I'll give my daughter one more second.

After all, school is currently the only point of intersection for the two of them.

After waiting a moment, seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha leave the classroom, Wu Shen immediately got up and went out as well. The two of them stood a distance apart, both silent, and headed up the stairs towards the rooftop.

By the time Wu Shen reached the top floor, the distance between them had already caused him to lose sight of Shi Yu. However, she should have already been waiting for Wu Shen on the rooftop.

As usual, the iron gate and lock leading to the rooftop were old and dilapidated, rendering them completely ineffective. A gentle breeze caused the chains hanging at the entrance to creak slightly.

Pushing open the rusty rooftop door, the iron gate emitted a screeching sound, and the stark temperature difference between the outside and inside made Wu Shen shiver involuntarily.

Looking closely, I saw Kasumigaoka Utaha standing not far from the rooftop entrance, her hands behind her back, and I could vaguely see that she was holding a yellow file folder.

This is definitely not a love letter; no one would package a love letter in a file folder. Wu Shen thought to himself, trying to ease the tension.

Just as Wu Shen was still pondering the likelihood that Shi Yu had summoned him to the rooftop to cover up her crime and was already imagining her saying to him, "Only the dead can keep secrets," Shi Yu finally spoke.

"Wu Shen, are you interested in light novels?"

Author's Note:

(～o￣▽￣)～o

Chapter 11, First Reader

So it was about light novels. Looks like what I said yesterday had an effect. As long as it wasn't about the bookstore discovering her secret yesterday, that's fine. Wu Shen felt relieved.

"Wu Shenjun, why do you seem relieved?" Shi Yu asked, puzzled by Wu Shen's reaction.

"I thought you were planning to kill someone to cover up what happened yesterday," Wu Shen said half-jokingly.

"No matter what, I would never do something illegal. You're overthinking it."

"I knew it, it was just a joke."

"At most, it's just a small punishment for those who don't keep secrets," Shi Yu said with a smile, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes.

When Shi Yu met Wu Shen, she considered scaring and teasing him first to ensure that he would keep his word and not reveal the secret.

"After I got home, I thought about it carefully, and Wu Shenjun's behavior yesterday seemed quite suspicious. First, he glanced at me after class, and then he seemed to say something sexually harassing." Kasumigaoka Utaha reached out and brushed a strand of her black hair that was blowing in the wind.

"Uh..." Wu Shen was speechless, unable to think of any words of defense, after all, what Shi Yu said was true.

But he couldn't easily explain it; he couldn't very well say that he was actively observing her in order to win her over, could he?

"After everything that's happened, and then we unexpectedly bumped into each other at the bookstore after school, don't you think it's a bit of a coincidence? Wu Shenjun, you're not the kind of person who stalks people, are you?"

"How could that be? A model young man like me! Yesterday's trip to the bookstore was absolutely a coincidence." Wu Shen quickly shook his head, answering righteously. This time, Wu Shen had a clear conscience. The encounter at the bookstore was definitely just an accident.

Shi Yu was taken aback by Wu Shen's reaction, but quickly regained her composure.

"Perhaps the bookstore was truly a coincidence, but what exactly did you mean by the first thing you said to me yesterday, Wu Shenjun?" Shi Yu revealed a playful smile, seemingly implying something.

Upon hearing this, cold sweat began to pour from Wu Shen's forehead.

Wu Shen knew perfectly well what she was referring to—the sentence he had blurted out when his brain went blank: "Your stockings are nice."

I thought Shiyu had forgotten about this because of the appearance of the dance costume, but now it seems that it's not that simple.

A demon, an absolute demon! What happened to the refined and intellectual female scholar I was promised? All I've encountered is a scheming and manipulative girl? Is this Shiyu's true, hidden nature?

However, now that he knew Shi Yu's true colors, Wu Shen had a plan. Rather than cowering and becoming passive, he would take the initiative and face the challenge head-on!

"Kasumigaoka-san, I admit I had a momentary lapse of judgment. As a man, I can't deny your charm, otherwise I wouldn't have blurted out those words unconsciously. If my unintentional words hurt you, please allow me to apologize! I really didn't mean it."

After speaking, Wu Shen bowed deeply to her.

