After deciding to give up, he started to gain popularity

"Phew, that's good..." After hearing Eriri's words, Natsukawa Kanade breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly heard a slight noise coming from behind him.

"..."

"..."

The two looked at each other, and then stood up at the same time, facing the direction where the sound came from.

The rustling sounds of grass passing through were heard by the two from time to time. As the sounds grew louder, an unknown creature was approaching quietly.

"Go behind me, walk slowly, don't rush, and stay a little further away, but don't run around..." Xia Chuanzou whispered softly, then picked up a wooden stick that was fairly handy as a self-defense weapon.

He originally wanted to take Eriri away and run away before this unknown creature showed up, but considering that Eriri had a foot injury and he didn't know if there were other similar creatures around, he chose to wait and see.

Maybe they were making a big deal out of nothing, but after all, this was still "deep mountains and old forests", and it was possible that any monsters could pop up. He had to be extremely alert to deal with the crisis before him.

Ying Lili also knew the seriousness of the matter, so she didn't dare to say anything or make any noise. She just nodded silently and did as she was told.

The two of them walked one after the other, slowly backing away, waiting to see the true face of this sudden uninvited guest.

175. I love you the most!

The two did not have to wait long, as the creature in the darkness soon revealed its true face -

A cat, or at least it looked like a cat, with four legs on the ground and bright eyes, which made it stand out in this dark environment...

"What? It turns out to be just a stray cat..." Eriri immediately breathed a sigh of relief and then moved closer.

"Wait a minute, you can't go over there yet." Xia Chuan Zou quickly reached out to stop her, "It looks... not very friendly."

In their eyes, the "stray cat" that suddenly appeared became alert immediately after discovering the two people - its tail was shaking unnaturally, its whole body was slightly arched forward, and its eyes were staring at the two people.

"..." Natsukawa Kanade frowned, then took Eriri back a few steps.

It was better to keep a little distance from this kind of creature that was known for its speed. And he was already sure that this was definitely not a "stray cat", but a very pure "wild cat".

Although they are both ownerless creatures, the former will never be so wary of humans. Even if they don't want to make contact at the moment, they will not make such defensive movements. But the latter are different. They are almost completely nocturnal creatures, and they are at least wary of humans, just like now.

"This should be a wild cat, and a very aggressive one. I just don't know what kind it is... Eriri, please pay attention to your surroundings and see if there are any other cats around. I have to keep an eye on it now." Natsukawa Kanade reminded.

Unlike Eriri who seemed silly and wanted to go up and get close to her, Natsukawa Kanade was actually very nervous at this moment.

Normally, wild cats usually move in groups. Although no other individuals have been seen yet, it is always better to be careful.

尤其是此刻的他本来就处于耗费过大量体力的状态，能不能1V1对付得了这种他从未面对过的“猛兽”都是个问题，更别说身后还有一个明显看起来就更加“弱小”的英梨梨……只能说有时候1+1不一定=2，甚至可能＜1。

Fortunately, Eriri is not really that stupid. After hearing his very serious words, she started to get nervous, but she still helped Natsukawa Kanade to be alert to other places around her.

"I don't see any other wild cats around here..." After carefully observing the surroundings and making sure there was nothing unusual, Eriri turned around and whispered to Natsukawa Kanade, "So what should we do now?"

"..." After hearing Eriri's reply, Natsukawa Kanade was obviously relieved, but the actual crisis was still not resolved. He still had to cheer himself up, "Anyway, let's delay it for now. It would be best if we can delay it until it leaves on its own..."

"Okay, I'll listen to you..." Eriri nodded obediently, then she walked a little closer, pretending that she was willing to stand by Natsukawa Kanade.

She had not originally intended to do anything unnecessary to cause trouble, but when she got closer and saw that Natsukawa Zou was tense with his arms trembling slightly, she couldn't help but hold his hand, wanting to convey some sense of security.

"..."

Xia Chuan Zou could naturally sense what was happening, and subconsciously wanted to remind her to hide behind him, but in the end he just gently pulled her back a little: "Be careful yourself too."

"Yeah." Ying Lili nodded obediently.

Different from the affectionate scene here, the lone wild cat on the other side now looks like it is obviously sunburned. Its expression suddenly becomes much more anxious, growling from time to time, and its movements also change from the initial vigilant posture to a posture ready to attack.

