Chapter 808: Chapter 7: Catch What Exactly?
The silver-haired, red-eyed girl pretended to be fierce as she pinned the young man against the blackboard, angrily questioning him.
Then she noticed that the opposite party showed no sign of panic, merely calm observation of her, with those clear eyes carrying a subtle, mysterious smile.
This undoubtedly made her even more furious and annoyed, yet she couldn’t really act out, carefully suppressing her flame and power to avoid truly harming the other party. She could only try to appear more menacing, her voice fierce as she hissed, "What are you laughing at! What’s so funny!!"
This despicable outsider, she had been observing for days and couldn’t hold back any longer before confronting him directly.
Mainly because she couldn’t think of any other good method, as she was accustomed to solving problems directly, not adept at thinking through twists and turns. However, this situation was more troublesome than simply encountering an enemy, she couldn’t easily solve the problem through combat.
"Nothing..."
Gu Mo slightly restrained the smile in his eyes and replied earnestly.
"I have no ill intent towards Teacher Keine. Miss Fujiwara, you must have misunderstood."
He recognized this silver-haired, red-eyed girl. Her name was Fujiwara no Meihong, and she seemed to have a very deep bond with Kamishirasawa Keine, so it was no wonder she was acting so nervous and concerned. Moreover, he also had some impression of this girl, not from when he started working at the temple school, but from a relatively long time before.
Fujiwara no Meihong.
The daughter of a noble family from the Nara Era.
Her father was Fujiwara no Fuhito, an early Nara Era duke, who held positions such as Grand Minister and Right Minister... Also appeared in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, playing the role of "Prince Chariot" as a cameo.
At that time, she was young and held enmity towards Kaguya due to her father’s shame, wanting revenge against her. Unfortunately, she had exhausted all her Kung Fu yet couldn’t get close to Kaguya then. Gu Mo had heard a bit about these things back then, so even without much contact, he had some impression.
He just didn’t expect that after so long, he would meet this girl again.
Moreover, Fujiwara no Meihong had transformed from the carefree daughter of a noble family into the delinquent girl she was now... Strangely, she also became a Penglai person, the boundary between life and death vanished. Except for her white hair and red eyes, nothing else changed.
Momentarily, Gu Mo wondered if he should lament "time is a butcher’s knife."
"You still say there’s nothing!"
Fujiwara no Meihong didn’t perceive what the young man opposite her was thinking, just glared at him more angrily, as if trying to kill him with her gaze—
"Clearly, you’ve been getting so close to Keine these days! How do you explain this?! I saw it with my own eyes! Do you still want to deny it?!"
"..."
"..."
"I can’t explain that either, Miss Fujiwara."
Gu Mo sighed theatrically, as if very helpless: "If you observe closely, you should notice, haven’t these days been Teacher Keine coming to find me? And we’re just having very simple academic exchanges, nothing else..."
"Goddamn... you bastard!"
Fujiwara no Meihong was furious, but didn’t know what to say.
Apparently, that’s indeed the case. During these days, it was Keine eagerly coming to this outsider on her own initiative. But because of this, she felt an urgent sense of crisis. If it were just this pretty boy’s unilateral fantasy, it would be fine...
—But now it’s Keine taking the initiative!
—It’s simply unprecedented!
Who knows if they’re only exchanging academic ideas? And even if right now they’re just discussing academic matters and sharing educational experience, who can ensure it’ll always remain that way... Fujiwara no Meihong was somewhat panicked and worried, while also resisting this matter.
It’s not just her not wanting Keine to leave her, years of emotion have given her a deep bond with Keine, the latter’s significance to her is huge, being an existence akin to both teacher and mother and sister...
Also, she truly doesn’t wish for Keine to get hurt— after all, in Fantasy Land there’s a few instances of humans and non-human beings eventually coming together, though rare among rarities. Yet such a situation cannot often be avoided.
Maybe in a brief lifetime, both parties indeed had brief moments of dream-like happiness.
But the inevitable problem that follows cannot be avoided...
It’s the unavoidable sorrow of one party watching the other die first, and then enduring a long life of loneliness and pain.
With those examples flooding her mind, Fujiwara no Meihong took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but she couldn’t help glaring at the detestable pretty boy in front of her.
She had felt something off these past days but within an acceptable range. Until this morning, when she rarely wanted to return to the temple school for a meal, Keine did not, as usual, warmly and attentively cook for her, and also didn’t open a mother-mode nagging session but told her she was temporarily unavailable today—
Because she had already scheduled an appointment.
Kamishirasawa Keine was going to continue using her time, learning the advanced teaching experience brought by Teacher Gu Mo from the outside world.
