Low Mountains and Foul Waters Meet Thunder

"Lao Ka, Lao Ka, is that really you, Lao Ka?"

Even now, Wuling could hardly believe it. In an academy this big, the odds of being assigned to the same dorm as someone he knew were incredibly slim.

"If you're talking about Calcharo, the strongest man in the New Federation, then I suppose that's me."

Hearing that irritatingly smug tone, Wuling was sure of it. He was definitely the somewhat chuunibyou Calcharo he knew.

"Lao Ka!"

"Rover!"

They called each other's names, opened their arms, and embraced.

The commotion attracted the attention of a few people in the hallway. When they saw two grown men hugging each other, their gazes turned a little strange.

Everyone: "?! Gay?!"

There was generally no need to worry about the character of people admitted to Star Torch Academy. The academy wouldn't accept anyone with poor moral character, no matter how good their grades were.

But sexual orientation was another matter. Star Torch Academy admitted so many people every year that there were bound to be one or two exceptions. For all they knew, these two might be among them.

Feeling the slightly odd gazes around them, Wuling belatedly realized what was happening. He awkwardly withdrew his hands and shut the dorm door, blocking the others' view.

Calcharo, on the other hand, didn't mind. Rather, he hadn't noticed at all and simply thought Wuling was a little excited.

"Rover, I didn't expect to see you here! I thought we weren't in the same dorm. I was going to come find you once I'd finished unpacking."

Calcharo straightened up and casually draped an arm over Wuling's shoulders, grinning in an irritatingly smug way.

Wuling shoved his arm away and took half a step back. All the warmth of their long-awaited reunion had vanished from his face, replaced by pure disgust.

"Cut it out, Calcharo. Don't flatter yourself. I bet you were just guessing. If you'd really meant to find me, would you have taken your sweet time and been the last one into the dorm building on registration day?"

Calcharo raised an eyebrow. Far from getting angry, he grew even more excited. He shoved his hands into his pockets and wandered around the dorm, cheekily shooting back.

"Oh? You were hugging me so hard just now, and you've already pulled up your pants and turned your back on me? Rover, you've really hurt my feelings."

"Piss off, piss off. You make it sound like I'm the P. Only someone as shameless as you would hug another grown man in public. I'm embarrassed for you. What, you think you weren't the one losing face?"

"Losing face?"

As if he'd just heard the biggest joke in the world, Calcharo strode over to Wuling's bed and hooked a fingertip under the corner of the neatly folded quilt, pulling it into a wrinkled mess. He looked unbearably smug.

"What a joke. What do you mean, losing face? That's our exclusive vibe, got it? You're the one who's still so innocent at your age. Did Star Torch Academy admit you but leave your thick skin behind?"

"Besides, what's face good for? Can you trade it for money or eat it? I, Calcharo, can shout in the street that I'm the Strongest Person in Solaris, eat without paying, and grab whatever I want. You think I'd care about a little face?"

Wuling spotted his meddling hand out of the corner of his eye. Without even lifting his eyelids, he moved swiftly, reaching out to grab a small lock of hair at the back of Calcharo's head and giving it a gentle tug.

It wasn't hard, but it hurt just enough to make him bare his teeth.

"Hiss—what are you doing?!"

Calcharo immediately turned back, wincing in pain.

Wuling looked up with the exact same irritating grin, his tone airy.

"Nothing. My hand got itchy. If you can mess with my quilt, can't I mess with your hair? The rules go both ways, got it?"

"And you still have the nerve to bring those things up? You tried to get someone's wallet back from a thief, but you weren't quick enough and only managed to catch him after other people had already gathered around."

"Then you got ripped off at a restaurant and dragged me along when you ran. The thing is, I was just passing by that day, and you made me hide all over the place with you for hours. It was summer, too. I nearly died of heat."

The more Wuling spoke, the harsher his tone became. The last few words seemed to be squeezed out between his teeth.

"Ahaha, if I hadn't eaten so much that time, I definitely would've caught him. As for the other thing, that was an accident. I saw you and grabbed you without thinking, and forgot everything else."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Calcharo could only laugh sheepishly.

"By the way, Rover, I wanted to ask as soon as I came in: why does our dorm smell so nice? It's a little familiar, too. I think I've smelled it before."

Calcharo changed the subject and sniffed, carefully smelling the air. He felt sure he recognized the scent, but couldn't remember where he'd smelled it.

Wuling's heart tightened. Afraid Calcharo would guess it was Aimisi's scent, he hurriedly brushed it off, saying he'd sprayed air freshener. Calcharo was only half convinced. He circled the room several times, then suddenly pointed at Wuling's pillow.

