Are you, as meal replacement users, ready for the consequences?

Page 16

"Happy? I am happy, but it would be better if there were no teachers to give lectures. Why do schools have teachers at all?"

If there were no teachers at school, and everyone spent the whole day playing with the hair of the student in front of them, wouldn't school be more interesting?

What am I thinking? I'm crazy.

But this teacher's voice was really loud; it felt like my eardrums were vibrating so loudly they were almost in the highest gear.

Ningzi gently kicked the chair of the small lamp at the front desk a few times with her restless little feet.

If the lamp's feet hadn't been placed so far away, she could have even hooked the lamp's legs over.

Don't underestimate her footwork skills.

"By the way, didn't you notice anything wrong yesterday, sister?"

Ningzi pretended to be serious while making her handwriting, and her act was so convincing that even the teacher would nod in approval.

"No way, you threw the fruit plate out the window after you finished eating, and you washed your little feet very well. How could you have forgotten anything?"

That's true. I got home before 5 p.m. yesterday, and Xiangzi didn't come back until 10 p.m., dragging his tired body home.

She absolutely couldn't have been unaware that her sister would run away during this time.

But why does it feel like I've forgotten something?

The fruit platter that Sister Mu bought yesterday was delicious. Mu also said that she can grow cucumbers and will bring some to share with me when they ripen.

Sister Mu is such a good person.

I ate too much yesterday and didn't even have dinner... I didn't even heat up my father's portion...

It was really hard for Xiangzi to pay for the lunchbox. Although it was very simple, it was the best he could afford.

Wait... a bento box? Xiangzi should have noticed that I didn't eat a bento box, right?

Even if they find out, they won't spank me, right?

"Fine, let's start."

Ningzi idly twirled the ends of Deng's hair. Deng was truly a treasure from head to toe; you could never get tired of playing with her.

If it weren't for the fact that the back was facing away from her, Ningzi could more easily appreciate the cute little expressions on the lantern.

The lamp is sacred, the lamp is redemptive, the lamp is hope, the lamp is enlightening, the lamp is…

"Toyokawa-kun, what is the answer to this question?"

Oh no! Why did they call on me?

The praise was abruptly interrupted by the teacher. Toyokawa Ningko stood up uncertainly, facing the teacher's questioning gaze and the curiosity of the whole class.

Wow, don't all look at me like that, Zisha (purple clay).

"Teacher, I..."

How would I know the answer to this question? I didn't listen to the lecture at all, so how could I answer it?

It's all because the lamp is too fun. If the lamp wasn't so fun, I definitely wouldn't have gotten distracted.

Toyokawa Neko wanted to raise her hand to give up and apply for a settlement.

"Sixty-four, Ningzi, answer this question quickly."

Okay, sure.

"Teacher, the answer is sixty-four."

"Okay, sit down and pay attention in class."

"Okay, teacher..."

Toyokawa Ningko blinked, then sat back down, looking bewildered.

Ah, who answered for me?

"It's me, who else could it be?"

Ningzi—the girl she had met once before—stood behind her teacher, making mischievous faces.

Thank you, my other self.

"You're welcome."

Luckily I have a mental illness, otherwise how would I live?

Ningzi continued to play with Deng's hair; Deng's ear tips were rosy and delicious, making one suddenly want to take a bite.

That's the way it is.

……

"Xiao Ningzi is amazing... She can even solve such difficult problems."

After class, Deng turned around and chatted quietly with Ningzi. Ningzi had arrived a little late that morning, almost right on time.

Ningzi's actions controlled the light that wanted to give her a gift for a full forty minutes.

"Hmm, it's alright, I do have some talent for learning."

How could she not have talent? What Ningzi can do, isn't it the same thing Ningzi can do?

“Xiao Ning… mentioned before that she used this kind of notebook when she was a child.”

Takamatsu took out a dark green notebook with a beetle printed on the cover from her bag and handed it over with both hands.

"Ah?"

When did I say that? I don't remember.

Ningzi's junior leaned back in her chair, lost in deep self-doubt.

Was it the time in the Amazon when the two of them caught a Siberian tiger with their bare hands? Back then, the lamp killed a golden lion king by smashing it with a laptop.

I might have actually said I wanted a notebook for protection.

"Ningzi just transferred here... she probably doesn't have all the stationery, so I was thinking..."

"Really? Is it for me?! I love you so much, Little Lamp!"

