I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

In the end, he seemed to realize this as well, and simply gave up on continuing this troublesome "professorship." Instead, he taught you how to maintain elegance and some etiquette, while telling you that it is always necessary to be polite at all times.

The same applies to smiling; after all, "you can't hit a smiling face." A warm and welcoming smile can make people happy and more willing to talk to you.

In the end, he even made a not-so-small joke—all of these methods are based on your outstanding appearance. If you lose that prerequisite… then you'll probably have to spend many times more time and effort, or even resort to other methods, to get people to talk to you properly, haha… but kid, you don't need to worry about that.

Hmm... it's hard to comment on that statement, but you still remembered what this gentleman gave you.

Then... the next person put a completely different idea into your head.

"Etiquette is necessary, but often it's just seen as weakness and retreat... Only violence is more acceptable, only pain is remembered, only when those people know the pain and remember the suffering will they put on a hypocritical facade of etiquette to speak to you"—that's what he said.

He doesn't reject etiquette and advocates for diplomacy before resorting to force, but he claims that most people in the world are "fools" who only learn through violence and harm. Therefore, he teaches you some physical exercises and simple martial arts, as well as some... uh... "indecent language."

[Furthermore, during the process of learning martial arts, he also said that you have an extraordinary talent... Not only do you learn quickly, but many times your attacks will subconsciously target people's vital points, and you will also instinctively dodge when attacked, as if it were an instinct.]

This pleased him greatly, and he even considered having you stay so he could focus on nurturing you. However, he reluctantly gave up the idea due to your wishes and Father Henry's opposition.

Oh, by the way, he's actually a gang leader, and he has a son who's a bit older than you—Li.

Hmm... to be honest, it's hard to imagine how Father Enrique knew these people.

[Father Enrique did not object to what he taught you; in fact, he was quite supportive, stating that a healthy and strong body is the foundation of everything, and that necessary physical combat is a means of self-defense... but those "vulgar words" are unnecessary and too insulting.]

You seemed to understand, but not quite. Although you wanted to obediently follow Father Enrique's advice and forget those "indecent words," well... as the saying goes, "it's hard to learn good things, but easy to learn bad ones," and you still remembered those insulting words.

However, given the etiquette you've learned and Father Henry's teachings, you'll almost never use these "unseemly words."

Next, you accompanied Father Henry to visit a few friends, managing to become somewhat familiar with them. Then, under the arrangement of the church, you stopped in a certain city. Father Henry had taken over a church there, and you settled down there with him.

[Logically, the Church wouldn't assign Father Henry to specifically take over a particular church, since he has a "mission" that requires him to travel extensively. But now... Father Henry has indicated that his "mission" is complete, and he has found the person he was looking for. Therefore, the Church has conveniently arranged for him to take over the church in this area.]

Father Enrique did not object to this, after all, you are of age to go to school and receive a more orthodox education, and a slightly more stable environment would be better.

In this new "home," you successfully won everyone's affection by relying on your identity as a child, your little bit of obedience, and your little bit of cuteness.

Then, perhaps because of Father Henry's reputation, after you arrived, many people came to visit, wanting to get to know Father Henry and, incidentally, you, the "little tail" who was always by Father Henry's side.

[Among them, there was one couple who left a particularly deep impression on you... or rather, their child.]

You remember that when you first met them, they probably wanted to visit Father Henry and take the opportunity to introduce their child to you, perhaps even make friends... Unfortunately, their child seemed quite introverted, hiding behind his mother the whole time, but occasionally peeking out out of sheer curiosity, casting curious glances at you and Father Henry.

However, when you approach her to speak, she will timidly take a half-step back. Even with encouragement from her parents, she will reluctantly greet you, but her voice is so soft it's barely audible.

It's fair to say that her appearance is the complete opposite of your confident and lively demeanor.

In the end, her parents had no other choice but to apologize to you softly, with a hint of helplessness.

However, you didn't seem to mind, and even went up to her to say hello and express your desire to become her friend.

Well, after all, having another friend is always a good thing, isn't it? Not to mention that after some inquiries, you'll actually become classmates with her—you'll be seeing each other quite often in the future, so getting to know each other a little better won't hurt, right?

So, you reached out your hand to her.

[And she, after glancing at her parents and seeing their encouraging looks, slowly reached out and took your hand.]

["Hi there~ My name is Xi Wang. We'll be classmates and friends from now on, okay? Oh, right... although that's how I pronounce my name, it's actually different from 'hope,' okay? Don't get it wrong~" you greeted her like this.]

"Xi Wang... Hope... Pfft... I know," she murmured your name softly, clearly aware of the pun in it, and subconsciously chuckled before quickly covering her mouth to hide her smile.