It was really very useful, Miss Kamishirasawa felt her classroom efficiency was improving daily, and a lifetime spent teaching, nature’s interest heightened, very humbly continuing to ask for advice, attempting to further enhance her teaching skills, which was her lifelong career pursuit.
But for Fujiwara no Meihong, it was simply a bolt from the blue.
That’s why she’s so on edge now.
She used to not want to trouble Keine, but she couldn’t refuse the latter’s kindness, and would always be called back to the Temple School every now and then to have a meal with her... But now she’s the one actively wanting to come back for a meal, and it turns out Keine doesn’t have the time to accompany her?
If she doesn’t do something, Keine will definitely be taken away, thought the white-haired, red-eyed girl angrily and warily. Her bright red eyes were fixed on the young man in front of her. How come things were going so well with Keine, and then suddenly this guy pops up.
"Don’t worry, I’m not here to break up your Temple Group, I’m here to join... Oh no, I’m just here to teach, who knows for how long, and my relationship with Teacher Keine is purely professional."
Gu Mo didn’t think much of it and explained casually.
"Join what? And how am I supposed to believe you?!"
Fujiwara no Meihong was filled with anger, oblivious to the fact that the young man seemed to have caught onto her thoughts. She just continued to ask harshly, absolutely not believing what this guy was saying.
"Well... whether to believe it or not is up to you, right?" Gu Mo pondered for a moment, unsure, and said, "I can’t exactly give you a written guarantee, can I?"
That sounded very unreliable.
Fujiwara no Meihong wasn’t that naive. She bit her lip, feeling more and more anxious... What should be done in this situation? A written guarantee wasn’t a good idea, even she didn’t think so. The best thing now is to prevent any sparks between the two.
Even though there’s no sign of that happening yet...
But after all, it’s better to nip it in the bud...
After all, with Keine being proactively rare like this, and showing admiration for an ordinary person’s knowledge for the first time, even a hint of reverence makes Fujiwara no Meihong wary. It’s almost like a role reversal where she feels like a protective mother afraid of her precious cabbage being stolen.
"You... you shouldn’t be alone with Keine lately."
Biting her lip, the white-haired girl said this.
"Alright, I’ll definitely not speak a word to Teacher Keine from now on..." Gu Mo nodded placidly, seeming very cooperative.
"Are you stupid?!" Fujiwara no Meihong was immediately frustrated. "That’s too obvious, Keine will definitely get suspicious!"
Then, she’ll have to brace herself for a headbutt!
Though if a few headbutts could solve this problem, it might be worth it. But the worst fear is, if she takes those headbutts and Keine still doesn’t change her mind...
"Then what should I do?" Gu Mo adeptly passed the buck back, looking at the white-haired girl’s troubled expression with interest.
"Wait a minute, let me think..."
Fujiwara no Meihong was in a mess, why is this matter so troublesome!
Before she could come up with a perfect solution, a voice of surprise suddenly came from outside the door—
"You guys...!!"
At that instant, Fujiwara no Meihong was also startled, she turned her head instinctively, only to find a doll-like, delicate-faced blond maiden standing in the classroom doorway, utterly astonished at the sight inside.
If it weren’t for the girl’s presence, blocking the oblique evening sun casting through the door and changing the light, one would never have noticed her approach.
Upon realizing who it was, the white-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief.
It really gave her a scare. She thought Keine had returned so soon from Akyu! But why is the Puppet Master here at this time?
As this doubt crossed her mind, Fujiwara no Meihong saw Miss Alice standing outside, her face full of surprise as if having just realized something. Whether it was an illusion or not, it seemed a layer of cold rapidly spread across her exquisite face.
Alice spoke in her usually indifferent tone, but even more chillingly, "What are you... doing?!"
The oblique casting of the evening sun...
The afterglow on the classroom...
In that lonely, ineffable, empty backdrop, the white-haired girl had cornered the young man against the wall with one hand leaned on it, striking a classic pose, leaving him nowhere to escape...
The scene had an indescribable feel, and the reversed height difference added a unique flavor.
However, at this moment, standing at the classroom door, the blond maiden was witnessing the scene inside and, for some reason, her forehead bore a conspicuous throbbing vein mark.
Apparently sensing Miss Alice’s cold gaze, Fujiwara no Meihong subconsciously did a self-assessment. In the heat of the moment, filled with anger and urgency, she hadn’t considered any issues with her posture. Now, belatedly, she realized it...
In the next second—
Her cheeks turned beet red.
Literally, they quickly flushed visibly, and it seemed like a geyser of steam erupted from her head.
Comments