A Mouthful of Guobaorou at a Time

"Danya, are you sure?"

Danya lowered her eyes slightly, pink hair slipping down beside her shoulders. She looked as languid as ever, except that her gaze was fixed on the plate of orange-juice guobaorou.

"Mm, don't worry. I like strongly flavored food. This amount of sweetness is no problem for me."

As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, Danya asked his permission, then picked up a piece and popped it into her mouth.

After seeing Danya eat a whole piece of guobaorou without a change in her expression, Wuling and Cartethyia were both stunned.

"I was just as surprised as you when I first saw Yaya eat like that, but after spending more time with her, I gradually got used to it."

Xigelika smiled as she explained to Wuling and the others. Then she turned to Cartethyia, who had been silent the whole time.

"By the way, is she a friend of yours, Wuling?"

"Huh? M-me?"

Suddenly finding herself addressed, Cartethyia grew visibly flustered and even stumbled over her words.

At that crucial moment, Wuling came to her rescue.

"That's right. Her name is Cartethyia. She's my friend, classmate, and deskmate."

"Cartethyia, these two are Xigelika and Danya. They're our seniors in the Labelle Department."

Cartethyia hurriedly set down her chopsticks and straightened her back a little, unconsciously leaning slightly toward Wuling. Her light golden hair swayed gently with the movement.

Her ice-blue eyes showed a hint of unease. She lowered her head slightly and gave them a shy, gentle smile.

"H-hello, seniors. My name is Cartethyia. It's nice to meet you."

Xigelika's eyes lit up, and a bright smile spread across her face. She took the initiative to give Cartethyia a slight nod.

"Hello, Cartethyia! It's lovely to meet you. Just call us by our names, like Wuling does."

Her tone was cheerful, with none of the distance one might expect from a senior, easing some of Cartethyia's tension.

"Helwo, I'm Danya. Nithe to meet you."

With her mouth still full of food, Danya's voice was muffled and soft, her words adorably slurred.

Though it sounded a little strange, her meaning was still clear.

Cartethyia paused, then nodded gently.

"Mm... all right, senior."

"I told you, you don't have to call us seniors. Just use our names."

Xigelika smiled until her eyes curved. Lively and considerate, she naturally livened up the atmosphere at the table.

"We all go to the same school, so there's no need to be so formal."

Watching the relaxed, friendly scene before him, Wuling felt himself relax a little too.

He had thought things might be awkward when the two sides first met, but now it seemed to be going pretty well.

The mood at the table was relaxed and cheerful as the four of them ate and chatted.

Xigelika talked the most, chattering about recent happenings at school: which teacher had the most interesting classes, which food counter served the best meals, and the club recruitment coming up the day after tomorrow.

Wuling had no thoughts about clubs for the time being, mainly because he really didn't have much time right now.

Of course, if there were a particularly laid-back club, he might join, though that seemed unlikely.

In any case, he would leave it to fate.

Cartethyia remained a woman of few words, mostly listening quietly to everyone chat and only giving a soft reply or two when asked something.

Her long, light golden hair hung on either side of her cheeks, making her look demure and gentle, though every now and then she would unconsciously steal a glance at Wuling beside her.

Wuling had no idea what she was looking at.

After taking her time finishing lunch, Xigelika stretched.

"I'm so full! We have two more classes this afternoon, and I've finally got my energy back."

Danya put down her chopsticks and leaned back gently in her chair, taking her time digesting her food.

"I'm full. So sleepy. I want to sleep."

Wuling tidied up his tray and turned to Cartethyia beside him.

"Finished? We can head back to the dorm now."

Cartethyia nodded gently. "Mm, I'm finished."

The four of them stood up together and exchanged brief farewells.

Xigelika took Danya with her, waved, and turned toward the corridor on the other side.

"We'll be going first, then! See you next time!"

"Goodbye."

Watching the two walk away, one lively and the other languid, Wuling and Cartethyia picked up their trays and slowly followed the crowd out of the cafeteria, then strolled toward the dormitory building.

The afternoon breeze blew gently along the tree-lined path, dispersing the midday heat.

When they returned to the dorm, Calcharo and Lingyang still weren't back. There was no telling whether they had found their way.

He really didn't know why Calcharo got lost every time he led the way. Did he have a blessing that guaranteed he'd get lost whenever he was the leader?

Wuling laughed as he grumbled inwardly and casually switched on the dorm's air conditioner.

A cool breeze blew out, dispelling some of the heat in the room.

Wuling quickly tidied his desk and draped his jacket over the back of his chair, planning to take a proper nap in the free time before his afternoon classes and recharge.

He lay down on his bed, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind.

The whole morning's lessons passed through his mind in sequence. After this period of adjustment, he had completely gotten the hang of the shift in academic pace from high school to university and was no longer as overwhelmed as he had been when he first enrolled.

He had Abu to thank for that. If Abu hadn't raised his attributes so much, Wuling reckoned he would have needed about another week to adjust.

Before long, two sets of dragging footsteps sounded in the corridor, along with Calcharo's aggrieved muttering.

"I really didn't take a wrong turn! This was definitely the way last time!"

"You blame me every time. Those paths all look exactly the same. How is anyone supposed to tell them apart...?"

As his voice trailed off, the dorm door was gently pushed open.

Calcharo walked in looking like he had nothing left to live for, his hair tousled by the afternoon breeze and defeat written all over his face.

Lingyang followed behind him, as calm and composed as ever. He had long since grown used to his friend's terrible sense of direction.

"Finally made it back?" Wuling opened his eyes and looked at him with an amused smile.

Calcharo collapsed into a chair and gave up entirely. "Don't even ask. We went around in two huge circles again. The trees along those paths behind the cafeteria all look the same. There's no telling which way is which."

Lingyang added mildly, "A ten-minute walk took twenty minutes."

Wuling couldn't help laughing.

The three chatted briefly, and the dorm gradually fell quiet.

Calcharo lay on his bed scrolling through posts on the campus forum, while Lingyang put on his headphones and rested at his desk, saving up his energy.

Wuling closed his eyes again to take a short nap.

But before he knew it, his breathing gradually steadied, and his consciousness slowly faded.

He fell asleep.

After Wuling fell asleep, Abu emerged from his right hand and looked at him with a complicated expression.

[This time, you don't have to be a savior anymore. Just live a good life as an ordinary person. We've always been here.]

When he finished, he merely sighed and floated back inside.

Just after Abu went in, a black, crack-shaped pattern appeared silently on the back of Wuling's hand, then quickly vanished, as though it had never existed.