The student group's life in another world

"I'm home."

At the other end of the city, in a small, somewhat shabby-looking apartment.

Chisa returned to the apartment looking a little tired, carrying the things she had just bought. She had only the right earbud of her white wired headphones in, playing a pop song from this world.

"Chisa, you're back!"

Chisa had just taken off her shoes when a pink-haired bundle came flying over and gave her an enthusiastic hug.

"Aemeath, aren't you streaming today?" Chisa tilted her head and asked in confusion, looking at Aemeath in her loose loungewear.

"I gave myself a day off!" Aemeath said with a radiant smile, taking the shopping bags from her.

"Wow, you bought so much!" Aemeath took the items out of the bags one by one, sneaking a freshly bought strawberry into her mouth along the way.

"You should wash strawberries before eating them," Chisa reminded her.

"Oh, it's just one. It'll be fine," Aemeath said playfully.

Chisa walked over to Aemeath, picked up a box of Pocky, and deftly tore open the wrapper, crunching away at the sticks.

"Where are Lynae and the others?" Chisa asked about the other two.

"Xixi's probably still hanging around the zoo. She loves birds, after all." Aemeath touched a finger to her cherry lips thoughtfully. "Lynae told me she was on her way back, though."

"I ran into Senior." Chisa dropped a bombshell in an utterly flat tone.

The moment the words left Chisa's mouth, Aemeath's smile froze on her face.

"...Really?" Aemeath's voice was as light as a feather falling to the ground.

"My senses can't be wrong." Chisa's gaze was unwavering.

Some bonds could not be erased even by crossing worlds. That was why Chisa was so certain.

They had once saved Hozumi City together, and that experience had forged an exceptionally deep bond between them. That was why she had recognized Xiao Ling at a glance as the senior she admired.

Aemeath took several deep breaths and patted her cheeks, returning to her usual relaxed and lively self.

"Let's wait until everyone's back and discuss it together. It's too early to talk about it now," Aemeath said with a smile, her eyes narrowed.

"Okay." Chisa nodded, agreeing with Aemeath's decision.

When the clock reached six in the evening, two different sets of footsteps sounded outside the entrance.

"I'm home!" A clear, sweet girl's voice and an energetic gyaru's voice rang out at the same time.

"Lynae, Xixi, you're both back!" Aemeath ran over to greet them with a beaming smile.

"I happened to pass the zoo on my way back, so I picked up Senior Sigrika too," Lynae explained, a helmet tucked under her arm.

"You didn't speed or run any red lights, did you?" Aemeath pressed.

"No, no! Lynae follows the rules!" Sigrika poked her head out from behind Lynae to vouch for her.

As the three of them chatted, Lynae suddenly caught a wonderful smell.

"What's that smell? It's so good." Lynae sniffed more closely, then suddenly coughed twice. "Cough, cough. Why is it a little spicy?"

"Oh, Chisa said she'd recently learned to make some dishes from this world and wanted to try making them for us," Aemeath explained.

"It smells so good, it must taste great!" Lynae was quite the foodie too, and she couldn't stop her mouth from watering at the mention of good food.

Sigrika, meanwhile, went around Lynae and Aemeath to lend Chisa a hand. That was just like her.

"Oh, we shouldn't just stand around either. Let's go help," Lynae quickly said to Aemeath when she saw Sigrika lending a hand.

Eating without contributing had never been Lynae's style. Food everyone worked together to make tasted best.

"Sure! Let's go!" Aemeath wholeheartedly agreed with the suggestion and pulled Lynae into the kitchen with her.

The already narrow kitchen seemed even more crowded with four young women in it, but they were all enjoying themselves. The warmth of a home-cooked meal brought a little more brightness to the somewhat shabby apartment.

"Let's eat!"

The girls sat around the dining table and performed their pre-meal ritual.

Then, over their delicious meal, they began sharing their experiences from the day.

Lynae couldn't sit still. Even when she didn't have a part-time job, she would go riding around and record the beautiful scenery along the way.

"The wind feels pretty nice here. I think I could make this one of my regular riding spots!" Lynae held up her phone and pointed at a photo she had taken. "Look, isn't the scenery nice?"

"Hahaha, your hair looks like it's about to blow right off," Aemeath said, unable to stop laughing at Lynae's wildly flying hair in the photo. Chisa and Sigrika couldn't help smiling too.

"The stronger the wind, the better. Otherwise, how could you call it a ride?" Lynae said, picking up another piece of meat and popping it into her mouth with a thoroughly satisfied expression.

"Oh, right! Speaking of which, I found a bird at the zoo that looks a lot like a Yingying parrot!"

Sigrika had been a member of the Featherfly Association at Star Torch Academy. Since coming to this world, her greatest interest had been observing all sorts of different birds.

"Look, this one! It's called a macaw, and its feathers are so beautiful and colorful!" Sigrika pointed at the photo on her phone as she showed it to the three girls.

"It really is, just like a rainbow." Lynae leaned closer and saw that it was indeed multicolored, prompting her to exclaim in wonder.

"Don't underestimate it, Xixi. Yingying parrots and macaws may look alike, but macaws are formidable. They say one can bite off an adult's finger if it gets fierce," Aemeath said with a sly squint, putting on a serious air.

"Birds are friends to humans. As long as they're cared for properly, they won't attack people unprovoked," Sigrika said with a smile, sharing her thoughts. "At least, all the macaws I've met have been very friendly."

"It's just that I don't know where Yaya went. I wanted to take her to meet the new friends I've made too..."

After feeling a little sad that Dania's whereabouts were unknown, Sigrika realized she had finished her rice and got up for another bowl. The girl was still growing, so it was good for her to eat more.

Chisa didn't have much to share, mostly talking about what she had learned from cooking and remarking on the sheer variety of dishes in this world. But the slight excitement in her voice made it clear that she truly enjoyed gradually building up her cooking experience.

Aemeath gazed gently at the food before her and the three girls chatting away, and suddenly felt a great sense of accomplishment.

She was no longer the little girl who needed others to protect her. She could also shelter others in her own way, whether in Solaris or in this so-called real world.

But sometimes, in the stillness of the night, she still thought of the person who had once brought her warmth.

This world was completely different from Solaris. There was no Threnody, no Lament, and no schemes or suspicion. Everyone was kind and gentle.

In a world like this, he could surely live safely and happily. Wouldn't it be better for her not to disturb him?

But...

"What are you thinking about?"

Little Ai pulled herself out of her swirling thoughts and realized that Chisa had turned her gaze toward her at some point. Lynae and Sigrika had noticed something was wrong with her too.

"...I miss him." Aemeath's voice was soft, but everyone's heart sank.

An invisible sorrow suddenly settled over the previously warm meal.

They all missed Rover dearly, but they had long ago sworn to one another not to disturb his current life.

If Rover in this world was just an ordinary person, their arrival would undoubtedly be a huge burden to him.

But these girls, so gentle they were a little foolish, had forgotten one thing: they had never asked Rover himself what he really thought.