“Experiment? What do you mean?”
Lin Xi raised his hand, continuing to observe her with great interest.
Sakurajima Mai glanced at him with a hint of melancholy, biting her lip.
“Before we talk, I want to know your name.”
“I’m Lin Xi, the class president of Class F in the first year. And you are Senior Sakurajima Mai.”
Lin Xi replied with a smile.
The girl was immediately taken aback.
But she quickly calmed down.
After all, she was a child star and now a well-known actress; it was normal for this boy to know her.
“Oh, Lin Xi, right? I’ll remember you.”
“Class is about to start, let’s head back to the classroom.”
She had a look that suggested she was in a hurry, but inside, knowing he was her junior and what class he was in made her quite happy.
“So, you’re not going to talk about that experiment?” Lin Xi looked at her in confusion.
Sakurajima Mai raised an eyebrow, “Would you believe me if I told you?”
She was still hesitating about whether to tell him.
Lin Xi shrugged helplessly and countered:
“How would you know if I would believe you if you don’t say anything?”
“Sometimes, you might encounter a bunny girl senior at school whom only you can see. I thought I was dreaming.”
“Then just treat it like a dream.”
Sakurajima Mai said as she briskly walked past him.
As she passed, she deliberately tossed her hair back.
The glossy black strands brushed against his face, bringing with them a delightful fragrance.
Lin Xi covered his face, feeling somewhat speechless.
Did he just get hit by the bunny girl senior’s hair?
Sakurajima Mai quickly disappeared from his sight, and Lin Xi shook his head helplessly, heading towards the classroom himself.
He was almost late.
As soon as he entered the classroom, he noticed a girl looking at him in surprise.
Following her gaze, he found it was Kawasaki Saki.
Lin Xi felt a bit puzzled.
When did Classmate Kawasaki start paying attention to him?
Oh, the one who looked over the most was still Yuubihama Yui.
Thinking about it made Lin Xi want to complain.
It had been almost a week since the dog rescue incident.
This girl still hadn’t come to thank him.
If this drags on, her gratitude will become less sincere!
Unless she turns herself in, that would show some sincerity.
Lin Xi silently complained in his heart, thinking about the good things, and stopped paying attention.
Yuubihama would definitely come to his side; he was confident of that.
Currently, his targets were Miura Yumeko, Shiina Mashiro, and Yukinoshita Yukino.
With too many people, things could easily go wrong.
So it was better to be cautious.
Of course, Senior Sakurajima Mai was an unexpected delight.
He had a feeling that this senior would come looking for him again.
From the original work,
Sakurajima Mai was affected by a peculiar phenomenon caused by a “youth syndrome,” leading to her existence disappearing from others' sight.
But thinking about it carefully, wasn’t this just a supernatural event?
Perhaps during some action, Sakurajima Mai inadvertently helped some existence.
And in return, that existence granted her wish to not be noticed, photographed, or followed.
But after the wish was granted, it brought about an unfortunate outcome for Sakurajima Mai.
She would slowly be forgotten by everyone.
When no one remembered her, she would become an observer of the world, unable to be discovered by anyone.
It sounded impressive.
But from a realistic perspective, it meant that everyone in the world isolated her.
She would live in a world of her own, only able to watch others’ happiness or sorrow from afar.
………
Before he knew it,
it was time for club activities.
And Lin Xi was a standard member of the Going Home Club.
So he planned to head straight home.
Shiina Mashiro, however, accepted Miura Yumeko’s invitation and planned to go sing together.
Lin Xi didn’t wait for her.
Since he had nothing to do,
he decided to wait outside Miura Yumeko’s classroom since he had made some progress with her today.
Seeing him, the girl was quite surprised.
“Lin-kun, are you waiting for me?”
Lin Xi smiled slightly.
“I only know you in your class, so who else could I wait for?”
“Shall we go home together, Yumeko?”
This “Yumeko” made the girl shiver slightly, a blush appearing on her cheeks.
“Sure.”
She readily agreed.
The surrounding classmates looked on in amazement.
They couldn’t understand why a handsome guy like Lin Xi would specifically come to find the gloomy girl Miura Yumeko.
Lin Xi ignored their gazes.
He walked side by side with Miura Yumeko in the corridor.
Suddenly, a boy with short golden hair ran over, his eyes fixed on Miura Yumeko, and he enthusiastically said:
“Um, Miura-san, there’s a baseball training match tomorrow. Will you come to watch?”
Miura Yumeko didn’t like that heated gaze, so she instinctively hid behind Lin Xi.
She reached out her small hand to grab the hem of Lin Xi’s shirt, as if that would give her a sense of security.
“Sorry, Ouga-kun, I don’t like baseball, and I have other plans tomorrow.”
Miura Yumeko’s words were filled with rejection.
Ouga Taiyou looked a bit disappointed.
His gaze fell on the boy being tugged by the girl, a fleeting shadow of gloom passing through his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a bright smile.
“Hello, I’m Ouga Taiyou from Class C, may I ask if you’re interested in baseball? Are you coming to watch the match tomorrow?”
