Anime Crossover: About How I Spoiled an Angel

Page 118

On the contrary, there is actually a certain degree of "freedom".

Suddenly, Su Qing grabbed Yukino's arm and pulled her towards him.

“There was a puddle over there just now. You don’t want your shoes and socks to get wet, do you?” Su Qing explained.

"I...I didn't see it," Yukino said softly, her almond-shaped eyes lowered and her hair gently tucked behind her ear.

Because in the past, it was always Su Qing, Yui, and she who spent time together. With Yui around, the conversations between the three of them seemed to never end.

Now that Yui has left, Yukino finds that she and Su Qing don't seem to have much to say to each other.

No... actually it's still because of those three kicks I just gave him, right?

Thinking of this, Yukino couldn't help but sigh softly.

She naturally considered Su Qing a friend, but unlike the enthusiastic Yui, she wasn't quite used to being with Su Qing.

"Speaking of which, your name is [Yukino], and your older sister's name is [Yinno]?" Su Qing suddenly asked a seemingly pointless question.

"I don't think I have any reason to lie to you." Unexpectedly, Su Qing brought up the topic, and Yukino paused for a moment before saying this.

“No, what I mean is—” Su Qing stretched a hand out from under the umbrella, then quickly pulled it back, shook it, and continued:

"The reason you were named Yukino is because you were born on a snowy day, while your older sister was born on a sunny day?"

"Yeah, it's pretty casual."

Both Yukino and Haruno are names derived from her mother. Her father, on the other hand, had virtually no say in the matter.

However, giving her sisters such names so hastily based solely on the weather conditions at the time of their birth is certainly very much in line with her style...

Whenever she thinks of her mother, Yukino falls silent.

"No, I think this name is beautiful," Su Qing said softly.

"...You don't have to force yourself to praise such a casual name." Yukino shook her head, indicating that she didn't care. Ever since she learned the origin of her name, she no longer had high expectations for the so-called "name".

She is who she is, Yukino Yukinoshita.

This is the only thing that will not change.

"Do you think I'm forcing myself?" Su Qing turned her head and asked in return.

"Isn't that right?" Yukino turned her head as well, and their eyes met, but Yukino quickly looked away first.

After all, she had almost stepped into a puddle, so she had to watch her step carefully now. Just as Su Qing had said, it wouldn't be good if her shoes and socks got dirty.

……

Chapter 161 Qing, meaning clear-headed.

"Sitting and watching, the depth deepens by about a foot."

It emits a cold light as dusk falls.

Tired of dancing in mid-air, she became lazy.

A slight breeze makes things especially busy.

Su Qing's voice rang out softly in the cool air. His gaze followed the flow of the poem, unconsciously turning to Yukino Yukinoshita beside him. Then he turned his gaze back to the distance.

He didn't sing it the way the dean taught him, because the dean hadn't taught him how to sing this poem. He had memorized the poem unintentionally, and now felt it resonated with the other person, so he recited it without thinking.

However, although it wasn't sung, Su Qing's magnetic voice sounded very pleasant to outsiders.

Yukino turned her head, a hint of doubt in her eyes, yet her cool beauty remained undeniable. She listened quietly to Su Qing's recitation, then softly said:

"This poem might not be so fitting for the rainy season, would it? You should wait until winter in Tokyo to come back."

"Will it snow in Tokyo this winter?" Su Qing asked.

"Maybe, at least it rained last year." Yukino hesitated for a moment, then added:

"I only came to Tokyo during my freshman year of college, so I don't know."

I used to spend most of my time in my hometown, Chiba Prefecture, where it snows every winter.

"I see." Su Qing nodded. Actually, he knew all of these things, but there were also things he didn't know.

"Then... how do I choose a university in Tokyo? As far as I know, there should be quite a few good universities in Chiba Prefecture as well."

Since the other student was a transfer student from mainland China, it wasn't surprising that they knew which universities were good on the island beforehand, given their grades. Therefore, Yukino didn't suspect anything and simply replied softly:

"It was arranged by my family after I returned to China."

"Is he your father?" Su Qing asked tentatively.

Yukino shook her head, her voice even softer than before:

"It's my mother."

Her tone lacked emotion, as if it were a matter of course. Therefore, it inevitably carried a hint of helplessness.

Su Qing nodded; it was indeed as he had imagined.

Judging from the current situation, the entire Yukinoshita family seems to be ruled by the other party's mother.

Neither Yukino's father, who married into the family, nor Haruno, who was designated as the family heir early on, had much say.

No, to be more precise, it is the power of decision-making.

Instead of delving deeper into the topic of Yukino's mother, Su Qing intended to return to the main subject, but Yukino suddenly asked:

Do you really like snow?

"Not really. It's just that I was born in the southern coastal area of ​​the mainland."

The winters there are only cold air currents from western Siberia.

Since there is no central heating in the south, the worst thing about winter is the wind blowing.

Even if you wear a down jacket, the wind can still get in through the smallest gaps.

Believe me, it wasn't a pleasant thing.

Su Qing couldn't help but laugh when she said this.

