“Young Miss, is this yours…?” Liang Sheng asked in surprise, holding out her palm.
Lu Ziqing’s face flushed bright red in an instant. “N-No! It’s not mine! That’s not my saliva!!!”
Well, well, talk about giving herself away!
Liang Sheng laughed mischievously and aimed her palm right at the girl’s cheek. Before Young Miss Lu Ziqing could even react, Liang Sheng swiftly smeared the saliva from her hand across that soft skin.
“Ah!” Lu Ziqing shrieked. She raised her hand to wipe it off, only to freeze in midair. Disgusted, she didn’t want to touch it—but leaving it there was even worse.
“Ahahahaha!” Liang Sheng couldn’t help but crack up at the sight. “Come on, Young Miss, what’s there to be grossed out about? That’s your own saliva! It’s like you’re disgusted with yourself!”
Lu Ziqing shot her a fierce glare. “Unlike you, who can’t tell clean from dirty! Saliva’s full of germs!”
Liang Sheng licked her lips with a cheeky grin. “So, does that mean my saliva’s full of saliva too, Young Miss~?”
Lu Ziqing ignored her; she was too busy panicking over the saliva on her own face.
“Young Miss?” Liang Sheng leaned in closer.
Though Lu Ziqing hadn’t lost any favorability toward her, she still felt a flicker of annoyance right then. She shoved Liang Sheng away. “Stay away from me! You jerk!”
Oh ho, getting feisty, are we? Liang Sheng narrowed her eyes. Fresh off playing the sadist and still in the mood, there was no way she’d let her tsundere Young Miss Lu Ziqing talk back like that.
“Young Miss…” Liang Sheng repeated softly.
Lu Ziqing looked up irritably. “Did you even hear what I… said?”
Slurp~ Smack~
Lu Ziqing stared blankly, her hand flying to her cheek—the one that had just been smeared with saliva.
Now there was a fresh layer of saliva on that pretty face. And it certainly wasn’t hers.
Whose was it~~? You figure it out~
“L-Liang Sheng!” Lu Ziqing bristled like an angry cat, her face as red as a boiled shrimp. She sprang to her feet with a whoosh, brandishing her little fists and swinging wildly, ready to rain blows down on Liang Sheng.
Startled, Liang Sheng threw up her arms to shield her gorgeous face. She lived off her looks—nobody was touching this pretty mug!
Luckily, the class bell rang right then, saving Liang Sheng from a beating.
But come the end of class, it’d just be another high-speed thrill ride.
“3!”
“2!!”
“1!!!”
Liang Sheng held her breath. Experience told her it was time to bolt!
Ding-a-ling!
The bell rang on cue.
To escape a pummeling from this beauty, Liang Sheng clutched her head and yelped as she dashed out of the classroom. No choice—she couldn’t stand the humiliation of taking hits from a tsundere like that!
She’d wait till the tsundere simmered down, then come back to tease—er, check on her. Otherwise, who else would she take it out on? After all, Liang Sheng was begging for it (self-awareness kicking in).
After sprinting a good distance, Liang Sheng glanced back. No one chasing. She slowed to a walk. Sigh, who could blame her? Miss Lu had been so cute back then—teasing her was just asking for it! Liang Sheng thought shamelessly.
Suddenly, she felt like a whipped dog, too scared to go home and forced to wander the streets. Pathetic. Cowardly.
No way! A real woman doesn’t fear her wife (scratch that), bah—her good friend! She sure as hell didn’t fear a few little punches!
Just little punches? Tank ’em! Liang Sheng puffed up her chest and marched back to the classroom with bold strides. She looked so heroic, her own Favorability System—Akino Kazuko—nearly cheered “What a champ!”
Ahem, of course, she slipped back in one second before the bell. Humans were clever creatures—cowardice had its place.
Class ended again. This time, Liang Sheng didn’t run. She strode to Lu Ziqing’s desk, posture all righteous determination.
Ho ho, face the whirlwind!
Watch! Liang Sheng braced herself, ready to snatch the blade barehanded!
Thwack! Young Miss Lu Ziqing’s little fist clocked her right on the noggin.
“Wahhh…” Liang Sheng’s eyes welled up with tears. She squatted down, clutching her throbbing head.
This time, it genuinely hurt—not an act.
Seeing Liang Sheng stay down like that, Lu Ziqing panicked. Had she hit too hard? What if something was seriously wrong?!
“Liang Sheng, you okay?!” At first, she kept up the tough front, like the girl deserved it. “Who told you to act like a jerk earlier? Smearing saliva on my face—I went easy on you!”
But the girl on the floor stayed silent, still huddled over her head.
No way… had she actually knocked her silly?
Lu Ziqing was starting to freak out, but as a proper tsundere, she had to stay stubborn—whether she should or not. That was rule one!
“Y-You started it by teasing me! Stop pretending!” She tried to sound fierce, but inside she was a wreck, terrified Liang Sheng might hate her. Terrified.
Right after she said it, a whimper came from the squatting girl—like she was crying.
Oh crap, Lu Ziqing totally lost it, her tough act crumbling. She dropped to a crouch and tugged frantically at Liang Sheng’s hands over her head.
But Liang Sheng wouldn’t budge. No matter how she pulled and pried, she held fast like a statue.
Lu Ziqing was desperate now. Her eyes reddened, tears pooling as guilt gnawed at her. Why the head? Why not the stomach (?!).
“L-Liang Sheng, don’t scare me like this!” Miss Lu’s voice broke into a sob.
All the while, Liang Sheng was stifling laughter. Seeing Lu Ziqing in such a state made her want to howl. Oh, my Young Miss, with that weak little swing—how bad could it hurt?
She’d been dazed and sore for the first thirty seconds, sure. After that? Pure acting.
And then she witnessed the funniest thing.
Enough was enough—time to stop. Liang Sheng let go of her head, looked up, and grinned at Lu Ziqing.
“Huh?” Her smile evaporated the moment she saw Miss Lu’s tear-streaked cheeks. “Y-Young Miss, w-why are you crying?”
Lu Ziqing hadn’t realized she’d been played. The tears just flowed.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Liang Sheng panicked. In a flash, she leaned in close, her lips brushing toward the girl’s damp cheek.
