“Look—Xiao Qianxue’s about to compete, like an arrow set on a bright string!”

“Hey, you idiot, stop eating—your goddess is about to compete, like a moon rising over the track!”

“Yeah, yeah, quit smacking my head—hey, save me some chips, those golden petals!”

Under a ring of watching eyes like lanterns, the blonde girl stepped to the marked start, sunlight pooling on the lane.

“1.24 m—shouldn’t be a problem.” The Little Loli eyed the crossbar lying ahead like a sleeping reed, then tightened the band on her ponytail like drawing a bowstring.

“Now!” The Little Loli sprinted at full speed, a swallow cutting the wind, then launched hard. The nearby students fixed their attention like a field of sunflowers; on what, well, that varied.

Her hair grazed the bar like dragonfly wings, and she knew she’d cleared it. “Congrats, you passed the prelims—finals this afternoon.” The referee, a kindly uncle of a man, smiled like warm earth meeting spring. “Thanks!” She rose with a thawing smile and drifted back to Joanna.

“Hey, where’s Cai Wenbin?” Spotting Joanna not far away, the Little Loli tossed the question like a pebble into a pond. “Oh? You’re asking me? You know best~” Joanna laughed, light as chimes. “Tch, I’m not into boys with zero swagger.” The Little Loli pouted, then headed for the changing area, steps like tapping rain.

Soon, two goddesses in black stockings appeared again, like twin swans entering a lake. “This outfit feels way better.” The Little Loli turned in place, and her skirt floated up like a lifted petal. “Careful, you goof.” Joanna pressed the rising hem like pinning a butterfly’s wing, and the passersby’s hopes ebbed like a tide. “Eh… I got too happy and forgot.” She stuck out her tongue, eyes curving into bright crescents.

“No idea what you’re so happy about, but that’s my Xiaoxue.” Joanna swept the Little Loli into a hug, warm as a quilt in winter, and slipped off her hairband so her golden hair streamed like sunlit silk in the breeze. “Let’s grab lunch.” The Little Loli turned, palming her golden strands like a handful of light. “Okay!”

“Let’s hit the café by the gate.” Passing the school entrance, the Little Loli tugged Joanna’s hand like guiding a kite, then pointed at the café outside. “Your call~” Joanna had no objections, her voice easy as twilight. “Security uncle, can we go out for coffee, pretty please~~~” Secret Technique: Act Cute—skill activated, like sparks taking fire!

“Fine, but come back quick!” The guard waved them through, his hand a small flag in a breeze.

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria sat one person, one table, three plates—lonely as a single lamp in drizzle. “Why aren’t Xiaoxue and the others here yet…? Did they get mad at me…?” Cai Wenbin stared at the dishes, brows knotted like twine, eyes drifting to the doorway like a kite tugged by wind.

“Did we forget something?” The two girls settled into a corner of the café, a quiet harbor that drew eyes like waves, and even the servers hurried like swallows. “Maybe, but it’s nothing important.” The golden-haired girl flicked her hand like a fan and beckoned a young waiter.

“Little sister, what would you like?” The waiter thought a moment, then went with that address, gentle as soft rain. “Ah-la~ two cappuccinos and two tiramisus, plus one croissant halved~” She rattled off the order like beads rolling. “Got it, I’ll prep it right away.” Her smile shone like morning sun, and the waiter felt himself float like a balloon.

“Coffee and cake at noon is the coziest thing!” Cupping her little tiramisu, the Little Loli chewed like a cute squirrel with a nut. “Watching Xiaoxue eat cake is the cutest thing!” Joanna sat across with starry eyes like a night sky, sipping coffee while studying Xiao Qianxue’s manner with the tender focus of a painter.

Time slipped by like sand through fingers; two exquisite girls leaned in the café’s corner, savoring coffee like slow rain. “How long are you two gonna mess around!? The final’s about to start!” The class monitor’s call cracked the calm like a thunderclap. “Sorry, dear monitor—we’re on our way!”

Soon they changed and reappeared at the venue, a bowl of light holding the final six and the sea of spectators. “Looks like we’re not late.” Joanna scanned the field, eyes sweeping like a hawk. Xiaoxue flipped her hair, then banded the soft golden threads like tying a bundle of silk.

A few minutes later the referee arrived. “Since all finalists are present, let’s begin.” He cleared his throat, a drumbeat in the air. “The final uses elimination. Each has three attempts. Fail the bar, and you’re out. Clear it, queue to the side. Starting height: 1.25 m, increasing by 0.5 m each round, until we have a champion.” His words lined up like stepping stones across a river.

“This rule sounds fun!” Joanna’s voice sparked like flint. “I’ll count on you then.” The Little Loli sounded breezy, a cat stretching in sun. “No way I last till the end.”

The contest began, and everyone cleared the first height like a wind-kissed fence. “Next, we raise by 0.5 m to a total of 1.3 m,” the judge called, bell-clear.

Faces on the field clouded like gathering rain, but the two goddesses kept pace like a rising tide. “Two eliminated this round; we add another 0.5 m, total 1.35 m.”

“It’s starting to feel rough…” The Little Loli leaned on Joanna like a willow on a sturdy trunk, breathing in little waves. For a loli with decent stamina, 1.35 m with fatigue nibbling was the edge of the cliff. Joanna felt no tiredness, fresh as dawn after a light jog.

After the previous contestant fell, Xiaoxue stepped up, light as frost. “Tsk.” Her legs felt like sand slipping from a grip, and the Little Loli didn’t dare promise a clear. “Let’s just try.” She took off, jumped, and felt her body begin to fall like a leaf. “First attempt failed!”

The Little Loli groped herself to her feet like a sapling finding balance. “Xiaoxue, you got this!” Joanna cheered, voice rolling like waves. “Go, goddess!” The crowd joined, a tide of noise rising. “Troublesome… but this feels kind of nice.” Her lips curled, and her golden bangs drifted past her eyes like gilt feathers.

She gathered every drop of strength and sprang, a spring uncoiling. Her hair felt the bar again, a brush like a dragonfly’s kiss. “Did I clear it?” The question bobbed in her chest like a cork, and then her body sank into the soft mat like a cloud. “Contestant No. 40 clears!” “Xiaoxue, you’re amazing!” Joanna pounced, a playful cat, then lay lightly against the Little Loli, whispering at her ear like a breeze only two could hear: “Why’s your stamina so low now?”

“Ever since we came back from there, my body’s been weak…” She lay soft on the mat like dough in warm hands, golden eyes meeting brown like sun to earth, while their legs intertwined like vines, leaving the audience parched with desire. “Nana, quit it—it’s your turn soon!”

“Mm, easy,” she said, voice calm as a lake under glass.