As for what they were laughing about, only he and the dean probably know.

"From your description, it sounds like places where it doesn't snow are colder than places where it does." Yukino had never been to the southern part of the continent, so she naturally didn't understand that the winter winds of the southern country could truly be described as "bone-chilling."

"Not really. I think the Northeast of the mainland is much colder than the South. At least the latter won't freeze you to death in winter."

"...Your standard for judging whether it's cold or not is whether it will freeze people to death?" Yukino said speechlessly.

There are clearly more professional terms, such as Celsius, perceived temperature, and humidity, so why would the other party use such a simple and direct method?

Keep in mind that the other person also scored nearly full marks in the humanities section, which naturally includes geography.

"It's very easy to understand, isn't it?" Su Qing certainly knew those technical terms, but for him, this was the best unit.

"...Then try writing this on your geography test next time. I'll be looking forward to it." Yukino rolled her eyes at Su Qing, feeling that he was just trying to fool her.

"Are you expecting me to fall from the top spot?" Su Qing finished Yukino's sentence.

"You don't need to fall down by yourself, I'll climb back up myself." Upon hearing Su Qing's words, Yukino gritted her teeth in anger.

He only beat her once, so why did he go all out on her face?

"I'm looking forward to it too." Ignoring Yukino's declaration, Su Qing responded with Yukino's words, which only made her feel more frustrated.

[Next time, I won't lose to you again...]

Yukino secretly vowed to herself that she would not say it directly in front of Su Qing, as that would be too foolish and unnecessary.

"So you've never seen snow before?"

For someone who is born with a snowy aura, it's still quite intriguing that a friend of hers has never seen snow in her twenties.

“I’ve flown to the north before, and there was a very thick layer of snow,” Su Qing added. “It was spectacular.”

“Then you’ll see it every year during your university years. It just won’t be as spectacular as in Hokkaido or Tohoku.” Yukino recalled that neither Tokyo nor Chiba Prefecture had snow accumulation that reached the level of being “spectacular.”

Upon hearing this, Su Qing simply shook her head slightly and said softly:

"What matters is not the snow, but one's state of mind."

"State of mind?" Xueno asked doubtfully.

She had heard of the three realms of "seeing mountains as mountains and water as water," but this was the first time she had heard Su Qing say it this way.

"What do you think snow symbolizes in the poem I just recited?"

"Literally speaking, it describes the graceful movements of snowflakes, so following this line of thought... it should symbolize beautiful things, right?"

Yukino gently bit her lip. She naturally remembered the poem Su Qing had just recited, and based on her experience in appreciating poetry, she guessed.

"Snowflakes are light, white, and pure. In the north, they are called 'dead rain' and are also synonymous with 'loneliness'."

Don't you think that the process of pursuing certain things is inherently lonely?

"Because I don't want to give up on the pursuit, and because noble things are rare, [loneliness] becomes a matter of course."

"So I think the name [Yukino] is really good."

"At the very least, it suits you very well."

Yukino was taken aback by what she heard, because she knew that her name was simply because she was born on a snowy day, so she had never thought much about her name.

It's less a matter of thinking and more a matter of anticipation.

But now...

"And what about you? I mean... your name," Yukino couldn't help but ask.

"It doesn't mean anything special." Su Qing thought for a moment and then said:

"If you insist."

"Probably..."

"The most clear-headed person in the world is Qing."

……

Chapter 162 One day in the future...

"The 'clear' in 'human clarity'?" Yukino repeated, then added:

"I thought it was the 'qing' in 'water is clear'."

"Why would you think that?" Su Qing asked.

"We Chinese have a saying, 'The highest virtue is like water,' isn't that right?"

"With your excellent grades, you should know that these two things are unrelated, right?" Su Qing was both amused and exasperated. What kind of understanding was this?

"Of course I know... but when I think of 'the highest good is like water' and 'pure,' I can't help but think of that phrase." Yukino didn't actually think there was any connection, but she would think of 'the highest good is like water' whenever she saw Su Qing.

"Never mind, you can interpret it however you want." Su Qing shook her head and said again:

"A name is ultimately just a label; what meaning you choose to give it is entirely up to you."

"After all, it's my own name."

"Um... thank you." Yukino said suddenly after a long silence.

"Thank you for what?"

“…It’s nothing, my house is just ahead, we’re almost there.” Yukino pointed to the apartment building at the end of the horizon and said.

Su Qing nodded, but her pace slowed down slightly at that moment.

Because the two were holding an umbrella, Yukino had to keep pace with Su Qing.

"What's wrong?" Yukino asked.

"Do you know why, when Mochizuki Riki entrusted us with this task, she deliberately emphasized that we should notify Mochizuki Ryu immediately upon finding him, and that we should not be allowed to contact him?"

Su Qing kept her pace slow and looked at Yukino.

"If I remember correctly...didn't she say that Mochizuki Ryu has a certain tendency towards violence and is shy?" Yukino quickly realized what she meant after answering and asked again:

You mean...she lied to us?

"But that's not right...aren't they in a romantic relationship? What's her motive for doing this...?"

Yukino frowned, lost in thought.