Anime Crossover: About How I Spoiled an Angel

Page 335

How abominable!

"It's nothing, so I'll just give you this instead."

A flash of silver light, followed by a clattering sound.

A pink animal pendant suddenly appeared on Su Qing's finger.

It has long, flat ears, a pink body, large, black, and sparkling eyes, and its body shape resembles a small ball.

Yui would call it—Pink Dumpling!

"Isn't this Biabu from your manga?" The clever Yui immediately recognized him.

There was no way around it; after that day, Su Qing actually gave her a complete set of classic comics, so she had no choice but to read them.

"Yes, I just received the sample a couple of days ago as the author. It should be available for sale in the market in a while."

"Wow, wouldn't I be able to make a lot of money if I went to sell them now?" Yui's eyes lit up.

"Theoretically feasible, practically punishable by law." Su Qing smiled, knowing it was a joke, and ignored it.

"Goodbye, Yui," Su Qing said softly, looking at Yui one last time.

"Hmph, why say goodbye so seriously when the teacher calls you over? As if we'll never see each other again."

Yui looked down and teased Biabu for a few seconds while it was AFK. When she looked up again, Su Qing was gone.

"Sigh...you left so fast, I didn't even say goodbye..."

Yui hung her head in dejection.

I had wanted to go and chat with Yumiko and the others I hadn't seen during spring break, but I suddenly lost the mood.

She sat back down, placed the biabu on the table, and said seriously:

"Biabu, attention!"

Of course, Biabu stood at attention, because the girl's knuckles were supporting it.

"Biabu, take off!"

Yui gave another order, and this time it was a bit more difficult.

She had initially imagined flying Biabu around like a child with a paper airplane, but then thought that would be too silly.

The classroom is crowded, so I'll wait until I get home...

"Hey, Biabu, do you think I'm being too stupid?"

Yui's chin was hitting the table, which wasn't very comfortable, so she used one hand to support her chin, while holding the little pink ball, Biabu, with the other.

Of course, Biabu couldn't speak, so Yui could only grab his little head and nod and shake it.

Perhaps finding it boring to entertain herself, her gaze unconsciously fell on Su Qing's seat again.

It was empty; there wasn't a single person there.

The desks and chairs were so new that they were still reflecting light, as if no one had ever been there.

As her gaze slowly shifted, Yui realized a shocking truth.

"Is Xiaoqing planning to skip class? Why did she even take her schoolbag?"

The girl turned around with lightning speed, gripping Biabu tightly as if waking from a dream, and murmured a question:

"Biabu, Xiaoqing...he wouldn't do that, right?"

……

Inside the second-year faculty office.

Hiratsuka Shizuka was still handling her work.

There's always more to do at the start of a new semester, so don't expect your superiors to be too considerate of their subordinates.

Well, the teaching profession is sometimes hard to evaluate, though it certainly has many advantages.

As for the downsides... it's that ten years of hard study only resulted in a lifetime behind bars.

However, Shizuka Hiratsuka doesn't regret choosing the path of becoming a teacher.

Teaching and nurturing students makes me feel younger myself...

Pshaw, I'm still very young!

As she looked at the documents, lost in thought, Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly sensed someone approaching. Looking up, she saw Su Qing.

"You walk so quietly? You scared me!"

She subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually, I did shout, but you seemed too focused," Su Qing said.

What Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't notice was that the other person no longer addressed her as "teacher" this time.

"Really?" Hiratsuka Shizuka scratched her head, asking in confusion.

"Hmm, are you very busy with work this new semester?"

Su Qing nodded lightly, glancing at the stacks of documents on the other person's desk.

"It's quite busy, but it's manageable... wait, why are you speaking like a superior concerned about a subordinate?"

"It's just my imagination..."

The boy's face remained expressionless, showing neither panic nor apology.

Hiratsuka Shizuka twirled her pen, then stopped worrying about it, grabbed a pack of unopened women's cigarettes, and went out.

"Can you come with me for a bit? I have something I'd like to ask you."

Su Qing remained silent and followed behind.

The two arrived at a place where smoking was allowed. Su Qing looked around and saw that there were no people nearby.

"Do you mind if I have a cigarette?" Hiratsuka Shizuka had already opened the packaging and was waving a cigarette between her two fingers.

Su Qing shook her head.

"Thanks~" Hiratsuka Shizuka wore a pretty lipstick today, and she smiled, looking like a young girl in her prime.

It would be even better if the other person wasn't smoking that cigarette at that moment.

"So, what exactly happened on Spring Break?"

Amidst billowing white smoke, Hiratsuka Shizuya spoke solemnly.

