Confused tree bears confused fruits; under the confused tree, there stand you and me.

"Alright, then I choose weapons!"

Hoshino Yikui agreed without hesitation!

At this moment, he could already picture himself wielding a divine weapon—protecting his family, his adorable little sister, and even saving the world, becoming a great hero who served his country and people.

The thought filled his eyes with fervor.

"My heroic era is about to begin!"

He could almost see himself charging through danger, weapon in hand, and his heart swelled with excitement!

Everyone has a hero's dream, and he was no exception!

This was a weapon straight from the devil's mouth!

It had to be some terrifying artifact, forged in hell and the apocalypse!

"Stretch out your hand!"

The solemn voice spoke again.

"Okay!!!"

The next moment, Hoshino Yikui shakily held out his palm, while his sister, Hoshino Mirai, gulped beside him, eager to witness this historic event!

Their hearts felt like they were about to leap out of their chests!!

But in the next instant, their expressions twisted in shock.

A silver, metallic object had materialized in Hoshino Yikui's palm, gleaming with a cold, sinister light—as if a frigid blade had stabbed straight into his chest!

He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"A… an ear pick?"

Staring at the utterly ordinary ear pick in his hand, he felt his entire worldview shatter into pieces.

An ear pick was the weapon?!

What kind of weapon was this supposed to be?!

Beside him, Hoshino Mirai, after a stunned pause, quickly tried to reassure her brother: "Bro, remember the basin? This can’t just be a normal ear pick—it only looks like one!"

"Right, I almost forgot!"

Hoshino Yikui snapped back to reality and hurriedly rummaged through his pocket, pulling out a white cloth.

Then, with great care, he wrapped the ear pick inside and tucked it close to his chest, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

But the very next second, the solemn voice spoke again, dashing their newfound hope and delivering a brutal truth:

"This is just an ordinary ear pick."

As those words fell, the minds of Hoshino Mirai and Hoshino Yikui went completely blank.

"Huh?"

"No way, how?!"

They couldn’t believe their ears.

Just a normal ear pick?!

"Then why call it a weapon?" Hoshino Yikui couldn’t help but ask again.

"Yeah!" Hoshino Mirai chimed in.

"Since ancient times, ear cleaning has been the best way for people to relax. A few seconds is all it takes to soothe the mind—letting you become as carefree as a single-celled paramecium. And at that moment, with just a little extra force, you can easily pierce your own eardrum!"

The voice paused before adding, "Simple, brutal, and profound in its simplicity!"

"What kind of idiot would pierce their own eardrum?!"

Hoshino Yikui, red-faced with fury, hurled the white-cloth-wrapped ear pick to the ground, hearing only the sound of his shattered hero dreams.

Hoshino Mirai stayed silent, but her expression was deeply perplexed. If she hadn’t personally witnessed the terrifying demon before, she’d have suspected this was all just an elaborate prank on her brother.

"Alright, I’m leaving now!"

The solemn voice spoke once more: "I do not appear before those whose wishes have already been granted."

With that, the voice faded away completely.

On the empty rooftop, Hoshino Mirai turned to her brother, who was kneeling on the ground, staring blankly at the ear pick.

"Bro, do you still want this 'weapon'?"

Hoshino Yikui looked at the white bundle, his heart aching, and gritted his teeth.

"Of course I do. It was given by a demon—it’d be a waste not to take it!"

"Mhm. Then we won’t have to burn paper money for the 'Heaven-Chosen Prince of Vast Fortune, Literary Sage, Martial Wisdom, Courage, Benevolence, Frugality, Diligence, and Filial Piety' anymore."

"I can’t believe you memorized that ridiculous mouthful."

Hoshino Yikui blinked before retorting.

Hoshino Mirai pouted. "Don’t you dare insult His Highness Heaven-Chosen’s honor! He’s just in slumber now. We only need to come up here once a week from now on."

"Yeah. The most important thing is to stay happy."

Hoshino Yikui nodded in agreement and said no more.

