“A-Sheng!!!” Song An’an dashed forward in a flash, linking her arm with Liang Sheng’s and flashing that pure, adorable smile. “Of course! Let’s go home together~”
Lu Ziqing instantly soured. “You’re always clinging to Liang Sheng. Don’t you ever get tired of it?”
Song An’an tugged at Liang Sheng’s arm. “After all, A-Sheng loves the food I make~ She even invited me over to her place today, right, A-Sheng?”
Liang Sheng: “…”
Why dump this mess on me again? I just want to be an innocent bystander!
But some people were born protagonists. Just standing there, a protagonist halo gleamed above their heads.
“Ahh, well, I wanted to make some little desserts with An’an or something. She’s always bringing me food—it’s such a hassle for her, so tiring. I figured I’d learn a bit myself and not bother her all the time.” Liang Sheng tried to play both sides.
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Song An’an’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 185”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 180”
Phew~ Liang Sheng let out a long breath of relief.
The little pushover thought her A-Sheng was feeling sorry for her, reluctant to see her slaving away in the kitchen all the time.
The tsundere miss thought the woman she liked wanted to cut ties with that annoying pink-hair girl, stand on her own two feet, and eat less of the pink-hair girl’s cooking from now on.
Yep, nothing beat a girl’s knack for self-convincing!
“Tch~” Lu Ziqing’s mood lightened a bit, though she still refused to give Liang Sheng a friendly look.
Liang Sheng had grown used to it by now.
If Young Miss Lu hadn’t had violin lessons today, she definitely would’ve demanded to go home with Liang Sheng too.
“Liang Sheng, I’ve learned a new piece recently.” As they parted, Lu Ziqing paused with one foot already in the car and turned back to say this.
Liang Sheng took a few seconds to catch on, then her lips curved upward. “Mm! Then when you have time, Young Miss, play it for me~”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 185”
“Whoosh~” Favorability decreased.
“Song An’an’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 183.5”
Oh dear, the queen of jealousy included little Song An’an too.
Lu Ziqing was delighted that Liang Sheng had caught her meaning. She slid into the car. “Fine then! When this young miss has time, I’ll play it for you!”
What a tsundere—putting on this reluctant act, tossing out lines like “when I have time.” In truth, she was probably buzzing with anticipation inside.
“Let’s go, An’an.” Once Lu Ziqing’s car pulled away, Liang Sheng relaxed and took Song An’an’s hand. “Time to head home.”
We… home? Song An’an stared at their joined hands, fidgeting shyly for a good while.
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Song An’an’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 189”
As expected of a total pushover—just holding hands and it jumped that much.
She couldn’t push things too far, though, or this kid would cling even harder, leaving no room to charm other girls.
“I brought some desserts I made already. A-Sheng, have a bit later to tide you over, then I’ll teach you how.” Song An’an pulled a lunchbox from her bag with thoughtful care.
Liang Sheng pinched the girl’s cheek. “An’an’s such a good girl~ Knowing just how to look after me. The moment we get home, I’ll dig in—they’re sure to be delicious! No doubt about it!”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Song An’an’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 192”
Goodness, Song An’an’s favorability always delivered the best surprises.
Ah~ What a rush of confidence—like she was utterly irresistible!
Once home, Liang Sheng washed her hands and scooped up the little lunchbox from Song An’an. She grabbed the pastries inside and started munching.
Mmm! So fragrant and delicious!
She was eating happily when a black shadow suddenly flashed right in front of her.
Liang Sheng jolted. The pastry in her hand nearly tumbled to the floor.
“What the— what just slinked by? Zip zip, what the heck?!” Panic made her accent slip out.
Song An’an, in the kitchen tying on an apron, heard the commotion and rushed back to the living room. “What is it, A-Sheng?”
She hadn’t made heads or tails of what Liang Sheng had just said.
Liang Sheng scratched her head and scanned the room. “N-nothing. I must’ve seen wrong.”
It had to be the start-of-school homework overload scrambling her brain. Hmph! Homework wasn’t meant for humans!
But then—
“Ow, my goodness!” Liang Sheng leaped from the sofa, clutching the lunchbox tight.
True to her greedy nature, not a single pastry spilled; they were all safe.
“What’s wrong?!” Song An’an, who’d just returned to the kitchen, came dashing back again.
Liang Sheng’s trembling hand pointed toward where the shadow had vanished. “G-g-ghost! Ghost!”
The shout gave even the more timid Song An’an a start. She whipped her head around frantically, pressing close to Liang Sheng and clutching her arm— suspiciously like she was copping a feel. “What? What was that? I didn’t see anything! A-Sheng, don’t scare me like that.”
“I swear I didn’t! There was totally a black shadow—whoosh! Zipped right by, or flew, whatever!” Liang Sheng caught herself mid-ramble, not wanting Song An’an to get lost.
Tense, Song An’an blinked rapidly and swallowed hard. “It’s still daytime. Ghosts probably wouldn’t show up, right?”
Liang Sheng glanced outside, where dusk was falling. She tried to reassure herself too. “Probably not.”
Probably~
“Eeeek!” The black shadow flashed again.
This time, Song An’an’s sharp eyes caught it. “A-Sheng, that looks like… a kitten!”
“K-kitten?” Liang Sheng blinked in confusion.
Mustering her courage, Song An’an scurried over and spotted a fluffy black ball behind the sofa.
“It’s really a kitten!” She waved for Liang Sheng to come closer.
Reassured it was nothing bad, Liang Sheng approached, inwardly cringing at her earlier cowardice.
“Where?” Liang Sheng knelt beside her, bending to peer underneath.
The little crybaby pointed under the sofa. “It’s hiding in there.”
“Oh…” Liang Sheng squinted into the gloom.
The space under the sofa was pitch black, and with it being a black cat, it was nearly impossible to make out without looking closely.
“Where is it?” Liang Sheng still hadn’t spotted the thing.
Sensing Liang Sheng’s burning curiosity, the kitty obligingly turned around.
“Gah~”
Two green lights gleamed in the darkness, nearly scaring Liang Sheng out of her wits. But at least this time, she didn’t yell for her mom.
“Kitty, come on out~ Meow meow meow~~” Song An’an coaxed the cat beneath the sofa, trying to lure it.
Wow, those meows sounded spot-on. Song An’an’s cat impressions made Liang Sheng’s heart itch, her mischievous streak bubbling up again.