That day, when Su Qing asked her for Yui's parents' contact information, she vaguely sensed that something was wrong. However, when she drove back to Tokyo from her hometown, it seemed that everything was over.

It is worth mentioning that, thanks to Yang Nai's efforts, the impact of that incident was minimized.

This was something Su Qing specifically requested, in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble to their lives.

Logically, Hiratsuka Shizuka should have asked Yui's parents about the situation, but considering that they might not know much either, she decided against it.

Of course, she could pretend to know nothing, but her sense of responsibility as a homeroom teacher wouldn't allow her to ignore it, even though Yui Yuigahama was attending class today.

There were some unexpected issues, but they have been resolved now.

That kind of thing will never happen again.

Su Qing said softly.

It's strange, those eyes were clearly looking at me, but those words didn't seem to be directed at me.

Hiratsuka Shizuka lowered her eyes; she had a premonition.

Even if you press further, you'll likely get the same answer.

The boy's stubbornness... had reached an almost obsessive level.

Unlike students of the same age, Su Qing is more like a seasoned social elite, always capable and confident in handling anything.

This feeling brought both comfort and frustration to Hiratsuka Shizuka.

Time burns in the embers of tobacco.

Su Qing suddenly spoke up, "Teacher, I'm leaving."

"Where are we going?" Hiratsuka asked subconsciously, then awkwardly replied, "Oh, back to the classroom, right?"

Fine, since you don't want to talk about it, and nothing seems to have happened yet, I won't ask anymore.

Go on, go on, don't be late for the next class.

“No.” Su Qing slowly shook her head under Hiratsuka Shizuka’s astonished gaze. “I plan to go back to the mainland and will no longer be coming to class starting tomorrow.”

"What do you mean? Why so suddenly?" Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately became anxious. "What about the transfer paperwork? As your homeroom teacher, I haven't received it!"

Su Qing remained silent, but Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly realized a possibility and asked incredulously, her voice trembling:

"You, you're not going to drop out of school, are you?"

"For me, a degree is just one of many ways to make a living," Su Qing stated, stating the truth.

"Then...do they know?" Under the dazzling light, even Hiratsuka Shizuka's red lips seemed to have lost some of their color.

Su Qing didn't know who the "them" the other person was referring to were.

Is it Hikigaya, Yui, and Yukino, or everyone including Mahiru?

Su Qing simply looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka with a calm, almost indifferent gaze.

He seemed unwilling to answer the question, or rather, he hadn't thought it through.

"Then... will you come back again?"

"Probably not."

This is terrible. This situation is just as bad as the "next time, next time" that everyone always talks about, but never actually comes up with a specific time.

"What exactly happened that made you want to leave?"

"It has nothing to do with what happened. If I stay, it won't be good for anyone. I don't want that. I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"Can you guarantee you won't regret leaving?" Hiratsuka Shizuka became increasingly agitated.

“…This is my choice,” Su Qing said after a moment of silence.

“I understand.” Hiratsuka Shizuka forced a smile. “You’re still a student, although I know you’re very capable.”

But if possible, it's best to finish your studies. Having a diploma is always a valuable asset in the world.

"Yes, if there's a chance," Su Qing said.

"Is there a chance...?" Hiratsuka Shizuka murmured, then took a deep breath and gave a smile that was much more natural than before.

"Will I still be able to contact you? Are all your contact methods invalid now?"

“The phone cards and chat software here in Tokyo won’t work.” Su Qing looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka deeply and said, “I roughly know what you want to do, but it’s meaningless.”

"Stop rambling, I haven't even said what I'm going to do yet!" Hiratsuka Shizuki laughed, giving him a disgruntled look.

"Have you forgotten? You still owe me a drink. It's hard to find a drinking buddy these days."

I won't make things difficult for you. We can have a drink together whenever you happen to come to Tokyo. The time limit... is valid indefinitely!

This request isn't unreasonable, is it? After all, I helped you so much when I was your teacher!

It might be an exaggeration to say that they helped me, but they did indeed provide me with a lot of convenience and care.

Su Qing thought for a moment, then took out her phone and sent a string of phone numbers to the other party.

That format is clearly different from the numbers used in Japan.

"Please don't give it to anyone else," Su Qing said.

"Relax, relax~" Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand casually, her attitude extremely perfunctory.

Su Qing stayed for a little while longer, and finally just looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka and said, "Please take care."

After saying that, he actually left, without even waiting for Hiratsuka Shizuka's reply.

After an unknown amount of time, no one came.

Hiratsuka Shizuka remained standing there, lost in thought.

The cigarette went out at some point.