Then, he picked up the ear pick, tucked it back into his chest, stood up, dusted himself off, and said to Hoshino Mirai, "Let’s go home."

……………………………………

Back home, Su Cheng groaned at the sight of crows filling his house.

He hadn’t expected Yaya to invite all her crow friends over for a party (or to take shelter from the rain)!

Though they hadn’t made a mess inside, every crow was drenched, perched all over the place—on the floor, the sofa, leaving muddy footprints everywhere.

Though annoyed, he didn’t want to hurt Yaya’s feelings, so he decided to scold her after the other crows left.

Instead, he walked in calmly and began feeding them, speaking warmly as if hosting dear friends:

"Don’t fight, there’s enough for everyone."

But seeing the crows shuffling around his feet, dirtying the entire floor, made him deeply uncomfortable.

Remembering how birds liked perching on wires, he decided to string up a rope as a makeshift perch, so Yaya could guide her friends to stay on it in the future.

That way, his sofa, coffee table, and floor would stay clean—and cleanup would be easier.

…………………………

Meanwhile, at Ailiya’s house.

Cornelia sat in Ailiya’s bedroom, clutching her phone, waiting for a reply from someone.

"Well?"

Ailiya walked in, curious.

"He hasn’t responded."

Cornelia shook her head. "Maybe he’s at club activities and hasn’t checked his phone yet."

Her tone carried a hint of nervousness, which made Ailiya frown in displeasure.

"I think you should talk to him about this face-to-face."

Cornelia’s expression soured. "Easy for you to say!"

"What’s the problem?" Ailiya asked, puzzled.

"If I say it to his face, he’ll see right through my lie. What if he doesn’t believe me? This kind of thing has to be done over text!" Cornelia argued, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

"Then show me what you sent him."

Ailiya conceded but grew curious about the message.

Cornelia handed her the phone.

Ailiya’s eyes widened.

[You there?]

That was all Cornelia had sent.

"That’s it?!" Ailiya blurted.

"Of course! I’ll say the rest after he replies!" Cornelia rolled her eyes.

"Just call him!"

Ailiya suggested.

"I told you, he’s at club activities. He won’t pick up."

Cornelia shook her head, rejecting Ailiya's suggestion.

"Then just blurt it all out at once. After that, we'll secretly observe his reaction at school. Otherwise, your mom will be here to pick you up soon. Waiting around like this is just a waste of time," Ailiya continued to persuade.

Cornelia thought for a moment after hearing this and found it reasonable, so she agreed. "Alright, what should I say?"

She pondered for a long time but still couldn't find the right words.

Seeing her struggle, Ailiya couldn't hold back. "Just tell him straight up—someone confessed to you a few days ago. Not only is he handsome, but his family background is excellent. Plus, he's outstanding in every way and treats you incredibly well. So, you two are officially dating now."

Her tone was measured, neither too fast nor too slow. After finishing, she looked at Cornelia, waiting for her response.

"What?!" Cornelia exclaimed, her face filled with shock. "How could I say that?! He’d definitely be heartbroken if he found out!"

"Why do you even care about that?!" Ailiya’s anger flared as she shouted, "When has he ever cared about you?! Have you forgotten how he sat intimately with that annoying Zhao Yan at lunch today, sharing a cake? Did he ever consider your feelings? Never!! You haven’t even eaten a meal with him at school."

To her, Zhao Yan was the person she despised the most.

The memory of going to Su Cheng’s class to confront him, only to be humiliated by Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying, still gnawed at her.

Now that she had a chance to retaliate, she wasn’t going to let it slip away.

Seeing Cornelia still clinging to her hopeless feelings, Ailiya felt a suffocating frustration in her chest.

But precisely because of this—

Her thoughts today were unusually sharp.

[Ailiya Dana]

[Intelligence: 5.1]

[Charm: 8]

[Stamina: 3]

No matter how Su Cheng reacted to this test, it would be a win for her.

If Su Cheng showed signs of liking Cornelia, she could push them together and use it to spite Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying.

