Chapter Sixteen: The Literary Youth Meets Another Literary Youth

  "You're bullying me!"

  A half-grown Lolita's eyelids were hanging with crystal-like tears as if complaining.

  "You're bullying me!!"

  A certain Lolita named Pennywise, with tears in her eyes, that pitiful and sorrowful little face and delicate voice, truly makes the viewer feel pity and the listener's heart ache.

  "Nobody has ever treated me like that since I was a kid! You're such a bad egg, bullying people!!! You bully others!"

  Loli sat across from me, her cheeks puffed out, continuing to loudly accuse me of my crimes. Her expression was one of indignation and helplessness, like a small cat that had been teased into a frenzy, constantly scratching and biting. It's hard to say what would happen if this little kitten were to encounter someone as ruthless as Morris, who claims he can beat people into pig-heads. As far as I know, this guy always follows through on his threats - whether you're a beauty or not, once he starts throwing punches, you'll end up with a pig's head, at most just a more attractive one.

  I glanced at Miss Pennywise and a figure suddenly appeared in my mind, the corners of my mouth twitching involuntarily.

  "You're still smiling!!!" Penny's sharp and piercing cry attracted the attention of everyone around her, causing many people to slow down or stop eating.

  We are now in a café, and since the introduction of coffee as a drink, many Romans like to come here for a cup of this bitter beverage before heading home in the afternoon.

  The table and chairs were placed on the street by a restaurant near the square, so since it was close to the square, I, she, Frederick, and Hans sat down nearby.

  "It's also something that can't be helped." I shrugged helplessly, "In the situation at that time, if I didn't do it that way, I would very likely have been taken as a hoodlum by everyone."

  Penny's index finger suddenly became very large in front of my eyes, and she said with gritted teeth: "Then you can't call me sister! Can't, can't hug me, it's making me dizzy now!"

  Everything Penny said was true. As she sat on the ground, sobbing and sniffling, I was being stared at by the crowd in the square, and the atmosphere was turning against me. That's when a "cousin" plus "long time no see" slipped out of my mouth. Everything that followed was just a matter of course. I went up to her, hugging her and pretending to be overjoyed, then laughed like an idiot and spun around twice before leaving. Meanwhile, she was crying, but with my timely "cousin" and "long time no see", her tears became tears of joy.

  "Alright, never mind that, Nikitis. She, Miss Pennywis, is the person you are to meet at Constantine Square today?" Frederick asked.

  "Yes."

  "Where were you?" Penelope said indignantly. "We agreed to meet at the Constantine Square after serving the holy relics, but where are you? What time is it now? I've been waiting for you under the monument for ages! You unreliable rascal!"

  Frederick supported Pennywise: "Nikis, although we just met for a short time, but I have to say that you are wrong."

  I innocently spread out my hands and then called over the waiter who was running this small restaurant, I asked: "Excuse me, is it now considered to be after Mass?"

  The waiter looked at me inexplicably and said: "Yes, sir."

  I pulled out the paper I had been carrying with me, unfolded it, and pointed to the words on it, saying calmly: "It clearly says that after serving the Holy Gift, in the afternoon, there is no mention of immediate arrival. How was I supposed to know that Miss Penives was asking me to come immediately after serving the Holy Gift? It's your wording that's incorrect, you can't blame me for being late."

  This is a strong word and a loophole in the thinking logic, as long as Pennywise does not have the eloquence of a debate master, she is basically unable to make a strong counterattack.

  "You...you...how can you be like this!!!" Pennywise saw me seizing her loopholes in words and that tone of speech, so she was furious and her eyes started to well up with tears again.

  "I am stating facts."

  As expected... having the upper hand...

  "He's picking on me!" Pennywise was there for half a day, and cleverly won over two helpers with just one sentence.

  "Composure, composure! One must maintain composure in front of a lady."

  "Right, right, right! Style!" Hans shouted on the sidelines, waving his flag.

  It was countered by Pennywise. That sentence would have no effect if a man said it, and even if an ordinary woman said it, it wouldn't be that effective. But the girl in front of him had a naturally sweet voice, and when she shouted again, her killing power instantly skyrocketed. Miscalculation. A female enemy, especially a beautiful one, is indeed not something to be measured by common sense. Let's just consider it a small lesson, anyway, I didn't suffer any losses.

  "Alright. I apologize for the huge mistake of misunderstanding Miss Nieves' intention, making her wait in vain under the monument and suffer from the scorching sun. Can you forgive me?" I put my hands together on the table, smiling slightly as I waited for that adorable little cat to fall into my trap.

  “Is that all you're going to apologize for?” Pennyvis muttered to herself, seemingly not expecting me to back down so easily. But I caught the next second, a sly glint of triumph flashed in her eyes, "No way, just one apology is not sincere enough!"

  "What kind of compensation can I make to get you to forgive me?" I asked.

  Penny opened her mouth, wanting to say something but hesitated.

  It seems she's not willing to let me off so easily, and looking at her troubled expression, I think it's a bit too cruel to tease an innocent loli like this. What if in the future, she becomes a ruthless sadistic older sister?

  Pennyvis should be hating me to the teeth, discontentedly humming a nasal sound, before she said: "Tonight, Talya Grand Theater will perform a wonderful comedy 'Hypocrite'. I've never been to the Grand Theater at night, as long as you go to my house and say that you want to invite me to the Grand Theater, I'll forgive you."

  "Okay."

  I readily agreed. The goal was achieved.

  "So it took me half a day to figure out you guys are actually on a date!"

  Hans's interjection made Penny's eyes widen in surprise, and the small pink finger that had just left came back again, still shaking.

