Chapter 19: Valentine's Day Great War (4)

  Today is a day when countless conflicts and disputes erupt; it's a day when countless loves, hates, and grudges are settled; it's a day when countless people's long-held wishes are fulfilled or their hearts are shattered; it's a day when countless Qiong Yao films, action movies, and Hollywood blockbusters are collectively released.

  Alright, this is nonsense, today is just an ordinary Valentine's Day.

  Fortunately, today is Sunday and there are no classes. So Erihito deliberately got up early and dragged Khasi, who was still sleepy, to the lakeside lawn next to the dormitory to set up a stall. The two of them spread out a long roll of linen on the newly sprouted grass under a large tree, and then began placing some small items on it as goods. If you look closely, you'll find that most of those small items are very ordinary things like water cups. But among them, from accessories to clothes, they all come in pairs, and even have poems praising love written on the surface with dye.

  That's right, this is a trick used by unscrupulous businessmen on Valentine's Day to make a fortune - selling couples' sets.

  In addition, Alicia also erected a sign next to the stall that read "30 silver coins per piece, 25 silver coins for each pair; buy four pairs and get a discount of 90% off and receive a small accessory as a gift", making Khasi's gaze at the little loli seem like he had seen a merchant from the Roland Empire.

  This guy was on earth, running around all over the place making so much sauce, what kind of sales tactic haven't you seen? Xiaoxi, don't look at her like that, she's black inside now...

  But Krassee still had some worries, so she asked Eriol: "I mean, although the goods are plentiful and the market prospects seem good too, can we really sell that much to make up for 800 gold coins? No matter what, this difficulty is too high."

  "Don't worry." Eriol raised her index finger and said, "Each grade has six classes from A to F, with 50 people in each class. If you count both Magic and Martial Arts, there are about three thousand people in total. Excluding the unpopular boys and girls, there are at least a thousand couples in the academy. Even if only half of them come to our store to buy something worth one gold coin, that's still 500 coins earned. Men don't care about their wallets on Valentine's Day, especially those guys from class B of each grade. Do you remember those mid-range but luxurious-looking paired art pieces we bought? Those are specifically for the B-class students. They love comparing themselves to others, right? That's perfect. I won't be selling these art pieces at a fixed price; instead, I'll let those guys bid on them. And don't forget, there are many teachers in the academy too. Do you think they're all single?"

  "Elischa, are you really only 12 years old?"

  "Hasn't this line been used before?"

  With Alicia's guarantee, Kashi was able to put his mind at ease. As time passed, other students came one after another to start setting up their stalls.

  Alicia glanced roughly, mostly scrolls, crystal stones, alchemy products, second-hand equipment eliminated by senior students, and some materials on the body of magical beasts. A decoration shop like Alicia's didn't exist at all.

  Just when the little loli thought she was a monopoly, at the beginning of the school year, when various clubs were surrounding and intercepting her, the uncle-faced male student who held up the "Loli Fan Club" signboard had led several other males to spread out a blanket on the empty lot diagonally across from her and started arranging many dolls on it.

  What a beautiful doll it is. Inside, there are black-haired little maids wearing red and white witch costumes with red bows on their heads, golden-haired little witches wearing black and white magic robes holding old-fashioned wooden brooms, a little girl who is already a doll herself holding two even smaller and more lovely dolls in her hands, as well as the very eye-catching big guy in the middle with an all-white line, stiff limbs and body, and a gun in his hand except for his head.

  "Hey, although both of them like playing danmaku, please don't mix the model of Freedom Gundam with the figurines of the Touhou series! You guys are supposed to be loli fans, so why is it not Lacus but her little lover's piloted GAT-X370 that appeared?! If you want to show today's Valentine's Day theme, at least give me a poster of the two of them gazing deeply into each other's eyes in the vast starry sky instead of just a cold machine coming out!"

  Just as Eriol was muttering to herself, a young couple on an early date walked by hand in hand. As expected, the girl was captivated by the cute little items on the ground: "Wow, these things are so adorable! Let's buy some?"

  The little loli no longer complains as business comes knocking on her door and she starts welcoming customers and introducing products.

  I am a divider line

  Bart hid behind a tree, feeling very depressed.

