"I suggest you remove your filthy foot from Huiyuan right now, or I'll kill you!"

Zixuan growled a threat, but the crimson flush spreading across her face completely shattered her menacing aura.

"Oh? And what if I don't? Go ahead and kill me if you can! Honestly, all this talk about killing makes you sound so childish!"

Xiamo never backed down easily—she shot back instantly. But if these two kept arguing, the misunderstanding would never clear, and I'd be stuck in this weird position forever.

"Both of you, cut it out! Xiamo, get your foot off her—your attitude is exactly why I didn't step in to help you earlier!"

I wasn't at my breaking point yet, but letting her get carried away might make her think she's almighty. Things could spiral out of control—and then some—causing real trouble.

"And you, Zixuan! Promise me you won't act rashly. If you do, I'll never greet you again—even if you call out to me on every street, I won't respond. Want to be ignored?"

"But that damn girl stepped on you! I can't forgive her!"

"So all that 'liking me' was a lie? A real lover listens to the one they like. If you won't obey me, you don't love me—you've deceived me. Why should I keep wasting time on you?"

"Eh?! How can you say that?! I-I-I understand! Please don't ignore me!"

Sure enough, the girl pinned under me wailed. I'd found her weakness: she adored me. She loved me way too much—even saying it myself felt shameless, but it was true.

But Xiamo, standing behind me, had heard every word of that twisted logic. After Xiamo pulled her foot back, I stood up immediately. Zixuan slowly rose from the floor too. Still, I wondered—since when did Xiamo listen so easily?

"Let me be clear: I'm not doing this out of kindness. I'm only obeying because you're so damn confident. If anything happens to me, you're responsible!"

Xiamo crossed her arms like a textbook tsundere, stiffly looking away. I knew that forced explanation—she just didn't trust me.

"Zixuan... hand over the knife on you. If you refuse, our relationship ends here."

Since Xiamo trusted me, I had to act. I ordered Zixuan to surrender her only weapon. She hesitated but yielded under my stern glare.

"Y-yes... understood..."

She replied in a tiny, shy voice, pulling two scissors from her pocket and placing them in my hand. Still, I doubted that was all she carried.

Only then could I properly see the sky outside. Past six o'clock, a few star specks glittered in the night. I'd hoped for a starry sky, but the city's steel and concrete had erased it. Was progress really good? Of course, I couldn't deny its benefits—I thought silently.

"If we don't leave now, the gates might close. It's freezing—I don't want to sleep here. Even with exams off tomorrow, I won't stay overnight. Let's go?"

Xiamo suggested talking while walking. Only us three and the gatekeeper remained at school. We doubled back for our bags, but Zixuan hadn't brought one—she'd moved today and only came to update her address. She hadn't attended in ages; why bother with forms?

We sat on the sidewalk, surrounded by endless traffic. Headlights flashed over us in bursts, stinging my eyes. That's why I prefer bikes over cars—though I'd never admit I get carsick.

"That 'Yangdelei' over there—you've been stalking me since school started, right? I know it's you, but I'll ask anyway."

Xiamo walked on my right, addressing the girl on my left. They'd barely spoken for ten minutes. Then I remembered—my first meeting with Xiamo involved a stalker too.

"Discovered already?"

Her voice held no emotion—no shame at being exposed, no frustration. She observed it all like a third party, not seeing herself as a stalker.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I only followed you because you're with the person I love. I've been waiting for a chance to catch you alone—to kill you..."

As Zixuan spoke, her face twisted with malice, her eyes sharp with killing intent. That wasn't a high schooler's expression—her very presence felt eerie.

"I'll stop here. Since you're a stalker, you won't follow me from today, right? Don't bother seeing me home—just leave."

Xiamo shooed us away like pests. Her house was still far, but pushing it wasn't wise—I hadn't planned to escort her anyway. Lately, Xiamo's antics had drained all my patience.

I just wanted to see her less. Otherwise, my heart might shatter someday—

"So where's your place? If it's the opposite direction, please leave now."

"A little further ahead..."

The girl finally answered after a long pause.

"Just to confirm something: you started stalking early, but I only got close to Xiamo this semester. Why follow her last semester?"

The timeline puzzled me. If she refused to answer, I'd drop it.

Neon signs lit up along the street, instantly illuminating the night. The sleepless city emerged.

The girl slowly lifted her head toward the hazy sky, dotted with one or two stars—

"Just like this sky, isn't Xiamo beautiful as a shining star? Everyone adores her. I followed her to learn her ways... but I failed in the end."

"So you stalked Xiamo just to become popular?"

"More precisely, to become your ideal type. That's why I tracked her. But it ended the same..."

"This is far enough—I'm home."

I looked up at the apartment building she pointed to. Shock hit me—we were at my own complex! So her "move" was here? What a coincidence! But the next twist was wilder—

Her building stood right next to mine, barely a meter apart. What kind of plot twist was this? Too sudden!

"Please take care of me from today on!"

The girl smiled under the night sky—bittersweet, yet radiating an inexplicable charm—