You call this a love game?

"Oh, oh, no problem."

Xiaomei was stunned for a moment, then quickly took out the banknotes she had prepared in her pocket, smoothed them out, and was about to put them into the coin slot.

Madoka Kaname stopped Homura Akemi from doing so, "Wait a minute, doesn't Homura Akemi have any coins?"

"I...I didn't bring it..."

Having just been discharged from the hospital a few days ago, she had nowhere to spend her money, and even this money was withdrawn from the bank this morning before coming to school.

Seeing this, Kaname Madoka couldn't help but facepalm. "We're just buying a can of drink. Such a large sum of money will give you a huge pile of coins in change, which is very difficult to store."

"Is that so..." Homura Akemi finally understood after hearing Madoka Kaname's explanation, "But I don't have any coins..."

"But I'm still here." Kaname Madoka patted her meager chest again and smiled. "Let me treat you this time."

"Two cans of strawberry milk, okay, this one is for you."

Looking at the oolong tea and the extra can of strawberry milk in her hand, Homura Akemi suddenly felt that the cold cans were so hot that she could hardly hold them.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Let's thank Lord Xiaoyuan for her great mercy!

"Thank you."

Homura Akemi held the two cans of drinks, a shy smile on her face. Her fingertips rubbed the cold cans, a warmth rising in her heart.

Kaname Madoka couldn't wait to open her can and took a big, satisfying gulp, with a little milk foam still on her lips. "Mmm~ Strawberry milk is the best! Akemi, you should try some too!"

Homura Akemi hesitated for a moment, then carefully pulled the tab. A sweet strawberry aroma immediately wafted out, along with the rich scent of milk.

She tentatively took a small sip, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"tasty?"

Madoka Kaname leaned closer and asked, her pink twin tails swaying gently with her movements.

"Mmm!" Homura Akemi nodded vigorously, then added shyly, "It's...it's sweeter than I imagined."

"Right, right!" Madoka Kaname laughed happily. "Let's try other flavors together next time! The school store also has banana milk and melon milk~"

Infected by Madoka Kaname's enthusiasm, Homura Akemi's lips also unconsciously curled up in a smile.

But then, as if remembering something, she suddenly panicked, "Ah! Bai Yu is still waiting for me..."

Looking at the other unopened can of oolong tea in her hand, Homura Akemi inexplicably recalled Shiraha's mischievous smile, and had a feeling that something bad was about to happen to her again.

"Oh dear, I almost forgot." Madoka Kaname stuck out her tongue. "Then let's hurry back."

The two hurried back, with Homura Akemi carefully protecting the oolong tea in her arms, afraid that it might accidentally fall to the ground.

As she turned the corner of the corridor, she suddenly stopped and nervously tugged at Madoka Kaname's sleeve.

"Um... Kaname-kun..."

"Just call me Xiaoyuan~" the pink-haired girl replied with a smile.

“Madoka… Madoka…” Homura Akemi’s face turned red again. “Thank you for taking me to the vending machine earlier. Also, could you please not tell Shiraha-san that I got lost and that’s why it took so long…”

She was afraid of being laughed at, even though she knew the other person meant no harm, it would still make her so ashamed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Don't worry! I won't say anything." Kaname Madoka winked mischievously and suddenly leaned close to Akemi Homura's ear, "Besides, Nakazawa is actually very kind. You called him by his name as soon as you met him. I don't even get that kind of treatment. He definitely won't make things difficult for you over such a small matter."

"So if Xiaoyan really likes someone, she shouldn't give up easily. She should take the initiative."

These words made the already shy Homura Akemi turn into a ripe tomato, her hand gripping the beverage can so tightly it was slightly deformed. She stammered, trying to explain, but found herself at a loss for words.

That's true. Who calls each other by their first names right after meeting? That's so lacking in boundaries.

Just then, familiar footsteps sounded from ahead, and Bai Yu strolled over slowly with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh? Looks like my drink is sorted out?" Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised to see Kaname Madoka standing nearby.

Homura Akemi hurriedly handed him the oolong tea, her head down, not daring to look at him, "Here...here you go..."

Bai Yu took the drink, but his gaze fell on the strawberry milk in her other hand, and a playful smile appeared on his lips. "So Xiao Yan likes to drink this."

"No, no, this is..." Homura Akemi looked at Madoka Kaname in a panic for help.

"It was me who treated Homura to the drink!" Kaname Madoka stepped in to smooth things over, but her next words made Homura want to disappear into the ground. "Akami-san doesn't even know how to use a vending machine very well, and Nakazawa-san actually let her buy drinks all by herself. I remember Saotome-sensei asked you to take care of Homura, didn't she? You're so irresponsible!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault."