  He was originally leading the boys of Wuji Class A to arrive at the lakeside meadow, preparing to confront the magic department guys head-on, when he suddenly discovered that Ilya, who had been confiscated his student ID and should be starving without strength to run around, appeared not far away. So Bartol followed curiously and was shocked to find that this little guy Ilya was actually meeting with Michele of Magic Department Class A alone!

  What is this if not a date?! Especially when Michelle pulled out a piece of chocolate and handed it to Ilya, Batru was about to pounce on him and tear him apart.

  But fighting under the eyes of security teachers who have strengthened patrols to ensure festival safety is clearly not a good idea.

  So it formed the current clumsy detective game scene...

  Bartol had once thought of calling over a few fellow students to forcibly drag Ilya away, but now they were all tangled up with the magic department and couldn't get free. After some deliberation, Bartol decided to trick Ilya into thinking that the instructor was looking for him, thereby ruining the scene unfolding before his eyes.

  With a deep breath, Patru stepped out from behind the tree and strode forward. Just as he was about to wave at the young couple ahead, a clear voice called out from behind him: "Wait for me!"

  Is someone calling me? Although the tone is a bit arrogant, it's still better than being ignored. Has my spring finally arrived?

  Bartle thought so, turned around. The first thing that caught his eye was not a beautiful girl, but a handsome guy who seemed to be chased by a pack of wolves. This brother ran while looking back and didn't notice Bartle in front of him, he rushed straight over, almost colliding with him. Just as it was about to happen, this brother suddenly changed direction, as if he had grown eyes on his forehead, and passed by Bartle's side before he could react.

  Then a fireball appeared in Batulu's pupils and grew bigger and bigger.

  Fabiano, fleeing in desperation, didn't care that someone was accidentally knocked to the ground, and while continuing to dash forward, he yelled: "You said eating that chocolate would really kill people, Cecilia!! Did you try it yourself before doing this!!?"

  "I used the leftover corner material to give it a try to Ilya from the same club, and she said it's delicious!" Cecilia, wearing her magical girl uniform from the opening ceremony that morning, waved the precious wand and shot out a barrage of bullets as she chased after, "Little Fa, are you dissatisfied with me!? Why won't you accept my chocolate?"

  "That thing really works after eating it, believe me! By the way, is that guy in your club normal or not?! He ate it and nothing happened at all?!"

  The two noisy enemies went far away. Batru lay for a long time and finally got up with a hum, but where were Ilya and Michelle's figures now?

  Unwilling to let the pair of mandarin ducks, Batruo, roam freely, he chased after them along the road that the two had taken. Ilya and the others were strolling, while Batruo was running, and they were soon caught up again.

  This time, Bartel looked around carefully to make sure there was no one nearby and that the crazy couple wouldn't appear again before cautiously approaching Ilya. Then he saw a scene that made him almost vomit blood: Sophia, ranked first on the list, walked towards Ilya from afar, handed her a beautifully packaged chocolate with a bad smile while hiding her mouth behind a fan, and left with a swagger in front of Michelle's expression of not knowing what to do and almost crying.

  Bartolo, consumed by jealousy to the point of madness, did not notice Sofia glance in his direction. As Ilya and the other approached the lake's grassy shore, Bartolo finally caught up with them. This time, Bartolo vowed that nothing would stop him from making Ilya, that beastly palace owner, pay dearly.

  Then he was blocked.

  A large group of boys rushed over, surrounding the shouting Baturu, and arrived at an empty space just a few steps away from Ilya. There stood Sofia, who should have gone elsewhere to make soy sauce, standing there with her index finger raised and winking: "Thank you all for coming especially. I have a piece of righteous chocolate here, which I made myself. Later, I will throw it among you, if you want it, try your best!"

  A dark shadow fell in a parabolic arc from Bartle's eyes, and he subconsciously caught it. He took a closer look and found that it was a small box with ordinary packaging. On this day, even a toe could guess what was inside.

  Bartolo, who was secretly rejoicing, suddenly remembered that Sophia and Michelle were roommates according to the information, and finally realized that this was Sophia's intention. He was immediately engulfed by the surging crowd...

