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The afternoon sun caresses maomao’s skin, engulfing the area that it can reach through the window. Her cheeks warmed to a soft red from the warmth. A slight breeze of wind slipped through the crack of the window, making the few strands of her loose hair dance. Sounds of students conversing outside filled the classroom.The girl laid undisturbed, getting what little sleep she could during the break.
A pair of eyes watched from afar, his back leaning on the old door frame. The atmosphere surrounding that celestial nymph is what you’d expect out of a romance novel. Despite the recent announcement of his relationship, the girls of Li Yuan first experimental high school still watch him with dreamyness. As the student council president his popularity seems to never dull, not to mention his unmistakable beauty.
His vision stayed on the dark-haired girl. The secretary of the student council. His girlfriend Maomao.
“Missing your girlfriend?” A familiar voice teased from beside him. (Since when did anyone come over?)
“I needed the secretary for something, but it seems she’s resting.” He kept his focus on the freckled girl.”You should keep your voice down.”
Shisui smirked knowingly at his behaviour, mentally adding another tally to the date count this month. “You’re really down bad for her. ” she snorted a laugh and continued walking back to her class.
Jinshi did not notice the blush that spread to his ears.
The commotion at the door seemed to finally reach maomao’s ears. She grumbled in tiredness and frustration that she was awoken from her beauty nap. She rubbed her grogginess away with a yawn. She then focused her attention on the figure standing in front of her.
“Do you need something, president Jinshi?” Despite her bored tone she could see her eyes softening at the sight of him. Her eyebags were worse than usual, he wondered if she even ate lunch. She had a bad habit of skipping lunch for sleep.
“Have you eaten lunch?” He said without thinking much. Reaching into his pocket to search for a piece of candy that he kept. Unwrapping the pineapple flavoured sweet and placing it on her lips instinctively.
Maomao stilled in surprise, but opened her mouth nonetheless. The tangy and sour flavour of pineapple filled her tastebuds, she hummed in satisfaction.
“It’s sweet.” She muttered, her lips curled up just a bit. She preferred savory snacks, but perhaps sweet isn't too bad sometimes. She did not in fact have lunch, it would help prevent her fainting suddenly from low blood sugar again.
“It’s candy. Of course it’s sweet.” Jinshi smiled softly. His girlfriend is just too cute, he could almost see a pair of cat ears and a tail swinging in contentment on her. Maomao with cat ears huh...Jinshi pulled himself from his thoughts before it got too far.
Maomao stared at the flustered man in front of her. He stood basking in the afternoon sun, highlighting the soft purple of his eyes. This beauty straight from the skies themselves, son of the principal, student council president. Her boyfriend, dating a girl as ordinary as her. She must’ve done a lot of good deeds last life to give her an admirer like him.
“Are you free after school today?” Jinshi’s hand instinctively rested on her head. Maomao glared at him.(just how he likes it)
“I think so, although I believe pops needs me to run some errands on the way home after. So I need to do that first.” Maomao felt him petting her head in some way. She leaned into his touch. Admittedly, it felt nice.
“I’ll meet you in the office then.” He smiled. She felt something soft pressed against her forehead. He pulled away quickly.
Maomao felt herself heating up, she can’t ever get used to the small shows of affection he gives. Given they can’t be too obvious. Despite romance not being prohibited in this school specifically, it’s not encouraged in general for high schoolers.
But when these acts do happen, she’d feel her heart race a little bit quicker than usual. This is what love feels like. Maomao concluded when this was what she felt during her first kiss.
Jinshi left soon after. Maomao can’t wait for the class to end.
———————————
three knocks, two soft with the last one harder.
“Come in!” Jinshi recognised the person on the other side of that door. Maomao has this style of knocking on any door. She seems to be oblivious of that though.
The secretary walked in, the door barely opened enough to fit herself into the room. She wore a low ponytail, he vaguely remembered that she had biology the last two lessons.
“Did you just finish an experiment?” He asked. Partly due to curiosity, mostly due to him wanting to hear her rant about it.
