Love, Gun, Cupid

"Let me think about it some more... I don't want to be a fickle person. I need to clarify my feelings and do what I should do."

The confusion in Lin Jiade's eyes was replaced by determination. To be honest, his gaze, combined with his tall and muscular physique, was somewhat intimidating. But today, under the beautifying effect of a certain filter, Teacher Yang was surprisingly captivated, feeling a surge of attraction to the eyes of a real man.

Chapter Sixteen Part-time Jobs

Lin Jiade was unaware of the fatal misunderstanding between him and Teacher Yang. After helping her, he went back home, feeling relaxed and his steps became lighter.

"Let's play another game?" he said enthusiastically to his good friends. "I feel full of energy right now."

The guys waved and pointed into the woods, where the music students seemed to be putting on a performance. The boys watched intently, nine-tenths of their focus on the girls.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Senior Sister Hehuan and the others."

Lin Jiade used to watch it with great enthusiasm with his good friends, but now, Cupid has opened a new door for him, and his perception has quietly changed, causing him to lose interest in some things.

This isn't a good thing, because his own circumstances are only average. He knows very well that the pretty girls he likes usually don't like him back.

"Then I'll be going now," he said.

"It's so early, aren't you going to take a look at the girls before you leave? I remember there was a girl from the music department who went on a music talent show."

"I'm not interested in music."

He went to the men's restroom to change his clothes and stuffed his spiked shoes and shin guards into his backpack. On his way back, he ran into Jasmine again.

Jasmine sat in her wheelchair, seemingly watching adults playing with children on the nearby exercise equipment, or perhaps gazing at the setting sun in the distance. The golden hues of the sunset spread across her face, creating a poignant beauty.

Knowing that his sympathy wouldn't increase Jasmine's favor, the young man took a deep breath and calmly said, "Good afternoon, Jasmine."

Jasmine looked at him with a surprised expression; she probably thought he wouldn't talk to her anymore.

She nodded to Lin Jiade in response, taking Lin Jiade's actions as a form of social interaction between neighbors. However, Lin Jiade did not go upstairs immediately, but instead came to the wheelchair, maintaining a safe social distance.

Jasmine glanced at him, then continued looking ahead. Just then, she heard Lin Jiade say, "We can be considered to have some kind of connection, and I think... we can help each other."

"Mutual help?"

"Yes, I have a lot of things I want to buy: better football boots, authentic jerseys for my collection, autographed footballs, and gym equipment. For a college student, these expenses are not low."

Jasmine remained silent, so Lin Jiade had no choice but to continue, "I'm thinking of getting myself a part-time job. This morning, I saw your grades, and there's huge room for improvement, plus you have the financial means."

Therefore, I'm here to volunteer to be your tutor. We can discuss the fee; we're neighbors, and I'll definitely do my best.

If your grades don't improve after studying for a while, I'll resign and won't bother you anymore. Hmm... would you mind considering it?

Jasmine turned to look at Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade wanted to look away, but he restrained his instincts and remained motionless, accepting Jasmine's scrutiny.

He looked at Jasmine nervously. Jasmine considered for almost a minute before softly replying, "At market price?"

Lin Jiade was a beat slow to react, but once he understood the message Jasmine was conveying, he immediately replied, "Yay!"

He immediately exchanged contact information with Jasmine and arranged to tutor her for two hours each evening on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Although Jasmine remained indifferent, Lin Jiade felt this was a good start.

Things went much more smoothly than expected, to the point that Lin Jiade was overjoyed. Du Juan, who was about to tie on her apron, saw him return and remarked, "Wow, it looks a bit like a bear dancing."

"If you say so, then it is so!"

Du Juan asked curiously, "Did something good happen?"

Lin Jiade replied, "Well, I thought about it this afternoon, and after being encouraged by someone, I felt that I should figure out how I see Jasmine, and how Jasmine sees me."

"Didn't you get it right?"

"I thought I understood, but there's always a thorn in my side that's bothering me a lot."

"And who is it that comforts you?"

Without hesitation, Lin Jiade replied, "There's a teacher at my school. I vaguely told her about my troubles, and she gave me a lot of pep talks. I think what she said makes sense."

