Please, I'm Trying to Study, Your Highness! - chapter 33

Dusk.

The sound of the school bell lingered gently above the campus.

I spent some time finishing a difficult problem, reluctantly pulling myself out of the sea of concentrated study.

I nodded goodbye to a few familiar faces from the math competition group, then returned to the nearly empty classroom of Class Three.

I packed my bag, stuffing it full with my notes covered in derivations and textbooks from various subjects.

I have to admit, communicating with top students is truly rewarding.

Compared to this, my previous days in the physics competition group were nothing short of a disaster.

That place had long since become Xia Shiyu’s exclusive “domain.”

Under her masterful and subtly influential guidance,

all the boys in the group, who were once rather unruly, without exception, turned into little pets vying for her attention.

Every day was a spectacle-not just offering her all sorts of unique snacks, but also engaging in verbal sparring to make her smile, like a “palace intrigue drama.”

Even more exaggerated, I once witnessed two boys nearly come to blows in the hallway over the “honor” of carrying her schoolbag.

Academic exchange of ideas?

Don’t make your sister Shiyu laugh-someone has to actually want to study first.

The whole environment was a mess, completely useless for improving grades.

It was precisely after witnessing Xia Shiyu’s almost bug-like destructive power

that I decided to avoid her sharp edge.

With her stats panel filled in with her toes, if I really dared to go against her, those crazed fanboys could drown me with their spit alone.

Terrifying.

Absolutely terrifying.

Luckily, I ran early.

I silently planned out the days ahead.

The math competition group’s environment is much better; staying there should give me a bit more peace and quiet.

But life is always full of surprises.

The old saying, “Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears,” can be eerily accurate at times.

Just as I finished thinking about Xia Shiyu and walked out of the teaching building, a figure so familiar it couldn’t be more familiar appeared under the plane tree not far ahead.

The blue-and-white school jacket had been taken off by the girl.

The sleeves were tied around her waist in a beautiful bow,

accentuating her slender waist.

Her white short-sleeved shirt had been custom-tailored,

fitting snugly and highlighting her proud figure.

She had rolled up her school pants, revealing a stretch of fair, delicate ankles.

The same Nanhua No.1 High School uniform, yet on Xia Shiyu, it always exuded a unique charm.

She carried a delicate leather schoolbag over her shoulder, leaning casually against the tree trunk.

She idly kicked at pebbles at her feet, her posture lazy and sensual, becoming a scene in herself, drawing countless boys’ attention, both openly and secretly.

I thought she would continue her cold strategy and leave me hanging.

Unexpectedly, before I had taken a few steps out of the building, she seemed to have a spider-sense.

Her beautiful, captivating peach blossom eyes locked firmly onto me.

“Hi, Xiao Huihui, what a coincidence!”

Xia Shiyu greeted me sweetly.

Oh? The cooldown period is over?

Is she preparing to launch the next round of attacks?

Disappointment welled up inside me.

The few days of hard-won peace were gone just like that.

“Mm.”

I put on the “real face” I’d prepared just for her.

A mix of indifference and struggle-the expression of “prey that’s tough on the outside but weak within.”

I didn’t stop, walking straight past her without looking sideways.

At the moment we brushed past, my hand unconsciously tightened on my bag strap.

It was a small but telling flaw, enough to be read as “not as calm inside as I appear.”

Xia Shiyu caught it, of course.

A playful curve flashed across her lips, quickly replaced by a sweet, friendly smile.

“Hey, why are you walking so fast?”

She kicked away the pebble she’d been playing with and caught up in a few steps, walking beside me. “So eager to get home and study? You should balance work and rest sometimes.”

I said nothing, just kept my head down and walked forward.

“By the way.” Xia Shiyu ignored my coldness, continuing to find topics on her own.

“Xiao Huihui, I heard you quit the physics competition group?”

I paused.

“Why? Was the material too hard, or did… certain people in the group make you uncomfortable?”

She asked in a cute, curious tone, as if she were just showing normal concern for a classmate.

But when she mentioned “certain people,” her pitch rose a few degrees.

The implication was obvious.

“No, I just felt I couldn’t keep up.”

I replied in a concise tone, not wanting to discuss it further.

I sped up, trying to shake her off.

But Xia Shiyu’s physical fitness was surprisingly good.

She kept up easily, still walking beside me.

“Really? Then how come I heard you joined the math group right after?”

Her aggressive high-end perfume filled my nose.

“The group leader over there is our school’s famous Shen Ruanruan.”

“Xiao Huihui, you seem to get along well with her, don’t you?”

“Didn’t Miss Shen herself come to talk to you after the last basketball game?”

Xia Shiyu’s tone was as sweet as ever, but I caught a hint of coldness, almost a “gunpowder smell.”

