Is Kushida-san also here to relax?

Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike chimed in as well, mumbling praises while chewing on snacks:

"Suzune Horikita is so responsible!"

"Exactly! She's amazing!"

"As expected, Suzune Horikita is the hope of our Class D!"

For a moment, Suzune Horikita became the center of everyone's praise.

She remained expressionless, but the way she straightened her back and the flicker of emotion in her eyes betrayed that she wasn't entirely indifferent.

As for Kikyo Kushida, she stood to the side with a bright, sunny smile still plastered on her face, even clapping along: "That's right, that's right, Suzune Horikita is just wonderful!"

But that smile, for a split second, stiffened ever so slightly.

A fleeting trace of gloom and jealousy flashed through her eyes.

The emotion was so fast it felt like an illusion—but Lin Mu caught it.

He looked at her flawless smiling face, at her eyes that remained bright yet seemed to be veiled by a thin mist, and let out a soft "tsk" in his heart.

He hated how Suzune Horikita could act so aloof yet easily gain everyone's approval.

This displeasure lasted only a moment before Kikyo perfectly hid it away.

She put on her gentle smile again, as if nothing had happened, continuing to play the part of the cheerful, considerate, and understanding Kikyo Kushida.

This gathering, which could hardly be called lively, finally neared its end after most of the snacks had been consumed.

It was getting late, and there were classes tomorrow.

Everyone stood up to leave one after another, leaving the room in a mess: snack wrappers, empty drink bottles, cookie crumbs...

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's dormitory, which had originally been as clean and tidy as a model home, now looked like it had been swept by a storm.

Lin Mu looked at the trash on the floor, then at the expressionless Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and the others who were already preparing to leave, and after a moment of thought, he spoke up:

"I'll help clean up."

After all, he had been present at the gathering; even though he had been like background furniture the whole time, leaving a mess behind just didn't feel right.

Upon hearing this, Kikyo Kushida immediately raised her hand: "I'll help too! Since it was my idea to have this gathering, it would be too rude to leave the trash behind."

The others—Sudo, Haruki Yamauchi, and Kanji Ike—looked at each other with awkward expressions.

They clearly had no intention of cleaning up, but since Kikyo had said that, they felt too embarrassed to just slip away.

"Well... then we'll..." Sudo scratched his head and said vaguely.

"No need," Lin Mu interrupted him flatly. "Besides, it's inconvenient to clean with too many people.

You guys head back first; Kikyo and I will handle the cleaning."

Haruki Yamauchi, who was eager to leave early, immediately went along with it:

"Then we'll leave it to you! Thanks for the hard work, Kikyo, Lin Mu!"

With that, he dragged Kanji Ike and the still-hesitant Sudo out of the room.

Suzune Horikita glanced at Lin Mu, then at Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, and without saying a word, she gave a slight nod and turned to leave.

Finally, only Lin Mu, Kikyo, and the room's owner, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, remained.

The three of them quickly began to divide the work.

Kikyo was responsible for clearing the trash from the table and bed, Lin Mu took care of sweeping the floor, and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji joined in as well.

Soon, the room was restored to order.

The trash was gathered into a large, bulging bag.

Lin Mu picked up the bag, weighed it in his hand, and spoke calmly:

"I'll go downstairs to throw this out; you two just finish tidying up the room."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

The dormitory area was very quiet at night.

The hallway was lit with soft lights as Lin Mu carried the trash bag, walking slowly toward the elevator and eventually reaching the trash collection point outside the dormitory building.

He tossed the bag into the sorting bin and brushed the non-existent dust off his hands.

The night breeze, carrying the humidity of the seaside, rushed toward him, ruffling the white bangs on his forehead.

The wind was refreshing, with a hint of saltiness that blew away the lingering scent of snacks on his clothes.

Lin Mu stood by the trash bin, not returning immediately.

He looked up at the night sky; there was no moon, only a few sparse stars that looked dim and lusterless surrounded by the city's glow.

In the distance, the faint sound of waves could be heard, rhythmic and long-lasting.

It was boring to go back to the dorm anyway.

Thinking this, Lin Mu took a step and headed toward the nearby seaside.

Under the night, the surface of the sea was a deep, ink-blue.

The waves gently lapped against the beach, making a soft "swish" sound, pulling away fine grains of sand as they receded, over and over again.

The entire coastline was shrouded in a tranquil darkness, with only the hazy halos cast by distant streetlights.

Lin Mu leaned against the railing of the coastal walkway, his hands tucked into his pockets, a lollipop he was nearly finished with dangling from his mouth.

He gazed at the undulating surface of the sea, feeling the chill of the sea breeze against his cheeks, his mind drifting into a void.

At times like this, he didn't want to use any of his abilities.

He just wanted to stand here, letting the wind blow and listening to the waves, immersing himself in a moment of peace.

But this tranquility did not last long.

Light footsteps approached from behind.

The footsteps were soft and somewhat hesitant, stopping and starting; clearly, the person was not walking toward the shore with a clear destination, but wandering aimlessly.

Lin Mu did not turn around, but through his Psychokinesis, he had already "seen" the outline and face of the person approaching.

It was Kikyo Kushida.

She walked with her head down, her steps slow, completely lacking her usual lighthearted vitality.

Her long brown hair fluttered slightly in the night breeze, obscuring most of her face.

She was walking so absent-mindedly that she didn't even notice the person standing by the railing ahead until she was less than five meters away, at which point she suddenly looked up, and their eyes met.

Kikyo Kushida clearly had not expected to run into Lin Mu here.

She froze instantly, her expression spiraling out of control for a split second—a look Lin Mu had never seen on her face before:

Confusion, gloom, irritation, and a trace of vulnerability that she hadn't had time to hide.

But the next second, all those negative emotions receded like the tide.

She quickly adjusted her breathing, the corners of her mouth turned up, and her eyes curved into crescents; the sunny, cheerful Kikyo Kushida was back.

It happened so fast that one might doubt if that moment just now had been an illusion.

"Oh, Lin Mu?"

Her voice carried just the right amount of surprise, as if this were truly a pleasant encounter. "Are you out for a walk by the sea too? What a coincidence!"

Lin Mu looked at her without speaking.

His gaze was calm, yet it seemed to possess a certain penetrating power, causing the smile on her face to stiffen slightly.

A few seconds later, Lin Mu turned his head back to look at the sea and spoke softly:

"Something on your mind?"

His voice was gentle, devoid of any accusatory tone, just a plain inquiry.

Kikyo Kushida's smile faltered.

She laughed as if it were nothing, her tone light: "What are you talking about, Lin Mu?

I've always been like this; I don't have any heavy secrets, everything is light and bright."

She walked over to the railing, keeping a distance of about a meter from Lin Mu, and looked out at the sea as well.