"Your face seems even redder? Are you really okay?"
Seeing Fang Qiu freeze in place, Hu Tao's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her pretty face leaned in again.
A scent of plum blossoms wafted over.
Looking at Hu Tao, who was close at hand, Fang Qiu subconsciously took a step back, her pretty face flushing even more intensely.
So close.
Come to think of it, that book just now seemed to have a scene where two girls kissed.
"Don't worry, I'm really fine, the room is just too hot, that's all," Fang Qiu said hurriedly.
"Alright then. But if something is wrong, you absolutely must not force yourself to endure it, understood?" Hu Tao exhorted.
"Rest assured. If I'm uncomfortable, I will definitely trouble you, Director Hu," Fang Qiu smiled gently and said.
"That's good then."
Hu Tao picked up that cup of coconut milk with a beaming smile and took a gentle sip. The spot she drank from was the exact position Fang Qiu had just used.
Seeing this scene, Fang Qiu couldn't help but gently bite her lip, her hand lightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
They had an indirect kiss again...
However, Hu Tao didn't seem to notice this at all.
She sat back down on the Jumpy Dumpty, picked up a fork, cut a piece of cake, and put it into her mouth.
After chatting for a couple of sentences, seeing that the matter of the book and the indirect kiss had been successfully glossed over, Fang Qiu couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.
So dangerous.
Fang Qiu cast her gaze toward the several letters in the box and those books wrapped tightly in red cloth inside the wooden chest.
Her expression was a bit strange.
Speaking of which, this whole box wouldn't be filled with that kind of stuff, right...?
Thus, she decided to wait until Hu Tao left before opening it.
Only then would it be absolutely safe.
Mn!
Safe.
Thinking of this, Fang Qiu put that copy of Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts back into the wooden chest and gently latched the chest shut.
"Fang Qiu, aren't you going to continue reading?" Hu Tao asked in confusion.
"Not reading anymore. I want to chat with you for a while first," Fang Qiu smiled and said.
"Is that so? Okay, okay! Then let me tell you about an amusing thing from a while ago. Come sit over here."
Hu Tao smiled, stood up, and scooted over on the Jumpy Dumpty, then patted the spot beside her and spoke.
"Mn."
Fang Qiu was stunned for a moment, then nodded gently and sat down by Hu Tao's side.
Seeing Fang Qiu sit down, Hu Tao scooted slightly again, pressing closer against Fang Qiu, and then began to tell the story, saying: "A while ago, someone came to tell me that a monster was causing trouble over at Chihu Rock, asking if the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor could help deal with it."
"Ah? A monster?"
At first, she was still somewhat conscious of Hu Tao's thigh pressing tightly against her, but after hearing the word 'monster,' Fang Qiu was slightly stunned, and that ambiguous mood was instantly replaced by fear.
If this were in her past life, hearing this word would basically cause no fluctuation in her heart; she might even want to laugh a little.
If you said 'ghost,' she would still be afraid.
But the word 'monster' felt a bit like cranes or small foxes repaying a kindness; it completely lacked that bizarre sense of horror.
However, this life was different...
In this world, there were gods, Adepti, and even zombies.
She wouldn't be surprised if there were any monsters or evil spirits. The word 'monster' thus transformed into those hair-drinking, blood-eating, man-eating monsters from Lion Camel Ridge in Journey to the West.
If she saw a monster...
She estimated she would faint on the spot from fright.
"Don't be anxious yet, listen to me finish," Hu Tao smiled and said. "So, I went to investigate that very day. I investigated for a full day before I found out that it was actually a drunkard who had plunged headfirst into the bushes. Then, unknown to anyone, some wicked person took off his pants.
"Since it was pitch black that night, the person who came to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for help didn't look carefully and thought a butt had become a spirit. It scared him so much he turned and ran on the spot. Falsehoods were spread as truth, and now many people are guessing when that 'butt monster' will be exterminated by the Adepti."
Speaking of this, Hu Tao couldn't help but giggle.
After freezing for a moment, Fang Qiu also laughed softly along with her.
Scared her; she thought it was a real monster.
Sure enough, folk rumors are not to be trusted.
But then again, that brother was too miserable, wasn't he?
So it just goes to show, don't drink excessively. Otherwise, heaven knows what wicked things bored people will do after you fall by the roadside.
Even things like stripping someone's pants were done.
For example...
It's hard to guarantee someone won't do something even more awkward next time...
She just wondered if there were many people around when that brother woke up the next day. If there were few people, it would be fine; he could cover his face and run quickly. But if there were many people, he probably experienced social death on the spot.