"Huh?" Unexpectedly, Wu Shen admitted it so frankly and directly. Shi Yu herself was a little at a loss, and her face turned slightly red.

"There's no need to take it so seriously, I was just joking..."

"So you mean you've forgiven me, Kasumigaoka?" Wu Shen's eyes were now feigning utter innocence.

"Well... there's no question of forgiveness or not. I never said I absolutely had to make Wu Shen apologize."

"That's good. Now let's get down to business. Kasumigaoka, what brings you here?"

"Oh, here's the thing, I wanted to ask you..."

At this point, Shi Yu tilted her head and paused for a moment, suddenly feeling that something was amiss. She had initially intended to tease Wu Shen to gain the upper hand, but how did she end up being tricked by him so easily?

Seeing that Shi Yu had been successfully fooled, Wu Shen sighed inwardly: It's all a trick! It's all a trick!

"So, what brings you to Kasumigaoka?" Wu Shen pressed on, not giving her a chance to think any further.

"This is a novel written by my friend. I wonder if I could ask you to take a look and give me some feedback?" After hesitating for a long time, Shi Yu finally made up her mind and handed Wu Shen the file folder she was holding, which she had been hiding behind her back.

"Your friend? Why do I feel like this is from your novel, Kasumigaoka?" Opening the document folder, the title "Love Metronome" immediately came into view. Recalling what Mai had said, Wu Shen understood everything at this moment.

"Wu Shen-kun, if you don't want the rumors that you're a hardcore stocking fetishist to spread throughout the school, then don't ask questions you shouldn't ask, okay?" Kasumigaoka Utaha gave Wu Shen a gentle smile, but Wu Shen could clearly feel the surging dark killing intent and naked threat coming from the other side.

"I was wrong! This is a novel by my friend Kasumigaoka!"

"That's more like it. So, could you please give me some feedback and opinions after you've watched it?"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

"Very well, then I'll look forward to Wu Shenjun's reply, okay?" With a soft and warm voice, Shi Yu gracefully stepped off the rooftop.

"Let's just say it increased our intimacy level, shall we?" Holding the document bag in his hand, Wu Shen watched Shi Yu's figure gradually disappear into the distance and sighed to himself.

He had been worrying about how to discuss the novel with Shi Yu, but unexpectedly, Shi Yu came to find him the very next day. This saved him the trouble of wasting brain cells thinking of a solution.

As he walked back with the document bag, he happened to notice a strange girl pacing back and forth at the entrance of his classroom, as if hesitating about something.

She possessed a refined appearance, long black hair that reached past her shoulders, and an expression that was indifferent and aloof, yet her beauty was undeniably top-tier. Her slightly swaying black hair, her flawless, translucent skin, her bright eyes, and her thin, cherry-colored lips were all framed by red ribbon bows tied at the sides of her hair. She wore a formal school uniform and black knee-high socks.

"Another woman of the same caliber as Kasumigaoka Utaha." Wu Shen realized that his class was full of beauties. No wonder Utaha was only one of the strong candidates for first place in the "Most Popular Girl" poll. It seems the competition is quite fierce.

Seeing that Wu Shen seemed to be heading into the classroom, the girl approached him and said in a cool, indifferent voice, "Excuse me, can you wait a moment? I have a question for you. Do you know who Wu Shen is in this class?"

When she asked this question, her expression was both serious and apprehensive, as if she had made a great decision before asking.

Author's Note:

o(≧口≦)o Please vote for this post! And thank you to all the readers for your generous donations!

Chapter 12 Yukino's First Encounter

"I am Wu Shen. What do you need me for?" Wu Shen scratched his head, feeling quite surprised.

His high school years were almost entirely devoid of girls, so how did he ever meet such a beautiful girl?

"You...you are Wu Shen?" The girl raised an eyebrow, then suddenly froze. After a while, she came to her senses and carefully looked Wu Shen up and down.

Her expression and gaze had the air of a female guest on a dating show scrutinizing and observing the male protagonist.

Wu Shen subconsciously assumed the girl's next question would be: "Do you own a house and a car? How much savings do you have? How much is your salary? Can you cook?"

Feeling a little uneasy under his gaze, Wu Shen quickly asked, "Excuse me, what do you want?"