On the way back, I kept thinking about how to approach Jasmine. I'm not good at pleasing girls, and my physique can easily give people a rough impression. So, I might as well be a savage.

I told Jasmine directly that I was short of money, and that I could help her improve her grades. To be honest, given how abrupt the conversation was, I was already prepared to be rejected by Jasmine.

Jasmine didn't answer at first, seeming to be thinking or daydreaming. The longer she waited, the more disheartened I felt, but unexpectedly, she finally agreed.

Kewpie nodded: "That's definitely like your style, and then what?"

"Then, through tutoring, I got to know what kind of person Jasmine was, confirmed my own feelings, and also confirmed her feelings for me."

"If...we could really become lovers, that would be great, then you wouldn't have to worry about your studies. If it doesn't work out, there's still time to find someone else."

"So, you acted on my behalf?" Du Juan asked.

Lin Jiade found Du Juan's question a bit strange, so he answered directly: "Of course, I would never be in a hurry on my own. Even if I find out I like a girl, I will start by being friends and let things develop naturally."

Du Juan then smiled and nodded, saying, "Your courage is commendable, but in the future, it's best not to ask unrelated outsiders about these kinds of troubles."

"Will it cause you trouble?"

"Look, I still have to write a thesis and defend it. When my advisor reads the thesis and finds that my actions were inspired by others, if he asks me what role I played in this, am I supposed to answer, 'Is human diet really that hard to learn?'"

After she finished speaking, her expression turned serious: "This is just my personal opinion, you don't need to take it to heart. However, what I'm about to say isn't entirely my personal opinion—"

Even if it's in your mood, even if it will annoy you, I have to say it.

Lin Jiade looked somewhat bewildered. Du Juan took his hand and led him to sit down on the sofa. He asked, "What happened?"

"Today I finished reading the novel you gave me and was looking to borrow a new book when I found this on the bookshelf."

Du Juan pointed to the coffee table. Lin Jiade saw a book wrapped in brown leather. He had no recollection of the book. After opening it, he found a string of scribbles on the title page, but the signature at the end was his own.

Du Juan pointed to the scribbles and translated: "'To Lin Jiade, this is a kind greeting from David Moyes, a neighbor on the 16th floor.' That's the meaning of the sentence on the title page."

Lin Jiade suddenly looked at Du Juan: "That's absolutely impossible! I don't have that kind of recollection! I wouldn't dare say I know my bookshelves inside and out, but I remember every single book, I can guarantee that!"

Du Juan comforted her, "Alright, alright, don't get agitated. I think this isn't your fault, but rather that the person who gave you the book deliberately made you forget this fact, and your memory, along with the gift, is dormant outside your awareness."

Cupid reached out, and a pale pink magic enveloped the unfamiliar book. In an instant, the book's physical appearance distorted in Lin Jiade's eyes, transforming it into the shape of another book.

“This is a magic book. I’ve checked it, and it’s fine,” Du Juan said confidently. “Open it. Knowledge is benevolent and honest, and it never rejects those who are curious about its secrets.”

Chapter Seventeen: Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic

Lin Jiade saw the leather disappear from the book, turning into the color of steel, while a series of runes on the book's cover changed and collided, eventually transforming into characters he could understand.

He read out the book's title: "The Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic of the Papastathopoulos".

Du Juan explained, "As the name suggests, this is a magic book that studies and deconstructs the supernatural power system of the Papastathopoulos."

"Is that Pa thing even human?"

"It's just the kind of human you know. Humans are diverse: Makoto Itō is human, Touma Kamijou is human, Kayal is human, and Lelouch is human."

Lin Jiade asked with some curiosity, "Humans also possess extraordinary powers?"

Du Juan countered, "If humanity didn't have power, how would it have overwhelmed its unfriendly neighbors? By eating pineapples or by stealing oil from other races in tanker trucks?"

"Indeed, I think I can accept this setting."

Du Juan continued, "Extraordinary power is just a general term, just like sports and esports can be subdivided into many categories. Among them, it can be divided into:

Humans acquire extraordinary power by imitating other races and infringing on their intellectual property rights;

Observers like the heavens bestow extraordinary powers upon humankind for a variety of reasons;

Humans, in their idle contemplation, stroking their own bald heads, contemplated the extraordinary power they conceived.

