Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

When Qiji and Liuli faced off again, the number of comments in Qiji's live stream skyrocketed.

"Holy crap! Brother Ji's awesome! So he went straight for the bad woman and went for a good beating!"

"You're bullying my Mu Bao, aren't you? My brother Ji is furious!"

"Upstairs, the reason your brother Ji is angry is simply because his afternoon nap was disturbed, right? (laughs)"

……

In the original storyline, Ruri did not kill Huomu; she pulled back from the brink at the last moment.

But at this moment, because of Saki's intervention, Ruri has actually solidified her reputation as a bad woman in the eyes of the audience.

I'm sorry, Liuli, but for the sake of my popularity, I'll have to ask you to do this a little bit.

Of course, as compensation, I will save you in the later part of the story.

……

Liuli had no idea that her reputation had been completely and imperceptibly damaged by someone.

She took a step back, distancing herself from Saki.

After the initial shock and panic, the girl quickly composed herself.

She put her thin-rimmed glasses back on as a disguise, and at the same time, casually tucked a stray strand of misty purple hair behind her ear.

When she lowered her hand, her face was once again adorned with that flawless "top student" smile.

Liuli's voice returned to its usual gentleness:

"Did you need something from Saki-san?"

Instead of answering immediately, Qi Ji pretended to tilt his head slightly, as if sensing something:

"Liuli, you claim your Echo Lineage is the [Insect Lineage - I Saw a Butterfly], right?"

"What's wrong?" Liuli's smile remained unchanged.

"But actually, that's not the case... If I'm not mistaken, your true lineage is extremely rare and very complicated—"

The spiritual lineage, right?

Moreover, they are among the more senior members, skilled at weaving emotions, guiding suggestions, and even implanting ideas.

"?!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the top student-like smile on Liuli's face froze once again.

Saki seemed quite satisfied with the girl's reaction. He bent down and pressed his expressionless, pure white mask close to Ruri's somewhat pale cheek.

They were so close they could feel each other's breath.

"So, the next question... Ruri, what is your relationship with Deep Blue City and the Kamishiro family, which is famous for its high-level spiritual lineage?"

The moment the words "Age of Gods" were uttered—

The girl's expression changed drastically.

……

……

Is Chapter Seven the Devil?

"Click".

A very slight, crisp sound.

Liuli's right thumb nail broke because she clenched her fist too tightly in an instant.

But at this moment, the girl had no time to care about any of that.

Those misty purple eyes, which always shimmered with gentle light, were now filled with coldness.

"What do you want to do?"

She neither denied nor defended herself, but simply asked a question in return.

She didn't know why Saki knew these things.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that, deep down, she may have been waiting for this day to come.

She waits for someone to tear away her disguise, for someone to end her cursed fate from which she cannot end her own destiny...

From the moment the curse was placed on her by the Kamishiro family, her life consisted only of nauseating pain.

"I don't plan to do anything."

Saki straightened up, resuming normal social distancing, her tone as relaxed as if discussing the weather.

"I'm just trying to be helpful."

He extended his right hand, and with the tip of his index finger, gently touched the lens of the glasses on his glass nose.

"If you dare to use your little tricks again and keep targeting Huomu—"

He paused slightly.

The next instant, Saki flicked his finger and gently tapped the lens.

"Clap."

A crisp cracking sound rang out.

On the hard surface of the crystal lens, countless spiderweb-like cracks instantly burst forth from the point where Qi Ji's fingertip touched it!

The cracks spread rapidly, covering the entire mirror surface almost instantly, and even affecting the other side, the mirror that hadn't been touched by Qi Ji's finger.

Then--

"Splash!"

Both lenses shattered completely, and tiny fragments fell from the frame.

Liuli didn't even have time to close her eyes.

The girl's pupils contracted involuntarily as she stared blankly at the shattered vision before her and the face so close to hers, hidden by a mask.

The person behind the mask leaned closer to her and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, added the unfinished threat:

"If you dare to use your little tricks again and keep targeting Huomu—"

I will kill you.

"Holy crap! A mirror shattered with a flick of the finger?"

"Masked man, you're something else!"

"So he came to avenge Huomu. Hagiji, you should spoil him!"

Liuli seemed stunned by Qiji's sudden display of skill and remained motionless for a long time.

Until half a day later—

She suddenly smiled.

A smile that was completely different from her previous gentle and harmless one, now one that was eager, even defiant.

Ruri Kamishiro, tearing off her disguise.

She raised her hand, took off the glasses that were now just frames, and casually tossed them on the ground.

"Come on, kill me, but you'd better keep your word."

As the girl spoke, she leaned closer to Qi Ji, making her fair and delicate neck more prominently visible to him.

"Holy crap! Their true colors!"

"You look even prettier after taking off your glasses!"

"What a contrast! What those eyes! A is on the way!"

"Has the 'bad woman' finally stopped pretending?"

"Liuli: Quick, kill me, now!"

"What kind of lightning-fast attack is this?"

"That Bull Demon King is a crazy, yandere!"

Ruri's reaction was unexpected by Saki.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered—

I almost forgot, this guy seems to have a "desire to die" trope in the anime.

lied to you.

Of course he remembers.

Therefore, knowing this, saying it deliberately is simply to more naturally lead to the following sentence:

"Well then, here's what we'll do: if you dare to lay a hand on Huomu again... I'll beat you until you wet your pants in front of everyone."

???

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

The defiant smile on Liuli's face, which had been there just moments before, froze instantly.

That smile shattered bit by bit, turning into a clear, blank expression.

Peeing...peeing in your pants?

What on earth is this guy saying?

She even thought she had heard wrong.

Having taken in Ruri's reaction, Saki was quite satisfied with his immersive performance.

"Don't think I can't do it."

As he finished off the attack, he even tried to flash a devilish smile to amplify the effect.

Unfortunately, wearing a mask, one can only convey the wickedness of "absolutely keeping one's word" through tone of voice.

The viewers in the live chat were clearly surprised that Saki could come up with such a threat.

"??????"

"What did I hear?"

"Pee...pee your pants???"

"Hahahaha! What kind of ingenious threat is this?!"

"Is this what it means to be a genius who is neither limited nor defined?"

"Being unrestricted doesn't mean you have no bottom line, you bastard!"

"He's really mastered the art of creating engaging live stream content! It's hilarious!"

This series of conflicts, tug-of-wars, and threats, thanks to the world-class visual presentation of the anime series, provided viewers with a truly enjoyable experience.

In an instant, the popularity of Qi Ji and Liu Li's live stream skyrocketed, and the number of bullet comments surged.

……

Liuli's mind went blank for a moment because of the words "wetting her pants".

She considered herself to be a completely bad person.

But at this moment, the earnest words spoken by Saki in her ear made her feel a sense of inferiority and defeat.

—Is this person a devil?

Under the watchful eyes of everyone...

Getting beaten so badly you wet your pants...

It's a lie, a complete scam!

But, if it's this guy... he might...