Chapter 152 139 Growing Pains
Facing Fang You's inquiry, Asai Reina's expression instantly changed—
She clearly didn't expect Fang You to suddenly bring up this matter.
How, how did you find out!
Although she was somewhat reluctant, when she saw Fang You had no intention of teasing her, she hesitated for a moment then nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, th-the tooth..."
"What, it's just losing teeth..."
After hearing the explanation, Xia Nuo sighed, let go of Asai Reina's embrace, scratched his head in confusion, and said:
"Is that why you've become so quiet? You used to be such a fun, lively girl, and now you're as boring as a 30-year-old adult who's living in a big city, unsuccessful, without a spouse or children, working odd jobs, residing in a tiny room, staring at the ceiling and contemplating whether you'll make it through tomorrow!"
"Why did you describe such a specific scene, hey!"
Asai Reina spoke without minding her demeanor, and when she opened her mouth to speak, her teeth were visible—it could be seen that both her front teeth were missing.
Once everyone noticed, Reina immediately covered her mouth, her face flushing, and she squatted down.
"Wow, Reina, you've lost both your front teeth!"
Xia Nuo and Luo Xianyu immediately crowded around to observe Asai Reina. "Reina, let me have another look, Reina. The way you lost your teeth is so interesting..."
"I didn't want you guys to see, that's why I wore a mask..."
Asai Reina was extremely aggrieved, her eyes red and tears swirling in her eyes, "You guys still say you're my good friends, but you're just like the other students in class, making fun of me!"
"But, losing two front teeth at the same time, I think that's really impressive!"
Xia Nuo's eyes sparkled, "Doesn't it feel like there's a draft when you talk? But I can't tell at all from your voice..."
"Ayu can't tell either!" Luo Xianyu nodded in agreement.
"Reina hates you guys!"
Asai Reina said angrily, "You have no idea how much pain I suffered from losing my front teeth!"
"But, losing teeth is no big deal, kids lose teeth all the time. I started losing teeth when I was six, and I still have teeth that haven't grown in—look—"
Xia Nuo pulled at her mouth, showing Asai Reina the gap where one of her canines was missing.
"But, front teeth are different... Losing front teeth, especially two at once, is really ugly! It's just like an old grandma."
"I don't believe it; let me have another look."
"Oh! You really look like an old grandma."
Reina finally realized that her two old friends were not compassionate, so she no longer shed tears but just talked about the injustices she faced at school:
"The classmates call me 'gap-toothed girl'... Reina doesn't even want to go to school anymore."
"But doesn't everyone lose teeth, why would they make fun of Reina?"
Asai Reina said incredulously, "Because Reina is the most beautiful girl in the class. Isn't it natural for a pretty girl to be targeted?"
Asai Reina glanced at Xia Nuo's clueless face, "Haven't you ever been ostracized by the girls in class? Like, during lunch, don't they deliberately keep their distance from you and things like that...?"
"We have school-provided nutrition lunches, we eat at our desks."
Xia Nuo thought for a moment, "But, it is true that not many people eat lunch with me."
"See, I told you—"
"Because Nuo Nuo always eats with her dad!" Luo Xianyu interrupted from the side, "They sit together in class; Ayu is so jealous."
"You're still in the same class!"
Asai Reina was somewhat disbelieving, "And, and you sit together?"
"Yeah, what's so surprising about that? After all, my mom is our classroom teacher."
"Nuo Nuo, just be proud!"
Fang You rarely saw the scene where Asai Reina was energetically venting her Emotional Energy towards Xia Nuo!
Unfortunately, there was no Emotional Energy, nor would there be any overflow of knowledge energy.
Really, too much had been learned.
Ah, what a pity.
Xia Nuo continued, "Moreover, You You also wants to sit with me."
Standing aside, Fang You did not deny this point.
After all, he was someone with the psychological age of an adult; how could he possibly play with little kids?
As for sitting together with Nuo Nuo, it was just more familiar ground, where he wouldn't get disturbed by her.
"But, being as pretty as you are, do you really not have any girls who dislike you?"
"Not really, everyone likes to be friends with me..."
That's why I hate you!
Reina, now a shadowy beauty due to the mockery she endured over her missing teeth, found it annoying to be around someone socially successful like Nuo Nuo.
Xia Nuo furrowed her brows and pondered for a moment, "And rather, there are many boys who dislike You You. I'm always protecting You You in class."
Because he's too close to Nuo Nuo, right...
Damn, don't those boys have any self-awareness at all? How can they compare to our family's You You!
