"Come to think of it, why would Emma want to attend the Ladies' Tea Party? What brought about this change in her?"
Emma? Metis, of course it was because she had heard Dark's speech after winning the championship and wanted to give this so-called "work-life balance" a try.
That meant using something fun to ease the tedium of studying and giving her brain time to rest, so it could work more efficiently when needed.
She had learned about the Ladies' Tea Party on Traveler Street last week, when she passed the Forest Coffee Shop and a young maid had thrust a flyer into her hands.
She had thrown it away at the time, but her memory was good enough to remember the details.
The Forest Coffee Shop was themed around the "Real Forest." As soon as customers stepped inside, they entered the range of the "Forest Field Card."
Savoring the lingering notes of rich coffee in the tranquil surroundings of trees with gnarled roots made for a uniquely enjoyable experience.
This Ladies' Tea Party was being hosted by upperclassmen, primarily as an opportunity to socialize.
Emma thought this kind of entertainment might suit her rather well.
So, in order to become a better person, she had taken a step out of the cage called "the pursuit of knowledge" that had bound her.
A person's personality was not innate.
Even characters who started out with established personalities in a story could change as the story progressed.
They might fall from grace, or they might grow.
It all depended on the character.
Dark knew that all too well.
Following Emma, he entered the Lake Pavilion and chose one of the two vacant stone tables. He sat down on a stone stool and gave his bottom a slight wiggle. By a stroke of luck, he was transported.
After leaving the Lake Pavilion again and crossing the garden-style bridge known as the "Dress-up Bridge," he entered Traveler Street.
After a week away, Traveler Street felt a little unfamiliar.
Dark didn't hurry over to the Morgan Shop. Instead, he wandered into a shop selling potted flowers and plants.
Keeping pets was forbidden in Saint Marian Academy's Castle. But no one had banned growing flowers and plants. Professor Thompson from Potions even occasionally mentioned interesting potted plants in class and recommended that students try growing them.
One such example was the... Meow Meow Grass right in front of Dark!
The moment he entered the shop, the Meow Meow Grass displayed in the most conspicuous spot caught his eye. He nearly forgot why he had come in the first place—to buy an Insect Tree.
Meow Meow Grass was a plant that was entirely cat, except for its tail, which was a root!
Every spring and autumn, beautiful flowers grew on top of the Meow Meow Grass's head.
The academy prohibited keeping cats, but allowed Meow Meow Grass. It was a mystery that was hard to solve.
Meow Meow Grass had to be planted in soil, but when they wanted to, they could drag their flowerpots around...
They also wouldn't wither right away if they were away from the soil for a short time.
More importantly, they could meow and shared most cats' habits—aside from eating and relieving themselves.
In other words, keeping Meow Meow Grass didn't even require a litter box or cat food!
Instead, it needed a Magic Potion called "Cat Juice."
Just water the Meow Meow Grass with a little "Cat Juice" every day and take it outside to sunbathe. That was all it took to keep it alive!
As far as Dark knew, after Traveler Street had opened last week, many girls had added a pot of Meow Meow Grass to their dorm rooms.
Rose, for example, had bought an orange Garfield.
"Cats really are wonderful companions that soothe the soul."
Dark scratched under the chin of a short-eared cat and couldn't help voicing his thoughts.
"You think so too?"
A familiar presence suddenly came from behind him. Dark shuddered, like a kitten that had just come face-to-face with a lion. Even his toes tensed up.
A faint, orchid-like fragrance brushed against the back of his neck. Even without turning around, Dark could feel that weighty pressure!
Still holding his pose as he petted the cat, Dark asked in confusion, "Senior, what are you doing here too?"
Senior Pandora chuckled. "I followed you here."
Dark said, "Oh, did you come to buy Cat Juice?"
Pandora replied, "You're so hard to fool!"
Dark and Senior Pandora had barely interacted with each other. Most of their conversations had consisted of a few words exchanged while signing in and out of the library.
But to keep [Bliss +1] from happening, Dark always ran off as soon as he'd finished signing in.
Still, he visited the library so often that, over time, they had become familiar with each other.
Even though that was the last thing he wanted...
Dark slowly edged away from Senior Pandora's oppressive presence, then stood up as casually as he could and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes.
He turned around and said, "Hello, Senior."
Pandora blinked. The heart-shaped dragon scale beneath the corner of her eye reflected a brilliant array of colors.
She folded her hands beneath her chest and lifted her chin. "Are you here to buy Meow Meow Grass?"
Dark hadn't planned on buying any, but then he thought it over. A pot of Meow Meow Grass in his dorm room might not be a bad idea.
Keeping a cat really was a good way to soothe the mind.
It could help ease one's mood and relieve stress.
Especially a cat that didn't need a litter box!
If he put it to good use, it might reduce his Wrath even better than those legendary magic items.
