I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

But then she immediately realized that her situation seemed to be an exception.

"Tell me! Who is that scoundrel?"

Ibuki held the small fork used to stab the cake against Amane's face.

Tianyin ate all the cream on top.

"You, you, you—I just can't stand you anymore!"

"It seems so..."

Amane's words interrupted Ibuki, who was about to explode in anger.

Ibuki was intently listening to some gossip about Amane, and also wanted to know which scoundrel Amane had taken a liking to.

"I forgot, hehe."

Tianyin grinned foolishly.

"You're still playing me for a fool! How dare you! Accept your punishment!"

After Ibuki finished speaking, she smeared a cake on Amane's face, thus starting a cake fight.

……

She remembered.

In that white place.

Having just finished training, she sat there idly gazing at the sky.

Then an uninvited guest sat down next to her without her permission.

What kind of training do you do here?

"Probably about the same as you guys."

"I see..."

Tianyin could tell from a simple conversation that the other person was not good at interpersonal communication, especially when it came to chatting with girls.

However, she didn't really have the right to laugh at the other person.

She also dislikes interpersonal interactions, and even feels that meaningless conversations are equivalent to wasting time.

"I heard from the teachers here that you are a genius. What is the difference between a genius and an ordinary person?"

The boy asked a question that Tianyin thought was extremely stupid at the time.

Tianyin found an ant in a potted plant nearby, carefully placed it in her palm, and then showed it to the boy.

The other person's expression was very calm, as if they had known all along that Tianyin would give such an answer.

"Are you saying that people without talent are like ants in front of geniuses?"

The boy felt a little disappointed.

Almost all the staff here say this every day; in their view, the fate of ordinary people is to accept a predetermined destiny.

A genius is someone who stands above all others and controls their destiny.

He, however, believed that this answer was not the correct answer.

Because none of these teachers are geniuses, and since they are not geniuses, how could they possibly know the thoughts of geniuses?

So he had been waiting for an opportunity, a chance to have a conversation with a so-called genius.

Unfortunately……

Her answer was exactly the same as the teachers' answers. Could it be that... their fate is really unchangeable?

"What nonsense! Look how free and unrestrained this ant is, it's truly enviable."

Tianyin's cold expression seemed to soften considerably because of the small object in her palm.

A slight but very attractive curve appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Those without talent don't need to bear the expectations of others and can live freely. What's so great about being a genius? The more you know, the lonelier you become...

Chapter Twenty-One: We're Already Dating

The boy never expected to hear loneliness, a word that was neither in line with her personality nor her age, from the mouth of a genius.

"The loneliness of genius? That's something that ordinary people can never achieve in their entire lives, isn't it?"

The boy's tone carried a hint of mockery.

It's like a wealthy person lamenting why they can't spend all their wealth.

The loneliness of genius?

The other party was simply trying to show him their superiority as a genius.

Why do you think geniuses are the happy ones?

Tianyin suddenly raised a question that the boy had never thought about before.

Just like the rich versus the poor, or genius versus ordinary people.

It seems as if the two sides are inherently meant to be on opposite ends of a scale.

But if you ask who is happier... that's really hard to say.

The poor have their troubles, and the rich have theirs.

Most of the problems of the poor can be solved with money, but the problems of the rich cannot necessarily be solved with money.

The same may be true for geniuses and ordinary people.

Ordinary people dream of becoming geniuses admired by all, enjoying wealth, power, fame, and adoration.

Essentially, do they aspire to be geniuses, or do they simply want to be admired without worrying about money?

I doubt that ordinary people would want to be one of those unknown or impoverished geniuses, right?

What are the troubles of geniuses?

Do you believe an ordinary person can become a genius? Ordinary people are utterly powerless in the face of talent.

The boy stood up and looked out the window at the slowly drifting clouds.

He had never left this white room, nor had he ever reached the height of the clouds, but he knew everything about airplanes, other flying vehicles, and creatures like the back of his hand.

He was told that once he knew these things, he would be one step closer to those who could reach the clouds.

But every time he looked up at the sky through the window.

