Shen Qiuyu.
Jiang Mian had heard of her. She was the universally acknowledged "school belle" of Fifth Middle School in Base City No. 144. Not only did she excel academically, she seemed to have awakened a rather impressive Sequence Ability.
But she was said to be the cool and quiet type, someone who rarely spoke with others.
Jiang Mian hadn't expected her to choose City Defense for her internship, let alone end up sharing a dorm room with her.
"Shen Qiuyu. Sequence 33, [Elemental] Path, [Heavenly Fire]."
Shen Qiuyu's introduction was brief, just like the air about her. Her voice was clear and clean, pleasant to listen to.
When her gaze lingered on Jiang Mian, though, Jiang Mian thought she caught a hint of... softness in her eyes.
It seemed Shen Qiuyu wasn't as cold as she looked. Jiang Mian could glimpse a little of that in the books on her desk.
After all, someone truly indifferent probably wouldn't be interested in these fictional joys and sorrows.
Come to think of it, Sequence 33, [Heavenly Fire]... That ability ranked even higher than the [Eye of the Storm] Jiang Mian was pretending to have. It was a genuine high-tier elemental ability.
Its most notable trait was its tremendous burst damage in the early stages, along with impressive staying power. It was commonly called a "melee mage"—the very picture of a fight that felt good.
"Hi, I'm Jiang Mian."
Jiang Mian raised her head to look at Shen Qiuyu, feeling a little glum inside.
With Shen Qiuyu here, she was now the shortest in the dorm. Lin Xiaoyue came next, then Shen Qiuyu and Su Wanning, both of whom were probably over 1.7 meters tall.
"I know."
Shen Qiuyu's reply surprised Jiang Mian.
"I saw your picture on the school honor roll. You look a little different in person."
Jiang Mian blinked. Her "self" had done reasonably well in school and occasionally made the honor roll,
but in a world where Awakened were supreme, academics weren't given much importance. Not many people paid attention to them.
She hadn't expected Shen Qiuyu to notice her, much less remember her now.
"Really? It must be... an old picture, then?"
Jiang Mian adjusted her glasses.
After she had "Awakened," she no longer had to keep such a low profile. Just changing to a pair of neat, simple glasses had made her look brighter.
They chatted for a while longer, mostly with Lin Xiaoyue chattering away and keeping the mood lively.
Before long, she was practically telling them the color of her underwear.
Jiang Mian learned that Lin Xiaoyue and Shen Qiuyu were classmates and close friends.
They had both Awakened fairly early, and their abilities were decent, so they had chosen this place for their internship. They had been here for about a month.
Shen Qiuyu was much easier to get along with than she seemed, at least with people she knew.
She could put up with Lin Xiaoyue's antics and even chime in now and then. She was also quite perceptive—typical of someone who was cold on the outside and warm on the inside.
After rinsing off, Shen Qiuyu didn't let loose like she did at home, since there were other people around. Instead, she changed into a relatively modest set of pajamas.
But the fabric was thin, and as she moved, it still faintly traced the shape of her body, especially...
"Huh?"
As soon as Jiang Mian stepped out, she felt an undisguised gaze on her.
She looked up and saw Lin Xiaoyue sitting on her bed, hugging that same pillow and staring at her in a daze.
"Jiang Mian... you have such a great figure?"
Lin Xiaoyue blinked, generously offering her praise:
"I didn't notice when you were wearing your Combat Suit, but now that you've changed... wow!"
Jiang Mian: "..."
She looked down at the pajamas stretched over her body. The curves were obvious, especially from above.
By now, she had mostly gotten used to it, but she'd never paid it any special attention. All her energy had gone into keeping up her disguise and earning money to buy medicine.
To be honest, because Jiang Mian had started taking medication in time, she hadn't yet reached the Third Stage of becoming an Aberrant. Judging by her appearance alone, she wasn't much different from an ordinary person—she could even be called perfect.
"Xiaoyue."
Shen Qiuyu's voice came from the bed nearby, touched with helplessness.
"Oh, Qiuyu, I'm only telling the truth!"
Jiang Mian.
Lin Xiaoyue stuck out her tongue, but her gaze remained glued to Jiang Mian.
"By the way, Jiang Mian, how tall are you? You look so tiny, but I never would've guessed..."
The way Lin Xiaoyue was looking at her made Jiang Mian uncomfortable. She instinctively covered her chest, the tips of her ears turning faintly red.
"Um... o-one sixty-five!"
She was actually just over 1.6 meters, but if she rounded up, it was close enough, right?
"I don't believe you."
Lin Xiaoyue muttered under her breath.
"Alright, alright. Let's all get some sleep."
Su Wanning emerged from the bathroom. Seeing Jiang Mian's flushed face, she could guess what Lin Xiaoyue had been up to.
At that, Lin Xiaoyue let the subject drop and laughed as she tumbled back onto her bed.
Jiang Mian hurriedly put away the clothes she'd changed out of, then curled up in bed and pulled the covers high, leaving only her eyes exposed.
She stared blankly at the ceiling, her heart anything but calm.
Her reaction earlier hadn't been an act.
Neither in her previous life nor in this one had she had much experience getting along with women her own age.
Back when she was working, people were indifferent to one another. She'd been on her own, and her life had been peaceful enough.
Now, caught between the secret of her condition and the pressure to survive, she usually kept her distance from others unless she had to.
She had never imagined that a roommate she'd just met would openly compliment her figure like that.
What made her even more uncomfortable was that when Lin Xiaoyue had praised her, she hadn't felt all that offended. Instead, she'd felt a little... proud?
The next day.
Su Wanning watched Jiang Mian squirming in bed. She'd been awake for half the morning, yet she still looked bleary-eyed and half asleep.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
"Mm... I guess I'm not used to the bed?"
Jiang Mian rubbed her eyes, her voice still a little fuzzy.
That wasn't actually it.
Last night, all sorts of stray thoughts had come from nowhere, circling endlessly in her mind and keeping her up for half the night.
"That's normal."
Lin Xiaoyue swung down from her bed with practiced ease and tied her hair into a ponytail.
"The beds here are seriously hard. You'll get used to it."
Shen Qiuyu had just pulled on her ankle boots. She looked up at Jiang Mian's groggy face but said nothing. Instead, she picked up a small jar from her desk and set it by Jiang Mian's bed.
"Special mint candies. Try one if you're sleepy."
"...Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Jiang Mian finally managed to escape the clutches of her blanket. While she was washing up, Lin Xiaoyue came over and asked in a lowered voice,
"Are you really okay? I saw you tossing and turning last night."
"I was just getting used to the bed."
She shook her head, her expression as calm as ever.
"That's good. I thought maybe I'd said something wrong yesterday and upset you."
Lin Xiaoyue let out a long breath and patted her perfectly flat chest.
"No, it's just... I'm not used to it yet."
"Mm-hm. You'll get used to it little by little. I'm telling you, our dorm's great. Qiuyu just looks icy, but she's actually so warmhearted. And Sister Su, she's just like a mo—"
"Hm?"
Just as Lin Xiaoyue was about to say something astonishing, Su Wanning poked her head in through the doorway.
"...Warm and reliable, and really good at taking care of people, right?"
Before you continue