Chapter 24 They seem to be playing some kind of shameful game...

The world has finally turned upside down.

Rei Furuya sat in his seat with a somber face, quietly watching the guy in front of him with similar hair and skin color to his own, chatting and laughing naturally with others, and couldn't help but utter the above thoughts.

Following Rei Furuya's accidental encounter with Ikuya Nekono over the weekend, and their bizarre conversation that began unexpectedly, went through strangely, and ended abruptly, Rei returned to school to find Nekonono unusually quiet for two days.

Of course, this quiet doesn't mean that Ikuya Nekono has stopped disguising herself and goes to school normally every day with her original appearance. Rather, it means that Ikuya Nekono no longer bombards Rei Furuya's brain with different 'surprises' every day like she did in the first week, leaving Rei unable to cope.

This state was good, but after several days in a row, Furuya Rei suddenly felt a little uneasy. He thought to himself, "Is Nekono-kun someone who can calm down?"

Besides, Nekono's change was too sudden; there was no warning at all.

Jianggu Ling is in a mixed mood.

Don't do this, your unusual behavior is really scaring me.jpg

Did a week make Nekono lose interest in the transfer student? Or did he adapt to Nekono's pace? Or did their conversation over the weekend make Nekono have a change of heart and finally give up toying with him?

No, no, no, none of the above guesses are correct. The second shoe has finally dropped, and now Rei Furuya knows—

The cat is all quiet; it must be up to no good.

Nekono Ikuya's brief silence was like the calm before the storm; both were deceptive, only proving that the other party was planning something big for themselves.

The fashion column "The Ever-Changing Cat Lady" recently received a major update, and the reporter who had innocently reported false news was overjoyed and cried tears of joy.

Because the focus of Nekono-kun's transformation has finally shifted, with blonde hair and dark skin appearing more and more frequently on him.

Finally, special editions of Ikuya Nekono in various styles, featuring blonde hair and dark skin, have actually appeared.

A new image of Nekono-kun has been unlocked, and it has been confirmed that she is not just a fake Nekonono who was actually a hoax. The dream has suddenly come true, and everyone at school is overjoyed.

Except for the valley zero.

The classroom was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

It's still just zero.

Rei Furuya smirked, listening to the hushed discussions of his classmates around him:

"Nekono-san actually got a blonde, dark-skinned look! Everyone's wishes have been heard!"

"Wow, Nekono-sama looks so cool!"

"This feels completely different from Furuya-san's. As expected of Nekono-san!"

"Nekono-kun is so handsome, but Furuya-kun is handsome too. Their styles are completely different. It's a happy dilemma... it's so hard to compare them!"

"..." Jiangu Ling half-moon eyes.

While it's true that being sincerely praised by others is something to be happy about, why doesn't he feel happy at all?

However, he didn't want to compare himself to Nekono-kun on this matter, and he even wanted to refuse the praise.

Furuya Rei squinted. Should he be glad that Nekono-san was only disguising herself this time and not completely imitating him? At least Nekono-san still maintained her own Nekono characteristics based on herself.

Otherwise, given Nekono's incredible disguise skills that left no room for error, Rei Furuya himself might only have managed to achieve second place in the Rei Furuya impersonation contest.

...The first place is of course Nekono Ikuya.

Rei Furuya briefly imagined Nekono Ikuya standing on the champion's podium, hands on hips, laughing triumphantly, while he himself stood on the runner-up's side, looking like a defeated dog. He was instantly terrified by his own terrifying fantasy.

Ugh, I really shouldn't let my imagination run wild; this scene is terrifying!

No, he absolutely couldn't let this go on. He had to have a serious talk with Nekono-kun.

Today! At noon!!!

Rei Furuya acted swiftly and decisively, making a decision in just one second.

His gaze was fixed on the leisurely Nekono Ikuya in front of him, and a cold, sharp, and resolute expression gradually appeared on his face.

The enemy will arrive on the battlefield in five seconds. Prepare your forces... All troops, attack!

Nekono Ikuya shivered silently. He looked up in confusion, wondering if the air conditioning was turned down too low.

...

The afternoon sun was quite intense, making the concrete floor of the rooftop scorching hot. Fortunately, it wasn't a windless day, and the occasional breeze brought a welcome respite from the heat, which was better than nothing.

The rooftop was very quiet. Nekono Ikuya stood alone on the rooftop, holding the railing and looking down. He looked very interested, and his eyes even shone slightly, showing that he did not feel bored being alone.

Being surrounded by people all the time, it's quite interesting to occasionally observe them from an observer's perspective.

The crowd automatically converged into a flowing, colorful stream, the noise blurred by the distance into a tranquil white noise. Lying on the railing, Nekono Ikuya looked down at her feet with interest, her emotions both immersed and detached.

Hmm, it feels a bit like playing a real-life version of a campus online game, with a kind of beauty that blends reality and fantasy.

Nekono Ikuya's eyes sparkled as she pointed to the crowd below: a lone girl carrying books, a group of playful boys, and a health-conscious teacher strolling by leisurely, a thermos filled with goji berries.

This is true of all aspects of life.

Before Nekono Ikuya could finish counting, a faint sound came from behind. The rooftop door was gently pushed open with a creak and then quickly closed.

