ATAPOW Chapter 76
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Chapter 76: The unfinished purchase
“My dear Ke’er~ Let me feed you a piece.” Lil’ Sha had a sweet smile on her face as she brought the small spoon that she had previously licked towards Ke’er’s mouth.
“Eehh~ But I am pretty much done with my meal…”
“Uuu~ Just one piece. It’s fine even if you place it in your mouth for a bit and spit it out! This is a token of my appreciation for you…”
“Umm… Alright.” As Ke’er wasn’t used to refusing people, she had completely fallen victim to Lil’ Sha’s pincer attack of cuteness and pity. What’s more, Lil’ Sha had even braved the risk of losing her own life to save hers.
Ke’er had quite a favorable impression towards her savior. She ceded to her request with just the slightest push.
“Ai~! My Ke’er is the best!” Lil’ Sha rubbed Ke’er’s head. She then provocatively pouted at Ji Bai who was sitting on the sofa nearby.
‘This brat… is she deliberately trying to get into a dispute with me??’ The corners of Ji Bai’s mouth twitched.
For some odd reason, there was a tinge of strange feeling inside his heart. However, once he came to the conclusion that this was just some sort of friendly interaction between the kittens, Ji Bai felt at ease.
He was already a grown man and was too lazy to squabble with a little girl.
As he looked at the two kittens at the dining table that were taking turns to feed each other, Ji Bai’s chest felt somewhat stuffy as an indescribable feeling arose in him.
Like spilled seasonings in a kitchen, his emotions were tangled and complicated. Ji Bai was somewhat unsure of what he should do now. Should he carry a flag, some popcorn, and shout ‘Yuri is magnificent!’ or calmly take in a puff of smoke, embrace the vicissitudes of life and make a remark on how wretched romance could be?
“Ding dong, Ding dong~” The doorbell rang.
‘Mhm? What’s happening today? Why are so many people paying a visit to my apartment right now?’
Ji Bai was flabbergasted. He was a fresh-out-of-the-boat newcomer who was still figuring his way around the campus and wasn’t familiar with a lot of people here. On top of that, he hadn’t told anyone where he lived. So who was the person that was knocking on the door to his dormitory??
“Click.” As he opened the door, a pair of burgundy eyes that were devoid of any sentiments and emotions appeared.
Ji Bai’s face was emotionless as he looked into them for a moment.
“Who are you looking for?”
The owner of the eyes remained silent as they quietly stared at Ji Bai.
“So, how did you know I live here?” Ji Bai narrowed his eyes.
“Teacher Lin Tuo,” Lin said in a relaxed tone.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” As the saying goes, one doesn’t visit a temple without reason. Of course, Ji Bai wouldn’t be so naive to assume that this parasite was here to strengthen her ties with him. If the reason she had visited him wasn’t that of ‘a last resort’, then a teacher must have appointed her by name to do that.
“Can I come in and talk about it.”
“This cockroach’s nest is simple and crude, so if it dirties the young missy’s feet, let me know. I will be responsible for licking them clean.” Ji Bai opened the door to his dormitory as he said that.
“Excuse me.” Without caring about the sarcasm Ji Bai was carrying in his words, Lin slightly bent her body and entered the room.
“My apologies. I’m out of slippers here and didn’t buy any shoe covers either. May young missy please make yourself at home.” Ji Bai unenthusiastically shrugged his shoulders.
“No worries. I’ve made my own preparations.” Lin took out a pair of small and exquisite pink slippers from the bag she was carrying. Taking off her canvas shoes, her feet that were wrapped in black stockings then stretched themselves into the slippers.
‘To go as far as to bring your own slippers just to visit someone. Not bad, not bad at all. I salute this move of yours.’
“Ehh? Sister Lin, why did you come to this place?” As Lil’ Sha suspiciously tilted her head and instantly creased her eyebrows, she turned her gaze towards Ji Bai.
“Hm?” Ji Bai was somewhat puzzled by Lil’ Sha’s gaze.
“What a lacking person!” Lil’ Sha was looking at Ji Bai as if he was a pile of garbage.
“? What did I do to make you angry again?” Ji Bai was baffled.
“You’ve watched a lot of occult movies, haven’t you? It isn’t me that called you girls here, to begin with. Also, don’t take advantage of the chaos to flatter yourself with words such as ‘impressive figure’.”
“Heeey! You loathsome middle-aged man! Will it kill you to say a few words less? Believe me, I’ll bite you right now!” The short-tempered, flat chested Lil’ Sha suddenly revealed her canine teeth.
“Hello, big sister Lin.” Ke’er obediently made her greetings.
“Mhm. A pleasant day to you.” Lin nodded.
“Alright. We’re done acting out the slice-of-life section. It’s time for you to tell me what you have visited me for, right?” Ji Bai raised his eyebrows.
“Shopping.” Lin’s face showed no expression as she said so.
“Huh?” Ji Bai felt as if the sun had set in the East after hearing that.
“Shopping? That’s why you’re here? Are you sure you didn’t get the wrong person?”
“It seems that Mr. Cockroach should drink some brain supplements1 to replenish his vitamins. We hadn’t completed our purchases on that day.” Lin actually rolled her eyes in this rare instance.
“…Damn!” Ji Bai covered his face with his hand.
“Must it be today?? Today is actually a Sunday! Even people who are running an unlicensed taxi get breaks on Sunday as well, alright!?”
Lin didn’t say a word as she silently looked at the grouchy Ji Bai.
“…Alright. I got it. Let’s finish it as soon as possible. We can leave now.”
“Wait a minute,” Lin called out to Ji Bai, who was walking towards the entrance.
“What is it now?”
“Are you planning to head out like this?” Lin sized up Ji Bai who was standing in front of her. His upper body was completely exposed, while his lower body only had a trouser covering it.
“That’s right. What about it? Isn’t it great to go into battle with a light and easy outfit, whose succinctness and simplicity can pierce through any falsehood in the world?”
“Wear this.” Lin took out a set of clothes from her bag and threw it towards Ji Bai.
“?? Did you buy those?” Ji Bai suspiciously asked as he saw the brand new dark-blue clothes in his hands.
“A cockroach and a peacock aren’t the same species. So why should you imitate them and expose yourself like that?” Lin expressionlessly tilted her head.
“…Tch, I knew that was impossible. So what are these clothes for?”
“A School uniform. You didn’t collect them in time, so the teacher wanted me to bring them over for you.”
‘School uniform?? Shouldn’t the members of a Chivalric Order wear a set of ceremonial robes instead? What the heck is the school uniform for?…’
Even though Ji Bai had a million rebuttals he wanted to spit out at this point, for him, this school uniform was no different than receiving charcoal in snowy weather; He was currently in a desperate predicament.
“Ok. That works. Since a parasite like yourself is still a female for the time being, do you mind stepping back for a moment?” Ji Bai shook the clothes in his hands.
“Get dressed. I will be waiting for you outside .” Lin said as she walked out of the door.