Chapter 24: Words Are Done As Spoken
Leaning against the cold wall, I pressed my hand to my chest, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, calming my racing heart.
Okay! Mentally prepared, I’ll give it my all!
“Lianbing! You…”
“No time.”
Instantly shut down.
The emotions I’d built up all morning were dismissed before I could even start.
As expected, I have no talent for actively pursuing girls. Maybe I have some passive skill, but it’s completely useless when I make a move.
“Haaahhhhh…”
Why is this happening…?
Why did she suddenly become so cold!
During lunch break, I had planned to invite Lianbing on a date for Sunday, and also have lunch with her. But the plan failed, and I ended up eating with a few useless guys.
“Well, Brother Jun, even monkeys fall from trees sometimes, don’t be too sad.”
“Using that phrase here doesn’t really fit, does it? Juncheng isn’t some expert at charming girls…”
“Who said that! Brother Jun is a natural! Unlike those who play mind games or rely on their looks, he has a passive aura! Girls are naturally drawn to him, that’s the ultimate skill for charming girls!”
What the hell… I didn’t know I had any passive aura.
“Relying on looks… are you talking about yourself…?”
“What’s happening, the transfer student has completely become your lackey, Juncheng.”
My good friend A Liang, seeing Ji Zhibai fawning over me, seemed a bit… No, let’s not joke about that, it’s disgusting.
“Who knows what’s happening…”
If you’re a handsome guy, you should live up to your image and be chatting and laughing with beautiful girls!
“Still, I really didn’t expect Ji Lianbing to refuse you. From the fact that she confessed to you first, your success rate should have been high if you asked her out… Girls’ minds are truly fickle.”
“Light Novel.”
“Exactly…”
Moreover, I can’t even see through her emotions anymore. I don’t understand what she’s thinking at all…
Why is Lianbing suddenly treating me with icy indifference?
It seems like ever since I agreed to show Ji Zhibai around the school, Lianbing’s attitude towards me has changed.
Is it your fault? It’s all your fault, isn’t it? No matter how I look at it, Lianbing’s sudden change in attitude towards me is because you’re always by my side.
Feeling my murderous gaze, Ji Zhibai quickly raised his hands in front of him, offering an excuse.
“Uh, wait, Brother Jun! Why are you looking at me like that! This has nothing to do with me! I’m a guy! She wouldn’t possibly be jealous of me, right!”
That’s true.
No matter what, Lianbing wouldn’t think I’m interested in men.
“I think Brother Jun should try a different approach. Asking her out directly might be a bit too sudden.”
“Too sudden……”
I don’t quite understand.
My first date with Lianbing was initiated by her, but it seems there are rules to a man asking a woman out.
“For example, you could give her a small gift or something? Then, when she’s in a good mood, ask her out. The success rate will increase significantly.”
“Oh… I didn’t expect you to come up with imaginative ideas occasionally.”
“What do you mean occasionally? I’m always reliable!”
From now on, you’ll be my consultant number one! Ji Zhibai!
At this moment, I noticed A Liang hadn’t said anything. Seeing him looking in another direction, his attention completely elsewhere.
I know A Liang’s characteristic as an anomaly well – a peeping tom… passive, of course. He can always see special people or things in special circumstances. He’s the type of person who ‘knows a lot of things.’ That’s why A Liang, who knows nothing about the underworld, was also placed in this class. The organization might be protecting him and Gao Yingnuo this way.
So seeing A Liang looking elsewhere so intently, I knew he’d seen something again. I followed his gaze to the classroom door.
That person is Lou Ling.
…Standing!
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Huh?
As I looked at her, she also looked at me, and our gazes met in mid-air.
Catching her eye, I understood she was looking for me, so I stood up from my seat.
“Sorry, I’ll go see her first.”
“Wait, Juncheng, you know her?”
“Yeah, we met not too long ago.”
“…Has she been injured recently? Like, a serious leg injury?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
How did A Liang know about Lou Ling’s disability? Logically, this happened very recently, and no one should know about it. Let alone A Liang visiting her, that’s impossible.
A Liang shook his head and pushed up his glasses.
“No… Ji Yi…”
…Did A Liang witness the scene?
He saw Lou Ling lose her legs with his own eyes, that’s why he said that!
