Out of habit, Simoya and Zoe still sat where they had sat last time. Others—such as Tang An—found their previous seats occupied by new guests and could only sit elsewhere.
In the silence, Simoya faintly felt herself growing impatient. It seemed everyone, just as before, intended to stay put until Madam Bronbo announced they were free to move about.
It was certainly a safe strategy, but it was also far too wasteful of time.
The table was utterly quiet. Simoya's peripheral vision casually swept toward Silei and Klar beside her, only to find that the two of them were both sitting with their heads lowered in similar postures, staring at the phones beneath the table. The moment one person's tapping fingers paused, the other would let out an amused snort at the screen or simply raise her head to exchange a glance with the other.
Simoya drifted off for a while before suddenly realizing that the two of them were chatting on their phones—and having a very lively conversation at that.
She immediately opened her own phone. The group chat she had created that evening was completely silent, without a single message.
Meanwhile, Zoe stared blankly at the tabletop and yawned in boredom.
Simoya suddenly felt sulky.
"Simoya..." A light, floating voice came from her front left. Simoya looked up to see Tang An staring brightly at her. The instant their eyes met, he tossed her a piece of paper folded four times.
Simoya reached out and pinned the note down, sliding it before herself. Silei, Klar, and Zoe all snapped out of their own little worlds at the same time, their attention instantly returning to Simoya.
She unfolded the note. It contained one brief sentence: Do you want to go outside for a walk?
Simoya suppressed the urge to