Chapter 50: The Perils of Gossip Hunting

Rustle, rustle—

Whoosh, whoosh—

Swish!

Two small heads abruptly emerged from the school’s greenery. Xiao Xi and Mia exchanged a quick glance, nodded at each other, and then instantly dropped to the ground.

They began to cautiously observe their surroundings.

‘Hidden, hidden,’ Xiao Xi thought to himself.

Indeed, they needed to remain concealed. He was merely here to gather some gossip and certainly didn’t wish to be discovered and subsequently beaten black and blue by the other party’s boyfriend.

They continued to crawl forward through the bushes, inching closer and closer. They were almost there.

“Mia…”

As they moved, Xiao Xi tugged on Mia’s arm, shaking her gently. Mia turned, a puzzled expression on her face. Why had they stopped all of a sudden?

“Xiao Xi, what’s wrong? If we don’t hurry, what if the boy is too fast? We might arrive only to find it’s all over… Let’s speed up.”

Xiao Xi replied, “No… if it’s *that* kind of scene, wouldn’t it be better not to go over? What I mean is, Mia, walk more softly. You’re making too much noise; they’ll definitely notice us.”

“Am I?”

Mia looked a little distressed. “But I thought I was already crouching and moving silently.”

Xiao Xi retorted, “Do you think you’re playing a video game? That crouching makes you silent? You can’t walk so fast when you’re crouched! There are a lot of obstacles in these bushes; slow down!”

Xiao Xi sighed, a clear sign of his frustration, as he looked at Mia’s still-confused expression. At this rate, avoiding a beating seemed almost impossible for him!

‘Ugh, fine,’ he thought. Xiao Xi pressed a hand on Mia’s back, then quietly moved to the front. He made a hand gesture and whispered, “Follow me!”

“Oh, oh! I know! Follow the Invisibility Magic!” Mia nodded excitedly from behind. ‘Uh… what exactly is ‘Follow the Invisibility Magic?’

Mia, without another word, crouched down another foot, completely obscuring the view ahead with Xiao Xi’s body. ‘Hehe, from this angle, I can only see Xiao Xi’s butt, and it’s quite perky~’

‘And the enemy will only see Xiao Xi. But according to the laws of physics, where Xiao Xi’s presence becomes zero at night, we’ll both be able to pass safely!’

‘Uh…’

Seeing Mia’s somewhat lewd gaze fixed on his backside, Xiao Xi couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. He took two steps forward, then glanced back at Mia. Alright, the girl was completely silent now, but her gaze was truly lewd!

He felt… like he was being stalked.

Rustle, rustle~

The late summer grass swayed in the wind, countless tiny insects flitting through the bushes. The whistling wind conveniently masked their faint footsteps. However… the occasional small fly landing on Xiao Xi’s face sent him into a frantic panic, swatting at it without even remembering to stay quiet.

As the two “beautiful girls” navigated through the bushes, a ladybug quietly followed them. Then, with an abrupt stop, it landed directly in front of Xiao Xi. Terrified of insects, Xiao Xi’s face paled, and he quickly retreated two steps.

Mia, who was behind him, instantly caught Xiao Xi as he nearly stumbled, then darted forward.

“Nya, nya, nya! Secret Art: Light Flame Swift Thunder Burst!”

Hmm?

Mia pulled a firecracker from her pocket and, with a swift flick, threw it right at the ladybug. *Cough, cough…* It was quite accurate. The firecracker exploded on the ladybug. By the time Xiao Xi reacted and opened his eyes, there was nothing left in that spot…

He wasn’t sure if it had been blown away or had simply fled.

“Ahhh!”

“Mia, you idiot! Using that thing will get us discovered! Couldn’t you have just stomped on it?”

Xiao Xi complained anxiously. Hearing this, Mia turned around, her face a picture of grievance, and looked at Xiao Xi.

Mia whimpered, “Xiao Xi~ Wuwu, I used magic to save you, and you’re still so cold to your Master. Wuwuwu…”

‘Oh, this girl seems to have lost all motivation in life all of a sudden…’

‘Oh dear, oh dear…’

‘What should I do? How can I comfort her?’

Xiao Xi said, “Mmm… there, there, Master-chan’s magic is so amazing. Master-chan, let’s hurry and burn those lovebirds. No crying, no crying, no more crying now~”

‘Ugh—’

Xiao Xi himself felt a little nauseous. To his surprise, after hearing his words, Mia slowly lifted her head, wiped away her tears, and even nodded with satisfaction.

“Mmm, mmm, I knew Xiao Xi was the best. Truly my little succubus.”

“I shouldn’t have bothered with you, you idiot…”

Xiao Xi turned his head away, speechless, and continued to lead the way. He guided Mia over several small dirt mounds and puddles, until finally!

They entered the depths of the small grove. They were deep into their investigation, as it were.

Speaking of which… why was the school’s grove so large? Wasn’t it clearly providing a private spot for those young couples to ‘coo and cuddle’?

Well, actually, the grove had quite a few mosquitoes. Cuddling here might not be comfortable; they might end up ‘cuddling’ with female mosquitoes first.

Speaking of which…

‘Does exchanging bodily fluids with a female mosquito count as cheating?’

‘Cough, cough…’

‘Never mind, never mind, let’s focus on the task at hand.’

Xiao Xi once again pulled out the binoculars Mia had prepared. He poked half his head out from the bushes. This area was dense with trees, their branches not only intricately intertwined but also unpruned for years, growing low and bifurcated, severely obstructing his view.

While this also inadvertently provided cover for Xiao Xi and Mia, it still made it difficult to get a clear picture of the situation.

Xiao Xi peered through the binoculars, scrutinizing the area. ‘Hmm… I see them, found them!’

Xiao Xi whispered, “They’re right there, right there! Do you see them? Under that small tree, those two students are standing there!”

Mia narrowed her eyes. ‘Hmm… even with my magic-enhanced eyes, it’s a bit hard to see from this far away.’

“How about… we move closer?” Mia suggested.

Xiao Xi frowned. ‘Is that a good idea? If we get too close and are discovered, we won’t even be able to run.’

Xiao Xi replied, “I don’t think so… Just seeing them from here should be enough, right?”

Mia declared, “No way! Why come all this way for nothing? Enemy spotted, I’ll go strip her! I’ll charge ahead; Xiao Xi, follow if you dare!”

“Ugh…”

Mia was truly courageous. Without a second thought, she silently snuck forward. There weren’t many bushes in this spot, so to hide, she’d truly have to rely on hiding behind trees. Was she really counting on love-struck couples only having eyes for each other?

But…

But…

Mia had already charged. What should he do?

Xiao Xi remained rooted, pondering for a moment, then made his decision!

‘Ah, run away on the spot…’

‘Cough, cough, just kidding.’ Mia was brave, and as a boy, he wasn’t a coward either. If she went, he’d go. Anyway, he and Mia wouldn’t be the only ones embarrassed; that little couple would be too.

‘So be it…’

Watching Mia, who had already hidden behind a tree very close to the couple, waving him over, Xiao Xi gathered his courage. He stealthily crept out, slowly, slowly approaching them while the couple was distracted.

Softly… softly…

****

Whew~

Finally, he had reunited with Mia. Xiao Xi wiped the sweat from his face, letting out a sigh of relief. Seeing Mia’s smiling face, Xiao Xi felt a little proud himself!

He had actually done it!

Good heavens, this spot was truly incredible. Xiao Xi quietly peeked out at the couple, able to hear their conversation with crystal clarity.

Hiss—

Wait…

Why did they look a little familiar?