However, unlike previous times, Li Wu didn't stand at the classroom door, knock, and give an awkward, smiling nod in response to the homeroom teacher's reprimand.
This time, he pushed the door open directly and walked through the crowd without a word. He went straight to his desk, sat down, pulled out his notebook filled with plans, and then shoved it right back in. He slumped over his desk unmoving, looking as if he hadn't slept, entirely lost in a chaotic swirl of thoughts.
Perseverance... hard work...
If only it were that easy.
The classroom was cool. The air conditioner hummed noisily, and as time passed, the chatter of the students drowned out the hum of the machine.
He was living in the real Honkai world, but he felt as if he himself were no longer real.
Raiden Mei was the second person to notice Li Wu's abnormal behavior. Realizing his state was completely different from before he left, she didn't rush over to ask him what was wrong. Instead, she glanced at Kiana, then walked over to the window and opened it.
A wave of hot air hit her face. Everything outside was as usual.
One period. Two periods.
Until noon, Li Wu stayed slumped over his desk, scribbling constantly in his notebook.
He would write for a long, long time, and then suddenly cross everything out with his pen, as if entirely negating a meticulously prepared plan.
This continued for the entire morning.
At noon, as the students swarmed out of the classroom for lunch and Kiana was preparing to leave, Li Wu called out to her.
She was still angry, but her anger had mostly subsided. In fact, after seeing Li Wu's sincere apology during P.E. class yesterday, Kiana had completely forgiven him.
So when Li Wu called out to her, Kiana was actually quite expectant, wondering what he was going to say today.
But expectations were just expectations. Kiana wasn't about to let her emotions show on her face. Her expression remained as calm as ever.
"What is it? If it's about what happened on the rooftop, you don't need to say anything. What's past is past..."
"It's not about that."
Li Wu interrupted her. Kiana couldn't help but look up at him curiously.
If the Li Wu from yesterday was someone who refused to concede defeat and believed that man could conquer nature, the Li Wu today had only exhaustion left in his eyes. The unyielding spirit from the thousand-meter run was gone; his gaze was dim.
"What do you want to say to me?" Kiana asked in a flat, declarative tone.
"That promise from yesterday... I want... to take it back." Li Wu's voice grew quieter and quieter until even he felt ridiculous. He could no longer meet Kiana's eyes.
Taking back a promise.
How laughable.
Hearing this, Kiana's body gave a slight, stunned tremble. Her gaze sharpened into swords, staring straight at Li Wu.
"I never expected you to fulfill that promise. But even so... you still want to take it back?" Kiana pursed her lips, her tone growing colder and colder. So cold that by the end of her sentence, her voice carried an imperceptible tremor that even she didn't notice.
Li Wu gritted his teeth and gave a soft "Mm."
[Kiana Kaslana's Affection toward you has drastically decreased.]
[Kiana Kaslana's final illusion about you has been extinguished.]
There were only three people left in the classroom. Kiana and Li Wu stood face-to-face, while Raiden Mei watched from the sidelines.
The ticking of the second hand on the clock was clearly audible. The cold sunlight shone on their faces. They looked at each other in silence; for a long time, no words were spoken.
"I understand. It seems you've grown up." Kiana's face was expressionless, but her attitude had undergone a subtle shift. "You are right. 'When you call for me, I will never retreat, never run away...' Promises like that shouldn't be made to girls so casually."
"It gives them unrealistic fantasies. They'll want to believe it, even when they know you can't do it."
"Everyone has to pay the price for their words and actions, so one must have foresight when they speak. Today..."
"You. Have. Great. Foresight."
"Hello, Li Wu. And... goodbye."
[You were never my summer, after all.]
Kiana walked straight past Li Wu and out of the classroom without looking back. She withdrew every trace of her peripheral vision; her gaze never fell on him again.
It was more resolute, more decisive than ever before.
When she disappeared through the back door, the temperature in the classroom seemed to drop a few degrees. Nothing had physically changed, yet it felt like everything was changing—changing to a point where they could never go back to how things were.
Seeing Li Wu standing there without a word, Raiden Mei walked over with concern and gently linked her pinky finger with his.
At any other time, this would have been an incredibly intimate gesture, but Raiden Mei saw no reaction on Li Wu's face.
This boy, who used to blush at the slightest teasing, was showing an expression she hadn't anticipated. It wasn't sadness, it wasn't grief, but rather... despair.
"Little Li, are you in a lot of pain right now? No, you must be in pain. You must feel so wronged. Mei doesn't know who you met outside the school or what that person said to you, but to make the Little Li I know act like this, it must be something incredibly difficult."
"Mei doesn't know what it is. If Little Li is willing to tell me, Mei will listen earnestly and carve every single word into my heart. I'd even recite it ten times a day if you want. But I think... Little Li definitely won't tell Mei about those things."
"You're so unfair, Little Li... The choice is always in your hands, while Mei... I can only ever hide behind your back and enjoy the sunlight."
After linking their pinkies, Raiden Mei used her index finger to trace light circles in Li Wu's palm. Round and round, creating a tingling sensation.
But Li Wu's expression remained blank.
"..."
The two of them fell into a very strange atmosphere. It was cold and desolate. Just that morning, they had been laughing and talking; even hugging had felt completely normal. Now, they were like strangers separated by some invisible barrier, left with nothing but silence.
Li Wu was the one to break the deadlock—
"Mei, what if..." Li Wu lowered his head, his gaze erratic and unfocused. "What if I left... what would you do?"
Faced with Li Wu's sudden thought of leaving, Raiden Mei's reaction was identical to Kiana's. First, a stunned sway of her body, followed by panic in her eyes as she stared straight at him.
Her heartbeat lost its rhythm in that instant, thumping wildly against her ribs.
Her breathing became chaotic and shallow.
Her internal organs felt as if they were twisting together, tossed into a meat grinder.
The few seconds of silence felt as long as a century.
Raiden Mei bit her lower lip, the taste of blood spreading across her tongue.
A few seconds later, she stepped forward. She took exactly three steps, pressing herself against Li Wu, so close they could almost feel the warmth of each other's breath.
Just as Li Wu thought she would demand answers, become angry, or at the very least use gentle words to beg him to stay...
Raiden Mei simply raised her arms, steadily wrapped them around his waist, and pulled him close.
In the empty classroom, bathed in the golden sunlight streaming through the window, Raiden Mei stood on her tiptoes and gently embraced Li Wu.
She gave him a complete, quiet hug.