章 26: Shameless Senior
"LIUUUUUUUU!!!"
As Liu was simply walking toward his dorm, he heard the loud voice of a certain ruffian pierce his ears.
"Nng!" In recoil, he covered it, squinting and groaning in frustration.
Much like anyone who lived in the sect—he knew the owner of the voice. It belonged to a boy two years older than he was, and there he was running toward him.
Liu could see a taller and dirtier boy and run toward him with an idiotic smile plastered on his face. His dark brown hair danced with the wind, and his rushing footsteps were like beats that created a tune of discomfort for the ten-year-old.
"LIUUUUUU!!!" His voice echoed in the air once again.
"You don't need to shout my name again, you idiot. I can hear you clearly from here!" Liu yelled, now brimming with pent-up frustration.
He wondered why his boy had to shout so loud, to begin with. 'Doesn't he know how troublesome he is being?' Liu wondered.
Then again, what did he expect from this shameless senior?
"Haha! Mean as usual, Liu." He had already closed their distance, now causing his wide grin to look all the more sickening to Liu.
"And what's making you smile so much brighter this morning, Cucao?" Liu rolled his eyes.
He was ready for yet another one of the unfunny jokes that Cucao often liked to share. 'Here it goes again…'
"I-I actually spoke to Lia today."
The moment he said this, Liu's eyes widened in shock. He stared in disbelief at his senior, unsure of what to say in response.
"W-why… why do you think I would care about that?" He flatly responded, almost defeating the shock he had initially.
"Liu, you're too cold. Come on, you know I've been planning this for very long!" The young lad named Cucao groaned, most definitely bummed out by Liu's dry reply.
"Yeah. You've been neglecting your training because your head has been filled with that girl. I can't say I'm surprised, but you really should take practice more seriously. It's no wonder you get your ass handed to you by juniors like me."
"Liu, you say the funniest things. There are no juniors like you." Cucao's face froze over as he uttered his last statement—his distant eyes telling the story of how he too had suffered humiliation at the hands of his junior.
"Look, you have talent, Cucao. If only you took training seriously, you'd be able to surpass most of your seniors. I'm being honest here." Liu groaned.
"Y-yeah. You're probably right. But we only live once, and I know what I feel for Lia is real. I can feel it in my heart, Liu. If I don't act on it now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" He burst out, strong with emotion.
He was still met with Liu's cold gaze, though.
'What are you talking about? You're only twelve years old…' Liu's thoughts trailed.
Unfortunately, this boy here never listened to reason. He had tried to make him take life more seriously, but he refused to do so.
At this point, Liu had lost all hope for him.
'Unless…!'
A smile appeared on his face, and he suddenly shifted the gloomy air around him into something akin to excitement.
"You know, if you train to be extremely strong—the strongest guy your age—I'm sure Lia would fall for you."
As expected, the moment Liu said this, Cucao's cheeks turned pink and his eyes widened. "R-really? You mean it?!"
"Yeah. I mean, you're not exactly physically attractive. Plus, you're so rough and carefree. You're also clingy, and you're a glutton, despite your slim build…"
"W-wow, Liu. You don't have to be so mean…" Cucao nearly broke down as the many words he received broke past his thick skin and shattered his fragile heart.
"You don't have much going for you except your talent in Martial Arts. If I were you, I'd focus on that." Liu simply ignored his pained expression and continued. "If you do well, she'll notice you."
'Though it's most likely that you'll forget her at that point…'
Liu, unlike most people his age, never really found a girl he crushed on. Everyone around him, especially the seniors, were already falling for one other, and it often puzzled him.
Why couldn't they set aside their hormonal instincts and do what they were meant to?
'I've heard a few of the children here get engaged before leaving for the outside world, but still…'
Right now, they had to temper their bodies and hone their techniques so they could survive the unforgiving world out there. Of what use was love when you couldn't protect it?
That was his rationale.
"Become strong. Only when you're strong enough will you be able to face those feelings head-on."
Silence befell the two, and they stared at each other for moments without uttering a single word.
"Hmm. Sometimes, Liu, it feels like you're talking to yourself when you say stuff like this." Cucao muttered.
"What are you talking about? I don't have anyone I like that way. Training is more important right now." Liu shrugged.
But wasn't that what someone who operated with Liu's model rationale would say?
"What about Peng? I can tell something serious is going down between you two." Cucao grinned, now even more stupidly than before.
"What? What the hell? You better keep that dirty mouth of yours shut. What makes you even think that?!" Liu's face was flushed, but he was mostly annoyed by what Cucao was implying.
Peng was one of the girls the same age as Liu, and it seemed that literally everyone was pairing them together. He had no idea how the rumor started, but he didn't care much for it.
'She's the one who's in charge of my laundry, but that doesn't mean we share anything special or anything.'
Didn't these people have anything better to do than pair him up with a girl he only saw as overbearing—sometimes to the point of annoyance?
'She's always nagging me about my clothes and everything. She's always telling me not to dirty them too much, but what else am I supposed to do if I'm training?'
Fortunately, Peng was good at her job, and his clothes were always sparkling clean.
That was her only saving grace.
"I heard she even washes your undergarments, and—"
"S-shut up!" Liu ran, now heading to his dormitory to quickly get changed. Cucao had delayed him long enough.
"I don't have time for this. Girls like Peng don't even interest me…" He murmured, almost at the point of exasperation.
The image of the Sword Saint flashed in his mind, and he leaked out a smile. If there was ever anyone he saw that way, she would be exactly like Yui.
'But I can't… not yet.'
As long as he was still nothing but a weak, young boy, he could only keep these feelings to himself.
'Until I'm strong enough to stand by her side!'
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[A/N]
Nice to see a bunch of kids being kids.
I like Cucao's personality, and I hope we see more of him and Peng.
Tell me what you think in the comments below.
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