472. Badminton
“Ning Chu! Did you see my slam dunk just now? Super cool!”
Yan Xinya, clad in loose basketball gear, rushed off the court, bubbling with excitement as she leaned towards Ning Chu and Lily.
But with a body drenched in sweat, she earned two scowls from the succubi. Ning Chu firmly pressed down on Yan Xinya’s cheek, furrowing her brows as she pushed her away. “Get off, get off! You smell!”
“Smells good! Go on, take a whiff?”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
“I saw you practically swooning over Wen Yang earlier!”
Ning Chu’s mouth twitched, embarrassment flooding her, but her dignity was already in tatters. Stifling her inner shame, she maintained a stoic face while retorting, “I’m a succubus. It’s a normal physiological reaction.”
“Is it dangerous if the scent of a man makes you unable to move?”
“I’m not hovering around other men.”
She didn’t want to discuss these topics in front of an audience. Changing the subject, she asked, “Why are you off the court? Isn’t the game still happening?”
“I’m too strong~ Let the substitutes get some practice!”
The boys’ basketball game was fairly normal, but the girls’ side was a circus of “monsters and demons.”
Ning Chu squinted at the scene, her gaze drifting over a group of onlookers. Various otherworldly girls were running around on the court, and together, the usual girls in the two basketball teams didn’t number more than five.
In sports, otherworldly girls definitely had an edge and attracted more spectators.
Too bad she was a succubus, and all her skill points were allocated to… well, other interests.
“By the way! I’ve already booked the hot spring for May 1st!” Yan Xinya pressed closer to the two succubi, still reeking of sweat. “I checked online, and there’s a hot spring resort not far from Lily’s house, we’ll go there!”
“Resort…”
The mere mention of that word made Ning Chu’s mind wander inappropriately.
“Yep! That resort has private hot springs, discounts at night, and a buffet~” Wolf Girl glanced at Lily. “But if it’s a mixed-gender hot spring, I worry Lily might be too shy to go.”
“By the way, is Shao Qing coming?”
“If Qian Qian is going, Shao Qing will definitely join~”
Ning Chu had been about to ask about prices but lost all interest the moment she heard Yan Xinya’s response.
Her dear, wealthy roommate would be treating them!
The smartest thing she did while crafting this little emperor tale was to give the villain a rich and generous background!
But from the succubus perspective, the exaggerated depictions of the male protagonist also benefitted her current situation…
“So how many people are we bringing? Will Lily’s place fit everyone?”
Yan Xinya began counting on her fingers, “Just us three, plus Wen Yang, Shao Qing, Qian Qian… and Xixi, a total of seven people!”
“If it’s two per room, it should fit,” Lily replied, “The men can sleep in the living room.”
“If we really can’t squeeze in, we can just throw down some mats in the living room!” Yan Xinya added, “Lily’s living room is huge anyway.”
“Being rich is great~”
Ning Chu reminisced about her own two pitiful bedrooms and her brother who had to sleep on the floor for a week during New Year’s.
“Have you prepared your swimsuits?”
Upon hearing Yan Xinya’s question, she looked down, pulled out her phone, and opened her shopping cart. “How about this one?”
“Let me see~ Nah! Too conservative! It looks like something a forty or fifty-year-old aunt would wear! You’re a succubus, for goodness’ sake!”
“Uh…”
How could swimwear be considered conservative?
Though Ning Chu had to admit her floral tankini did look a bit outdated.
“Deadpool swimsuits are perfect!”
“But we’re going to the hot springs, not swimming.”
In this regard, girls were indeed a bit more troublesome.
If she were still a guy, Ning Chu wouldn’t need to buy a swimsuit at all—whether for the beach or the hot springs, just wearing baggy shorts would suffice!
She turned her gaze towards Lily, wanting to see what kind of swimwear another succubus like her had chosen.
Though she didn’t need to say a word, Lily understood her intention, pulled out her phone, and showed her the order.
It was a three-piece swimsuit that would definitely create a deep V if worn, with only two pieces of fabric covering the important bits.
“This is practically underwear… I thought you’d buy something more conservative.”
Ning Chu turned her head away awkwardly; she just couldn’t accept such swimwear.
“Lily got one, so what are you scared of?”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Besides, it’ll just be girls~ I see them wearing underwear running around the dorm every day~”
True, but she had never lived in a girls’ dorm before, and having once been a guy, it was hard to shake off her shyness.
Fortunately, Xixi returned with bubble tea.
“Lily sis! Bubble tea!” The magical girl bounced over with a big bag of drinks, “Lily sis! Your milk cap!”
Unbeknownst to her, Xixi had already become Lily’s little shadow, trailing after her every day, calling her ‘sis’ at every turn.
Ning Chu still couldn’t figure out where Lily’s massive appeal came from.
She accepted the bubble tea, eagerly anticipating the moment Lily would suffer a downfall in her image~
Just like the time she transitioned from being the perfect son in her mother’s eyes to a nightlife-loving succubus. Her mother’s shocked, disbelieving, and devastatingly disappointed expression was still etched in her memory, and the overwhelming shame remained vividly fresh.
It was time for Lily to experience something similar!
Ning Chu took a sip of her bubble tea, plotting mischievously as she eyed Lily, picturing her running off to play with toys in an uncontrollable burst of excitement.
“What’re you staring at?” Lily shot her a cold glance.
“Do you want to play badminton?”
Yan Xinya immediately raised her hand. “I do! We need four people for a 2v2!”
Xixi looked at Lily with eager anticipation, but hesitation flickered in Lily’s expression.
“Can Lily even play badminton?” Ning Chu muttered, “She looks like she has zero athletic talent.”
During warm-up laps in PE class, Lily always walked the whole way.
But after Ning Chu’s remark, the hesitation vanished from Lily’s face. “I can play.”
As a delicate and easily pushable succubus, what right did Ning Chu have to say she had no athletic talent?!
“Let’s go, let’s go! Xinya, go grab the badminton rackets!”
Yan Xinya dashed off to the equipment room while the other three made their way to the empty badminton court.
Ning Chu stripped off her coat, revealing her wool sweater underneath. She flexed her wrists and kicked her feet, getting ready to annihilate Lily in badminton.
Although it had been years since she last played, back in high school, she was an undefeated champion!
No one could handle her vicious smashes!
And now looking at Lily, she hadn’t even taken off her coat, awkwardly standing by the bench.
“Lily sis, shall we team up?” Xixi leaned over, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
“Then we’re definitely going to lose…”
Lily was self-aware. She glanced at the two ready to rumble, briefly hesitated before finally shedding her sweatshirt and laying it on the bench.
Her face was serious, but her gaze kept drifting back to her coat.
“I’m really good at badminton!” Xixi boasted, hands on her hips.
Though her height was barely around 1.5 meters, it didn’t lend much credibility to her claim.
——————
Ever since recovering from my illness, I’ve been feeling sleepy and lack energy…
