You call this a love game?

"Wow! So cute!"

“So cute!”

Upon seeing the transfer student, the classroom instantly erupted in commotion.

"Well, please introduce yourself."

"I am Homura Akemi, nice to meet you."

The girl with long, straight black hair had a calm and composed expression, as if nothing could elicit a reaction from her.

"So, Xiaomei, your seat is..."

Just as Saotome Kazuko was arranging seats for Akemi Homura, Akemi Homura glanced around the classroom and suddenly seemed to have discovered something. To everyone's astonishment, she walked straight to Shiraha's seat.

Just as Bai Yu was surprised to learn that the new transfer student was one of the heroines he was trying to seduce, an even more shocking scene suddenly unfolded.

Approaching Shiraha, Homura Akemi leaned down and, before anyone could react, cupped Shiraha's face in her hands and gently placed a kiss on his lips.

"!!!"

Chapter Thirteen: Sayaka Has Been Shot Down

The classroom erupted instantly. The boys' jaws dropped open in shock, and the girls' screams echoed throughout the classroom.

Needless to say, Sayaka and Hitomi at the other end of the classroom were in even worse shape. Hitomi's ballpoint pen was almost broken in half, and her fate was not much different from that of the ruler in Saotome Kazuko's hand.

Sayaka's expression froze completely, as if her soul had been ripped away at that moment, leaving her petrified on the spot.

She was the one who arrived first...

She still couldn't believe that something she had cherished for so long had been taken away so suddenly.

Bai Yujun's first kiss... even though she hadn't even experienced what it tasted like yet.

I want to cry……

Sayaka gazed at the spot where the two were touching from afar, and a violent idea suddenly surged into her mind.

Since Bai Yujun has already been forcibly kissed, why doesn't she just do what that despicable guy did and try what he tastes like?

No, no, no! Absolutely not!

The idea was immediately dismissed by Sayaka as soon as it popped into her head, and she shook her head vigorously to get rid of those unclean thoughts.

But she also felt incredibly aggrieved. Something she had carefully cherished and treasured had been taken away by a newcomer she didn't even know. It was worse than being killed.

Ahhh! ! !

Sayaka was getting a little frantic, constantly blaming herself for not being bolder, and also blaming Shiraha for not dodging, and for letting that guy kiss her.

If she really wanted to kiss him, she could have done it...

However, Bai Yu had no way to explain himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to dodge, but even though he did, he was still hit precisely, as if his movements had been predicted.

The girl named Homura Akemi was also quite strong. When she held his head, he almost thought his head was going to be gone, although in the end she only kissed him.

Although it was only a brief two or three seconds, Bai Yu could still sense a long-suppressed emotion in the kiss.

He had so boldly and proactively kissed her, the touch as soft as a feather on her lips, yet her lips trembled slightly, and her magnified eyes were filled with sorrow, an indescribable bitterness washing over her.

“This time…” Homura Akemi pressed her forehead against Shiraha’s and murmured, “I will protect you.”

"What?" Bai Yu asked instinctively, but the girl didn't give a much answer.

Homura Akemi released Shiraha's head, straightened up, and looked back at Ms. Saotome Kazuko on the podium.

"I'm sorry, I was rude." Homura Akemi bowed slightly to show her apology, then walked to an empty seat with practiced ease and looked down at the classroom laptop on the table.

This is the spot that Saotome Kazuko was just about to arrange for Akemi Homura.

Clearly, even though Saotome Kazuko was over thirty, she hadn't seen much of this kind of scene before. It wasn't until Akemi Homura returned to her seat that she finally snapped out of her shock.

"Xiao, Xiaomei, I can understand being with a man... uh..." Saotome Kazuko wanted to say boyfriend, but then she glanced at Sayaka on the other side, frowned, and suddenly realized that things didn't seem so simple.

"Anyway, this is still a classroom. Of course, you can do whatever you want in other parts of the school that I can't see."

"I'm sorry," Homura Akemi said calmly, her face remaining expressionless.

"Alright, let's just leave it at that." Saotome Kazuko coughed lightly, then stomped her foot heavily on the ground, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"Class, let's begin our lesson now. Please turn to page 32 of your textbooks. Today we'll be learning about the active and passive voice of verbs. As we've learned before, the active voice refers to the person or thing that initiates the action, while the passive voice refers to the person or thing that receives the action, which is the subject of the action. This passive voice is formed by the verb 'be' plus the past participle..."