Ningzi solemnly accepted the notebook from Gaosong Deng, and with utmost seriousness, took out a black pen and wrote on the back page of the cover:

Neko loves Tomori.

"Thank you, I'm so happy..."

Ding—

Ta-da!

The piano music, with its highs and lows, exploded in Ningzi's ears, completely capturing her attention.

What is that sound? Is someone playing the piano, and so loudly at that?

Keyboardists are really pushing themselves too hard.

"Little lamp, can you hear that? It's the sound of a piano!"

"Huh? Is that so?"

"Yes, definitely, there's no mistake."

Xiangzi's older sister used to love playing the piano and achieved excellent results in this field, but reality shattered her piano dream, and Xiangzi was forced to give up the music she loved.

My sister said that when she has money in the future, she wants to buy another piano... I'll go and get a job then, and secretly give her a surprise.

The music in my ears grew louder and louder, but the students next to me didn't seem to hear the decadent music drifting from afar.

"Could it be that I'm the only one who can hear this beautiful music again?"

The music... has a hint of my older sister's voice.

That was a beautiful cry for help from a romantic Xiangzi, a poor child who had already melted away in the torrential rain.

No, no, no.

We need to go and see who's playing the piano; maybe it really is Xiangzi.

"Xiaodeng, I'm going to the restroom. Thank you for the notebook, I love it so much! I love you! Please keep giving me gifts for the rest of your life!"

"what?"

Without waiting for a response, she gives a huge thumbs-up and runs away – that's Toyokawa Neko's way of speaking.

Leaving behind a classroom full of girls eavesdropping on gossip, a cute little lamp, Ningzi ran out of the classroom.

That's the way it is.

Chapter 20. My piano is a Takamatsu lamp that has come to life.

"Where...is it?"

The music seemed to be hiding from Ningzi; whenever Ningzi felt she was close enough to the source of the sound, the music would become increasingly distant.

It's like a secret hidden in the heart of a lover; the more you try to peek, the harder it becomes to understand the truth.

"So this is how long the corridor is?"

Since I started attending school, I've only been to three places: the classroom, the cafeteria, and the astronomy club.

I never imagined that this girls' school would have such a forbidden place, hidden behind a quiet and lifeless corridor.

Ningzi walked to the end, where a wooden door with opaque glass was half-open, making one want to go inside and explore.

This is it. The piano sound is most obvious and clearest here, and it's not even the same version as what I heard in the classroom.

Ningzi carefully knocked on the door a few times, but received no response, so she poked her head inside.

The music stopped abruptly. There was no one in front of the piano; the only thing in the room was a strangely colored piano playing "Dump Dump" on its own.

"Oh dear, is it acting up again?"

It startled me; I thought it was my older sister inside.

Ningzi lost all interest; what she wanted to hear was her husband Xiangzi's performance, for only Xiangzi's playing could bring her a brief and safe happiness.

But she already knew that Xiangzi was no longer able to play the piano.

Just as ridiculous as a bus driver who likes to write poetry, a female factory worker who dreams of becoming a keyboard player is an utterly foolish joke.

What am I thinking? Xiangzi should be busy with her studies right now; she wouldn't be wandering around aimlessly like me.

"What, you're all here, aren't you going in to play for a while?"

Ningzi leaned against the door and called out to Ningzi, who was about to leave.

"Huh? What are you doing out here? I want to go back to the classroom to play with the lamp."

"I'm telling you, don't you want to try this piano?"

"No, why would I try this? Are you suffering from a serious illness, you little rascal?"

"Strictly speaking, that's right."

"what?"

Ningzi ignored Ningzi's words and sat down on the piano bench, holding her skirt.

"Didn't you say that if you make money in the future, you'll buy your sister a piano to help her realize her dream, and then you'll play a piece for her... What do you think she'll think?"

Xiangzi would surely be moved to tears, and then, sobbing, she would snuggle into her own arms and admit that Toyokawa Xiangzi was her younger sister, right?

That will definitely happen.

Then I'll reluctantly acknowledge the great Toyokawa Ningko as the older sister, and the younger sister, Zayu Xiangzi, can just go play by herself...

This kind of thing, hehe...

"Stop daydreaming, come sit over here, I'll teach you how to play."

"You can do that? I didn't know that."

Although Ningzi questioned her nanny, she still obediently sat down next to her.

"I need...where are you?"

Turning my head, I found that the place was empty, with only myself guarding the piano that shone and radiated like a rainbow.

Seriously, is she really that unreliable?