Glacier sister, don't want to be a sandwich

Yue Ge frowned slightly, and couldn't help but turn sideways, quietly observing Su Shi's profile.

Su Shi had her usual gentle smile on her face, but her eyes were a little... strange.

That kind of almost excessive concentration in his eyes was not something an ordinary student would show. It was more like... he was trying hard to maintain a certain image and forcing himself to keep a perfect fake smile.

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It was obvious that Tsukune was not the only one who noticed Ichinose Suyo's abnormality.

As soon as the bell rang, the classroom suddenly became lively, and a group of classmates quickly gathered around Su Shi's seat.

"Hey, hey! Ichinose-san, you seem a little different today!"

A girl spoke first, her tone full of curiosity and her eyes sparkling with inquiry.

"Mmm! I feel like a perfect young lady!"

Another classmate echoed, his face full of excitement.

"Ichinose-san, I have a math problem that I didn't understand in class. Could you explain it to me?"

Someone directly spread out the textbook and handed it to Su Shi, with a hint of expectation in his tone.

Although Su Shi is usually gentle to others, she would never become the focus of everyone's attention like today.

And now, the way everyone looks at her is clearly filled with admiration and respect for an "excellent student", as if she has suddenly become the model student of the class.

Yue Ge stood aside, watching this overly exaggerated scene, and couldn't help but feel an indescribable sense of unease in his heart.

She wanted to go forward, but found that the classmates around her had formed a small circle, surrounding Su Shi's seat tightly, leaving no space for her to squeeze in.

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Unable to find an opportunity to interrupt the conversation, Yue Ge could only suppress his doubts until noon. During lunch break, he went to the Astronomy Department and complained to Gao Songdeng.

She sat on a chair by the window, supporting her face with one hand and holding a piece of bread with the other. After taking a bite, she frowned and said:

"Xiao Deng, tell me, has Su Shi been a little weird lately?"

Gao Songdeng was sitting aside with a box of milk in her hand. After hearing Yue Ge's question, she tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"Um……"

Her tone was gentle, but there was a sense of certainty in her words, "The rumors about Su Shi have spread to our class today."

Upon hearing this, Yue Ge almost couldn't swallow the bread in his mouth.

She suddenly raised her head and looked at Gao Songdeng in surprise, with a hint of shock in her tone: "Huh? Is this true? Has it spread to other classes?"

Before Gao Songdeng could answer, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the classroom door.

"Huh? Did it really reach your class?"

This gentle voice with a hint of laughter made Yue Ge freeze instantly. She trembled slightly and almost couldn't swallow the bread in her mouth.

She and Gao Songdeng slowly turned their heads.

Sure enough, Ichinose Motoyo had quietly appeared at the door of the astronomy club at some point, with a gentle smile on her lips and her lunch box in her hand, as if she had just pushed the door open.

Yue Ge suddenly felt a chill on her back.

"Su-Su Shi?!"

She almost choked and quickly patted her chest, trying to calm herself down.

Gao Songdeng's expression didn't change much, but his eyes lingered on Su Shi for a moment, full of worry.

And Su Shi still stood there with a perfect smile on his lips.

Chapter 82: Hypocritical Mask

"Su...Su Shi..."

Yue Ge turned her head stiffly and saw Ichinose Suyo standing quietly behind her. She froze instantly and a drop of cold sweat quietly slid down her forehead.

"W-What's going on?! When did she get here?!"

Her heartbeat suddenly stopped and she almost dropped the bread in her hand.

After all, who would want to be caught talking about someone behind their back? That would be too embarrassing!

She opened her mouth, trying to say something to ease the situation.

However, Su Shi didn't care about her reaction at all. He just pulled out a chair opposite them calmly, his movements smooth and natural, as if he didn't hear anything.

She ignored Yue Ge's obvious attempt to explain, and turned to look at Gao Songdeng with a gentle and calm gaze, and asked in a steady tone:

"Xiao Deng, could you please tell me what those rumors are about?"

Ichinose Suyo had previously deeply realized how outrageous those rumors could be.

For example, she had heard in her first grade that Tsukika, as the younger sister of Sayo and Hina, should be so outstanding, but now she can't even join the student union, and she has to rely on them to tutor her for the final exams.

"Hmm..." Xiao Deng nodded and began to tell Su Shi the story.

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"Where's Ichinose Suyo? She usually looks so ordinary, but suddenly she's like a completely different person. Her grades have improved dramatically, and she's incredibly active in answering questions in class!"

"Could it be that her family hired a tutor for her recently?"

"No way? Maybe she's suddenly working so hard because she's going to get into an elite school?"

