Meeting an Old Friend Far from Home

The line moved slowly forward, and soon it was their turn. The senior handling registration had pale pink hair and looked as though she had only just woken up. She was languid from head to toe, but still made an effort to do her job.

Her fingertip slid over the paper student register as she checked their information.

"Wuling, Artificial Intelligence Department, men's dormitory, East District, room 307. Aimisi, Music Department, women's dormitory, West District, room 512. Your dorms are pretty far apart. It'll probably take about half an hour to walk between them."

The pink-haired senior yawned as she handed them two brass keys engraved with star-and-torch designs, along with their campus cards, course handbooks, and an assortment of other things new students needed.

The moment Aimisi took her key, the joy on her face faded a little. A vast academic area lay between the East and West districts; they were nowhere near each other. That meant she could no longer barge into Wuling's room whenever she wanted, as she did at home, and cling to him, acting spoiled and refusing to leave.

A wave of disappointment washed over her. She lowered her lashes to hide the loneliness in her eyes, then put on a smile again in an instant.

"Even though it's pretty far, I'll come see you often. Don't you dare get tired of me bothering you, big brother."

"Don't worry, I'd never think you were a bother."

Wuling put away his dorm key and slipped Aimisi's campus card into his own crossbody bag, habitually keeping her small belongings safe for her. He had done the same ever since they were children.

That small gesture instantly lifted the girl's spirits, and her eyes lit up again.

"All right, big brother, let's go!"

Aimisi took Wuling's arm and headed toward the dormitories, while the pink-haired senior watched them leave with a thoughtful look.

Sunlight cast their side-by-side shadows close together on the stone path, stretching ahead of them.

Wuling looked down at the course handbook, planning his cultivation after the semester began, completely oblivious to the frequent glances the girl beside him cast his way.

"Big brother, do you think we'll meet people at Star Torch Academy who are more important to us than each other?"

Aimisi spoke without warning, an almost imperceptible nervousness in her voice.

Without hesitation, Wuling raised a hand and ruffled her hair. "How could we? You're my only little sister. No one could ever replace you."

That confident answer should have reassured Aimisi, but instead it made her chest tighten slightly.

Being his "little sister" had never been what she wanted, but one look at the boy's sincere, open expression dissolved all her courage to confess her feelings. All she could do was force a smile.

"Good. I want to be the most special person to you for the rest of my life, big brother."

As they spoke, the men's dormitories in the East District came into view. Wuling stopped and looked at the girl beside him.

"I'll take you to the women's dorm to settle in first, then come back and unpack my things."

Aimisi shook her head, her fingertips tightening around her backpack straps.

"I want to see your dorm first. I can only go back without worrying once I've made sure it's safe where you'll be living."

Unable to persuade her otherwise, Wuling had no choice but to take her into room 307.

The room was a triple, and the other two roommates had yet to arrive. It was bright and clean, furnished with desks, beds, and everything else they needed.

Aimisi made a circuit of the room, carefully checking the window locks and the stability of the beds, afraid that some hidden problem might make Wuling uncomfortable.

Watching the girl bustle about, Wuling leaned against the doorframe, his heart full of affection.

No one could say what end these tangled feelings would ultimately meet in this academy that brought together talent and dreams, but at least for now, all was well.

The room fell quiet for a moment, leaving only the rustle of plane-tree leaves in the wind outside and the soft patter of the girl's footsteps as she paced.

Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the smooth wooden desk and bringing out its fine grain. It also illuminated the boy's handsome, tranquil profile.

He set his crossbody bag on an empty desk and looked over the practical training schedule in the course handbook, already considering when to start skipping class. After all, a college experience without skipped classes was incomplete.

Having checked the last corner, Aimisi finally put her mind completely at ease. She strolled over to Wuling and looked up at him, her eyes curving into sweet crescents.

"Mm, the place is really nice overall. The dorm is clean and well ventilated, and the safety features are all in place. Now I can finally stop worrying about you living here, big brother."

Wuling chuckled and flicked her forehead, so gently that it barely hurt.

"Honestly, do you think I'm a child who needs looking after in every possible way? I'm an adult. I could live on my own for years without a problem, yet you're still worrying over me so carefully."

"As far as I'm concerned, you'll always need me to worry about you, big brother."

Aimisi tilted her head up, her gaze serious and stubborn. Her soft pink lips were pressed lightly together, and an obsession others couldn't understand lay hidden in her eyes.

Seeing how earnestly she meant it, Wuling's heart softened. He stopped arguing and simply smiled gently and nodded in concession.

"All right, all right. Whatever our Aimisi says."

That simple indulgence sent Aimisi's heartbeat racing out of rhythm, and the tips of her ears turned visibly red.

She turned her face away slightly to hide her fluster, then took hold of Wuling's sleeve and gave it a gentle tug, pleading in a soft voice.

"Then can I make your bed for you? I'm always the one who folds the blankets at home, and I'm super neat."

