The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 387: Highschool Girl

“What’s a coffee shop?” the blonde girl interjected.

“Seriously? You haven’t dreamed of a coffee shop?”

“Coffee is a beverage. It’s black and most tastes really bitter,” the black-haired girl explained. “Coffee shops make coffee.”

“What is bitterness?” the blonde girl, the youngest among them, continued to ask. She had just developed taste not long ago, and she had only tasted sweetness and sourness in her dreams. She liked sweet things.

“It’s strange.” The black-haired girl, on the other hand, had had coffee in her dreams. She spoke like she didn’t really care. “Some like it, others hate it. I don’t feel anything particular about it.”

“Stop cutting me off! Listen!” The auburn-haired girl directed the topic back to her. “The three of us should open a coffee shop. We’ll go to work during the day, and at night, we’ll be cool cat burglars specialized in stealing expensive art pieces! Then a silly police officer will chase after us but ends up getting turned around every time. In the end, he falls for me!”

“Boring. It must be another boring story written by some human!” The blonde girl didn’t care for the story. Then her eyes lit up with a hopeful look. “Once I’m there, I’ll complete Master’s mission.”

“Tsk, missions are boring.” The auburn-haired girl shot back with distaste. “Besides, where does your confidence come from? Our older sisters were so strong, but they failed. What makes you think that you’ll be any different?”

“Because I am. I’m the special one!” The blonde girl looked proud. “I dreamed of Master, and They said that I’m the most special.”

“Oh, what a coincidence. I dreamed of Master telling me the same thing.” The auburn-haired girl snickered. “Did Master tell everyone the same thing? Whoa, wouldn’t that make Master a player

? You know what that is, right...”

“You lied!” The blonde girl lost her temper. “How, how dare you insult Master! You’ll fail! You’ll get divine punishment!”

“Hmph, I’m not scared.” The auburn-haired girl didn’t look afraid at all. She turned to the black-haried girl beside her. “Hey, have you ever dreamed of Master?”

The black-haired girl shook her head. “No.”

“Never?” The auburn-haired girl was a little surprised.

“Never,” the black-haired girl said, neither sad nor happy.

“Poor thing. You’ve been abandoned by Master,” the blonde girl said with some schadenfreude.

“That so?” The black-haired girl smiled. She was about to say something when she suddenly frowned, looking somewhere above the auburn-haired girl’s head. On a strand of gray hair perched a butterfly glinting with a faint white light.

“Butterfly,” the black-haired girl said with a hint of joy.

“Huh? What?” The auburn-haired girl hadn’t caught on.

“I see a butterfly.”

“In your dreams?” The blonde girl got curious too. She had heard that butterflies were beautiful, but she had never dreamed of one.

“No, it’s right here, right now. It’s pretty.”

The black-haired girl smiled. It surprised Gao Yang that the aloof girl would have such a gentle smile. In fact, there was something about it that made her seem strangely familiar.

He soon broke out of his reverie and realized with surprise, She can see me! I thought none of them could.

No, I can’t stay here any longer. Gao Yang flapped his wings, having decided to fly away.

Swoosh.

Suddenly, a pale hand shot out of nowhere and caught him, crushing him into pieces.

...

Fifteenth High School, Shanqing District, Li City. September 23rd.

The Fifteenth High School was an art high school in Li City. In addition to regular students, there were also art and music students.

In the evening, once the afternoon classes had come to an end, the students had a one-hour break time. Those who lived on campus weren’t allowed to leave, while those commuting to school could go home and have dinner.

Not long after the school bell rang, students swarmed out of the school gates in groups of three to five, some of them walking with their bicycles. They would either go home for dinner or look for a dining place in the area.

If they were quick enough, they could earn themselves thirty minutes of free time, going to nearby bookstores, snack shops, milk tea shops, luxury shops, or even internet cafes with their friends.

At the school gate, a pretty girl with a slim figure and fair skin walked among the crowd.

She was dressed in a white shirt, a navy blue pleated skirt, white socks, and square toe dress shoes. Although she was simply wearing uniforms, the attire looked especially bright and youthful on her, making her look like the kind of cute girls featured in the music videos of love songs.

Carrying a large, heavy canvas, she looked even smaller in comparison, arousing a loving sort of pity in others.

Her long hair was tied into twin tails, revealing her fair face and delicate neck, like those of a ceramic figurine.

Her eyes were large and black, and her heart-shaped face was lovely. However, there was an air of aloofness around her that kept people at arm’s length, the contrast striking.

“Gao Xinxin!”

A boy with shaved head, glasses, and some pimples on his forehead jogged up to her, looking bookish and shy.

He tried his best to act friendly in a natural way. “Are you going home for dinner?”

His name was Guang Huan. He was Gao Xinxin’s classmate and had a crush on her.

Well, it was a crush, but not so much a secret one. After all, half of the boys in their class had developed a crush on Gao Xinxin at first sight on the first day of military training. Even without him, she already had an army of admirers.

Gao Xinxin didn’t even spare Guang Huan a glance. One hand holding onto the strap attached to her canvas, she walked faster with her head lowered. “I’m heading to the hospital.”

“Hospital? Haha, what a coincidence. I’m heading the same way...” Guang Huan smiled a little awkwardly, embarrassed. “Oh, right, you haven’t eaten, have you? I know a really good place for oil noodles. Why don’t I buy you...”

“Guang Huan.” Gao Xinxin stopped walking and turned to him coldly, looking at him like an adult eyeing a little kid, like she could read all his thoughts.

“Find someone else to chase after. You’re not my type.” After a bemused moment, Gao Xinxin added, “And I don’t have time for campus romance.”

She wasn’t lying. Her grandmother had passed away, and her brother was in a vegetative state. With her father still bound to a wheelchair, she and her mother had to effectively support the family on their own.

They held a funeral for her grandmother and paid her brother’s medical bills for his treatment and hospitalization. After all that, the family had little savings.

There was also her brother’s college tuition, of course. Her mother had set aside the expense since the university had kept him on the roster. Her mother would never give up on Gao Yang.

After the sudden tragedy, her mother found a job.

While going to school, Gao Xinxin continued to work as an online model and promote products for as many sellers as she could. Her ID, ‘Xinxin laughing while the guillotine blade falls’, had been changed to ‘Everything will be alright’.

She had chosen to become an art student for her side gig as well.

With an art education, she would be able to better do her own makeup, photoshoots, and costume coordination. Being an online model wasn’t easy these days. The fierce competition had pushed everyone to do better.

Gao Xinxin needed money. In addition to her studies, the most she thought about was how she could earn more money.

“Ahaha, haha...” Guang Huan didn’t expect her to be so blunt. He awkwardly scratched his head. “I, I didn’t mean it like that. I just...want to be friends with you...”

“I don’t need friends.” Gao Xinxin turned away and continued ahead. “I’m busy. Go look for someone else.”