"Tap, tap, tap." The steady, powerful footsteps approached from afar, gradually drawing near to Nekono Ikuya.

This means—

Nekono Fumiya's serious expression meant that the rooftop partition door needed to be repaired!

The door makes such a loud creaking sound when opened; the hinges are clearly not lubricated and obviously need repair.

I'll report it to the school's maintenance department shortly and ask them to remember to fix it. I'll write it down.

"Today is another day to do good deeds," Nekono Ikumi thought, swaying happily in a cheerful mood.

A cool voice, carried by the wind, reached Nekono Ikumi's ears before she could speak: "Nekono-kun, if you take another step forward, you'll fall!"

A figure walked briskly from the stairs, stopping beside Nekono Ikuya in the breeze. A brown hand gripped the railing, but unlike Nekono Ikuya, the newcomer did not lean all of their upper body weight on the railing, but maintained a safe distance from it.

The newcomer's tone was aggressive, and his expression was rather unpleasant. His purplish-gray eyes were fixed on Nekono Ikuya with hatred, as if Nekono Ikuya owed him millions—the unit was US dollars, not Japanese yen.

However, upon closer examination of the person's words and the direction of their gaze... well, that's right, the other person was actually expressing worry, a mixture of fear and anger.

Who made Nekono Ikuya's posture of pressing her entire upper body against the railing look so frightening at first glance?

Rei Furuya gritted his teeth. Not only that, he had just seen that Nekono was even casually swaying her body, her feet almost leaving the ground!

Danger warning!

It's obviously a high-risk move; one wrong move and you'll be forced to delete your account and restart it. The cute, ghostly figure with its short tail, eyes brimming with tears, floats out of your body and tearfully enters the familiar account creation interface to queue up for a new account.

This is Earth Online, where you have to finish the game in one life and there's no chance of reviving! Be careful with this game!

"???" Nekono Ikumi turned her head blankly, instinctively showing an innocent expression of confusion.

"...I mean, stand still. I'm really afraid you might accidentally fall."

Rei Furuya covered his forehead and sighed heavily. He couldn't understand why Ikuya Nekono always managed to disrupt his plans unintentionally.

Huh? Nekono-kun, the plan-crusher?

Rei Furuya was speechless. These weren't the opening lines he had prepared, but somehow, upon seeing Nekono's intimidating pose that made one want to shiver for him, the words of advice just slipped out without him even thinking.

Sigh, it's because he's too kind and has too high moral character.

But Nekono's posture is really dangerous. Doesn't he realize it? His upper body is completely hanging over the railing... What, do you want to experience a no-rope bungee jump?

No, it's not that serious. It's just a conversation.

Perhaps it was Rei Furuya's reminder that made Ikuya Nekono realize the inappropriateness of his current posture, or perhaps he simply wanted to make it easier to talk to Rei Furuya.

In short, Nekono Ikuya finally managed to stand up straight, avoiding the fate of being picked up and manually straightened by the exasperated Furuya Rei.

"Thanks for reminding me." Nekono Ikuya winked energetically and remarked, "Furuya-kun, it's rare to see you take the initiative to ask me out."

Completely ignoring Rei Furuya's sour face, Ikuya Nekono greeted him with a sunny smile.

His bright smile and clear voice perfectly matched his energetic and sporty style today. To be fair, he truly deserves everyone's high praise.

If Nekono Ikuya hadn't used this blonde, dark-skinned outfit that gave Furuya Rei such a strong sense of déjà vu, Furuya Rei would definitely have thought the same thing.

As for now...

Yes, right now Furuya Rei just feels that this scene is very strange, so strange that he can't look at it directly.

Amidst the bizarre elements, there's also a touch of shame; perhaps that's how the original cosplayer feels when someone is dressed up in front of them.

Furuya Zero's toes digging into the ground.jpg

"Nekono-kun." Furuya Rei said, his face tense, trying to shake off the strange feeling in his heart and attempting to make the conversation more serious. "We need to talk."

Great, that's it! Let's get straight to the point and get to the heart of the matter. You can do it!

"What do you want to talk about?" Nekono Ikumi politely withdrew her smile and became serious.

“Talk, talk…” Furuya Rei’s fingers twitched, his ears burned, and the words were on the tip of his tongue but suddenly got stuck.

He tilted his head, a desperate rage flashing across his face for a second. No, why does the more serious the atmosphere seem, the harder it is to say anything?

Is it because the setting is too high?

Also, Furuya Rei glanced at the calm-faced Nekono Ikuya. Wasn't this guy embarrassed? The way they looked at each other with identical appearances was like they were playing some kind of embarrassing game.

“???” Although there was a hint of doubt in Nekono Yuuya’s eyes, the smile on his lips remained unchanged. Furuya Rei paused and looked at him before he could finish speaking. He did not urge Furuya Rei, but just waited quietly, his emotions very stable.

The assessment is complete; Nekono Ikuya really isn't embarrassed. Because, Nekono Ikuya blinked, he believed that "if you're not embarrassed, it's someone else who's embarrassed," and clearly, someone else was the one feeling awkward.

After a three-second silence, Rei Furuya mentally prepared himself: "Tell me about your recent... preferences."