  Along with someone's lucky yet unlucky "it's spicy", Sophia, who had hidden to the side as soon as the chaos began, chuckled and walked away calmly.

  After a while, the crowd gradually dispersed. The cold wind blew over, and only an unidentifiable object covered with shoe prints and mud was left on the ground.

  I am a divider line

  Business is extremely good, almost exhausting Ailisiya and Kasai, but they are also very happy. Watching a large amount of gold coins fall into her spatial wristband, the little loli couldn't help humming "I eat two bowls of rice, one bowl at a time" and other small tunes.

  This pleasant mood was maintained until the appearance of these two people burst like a soap bubble.

  "Here, this is for you."

  "Thank you, I will cherish it well."

  "This is a symbol of our friendship. Let's work together and go national!"

  "Alright, let's go on a trip around the country!"

  In a different time and place, the conversation between the two handsome guys that could move all fujoshi to tears would only give Eriol goosebumps. But now, the little loli wants to go crash into the big tree behind her.

  Especially when the two parties in the conversation are an ordinary-looking short-haired sailor fuku girl who can't be found if she's lost in a crowd and her legitimate wife with huge breasts and pink twin tails hugging a penguin plushie, and they're making a heart shape with their little fingers, it further intensifies the on-site ridicule.

  "What's with 'going national'!? Is there really going to be a nationwide high school girls' mahjong tournament in this world!? And what's with these two girls coming over to buy stuff and exchange gifts, what does that even mean?! Are you two, Saki Miyanaga and Nodoka Haramura, here to intentionally sell moe and yuri?!"

  Two people, amidst the stunned and sweating gazes of surrounding couples, calmly greeted each other with Alicia and bought a few small trinkets before floating away hand in hand.

  Eri smiled wryly and shook her head, feeling that she could already smell the strong yuri scent from the screen when watching anime, but unexpectedly, in the three-dimensional world, not only did it not disappear, but the scent became even stronger.

  Then the little loli turned her head and saw Li Hua Yin with a eager face.

  "When did you arrive?"

  "I'm just arriving." Li Hua smoothly picked up a small object from the stall and handed it to Eri, "Come on, little Eri, this is a token of my gift. Let's create a beautiful future together and build our love nest!"

  "Put it down, that's my merchandise, not some dogtail grass you can pick up anywhere and give away."

  "I won't let go! This represents my deepest feelings!"

  "Alright then. That'll be 30 silver coins in total. Will you be paying with cash or card?"

  "I'd better go find some dog tail grass..."

  "It's winter now."

  Li Hua couldn't help but sigh: "The will of the universe is a common goal for all, how can you not support it, Little Aili?"

  "Changmen Dasheng didn't tell me that." Eri said, putting back the item Li Hua had picked up, "And look for yourself, aren't all the customers who come to my store couples?"

  "Hey, Minister of Soy Sauce Department, these things are so cute! Recommend a few for me?"

  The little loli stiffly turned her head, and in front of her appeared a smiling Tanaka Minato and Akiyama Akane with an expression that said "I didn't want those small things at all".

  "Alright, I know you're doing this on purpose, sitting there with your snack and bare feet while typing. So who's the next pair? Kinomoto Sakura and Daidouji Tomoyo? Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko? Nanoha and Fate? Miyauchi Renge and Jūryō Akane? Or maybe Virtual-On and Kohaku?"

  Something strange has gotten mixed in here, hasn't it!?

  After seeing off the lily combination, ordinary couples gradually increased, and the small stall was about to start bustling again. Li Hua tried to slip away quietly, but was caught by Eriya and became a errand boy to buy lunch in the cafeteria.

  Time flies quickly, especially when one is busy. When Eriol was shocked to find that the Spatial Ring had run out of stock, it was already past three in the afternoon.

  It's just in time to auction off those paired exquisite art pieces.

  But Elisha was destined to postpone the auction because she saw Ilya and Michelle walking together from afar.

  "Not bad, not bad. Yesterday was still one in front of the other, but today they can already walk side by side! That's a tremendous progress - damn it's progress! Are you two really childhood sweethearts? And yet till now, no holding hands?"

  As they walked closer, Eriol waved her hand and led them over: "Have you eaten yet? Are you having fun?"