"I remember now. It's the smell of edelweiss. There are lots of those flowers around Star Torch Academy, and plenty of people sell perfume made from them. But isn't that stuff for girls? Why's a grown man like you wearing perfume? Or could it be... ew~."

Wuling: ...

The good news was that Kakarot hadn't thought of Amis. The bad news was that he might as well have.

Looking at the disgust on Calcharo's face, Wuling didn't even have to guess what he was thinking.

He, Wuling, a dignified seven-foot man who had been born under the national flag and raised in the spring breeze—how could he possibly be a femboy?

Wuling's face darkened, and he was just about to lash out when the dorm door opened again.

Both of them stopped what they were doing and looked toward the door.

Outside stood a youth dressed in white. Though he was a boy, his features were unusually soft, and he looked rather like a girl. But with a closer look, it was still easy to tell.

"Cheese Snow Leopard?" ×2

The two called out in unison. The person outside the door didn't seem to have expected anyone to call him by his online handle, either. Once he got a good look at the two of them, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Lao Ka! Rover!"

The three looked at one another, staring wide-eyed, but none of them spoke. Finally, Wuling broke the silence.

"Lingyang, don't tell me you're in room 307 too?"

"Too? Don't tell me you two are as well?"

Standing in the doorway, Lingyang shut the door behind him. Caught off guard, he stared at them in disbelief, his clear eyes, which faded from purple to blue, round with astonishment.

He had just carried his luggage upstairs, marveling to himself at how impressive Star Torch Academy's dorm building was. He'd been planning how to adapt to his new surroundings as quickly as possible after classes started, and to find time to practice the basics of lion dancing. He had never imagined that the dorm he was randomly assigned to would land him right in the den of two old perverts.

Wuling was the first to recover. He pushed down the frustration of being grilled by Calcharo about the perfume and curled his lips into a familiar, slightly wicked smile.

"What else? So, classmate Cheese Snow Leopard, you've landed in 307 too? What fate! Come here, let uncle see if you're developing properly."

Before he'd even finished speaking, Wuling pounced. Lingyang turned to run, only to find that he'd just shut the dorm door himself.

In that moment of distraction, Wuling lunged at him and pinned him firmly beneath him.

The instant Lingyang was caught, he tried to resist, but when he tried to pull his hands back, Calcharo also reacted, grabbing both his hands in a tight grip with a wicked grin.

Lingyang tried to pull free, but no matter what he did, his hands seemed nailed in place. He couldn't get them back.

"You! What are you two doing?!"

Lingyang shouted in terror.

"What are we doing?"

Wuling rubbed his hands together with a wicked grin.

"Why, we're going to give you a thorough physical examination, of course."

"No, no, don't do this, don't... mmph."

Before Lingyang could finish, Wuling covered his mouth with one hand. All he could do was watch as Wuling's face slowly drew closer and Wuling raised a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

"Relax. What's coming next is going to be exciting."

The words were perfectly normal, but to Lingyang at that moment, they sounded like the whisper of a demon from the Nine Nether Hell.

After Wuling spoke, Lingyang saw his hand slowly reaching toward his waist.

He wanted to stop him, but he couldn't move his hands. He wanted to shout, but his mouth was covered. In the end, he could only watch as Wuling placed his hand on his waist.

Almost immediately, he felt a tickling sensation at his side.

"Mmph hehe, mmph hehehe, mmph hehehehe!"

Strange bursts of laughter escaped through the gaps between Wuling's fingers. The longer it went on, the louder he got and the harder he struggled. It was only because Kakarot had some skill that he could hold him down.

But a person's stamina wasn't limitless. After struggling for a while, Lingyang's laughter gradually grew quieter, and his struggles gradually weakened.

Seeing that it was about enough, Wuling signaled Calcharo with his eyes to let go of Lingyang's hands, then got up off him.

Lingyang lay on the bed, his face flushed, his eyes vacant, and his clothes a little disheveled. He looked as though he'd been played with and broken.

It took him quite a while to gather enough strength to glare at the two standing nearby with triumphant smiles. His eyes held both anger and helplessness, and even his voice was hoarse from laughing.

"You two teamed up to bully me. Partners in crime."

Calcharo leaned against the desk with his arms folded, unable to suppress his grin as he drawled teasingly.

"You can't put it that way, classmate Cheese Snow Leopard. You're the one who came to us. Who told you to open the door and walk right into our territory? Besides, with those looks of yours, half girl and half not, it's really hard to resist. If we don't tease you, who else would we tease?"

Wuling sat down on the empty bed beside them and rubbed his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

"Besides, who told you to let your guard down so easily and even block your own escape? And we haven't finished the physical examination yet. Want to continue?"

"Yamete!"