Living with a magical girl, but a weirdo cadre

　She even had a teary-eyed expression, looking very moved: "Congyu-chan! We'll be best friends forever!"

　When Yaochuan Guang, moved and eager to get closer, Congyu placed one hand on his face to signal him to keep his distance: "Don't hug me, your wool scarf is making me itchy!"

　It's not actually that itchy, I'm just afraid that Yaochuan Guang will lick it...

　"hey-hey--"

　Yaochuan Guang smiled, looked around at his surroundings and made his way: "Congyu-chan, aren't you going to ask me why I brought you here?"

　To this question, Cong Yu pursed her lips: "I guess you came to pay respects to your parents, but I don't know why you asked me to come along."

　Cong Yu could naturally guess it, because Yao Chuan Guang had two bouquets of flowers in his backpack... and he couldn't have come to the cemetery just to play.

　"Congyu-chan, you knew all along... Hmm, today is the anniversary of my parents' death. I found it. Wait for me, I'll be there soon."

　With that, Yaochuan Guang strode toward the two tombstones.

　The tombstones bear inscriptions reading "Tomb of Yokawa Koichiro" and "Tomb of Yokawa Haru," which, unsurprisingly, belong to Yokawa Hikaru's parents.

　Yao Chuan Guang respectfully placed the flowers and then chatted with his parents... This is a more poetic way of putting it.

　He was actually talking to himself while looking at his parents' gravestones.

　It was basically something like, "I'm doing very well lately, and I've made some new friends. You don't need to worry about me down here."

　Cong Yu didn't listen; instead, she looked around...

　The passageway is surrounded by a dense array of tombstones, their uniform shape creating a sense of solemnity and reverence.

　Many people also came to pay their respects today.

　Interestingly, many of them may have died in the same incident as Hikaru Yokawa's parents.

　Human life is such a fragile thing.

　While he was making these meaningless reflections, Yaochuan Guang had finished and walked back to Cong Yu's side: "All done."

　"Ah."

　As Congyu responded and prepared to leave, Yaochuan Guang tugged at his sleeve: "Wait a minute, didn't Congyu-chan want to know why I brought you here?"

　"..." Actually, Cong Yu didn't really want to know, but since Yao Chuan Guang had said so, he still responded, "Why?"

　Amid Congyu's questions, Yaochuan Guang pointed in the direction of his parents' gravestones: "After I die, I'll give all the money I've saved to you, Congyu-chan. Please bury my ashes nearby... okay?"

　Cong Yu paused for a moment in response to Yao Chuan Guang's request, then said, "Actually, you could ask Lan Tian Zhu."

　For Cong Yu, who had only known Lan Tianzhu for a few months, Lan Tianzhu, who had known him for a long time, was more suitable to take on this commission.

　Yao Chuanguang had already considered this issue, and she said confidently, "Because Xiao Lan likes electronic tombstones!"

　Indeed, electronic tombstones are cheaper, and when a magical girl dies, her ashes are usually scattered on the spot... and not many can be collected afterward.

　"and……"

　As Yaochuan Guang spoke, her expression was somewhat sentimental and complicated: "Xiao Lan is also a magical girl. We might die together. When that happens, Congyu-chan, please buy Xiao Lan an electronic tombstone."

　Death is a topic that deserves respect for this still immature magical girl.

　Although her words carried a hint of humor, her tone was very serious, which showed her earnestness.

　This can be considered as entrusting one's life to Cong Yu.

　However, Cong Yu didn't appreciate it. He just waved his hand and complained, "I'm just an ordinary human (big lie), I might die even earlier than you guys."

　As for what he said...

　"No! Congyu-chan won't die!"

　As Yaochuan Guang spoke, she revealed a rather bright smile. She pointed her thumb at herself and solemnly promised, "Because I will protect you."

　As she walked home side by side, she turned to look at Cong Yu very seriously and said, "I will definitely protect you!"

　The warm midday sun shone through the trees on both sides of the cemetery, casting dappled light that fell on her face and shoulders.

　But none of these could compare to the brilliance in Yaochuan Guang's eyes at this moment.

　Cong Yu: "..."

　After opening her mouth, Cong Yu didn't know what to say, and felt that she shouldn't respond to the other person's seriousness with a lighthearted joke.

　He sensed that Yaochuan Guang was somewhat cunning.

　Yao Chuan Guang did not bind him with benefits, nor did he wag his tail and make requests like a spoiled child. Instead, he cunningly used his sincerity and promises as weapons, affectionately poking and prodding at his heart.

　It didn't pierce in like an arrow, but rather touched the outside gently, bringing a slightly itchy, tingling sensation.

　This experience was quite novel.

　Cong Yu didn't speak, but reached out and touched Yao Chuan Guang's head. His smooth blond hair looked quite warm in the sunlight...

　"um. Thank you."

　Seeing Yaochuan Guang's comfortable expression, Cong Yu gave an affirmative answer and then made his own promise: "In return, I will protect you at least once."

　Yaochuan Guang: "Huh? Just once?"

　These words completely ruined the atmosphere.

　Cong Yu was speechless on the spot... pondering that Yao Chuan Guang's focus was indeed quite unique.

　The key point here should be on "protection," not on the number of times.

　"I said at least once, at least... do you even know what 'at least' means?"

　Yaochuan Guang: "At least ten times!"

　"I won't do this, so why did you increase the price tenfold?"