The clouds, however, remained far, far away from him.

He began to doubt himself.

Is this kind of learning and effort really useful?

What exactly is a genius? Does someone truly become a genius simply by mastering certain knowledge? Can hard work overcome talent? If what is a gift from heaven can be defeated by things that anyone can learn, then what's the point of having geniuses?

"A genius is a genius, and an ordinary person is an ordinary person. An ordinary person can never become a genius, not even at a terrible price. This question is foolish; you've already defined them the moment you started categorizing people as ordinary or genius."

Tianyin tidied her long hair that was obstructing her vision.

Then, the boy suddenly sat down opposite her.

"So, you're saying that effort is useless, right?"

"To ask such a question... it seems your mind is in turmoil. Don't overestimate your natural talent; doing so will only render the word 'effort' meaningless. Throughout history, how many people have been called geniuses? Yet, how many of them truly reach the end? In my opinion, persistent effort is far more valuable than divine favor. Otherwise, even if you are fortunate enough to acquire some talent, you won't be able to utilize it effectively."

After Tianyin finished speaking, she took the little ant, which was already dizzy and disoriented, and put it back into the potted plant.

When she turned around, the boy was sitting there deep in thought.

"Been taught a lesson"

The boy nodded to Tianyin and then got up to leave.

"Um"

Tianyin casually replied, not knowing whether she would ever meet him again, so she didn't take the initiative to ask his name.

Or rather, the cruelest thing here is listening to one unfamiliar face after another introduce themselves.

"My name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. What's your name?"

"I'm not interested in knowing your name. If you want to know mine, I'll tell you if you win the next 14km race, okay? Hopefully, you won't be eliminated before then."

"I remember your name is Miyako Amane."

"...You're so boring."

"Feel sorry……"

"fine"

"Actually, today is supposedly my birthday."

"It is said? How can there be such a thing as a birthday?"

"Because my father doesn't care about this, and I've never met my mother, my birthday seems like a unique date to me, but I don't feel any special meaning from it. Sorry, it seems I've said something strange."

Ayanokouji didn't know why he was rambling on about pointless topics in front of her, just like those newcomers.

Or rather... it's because he doesn't share a common language that he can only say whatever comes to mind right now.

Have you ever eaten cake?

"I've seen pictures of cakes before."

"...Come with me, I think I can still remember how to make it, if we have the ingredients."

……

Amane first went back to her room to change into some cooler clothes, and then took a hot shower. It was such a waste that such a delicious cake was used as a weapon by Mio and the others.

Tianyin felt sorry for the cake that was wasted at her birthday party.

Fortunately, she managed to snatch a small piece before the battle began.

I hope Ayanokouji won't mind...

Amane happily carried the last small piece of fruit cake and quietly slipped to Ayanokouji's door.

Although visiting each other during the day is not prohibited, Tianyin still has to be careful because of her high level of recognition.

The room number has been confirmed.

Tianyin knocked on the door.

"May I ask who this is?"

Ayanokouji's voice came from inside the room.

Tianyin gave a silly grin at the cat's eyes.

Then, there was a full minute of silence in the room before the door was opened a crack. After leaving the room, Ayanokouji immediately closed the door as much as possible, as if afraid that Amane would see what was happening inside.

Tianyin immediately revealed a mischievous grin.

When a guy makes a gesture to cover the room so a girl can't see, it usually means... hehe.

"Ayanokouji-san, you need to take care of yourself!"

Tianyin said meaningfully.

Ayanokouji's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Amane's smile grew even brighter, so much so that Ayanokouji was forced to change the subject to avoid Amane's teasing.

"Ahem, Tianyin, what do you need me for?"

"Look what this is!!!"

Amane took out the cake from behind her back, which Ayanokouji had already seen.

"A leftover birthday cake"

"It's not leftovers!!! This is the last piece... I brought you a birthday cake, why are you being so picky? Eat it or don't, it's up to you."

After finishing her sentence, Amane immediately shoved the cake into Ayanokouji's hands.

Ayanokouji hurriedly accepted the cake, and his expression became quite interesting.