Chapter 13: Probing

Senior Cuique looked at the girl before her, her heart stirring slightly.

It was not because of the other's attire; she did not like to judge by appearances.

Rather, the "Mao Mao" the other had mentioned was obviously the Moko that had been following them.

Ordinary people cannot see spirits like Moko; under normal circumstances, they cannot even perceive the existence of spirits at all. Thus, the girl before her was no ordinary person.

Combining her question with Lin Xiaolu's reaction behind her, it was not hard to deduce that she was the girl with "magical talent," the very target their group had been seeking.

"You, you person, exactly when did you sneak up here!"

At some unknown moment, Lin Xiaolu had already hidden behind Senior Cuique, facing the girl, and asked with more courage in her voice than in her heart: "I clearly saw your whole group walking forward!"

"Forward... ah, I made an excuse and separated from them."

The girl blinked her eyes and smiled: "Because I saw you following behind me, I wanted to ask what you were doing."

"Saw me? Impossible!"

Lin Xiaolu shook her head and pointed a finger at the girl: "There are so many people on the street; I've been blending into the crowd. How could you have discovered I was following you!"

"But you're wearing the same school uniform as me."

Saying this, the girl tilted her head: "I can only see one student from our school around here, so you stand out very clearly in my eyes."

"Same school? Don't try to use that excuse..."

Halfway through her sentence, as if realizing something, Lin Xiaolu examined the girl's appearance carefully, then, as if remembering something, shouted in shock: "Ah, I remember! You're one of those delinquent gyaru cliques from our grade!"

The term "delinquent gyaru" caught Senior Cuique's attention nearby, and she couldn't help but glance at the girl again.

Makeup, dyed streaks, pierced ears—this look could indeed be considered "gyaru" at the middle school level, though the "delinquent" element wasn't really evident.

"Delinquent gyaru clique... hahaha."

The girl showed no clear aversion to the term; in fact, she laughed as if hearing something amusing: "That phrasing is so interesting. Is that how the school refers to us? Or is it your original creation?"

Lin Xiaolu didn't answer; instead, she stepped back two paces and grabbed Senior Cuique: "Senior Cuique, this person is very dangerous!"

"Dangerous?" Hearing such an evaluation, the girl looked somewhat puzzled.

Lin Xiaolu spoke with righteous indignation: "I've seen it before! Gyaru cliques like hers bullying other girls!"

"But I have never bullied anyone."

The girl retorted: "That is slander!"

"Even if you haven't bullied anyone, your appearance is still immoral!"

"This is simply dressing oneself normally."

The girl puffed out her cheeks: "Isn't it better for a girl to look a bit fashionable?"

"Because it's so shameless!"

Lin Xiaolu shook her head repeatedly: "Dressing like that is one thing, but these people flirt with boys every day! Before, one was even suspended for being with a boy in an empty classroom..."

"Doing * with a boyfriend? That wasn't me."

The girl raised an eyebrow and said helplessly: "Besides, I haven't been flirting with boys either. I find dating troublesome, so I properly reject any confessions I receive."

"Doing... why did you just say that word directly? Are you, are you a pervert?"

Lin Xiaolu's cheeks flushed red, her face full of shame and anger: "Even if you haven't done that kind of thing, dressing like that is obviously to attract boys' attention!"

"Hmm, that part is true."

The girl admitted it openly, but her smile remained serene, making her look quite well-behaved: "But don't you think the boys' reactions are fun? The way they want to look but dare not is so interesting."

"You actually, actually..." Lin Xiaolu was truly confused.

Seeing the topic of their conversation drifting further and further off course, Senior Cuique finally had to step in, sighed, and interrupted them: "You two, could you please stop for a moment?"

She pointed to the side and indicated: "I won't discuss your quarrels for now, but making a scene on the street is inappropriate. Look, people around are already watching."

Only then did Lin Xiaolu and the girl both stop, looking around to find that indeed many people were staring at them, some even taking photos with their phones.

It wasn't hard to understand: three girls who looked quite young, one even somewhat young, standing together. They all looked youthful and cute, practically idol-level, yet they were arguing in public. It was hard not to suspect they were some new idol group filming a variety show or online video.

Continuing to draw attention would prevent many topics from being discussed, so Senior Cuique took the initiative, interrupting their increasingly absurd conversation, and pointed in another direction: "Have you considered changing locations to talk properly?"

Upon hearing this, the girl first paused, then smiled in confusion: "Eh? But I still don't know at all what you're doing. Why should I follow you?"

"We are following you."

Senior Cuique said expressionlessly: "Because you are very special, and we have something to ask you."

"Following?"

The girl immediately covered her mouth, revealing a somewhat frightened expression: "How could you? It's actually stalking. What do you want to do? I'm very uneasy and confused. If I give you money, will you spare me?"

"Since you came looking for us on your own, it means you're actually quite interested, right?"

Senior Cuique made no comment on her exaggerated performance, simply continuing calmly: "Until now, you are still curious about that pink cat flying in the air over there, aren't you?"

"Hmm... maybe?" The girl's attitude remained ambiguous.

Seeing Senior Cuique mention her, Moko nearby fluttered her wings and flew over, wanting to speak up to show off, but was stopped by Senior Cuique's gaze. Awed by her authority, she could only wait obediently there, continuing to play dumb.

"I can tell you that your vague feelings are all correct; they are all real."

Senior Cuique kept Moko in check, then looked at the girl before her, placing one hand on her hip: "Whether it's the attraction you felt from that pink cat, or that unexplained sense of danger after seeing me, they are all real things."

"If you want to know why, then follow me."

Seeing a hint of shock finally appear in the girl's expression, clearly struck to the heart by these words, she felt the timing was right to perform the "play hard to get" trick. So she lifted her chin, her expression becoming somewhat haughty: "I won't force you. You can refuse and leave right now, but my invitation will not be extended a second time."

After saying this, she turned and walked away directly, leaving only the girl behind, staring at her back.

Moko and Lin Xiaolu reacted quickly as well; Moko immediately fluttered her wings and chased after her, while Lin Xiaolu turned back to glare fiercely at the girl, then jogged to catch up with Senior Cuique.

"... Ah, no choice. In the end, I was hooked."

The girl paused for a moment, finally smiling somewhat helplessly, and then stepped forward to follow the others ahead.