　Yaochuan Guang: "Don't refuse, we can discuss the specific number of times..."

　As he said this, Yaochuan Guang gave an example: "I say it nine times, you say it twice; I say it eight times, you say it three times... That's right, hahaha."

　Yao Chuan Guang chuckled foolishly, probably amused by his own words, and then concluded, "In the end, we'll each take a step back and decide that you'll protect me five times! A compromise!"

　"..." Do you think this is a farmers' market? You've really mastered the art of haggling!

　As Cong Yu rolled his eyes while thinking this, Yao Chuan Guang naturally put his arm around him like a brother.

　"However, no matter how many times Congyu-chan protects me, I will protect Congyu-chan a hundred times, a thousand times! If that's not enough, I'll protect her ten thousand times!"

　As he spoke to her with such conviction, a warm, sun-like feeling emanated from him...

　It might be the smell of burnt mites.

　Cong Yu thought to herself.

　"Ah."

　Cong Yu answered in this way.

　Chapter 71 He's too good at it (but it's all an act).

　What to say?

　For Yaochuan Guang and Lantian Zhu, Congyu was probably her...

　They're our friends... or rather, even more than friends.

　He's probably a male best friend.

　Unbeknownst to her, Cong Yu had also become the kind of person she once despised.

　But that's not the key point; the key point is to think about it from the opposite perspective...

　What are Yaochuan Guang and Lantian Zhu to Cong Yu?

　Is she a friend? An enemy? A passerby in my life? A relative? Or perhaps one of the potential concubines (lol)?

　Cong Yu is also searching for the answer to this question.

　But now, if he were to ask himself honestly, although he really didn't want to admit it, he had to accept one fact...

　He actually cared a little about Hikaru Yokawa and Nagisa Aoi.

　Because Cong Yu knows she's not arrogant, she can still quite frankly recognize her own thoughts.

　However, they did use the rather cunning phrase "care about".

　After all, Cong Yu didn't think he was good enough to have feelings for these two still-naive magical girls... Even if he did, he wouldn't admit it.

　But he's really not arrogant.

　However, it's not necessarily true to simply summarize one's thoughts as "finding it interesting".

　If Hikaru Yokawa were to die, Congyu would feel sorry and sad... but not to the point of wanting to die to protect the two of them.

　If Cong Yu really likes them, she could easily take a group photo and post it on Twitter with something like "made new friends".

　In this way, while they wouldn't be able to roam freely among the monsters, they could at least get a get-out-of-jail-free card.

　Even if Yaochuan and the others don't recognize the strange guy Congyu, they can probably beat him, and even if they can't, they can probably run away.

　The one who could [kill them both] so badly is most likely someone familiar with Cong Yu.

　However, Cong Yu felt that she had no need to protect these two girls... If her identity were exposed, they might not even be grateful to her.

　The maximum number of times you can be protected is five, five times for both of you combined.

　Thinking this, Cong Yu, who claimed not to be arrogant, snorted in his heart... but he really wasn't arrogant.

　"Human emotions are such complex things..."

　Congyu couldn't help but sigh, which drew a sidelong glance from Yaochuan Guang, who was walking beside her: "Congyu-chan, you talk as if you're not human."

　In response, Cong Yu poked Yao Chuan Guang's waist, and as she trembled, she said, "I don't know if I'm human, but what are you, Yao Chuan Guang?"

　Yao Chuan Guang, who was clutching his waist and looking at Cong Yu with a pout, was stunned when he heard what he said.

　"I?"

　Pointing to himself in confusion, Yao Chuanguang said almost without thinking, "I'm like a human, I'm like a human!"

　"..." is a load of rubbish.

　Cong Yu rolled her eyes, but then realized... that it's not necessarily a bad thing for a magical girl to think of herself as a human.

　When Yaochuan Guang begins to truly realize that he is "inhuman," she probably won't like him as much anymore.

　It was this immature purity that made Cong Yu feel a sense of novelty.

　Otherwise, based on his personal preferences, he actually dislikes magical girls.

　Seeing Cong Yu roll his eyes, Yao Chuan Guang pondered for a moment, then felt he had figured out what he meant: "You mean, I'm a dog, woof?"

　"..." Cong Yu doesn't like magical girls, but he likes dogs... cats, dogs, snakes, birds, he thinks they're all cute.

　There is no more loving eccentric than him.

　However, at this moment, Cong Yu was unable to make any response.

　The students walking down the corridor were either heading to their respective clubs or getting ready to go home.

　And they both heard the conversation between the two.

　"Is it such a big deal?"

　"That must be Cong Yu, a second-year student... I've heard about him."

　"So handsome!"

　"What kind of master-servant play is this?"

　"These second-year students these days are really something."

　"..." Cong Yu twitched her lips, looked at Yao Chuan Guang whose face was flushed, and then looked at the homeroom teacher next to her... the short, pink-haired loli homeroom teacher.

　At this moment, she looked at Cong Yu and Yao Chuan Guang with a shocked gaze.

　Then, the long-single homeroom teacher felt she had grasped something and tentatively looked at Cong Yu: "Woof!"

　Cong Yu: "..."

　Yao Chuanguang: "..."

　In the silence, Cong Yu grabbed Yao Chuanguang and ran, muttering, "Let's go quickly, the homeroom teacher has had a relapse, it's so embarrassing."

　"Yes, I think Congyu-chan is right."