Lobster Tails

In the afternoon at Cassel College, sunlight filtered through dense branches, casting scattered flecks of light along the tree-lined path to the library.

The air carried the scent of grass and earth.

Lu Mingfei had just escaped the Equipment Division's test, which had been nothing short of "ice and fire," and his head was still buzzing as if a flock of Stormhawks had taken turns bombing it.

His shoulders slumped and his steps drifted. All he wanted was to find a quiet corner and stuff his soul back into his body.

Then he saw a petite figure.

Zero.

She stood not far ahead, beneath the tall row of cherry trees beside the library's side entrance.

She tilted her head up slightly, seeming to watch the dancing light among the treetops, or perhaps simply spacing out.

The shouts from the distant field, the bells of passing bicycles, the low hum of student conversation—all of it seemed to vanish the moment it touched the invisible domain around her, leaving behind only an absolute silence.

The girl's face was as translucent as ice and snow.

Lu Mingfei and Zero could hardly be called close.

Zero was beautiful, but hers was an aggressive beauty, like an unsheathed blade of ice—sharp and pure, making people wary of approaching her too easily.

Not to mention... during their last lab class, he had accidentally singed Zero's hair with a blowtorch.

Come to think of it, how had he managed to smooth that over back then...

Ah... he had promised to treat Zero to lobster tails as an apology...

Lobster tails...

Lobster tails?

Cold sweat immediately broke out across Lu Mingfei's forehead.

When had that happened again? Last week... or the week before?

Because he had been constantly shuttling between the Lands Between and Cassel College, his sense of time had grown increasingly vague.

To Zero, it might have happened only last week or the week before, but for Lu Mingfei, it had been one or two months—or even half a year—ago.

Besides, lately he had been busy making money with Fingal by reselling personal postcards, and he had never had a chance to see Zero.

He had completely thrown the matter to the back of his mind!

In that brief instant, Lu Mingfei's mind went through a violent storm of thoughts.

And in the end, his decision was—

Lower his head, go around her, and pretend he had not seen her.

His feet shifted as he stealthily prepared to slip past behind Zero like a rat.

However.

Zero slowly turned around.

Those ice-blue eyes settled calmly and without a ripple on him.

"Lu Mingfei."

Her voice was crisp, with little inflection, yet she called his name with perfect precision.

"Uh... Zero?"

Lu Mingfei forced out a dry smile, feeling as though the muscles in his face had stiffened.

Zero did not follow up on what he said.

She took two steps forward, instantly closing the distance between them.

Lu Mingfei's "perception" was always active and incredibly precise. He could even smell the faint, cool scent on her, like a pine forest after snowfall.

"Did you... go train?"

Zero asked lightly.

"Ah... I just had a routine test."

He answered vaguely.

Zero did not press him further. She merely moved another half step closer.

Then Zero made a move that instantly crashed Lu Mingfei's brain.

She held out her hand.

That hand was fair and slender, her fingertips carrying the faint chill of jade as they gently reached for his collar and brushed over the rumpled collar of his uniform.

The movement was natural.

Every muscle in Lu Mingfei's body tensed.

He could clearly see Zero's eyelashes from this close, every strand distinct, like frost-covered butterfly wings.

"Your collar is crooked."

Zero spoke softly, still in that flat, matter-of-fact tone, as though she were merely stating an objective fact.

Her gaze was open and calm, without the slightest hint of flirtation, as if that intimate gesture had been nothing more than a casual act.

Only then did Lu Mingfei snap back to himself. He reflexively stepped back, his heel striking the curb and nearly making him fall.

"Lo-lobster tails!"

Lu Mingfei's voice trembled, nearly incoherent.

"I promised to treat you to lobster tails last time as an apology. Actually, I was just about to look for you. I already booked a table, at that... that place..."

In a sudden flash of inspiration, he said:

"Maple Harbor! Tonight!"

The mottled shadows of leaves swayed over Zero's face. She lifted a hand and tucked a lock of windblown golden hair behind her ear.

Zero agreed.

"Five o'clock."

Zero's voice remained flat, with a trace of coolness.

"At the school's main gate."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Lu Mingfei stood there in a daze until Zero's figure vanished around the corner, then finally let out a long breath.

"This is... deadly."

Lu Mingfei muttered under his breath as he looked at his collar.

He shook his head, trying to shake off those heart-stopping few seconds.

What was that supposed to mean? Lu Mingfei thought.

A passing whim from the Vacuum Queen? Or some signal he completely could not understand? It could not have been a warning, could it? Just because he had singed her hair last time?

But only now did he belatedly realize what he had just done.

Maple Harbor... wasn't that the restaurant that had recently opened at the foot of Cassel Mountain?

Lu Mingfei had happened to hear Fingal mention it one evening. It seemed to be the family business of someone at the school, and business was booming. You had to reserve a table two weeks in advance to get a spot.

Reservations...?

He pulled out his phone and began frantically tapping the screen.

"Fingal! Emergency! What's Maple Harbor's reservation number? Do you have any connections?"

His screen lit up almost instantly, and Fingal's reply came with a shameless emoji:

[(￣▽￣*)ゞJunior Brother, Junior Brother, have you finally caught on and decided to ask someone out? Who is it?]

[Maple Harbor? That's a three-star Michelin place where you have to book two weeks ahead! Do you think your senior brother is some big shot in Cassel's restaurant industry?]

Lu Mingfei's fingers flew over the keyboard.

[Cut the crap. If you don't help me, I'll kick you out and go solo! You won't even get the remaining thirty percent!]

Fingal replied instantly.

[Threats! Naked threats!]

[But... Junior Brother, with your current reputation, wouldn't plenty of people come crawling over if you made a post on the forum?]

Lu Mingfei stared at Fingal's reply, veins throbbing on his forehead. Gritting his teeth, he typed furiously.

[Crawl over your head! Can you do it or not?]

There was silence on the other end for two seconds.

Lu Mingfei's fingers hovered over the screen as he racked his brains for an even harsher threat, when Fingal suddenly sent three words:

[Pay me more.]

Fingal quoted a somewhat outrageous price. In the past, Lu Mingfei would not even have looked at it, because he simply could not afford it.

But now, the two brothers were flush with cash—

[Why so much?]

Fingal replied:

[There's a fee for running the errand, and a fee for keeping quiet.]

[Latest intel: Zero turned down the student union's ball invitation today because she "had an appointment." Junior Brother, you're finished.]

Lu Mingfei's fingers trembled, and he nearly dropped his phone into the grass.

He took a deep breath and typed rapidly.

[I'll transfer the money! Are you fucking helping or not?]

The instant the message was sent, Fingal's reply became immediately enthusiastic:

[You should've said so earlier! Your senior brother will go call in some favors right now!]