Of course, it may not be out of jealousy, but simply because the actions of the two were too obvious, causing it to think that the two were "discussing tactics", so it could not sit still and prepared to take the initiative to launch an attack.

Xia Chuan Zou suddenly felt like he was facing a great enemy, and immediately raised the wooden stick in his hand and tried to drive him away.

Perhaps it was because his body's functions came into play after he faced danger, and as he was waving his arms, he suddenly recalled a little-known fact that he had seen somewhere before - when facing an attack from wild creatures, try to stretch your hands as wide as possible to make yourself look tall and ferocious, while also trying to make a ferocious expression on your face.

At the time, he thought it would be better to just pick up a stick and try his luck, but now that he was in the situation, he thought this might be a very useful method! So he immediately executed it.

"Ouch!!!"

It’s definitely not the same as what I learned, but the sound is loud enough.

As expected, the wild cat looked obviously frightened and took a few steps back. It no longer maintained a posture ready to attack and began to wander around. However, it still had no intention of retreating.

And Natsukawa Zou was certainly not stupid enough to think that this was the time to retreat. On this uneven grass, it would be a very stupid decision to run away with his back exposed or to walk backwards, so he still maintained his ferocious posture.

The two sides remained deadlocked for a while.

In the end, it was the human's size advantage that played a role in the face of such small creatures. After pacing back and forth and observing the two for a long time, the wild cat finally chose to avoid a fight. It jumped back into the bushes and disappeared in a moment.

But despite this, Xiachuan Kanade did not dare to act rashly, for fear that the other party would use some tactic of pretending to retreat, and suddenly jump out from somewhere when they let their guard down. So he still held Eriri and waited there for a long time. Finally, after making sure that there was no more movement, he pulled Eriri and slowly retreated to the original stone road.

"Huh..." Xia Chuan Zou let out a long sigh, and his tense nerves finally relaxed.

"I didn't expect that I would actually encounter a wild animal, a ferocious wild cat at that..." After finding a stone slab to sit down on, Xia Chuan Zou began to complain.

Even though I hadn't used up any physical energy just now, the mental pressure was real. The mental exertion at this moment was no less than that of completing a marathon.

"So how did we suddenly encounter a wild cat? Could it be that there is no inspection along the way here? What on earth is the school doing?..."

Although he understood that this was because they were too far away from the "main road" here and they should not have climbed over the fence and gone so deep into the woods, Xia Chuan Zou still wanted to complain, otherwise he would always feel depressed.

"..."

However, Eriri, who was squatting next to him, did not seem so unhappy. On the contrary, she even felt that what happened tonight would become a beautiful memory for her whole life.

Even now, seeing that the other party was still displaying a state inconsistent with her usual steady image, Eriri was not disappointed, but instead even raised her eyebrows.

Her boy is so handsome even when he complains!

The most important thing is... to play him... even if he is extremely nervous and scared, he will still protect her behind him...

Idiot...I really like you the most!

176.Aha ...

After complaining a few harsh words, Xiachuan Zou was able to vent the depression in his heart.

To be honest, he originally thought that Eriri would say something, but she didn't say another word until he calmed down completely, so Natsukawa Kanade thought she was still in shock and hadn't recovered yet.

"Eri, are you okay? Is everything okay?"

"Ah... me? I... I'm fine..." She was probably a little fascinated by what she was watching, and it took Xiachuan Zou beside her calling her several times before she reacted.

So this absent-minded look confirmed Xiachuan Zou's guess about her condition.

"You don't look like you're okay..." Xia Chuan Zou frowned, then shook his head and said seriously, "How about... I'll send you to the infirmary? At least you should have a place to relax."

Although they are now far away from the previous "no man's land", the surrounding scenery is too similar, with the same unchanging overgrown weeds, which inevitably brings Eriri the same sense of tension as before.

Of course, his main thought was that the scene just now was a little too exciting for him. Even until now, his heartbeat had not completely calmed down. From time to time, his mind would subconsciously flash back to the scene just now, especially the wild cat's last attempt to pounce before retreating. It was like an oil painting that was imprinted in his mind and could not be erased.

This also means that it would be difficult for the timid and cautious Eriri to recover from what happened just now.

That's why Natsukawa Sou was very worried, afraid that she would suffer from PTSD or something, so he wanted to do his best to help her calm down.

