My Online Friend Can't Be This Cute

But looking at my backend stats, it really did seem like I ought to cry.

Not to mention that my book had been discovered by other author friends, and they successfully boxed me in. That made me feel even worse.

One box after another, until practically everyone active in the group knew. I wanted to die.

There were many reasons for writing this book, but I figured nobody would want to hear them anyway, so just consider it my suicidal attempt at writing an original story.

An original youth slice-of-life story set in a parallel world, no less.

Yeah, I did not even dare write anything below the university level. I only dared make up the locations and university too. I was such a coward.

Even though my author friends all said writing original fiction was a dead end.

But it seemed quite a few friends were voting to support it now, which made me a little embarrassed.

At this point, it was probably too late for regrets. I would just write as much as I could.

Smack! That was for getting ahead of myself and writing original fiction. Smack! That was for getting ahead of myself and writing original fiction.

I was wrong, really wrong. I would never dare do it again next time.

Actually, readers had complained about my hellish update schedule long ago. I knew that too.

But it was not that I did not want to update earlier. I was also trying hard to rearrange my other time around writing.

There was just no way around it. I had been having a rough time lately, and all sorts of reasons had left me in an incredibly poor writing state, which meant I needed even more time to write.

Still, I do not think I have ever posted less since starting this book. Yesterday was not less either; that chapter was a double update. It was just too late and I was too sleepy, so this pig forgot to mark it.

As for updates, tomorrow will probably be three... no, maybe two updates instead? I will do my best, okay? I will also try to adjust the update time.

Though it looked like nobody would object anyway. (Collective Silence Spell.)

A reward bounty? Do I look like someone who would dare open a reward bounty?

The Counselor Has a Request

The two-week military training passed in a flash, and the students who had finally escaped those miserable days returned to their normal studies.

A Seductress: @Flaked Out, has Pigeon's computer still not arrived?

A Seductress: Everyone is waiting to play Famished with you.

Flaked Out: I have not decided what computer to buy yet.

Baibai: Did you not say you were buying one before?

Flaked Out: Yeah, I want to build a desktop myself. Desktops have better performance and cooling, but they are a little inconvenient in a dorm.

Flaked Out: First, the dorm loses power sometimes. Second, I do not really feel comfortable in this dorm.

Flaked Out: In that case, a laptop would be better, but personally, I still prefer desktops. They are more comfortable for gaming with everyone too.

Don't Play Holy Slash: What is wrong? Bad roommates?

Human-Dragon Unity: Why? University roommates are all adults. They should still be fairly reasonable.

Human-Dragon Unity: Even at worst, you can stay out of each other's way and do your own thing.

Flaked Out: That would be a little too harsh. My roommates seem like decent people; I am just not very good at getting along with others.

Baibai: Really? I feel like Pigeon's social skills are much better than mine.

Flaked Out: Ahaha... better, are they?

Flaked Out: As for doing our own thing, the atmosphere would feel strange. It would not be very comfortable.

Don't Play Holy Slash: Then should you ask the counselor to change your dorm?

Flaked Out: In my situation, changing dorms would not be easy.

Flaked Out: And even if I changed dorms, the result would probably be the same.

Flaked Out: The problem lies with me, not them.

A Seductress: Fine, then we will not play for now. We will wait for you.

Flaked Out: It is fine. There will always be another multiplayer game. We can play together then.

Baibai: It would not be fun without Pigeon.

Flaked Out: Wuwuwu, as expected of Baibai. You have the most conscience in this group.

Flaked Out: Though I thought you would only say things like that about Xiao Yi.

Baibai: If Xiao Yi does not play, I will not play either.

Flaked Out: So in the end, I gave my heart to the wrong person.

Don't Play Holy Slash: Then we will wait. No rush. Tell us once you have bought your computer.

Flaked Out: Mm.

Don't Play Holy Slash: @Human-Dragon Unity Oh, right. Be aware that club recruitment starts after Friday afternoon.

Don't Play Holy Slash: Though recruitment lasts several days, the first day is usually the liveliest.

Don't Play Holy Slash: Do not stay in the dorm playing games and forget about it.

A Seductress: Come hang out at the Anime Club. I will be helping there too, so if you come, I will not be so bored.

Human-Dragon Unity: Go out in the afternoon in this heat?

Human-Dragon Unity: Let me check my schedule first.

That was what he said, but he had no intention of looking at the class schedule posted on the dorm wall. Instead, he loudly called for his roommates.

As everyone knew, roommates were class schedules.

"Old Qin, do we have class Friday afternoon?"

"No." Qin Yongfeng answered from his bed. "But we do have class this afternoon."

Noticing that the voice had come from the wrong direction, Mo Xiangwen leaned back and saw that Qin Yongfeng's spot in the next room was empty.

"Why are you already lying in bed? We have not even eaten yet."

Qin Yongfeng said, "I am playing eroge. What, should I play it downstairs and let you all watch?"

"Stop playing and come game with us." Zhong Taihong shouted. "Old Xi and I have been on a losing streak."

