Chapter 25. Click to see Cat Wild's actions in three sentences...
“Preferably…” Nekono Ikumi tilted her head.
“For example, why have you been dressing up lately like this…” Furuya Rei drawled, his gaze first falling meaningfully on Nekono Ikuya’s dark arm, then slowly moving to the strands of golden hair that framing his face, “like this?”
Rei Furuya simply couldn't bring himself to say anything like "imitate me" or "pretend to be me," as it sounded too narcissistic and was too embarrassing.
So he used a more vague word as a reference, but after he finished speaking, he realized—hey, doesn't this sound more powerful?
...As expected of me!
Nekono Ikuya really wanted to be mischievous, like suddenly asking Furuya, "What does this look like?" He was sure Furuya would instantly get angry and his reaction would be hilarious.
But his intuition desperately stopped him, advising him to just think about it and not actually do it, because doing so would immediately lead to a cold war.
The affection level he painstakingly raised for Furuya-kun will suddenly plummet, and might even turn negative.
Although she didn't know why it was so serious this time, Ikumi Nekono still decisively chose to listen to her intuition, just like countless times before.
After all, Ikuya Nekono is very self-aware, knowing that his intuition is sometimes more reliable than his own.
Hmm, is this a bit convoluted?
Basically, what I'm saying is that when Nekono Ikuya judges whether someone is truly angry, and when trying to build rapport, she doesn't rely on "super reading of others' expressions" but rather on "I feel it's okay/not okay to do this."
And this method has always been effective. A truly terrifyingly intuitive and gifted individual.
Therefore, while Nekono Ikuya sometimes appears to be very adept at navigating the emotional boundaries of others and always manages to avoid real minefields with ease, he can also sometimes surprisingly show that his emotional intelligence is not very high.
The latter usually occurs when Nekono Ikuya's behavior does not cross other people's real bottom line, and his intuition does not give a serious warning.
for example--
Nekono Ikuya: Suddenly I had a thought, hey, this seems like a lot of fun?
Intuition: Beep beep, a slight warning.
Nekono Ikuya: I hesitated for three seconds, but it seems really interesting to do this?
Intuition: The consequences are not serious; the warning level remains mild. (Beep again.)
Nekono Ikuya: Itching to try it out, I gradually ignored the warning and was eager to give it a go. Hmm, something seems to be making a noise? Never mind, I didn't hear it!
Intuition: Beep (forced to be muted)... Oh well, it did its best.
I can't carry it, I really can't carry it!
However, this time the warning from her intuition wasn't a gentle sound or two, but a series of frantic shouts. So, although the idea of suddenly asking a question was interesting, Ikuya Nekono regretfully gave up on it.
Intuition instantly made him docile; now was the time to restrain himself rather than attack. He knew how to play the game when it came to navigating other people's emotional boundaries.
Nekono Ikuya honestly said, "Furuya-kun, don't be angry. I have a good reason for dressing up like this." Now that's where all the preparations come in handy!
To be honest, Nekono Ikuya's feelings at this moment were also quite strange, because his previous communication with the president was not expected, and the idea of reporting to the adults in advance was also a sudden whim. He felt that it would be better to do so, and the fact that the two could be combined into one thing was an unexpected surprise.
Unexpectedly, the final preparations came true here, and Nekono Ikuya was amazed at the realization.
Nekono Ikuya: Although it was a flash of inspiration, I made a useful prediction (intuition: ?), I'm so amazing (intuition: ???).
Intuition: Taking care of an idiot is exhausting, praise me! Praise me now!!!
"A legitimate reason?" Furuya Rei was taken aback. You actually have a legitimate reason?
Nekono Ikuya nodded obediently.
Hmm, maybe he's not so honest after all? That's what Nekono Ikuya nodded, seemingly honest.
Now Furuya Rei was intrigued. He raised an eyebrow, adopted a more relaxed posture, and gestured for Nekono Ikuya to continue: "What's the serious reason?"
I want to hear how you take things seriously.
Jianggu Ling is all ears.jpg
Yay! The spellcasting was successfully interrupted. Furuya's rage bar is starting to stagnate, and his emotions are becoming somewhat disjointed.
This indicates that the situation is developing steadily and positively, a judgment made by Nekono Ikuya, who is very adept at jumping to the extremes of other people's emotional bottom lines.
However, he did not relax.
Nekono Ikuya said solemnly and deeply, "It's all for art!"
His voice gradually rose, his expression slowly became sacred and focused, and even the tone of his voice unconsciously changed to that of a theatrical performer.
The golden sunlight shone on his face like a natural spotlight, making the surrounding scenery seem to darken around him, giving his figure an indescribable grandeur and sacredness.
Like...like a saint willing to be martyred, selflessly dedicating himself to art.
Everything for art!
Wait, something's not right! Sacrificing oneself for art?
Rei Furuya, who was momentarily stunned by Ikuya Nekono's highly infectious demeanor and performance, finally snapped back to reality and realized that something was amiss.
He slowly looked at Nekono Ikuya, who still maintained the sacred posture of a pilgrim.
Unable to suppress his half-moon eyes: "..."
Nekono-kun, you should go preach! You'd spread the word to everyone, maybe even get a free gift for every three you preach to. Your influence is just too strong!