She had already pried it out of Cornelia—those two idiots both had feelings for Su Cheng!

If Su Cheng didn’t show any affection for Cornelia, then Cornelia would finally see him for the scumbag he was and give up. After that, Cornelia would belong to her alone again!

This plan was absolutely foolproof!

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

............

"You’re right," Cornelia murmured, her expression dazed as Ailiya dredged up painful memories from the past.

Images of Su Cheng being affectionate with other girls flooded her mind, tormenting her relentlessly.

Her instincts told her she needed a walnut to calm down, but there were none at Ailiya’s place.

She closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and tried to steady herself—but it was useless.

Her eyes burned with anguish and fury. "You’re right. Why should he get to flirt with others right in front of me while I have to tiptoe around his feelings?! Why?!"

Seeing Cornelia’s outburst, Ailiya inwardly rejoiced: Yes, just like that—let the storm rage even fiercer!

Seizing the moment, she pressed further. "Cornelia, calm down first. Send him the message I told you to, and then we’ll go see his reaction."

Cornelia immediately grabbed her phone and began typing, the message mirroring Ailiya’s earlier words.

"Then block him and unfollow all his social media accounts."

"Okay!"

"Let’s go to school right now and see how he reacts!"

"Good. He’s at club activities right now, but he’ll check his phone afterward. I want to be the first to see."

"Alright, let’s go."

With that, the two left the room and headed to school by car.

However, after staking out the archery club until past five, Su Cheng was nowhere to be seen.

Cornelia’s heart sank like a stone.

A terrible premonition took root inside her…

"Let’s go to Su Cheng’s house!"

Without waiting for Ailiya’s response, Cornelia grabbed her hand and sprinted toward the car.

The moment they got in, the sky unleashed a torrential downpour, accompanied by thunder and howling winds. Rain pounded against the roof like a relentless drumbeat.

Cornelia’s anxiety only grew worse.

Watching the storm outside, her unease deepened, an ominous feeling tightening around her chest.

"What if he likes me… and seeing the message makes him do something reckless?"

Cornelia was on the verge of tears, her voice trembling.

Ailiya almost laughed at the absurdity.

This scumbag was surrounded by girls even more impressive than Cornelia. Would someone like that really lose it over her?

If anything, she suspected Su Cheng would be relieved—happy to finally be rid of Cornelia!

"Stop overthinking. There’s no way that’ll happen!"

Cornelia turned to her, eyes red and brimming with accusation. "Why not?"

"Because he’d never do something that stupid!" Ailiya snapped.

Cornelia bit her lip, refusing to argue further. Instead, she leaned forward and urged the driver, "Uncle, please hurry!"

About ten minutes later, they arrived at Su Cheng’s apartment complex.

"Su Cheng…"

Staring at the familiar building, Cornelia flung the car door open and dashed into the rain without a second thought—ignoring Ailiya, ignoring the storm.

The downpour drenched her instantly, her clothes clinging to her skin, but she felt no cold—only urgency as she sprinted toward the entrance.

Her footsteps echoed sharply against the rain-soaked pavement.

Her destination was clear: Su Cheng’s home.

Ailiya had no choice but to rush after her.

Cornelia didn’t bother knocking. Instead, she pulled out a spare key and unlocked the door just as Ailiya caught up.

But the moment the door swung open—

Both girls froze, their faces draining of color as their eyes widened in shock…

There, in the living room—

Su Cheng stood on a stool, his arms raised, tying a rope around the ceiling light fixture…

At that exact second, a deafening thunderclap roared outside, and the lights flickered—

Leaving only Su Cheng’s silhouette stark against the darkness.

Beneath the stool, a flock of crows gathered as if conducting some macabre ritual…

A scene so eerie and despairing—

Cornelia and Ailiya were utterly paralyzed.

Their faces turned ghostly pale…

Su Cheng… how could he…?

The impact of this scene was something they would likely never forget for the rest of their lives. At this moment, it was as if they were trapped in an icy cellar, chilled to the very marrow of their bones!