"Some people also wondered if she was forced to study like this by her family. I heard her parents were very strict with her."

"Ah... now that you mention it, it's possible! Her smile today seems even more perfect than before. Isn't it quite dignified?"

"Yeah, there's not even a little bit of slackness. It doesn't feel like the old Sushi anymore..."

As Takamatsu Deng repeated the rumors one by one, Yue Ge's expression gradually became subtle.

"This is too outrageous..."

She finally couldn't help but hold her forehead with her hands, frowning, with a helpless look on her face.

"Why do people like to turn ordinary things into eight o'clock dramas?"

Although she complained like this, she didn't really not care in her heart.

She glanced secretly at Su Shi who was sitting opposite her, trying to find a little real emotion in her expression.

However, Su Shi's smile remained perfect.

The corners of her mouth raised at just the right angle, her eyes were gentle, her tone was soft, without a single flaw, as if the rumors were not worth mentioning to her at all.

She wasn't angry, helpless, or even surprised. It was like... she had no emotions at all.

But this is what makes Yue Ge feel most wrong.

"Sushi...are you okay?"

Yuege spoke tentatively, a hint of worry in her tone.

She stared at Su Shi's face, trying to find a crack under that too-perfect smile, but unfortunately - still none.

If a normal person hears these ridiculous rumors, even if they are not about themselves, they will probably show some emotions, right?

What's more, Su Shi is the core figure of the rumor this time.

However, there was not even a trace of fluctuation on her face.

She still had that gentle, peaceful smile on her face, so perfect that it looked as if it had been carefully carved, without a single flaw, as if these rumors really had nothing to do with her.

But because of this, Yue Ge felt something was even more wrong.

"Hmm? I feel good."

Su Shi's tone was still gentle. She tilted her head slightly, with the corners of her mouth curved just right. Her tone was so natural that no one could find any fault with it.

Yet, it was perfect.

It was so perfect that her smile seemed like an impeccable mask, making it impossible to see through her true thoughts.

Yue Ge frowned slightly, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

She took a tentative step forward, moved closer to Su Shi, and looked at her face seriously, her eyes full of concern.

"But... I feel like something's wrong with you today, Su Shi."

As he spoke, Yue Ge raised his hand and gently touched Su Shi's forehead with the back of his hand, trying to check if she was sick.

"I don't have a fever..."

She mumbled, confusion and worry evident in her tone.

However, it was this action that was like a sharp blade, breaking Su Shi's carefully maintained "perfect" disguise.

At that moment, Su Shi's eyes flickered slightly, as if something had hit a sore spot, and a tiny crack appeared on the smile on his face.

Her lips moved slightly, as if trying to maintain her perfect expression, but—

Failed.

She lowered her head, her eyes flickering, and her fingertips unconsciously stroked the table, as if avoiding Yue Ge's gaze.

She tries hard to make herself look good and to be the "daughter to be proud of". In this way, will her parents stop quarreling?

Is it possible for them to maintain their relationship and avoid it becoming irreversible?

She told herself countless times—

"As long as I become better, Mom and Dad will stop having the cold war."

"As long as I am perfect enough, they will feel that this family still has meaning..."

but--

Yue Ge's gentleness pierced through her facade without any warning.

That sentence "Su Shi...are you okay?"

It hurt her heart more than any rumor.

Is she acting strangely?

She thought she had concealed it well, that as long as she controlled her smile, her words and actions, others would not notice her inner struggle.

But Yue Ge happened to notice it...

No... not only Yue Ge... even Xiao Deng noticed it.

Her fingertips were slightly curled, and her nails were lightly digging into the table, as if she was trying to suppress something.

After a second of silence, she slowly raised her head, a smile still on her lips, but her voice was much more hesitant than before:

"Am I...acting strange?"

The moment she said this, she was stunned.

——Will she actually take the initiative to ask about her own condition?

Isn't this exactly what she's trying so hard to hide?

Before she could sort out her emotions, a warm touch suddenly surrounded her.

Yue Ge walked up to her without any hesitation and hugged her gently.

"Well... it's not strange now... the familiar Su Shi is finally back."

She slowly raised her hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally gently hugged Yue Ge back.

At that moment, her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and all the emotions that she had been trying hard not to touch finally found an outlet.

Tears quietly slid down the corners of my eyes.

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Miss Sushi and Mortis both didn't make it through a single chapter.

Chapter 83 Let’s try it!

After a while, Yue Ge finally and slowly released Su Shi from her tight embrace. Her movements were still gentle, as if she was afraid of disturbing the person in her arms.

Su Shi's shoulders trembled slightly. Although her tears had stopped, her eyes were still slightly red, as if some emotions still lingered.