What’s she upset about?

Could it be…

The school’s most famous red and white roses aren’t as harmonious with each other as they appear on the surface?
As for whether any of this is my fault?

Given the premise that the other party simply sees me as prey,

My brain’s logic and analysis coolly respond:

[Absolutely not]

Well, that’s settled.

I quietly play dead, refusing to join the conversation.

“Let’s walk together, Xiao Huihui.”

After leaving school and seeing that I still wasn’t speaking, Xia Shiyu finally revealed her main purpose. “It’s right on my way~”

What a lousy excuse.

Your family clearly lives in the rich district-how is that ‘on the way’ for me?

“On the way, we can also go over the mistakes from this month’s exam. What do you think?”

“Or maybe talk about why you think physics is harder than math? I actually think their underlying logic is quite similar.”

See, she’s even come up with reasons for me.

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes flickering with resistance-yet another “flaw” exposed.

In the end, I let out a barely audible “Mm” through my nose, utterly helpless.

Consider it reluctant agreement.

Outside the school gate, the street bustled with people under the evening glow.

She and I walked side by side on the sidewalk, intentionally maintaining a social distance that was neither too close nor too far.

“By the way, Xiao Huihui, what brand of body wash do you usually use? It smells so nice.” Xia Shiyu started a seemingly casual topic.

I kept in character and didn’t answer her question.

Turning my head to the other side, my unconsciously quickened steps already betrayed my anxiety.

“You don’t like being asked about personal stuff? You stingy thing~”

She laughed a few times, then suddenly switched gears. “Let’s talk about studying, then. How did you interpret the last physics question on this month’s exam?”

Once she shifted to an academic topic, I couldn’t keep silent any longer.

So I shared my thoughts.

She listened seriously, then offered a different perspective.

If things could stay like this, it would just barely count as proper academic exchange.

But the problem is, Xia Shiyu is anything but proper.

Her words always cross that safe boundary when you least expect it.

“Xiao Huihui, your logical reasoning is really impressive. Way better than those guys in our physics group who only memorize by rote. Talking to smart people is just so much less tiring.”

She naturally dropped the “classmate” suffix and quietly took a few steps closer to me.

Our arms almost touched as we walked.

I immediately dodged to the side as if I’d been shocked.

“Ah!”

What the hell was that noise?!

I saw Xia Shiyu suddenly let out a deliberately dramatic cry.

Her foot caught on something, and she lost her balance, toppling straight toward me.

Damn, a flat-ground fall?

The sidewalk was so smooth not even a single brick was sticking up-could her acting get any more fake?

I held back the urge to roll my eyes,

and made the most “in-character” reaction possible.

I instinctively stretched out my arms, and her soft, fragrant body crashed right into my chest.

Her full, ample chest pressed against me without reservation-surprisingly elastic.

One hand held her waist, my palm trembling slightly, while the other hovered at her shoulder, my voice “urgent”:

“Are… are you okay?”

Xia Shiyu leaned in my arms.

Her stunningly beautiful face showed not a trace of panic, but instead the sly satisfaction of a little fox who’d gotten her way.

“My foot’s fine.” Her voice was dripping with ambiguity, a warm breath puffing at my ear.

“But your hand… that’s got a real problem. Why is it shaking so much, Xiao Huihui?”

“None of your business!”

I snapped, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, embarrassed and angry.

Then, as if tossing away a hot potato, I quickly set her upright and took a big step back.

Xia Shiyu looked at my mortified face and let out a pleased little laugh.

She straightened her rumpled collar, then did something I never expected.

She reached out and patted my chest, still tense from our collision-not too hard, not too soft.

Her fingertips glided over my school jacket, thick with flirtation.

“So firm~”

She licked her lips, blatant amusement flashing in her eyes. “Do you work out a lot?”

This woman!

She’s actually copping a feel so openly now!

A wave of physical revulsion surged from my stomach.

Just as I was about to summon all my acting skills to keep playing along with this forcibly upgraded script-

A distinctly mocking male voice called out from behind us.

“Yo, Shiyu, you really do change your taste fast. Got yourself a new one already?”

I turned at the sound.

A boy with ashy blond hair was standing by a utility pole.

Sharp brows, starry eyes, striking features.

His presence was bold and assertive, his gaze looking down at people from above.

Pretty good-looking.

That was my first impression of him.

[Ding-]

[Scanning target… Appearance rating: 7 points.]

[The host’s current true appearance rating is 8 points (potential MAX).]

[Conclusion: Not even close to a single hair of the Saint-Level Virgin.]

When I actually need you, you never show up. Now, when it’s none of your business, you pop up just to comment on someone’s looks?

I replied in my mind, deadpan.

“Shut up.”