"If you can get Old Mo moving, I will come." Qin Yongfeng sighed helplessly. "I really cannot carry you by myself."

Zhong Taihong cursed. "That sounds awful. What do you mean, you cannot carry me?"

"Are you calling him or not?"

"Old Mo!"

Looking at his solid page of red match records, Zhong Taihong ultimately yielded to his desire for victory.

"Fine, give me a moment."

Mo Xiangwen answered casually, replying to the group first.

Human-Dragon Unity: Not going. In this blazing heat, if I do not have class, why would I leave the dorm and its air conditioning? You must be crazy.

A Seductress: ? Say that again.

"Old Mo! How much longer?"

"Coming, coming."

The four of them skipped lunch and played matchmaking all noon, yet even after trying their hardest, they could not get their first win.

They had planned to play two ARAM matches and win one to comfort themselves, but unexpectedly, they kept running into premade teams there too.

By the time they had to leave for class, the four of them still had a row of red records.

Mo Xiangwen was doing all right. His own lane had not collapsed, so his experience had not been too bad.

The other three all had dark expressions as they left the dorm.

"Forget it, Old Zhong. This time, it really was not your fault." Xi Shaojie patted Zhong Taihong on the shoulder. "I suspect Old Mo's rank is too high, so it matched you against opponents your rank should not have to bear."

"How is that any different from calling me bad?" Zhong Taihong shot him a glance and said weakly, "I even played Stone Man like you guys told me to."

"Because Old Qin and I were struggling too." Xi Shaojie sighed. "Ask Old Qin if you do not believe me."

"True, it was a little difficult." Qin Yongfeng nodded. "It felt like playing ranked."

"Damn, that does make me feel a little better, but we still could not win."

"It is fine. According to ELO, when you solo queue later, you will be able to win with your feet." Qin Yongfeng comforted him as well. "The system will assign you some bot opponents."

"You two are enough already."

"It is fine. Next time, I will just bring someone else along." Mo Xiangwen shook his head helplessly. "She does not have a computer recently, so I cannot call her over. Otherwise, if I got her to duo with me in mid and jungle, we could probably carry you."

"One more person would be enough to carry us?" Qin Yongfeng asked doubtfully. "Even if she is around your level, would that not raise the average rank?"

"It is different. Playing with you three comes with no coordination at all, making it feel like I am solo queueing." Mo Xiangwen shook his head and explained. "If I bring her along, that makes it duo queue. Duo queue has a much bigger advantage than solo queue."

Zhong Taihong nodded, seeming to understand. "Got it. You are calling us bad."

"Damn it, you are the bad one. Do not drag Old Qin and me into it."

University was different from high school. The classroom for each class was not completely fixed.

When he arrived at the classroom and saw the seat beside Yan Nuoya was empty as usual, he did not bother acting awkwardly. It was not the first time, after all, so he went straight over and sat down.

As soon as he sat down, Yan Nuoya softly said beside him, "The counselor said she wants you and me to go to her office after class."

"Hm? Why did I not get a message from the counselor?" Mo Xiangwen checked his phone. There were indeed no missed calls or texts. "Did the teacher only notify you?"

"I do not know either." Yan Nuoya blinked. "Do you want to see the message?"

"That will not be necessary."

A Request

"I will be direct. On Friday, I would like to ask you two to help look after someone."

Their counselor, Fu Qianping, was a capable-looking middle-aged woman. Her face seemed to carry a persistent exhaustion all year round.

Yeah, a little like a senior-year high school student.

He had heard before that university teachers had it fairly easy, so he had no idea why she looked so tired.

Still, that did not affect the respect he ought to show a teacher. Yan Nuoya and he were students under her supervision, after all, so being polite could not hurt... that was what he had thought.

"Since you mentioned looking after someone, is the other party a child?" Yan Nuoya asked.

"Although she is a little small, she is not a child."

Fu Qianping lightly rubbed her temple with the hand supporting her head. "She is my daughter. She is only a little younger than you two, and she wants to visit H University."

Mo Xiangwen frowned. "If she is only a little younger than us, she must at least be a high school student. Girls that age do not need us to look after them."

Honestly, he felt from the bottom of his heart that this was troublesome.

Being only a little younger than them meant she might already be an adult.

If an adult still needed looking after, then either she was an overgrown child or physically disabled.

He could not afford to offend the former, and he could not shoulder responsibility for the latter.

Yan Nuoya remained silent as well, probably hesitating inwardly too.

"It is not what you think. She is a good child." Fu Qianping sighed almost imperceptibly. "Her health is just a little poor, and she is somewhat introverted."

When a mother said her daughter was a good child, she might not be lying, but it was not necessarily true.

Yan Nuoya clearly understood that principle as well.

"Teacher, we are not professional caregivers, after all." Yan Nuoya said softly. "You said your daughter is in poor health, but we do not know her condition. We really have no way to take care of her."

The implication, naturally, was a refusal.

"Teacher, I feel the same way." Mo Xiangwen shook his head. "If her health is really so poor that she needs someone watching over her just to walk around campus, then she should be resting and recuperating properly."