Linmu Fujimiya held a Fujiya fruit lollipop between his teeth and watched Kikyo Kushida hurry to catch up. The thought of giving up and taking it easy, which had just crossed his mind, grew stronger.
The two walked side by side toward the academy's registration office. All along the way were boys and girls dressed in the same new-student uniforms as them.
There were plenty of curious glances. After all, Lin Mu's handsome face had sharp features and a cool air about it, and his striking short white hair and tall, straight 178-centimeter frame made him stand out in the crowd.
His cheeks were slightly puffed around the lollipop that always rested at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were half-lidded, as if he could hardly be bothered to open them.
Together, these features gave him a peculiar, intriguing air. Quite a few girls stole glances at him, quietly wondering who he was and murmuring about how handsome he looked.
The registration process was simple: they verified their identities, then handed out dorm keys and student handbooks.
When a staff member pulled up their records on a tablet and read out "Linmu Fujimiya, Class 1-D" and "Kikyo Kushida, Class 1-D," Kikyo's eyes lit up.
A huge smile spread across her face, and she even gave Lin Mu's arm a light, excited bump.
Lin Mu answered with a muffled "Mm," the lollipop still between his teeth. Inside, he could only sigh.
Even our classes match... It looked like having a quiet, easygoing school life would be harder than he'd hoped.
He took the materials and a cool metal key from the staff member, his fingertips absently tracing the fine patterns on the key's handle.
All he could think about was getting to the dorm, putting his things away, and, if possible, taking another nap.
As for being in the same class and becoming friends, to him, those were nothing but potential sources of extra social exhaustion.
"Since we're both going to drop our things off in the dorm, let's go together!"
Kikyo made the suggestion as if they were already old friends, cheerfully stepping up beside Lin Mu, her voice brimming with natural anticipation.
Lin Mu didn't refuse.
It wasn't because he was especially keen. The dorm was simply in the same direction, so it was convenient.
Going out of his way to avoid her would look deliberate and take more effort. That went against his principle of taking it easy.
He could barely be bothered to speak the whole way. The only movement came when his tongue nudged the lollipop now and then, rolling it against the inside of his mouth.
The sweet-and-sour fruit flavor slowly spread across his tongue, just managing to quell the faint irritation he felt at being unexpectedly "paired up" with someone.
Just as the student handbook indicated, all first-year students had been assigned to a relatively new dormitory building.
The boys' floors were strictly separated from the girls': the boys were on the lower floors, from the first to the third, and the girls on the upper floors, from the fourth to the sixth. Dorm supervisors were on duty in rooms by each stairwell, and the rules seemed quite strict.
The halls were busy with new students carrying luggage or wearing backpacks, their faces a mix of excitement, nerves, and curiosity.
Kikyo seemed born to be the center of attention. As they walked, she naturally nodded and smiled at the students they passed.
Every now and then, she even greeted someone with a cheerful "Hi there!" Her natural warmth was impossible to miss.
As they walked, she suddenly turned to Lin Mu, her bright eyes fixed on him, sparkling with undisguised hope.
"Lin Mu, since we've got such a connection, why don't we become friends?
My dream is to become friends with everyone at the academy!"
Lin Mu's steps faltered almost imperceptibly as he glanced sideways at her.
The girl's eyes curved with her smile, which looked so genuine it could melt snow. Her gaze was clear, and at least on the surface, there wasn't a hint of deceit or calculation.
If this had been any ordinary teenage boy, he would probably have gladly accepted such a sweet, cute girl's warm offer of friendship, perhaps even secretly thrilled.
But Lin Mu was, deep down, a dedicated slacker.
Making friends meant investing time, energy, and emotion in maintaining a relationship. To him, it was a kind of "drain."
Back at the orphanage, his telepathic ability—which he couldn't fully shut off—had made him hear too many people's secret thoughts, their pretenses, and even their malice, far too early in life.
The more clearly he saw people, the less inclined he became to maintain relationships that seemed warm but were actually fragile or full of calculation.
Rather than expend the effort to navigate phony pleasantries that might turn sour at any moment, he'd rather enjoy some peace and quiet on his own and save his energy for the things he truly cared about—like drawing, making desserts, playing games, or simply daydreaming.
However, seeing the hopeful, starry look in Kikyo's eyes stirred the kindness in him that made him reluctant to hurt others.
She hadn't shown the slightest sign of ill intent. Flatly rejecting someone who genuinely seemed to want to be friends felt a little too cold-hearted.
In the end, he merely tugged at the corner of his mouth, making the lollipop stick wobble slightly against his lips, and mumbled in his usual lazy, nasal tone, "Whatever."
It could hardly be called a promise. If anything, it sounded a little perfunctory.
But Kikyo seemed to have received the greatest approval imaginable. Her smile instantly grew even brighter, and she pulled out her phone from her uniform pocket.
She moved so quickly, as if afraid he'd change his mind. "Then let's exchange contact info! That way we can look out for each other in class and keep each other updated!"
Lin Mu sighed to himself. His face remained expressionless as he obediently took out his phone, unlocked it, and brought up his social app's QR code.
They added each other quickly. Looking at the new name "Kikyo Kushida" in his contacts, along with her cartoon avatar, Lin Mu felt that the item on his pre-enrollment plan for a laid-back life—"keep socializing to a minimum, preferably zero"—was about to be officially scrapped on his very first day at the academy.
The two parted at the stairwell and headed to their respective floors.
The academy had assigned them standard single rooms. They weren't large, but they came with everything: a bed, desk, wardrobe, small refrigerator, and even a private bathroom.
The window faced south, and the room got plenty of sunlight. The accommodations were much better than he'd expected for student housing.
Lin Mu had no interest in taking a close look around or decorating.
He quickly hung a few frequently worn clothes in the wardrobe and set his daily necessities where they'd be easy to reach.
Most importantly, he placed a tin filled with lollipops in assorted flavors—milk, strawberry, grape, orange, and cola—right in the most prominent spot at the center of his desk.
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