Jinhsi

Before Wuling reached the school gate, he spotted Calcharo and the others standing there in the distance.

A girl with long white hair stood beside Aimisi. She had to be Jinhsi, the one Aimisi had mentioned.

"Big bro, over here!"

Aimisi spotted Wuling first and waved in his direction, her pink ponytail swaying gently as she raised her hand.

The others waiting by the roadside heard her and turned to look.

Calcharo and Lingyang were leaning against a streetlamp, each holding a paper bag in one hand. When they saw Wuling, they immediately straightened up, mischievous grins on their faces, as if looking forward to a show.

Chisaki stood quietly to one side, her expression gentle as she gave Wuling a slight nod.

The most eye-catching of them was the girl. Jinhsi's long, silvery-white hair was tied into twin ponytails with green ribbon bows.

She wore a white-and-green off-the-shoulder outfit: a white halter top decorated with a bow and a light green short skirt, with a green belt around her waist and simple white wristbands. She looked gentle, with a touch of liveliness.

Wuling quickened his pace and joined them.

"Sorry, something held me up on the way," he said, apologizing first.

Aimisi immediately came forward to reassure him.

"It's okay! We only got here about four or five minutes ago. What matters is you're here."

Calcharo stepped forward and lightly draped an arm over Wuling's shoulder, looking teasing.

"What took you so long? Aren't you usually pretty quick to run off after school on Fridays? Don't tell me you went wandering around on the way?"

Wuling quietly slipped his shoulder out from under Calcharo's arm.

"I did a Spider-Man cosplay. I was being helpful to a fellow student who needed a hand."

At that, the white-haired girl took a slow half-step forward, her voice soft and gentle.

"Hello, I'm Jinhsi. I've heard Aimisi mention you." She politely held out her hand.

"Wuling. I've heard Aimisi mention you too. She said you're gentle and pretty, and a wonderful roommate." Wuling reached out and lightly clasped her hand.

Of course, what he had just said was a lie. But when it came to first impressions, building favorability was important, and it did no harm.

At the compliment, Jinhsi paused, a fleeting trace of surprise passing through her silver eyes.

If favorability bars were visible now, Jinhsi's favorability toward Wuling and Aimisi would be rising bit by bit. Of course, only by a little.

"No, no, I'm not as good as Aimisi says." Jinhsi hurriedly waved her hands in denial.

"But thank you for the compliment."

Aimisi was quick to react too. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately chimed in.

"Right? Jinhsi's super nice. She even helps me organize my notes."

Calcharo clicked his tongue twice, nudged Lingyang with his elbow, and lowered his voice to tease him.

"Look at that. Our Wuling's got game, coming right out with sweet talk like that."

Lingyang smiled faintly and stayed out of their joking, merely standing quietly to the side.

Chisaki covered her mouth, her eyes curving into a gentle smile as she quietly watched the lively scene.

Inside the sea of consciousness, Abu's round body suddenly bounced up and flipped through the air.

[Whoa, has this blockhead finally caught on? What should I do now? Oof, if she finds out I'm not doing anything, she won't beat me to death, will she?]

Abu spun around anxiously in Wuling's mind, only relaxing when a voice transmission reached its ear.

[Just let him be.]

Outside, Chisaki spoke up at just the right moment, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"The restaurant isn't far from here. Shall we get going?"

"Let's go, let's go! My stomach's been growling for ages." Calcharo was the first to answer.

The group walked slowly along the sidewalk. The bright midday sun poured down on Jinhsi's smooth, silvery-white hair, giving it a soft, shimmering sheen, while her green butterfly hair ornaments swayed gently in the breeze.

She walked at an unhurried pace, just behind and to one side of Wuling.

"You said earlier that you helped someone on the way here?"

Jinhsi seemed to be asking casually, her tone betraying no hint of probing, as if it were ordinary small talk.

Wuling paused, his expression unchanged.

"Yeah, it was just a small thing. Nothing worth mentioning."

He had no intention of going into detail about Cartethyia spraining her ankle, so he glossed over it vaguely.

Seeing that, Jinhsi didn't press him further and merely nodded.

"It's rare enough for someone to lend a hand. You're just as Aimisi described you in the dorm."

"How did Aimisi describe me to you?"

Wuling asked, a little curious.

"Well, sorry, Aimisi won't let us tell you."

Wuling: ?

What's so hard to say about that? Just how did Aimisi describe me?

Wuling glanced at the lively pink figure bouncing along ahead, a few doubts arising in his heart.

He knew his sister's mouth well. Her imagination had always run wild, and heaven knew what outrageous exploits Aimisi had bragged about to Jinhsi in the dorm.

Aimisi skipped along in front, turning back from time to time to chat with the others.

"Apparently their signature dish is sweet-and-sour crispy pork, and they have tons of side dishes too. I saw lots of upperclassmen recommend it on the campus forum."

"Just hearing you talk about it is making my mouth water," Calcharo joked.

Jinhsi slowed by half a step and naturally came alongside Wuling.

"You seem very curious about what Aimisi said about you," she said softly.

"It's only natural." Wuling readily admitted it. "I'm guessing it was mostly a bunch of exaggerations."

"I wouldn't call them exaggerations." Jinhsi gently swayed the twin ponytails hanging over her shoulders, their green ribbon bows sparkling in the sunlight.

"But that's all I can say. You'll have to ask her yourself about the rest."

"That's what I was thinking too. It's great that Aimisi found such a good friend in you."

At his remark, Jinhsi's face turned slightly red.

"No, no, not at all. I'm actually the lucky one, getting to share a dorm with Aimisi," she replied softly. "She's lively and cheerful, and she makes the dorm much more lively."

Chisaki slowly caught up beside them, her gentle voice joining the conversation.

"Aimisi has always been very popular in class, too."

Shops lined both sides of the street, and quite a few Star Torch Academy students were out in groups of two or three, their laughter and conversation rising all around.

As Wuling pondered to himself, Aimisi, who was skipping along ahead, suddenly stopped, turned around, and began walking backward to face the group.

"Oh, right! After we eat, we can visit the arts and crafts market behind the shopping street. I heard they've got lots of new handmade ornaments this week."

"I don't mind either way about the market, but we could get some drinks after the meal," Lingyang said.

"We have to get iced drinks. I can't live without something cold in this heat," Calcharo immediately chimed in.

Jinhsi looked up toward the end of the bustling street, her gaze unhurried.

"I haven't been to a market in a long time either. If everyone's free, I can come along."

Chisaki nodded in agreement with a faint smile.

Talking and laughing, the group turned down two streets and soon spotted the restaurant's eye-catching sign in the distance.

The restaurant was crowded, but it was spacious enough that plenty of seats remained. They found a spot near a corner and sat down.