Chapter 127: A Lick and a Revelation

Just by seeing Irene’s smiling expression directed at her, Xiluo’er instantly understood what the girl was plotting.

Although Irene had casually remarked about the “good air,” Xiluo’er had become quite familiar with her intentions after their previous encounter in Karna City’s black market.

Even if Xiluo’er refused to remove her mask, Irene would likely just reach out and snatch it off anyway.

It was better to do it herself, then.

After all, they were on a rooftop. Horseplay here would be far too dangerous—something children should definitely not emulate.

‘But why is Irene so fixated on whether I wear my mask or not? Is she really that interested in my appearance?’ Xiluo’er mused.

‘In truth, for two people whose relationship is purely one of mutual benefit, maintaining a certain distance would be more appropriate.’

However, Xiluo’er wasn’t without her wits. She was perfectly capable of analyzing the current situation.

Back when she was still a shut-in, Xiluo’er had read many novels about transmigration. Driven by the thought, ‘I could do that too,’ much like an armchair strategist, Xiluo’er always wondered why protagonists never bothered to compare the butterfly effects of the plot and analyze the reasons for unexpected events. If they did, they wouldn’t be constantly tricked by inexplicable occurrences.

Now that she faced a similar problem, Xiluo’er felt entirely capable of using her clever mind to deduce why this situation had arisen.

First, she wasn’t the original ‘Xiluo’ but the genuine, pint-sized loli, Xiluo’er.

Given this discrepancy compared to the original plot, wasn’t it obvious why Irene’s attitude had changed?

Xiluo’er knew Irene’s deplorable character all too well. Upon discovering that Xiluo’er was, in fact, an innocent-looking loli, Irene would undoubtedly find ways to tease her. Simply put, Irene preyed on the weak and feared the strong!

Therefore, Irene’s sudden change in demeanor was simply because Xiluo’er’s loli appearance had ignited her desire to bully. It was nothing more than Irene’s inherently vile personality at play.

Once she grasped this, Xiluo’er felt she understood everything completely.

She was truly the ‘King of Understanding’!

Thus, Xiluo’er concluded that if Irene’s shift in attitude was merely due to this, then it wasn’t a significant issue. Irene was, after all, a professional assassin from the Shadow Kill Group. She wouldn’t alter her view of their mutually beneficial relationship over such a trivial matter.

So, it didn’t really matter. The plot remained firmly within her grasp, and this level of attitude change wouldn’t cause any real problems.

Having voluntarily removed her mask, Xiluo’er took a deep, reassuring breath, feeling the pure air coalesce within her body.

The air was indeed fresh, possessing a pristine beauty.

****

At that moment, Xiluo’er’s peripheral vision caught Irene’s gaze, which remained fixed on her face despite the mask being off.

“Is there something else? The air is quite good, indeed.”

Even though Irene was a bully who picked on the weak, Xiluo’er had no intention of changing her own reserved demeanor towards Irene. Primarily, she hoped that a somewhat aloof attitude might deter Irene’s bullying tendencies.

‘Today, I, Nobita, will show Giant my disdain!’

Irene merely blinked, pointed at Xiluo’er’s face, and spoke with a hint of grievance.

“Don’t be so cold, little Cat Tail. There’s definitely a reason why I’m staring at you.”

Without explaining further, Irene suddenly leaned closer. As they were sitting on the edge of the rooftop, Xiluo’er couldn’t easily dodge and could only let Irene’s face approach.

Then… although their faces were so close that a blind spot had formed in her vision, the wet, soft sensation on her left cheek immediately made Xiluo’er realize what Irene had done.

“What are you doing?”

Startled by Irene’s sudden lick, Xiluo’er’s heart leaped. She no longer cared that they were on the rooftop edge, shrinking her neck and retreating backwards.

‘Licking someone’s face without a word? Are you Bucciarati or something?’

Irene still wore a wronged expression, sticking out her tongue. The cute, pink little tongue that had just touched Xiluo’er’s face now appeared before her.

“Little Cat Tail, you have cream on your face! Were you just at a dessert shop?”

“I was just helping you out. Girls should always pay attention to their appearance, you know.”

Cream?

Xiluo’er froze, her gaze sweeping to the inside of the mask she had just removed. Sure enough, a small white smudge was visible there.

It seemed she had been too hasty devouring her meal when leaving the dessert shop.

“But why… a lick?”

“To avoid wasting food, of course.”

Seeing Irene trot out the same excuse—*ahem*, reason—she had used when finishing her cake at the dessert shop, Xiluo’er asked no further questions.

What else was there to ask? Her earlier suspicions were correct! Irene was simply ill-natured, deliberately treating her this way!

She would never succumb to such a person’s tyranny. Instead, she decided to observe the central plaza in the distance. ‘Look how things are going there, folks.’

Xiluo’er resolved to ignore Irene, turning her gaze towards the central plaza, which was neither far nor near.

The perspective of looking down from a stage is entirely different from looking up at a stage from among the crowd below.

Watching the crowds below and in the plaza, the vagrant on stage tightened his grip on the megaphone, his heart stirring with an uncontrollable excitement.

Yes, it wasn’t nervousness facing so many people, but excitement—excitement that the people of the East City District finally had such an opportunity to voice their demands.

Originally, although the East City District had long harbored resentment towards The Erudite Club, they had no intention of executing such a bold plan.

But then, someone else approached them, letting him know that in the East City District, there were many who shared these grievances.

The sheer number of people gave him the strength to orchestrate this operation. He believed that as long as enough people voiced their demands, they would surely succeed.

‘Many hands make light work.’

“The people of The Erudite Club not only brought the cult into our East City District but also completely disregarded the safety of us East City residents!”

“When they waged war against the cultists in the East City District, did they consider the feelings of our residents? No!”

“Our East City District may be barren, but that’s no reason for The Erudite Club to treat us as less than human! The lives of East City residents matter too!”

The vagrant on stage grew increasingly agitated, but soon, as his gaze swept over the crowd below, his voice suddenly faltered.

He had noticed the expressions in the eyes of the people below.

He had originally believed that if he simply and honestly articulated the current plight and demands of the East City District, he would surely gain understanding, and it would certainly change the perception of The Erudite Club members.

But even before the City Guard or members of The Erudite Club had appeared, just by looking into the eyes of the people below, the vagrant suddenly realized something.

Curiosity, fear, amusement… the crowd below held all sorts of expressions.

Yet, he couldn’t see a single glance of ‘understanding.’

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