"I'll buy a pot, then!"
But before that, he needed to buy an Insect Tree.
Dark wasn't going to get the order wrong.
If he bought Meow Meow Grass and didn't have enough credits left for the Insect Tree, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?
So, after thinking it over, he said, "I'm considering it, but not right now."
Pandora helpfully offered, "Is something troubling you? If you don't have enough credits, I can offer you an interest-free loan. You can pay it back within a month. How does that sound?"
What was with that practiced routine of hers?
Dark's face darkened, and he hurriedly said, "I have something else to take care of, so I won't bother you, Senior."
As he spoke, he had already slipped half a foot forward.
But Senior Pandora had finally found the perfect opportunity to catch him, so how could she let him go so easily?
Just as Dark was about to move his other foot, Senior Pandora naturally blocked his way. Narrowing her eyes with a smile, she asked, "Do you have an appointment with someone? Don't tell me it's that little girl who often sits behind you?"
She meant Emma.
Dark didn't seize the opportunity to use that as an excuse to escape. Instead, he replied seriously, "Senior, I'm still young."
Pandora was taken aback, then asked curiously, "Don't boys your age hate being called little?"
Dark put on a stern face. "That's an objective fact."
Pandora chuckled. "Then I'll just have to look forward to you growing up."
Watching her moist pink lips part and close, Dark felt his Primordial Force on the verge of breaking loose.
He hurriedly said, "We'll see when the time comes."
Then he forced his way past her and ran off in a hurry!
"We'll see when the time comes?"
"He really isn't cute at all..."
After leaving the Meow Meow Flower Shop, Dark turned and entered the nearby Coo-Coo Bird Flower Shop.
He gave up trying to figure out what kind of bird a "Coo-Coo Bird" was and simply stepped inside.
The Coo-Coo Bird Flower Shop's signature product was a potted stump called the "Chirping Tree." When sunlight slanted onto it, it let out a call, making it a perfect "natural alarm clock" for the dorm.
Dark passed by all kinds of strange Chirping Trees, then suddenly perked up when he spotted an Insect Tree growing in a flowerpot in the corner!
The Insect Tree was the cheapest of the three options and Dark's first choice.
Compared with the "Magic Brain Bottle" and the "Advanced Thought Bottle," the Insect Tree had some obvious drawbacks.
For one, its shelf life depended heavily on the condition of the Insect Tree itself.
If it wasn't cared for properly, holes could easily form in its branches, causing the substance stored inside the Insect Branches to leak out. Sometimes the branches themselves would even absorb some of it.
Another drawback was its limited storage capacity.
Each mature Insect Branch could hold only one to three Magic Brain Droppers' worth, depending on its thickness and length.
But it also had some very clear advantages.
First, each Insect Branch was separate, so different emotions could be stored in different branches.
Second, it wasn't as expensive!
After asking about the Insect Tree's condition, age, and other details, Dark finally got to the question that mattered. "May I ask how many credits it costs?"
The owner of the Coo-Coo Bird Flower Shop was a plump middle-aged woman. She looked Dark up and down and kindly said, "This isn't something a first-year can afford to keep. It costs 800 credits, and that's just the price of the tree. To keep it alive and healthy, you'll also need to keep buying the right Magic Potions. The potion changes every season, so it's a real hassle!"
Dark thought for a moment. "How many credits do the potions cost?"
The plump woman was taken aback, then smiled. "The autumn potion costs 30 credits a bottle and lasts a month. The winter potion costs 50 credits a bottle and also lasts a month."
Dark thought it over carefully and decided the cost was manageable.
The Insect Tree felt like paying in installments: 800 upfront, then monthly payments.
The "Magic Brain Bottle" and "Advanced Thought Bottle," on the other hand, had to be paid for all at once.
And judging by the price of the Insect Tree, the "Magic Brain Bottle" and "Advanced Thought Bottle" were probably both beyond his means!
Dark didn't dwell on it.
He carefully wrote down all the things the plump woman had said he needed to know to raise the Insect Tree, then bought the potted tree and a bottle of autumn potion.
The Insect Tree was about eighty centimeters tall. Eight Insect Branches extended from it, looking like caterpillars. Their texture was rather like rubber rods.
After it had been wrapped in a black bag, Dark stuck his head out and glanced at the "Meow Meow Flower Shop." Once he confirmed that Senior Pandora had left, he slipped inside.
He really had decided to buy Meow Meow Grass!
"I've got 740 credits left. More than I expected."
Dark figured he could still afford quite a few things, so he wandered around the Meow Meow Flower Shop.
There was a huge variety of Meow Meow Grass in the shop.
They all looked so well-behaved, too.
Every single one was irresistible.
But as he browsed, Dark suddenly realized something was wrong.
Because a snake had appeared in front of him!
Before you continue