Before Wuling could agree, she had already stepped forward, picked up the neatly folded bedding, and deftly spread it out.

She smoothed the wrinkles from the soft cotton bedding bit by bit, aligning the corners of the sheet precisely with the edges of the bed. She was meticulous, even setting the pillow perfectly straight.

She had always been like this. Whenever it concerned Wuling, she put her whole heart into it.

Wuling stood quietly to one side, admiring her as she worked. A few strands of pink hair fell beside her cheeks, and the sunlight traced the soft line of her jaw. She looked impossibly gentle.

He had long grown accustomed to his little sister's constant dependence on him, to her uninhibited closeness and spoiled behavior. He naturally classified those blazing feelings as sibling affection and had never once considered them in a romantic light.

While Aimisi made the bed, Wuling kept busy too. He arranged the textbooks and notebooks from his backpack on the desk one by one, neatly lined up his black pens and highlighters in the pen holder, and even made a point of leaving the course handbook open in the most conspicuous spot on the desktop.

At the same time, Aimisi finished making the bed. Once she was done, she clapped her hands in satisfaction and turned to Wuling, her eyes full of anticipation for praise.

"Perfect! Now you'll be comfortable studying and resting here, big brother."

Wuling looked at the tidy desk and bed, warmth welling up in his heart. "Thanks for your hard work, Aimisi."

"It was no trouble! I'm happy to do anything for you, big brother, no matter how small."

Aimisi immediately shook her head, her sparkling eyes filled with flecks of starlight as she gazed straight at him.

After that brief, heartwarming moment, the corridor outside gradually grew noisy. Wave after wave of new students poured into the dormitory building, dragging their suitcases. Conversations, wheels rolling over the floor, and calls of greeting mingled together, breaking the floor's peace.

Aimisi knew perfectly well that the women's dormitories had strict visitor regulations: male students were forbidden from entering the buildings in the West District. There were hardly any people around this early in the morning, but otherwise, if a dorm supervisor caught them, both would receive a formal warning.

Reluctance coiled tightly around her heart like a vine. She clenched her little hands and looked at Wuling, loath to leave.

"Then... I'll go back to the women's dorm and settle in."

"Mm."

Wuling nodded and gave her a reminder, his voice full of concern.

"Be careful on the way. If your suitcase is too heavy, message me right away. I'll come help you immediately."

"I'm strong enough to handle it! But..."

Aimisi paused, looking up at him expectantly, her voice thick with grievance and attachment.

"Big brother, you have to come have breakfast with me tomorrow morning, okay? It'll be breakfast on the first day of school. I don't want to go to the cafeteria all alone. I just want to go with you."

The East and West districts did not use the same cafeteria; each had its own. That meant the two of them would not often eat together normally, either.

Faced with her pitiful look, Wuling couldn't bear to refuse. He gently promised, "Okay. Seven tomorrow morning, I'll be there on time to wait for you outside the West District dormitory."

The moment she received his firm promise, Aimisi's eyes curved into a smile, and her sense of security soothed much of the reluctance churning in her heart.

While Wuling wasn't expecting it, she suddenly rose onto her tiptoes and quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him for a moment before letting go just as fast. Her cheeks burned, and she was too flustered to look him in the eye.

"Then I'm off! Don't spend all your time in the dorm reading textbooks. Remember to open the window for some air! And you're not allowed to get to know any other girls!"

After leaving him with that slightly overbearing reminder, she feared that if she stayed another second, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying. She turned and hurried out of the room.

Wuling followed her and leaned against the corridor railing, watching her walk to the stairwell.

The girl's distinctive pink figure moved down the stairs step by step. On the way, she looked back frequently at him upstairs, and every glance held an impossible-to-hide tenderness and attachment. Only when that flash of pink vanished completely around the bend did he gently withdraw his gaze and return to the empty dorm room.

The room, which had seemed so warm just moments ago with Aimisi's cheerful laughter, suddenly felt cold and quiet.

Wuling sat down at the desk, his fingertips brushing lightly over the open Artificial Intelligence Department timetable. The few demanding courses should have filled him with excitement, but the fleeting loneliness he had seen in Aimisi's eyes kept replaying in his mind.

He vaguely sensed that Aimisi's dependence on him had long since gone far beyond the bounds of an ordinary sibling relationship. Her closeness was passionate and tinged with obsession, yet he had always simply attributed her clinginess to the two of them relying on each other and keeping each other company since childhood.

About an hour later, the door to room 307 opened again. Almost at the same time, Wuling looked up toward the doorway, eager to meet his first roommate.

I hope he isn't too hard to get along with.

That was what Wuling thought, but the instant the door opened, their eyes met, and both of them froze at the same time.

Looking at the long, snowy-white hair, Wuling rubbed his eyes in disbelief to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The person outside the door did the same, checking his own eyes.

He knew that both of them were at Star Torch Academy, but he hadn't expected the connection between them to be so remarkably coincidental that they would even be assigned to the same dorm room.

"Rover?"

"Lao Ka?"