Honkai Impact, please stop imagining it.

Su took a sip of bitter melon juice and smiled, “It’s like an excuse that’s blown by the wind. There’s sand in your eyes and fog in the wind. Mei is a good girl. Be a little nicer to her, you bastard. Even if you only have nine years to live, then give nine years of love. An ordinary person’s life is only 30,000 days. You’re just a little shorter than them.”

Lin Yu: "...When we became sworn brothers last month, we said we didn't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we asked to die on the same day, month, and year. Don't forget that."

Lin Yu said slyly.

Kevin was shocked. "When did this happen?"

Su adjusted her glasses. "It was probably early last month when you stole three bottles of red wine from home. Lin Yu bought some peanuts and broad beans at the convenience store, and I stir-fried two kinds of vegetables here. The next day, we lay on the living room floor the night before we were late for class."

Kevin: "You actually schemed to this extent, you bastard. It's a sin."

"Ha, I only told you a little story and you dragged me into wanting to become sworn brothers in front of Contra."

"What's the deal with 'su'?"

I tried to get you to become sworn brothers, and you couldn't stop me, but what's with the "su" thing?

Lin Yu: "He wanted to be a Contra Master, and you just pinned him to the ground."

Su put down the bitter melon juice and smiled, "It's really pathetic, Kevin, you can't even outdrink Lin Yu."

The three of them then burst into laughter and didn't rest until the early hours of the morning. As expected, they were late again the next day.

But who cares besides Mei?

Kevin and Lin Yu are both famous at Qianyu Academy. Even Mei can't understand why Kevin and Su, two smart, energetic, and obedient students, turned into what they are now after meeting Lin Yu, a sickly boy who is always silent and physically weak and has no bad intentions.

Mei couldn't tell who had corrupted whom, and could only conclude that the three of them having been together created a strange chemical reaction.

Mei pulled Lin Yu up to the rooftop and took out the lunch her mother had asked her to bring for Lin Yu from her schoolbag: cola chicken wings with omelet rice and a bottle of very sweet Chinese medicine.

"You know I hate drinking Chinese medicine the most."

Sitting on the rooftop, Lin Yu ate his omelet rice and occasionally picked up a cola chicken wing, saying this.

"But Mom will be sad if you don't drink it."

Lin Yu grabbed the Chinese medicine and drank it all in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and returned the glass bottle.

The seriousness on Mei's face disappeared after seeing Lin Yu's action.

"Sigh, I really don't understand what you're thinking. If you're physically weak, you shouldn't be running around with Kevin and the others. This world is dangerous."

Mei still did not agree to Mebius's invitation, but she learned a little about the concept of collapse.

Lin Yu glanced at Mei, raised an eyebrow, and said, “I am also very dangerous. I started practicing swordsmanship at the age of four and sheathed my sword at the age of ten. From the day I wielded the sword, I knew that I would become the world’s greatest swordsman. I sheathed my sword for six years, through the blooming and withering of flowers and the rising and falling of clouds. Don’t be fooled by my apparent weakness; I am actually terrifyingly strong.”

Mei sat on the stone bench, resting her chin on her hand, staring helplessly at Lin Yu. "Which novel is this setting from?"

Lin Yu: "The future."

"Mmm~, you're the strongest, okay?"

Mei replied dismissively, "What? Lin Yu is quite interesting."

"I'll admit you're amazing when you can stop needing my protection."

"No, it's about taking care of each other and helping each other. Aunt Chun said so, and I agreed. So this isn't a one-sided care between us."

Lin Yu put down his lunchbox; he couldn't eat anymore. The Chinese medicine was too filling, and Lin Yu felt that he might spill it if he wasn't careful.

Mei had no choice but to close the lunchbox, planning to go downstairs to wash it later.

"This world is terrifying. Not everything goes as you wish. Once you graduate and truly step into this world, you'll find that you're not the protagonist. Neither your superiors nor your colleagues will stop bullying you just because you're weak. On the contrary, they'll intensify their bullying."

Mei rested her chin on her hand and looked up at the sky, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were talking to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu simply sat there listening, unmoved.

Mei smiled and said, "If you are lucky enough to escape from normal life, you will find that the world is even more terrifying. There are many monster-like creatures in this world that can easily tear apart an entire building. Humans are as fragile as bubbles in front of them. Even a single breath can kill a human."

If we divide the darkness of the world into three levels, you are the safest right now. Lin Yu, an idiot who knows nothing, is still fantasizing about being the pinnacle of martial arts and the leader of swordsmanship. But then again, isn't that exactly what a sixteen-year-old should be fantasizing about?

Mei patted her skirt, picked up her lunchbox, and stood up. "Want to go home together tonight? Mom made your favorite braised pork."

Before I'm drawn to the treatment of those who chase after fire, well, let's do what people our age should do, like taking care of you as promised.

Mei doesn't want to break the promise anymore; the guilt is just too deep.

Lin Yu took two tickets out of his shirt pocket and handed them to Mei. "Are you free this afternoon? Want to go to a concert with me?"

Mei: "Hmm? You have class this afternoon, right? And these are tickets to the Eden concert, right? Where did you get them?"

A single ticket costs tens of thousands of yuan, and you have to book and try to snag one months in advance.

Did Lin Yu book these two tickets months in advance?