Even after class actually started, most of the students' attention was drawn to Ms. Saotome, and Sayaka's gaze remained fixed on Shiraha.

The thought of such a domineering opponent suddenly appearing out of nowhere made Sayaka anxious and itchy, wishing she could also cup Shiraha's face and kiss him.

She doesn't even know what kissing feels like, especially kissing a boy.

Those healthy, rosy, and glossy lips, wouldn't kissing them feel like floating on clouds?

Will there be a hint of lemon or citrus fragrance? Will the lingering saliva be as sweet as honey?

Sayaka let her imagination run wild, her eyes unconsciously closing, and her lips pursing slightly, as if she were kissing Shiraha.

"Miki-kun, could you please explain the specific usage of this grammar point to everyone?"

Kazuko Saotome, standing on the podium, naturally noticed Sayaka's unusual behavior and ruthlessly interrupted the girl's daydreams.

"Ah! Yes!"

Dragged out of her reverie, Sayaka quickly stood up and looked down at the scribbles on her textbook, completely forgetting what Saotome Kazuko had just been talking about.

"I...that...is..."

Sayaka stammered for a long time but couldn't utter a complete sentence. Especially when she noticed the gaze from her childhood friend, her face turned bright red. She lowered her head, her eyes fixed on her scribbles in her textbook, completely unafraid to look at other people's reactions.

Normally, she would just laugh it off and tell the teacher she didn't know.

But things are different now. With the watchful eyes of my childhood sweetheart and that incredibly arrogant transfer student, how can I be looked down upon!

However, even though she racked her brains and her face turned red, she couldn't find any clues in the textbook.

"Okay, Miki, please sit down. Don't daydream next time you're in class."

Saotome Kazuko didn't continue to make things difficult for the girl, after all, Sayaka's grades were already poor, so it would be strange if she could answer such a question.

Moreover, due to their parents' relationship, she and Sayaka were quite familiar with each other and had been observing the child's behavior.

She once had a beautiful romance... though it ended before it even began.

"Since Miki doesn't know how to do it, is there anyone who does who can help her and explain to everyone how to use this grammar in daily life?"

Saotome Kazuko scanned the classroom again, trying to find the next 'bad student' who wasn't paying attention.

"Teacher, let me do it."

Chapter Fourteen: Provocation from Homura Akemi

Homura Akemi's cool and calm voice surprised Kazuko Saotome for a moment.

"Okay, Xiaomei, you can do it. Don't force yourself if you really can't do it."

This wasn't entirely unfounded, as she did have some understanding of Homura Akemi's situation.

Because of heart problems, I've been hospitalized and have been on leave from school for a long time. My parents are not in China either, so it's no wonder that I'm falling behind in my studies.

To prevent the girl from putting on a brave face, she could only offer her a way out beforehand, so that things wouldn't be too embarrassing later.

Clearly, Homura Akemi didn't need this step. She had already memorized what Kazuko Saotome had said, and everything in front of her gradually overlapped with her memories. It had become instinctive for her to randomly select a segment.

Homura Akemi turned to look at Sayaka Miki, who was sitting at the back left of the classroom, and received a vicious glare from the girl. She then turned back to Saotome's box, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said softly, "The usage of this grammar is..."

Despite Homura Akemi's calm voice, Sayaka's heart was anything but calm.

That's a provocation, isn't it?!

It must be!

Intentionally helping her, her 'love rival' who couldn't answer the question, to answer it was blatant provocation!

She actually provoked me!

Unforgivable!

Sayaka never imagined that she would one day be angry about this, and she even wanted to use the power of a magical girl to deal with that despicable guy.

Hmph! She made up her mind that after class she would definitely find out who that guy was and how he dared to be so arrogant, he simply didn't respect her, Sayaka-sama.

"Sayaka, be careful, that girl is a magical girl too."

Kyubey's voice suddenly entered Sayaka's mind, but today Kyubey seemed to have a hint of 'gentleness' compared to usual?

"Never mind that," Sayaka said, pulling herself together to press on, "Was she also contracted with you? Didn't you say I was the only magical girl in this city?"