"I'm sorry..." she seemed worried that her actions would displease you.

"It's okay, I'm actually quite happy that you can laugh because of my name... Besides, my name is actually pretty good, isn't it?" You're used to it, and even quite happy about it, since anyone who realizes the pun will at least chuckle at some point, which is nice.

"Hmm...yes, hope/hope...is a good word," she nodded, the tension in her voice easing slightly. Then, she smiled, as if she had temporarily let go of a heavy burden in her heart.

"Hello, my name is Wilvi. From now on... um, we're friends... right?" she introduced herself.

"Yes, friend!" you nodded.

"I see... um, friend!" She nodded, her contrasting brown and dark green hair swaying slightly.

She seemed very happy.

Chapter Four: Did I really give you that much face? (6494)

Everything that followed proceeded as usual; you joined the school where Velvi was a transfer student.

Why a transfer student? Because you and Father Enrique spent a lot of time traveling together, making you a little older than expected for enrollment... But fortunately, after a simple test, your excellent results convinced the school that you hadn't fallen behind in your studies, so they made an exception and placed you in a class appropriate for your age as a transfer student.

As a transfer student, you naturally attracted the attention of your classmates. From the moment you entered the class, curious gazes never stopped. During breaks, many people would come to inquire about you, trying to understand you and get to know you.

You responded to them with a smile, and your confident smile and appropriate manners quickly won over your classmates, with many becoming your "friends."

However, you can still vaguely sense the rejection from others. It's clear that your classmates haven't truly accepted you or considered you a "friend"... This is understandable, as they've been getting to know each other for quite some time, have their own "friends," and have formed their own "small circles." It would be very difficult for you to join them now.

You understand this, so you're not in a hurry. You're simply using the right attitude to build a bond of friendship with them, connecting yourself to them little by little, and gradually closing the distance between you. You believe that one day, you will all become friends.

Of course, there's also an extra "surprise" here: your friend, Vivi, is also in your class.

[This is somewhat unexpected for you, considering you should be a year older than Velvi, but now she's your classmate... It seems Velvi skipped a grade? Could she be a genius?]

Whether or not Velvi is a genius doesn't really matter to you; after all, you're considered a "genius" yourself. What makes you quite happy is that Velvi is in the same class as you—at least you have someone you know, right?

Ah... although, if you think about it carefully, you and Velvet aren't that close.

But you still smiled and went up to her, and then... and then, unsurprisingly, Wilvi ignored you, even shrinking back slightly, as if she were afraid of something.

Then, as if realizing something, Velvi quickly straightened herself and responded to you in a weak voice.

Hmm... Is Vilvie's social anxiety that severe?

You were a little surprised, but considering that Velvi had looked like this before, you weren't too puzzled, so you just chatted with her for a few minutes... Of course, you did most of the talking while Velvi listened.

[Furthermore, Wilvi often appears very nervous, her gaze frequently drifting to the other classmates, but she will immediately look away, and then occasionally respond to you with a few words, indicating that she is listening to you.]

[You know that staying by Vilvi's side for too long will make her more nervous, so you didn't stay long. You just told her that she's welcome to talk to you anytime.]

After a long silence, Vilvie finally nodded gently in agreement.

[Hmm~ You seem quite pleased about this. For someone as socially awkward as Wilvie to be willing to talk to you is quite an "achievement," isn't it?]

The following days were filled with you gradually closing the distance between yourself and your classmates, becoming friends with them, and studying diligently. Moreover... because of your musical talent, you quickly achieved this goal. Not only did teachers inquire about your intention to pursue a career in music, but many classmates also became enthusiastic about your melodies, wanting to know if you came from a musical family... but after learning your background, they were even more surprised, because it meant that you could achieve this level entirely because of your talent.

Although many people regretted your talent, since you didn't want to pursue it, most people were still willing to befriend you, and you quickly became familiar with others.

[Then, I don't know how Wilvi's parents found out about this, or maybe they were just attracted to the almost ever-present confidence around you? Anyway, during one of their visits to Father Enrique at the church, they specifically pulled you aside and hoped you could spend more time with Wilvi, and if possible... help her overcome her social anxiety.]

[You didn't agree immediately. After all, social anxiety isn't something you can change on your own. At most, you can act as a matchmaker, helping Velvi make friends... Besides, you've already tried this method, but Velvi is very resistant, and the other classmates don't seem too willing either, so you had to give up.]

However, Wilvi's parents said that Wilvi wasn't always like this, at least not with such severe social anxiety, where she was afraid to even speak. She suddenly became like this at some point, as if she had been hit by something. Even when they asked, Wilvi wouldn't say, which left them feeling helpless.