"Tall and mighty, handsome and brave, gentle and considerate, understanding... none of these qualities seem to match up?" The girl's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but Wu Shen, with his keen hearing, heard everything she said clearly.

"Hey, girl, what do you mean? If you want to pick a fight, just say so, okay?" Wu Shen's lips twitched slightly.

Are all the pretty girls these days so mean? First we witnessed Kasumigaoka Utaha's cunning, and now we have this cold, sarcastic girl!?

"I apologize, it was my rudeness. It's really impolite to say such things to someone you've just met. And judging a person based solely on first impressions is undoubtedly foolish."

At this point, the girl clearly realized that she had gone too far and apologized sincerely without any resistance.

"It's nothing." Wu Shen shook his head. Of course, he wasn't petty enough to hold a grudge over something like this.

However, by apologizing like this, she was implicitly admitting that her first impression of herself was indeed far from the lofty adjectives she had just used.

There's not much that can be done, because he really is just an ordinary person like anyone else. If there's any difference, it's probably his status as an international student.

"So what do you want from me?" Wu Shen was starting to get a little confused after the other party hadn't given him a straight answer so many times.

"It's nothing. I was just asked to check on the person she mentioned. My first impression of you is that you seem quite ordinary, with a very good temper. I guess you're passable..." A rare smile appeared on the girl's usually cool face.

After saying this, the girl turned around and walked away without looking back. When she reached a corner out of Wu's sight, the girl's footsteps suddenly quickened, and the hurried running sounds gradually faded into the distance.

"Oh no, I forgot to ask her name. I don't even know what she wanted from me." By the time Wu Shen tried to call her back, it was too late; the girl had already disappeared.

"Wu Shenjun, have you taken a fancy to that girl?" Shi Yu's voice suddenly rang out from behind, startling Wu Shenjun so much that he instinctively jumped back a step.

"I'm not going to eat you, why are you so scared?" Shiyu glared at her resentfully.

Eat me? Actually, I'd rather that happen. Wu Shen thought to himself.

Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha stand up from her seat and lean forward, just out of the classroom door, Wu Shen realized that Utaha had probably overheard their entire conversation from where she was sitting.

"I'm not scared, but you suddenly talking startled me. But I really don't know that girl."

"This is really surprising. Are there still boys who don't know that girl?" This time it was Shiyu's turn to be surprised.

"I don't usually pay much attention to things at school. Speaking of which, don't you, Kasumigaoka, also not pay much attention to school matters? How do you know about people in other classes?"

In her memory, Kasumigaoka Utaha was even more naive than herself, yet she seemed to know more.

"Because she was also someone who often competed with me for first place in the grade in exams. We got to know each other over time."

"First in the grade..."

Damn it, why do these top students talk about being number one in the grade so easily? Wu Shen himself struggles to even get into the top 300, and can only linger in the middle and lower ranks.

While part of the reason was his lack of proficiency in Japanese, his grades in China had always been mediocre.

"Then let me kindly give you a little background information. That girl's name is Yukino Yukinoshita, and she's quite famous at school."

"How exactly are they famous?"

"Needless to say, his academic performance was excellent. When we first entered high school as freshmen, we were in the same boat."

"Shouldn't we call them 'sisters in hardship' instead?"

Wu Shen recalled the information Nishimura Hideki had given him yesterday regarding Kasumigaoka Utaha's statement, which suggested that Utaha could deduce the situation during their first year of high school. Being called a "sister in misfortune" by Utaha meant she must be extremely popular and have received countless confessions of love.

"However, she's much colder than me, always keeping people at arm's length, and she's always straightforward and outspoken. So, compared to me, the confession storm subsided much sooner. Is Wu Shenjun inquiring about this because he's interested in this cold beauty?"

"Does Wu Shenjun have some kind of unusual fetish? A masochist?"

"Masochist? Your whole family are masochists!" Wu Shen thought to himself. But then he realized something was off. If Mai was right and he really did start a family with Shiyu in the future, Wu Shen's words seemed to have included himself and Mai in his criticism as well.

"Didn't you insist on giving me a science lesson?" Wu Shen said, feeling embarrassed.