Chapter Sixty-Five: Imported Lollipops

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. After school, I’ll go teach them another lesson.”

In the restroom, Anhe was gently wiping the graffiti off Rena Serizawa’s clothes while comforting her.

Hearing his words, Rena sniffled, brushed away her tears, and, as if by magic, pulled out her sticky note booklet from her sleeve and handed it to Anhe.

“Thank you for earlier.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Anhe replied with a smile.

Just then, a female voice came from the doorway.

“Yu Sheng, are you two finished?”

At her words, Anhe looked at the ink-stained garment in his hands, sighed, and put it down. “Almost done. Kitajima, you can head back first.”

Keiko Kitajima poked her head in, checked that Anhe and Rena weren’t up to anything improper, and nodded.

“Just be careful. Even though it’s class time, girls might still come to the restroom.”

With that, she turned and left.

Anhe thought about how Keiko Kitajima and Ryosuke Kamihara were the only two in the class who had gone to get a teacher when Rena was bullied, and his opinion of her shifted.

She’s not so annoying after all.

Suddenly, Anhe felt a tug at his sleeve. He turned to see Rena handing him another sticky note.

“Please don’t do troublesome things for me.”

After reading it, Anhe unexpectedly reached out and pinched Rena’s cheek, rubbing and pulling as she stared at him in surprise. He warned her, “Hey, if you say things like that again, I’ll get mad.”

Rena blinked and stared at him for a moment before nodding firmly.

“That’s better,” Anhe said, smiling as he wiped the last traces of tears from her face with his thumb, then led her out of the girls’ restroom.

“Just wear my jacket for now,” he said, taking off his outer garment and draping it over her shoulders.

Rena recalled what Anhe had said earlier and didn’t refuse. She looked at him, now left in just a white shirt, then rummaged through her sticky notes and held one up to him.

“What about you?”

Anhe gave her a mysterious smile. “You’ll see soon enough.”

...

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the infirmary.

Opening the door, they immediately saw seven figures standing in the center—those same ones Anhe had beaten in the classroom. In front of them sat Nobue Itoh, dressed in a white lab coat.

Seeing these people, Rena trembled. Sensing her unease, Anhe quietly took her small hand and led her inside.

But as soon as they entered, Nobue Itoh’s voice rang out.

“Rena Serizawa, please step outside. Anhe, lock the door behind you.”

“Uh…” Anhe and Rena exchanged glances, confused, but Rena obediently left.

With a click, Anhe locked the door. As he turned, he saw a white stick flying toward him. On instinct, he caught it. It was a rolled-up paper rod wrapped in cloth.

“What’s this?” Anhe asked Nobue Itoh, who simply gestured toward the seven boys.

“Ah, so we’re closing the door to beat the dogs,” Anhe exclaimed, drawing a sharp breath, though his face broke into a dazzling smile.

The seven, already sensing trouble, tried to protest, but Anhe had already charged at them, wielding the stick.

Soon, cries and pleas filled the room.

“Please stop!”

“No, please!”

“Not there!”

...

The sound of whacking and scuffling lasted for nearly half an hour. When quiet finally returned, the door opened, and Anhe stepped out, looking thoroughly satisfied.

Rena’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She quickly glanced into the infirmary and saw the boys’ clothes were intact—not as she had imagined. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Noticing her reaction, Anhe arched an eyebrow and asked, “Hey, what’s going on in that head of yours?”

N-no, nothing!

Rena shook her head vigorously, hands waving in denial.

[This little liar. She’s just thinking of some philosophical scenarios but doesn’t dare say it. Looks like she needs a bit of discipline. Conveniently, there’s a pair of white stockings in her pocket from yesterday, perfect for tying her up…]

Anhe discreetly reached into his own pocket, but found it empty. He then eyed the uniform pocket on Rena.

Hmm?

Sensing his gaze, Rena blinked and looked down at her pocket, instinctively reaching for it.

Oh no!

Anhe panicked and quickly grabbed her hand.

“Let’s…let’s go inside. The teacher wants to speak with you.”

Rena withdrew her hand and allowed Anhe to lead her into the infirmary.

This time, Nobue Itoh didn’t ask for the door to be locked. She looked at Rena apologetically. “Rena, I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”

Rena lowered her head, saying nothing.

Seeing this, Nobue Itoh recalled Rena’s indescribable crying in the classroom and felt a pang of guilt. She shot another fierce glare at the boys sprawled on the floor and continued, “These guys, bullying classmates is bad enough, but fighting among themselves? I’ll be informing their parents.”

Kimura, lying not far from Anhe, struggled to lift his head and protested, “It was Anhe beating us single-handedly!”

“Was it, though?” A gentle voice sounded behind him. Kimura shuddered and turned to find Anhe smiling radiantly at him.

After a long silence, Kimura resigned and shook his head.

“No, you didn’t.”

“What? Are you saying I don’t have a mother?” Anhe retorted in Mandarin, kicking him again.

Poor Kimura endured several more minutes of kicks until Rena tugged at Anhe’s sleeve, prompting him to stop.

“That’s enough,” Nobue Itoh said, clearing her throat as everyone looked at her. She pointed at the group on the floor and asked, “Today you fought each other, but you met the kind, upright, beautiful, and generous me, so you’re free to go. Any questions?”

“N-no, none,” they replied, Kimura included, hurriedly shaking their heads for fear of another beating.

Satisfied, Nobue Itoh waved her hand. “Go back to class, and make sure to wipe the blood from your noses.”

The group scrambled to their feet, limped toward the door, and fled. If they could, they’d swear never to step foot in the infirmary again.

Once everyone had left, Nobue Itoh turned to Rena seriously. “Rena, if anything like this happens again, please come to me. Believe me, I’m not like the other teachers here.”

Rena looked up, her gaze growing brighter, and nodded firmly.

Nobue Itoh smiled, then waved her hand. “Head back to class. I need to speak with Anhe.”

Rena nodded, turned to leave, but paused. She quickly flipped to a page in her sticky note booklet, walked up to Nobue Itoh, and held it out.

“Thank you for earlier.”

Nobue Itoh smiled even wider, reaching out to ruffle Rena’s hair. Rena lowered her head meekly.

When Rena had gone, only Anhe and Nobue Itoh remained.

Nobue Itoh hopped onto the desk, crossed her legs, and Anhe couldn’t help teasing her. “I never would have guessed, Miss Itoh, that you’re this kind of person.”

She shot him a glance and said nothing, pulling a cigarette from her pocket and bringing it to her lips. But a lollipop was offered to her first.

Looking at its bearer, Nobue Itoh clicked her tongue in annoyance, put away her cigarette, but didn’t take the lollipop. Instead, she parted her lips slightly, staring at Anhe.

Anhe raised an eyebrow, understanding her intention. He unwrapped the lollipop and placed it in her mouth.

As the sweet flavor spread, Nobue Itoh nodded in satisfaction—only for Anhe, in the next moment, to pull the lollipop out and pop it into his own mouth, leaving her stunned.

“You bastard…”

Two chapters updated! The remaining three will be posted around five this afternoon!

(End of chapter)