  "Who... who... went on a date with him! Don't talk nonsense!" Seeing Frederick and Hans' eyes widening in surprise, Pennywise's small face turned bright red with anxiety and shame. She hastily explained, "I didn't go on a date with him! I asked him to come over because there was something important I needed to discuss with him!!"

  Although I knew her true intention, I still smiled ambiguously: "Oh, what's the important thing? Anyway, we have plenty of time now. Why don't we talk first."

  "No! That's not the right order, according to the plan, that's supposed to happen after..." Pennywise was momentarily flustered and seemed to have completely blown their cover. By the time she came to her senses, it was too late.

  "Frederick, it seems we've arrived at a bad time." Hans grinned unbecomingly, his teeth bared.

  Penny was so angry that she had the urge to hang herself, her small mouth opened and closed several times, but she couldn't say a word.

  Frederick punched Hans hard in the chest and only heard him say in a low voice, "Girls have thin faces, if you laugh again, I'll beat you into a pig head!"

  He then turned to me and said: "In my experience, Miss Pennefather's case should be very important. Alright, Hans and I will leave first. You continue."

  "No way!" said Penelope, who was neither sitting nor standing on the other side. She exclaimed in surprise and urgency, "If you guys really leave, then we'll really be on a date! Absolutely not! You have to stay here!"

  "What about that very important thing of yours?"

  Hans got a punch in the mouth from Frederick: "You don't talk, nobody thinks you're stupid."

  I let out a subtle sigh and turned to Pennywise, saying: "Friedrich, Hans, you've come from Germany to our Constantinople to experience our culture. The Talya Theatre is a must-see. Why don't we do this? Since Miss Pennywise said she can only discuss that important matter after visiting the theatre, I'll invite you both to watch the play at the Talya Theatre. What do you say, Miss Pennywise?"

  Penny blinked in surprise, a little taken aback, but for her, there was no better way. She looked at me strangely, unclear of my reasons for helping him, but still agreed to come along.

  At this time, everyone had nothing to say. Penelope took out her handkerchief and wiped the sweat off, saying: "Are we going to sit here for half a day until the theater's program starts?"

  "Can't it?" I didn't mean anything else, just continuing along with her words.

  "Out of the question!" exclaimed Penelope, rising from the table. "They are in Constantinople! The ancient capital of a thousand years, Constantinople! How can you sit here like this? You're Frederick, aren't you, and the other is Hans, I suppose? It looks as though it's your first time in Constantinople. While there's still plenty of time, we can take a stroll from Constantine Square to the Theater of Taliya. The streets along the way have many beautiful views and ancient buildings! Every building you see has history! Our Roman history, our imperial history! A whole world of art and civilization!"

  "That's right, now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, we can't just sit here and disturb others from doing business." I found out that at this time, no one paid attention to me anymore. Frederick entered a very... how should I put it... thinking of fanatical believers seeing Jesus' appearance... very eccentric, very distorted.

  With a swish, Frederick also stood up. Fortunately, he didn't hit me. I only saw him raise one arm and let out an "ah".

  Next to Hans, I saw... a lingering regret in his eyes.

  "That is not the land of latecomers, but where saints stand in God's holy fire, with radiance like golden mosaic tiles on a wall."

  When the sun and moon are in each other's arms, the saint steps out of the divine fire to be the teacher of my soul's song, burning my heart to ashes. I, a decrepit old man, am but a useless thing, propped up by a broken outer garment on a wooden staff. My heart is bound to a dying body, corroded by decay, and has forgotten what it once was; Ah, please, as soon as possible, what method can make me step into the paradise of eternal art?

  Child! The saint said to me:

  Cross the ocean!

  To the sacred city on the eastern land, Byzantium!

  The bird on the tree is singing passionately!

  Reciting poetry in broad daylight, and not even at a banquet or gathering, is really quite bizarre.

  "Oh, you also know 'Journey into Byzantium'! That's great!!!"

  Pennywise excitedly exclaimed, it's worth celebrating to find a fellow art enthusiast in the vast crowd. Look, the excited girl recited a strange poem into a melodious song from her small mouth.

  "In the early morning dew of the vineyard, the flower-patterned porcelain cups moistened the princesses' silk skirts;"

  Savor a sip of pure Cretan wine, and life is like being a king.

  Oh, my friend, don't worry, the souls of emperors and kings are in heaven encouraging us, the country you are in is called Rome!

  Are you ready? We have come, through the city's squares, under the vault of heaven where many wise men once gazed.

  Aristotle and Socrates, Plato and Theophrastus

  Four eccentric scholars and their Greek philosophy, they are thinkers of life, pondering what is life every day.

  What is wisdom?

  What is beauty?

  What is nature?

  What is faith?

  With hands stained with ink, Aristotle and Socrates' constant questions, perhaps you have also asked.

  Both feet are covered with mud, Plato and Theochnis have walked through it, maybe you too.

  Under the sky vault where fellow sages once looked up, passing through the city's squares.

  Sometimes in Tallya's comedy interludes, loud laughter is seasoned with serious philosophical sighs into a delicious cold dish.

  Sometimes in the quiet evening of Dionne, use...

  It's true that when two literature enthusiasts meet, they only see each other in their eyes? My brain automatically added a rainbow, halo and silly laughter to the back of Penelope and Frederick as they walked further away, a scene often seen in Japanese anime. I glanced at the waiter who was staring blankly and took out a silver coin.

  The waiter apparently hadn't recovered from the shock of the two artistic youths and asked foolishly: "Sir, what do you want?"

  What's wrong?

  "Two catties of literary art, is there? Wrap it up for me..."

  The servant was about to foam at the mouth.