"Eri, you don't have to be so nervous. That wild cat will definitely not attack us again." Xiachuan Kanade gently comforted her, "After all, there are always people walking here. The strong popularity is enough to drive away wild cats. What's more, there are always animal repellent sprays around. Don't worry..."

"I told you not to... and I... don't care about that kind of thing at all..." Eriri retorted softly.

It was a date that we had finally agreed to, so we couldn't waste time in a place like the infirmary, right? It wouldn't trigger any plot that would increase my affection...

Eriri thought about it carefully again and decided that it would be better to give up. Compared to the test of courage that might cause the suspension bridge effect or the infirmary where a lucky pervert might occur, it might be more suitable for her now to hold each other's arms and talk while walking.

After all, a lot of things have happened to them in the past few days, but despite this, she vaguely felt that this was of no help in improving her romantic status in the other party's heart. She even felt that if she continued like this, sooner or later she would be reduced to a "pet" role with no chance of winning.

Isn't that the same as the "Blond Loser"? !

So she had to think of better ways to show her charm, to attract Kanade, to express her feelings to him, and if she tried all the methods and still couldn't make him understand - then she would have to rush forward like a suicide truck.

But doing so would mean there would be no way out. If I was rejected, I would never be able to stay by Kanade's side...

"So I have to work harder..." Eriri muttered to herself.

"What?" Xiachuan Zou turned around and asked.

His nerves were still in a state of high concentration, so he naturally did not miss any noise made by Ying Lili, but the sound was too soft to be heard clearly.

"It's nothing..." Eriri shook her head, then cheered herself up again, took Natsukawa Kanade's arm and walked forward, "Let's go back the same way here, it's not too far from the entrance."

"Slow down...?" Natsukawa Kanade originally wanted to speak up to remind the other party, but he found that Eriri was walking very smoothly, and she didn't look like she had a foot injury at all.

"What's wrong?" Ying Lili turned around and looked at him.

"Is your foot... okay?" Xia Chuan Zou pointed and then looked at her with great confusion.

"......!" Ying Lili also reacted immediately.

But it's too late to pretend now. It will only deepen suspicion. I can only find a reasonable excuse.

"Uh……"

"..."

"actually……"

"..."

"Actually, I don't know what happened, but my feet suddenly stopped hurting... Ahahaha..."

"..."

Natsukawa Kanade didn't know what to say and could only keep muttering in his mind, "She's Eriri, after all, she's so easy to see through."

He even suspected that even if what happened just now had not happened, the golden retriever might at some point in his life forget about everything else and expose the fact that he was not injured at all.

As for the reason why she lied, that was easier to guess - it was simply because she was timid and afraid of haunted houses, so she didn't dare to continue playing, but she was too proud to expose this in front of him, so she pretended that she had chosen to give up because she had "no choice" because of her injured foot.

The evidence is that the little golden retriever showed a lot of fear along the way, but what surprised Xiachuan Zou was that when she met the wild cat, she acted very bravely and even acted as if she was willing to stand by it... Maybe it was because she was too far away, or because she was nearsighted and couldn't observe its ferocious look clearly?

But no matter what, her kindness still touched Natsukawa Sou and also gave him more courage at that time.

"Now that your foot is fine... where are you going next?" Xia Chuanzou glanced at the golden retriever, not daring to look at his dodging look, and chuckled, "I mean, after leaving the venue, is there any place you want to go?"

"Hmm..." Ying Lili swallowed and became a little hesitant.

She was ready to give all kinds of explanations, but the other party didn't even ask... Could it be that Zou had already guessed it?

So she turned her head to look at him, only to find that he was also looking at her gently, with that foul smile on his face that couldn't be shaken off...

“What, what…you’re smiling so silly…” Eriri’s eyes became vague again, but this time it was because she was shy.

It was clearly the same silly smile she had seen often before, but seeing it now made her heart flutter and unable to extricate herself...

"what happened?"

"Stupid, stupid! Now don't come so close to me!"

"Well, but you still held my hand..."

"Let's put one thing first! In short, don't come any closer to me..." Ying Lili said angrily.

She was really afraid that she would not be able to hold back...

177. First meeting with teacher Kashiwagi Eri

I didn't meet anyone on the way back, probably because my thoughtful partners had already left.