He probably had to run to the tavern to drink himself into a stupor again that night because of this matter.
After Hu Tao finished telling this story, the atmosphere completely relaxed.
They chatted and laughed, and after chatting for a while, the sky turned completely dark.
Hu Tao had to go home as well, saying she still had things to do tomorrow.
After leaving Fang Qiu's house, Hu Tao walked on the bluestone slab street. She looked up at the bright moon in the sky.
She let out a long breath.
She didn't know why, but seeing Fang Qiu's blushing appearance just now, she felt as if she couldn't quite catch her breath.
Moreover, she particularly wanted to get close to Fang Qiu.
...
After seeing off Hu Tao, Fang Qiu let out a long breath. After locking the door securely, she sat down on the Jumpy Dumpty.
The Jumpy Dumpty still retained the warmth from Hu Tao's body.
And a trace of plum blossom scent.
She shook her head, driving those messy fragments she had just seen out of her mind, and then let out a long breath.
She stood up, walked to that exquisite wooden chest, and opened it.
She took out that copy of Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts, placed it on the desk, and then cast her gaze toward the three letters pressed under that book.
"Strange," Fang Qiu muttered to herself.
The styles of these three envelopes were widely different from each other. The topmost envelope featured colorful fireworks.
The middle envelope was printed with a flower resembling a family crest.
The bottom envelope had nothing; it was just an ordinary envelope.
Let's read from top to bottom.
The first one was sent to her by a girl named Naganohara Yoimiya.
The handwriting wasn't neat, but the lines were full of childlike fun and liveliness. One look and you could tell it was from a lively and cheerful young lady who liked playing with children.
The content inside mostly said that she liked Fang Qiu's books very much, looked forward to meeting her one day, and asked if she liked watching fireworks. If she came to Inazuma, she must go to the Naganohara Fireworks shop to find her, and then they would go stroll around the festival together.
At the end of the letter, a cute smiley face was also drawn.
The content of the second letter was in very graceful and neat handwriting. Although Fang Qiu wrote clumsily, her memory regarding brush calligraphy still remained; she could tell at a glance that the person writing the letter had good accomplishments in calligraphy.
Moreover, it was from the hand of a girl.
Compared to Naganohara Yoimiya, this girl named Kamisato Ayaka was much more quiet and gentle.
Between the lines, the air of a strictly brought-up young lady was fully revealed.
The content of the letter was roughly similar to Naganohara Yoimiya's. However, only a small part of Naganohara Yoimiya's letter talked about books; the majority was asking Fang Qiu about some trivial life matters.
Such as fireworks.
But Kamisato Ayaka was different; the focus of her letter was on the books.
However, at the end of both letters, words regarding looking forward to meeting were written.
"Now this is a reader letter." Fang Qiu nodded with satisfaction.
Compared to the reader letters Bai Qing brought her before, which wanted to curse her ancestors, the letters from Kamisato Ayaka and Naganohara Yoimiya were simply too cute.
As for the third one, it was written by that person named Thoma.
The content of Thoma's letter was somewhat familiar, yet it didn't make one feel the slightest offense.
In the letter, he gave Your Lie in April and The Eternal—both books—high evaluations.
At the same time, he also expressed that he wanted to see her write the type of books he liked.
He also said that those types of books were all wrapped under the red cloth.
Eh, wait a minute.
Something isn't right.
If the books Thoma sent over were all wrapped under the red cloth, then that copy of Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts shouldn't have been sent by Thoma, right?
Otherwise, how could it appear so completely on top of the red cloth without the red cloth being opened?
Moreover, it could be seen from the lines in the letter that Thoma was an upright person with the image of a big brother; obviously, he wasn't the kind of person to send this kind of book to a girl.
Then the problem arises.
There were a total of three people who wrote letters. Could it be that the other two girls, Kamisato Ayaka or Naganohara Yoimiya, sent it?
But, in the letters, they didn't seem like that kind of person either.
One dignified and elegant, one lively and cute.
Strange. It couldn't be that the crew members of The Alcor secretly stuffed it in, right?
"Forget it, I'll know once I open the red cloth."
Fang Qiu cast her gaze toward the things wrapped in red cloth inside the chest.
If she opened it and inside were all books of the same type as Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts, then she would have to tell Sister Beidou about this matter and ask her not to accept things sent by that person named Thoma next time.
Blacklist him.
But if what was inside weren't those kinds of books, but some normal books...
Then that would mean this book might have been sent by Kamisato Ayaka or Naganohara Yoimiya...
A girl sending her a girls' love book...
This...
She couldn't exactly go ask Sister Beidou or the crew members of The Alcor about this kind of thing either...
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