Maomao nodded, and started ranting about the effects of magnesium and nitrogen deficiency on herbaceous plants. Her eyes glint with interest at the topic of plants. While Jinshi listened with a smile plastered on his face.
She kept on rambling as they walked through the school hallways. Their hands connected at some point of their conversation. The intertwining building of the school soon grew further as they left.
The weather was humid during this time of year. Not hot, just that uncomfortable, sticky, still air surrounding the city. Jinshi tied his school uniform around his waist to help with the heat and sweat of his body.
Passing by the local snack shop, Jinshi stopped them both. “Do you want to get something?” he asked.
Maomao shrugged. He led them both inside the small old shop. In front of the mini freezer, filled with popsicles for the summer.
Jinshi took out a red bean flavoured popsicle for her, and a milk flavoured one for himself. Paying for her, which she gave up fighting after the tenth time.
Maomao thanked him, peeling the wrapping off the treat. The cool feeling of the popsicle pressed against her tongue was a relief. It wasn’t too sweet, she wasn’t too into sweet things in general.
They settled near a park in the area, watching kids running around. Talking about whatever they thought of.
“Can I have a taste?” Jinshi suddenly turned to Maomao. She nodded, lifting the half eaten popsicle to his lips. His hand closed around her wrist, and moved her hand away. His lips moved to hers. She felt his tongue lick her, she could faintly smell his scent of jasmine and sandalwood. She could taste the overly sweet taste of his popsicle.
She pulled away glaring. “The popsicle is melting.” She muttered. Jinshi smiled, reaching for a pack of wet wips in his pocket, cleaning her hand that was now covered with sticky residue from the popsicle. His own hand is also covered with his popsicle.
She took the wipe and cleaned his hand. His soft smile is still there. They say that smiles are contagious, perhaps it is. Because Maomao also has that soft smile on her face.
——————
“I need to get some oil paper and string for pops, the clinic is running out of them.” Maomao said, her hand resting in his. The evening is quiet, distant sounds of students, workers, street vendors that finally came out of hiding.
Jinshi nodded, mentioning that there was a store nearby that probably would sell these items. Which was hidden behind an alleyway.
They scroll through the store, looking at the random items for sale. From plastic cups to clocks and crystal balls. They could laugh at the most ridiculous things.
Spending a considerable amount of time there, before finding the things that they were here for originally.
With a small red plastic bag in hand, Maomao walked out of the shop. Jinshi followed behind, with a little something in his hand.
Maomao sighed. To be honest, she didn’t quite want this afternoon to end.
“I guess I should go back now.” She mumbled.”I’ll-…” She felt something poke her forehead. Reaching her hand toward the object, turning around to glare at Jinshi.
The thing was pulled down for her to see, a hairclip. With a small black cat sitting on the moon, its eyes are blue made with glass. Shining bright when light hits it. It’s not something expensive, probably made for children.
“Your bangs get in the way of you during experiments, no?” Jinshi said, looking quite content with himself.
Maomao did remember mentioning that on their way out of the school. She felt her chest heat up with a tingly sensation, as if her heart wrapped itself with a warm blanket.
“Yea. I did, didn’t I?” she hummed. clipping it to her head. It looked out of place for a girl like her. But when did she ever care about what others think? She broke into a smile usually reserved for herbs and poisons. “Thank you.”
Suddenly,Maomao wrapped her arms around Jinshi. Surrounding herself with his musk. Burying her head to his chest. “I’ll see you soon.” she mumbled. Unwrapping herself from him as quickly as the hug came.
Jinshi froze from the sudden act of affection from his cat. She already walked down the path to her father’s traditional chinese clinic down the road.
“I’ll see you soon!” he said, his voice echoed slightly from the empty street.
The air had the faint aroma of grass and disinfectants. A girl walked into a small clinic at the back of a building. Putting the bag she was holding onto the table, it looks like the clinic is empty.
Maomao sat down on a rusty old wooden chair, hand reaching for the clip holding part of her bangs up. She remembered she had been given a diary not too long ago.
Perhaps she should write it down.