“Oh, I’m Lin Xi from Class F. Nice to meet you, Ouga-kun. Sorry, like Yumeko, I’m also not interested in baseball.”
“Uh, I see… Sorry for bothering you. By the way, Lin-kun, what’s your relationship with Miura?”
Not being able to invite the goddess to watch his performance on the field, Ouga Taiyou felt a bit disappointed.
He stubbornly continued to ask the question he had been curious about since the beginning.
Lin Xi was about to answer.
But Miura Yumeko smiled and held his hand, shyly smiling at Ouga Taiyou.
“Actually, Lin-kun and I are trying to date right now. We’ve made plans to hang out tomorrow, so sorry, Ouga-kun, we won’t have time to cheer for you.”
“Ah!! Is that so? Sorry for interrupting you.”
Ouga Taiyou looked as if struck by lightning, his shoulders drooping in disappointment.
He ran away, feeling both sad and embarrassed.
Lin Xi then turned to the shy Miura Yumeko beside him.
“Yumeko, are we dating?”
Miura Yumeko’s delicate hand holding his moved slightly but didn’t break free.
She helplessly said, “I was just lying to him. I really don’t want him to pester me.”
“Um, Lin Xi, could you let go of my hand?”
“I don’t want to let go for now; it feels nice holding it.”
This straightforward remark made Miura Yumeko roll her eyes at him.
“I have no objections, but can you bear to see an unpopular gloomy girl suddenly have a handsome boyfriend and get ostracized by the girls in class?”
“If that’s the case, can’t you just go back to how you were before? What, are you afraid I can’t protect you?”
“………”
Miura Yumeko sighed; he had indeed guessed that she was disguising herself.
“I’m not ready yet… and I don’t want to draw attention for now.”
“Alright, just let me know when you’re ready. I’m all set for battle!”
“Pfft, you make it sound like you’re going to fight for me.”
“Isn’t that the case? Didn’t I just scare one away?”
“Yes, yes, yes, you’re the most impressive, but that guy is the ace of the baseball team; he probably won’t give up easily. So can you still be impressive next time?”
She looked at him expectantly.
“Of course, I’ll be impressive. I’m very happy to be your shield.”
“Pfft, can’t it be a backup boyfriend instead?” She said with a smile, poking his waist with her finger.
After correcting his statement, her smile didn’t fade.
Lin Xi curiously asked, “So how do you know Ouga Taiyou?”
Although he knew the original plot, this was a mixed anime world, which was still different from the original.
Miura Yumeko didn’t hide it.
“Actually, I’m not familiar with him. I just saw him play during the regional baseball tournament last year with friends, and after he lost, he hid backstage and cried while hitting the wall.”
“My friend said a few comforting words to him.”
“My friend knows him, so I guess I’m a friend of a friend.”
That friend was, of course, the comatose Hikari-ji Yumeko lying in the hospital.
And Ouga Taiyou initially liked Hikari-ji Yumeko.
Miura Yumeko’s makeup skills were taught by Hikari-ji Yumeko.
The two were very similar.
Similar situations, similar beauty and figure.
And initially, it was Hikari-ji Yumeko who took the initiative to approach Miura Yumeko and became friends.
“So that’s how it is; he sees you as a substitute for your friend?”
“What substitute? That sounds so harsh. Can’t it be that my own charm is more attractive?”
The girl shot him an unhappy glare.
Lin Xi made a sour expression.
“So, Ouga Taiyou has seen your true self without disguise? But I haven’t, isn’t that a bit unfair for a backup boyfriend?”
Seeing his sour expression, Miura Yumeko couldn’t help but cover her mouth and giggle.
“Alright, I’ll let you see it once, just this once.”
She hooked her arm around his neck and took off her glasses.
Without the reflective glasses to cover her,
a face that could rival Yukinoshita Yukino and Shiina Mashiro, so cute it was almost unfair, appeared before his eyes.
The girl’s water-blue eyes were as clear as water, sparkling with a captivating luster.
Miura Yumeko seemed very satisfied with his shock, and she quickly put her glasses back on.
“Are you satisfied now, my backup boyfriend?”
“I’d be even more satisfied if I could get a kiss.”
“You’re dreaming! That’s a privilege for a formal boyfriend; you’re still far from it!”
Miura Yumeko huffed and quickened her pace to leave.
As if she didn’t know?
This guy, although handsome, was quite the flirt.
But for now, she still had a good impression of him.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have leaned her head on his shoulder at noon and let him wrap his arms around her waist.
She understood.
Shiina Mashiro had a beauty that could rival her own, shining brightly in front of others.
While she seemed a bit gloomy…
It was normal for Lin Xi to have feelings for Shiina Mashiro.
Who wouldn’t like a super beautiful girl who was bubbly, cheerful, academically excellent, athletic, and a great cook?
But understanding was one thing.
She didn’t agree with his idea of having a harem.
What Miura Yumeko didn’t tell Lin Xi was that she lived on the second floor and could see his room’s scenery through a telescope.
And that time, when Ueino Misaki sneaked into his room, she still felt her face flush when she thought about it now.