Asai Reina was sniffling and sucking her nose. Although Xia Nuo and Luo Xianyu had teased her to tears, she was not really very heartbroken.
Because she didn't feel malice in her friends' words; they only mentioned it once or twice before moving on to other topics.
"But, it's normal for pretty girls to be ostracized; it's a part of growing up. Rather, it's Nuo Nuo who is the exception..."
At that moment, Luo Xianyu patted Asai Reina on the shoulder, "It's okay, Ling Nai. There are lots of boys in class who dislike Ayu, calling her a crybaby."
"Your case is different... They tease you because they like you, right?"
"Ah? How is that possible!"
Luo Xianyu exclaimed in surprise, "If they really liked Ayu, they should be treating her with the same adoration as a dad does for his daughter, right?"
"Ayu's dad is, dad is..."
Asai Reina glanced at Fang You who had activated "Deeply Hidden" and was sitting nearby, playing "Paru GO." He seemed to be in "Absolute Focus" mode, completely engrossed in training his divine beast, Paru, named "Thunder Emperor Jex."
"Alright, alright, let's not keep talking like this and leave You You out in the cold; he must feel so pitiful..."
"Ah... you have the nerve to say that!"
Xia Nuoluo crossed her arms in indignation, "Even if you lost all your teeth, You You would still not despise you and would consider you a good friend. Yet you still look down on You You and didn't bring him a gift!"
"I'm sorry... You You!"
[Asai Reina really wants to formally apologize to you for her negligence! Emotional Energy +50]
Asai Reina twirled a lock of her hair, "I've said... there's another reason for not bringing You You a gift—"
"But actually, You You didn't prepare a gift for you either, so it's okay if you didn't bring him one."
"It's not exactly okay to say that!"
Asai Reina quickly interrupted Xia Nuoluo, and continued, "The truth is... I did prepare something..."
Asai Reina fidgeted with her fingers nervously.
Some things might have been forgotten by everyone, but Ling Nai still remembered them well.
Asai Reina once vowed that the next time they met, she would become a child as excellent as Nuo Nuo and You You!
Though she had indeed grown prettier than before, she did not have any accomplishments worth boasting about.
Mainly, she had not expected the day of their reunion to come so soon!
And what was unfortunate was that she had lost a tooth!
So actually, she had considered not coming this time, but her mother insisted on seeing You You, more eager than even her daughter; she was forcibly dragged along.
And the prepared gift was hastily left behind.
She thought that You You, with his aloof personality, might not really care about how she was, so preparing a gift for the next meeting would be just fine.
But actually, she did want to see You You...
You You had changed a lot compared to before.
He had started wearing glasses, became more refined, looking like a very smart kid.
More handsome than before, wuwu...
Of course, the most important thing was that he had become much nicer than before.
He would take the initiative to carry things for her, asking her what she wanted to draw.
He didn't mock Ling Nai's teeth like those two girls did.
Wuwu, such a gentle and handsome boy.
That's right.
Based on Asai Reina's observations today, Fang You and Xia Nuo Luo Xianyu, though still as close as ever, still behaved more like family.
One relationship was like father and daughter, and the other was more like siblings.
Kuku kuku, there was really no feeling of being lovers at all.
You You might be gentle only to Ling Nai!
[Asai Reina feels that you must have started to like her, the girl who fell from the sky, Emotional Energy +50]
...
?
A big question mark rose above Fang You's head.
"So, what's the gift you prepared for You You?"
At this time, Xia Nuoluo kept patting Asai Reina's head.
"The gift... It's just that I—"
Just then, Xia Nuoluo suddenly leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Ling Nai, you're not going to say something so cliché as offering yourself as a gift to You You, are you?"
"How, how is that possible!"
Asai Reina's face turned red as she stammered shyly, "Ling Nai would never say something that embarrassing! I just forgot it in Yingdu and didn't bring it over, that's all!"
Phew... that was close.
Is that already very cliché?
"Nuo Nuo, where did you learn such weird things to say?"
Fang You was also incredulous at Xia Nuoluo's sudden challenge, as it didn't seem something the Nuo Nuo he knew would say.
"My mom had her birthday recently, and that's what my dad said... It seems like something only adults from before the 21st century would say. Right, at that time my dad—"
Xia Nuoluo went on and on, sharing with everyone about the performance of her dad on her mom's birthday, playing the guitar, singing songs, presenting flowers, performing magic tricks, all sorts of fun antics.
Fang You was also listening with great interest.
[You have learned about the embarrassing history of Xia Anyang, knowledge Energy +10*2]