To put it simply, Alex and Kiara were childhood sweethearts, but they had grown distant a few years ago for some reason.
They had been in contact since they were little. Although they had grown distant in recent years, they still saw each other often. Alex could also frequently hear news about her at school; they could be considered people who knew each other well.
Kiara's mother had a good relationship with Freya, and the two often went shopping together. That auntie's daughter didn't look like someone who would harm him at all.
The reason Kiara was following him was simply because she was about to be late, and because the relationship between the two was quite awkward. With her childhood sweetheart walking in front, she could only anxiously follow along the way. To avoid awkwardness, she neither passed him nor wanted to be discovered, which led to this situation.
Being mistaken for a stalker, the girl was clearly angry and glared at Alex indignantly.
Alex couldn't help but smile and said gently: "Sorry, I was just joking with you. Morning, Xiao Fu. Why didn't you say hello when you saw me?"
Kiara's expression was dazed; she hadn't heard the name Xiao Fu for several years.
After a long while, she looked at Alex with a melancholy gaze: "Who wants to say hello to you? You don't say hello to me either."
Her tone was filled with a sense of resentment.
Alex had transmigrated, so he couldn't quite grasp the interpersonal relationships around him for the moment, which was why he said things that seemed to ease their relationship. Moreover, in his view, Kiara was that kind of cute girl next door, and there was no need to be cold to her like before; after all, there was no enmity or grudge between them.
However, he didn't expect the girl to care so much about it. Listening to her words filled with resentment, Alex felt a bit awkward. Just as he was about to say something, the scene before his eyes rippled faintly.
[Kiara is reluctant to give up the friendship formed in childhood and has always hoped to repair her relationship with you. Your answer at this moment will affect your future relationship with her.]
Alex was surprised but immediately realized. Sure enough, this route selection similar to a dating sim game was not limited to Freya alone.
In a flash of thought, Alex made his choice. He smiled and reached out to Kiara: "That was me being ignorant in the past. From now on, I will take the initiative to say hello when I see you. Come, let's shake hands and make up."
The morning sunlight shone from behind him. Kiara was hiding in his shadow, looking up at his warm, smiling face, her expression dazed, unable to distinguish whether it was reality or a dream.
"Really?"
The little girl asked in a dreamlike voice. Those black and white eyes gazed at Alex, and a sudden surge of joy welled up in her heart. Just as she was about to agree impatiently, she realized that her behavior seemed like she was very eager to go back to how things were with him in the past.
She became a bit angry, turned her head away, and said softly: "No, Mom said you've gone bad and won't let me play with you."
"I've disappointed your mom, but I've already decided to turn over a new leaf. Are you not planning to give me even a single chance?"
Alex said helplessly. He felt a bit despicable for wanting to use the little girl, but for the sake of the treasure chest reward, he was determined to improve his relationship with Kiara. At most, he would sincerely make friends with her in the future; after all, she was such a cute girl.
Kiara was moved. She turned her head back, her black and white eyes gazing at him, her lips moving, and she asked softly: "You're not planning to skip class anymore?"
"I'm not running away anymore," Alex shook his head.
"You won't make Freya angry again?"
"I won't." Is "Sister Feiyan" what you should be calling her? You should call her Auntie.
"And you won't give people the cold shoulder for no reason?"
"I'm sorry."
"And you won't talk to other girls?"
"No... wait, I can't even talk to girls?"
Alex realized and asked curiously, could it be that Kiara had a crush on him?
Kiara wanted to laugh but said with a straight face, "Mom says that boys who talk to girls always have ulterior motives. You hang out with girls every day, everyone has seen it, and people told me about it."
People told me about it—it's not like I've been secretly watching you or anything.
The girl's words revealed this hidden meaning.
Alex said seriously, "Although your mom has a point, I'm not that kind of person. I'm talking to you right now, aren't I? And we've played together since we were little."
"That's different. We've known each other since we were little. Mom says boys and girls don't think too much when they're young, so... if you played together when you were little, you can still play together when you grow up."
She was a little shy, her face slightly flushed, but she still said it with confidence.
Alex felt that the last sentence was her own addition and pretended to be troubled, saying, "It's a bit hard not to talk to girls. My homeroom teacher is a woman. I remember your homeroom teacher, Xiao Fu, is a man. Does that mean you don't talk to him either?"
"Teachers count as elders, and I rarely seek them out," Kiara said with dissatisfaction. "Don't change the subject! I'm talking about peers. At school, I don't take the initiative to talk to boys. If you don't talk to other girls from now on, I'll make up with you."
"It seems Xiao Fu is quite the aloof girl at school then," Alex said with a smile.
Kiara felt he was teasing her, and suddenly became a bit shy, falling silent.
This girl was simpler than he imagined. Alex could tell she didn't like him—or at least, not the way a couple would. The young girl was clearly not yet enlightened and didn't understand these things at all.
The reason she was hung up on him talking to girls was simply the influence of her mother, along with her own little insecurities—feeling that if she didn't talk to boys, he shouldn't talk to girls either, so that they could be good friends.
Alex rolled his eyes and said, "Let's just make up. It's impossible for boys and girls not to talk at all. At most, I'll promise not to take the initiative to talk to girls from now on. If you don't agree to that, then we'll just have to stay like we were before."
He pretended to look regretful.
Kiara was somewhat conflicted, but she really wanted to make up with Alex. Those childhood memories were very precious to her, and what Alex said also made some sense.
After twisting her fingers, Kiara looked at him with shy, wide eyes. She hesitated for a moment, then shyly reached out and took his hand, squeezing it slightly, as if holding onto something important.
With a touch of joy, Kiara looked at him with a serious little face and said solemnly, "Alright then, Xiao Ke, we've made up."
The little girl's serious demeanor was quite cute. Alex wanted to laugh but held it back. He squeezed her hand in return, and as the girl's face flushed red, he nodded heavily: "Okay."
While they were talking, a treasure chest manifested from Kiara, which Alex discreetly collected into his inventory space.
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