“Witchcraft, oracle and magic?” Lin Jiade murmured.

Du Juan nodded: "The Papastathopoulos people classified the extraordinary powers possessed by humans in this way because it was simple, straightforward, clear and easy to understand, and it later became the standard for the Universal Empire to classify extraordinary powers."

The Celestial Realm is connected to this system, but we lack higher-level observers, so the Celestial Realm only possesses two powers: witchcraft and magic. Our magic, in particular, is the oracle of Homo sapiens.

Lin Jiade thought for a moment and said, "So, from your perspective, you saved me last Sunday night by using 'life magic,' while from my perspective, I received your 'life oracle.'"

"That's right, the reason I'm telling you so much... you know what I mean."

"Is this something I can learn for free?"

Lin Jiade leaned over and excitedly grabbed Du Juan's shoulders, shaking her twice. At least for this moment, he treated Du Juan as a good brother, so he acted without restraint.

Du Juan moved his hand away, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes as she did so, and replied, "It's not 'you can,' but if you continue to get close to Jasmine, then you 'must' possess magic to protect yourself."

"Something's wrong with Jasmine?"

Cupid nodded: "You see, her parents are mysterious and behave strangely. Her father gave you a magic book, but erased your memory and the existence of the magic book."

At least Jasmine's father possesses extraordinary powers... he may not be human. Therefore, there are several possibilities regarding his daughter Jasmine's identity; being an ordinary human is only one of them.

Lin Jiade hesitated for a moment and said, "But if Jasmine is really as you say, then why didn't she react when you brought her to the dream blind date?"

"You have a biased memory of Jasmine, so you think she's innocent and pitiful, always seeing her in a positive light. You can certainly see her as Madoka Kaname, but that doesn't stop me from seeing her as Nana Hiiragi—"

Maybe she's just pretending not to notice?

"You are the person I chose, and I cannot let you take any risks. Therefore, I will act based on the premise that 'she might harm you.'"

Lin Jiade shook his head: "Thank you. Let's put aside our differences about Jasmine for now and talk about magic."

Jasmine replied, "The Papastathopoulos are a people who believe in the evil of human nature. They believe that every misfortune they encounter is caused by the malice of others."

Furthermore, given the scarcity of resources in their environment, the extraordinary powers they developed focused on detection, protection, and repair, requiring very few casting materials—perfect for your current situation.

This long conversation consumed a glass of water... not for the cuckoo to drink, just as she doesn't need food, she doesn't need water to keep herself moist.

It was Lin Jiade's own excitement about learning magic and his anxiety about Jasmine's identity that caused him to feel thirsty, which led him to consume 300ml of drinking water.

Du Juan concluded: "In short, if you want to get close to Jasmine, who has identity X, then you must learn magic;

If you give up now, you can choose to learn selectively. No one can guarantee that the next being you'll have a 50/50 chance with will be human or non-human.

“Humans and non-humans… if they were all like you and Jasmine, I wouldn’t mind,” Lin Jiade said softly.

Du Juan laughed and said, "Because our appearances match your aesthetic standards, right? There's no need to be ashamed of it, Lin Jiade. A 19-year-old boy who isn't swayed by appearances or driven by his own preferences is abnormal."

After Cupid finished speaking, she left the silence to Lin Jiade, granting him the right to make his own decision. If Lin Jiade knew Cupid well, he would have recognized this as a rare act of kindness, and also as a dereliction of duty on Cupid's part.

This is because Cupid is a tyrant who controls love.

“I promised to tutor her, and I can’t go back on my word. Although it’s always good to be cautious, I can’t treat her as a dangerous person before I even know her…”

Lin Jiade muttered to himself as if trying to convince himself, "I don't know why her father gave me the magic book, but that doesn't stop me from learning magic to help Jasmine and protect myself."

Besides, who doesn't yearn for extraordinary power? When I was a kid, watching *Doraemon*, *Saint Seiya*, and *Captain Tsubasa*, I was always dreaming about it.

Du Juan asked curiously, "Leaving aside the first two, isn't 'Football O-Hand' about football?"