Then Furuya Rei silently lifted his foot and took a step to the side, his eyes fixed on Nekono Ikuya.
Nekono Ikuya's posture remains impeccable, and the atmosphere she creates is still flawless. The person and the scenery blend together seamlessly, making it virtually impossible to find fault with her.
If Rei Furuya hadn't been keeping a close eye on Ikuya Nekono, and thus keenly noticed that as he moved his feet, Ikuya Nekono was also subtly adjusting his position and angle accordingly.
Rei Furuya continued with his half-moon eyes: "..."
He looked at the sunlight, which, even from the changed perspective, still shone perfectly on Nekono Ikuya, creating a sacred atmosphere for him, like a natural stage spotlight, and finally understood that this harmony was not a coincidence.
This is clearly an effect deliberately created by someone.
Are you a histrionic personality, dear Nekono-kun? You even have to act out this? Ha... over-the-top!
Rei Furuya was almost laughing in anger, but more than that, he felt a deep sense of speechlessness gradually spreading through his heart.
No wonder Nekono-kun could easily defeat the upperclassmen and become the most dazzling new star in the performing arts club as soon as she entered the school. She can make people feel like they are in a drama with just a sentence. Her acting talent is truly top-notch.
He said rather weakly, "Nekono-kun, please speak properly."
Don't perform indiscriminately, big or small!
"I'm telling the truth," Nekono Yuuya muttered softly, but he also went along with Furuya Rei's wishes and put away his slightly exaggerated acting posture.
In private, Nekono Yuuya winked quietly. He wasn't just randomly inserting himself into the performance; he was continuing to use his interruption technique to interrupt Furuya Rei's spellcasting.
Nekono Ikuya just had a sudden inspiration and felt that she should do it.
The effect was excellent; after this ordeal, Furuya's emotions were completely disjointed.
Nekono Ikuya, with a proud, petty person in her heart, stands with her hands on her hips.
The true MVP of this game, according to Intuition: la la la, it's all thanks to me!
At this moment, Furuya Rei was unaware that his anger was gradually going awry, seemingly dissipating and even regressing. He simply continued to listen politely to Nekono Ikuya.
Once again, the novice hero Furuya has been completely outmaneuvered by the Great Demon King Nekono!
Nekono Ikuya repeated it and then said, "It's not wrong to say that I'm dedicating myself to art. Here's the thing, I received a script for a school festival written by the club president, and I'm currently studying the characters in it."
"In order to get into the mood and immerse myself in the character in advance, I had to make some small preparations and necessary sacrifices in terms of appearance recently."
Forced to do something? Yeah, right. I think Rei Furuya is probably enjoying it more than he is!
Unaware that she was being secretly criticized, Nekono Ikumi calmly showed off her blonde hair and dark skin, spreading her hands as if she was helpless.
That wasn't all; he continued, "I've already reported this to the teacher. Sigh, there's nothing I can do about it; this is probably the true quality of an actor."
So having a legitimate reason isn't a lie!
Should I praise your dedication? Furuya Rei's eyes widened. Good heavens, Nekono-kun was waiting for him here all along!
Tsk tsk, for a moment I can’t really deny the legitimacy of Nekono’s reasoning. How could that be?
It's unclear whether it was Nekono Ikuya's series of actions, which followed his intuition and countered, that dismantled Furuya Rei's offensive, or whether Furuya Rei felt he had lost the "moral high ground" to question him because of the legitimate reason he offered for studying the character, or a combination of both.
In short, Furuya Rei couldn't quite bring himself to continue questioning him and felt the current situation was quite awkward.
Well... I thought Nekono was deliberately imitating him, so I came over aggressively to question her, but it turns out she was actually studying the script and her character or something.
Oh my, the sky is so blue, the grass is so green, and the sunshine is so bright!
Rei Furuya looked around, a look of utter delight on his face. "How come he never noticed such a beautiful view before?" he thought.
However, it's not too late to appreciate it now.
No, we can't let Nekono-kun fool us so easily! Furuya Rei turned around sharply and stared intently at the innocent-looking Nekono Ikuya beside him.
"Nekono-kun got the same character appearance as me?" Both are blonde and dark-skinned?
This doesn't make sense, does it?
Nekono Ikuya began to gently tap different parts of the railing with her fingertips, trying to combine different tones to create a simple melody, and remained completely unfazed by the suggestion.
He laughed and said, "Sounds like a coincidence, doesn't it?"
Rei Furuya slowly revealed a disapproving look; this didn't sound like a coincidence at all!
Before he could even refute, Nekono Ikuya quickly changed the subject: "But actually, this is not a coincidence."
Furuya Rei: "..." He quickly closed his mouth, which had only opened slightly.
Why do you have to suddenly gasp for breath when you're supposed to be speaking? It almost made him bite his tongue! Ouch!
Nekono Ikuya began to sigh, and Furuya Rei suddenly had a bad feeling about it.
"Sigh, I don't know why, but the club president has recently become obsessed with the image of a cool, unapproachable blonde with dark skin. Even the script for the school festival uses a protagonist with this kind of image. I can't help it."
Nekono Ikuya glanced at Furuya Rei with a wistful look. "Yeah, why is that?"
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