Chapter 11: I Want the Figurine
Official figurines are usually very expensive. Lin Muqing always thought they were just a “tax on being dumb.” How could such a tiny Nendoroid figure cost several hundred or even thousands of yuan?
For someone like Lin Muqing, who’s always short on money, that kind of price was outrageous. No matter how much she liked a character, she would never buy one.
But now, hearing there was a chance to get one for free, she was immediately tempted.
After all, she didn’t have to pay, and Lin Wenbin was super rich. With those two conditions combined, only a fool would say no.
“Duh! Official products are always better, okay?!”
Wenbin widened his eyes and looked at Lin Muqing like she was an idiot. He had a whole pile of things he wanted to say.
“Emmm, alright then.” She pretended to hesitate and then ‘reluctantly’ agreed.
But inside, she was jumping with joy. The thought of finally owning her first-ever figurine, and of her favorite character, made her incredibly happy.
Without hesitation, she took one of the cookie boxes and handed it to Lin Wenbin.
Of course, she first glanced at the class monitor to make sure she wasn’t paying attention. Only then did she hand over the "super profitable" trade.
Both sides were satisfied with the deal. Thanks to this shared joy, the two of them were cheerful all morning.
“…You like collecting figurines?”
After the trade, Ye Ziming suddenly spoke and asked Lin Muqing.
He hadn’t joined the conversation earlier, but he saw the entire thing happen, every expression and every move of hers.
He knew she really liked that character. She had even mentioned them to him before, which reminded him of someone he knew online. That person also loved Eromanga-sensei.
Even their profile picture was of Eromanga-sensei. And just like Lin Muqing, they’d get super excited every time they talked about the character.
But he never connected the two. That was because Lin Muqing acted completely different online compared to real life.
In real life, she was a cheerful, bright guy (on the surface).
Online? Spamming spicy fanart, making dirty jokes all the time, and always starting conversations with “Send lewds!”
To be fair, Ye Ziming also had a “secret online self” that no one knew about. Everyone has their thing, it’s only fair.
“Not really… I’ve never actually owned a figure before,” Lin Muqing answered honestly. She didn’t hide her happiness from her best buddy.
She even started complaining, saying that people who buy figures all the time must either have gold mines at home or holes in their brains.
“…I’ll give you one next week.”
After hearing all that, Ye Ziming squinted a little in surprise, then quietly told her.
Seeing how happy she was just from Wenbin’s gift made Ye Ziming want to give her one too.
“Huh? T-that’s not necessary, right? That’d be too much… it’s too expensive…”
Her mouth was saying no, but her face told a different story. Her eyes were full of excitement, her hands twisted nervously in her lap, and she blinked at Ye Ziming.
That expression clearly said, ‘Please give it to me! I want it so much! The more the better!’
“You... don’t like it?”
With a gentle smile in his eyes, Ye Ziming spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of regret.
For some reason, when he saw Lin Muqing blink at him, Ye Ziming felt a strange feeling in his chest.
That wasn’t what he had originally planned to say. He knew Lin Muqing really wanted the Eromanga-sensei figurine, and this blinking act was just her last bit of pride showing.
But he couldn’t help it, he suddenly had the urge to tease her a little.
“Ah—no! Of course I like it!”
Lin Muqing panicked the moment she heard him.
Lin Muqing’s inner voice:
Wait, what?! That’s not how this is supposed to go! Wasn’t he supposed to insist while I act shy, and then I finally accept it?!
“I’ll bring it here next Monday,” Ye Ziming said with a now even brighter smile on his face.
Why? Because Lin Muqing’s nervous little reaction was just too cute, it gave him a strange feeling of satisfaction he’d never felt before.
His smile didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, the classroom went unusually quiet for a moment. Girls turned to look in his direction, and even the boys looked too.
“Thanks, Boss! You’re such a good person. If I were a girl, I’d totally marry you.”
Lin Muqing kind of felt like she was being messed with, but she wasn’t mad at all.
The thought of getting another figurine made her too happy to care. All she felt was gratitude toward her awesome best friend.
“Sure,” Ye Ziming nodded slightly and looked away. But in his mind, something unexpected popped up.
If Lin Muqing really were a girl... maybe I could actually consider this.
A frugal, kind, and adorable girl, who wouldn’t like someone like that?
Ye Ziming’s thoughts, ‘Why... why isn't she a girl?!’
They kept chatting after that, and Lin Muqing still thought of herself as a “guy” while saying that line.
She had said similar things all through their first year of high school. Things like, ‘If I were a girl, I’d totally make my bro happy.’
The other classmates watched their interaction and honestly didn’t know who to be more jealous of.
After morning reading, the break between classes was a bit longer. During this time, the class monitor had finally collected all the summer homework. It was stacked high on her desk.
Of course, there was no way she could carry all that by herself. Usually, she’d ask one or two boys to help her carry it to the office.
She was just about to ask Lin Muqing for help, wanting to use the chance to also invite her to the anime expo this weekend.
But seeing how well Lin Muqing and Ye Ziming were getting along…
Zhang Xiaoling suddenly felt a bit like a third wheel, unsure how to step into their world.
“Xiaoling, I’ll help you carry it.”
Just as she was hesitating, trying to figure out how to call Lin Muqing over, a voice came from beside her.
It was Lin Wenbin. He had already stood up and was walking toward her desk.
“Ah... there’s a lot this time.”
Zhang Xiaoling looked a little unsure as she tried to stop Lin Wenbin from picking up the entire pile of homework.
But he just picked it all up anyway, and it was stacked so high, it almost covered his whole face.
“This much? No problem. I can still carry more. Let’s go.”
He turned his head and gave her a big grin, then confidently walked toward the door.
“Ah! Be careful! It’s about to fall!”
Zhang Xiaoling was holding a smaller stack of homework. Seeing how Lin Wenbin handled his pile, she got nervous.
She quickly followed behind him, looking very worried, though it was unclear if she was more concerned about the homework or the person.
“Don’t worry, I won’t drop it.”
His voice came from outside the classroom, and it was easy to hear that Lin Wenbin was laughing happily.