Bai Yu clasped his hands together in a gesture of begging for mercy, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

He glanced at Homura Akemi and saw that the girl was covering her face with a strawberry milk jar, only revealing a pair of big, wet eyes, looking as pitiful as a little animal that had done something wrong.

"And that's not all! Nakazawa-kun, you didn't give Homura any money before letting her buy a drink..." Kaname Madoka took a step forward with an air of authority, put her hands on her hips, and stared straight at Shiraha. "That's bullying, isn't it? What Nakazawa-kun did was really wrong!"

Shiraha was stunned by Kaname Madoka's sudden statement of justice. He blinked, then put on a look of bewilderment, "Wait, isn't this charge a bit too serious?"

Seeing this, Homura Akemi hurriedly peeked out from behind the beverage can and stammered, "N-no, it was me..."

"Homura doesn't need to speak up for him!" Kaname Madoka interrupted her angrily, glaring at her with a look of disappointment, then turned to Shiraha, "Nakazawa-kun, as punishment, you have to treat Homura to strawberry milk with me for three days!"

"Eh?!" Homura Akemi exclaimed in surprise, nearly dropping the drink can in her hand. She frantically waved her hands, "N-no need for this..."

"Deal." Bai Yu readily agreed, and kindly added, "As punishment for my actions as a 'bully,' how about I personally buy it for you and deliver it to your seats?"

Kaname Madoka nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm~ Great! Nakazawa-kun, you seem very remorseful. I won't report your crimes to the teacher."

"Eh~ Kaname-kun is so cruel, he even went to tell the teacher. How heartless of him."

"Hmph~ Well, I have something on Nakazawa-kun, so you should thank Madoka-sama for her mercy."

Kaname Madoka raised her chin smugly, looking quite pleased with herself.

"It seems Kaname-san has been completely corrupted by Miki-san." Shiraha feigned melancholy, covering his face with his hands and growling in a low voice, "Damn it! Give me back the gentle, cute, considerate, and kind Madoka I used to know!"

"Is Nakazawa-kun saying I'm not cute right now?" Kaname Madoka tilted her head, poking her delicate cheek with her index finger, leaving a slight indentation, and a hint of grievance appeared in her pink eyes.

Meeting the girl's gaze, Bai Yu stared at her for a few seconds before turning his head away, a rare occurrence for him, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Cute, but not cute."

"Eh—the smell of a lie~" Madoka Kaname twitched her nose slightly, as if she wanted to get a little closer to smell it.

But Bai Yu quickly pulled away and blocked Akemi Homura, who had been watching the battle from the sidelines with a wide smile on her face and her eyes curved into crescent shapes.

"Xiao Yan is laughing so happily. What funny thing did you think of? Tell me about it."

Bai Yu leaned down slightly and whispered in Homura Akemi's ear, looking at her with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Homura Akemi immediately turned into a shy little quail again, wanting to back down but finding Shiraha behind her, she could only look at Madoka Kaname with pleading eyes once more.

However, Madoka Kaname shrugged, giving Homura Akemi a helpless look, which made Homura Akemi feel a sense of despair.

P.S.: I don't know if you guys like this kind of slice-of-life writing. If you think it's too lighthearted, you'll want more; if you think it's okay, I'll try to write more; if you think it's too lighthearted, I'll write less.

While this simulation does include a lot of daily routines, it's not by much.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Little Penguin Little Flame

Just then, a vibrant voice came from afar.

"Xiaoyuan—! What are you doing?"

A girl with short blue hair was seen running briskly towards them, followed by a girl with long green hair who walked gracefully and unhurriedly, creating a stark contrast with the girl with short blue hair.

"Sayaka, keep your voice down!" the long-haired green girl behind her whispered a reminder.

However, the blue-haired girl acted as if she hadn't heard at all, and still ran over and hugged Madoka Kaname's neck.

"Wow! You guys secretly drank strawberry milk behind my back!"

"Sayaka!" Madoka Kaname coughed as she was being strangled. "Let go!"

Homura Akemi was startled by the sudden appearance of this person, and the girl's overly enthusiastic behavior made her subconsciously hide behind Shiraha.

Shiraha naturally stepped aside to block her, and smiled at Miki Sayaka, saying, "Miki-kun, you're going to scare the new students like this."

"Ah, you must be the new transfer student, Akemi!" Sayaka finally noticed Homura Akemi hiding behind her, immediately released Madoka Kaname, and warmly extended her hand, "I'm Sayaka Miki, nice to meet you!"

