“As long as she manifests herself, she’ll be able to hear me,” Kazuko added.
“She’s already starting to suspect me,” Liang Sheng said, panic rising in her voice.
Kazuko tried to reassure her. “Calm down. She’s just making guesses right now.”
Liang Sheng patted her chest and took off her hat to wipe the sweat beading on her forehead. “That ‘time’ he mentioned—is that the reason Bai Zhen didn’t increase her favorability?”
“Yes,” Kazuko sighed.
Liang Sheng fell silent for a moment, her gaze fixed intently on the door to the stall. “Kazuko, what exactly are you hiding from me?”
The question caught Kazuko off guard. She stammered, “Hiding what? What are you talking about?”
Liang Sheng grew irritated at not being able to see Kazuko’s face. “Even an idiot could pick up on the inconsistencies in what she said!”
Silence stretched on for a long while in response. Liang Sheng let out a sigh. “Fine, I won’t push you. I was just getting ahead of myself.”
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay.” Liang Sheng waved it off. “You must have your reasons for not telling me. Otherwise, why wouldn’t you do it for my own good?”
“Then you should be able to answer this one, right?” Liang Sheng pressed. “Why doesn’t Su Ze’s system communicate directly in his mind?”
Kazuko hesitated before answering, her words a bit vague. “Well, she… um, it’s a side effect. Simply put, it’s a glitch that cropped up later on.”
Liang Sheng nodded and didn’t pry further.
“Let’s get out of here,” Kazuko reminded her. “Haven’t you noticed after being in here so long…?”
Liang Sheng suddenly realized. “Shit, damn it! I’ve been heaving for breath in the men’s room this whole time.” The thought made her stomach churn. She flung open the door and bolted out.
Once outside, she spotted a group of high school boys heading in. They caught sight of her and froze in horror, their forward steps halting midair as they backed away en masse. They glanced at the sign by the door—yep, definitely the men’s restroom.
Liang Sheng and the boys stared at each other. An awkward silence bloomed. Her brain short-circuited, but her body moved on autopilot. She raised a hand and called out, “Hi~”
…???
Both Liang Sheng and the boys were stunned. What kind of bizarre move was that?
“Ahem!” She shoved past the high schoolers and fled in embarrassment. They watched her retreating figure, their eyes a mix of three parts terror to seven parts bafflement, forming a perfect pie chart.
“Don’t head straight back,” Kazuko cautioned. “Su Ze might pick up on something off.”
Liang Sheng agreed. She ducked into a nearby snack shop, grabbed a bag of treats, and only then strolled leisurely back.
When she returned, she saw Bai Zhen chatting amiably with Su Ze. Liang Sheng’s brows furrowed tightly before slowly relaxing. Acting as if nothing had happened, she bounced over and plopped down beside Bai Zhen.
“Oh, Sister Bai Zhen, you know Su Ze?” Liang Sheng feigned surprise, her expression perfectly pitched—not over the top, not wooden.
Bai Zhen nodded with a smile. “Yeah, Su Ze’s pretty interesting. We really hit it off.”
“Ohhh…” Liang Sheng drew out the word. “So how did you and Sister Bai Zhen meet, Su Ze?” Her pretty eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Su Ze chuckled lightly. “We just ran into each other by chance. We clicked with Sister Bai Zhen, so we chatted for a bit.”
Liang Sheng pouted slightly and let out a little “hmph.” Jealousy crept into her gaze toward Bai Zhen. Her small hands clenched on the table, as if holding back anger, while her peripheral vision stayed locked on Su Ze.
Su Ze clearly hadn’t expected this reaction from her. His eyes widened in disbelief at the scene. Then a smug, victorious glint appeared, and he leaned back in his chair with a bright, sunny smile.
Liang Sheng nearly burst out laughing. This guy was so full of himself—he really thought she liked him, huh? Pfft, narcissistic Big Pig Hoof.
No helping it; she had to play the part for now. If the Heartthrob Value System caught on, she’d be in trouble. Liang Sheng ran through a litany of mental pep talks, because pretending to like Su Ze was making her physically ill.
“Sister Bai Zhen, let’s go check out that side over there.” Liang Sheng grabbed Bai Zhen’s arm and gave it a gentle shake, turning on the cute act. She couldn’t boost favorability herself, so she sure as hell wouldn’t let Su Ze rack up heartthrob points.
Bai Zhen looked a bit helpless but smiled and patted Liang Sheng’s head. “Alright, alright, let’s go.” She glanced at Su Ze. “Want to join us?”
Liang Sheng gritted her teeth inwardly. Damn it, Bai Zhen really only had eyes for Su Ze. Don’t agree, please don’t agree, come on, Su Ze, don’t screw this up!
Su Ze didn’t disappoint. He shook his head. “You two go ahead. I wouldn’t want to tag along while girls have fun.” He sounded just like a perfect gentleman.
Liang Sheng hugged Bai Zhen’s arm, ready to leave, but paused and glanced back at Su Ze with a pouty “hmph”—the picture of tsundere cuteness, as if peeved that he and Bai Zhen were so chummy.
Su Ze beamed warmly and winked at her. Goosebumps erupted all over Liang Sheng. She barely kept her sweet, adorable facade in place. No way! She wanted to run to the bathroom and puke! So greasy, so gross!
She whipped her head around, rolling her eyes dramatically. Hanging with Su Ze was like cooking all year without needing oil—his sleazy vibe provided plenty.
“What’s this little game you’re playing?” Kazuko teased, watching the whole exchange. “Pretending to be the pure, lovestruck little sister?”
Liang Sheng snorted. “Doesn’t he love girls fawning over him? So I’ll give him a show. It’ll throw the Heartthrob Value System off my trail too.”
Kazuko praised her lavishly, leaving Liang Sheng beside herself with joy. The Favorability System usually just roasted her, so this was like the sun rising in the west—who wouldn’t be thrilled?
Arm in arm with Bai Zhen, Liang Sheng skipped along. “Sister Bai Zhen, how exactly did you meet Su Ze?”
“Oh, him? We just bumped into each other a few days ago,” Bai Zhen brushed it off with a smile.
“I wanna hear all the details~” Liang Sheng wheedled, pulling her most pitifully adorable face. Who could say no to that?
“Hmm.” Bai Zhen thought back. “Three or four days ago, I guess. I’d just finished streaming and went for some milk tea. It was getting late, and Su Ze had snagged the last one in my favorite flavor. I was a little bummed.”
“And then he gave it to you?” Liang Sheng jumped in eagerly.
“Yep~” Bai Zhen grinned and pinched Liang Sheng’s soft, springy cheek.
“Hey! Little Sister Liang Sheng, why are you asking for all these details? Don’t tell me… you like Su Ze?” Bai Zhen teased wickedly.
Liang Sheng’s stomach turned. She hurried to explain. “N-No! My little sister Liang Jin has a crush on him. She told me to keep an eye on him!” Sorry, Little Sister—big sis owes you one!
