It seemed that this child had always been holding back during tests, never using her full strength. Despite this, she could still easily take first place in all events. A perfect goddess, ranked first on the goddess list spontaneously created by the students, without a single flaw in any aspect.
Except for that melancholic little face. The P.E. teacher thought about it carefully; in her memory, she had never seen this child smile...
"Begin!"
With the P.E. teacher's command, the 1000-meter run test began.
The dozen or so other students stood in the shade of the trees, chatting idly.
Li Wu and Raiden Mei stood together, their gazes frequently drifting to the cold-faced Kiana.
She stood alone under the banyan tree, a cold aura that repelled strangers seeming to emanate from her. The classmates formed small groups of three to five, but not a single one was willing to approach her to start a conversation.
This wasn't ostracism, but rather a self-awareness. They knew they couldn't fit in, so they actively avoided her.
It wasn't that no student had tried to approach Kiana before, to befriend her. But no matter what questions they asked, Kiana always wore a dead-fish expression and answered coldly: "Mhm, yeah, okay, mhm."
The conversation would always die. She would never deliberately agree with others' ideas to fit into a small group. Her answers were very honest, but they often made the other party feel awkward and embarrassed.
Over time, no one approached her anymore, except for some students from other classes who didn't know the situation and occasionally ran over, only to leave dejectedly.
"Do you care about Kiana a lot?"
Raiden Mei suddenly turned around to face Li Wu, positioning herself between him and Kiana.
Flustered, Li Wu averted his gaze, but then realized he had to maintain his 'S' persona. He immediately put on a stern face and scolded sharply, "Mind your own business."
He thought this would make Raiden Mei behave.
But in the next second, Raiden Mei directly tore their fake relationship to shreds—
"I don't want to act anymore."
"What? Act what? I don't quite understand what you're trying to say..."
Faced with Li Wu's feigned ignorance, Raiden Mei showed an extremely doting and sweet smile, as if looking at a baby. Even her voice became delicate and light.
She stood on her tiptoes, brought her pink lips close to Li Wu's ear, and said sweetly, "I said, I don't want to act anymore. Can we be more honest with each other?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ah... you're so dense. Must a girl say such things out loud? Why did I fall for someone as slow as you? I really give up..."
"???"
Li Wu was dumbfounded, his brain like a crashed computer, unable to process.
Isn't Raiden Mei a masochist? What's with this sudden personality change?
"Didn't you hear me clearly... Then allow me to repeat myself!"
"I, Raiden Mei, have impure feelings for you, Li Wu!! This is a confession, not a game of truth or dare, and I'm not joking! Li Wu, I like you. Please firmly remember how I look now, and every word, every single word, I'm saying to you right now."
Seeing Li Wu still stunned, Raiden Mei continued her torrential assault.
This time, it wasn't a hidden whisper in a corner.
Raiden Mei spoke very loudly, her voice quite clear, with no intention of hiding anything. She confessed to Li Wu directly, in front of all the students and teachers on the playground.
As her words fell, the gazes from all over the playground couldn't help but converge on the shade where Raiden Mei and Li Wu were standing. The stares were particularly scorching, hotter than the blazing sun hanging high above.
"Isn't that Raiden Mei? Confessing on her own initiative? And the object of her confession is a commoner?"
"She's at her wit's end. If she doesn't find a man to rely on soon, the next two years will definitely be hard for her alone, haha..."
There were voices of ridicule from the crowd.
There were also voices of doubt.
"No, that's not right at all. Even if she's fallen on hard times, it's impossible for her to confess in front of so many people... I feel like Raiden Mei has been different since this morning. The difference is too great..."
"If I were that boy, I would definitely refuse. Accepting this undoubtedly means making enemies with so many powerful people. It's not worth it."
The discussions were too numerous and chaotic. Even the P.E. teacher couldn't help but shift her gaze from the students in the 1000-meter test to Raiden Mei.
Everyone knew about the school bullying incident and Raiden Ryoma's imprisonment, so they were very curious as to why Raiden Mei would make a "suicide confession" at such a special time.
Was she really at the end of her rope?
Feeling the stares converging from all directions, Li Wu's brain completely shut down.
Refuse?
Accept?
Neither seems to be a good option! If I accept, how can I clear the other acts? In the comic, the protagonist didn't confirm any relationships before the seventh act.
If I refuse and Raiden Mei goes berserk on the spot, won't I be finished?
Li Wu suddenly understood a little why the protagonist in the comic acted so cowardly when faced with multiple heroines showing their affection at the same time...
Just as Li Wu was at a loss, racking his brains for a solution, Raiden Mei lay directly on his chest, looked up, her expression full of playfulness, a perfect portrayal of a little devil toying with people's hearts.
"She's looking over here too. If you don't answer soon, no matter how good your answer is, it won't change Kiana's opinion of you."
"If you continue like this, no matter what you say or do, your relationship will only grow more distant. I understand that's not what you want, and I don't understand why you're so persistent about Kiana and me. But there's one thing I'm sure of: your efforts are real, and your sad and painful feelings are also real."
"So, perform well. Make up your mind, and then win her back properly. No matter what happens, Raiden Mei... I will always be on your side."
Raiden Mei whispered in a voice that only she and Li Wu could hear.
After this explanation, Li Wu finally understood why this confession had come so suddenly.
Raiden Mei saw things more clearly and further ahead than he did.
Indeed, based on his current understanding of Kiana, an apology would probably not be forgiven. Although the system didn't say it, the hidden information in its words actually hinted that his apology would fail.
If he just walked over and apologized, even kneeling in front of Kiana wouldn't be enough to make her let it go.
Because she didn't care.
Words from someone she didn't care about were useless. Because she didn't care, what was said naturally didn't matter, it was dispensable and meaningless.
Li Wu gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and replied in a low voice, "I understand. Thank you."
"Mhm~ And one more thing, don't hit me anymore in the future. I'm not a masochist. Being choked and unable to breathe, even I would feel terrible, especially when the one hitting me is you... The past is the past, now is now. If you want to compensate me, remember to buy two portions of takoyaki tonight, one spicy, one original flavor~ Also, after this is over, just call me Mei. Anyone can call me Raiden, but now, I'm just your Mei."
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