Then, it’s highly possible that he also saw who the Master of Fate was who took Lou Ling’s legs!
This is an important clue!
I’ll come back to ask A Liang in detail later.
I walked to the classroom door. Just as I was about to reach Lou Ling, I felt a gaze from behind, and my neck felt cold.
I immediately turned around but couldn’t find who it was… It felt like Lan… but Lan wasn’t here anymore…
Strange.
“An Juncheng.”
“Oh, let’s talk somewhere else. Your appearance is a bit too conspicuous.”
It wasn’t that her attire was strange; Lou Ling was still in her school uniform, but all her exposed skin was wrapped in bandages, making her look like a mummy, which was quite eye-catching. So we went to the infirmary. The infirmary teacher… well, there’s no teacher here year-round. No beautiful doctor, that’s for sure. However, Lily, as the librarian, is indeed a hidden beauty.
“Why are you at school? And, how can you stand up?”
“I forgot to tell you something yesterday, so I came to tell you. These are mechanized prosthetic limbs. It’s inconvenient to use the stairs in a wheelchair.”
“Mechanized prosthetic limbs? I can’t tell at all… Can I touch them?”
Visually, I felt they were no different from real legs. There were no visible seams at the joints. What kind of construction was this? I was really curious.
Although I had seen a lot of the organization’s black technology, it still piqued my curiosity every time.
“Strange request, but be my guest.”
To satisfy my curiosity, I had her sit on the infirmary bed, and then I knelt in front of her, touching Lou Ling’s lower leg.
It felt like real human skin, with impeccable smoothness and softness. Was this actually a real leg!
How was it made? There should at least be a connection point, right? Where is the connection point?
To find the connection point, I continued to move my hands upwards, as if searching for the end of a tape, hoping to feel any sense of incongruity.
But I found nothing.
Until I couldn’t help but slide my hands into her skirt and my fingertips touched a soft cloth covering, without feeling any seams.
How could this be?!
“Um, An Juncheng…”
Lou Ling’s embarrassed voice brought me back to my senses. I just realized what a idiotic thing I had done, touching her legs all the way to her thighs, even reaching into her skirt… I’m a pervert!
I quickly pulled my hands away, put them up in a surrender gesture, and explained awkwardly and anxiously.
“Ah, that, sorry… I was just looking for the interface…”
“No… the interface is covered by bio-synthetic skin. The entire lower body, it’s like pantyhose.”
“Oh! So that’s it! You mean the seam is at the waist!”
No wonder I couldn’t find it.
So it was covered by pantyhose-like skin.
I felt a sense of sudden realization, as if I had solved a puzzle. My mood increased by a few percentage points, while Lou Ling’s face turned a little red, and she fidgeted nervously, pressing her legs together.
“…I came to tell you something.”
“Oh, what is it?”
“…You can’t recover… your memories. That’s roughly it.”
She spoke very vaguely. Can’t recover memories? She means she can’t recover her memories in this world, right?
Is the world conveying this to me?
“Is someone telling you this?”
“…Who…?”
When I asked her, Lou Ling’s eyes became blank. She frowned, pressing her head, and muttered without an answer.
The current Lou Ling is not the world; she’s just a simulated personality.
And she hasn’t realized that she’s a character arranged by the world.
I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her… but I still didn’t tell her the truth. The fewer people who know about the existence of the world, the better.
“The only thing they want to convey to you is this. I’ll be going now.”
“Go? Where are you going?”
“Back to the hospital. I snuck out. The doctor said my body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
“Then why did you go to all the trouble to come tell me this in person! You could have just asked anyone to tell me!”
“…I thought it would be better to tell you directly.”
So she secretly ran away from the hospital and specifically installed mechanized prosthetic limbs to see me… Ah, she’s really my ‘heaven.’
How pure was this simulated personality set up to be…
So naive and cute.
Lou Ling didn’t plan to stay long. Like a robot doll that had completed its mission, she was preparing to return to where she belonged.
I called out to her.
“Wait! Lou Ling!”
“I will help you find your Miko! I promise!”
Before, I had only agreed to appease her, but now I had to take it seriously.
Even if you’re just a simulated personality, I will grant your wish!
“…Thank you.”
She nodded, gave a faint smile, and walked out of the infirmary.
I scratched my head, showing a wry smile. She’s really… ‘pure.’
