Chapter 12: Wanting a Figurine
Official licensed figurines are generally much more expensive. Xiaomuqing always thought it was a tax on intelligence, how could such a small clay figure sell for hundreds or even thousands.
For the always-frugal Xiaomuqing, this was an exorbitant price. She would never buy one, no matter how much she liked it.
But now, hearing about a chance to get one for free, Xiaomuqing was instantly tempted.
Anyway, she wasn’t the one paying, and Lin Wenbin’s family was loaded. With both conditions met, refusing would be foolish.
“Nonsense! Is there a difference with official merchandise?!” Lin Wenbin’s eyes widened as he looked at Xiaomuqing like an idiot, a torrent of insults wanting to erupt.
“Emmm, fine.” Pretending to hesitate, then reluctantly agreeing.
In reality, she was already overjoyed. Thinking about owning her first figurine, and one of her favorite characters at that, Xiaomuqing was incredibly happy.
She decisively took out a cookie and handed it to Lin Wenbin.
However, she first glanced at the class president to ensure she wasn’t paying attention before completing this incredibly profitable transaction.
Both parties in the transaction were happy, and with this joy, they had fun for the entire morning.
“…Do you like collecting figurines?” Ye Ziming suddenly asked Xiaomuqing after the transaction was complete.
Although he wasn’t involved earlier, he had watched the whole process, including Xiaomuqing’s series of facial expressions.
He knew Xiaomuqing really liked this character and would often mention him. This reminded him of a netizen who also liked Eromanga Sensei.
Their profile picture and emoticons were all Eromanga Sensei, and they would get unusually excited when talking about the character.
However, he didn’t connect the two, because Xiaomuqing’s online persona was vastly different from her real-life behavior.
One was a sunny boy, the other was an online veteran (a girl), with lewd pictures flying everywhere, dirty jokes at the drop of a hat, and the first thing they’d say online was ‘Give me lewd pictures.’
What kind of person you are determines your friends, and Ye Ziming naturally had his own online identity he couldn’t reveal. It was only fair.
“Not really, I haven’t gotten any figurines yet.” Facing his good brother, Xiaomuqing hid nothing and immediately shared her joy.
She also complained a bit, criticizing those who bought figurines daily as either having a mine at home or too many holes in their brains.
“Next week, I’ll give you one.” After listening to Xiaomuqing’s story, Ye Ziming narrowed his eyes, a bit surprised, and said softly to her.
Seeing how happy Lin Wenbin’s gesture made Xiaomuqing, Ye Ziming suddenly had the idea to give her a figurine too.
“Huh? You… you don’t have to, that would be embarrassing. Suddenly giving me something so expensive.”
Although she said no, her body language conveyed the opposite. Instead, she looked expectant, wringing her hands nervously and blinking at Ye Ziming.
Her expression clearly said: Give it to me quickly, I really want it! The more the better!
“You… don’t like it?” Ye Ziming asked slowly, his eyes filled with a faint smile, his voice seemingly laced with a touch of regret.
For some reason, when Ye Ziming saw Xiaomuqing blinking at him, he felt a strange sensation.
He hadn’t intended to say this. He knew Xiaomuqing really wanted an Eromanga Sensei figurine, and this was just her last bit of modesty.
But he couldn’t resist the urge to tease Xiaomuqing.
“Ah, no, of course, I like it!” Xiaomuqing panicked after hearing this.
Xiaomuqing: This isn’t right! Why isn’t this person playing by the rules? Shouldn’t they try to get me to keep it, and then I’d accept?!
“I’ll bring it here for you next Monday.”
His smile grew more pronounced as he said this. The reason was that seeing Xiaomuqing’s nervous and cute appearance gave him an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
His smile drew the attention of many people. The classroom fell silent for a moment, and the girls, as well as the boys, turned their gazes towards him.
“Thanks, boss. Boss, you’re truly a good person. If I were a girl, I’d want to marry you.” Despite feeling a bit tricked, Xiaomuqing wasn’t angry at all.
As long as she thought about getting another figurine, Xiaomuqing couldn’t get angry. All she felt was gratitude towards her good brother.
“Okay.” Nodding, Ye Ziming withdrew his gaze and murmured, actually considering the feasibility of the matter in his mind.
If Xiaomuqing were a girl, he thought they could develop something. Who wouldn’t like a thrifty, kind, and cute little girl?
Ye Ziming: So why isn’t she a girl.
The two continued to interact. When Xiaomuqing said this, she still considered herself a boy.
In the year they’d spent together in high school, Xiaomuqing couldn’t remember how many times she’d said similar things, with roughly the same meaning.
If I were a girl, I’d let my bro have fun.
Watching their interaction, the other students were momentarily unsure who to envy.
The break after morning self-study sessions was a bit longer. During this time, the class president successfully collected the summer homework. A tall stack of notebooks was placed on her desk.
She couldn’t possibly move such a thick stack of homework to the office by herself. Usually, one or two boys would be needed to help.
At this moment, she stood behind Xiaomuqing, intending to ask for help moving things and using the opportunity to invite them to a Comiket that weekend.
However, seeing the two interacting so harmoniously, Zhang Xiaoling suddenly felt redundant and couldn’t find a way to insert herself into their conversation.
“Xiaoling, I’ll help you move it.”
While she was still hesitating on how to address Lin Muqing and ask for help, Lin Wenbin’s voice suddenly came from the side.
As he spoke, he stood up from his chair and walked directly towards Zhang Xiaoling’s desk.
“Ah… there’s a lot of homework this time.” Zhang Xiaoling seemed hesitant, wanting to stop Lin Wenbin, who was preparing to carry all the homework.
After picking it up, the homework seemed taller than him, completely obscuring Lin Wenbin’s face.
“It’s just this much. I can carry more if needed. Let’s go.” Turning his head and grinning, he then walked out the door on his own.
“Oh dear! Be careful, it’s going to fall!” Zhang Xiaoling, still holding a small plate of homework, panicked watching Lin Wenbin’s actions.
She quickly followed him, her face filled with anxiety, afraid of something unexpected happening. For a moment, she didn’t know if she was worried about the homework or the person.
“Don’t worry, it won’t.”
The voice came from outside the door, and Lin Wenbin could be heard laughing happily.
