Your vacation balance is running low.

"What an ingenious way to treat someone..."

Although the treatment felt very strange, it had indeed worked wonders. After a good sleep, the formerly exhausted Lu Guan had regained his energy with "Sora's" help.

Lu Guan moved his body and noticed something odd. Looking down, he saw two snow-white arms clinging tightly to him.

He turned his head to find Dania's peaceful sleeping face. The chest of her black slip nightdress rose and fell with each breath, and the warm air she exhaled brushed against his neck, just like an affectionate kitten.

As always, a pink kitty had automatically spawned beside him when he woke up.

"...You said you'd bring me lunch, but ended up oversleeping yourself." Lu Guan felt a little helpless. Dania's sleepiness and laziness would not change just because she was free of Aleph-1's influence. Years of habit had long since sunk deep into her bones.

But why change? Change was not necessarily a good thing.

It was like replacing the model of a game character you liked. Could they still be the same character? By the same token, if Dania stopped being so lazy, could she still be Dania?

There really wasn't much to do for fun in Jinzhou.

Most of its entertainment consisted of plays, song and dance performances, and the like.

Lu Guan couldn't appreciate them. Though his mother came from a family of vocal musicians, he clearly hadn't inherited her talent.

Having been taught music by his mother since childhood, the only thing he could currently manage was to stay on pitch when using his Resonance Ability through song.

Dania, on the other hand, watched with great interest. Although she couldn't understand what the people in costume onstage were singing, the lively atmosphere brought a heartfelt smile to her face.

Aside from those, Jinzhou didn't seem to have any other entertainment. But on reflection, that made sense. After all, Jinzhou was on the front lines of the war and only needed to focus all its efforts on withstanding the pressure, while the other regions in the rear had much more to consider.

Fortunately, precisely because it was also the youngest region, its bureaucracy was not as rigid as that of the Ming Court or even the other regions. With Jué right to the north, who had time for infighting?

Jinhsi wasn't as simple as she appeared, either. Although the sixteen-year-old girl's methods could hardly be called ruthless, she showed no tolerance for actions that sought private gain at Jinzhou's expense.

Her temper really was good, though. At least, during the two months Lu Guan had been staying at the Frontier Court, he had never seen her truly lose her temper. She always carried herself with grace and propriety.

That also made it hard to raise her affection. On top of that, she was usually busy, so Lu Guan rarely had a chance to see her. Each time, they merely caught a glimpse of each other.

[Jinhsi]

[Current affection: 32]

[Opinion of the host: An interesting peer. It's just... he likes to be a little absurd. I don't quite understand it, but I respect it.]

As for the others, Lu Guan hadn't deliberately tried to raise their affection, so it hadn't increased much. There was no need to take up space on them here.

Over those two months, Lu Guan had successfully exorcised two more instances of "Desolation." But unlike the first one, "Aesop's Fables," the objects that formed these two instances of "Desolation" had no fixed form and gave him little boost to his constitution.

Just as Lu Guan was taking stock of what he had gained over the past two months, a FliChat notification popped up on his terminal.

Stardust Academy: "First-year preparatory student: Lu Guan. Student ID: 0114514. Your vacation balance is running low! Please return to campus promptly or submit a leave request!"

At the same time, Lacerta also sent him a FliChat message.

Lacerta: "The result of the committee's discussions... isn't looking good. You need to be prepared."

Lacerta: "You may need to bring Dania back to campus as soon as possible. I'm sorry, I've done everything I could..."

Lacerta: "Let's discuss the details in person. Things aren't entirely without hope. Huanglong's representative is doing everything possible to negotiate, and we still have a chance before the formal decision comes down."

Lacerta: "Oh, and one more thing..."

"Lacerta recommended a contact to you."

Lacerta: "This is the contact information for the Black Shores' representative. If we can get his help, we'll have a better chance of changing the committee's decision."

Lu Guan looked at the FliChat avatar of the Black Shores representative Lacerta had sent him and sharply sucked in a breath!

That avatar... there was no doubt about it!

Wasn't that Mr. Aalto, the man even Miss Augusta, the Black Shores' young lady, had to call the big boss? He was scared to tears!

Lu Guan: "Reporting in, Professor. I guarantee I'll complete the mission! (Lynae saluting.jpg)"

Lacerta: "Is that... Lynae? When did you turn her into a sticker?"

Lu Guan: "I actually got Lynae's permission... If you think it sets a bad example, Professor, I'll delete them right now..."

Lacerta: "Ahem... don't delete them yet. Do you have any others? Send me a set..."

Lu Guan: "(Lynae saluting.jpg) (Lynae sweet smile.jpg) (Sigelika 0v0.jpg) (Dania sleeping face.jpg)"

Lacerta: "That last one is a sticker?"

Lu Guan: "No, I just wanted to show you my cute girlfriend, Professor Lacerta..."

Lacerta: "Are you taking a subtle jab at me?"

Lu Guan silently unsent the last photo.

Oh no, I brought my usual habit of giving Yangyang a hard time with me...

Lu Guan: "No... you've got the wrong idea, old lady..."

Lacerta: "Old lady? Do I look old to you? I'll have you know I'm only... Anyway, I'm still very young!"

Lu Guan broke out in a cold sweat.

Heaven and earth bear witness, I really didn't mean it that way! Why does it feel like the more I explain, the worse it gets? I'm about to make it impossible to explain myself!

Lu Guan: "Um... actually, where we come from in the Ming Court, that term is usually used for someone we respect..."

Lacerta: "Hahaha... all right, you don't need to explain. I know; I was just teasing you."

Lacerta: "Be careful on your way back to campus. When you reach the airspace above the ice fields, I'll ask Doctor Lu to come pick you up."

Lacerta: "I have things to do. If anything comes up that you can't handle, remember to contact me anytime."

Lu Guan: "I will, I will."

He then switched back to the FliChat home screen and used the contact information Lacerta had given him to send a friend request to the mysterious-or not-Black Shores representative...

The other party accepted quickly and sent the first message.

Aalto: "Who's this?"

Lu Guan: "Big Boss Aalto! My name is Lu Guan. I'm the boyfriend of the academy's Threnodian Resonator!"

Aalto: "Oh! So it's you. A pleasure, a pleasure!"

Lu Guan: "You know me?"

Aalto: "Ahem... I used to be an information broker. With something as big as a Threnodian Resonator, how could I not gather information about it?"

Lu Guan: "Then about her... what exactly is the Deep Space Union's plan?"

Aalto: "I can't tell you that. The committee's meetings are held in secret, and until a final decision is made, we have to keep it confidential from outsiders..."

Lu Guan: "But what if... I have some extremely important information? The kind concerning the founder of your Black Shores..."

Aalto: "???"