again. “Not so.”

“Xia Xun’s attitude is to let nature take its course. We’re just responsible for giving it a little push.”

“Look, Zhao Kuangyin didn’t exactly refuse to become emperor in the end, did he?”

“The one who truly doesn’t want to become Moe Queen is Su Tang. As Z City’s Chief Magical Girl, Su Tang has always been rather serious. She doesn’t do fan circles or fan clubs.”

“Fine, fine,” Lin Xi said. “Since I’ve joined and even become the vice president, I’ll leave all the event planning and whatnot to you, Senior.”

“Wrong, Lin Xi. You need to exercise your subjective initiative too.”

What a pain… Lin Xi was starting to regret this. “Mm. I will absolutely combine objective laws with subjective initiative!”

…

After enjoying a good meal off campus, Lin Xi returned to the classroom and was once again treated like the homeroom teacher had walked in-everyone’s eyes turned toward her.

It’s over. There goes my life as a nobody…

“Miss Lin Xi, nicely done!” One classmate excitedly pumped his fist. “You struck a heavy blow against the Discipline Committee’s arrogance. This is a major event that will go down in class history!”

Judging by the look of him, he was probably a frequent guest in the Discipline Committee’s records.

The students all started talking at once, and every word was praise.

Had the world suffered under the Discipline Committee for too long or what???

Lin Xi decided that another day, she would suggest to Senior Chu Wenmu that she loosen up a little.

Aside from discussing Lin Xi publicly “slapping the Discipline Committee in the face,” what everyone asked about most was just how close Lin Xi and Xia Xun really were.

“We’re really just ordinary friends,” Lin Xi emphasized again and again.

The study committee member, Su Xiangxue, didn’t buy it. “Impossible. How come Miss Xia Xun never publicly said she’d have my back?”

“Uh-” Lin Xi said with righteous conviction, “That’s because I was the one being given a hard time at that moment. If you were the one being picked on, Miss Xia Xun would have said the same thing.”

“Miss Xia Xun is the Magical Girl who protects all of Z City. She has everyone’s back.”

“Praise Xia Xun!”

“Praise the Magical Girl!”

And just like that, Lin Xi used a “grand narrative” to muddle her way through the topic.

After all, she and Xia Xun were ordinary friends. That was the truth.

A truth that required no extra explanation.

…

That evening, during dinner, Lin Xi brought up the important matter with Shi Yu alone.

“This morning, Xinning came to get me for school and smelled your scent on me.”

“So we can’t sleep together anymore, and there’s no need to sleep together anymore either. The cockroaches in both the bedroom and the guest room should be extinct by now.”

“You can choose first between the bedroom and the guest room.”

“Then I’ll take the guest room,” Shi Yu said.

“Huh? I thought you’d keep hogging my bedroom.”

“How would I dare bully you?” Shi Yu gave a wicked smile. “After all, you have Xia Xun backing you up.”

Lin Xi: “…”

“Shi Yu, becoming teammates with you is the unluckiest thing that’s happened to me in eight lifetimes.”

“When I was being ‘surrounded’ by the Discipline Committee, you just stood there enjoying the show. Didn’t even know to give an ally a hand?”

“Xia Xun is absolutely the kind of good teammate you can entrust your back to.”

“If I weren’t a witch, I’d have defected ages ago.”

Shi Yu said, “I get it. You’re blaming me for being a useless teammate, right? Another day, I’ll go put a bullet through Chu Wenmu’s head for you, to help you vent.”

Lin Xi rolled her eyes at her. “Are you insane?”

She couldn’t be bothered to argue and went back to eating.

The doorbell suddenly rang.

“That’s probably Xinning.” Lin Xi got up, while Shi Yu swiftly grabbed her bowl and chopsticks and hid in the guest room.

Lin Xi opened the door. Sure enough, Zhao Xinning was standing outside.

“Xinning, have you eaten?”

“I already ate.”

“Then have another meal?”

“Haha, if I eat another meal, I’ll get fat.”

“You’re not fat at all. Besides, you guys in the Track and Field Club train every day. You burn a lot of calories.”

Zhao Xinning said she would come over on an empty stomach next time. “I’m here to give you this.”

Lin Xi took it and had a look. “Body wash?”

“Yep. Use the same body wash as me, so…” Zhao Xinning absolutely did not want Lin Xi to smell like Shi Yu.

“Sure. I was thinking of trying a different body wash anyway,” Lin Xi said. “I’ll transfer you the money right now.”

“No need. It’s a gift.”

“But…”

“It doesn’t cost much. Don’t forget, now that my manuscript fees have come in, I’m more than a little flush with cash.”

“Haha, thanks, Xinning.” Lin Xi quietly made a note to give Zhao Xinning a gift later in return.

She couldn’t end up like Shi Yu and develop a habit of freeloading.

“Bye-bye. See you tomorrow.”

“Mm, see you tomorrow.”

…

After closing the door, Zhao Xinning returned to her bedroom.

“Starting today, Xi will be using the same body wash as me.”

“We’ll smell the same!”

“It’ll be just like we showered together, then slept together…”

As certain images filled her mind, Zhao Xinning’s cheeks rapidly heated up.

“Ahhh-“

“What am I even thinking-“

“This is so… embarrassing…”

Zhao Xinning rolled back and forth on her bed, twisting herself into a bundle.

“No, I have to make good use of my time!”

She quickly climbed back up and sat down at her desk.

She had finished her schoolwork long ago. She opened her computer and began updating her novel.

With her overwhelming sense of responsibility, Zhao Xinning set herself a goal:

No missed updates, no dropping the story, and no botched ending!

It was partly so she wouldn’t let down the reader buddies who supported her, and partly so she could earn more manuscript fees.

She needed money!

She needed to save money to go out and have fun with Lin Xi, and also for their future wedding… Zhao Xinning drifted for a second. “Isn’t marriage thinking too far ahead?”

But another voice in her mind said:

“Not too far at all. Start saving for the wedding fund early. Once the confession succeeds, go straight to a flash marriage and enter the holy halls of matrimony!”

“Ehehe…” Zhao Xinning giggled. “Mm, not bad. It’s better to plan ahead.”

“With how smoothly things are progressing between Xi and me right now, confessing and getting married is only a matter of time.”

Zhao Xinning began clacking away at her keyboard. The novel she was writing was in the genre of urban fantasy girls’ love fluff.

She had woven herself and Lin Xi into the story.

In the novel, she wanted to live out a happy, joyful, shamelessly sweet life with Lin Xi ahead of time…

After updating three chapters, Zhao Xinning stretched.

She still didn’t go to bed. Instead, she started working on the perfect two-day weekend trip plan for her outing with Lin Xi this week.

The reason she had suggested going somewhere farther away with Lin Xi was because, when the time came and they couldn’t get home, she could go straight to a hotel with Lin Xi!

“When that happens, I’ll use saving money as an excuse and share the same room with Xi!”

“Then we’ll sleep in the same bed!”

“And then…”

As her thoughts continued downward, Zhao Xinning’s face heated up again.