  "It's okay, I just didn't eat much." Ilya said with embarrassment, scratching the back of his head.

  In short, just give him whatever food there is.

  "This is the chocolate we agreed on yesterday, for you." Eri tossed out a box of store-bought chocolates and said, "And Kashi, you have some too."

  "How could I possibly forget?" Xia Xi replied, pulling out a bar of store-bought chocolate as well. "Here, have some before dinner to fill you up a bit. Unbelievable, our chocolates were actually used by you as emergency rations."

  "The focus should be on why Ilya can't eat a meal rather than chocolate being used as emergency rations." The little loli reminded.

  "Alright, let's stop complaining! But, come to think of it, what are the guys from our two classes actually doing?"" Kracie asked curiously, "We've been watching stalls all day and still don't get it."

  "I'm thinking... singing love songs, reciting poetry, performing magic tricks, ball games... and duels, I suppose." Eliya looked at Michelle as if asking if there was anything she had missed.

  "Our magic class A still has an opera that sings a tragic love ending," Michelle added, "although we can't find girls to perform, those two boys are not bad either."

  "Two boys performing a love song drama!?" Eri immediately gossiped, "Who's playing the heroine? Is it that Sophie who usually wears thick glasses? Can she just put on a wig and pretend to be a girl?"

  "No, the actors for the male and female leads are Joy and Tom." Michelle shook her head, "But they really did a great job, there were quite a few girls in the audience who were moved to tears."

  "That fake girl is such a great setup, why do you have to make two boys get tangled up with each other!? Hey, author, isn't this supposed to be a happy and cute story? Don't sell BL in there!!"

  "Believe me, Muxue," Little Luo said solemnly to the naturally foolish Tianran, "it's best if you never get to know those girls."

  I am a divider line

  A boisterous day is finally coming to an end. As she gazes at the swaying sunset, Eriol feels a sense of accomplishment in her heart.

  Thanks to the generosity of those wealthy B-class aristocrats, Eriol managed to collect over 1,100 gold coins when she closed her stall, exceeding her original target.

  At the entrance of the forest behind the mountain, little loli finally saw Angie rushing over before it got dark.

  "Oh, big sister, you're here?"

  "What did you get me here for?" Angie looked around, this place wasn't far from where they last clashed, she felt very uneasy.

  "There's nothing much, I just wanted to ask a favor of you." Elisha said and handed over a large bag into Angie's hands.

  "What is this?"

  Alicia didn't answer, she just made a please gesture. Angie untied the rope on her pocket and looked at it suspiciously, then jerked her hand and almost dropped it.

  "My goodness, have you robbed the bank!?"

  "Why is it always the same lines when I show them to Misha too? Can't you come up with something new?" Elisha said irritably. "Don't worry, this was earned properly and can be justified to heaven and earth."

  Although the means were a bit dirty...

  "Thank you, I really don't know how to repay you." An Qi said with a embarrassed face, clutching her pocket.

  Alicia had a wicked thought and said: "Then you should sacrifice your body."

  One side was a fiery sunset, the other a starry sky as black as ink. Under this dazzling canopy, a spirited girl with short blue hair and clad in a warrior-student uniform drew her sword, knelt on one knee before a peerless beauty of a little girl, and began to swear an oath with a solemn face. Finally, after finishing, the girl stood up and gave the little girl a dignified knight's salute.

  Wait a minute, shouldn't Hua Yin jump out and shout something like "Xiao Ai Li, you clearly already have me!" and then get slapped by me in this hilarious scene?!

  It was all so solemn and sacred, at least until Ilya led a large group of gnashing men running from afar. The guy was clearly being chased by people behind him - perhaps the word is too heavy but it's about the same - and then ran to the back mountain in a panic.

  "What's going on?" Anqi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat after having just sworn to follow Eriol.

  This unexpected turn of events also brought Eliysha back to her senses, who was still stunned from being teased by a joke earlier. She took a closer look and said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "I guess some busybody must have spread the word about Ilya receiving chocolates from me, Sophia, Kashi, and Misha."

  A large crowd accompanied by rolling dust and a slight earthquake passed magnificently in front of the two women with a hint of divinity, heading towards the distant horizon.

  I knew it wouldn't have a normal serious ending...