Lin Yu: "I bet Kevin whether he could break another baseball bat with a baseball bat. He lost and gave me these two tickets."

Mei: "......."

Who would accept two tickets worth tens of thousands of yuan as payment for a lost bet? Especially since these were pre-booked tickets; if they were sold now, they would sell for 200,000 yuan each.

Seeing Lin Yu's disdainful expression, Mei admitted that she was tempted.

He booked these two tickets months in advance, was he just trying to arrange a meeting with me at this moment?

Chapter 13 Kevin really likes bitter melon!

Hmm... I didn't expect that the usually stubborn Lin Yu would have a little bit of cunning.

Mei already imagined what her afternoon date would be like.

Mei reached out and took the bill, then coolly put her hands in her pockets, turned her back to Lin Yu, and said, "Let's go then."

Seeing Mei's slightly flushed face, Lin Yu stood up and followed her. "I invited you to the concert not to pursue you, I just couldn't find any friends to go with. Don't misunderstand."

Mei glanced at the concert ticket purchase time...the day of Lin Yu's birthday.

Su bought four tickets. Two were bought the day before the sports meet, which was Lin Yu's birthday. The other two were bought because Kevin asked for them at the sports meet.

The first two were given to Lin Yu, and the last two were kept by Kevin.

Mei looked at the date on the ticket, bit her lip, and slowed down her pace, walking alongside Lin Yu instead of letting him follow behind.

So, you bought these two tickets on your birthday?

Mei didn't believe Lin Yu's claim that he invited her because he couldn't find any friends, and she also didn't believe Kevin would give him two tickets worth tens to hundreds of thousands of yuan.

So there is only one truth!

Lin Yu bought tickets on his birthday and wanted to celebrate with her, and then wanted to invite her to the Eden concert two months later.

But she was late, and she had completely forgotten that it was Lin Yu's birthday and had gone to karaoke with her newly acquainted girlfriends.

His birthday gift was just a regular Bluetooth headset, and Lin Yu was never seen wearing it.

It was from that time onwards that Lin Yu changed from not staying away from her and waiting for her to approach silently, to now pushing her away even if she gets close.

This is not Lin Yu's fault; the root of the problem lies in his forgetting the promise he made back then.

Even so, Lin Yu still invited me to his concert! He's so kind.

"Thank you."

Mei put her hands in her pockets and said coolly.

"I thought you would say you wouldn't go because you have class in the afternoon."

"What would you do with the ticket if I said I wasn't going?"

Lin Yu looked up at the sky. "I don't know. Maybe I'll burn it to ashes, throw it off the building, and then go with Kevin and Su."

Are they both going too?

Mei paused for a moment, but quickly resumed her normal expression and walking posture, pretending nothing had happened and asking curiously.

Isn't this a date? Why bring two third wheels?

Lin Yu: "There were four tickets. Kevin gave me two of them. I didn't win them from a bet; he gave them to me as a gift."

Mei: "......"

Do you still want to use ambiguous words to obscure my thinking?

Mei led Lin Yu out through the main entrance openly. Mei was willing to bet that her and Lin Yu's seats at the concert would definitely not be the same as Su and Kevin's, because the tickets could not possibly have been bought at the same time.

After getting into the taxi, we waited for a while near a corner by the back door. Soon after, Su jumped over the wall and said, "Kevin! I told you it's very high up here."

Kevin took a running start, flipped over the high wall with one hand, and landed in front of Su, who was squatting on the ground rubbing her ankle. He turned around, reached out his hand, and said, "That's why I had to push you up here. Su, you should exercise more."

Lin Yu opened the back door, and Mei sat in the passenger seat. The back seat could comfortably seat three people.

Kevin helped Su, whose foot was aching, into the car. "This idiot can't even climb over a two-meter-high wall. It's hard to imagine how he grew up to be so big."

"Fasten Su's seatbelt," Kevin said to Lin Yu.

Su: "Among the few of us sitting here, you're probably the only one who could flip over with one hand, you bastard Kevin."

Su gave Kevin the middle finger with disdain.

Kevin unzipped his fanny pack, took out four bottles of bitter melon juice, gave one to Mei, and the three of them shared the rest.

The driver is driving.

Lin Yu: "......."

Kevin really loves bitter melon-flavored drinks.

Lin Yu: "I really like Eden's piano music."

"It's a pity there's no piano music tonight."

"Oh? So what?"

Kevin spread his arms as if announcing a surprise, "A concert!"

"A ten-year promise! Ten years ago, when I first heard Eden's voice, I knew deeply that this was the music I could never give up in my life. At that time, I only had 20,000 yuan of pocket money a week, and I didn't have the money to buy tickets to Eden's concert. Later, I had the money, but I lacked the time."

Kevin took a deep breath and clenched his fist in front of Lin Yu. "Lin Yu, can you imagine? A ten-year promise. This will be our youth. Think about how we will look back on this day ten years from now. Will we find it funny to skip class to go to a concert on this day?"

Kevin: "We will all eventually become obscure silhouettes in the long passage of time, but that will never stop us from embracing the youth we have right now. Our goal is the Eden concert!"

Lin Yu: "......."

Su quietly beckoned to Lin Yu and whispered in his ear, "Kevin is an idiot, let's make him happy today."