They came to you because they had no other choice. They mainly came to you because you're about the same age and Wilvi doesn't seem to mind being around you.

[You were a little confused by what Wilvie's parents said, but out of concern for your friend, you agreed anyway, well... even though you didn't know how much it would change Wilvie's situation.]

And... this sudden shift to a socially awkward demeanor... I feel like something's off...

So you start trying to find out about Velvi at school, and then you discover a lot of "abnormalities" about her.

First of all, Velvi was truly a genius, at least she "once" was. Her grades were outstanding, which is why she skipped a grade to be in your class. And based on the signs back then, Velvi should have been able to continue skipping grades, because she was really good, and her grades were praised by most of the teachers.

But somehow, in the end, Wilvi suddenly became "mediocre." Her grades were good, but not as good as before, and around this time, Wilvi also began to become extremely "socially anxious."

Because her grades gradually declined from the top, and she became extremely socially anxious, the teachers gradually stopped paying attention to her, and her classmates also inadvertently began to ostracize her. This resulted in Wilvi being quite lonely in the school. So far, you are probably her only "friend," and you didn't even meet her at school.

[Hmm... why does this situation feel so familiar? Why do you feel like you've experienced it before?]

Perhaps it was because of that inexplicable feeling in your heart, but you started to interact with Velvi more often, chatting with her frequently, trying to help him overcome his "social anxiety"... At least not in front of you, right? You're "friends," after all.

At the same time, as you get to know her better, you become more and more certain that Velvi is indeed a genius. Her grades are truly outstanding, but she often chooses to control her scores, deliberately appearing "mediocre," as if trying to blend into the crowd, which seems very strange... at least you find it very strange.

Ultimately, if you are truly outstanding, then just show it; there's no need to hide it. Just like the stars in the sky, shine brightly and continuously attract the attention of others. That's enough.

Just like your talent in music, you can showcase it, you can utilize it, but whether I choose to develop it further... that's my own business, and no one else can interfere.

[Vilvie's deliberate concealment of her brilliance... is somewhat hard for you to understand, and Velvie herself is unwilling to say it, only whispering a reminder at the end: don't be too conspicuous.]

You were puzzled by this, so you asked a few more questions.

After much back and forth and hesitation, Wilvi finally managed to stammer out, "My grades... shouldn't be too good, or I'll be targeted."

【……ah?】

Hmm... you have this feeling that you've already discovered the truth.

What happened shortly afterward confirmed your idea.

--------

"Humph~?"

Xi Wang hummed a melody as she strolled casually through the campus. School was over, and most students had gone home, with only a few still at school with other things to do... Xi Wang was among them.

Well, we agreed beforehand that although we wouldn't make music our main career path, it would still be fine as a hobby. After all, music is really useful, like how it helped Xiwang quickly get closer to her classmates this time.

Therefore, Xi Wang did not intend to give up music. Relying on her excellent grades and after asking Father Enrique to discuss it with the school, Xi Wang was granted permission to use the instruments in the music room after school and when no one was using it, with the teacher's consent, and to receive some simple instruction.

Although most teachers said they didn't have much to guide her, after all, this wasn't a school that specialized in teaching music, and they didn't hire any particularly good teachers... and Xi Wang's talent was just too extraordinary, which meant that most of the time Xi Wang practiced on her own. The teachers on duty would just pay a little attention to Xi Wang's situation and remind her to lock the door when the school closed, and that was it. There was no need for much attention at all.

So even though the campus was unusually quiet, Xi Wang was still wandering around the school.

However, it was at this moment, on this unique day, that Xi Wang vaguely heard some noises. The location seemed to be in a corner of the corridor, a place near the restroom that was not easy to be discovered.

"Hey...can it really be like that?"

Xi Wang's expression turned somewhat strange... Ever since learning about Wilvi's situation, he had some bad thoughts, but considering that the classmates he had met were all very friendly, Xi Wang still had some doubts about those thoughts.

Although I don't know why I feel a sense of familiarity, I hope it's not that kind of thing.

But as the soft sounds of hitting and faint cries of pain rang out, Xi Wang's smile slowly faded.

It's best... not that kind of thing.

Thinking this, Xi Wang put on a faint smile again and walked towards the direction from which the sound came.

"Idiot (swear word)."

"Go ahead and curse! Curse! Look at you... It's hilarious! What's the use of good grades? What's the point of showing off after only getting into the top five? Now you're a pathetic mess, aren't you?"

"Heh...that's all you're capable of...what? You can't beat them academically, so you call for a fight? You idiot (swear word)."

"Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what to do?! And you actually have the nerve to talk, huh? Looks like you haven't learned your lesson yet..."

Ugh... what a terrible conversation...

Xi Wang frowned.