"Before this, you were indeed the only magical girl in this city. I don't really know where she came from, and I don't have any memory of ever making a contract with her."

"Since she's also a magical girl, she should be a righteous protector of peace, right? Why..." Sayaka couldn't help but wonder.

This transfer student didn't act like a righteous person at all; instead, she felt that the other person was more like... a witch.

"That's not how it is, Sayaka. You need to know that Grief Seeds are important items for replenishing magic power and purifying Soul Gems. Without magic power, your strength will also decrease. Not all cities have a stable supply of Grief Seeds like this one. They will fight and even kill each other for the ownership of a witch. Therefore, it is a very dangerous thing when a strange magical girl comes to your territory."

“How could this be…” Sayaka frowned, her face full of disbelief.

Despite Mami's gentle nature, she treated them to delicious desserts and refreshing black tea, and even thoughtfully showed them a battle against a witch, making it easier for them to decide whether or not they wanted to become magical girls.

"It's true. If the other party isn't hostile, it's fine. But if they're here for the Lament Seeds of this territory, Sayaka, you're in big danger right now. You've just become a magical girl and your combat experience is severely lacking. If the other party is determined to kill you, I can't offer you much help."

"This is so unreasonable! They're all magical girls, why are they fighting each other? Shouldn't they be helping each other?!"

She couldn't understand why there were such people. Fighting witches was difficult enough just to survive, but they also had to be wary of threats from their own kind. What exactly was a magical girl?

After hearing Kyubey's explanation, Sayaka felt exhausted; life as a magical girl was far less easy than before.

There isn't much time to play, go shopping, or eat delicious desserts with friends. Even when hunting witches at night, they have to wait until their parents are asleep before sneaking out. And in battle, they've already given it their all.

She thought life would get better after becoming a magical girl, after all, she gained such magical powers, but her childhood friend suddenly got involved with a magical girl of unknown origin and had her precious possession, which she had longed for, taken away.

Sayaka suddenly felt irritated, and even the voice of Ms. Saotome lecturing on the podium sounded like a mosquito buzzing in her ear.

Or we could take the initiative and defeat that despicable transfer student, so she'll never dare to cause us trouble again, and at the same time, keep her away from Bai Yujun.

But then she suddenly realized that her talent wasn't outstanding and her use of magic was very superficial, so it was hard to say whether she could win.

Bai Yujun, her Bai Yujun, it seems she's about to lose her Bai Yujun...

"Waaah... what should I do..."

The girl sighed with a bitter face, rested her chin on the table, and tilted her head to silently watch Bai Yu's serious figure as he attended class.

……

"Jingle Bell--"

After class, Sayaka immediately found Shiraha and, under the watchful eyes of her friends and many classmates, dragged him out of the classroom.

"I know what you want to ask, but don't rush me, because I don't know either." Bai Yu shrugged, leaning against the wall and helplessly looking at Sayaka, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

He really didn't know what kind of background that girl named Homura Akemi was. She was clearly one of the heroines he could win over, but with her attitude of kissing him directly, did he really need to win her over?

He had asked the system during class, but the system said that Homura Akemi's progress in winning her over was still zero, and her affection level had also increased by zero.

But when he asked Homura Akemi about the reason for her situation, the system said nothing and just told him to find out for himself.

"But she actually kissed you, Bai Yujun!"

Sayaka was so excited that she danced around, her eyes wide open, looking incredibly imposing.

Bai Yu waved his hand dismissively, "It was just a kiss, I didn't really lose out, after all, she's quite pretty, isn't she?"

"But...but..."

Sayaka stamped her feet in frustration, trying to explain that this was no small matter for her, but thinking of her relationship with Shiraha, she could only keep quiet.

She now hates herself for what she did last night. If she had said it back then, things wouldn't be like this now.

But if I were to confess my feelings now, something just wouldn't feel right.

Instantly, the thoughts she had had in class resurfaced in her mind.

Sayaka looked around at her surroundings. This place was located in a small corner deep in the corridor. The nearest classrooms were mostly empty storage rooms. A tall pine tree outside the window blocked the light, making the place extremely dark. Usually, no one would come here, and it was not visible from a normal angle.

Fortunately, there was a wall right behind Bai Yu, so she only needed to reach out and block his only way out.