Homura Akemi timidly peeked out from behind Shiraha, looked at Sayaka's outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally carefully shook Sayaka's hand, "P-please take care of me..."

Hitomi Shizuki then came up as well. Seeing that the two were still holding hands, she casually pulled Sayaka back, tugged at her hand, and smiled and nodded at Homura Akemi, "Good morning, Homura Akemi. I'm Hitomi Shizuki. It'll be nice to meet you in the future."

"Hello, Zhizhu... Thank you..."

Homura Akemi thanked him in a very soft voice, then continued to hide behind Shiraha, silently watching the feeling of her friends gathered together, a feeling she had never experienced before.

It felt like being roasted by the scorching sun; even just watching it made her feel like she was about to melt, yet she longed for that warmth.

Bai Yu felt Homura Akemi gently tug at his clothes from behind, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Alright, if you keep surrounding Xiaoyan like this, she'll be so shy she'll evaporate," Bai Yu said half-jokingly.

Seeing this, Kaname Madoka immediately understood and tugged at Sayaka's sleeve, "Sayaka, let me treat you to strawberry milk. You seemed like you wanted some earlier."

Then he pulled Sayaka away, who was eager to try her luck with Bai Yu and seemed to have her eyes on the oolong tea in his hand.

Standing to the side, Hitomi Shizuki gracefully tossed her long hair and gently added, "Don't be afraid, Akemi. Sayaka has a cheerful personality, and everyone here is a very nice person. If you need any help in the future, feel free to come to us anytime."

"Okay, okay." Homura Akemi forced a smile, trying her best to appear less frightened.

"Jingle Bell--"

The school bell rang at just the right time.

"Ah! We're going to be late, Xiaoyuan, run!"

Sayaka, who had just ripped off Madoka Kaname, was pulling her hand and running as fast as she could. Madoka was practically being dragged along as they sped past the three of them.

Even as she was being dragged along, Kaname Madoka turned back and shouted, "Nakazawa-kun, remember our promise!"

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Bai Yu turned to Homura Akemi and smiled, "Shall we go too?"

Homura Akemi nodded and followed Shiraha with small steps. She looked at the strawberry milk in her hand, and a sweet smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

Perhaps... life will really be different after transferring schools.

……

In the afternoon, during physical education class.

"I'm anemic just from warming up for exercise, that's terrible..."

"I've been sleeping for the past six months, there's nothing I can do."

"It seems like I should just go back and continue my leave of absence, since nothing I do seems to work anyway."

Hearing the murmurs from the class, the rising sun in Homura Akemi's heart was instantly extinguished, plunging her back into a world of darkness.

Akemi Homura stood at the edge of the playground with her head down, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her tracksuit. The sunlight shone on her, but it couldn't dispel the gloom surrounding her. The whispers felt like needles pricking her heart, making her unconsciously shrink back, as if that would help her avoid those gazes.

"Hey, you guys." Bai Yu suddenly stepped out from the crowd, his voice not loud but exceptionally clear, "Xiao Mei has been working very hard on her rehabilitation, isn't it a bit too much to say something like that?"

His figure was backlit, appearing exceptionally tall in Homura Akemi's blurry vision. She stared blankly at the back of the figure blocking her way, her heart skipping a beat.

"That's right!" Madoka Kaname ran over and grabbed Homura Akemi's arm. "Homura is already amazing! Sayaka, don't you agree?"

"Huh? What is it?" Sayaka, who had just finished two laps of running, was still a little confused.

“It’s Homura…” Madoka Kaname whispered quickly in Sayaka’s ear to explain.

After understanding the reason for the incident, Sayaka stood to the side with her hands on her hips and shouted without any politeness, "You guys, if you're so capable, come and race me in the 50 meters!"

Seemingly intimidated by Sayaka's imposing presence, the murmurs gradually subsided.

Homura Akemi felt her eyes getting hot, and she quickly lowered her head, not wanting anyone to see her disheveled state.

But this moment of bowing her head caused the already crumbling defenses to collapse instantly, and tears dripped incessantly onto the plastic track.

"Homura..." Madoka Kaname leaned closer with concern.

Bai Yu turned around, took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed it to him, "Go rest in the shade for a while, I'll just tell the teacher."

However, Homura Akemi shook her head, rubbed her eyes hard, took a deep breath, and looked up with a forced smile.

"I...I'm fine, I can continue..."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her face. Her eyes, still wet with tears, held an unusual firmness, like the sky after a storm.

Bai Yu paused for a moment, vaguely seeing her long, straight black hair and aloof demeanor in her pupils, but the image vanished in an instant.