Summer, a Date, and the Principal

Saturday, 10:00 AM.

Roccia, holding an umbrella and glancing at her watch, stood at the subway entrance waiting for a certain lecherous man to appear.

"That's a bit slow..." Roccia, disgruntled.

Today, she specially chose a youthful and beautiful outfit: a moon-white short-sleeved top paired with a light indigo short skirt—not that short, at least it completely covered the area above the knees. She wore beige loafers, and her two shapely and fair legs were quite eye-catching, like naturally formed porcelain.

Roccia's hat is practically a staple accessory, but this time she didn't wear her graduation cap. Instead, she wore a white bowler hat, which not only provided sun protection but also complemented her pure and innocent senior-student style. For makeup, Roccia opted for light makeup. Today was a date, and she would definitely be out and about for a while, so light makeup would save a lot of time on touch-ups later.

After waiting in place for about fifteen minutes, Hajiling rushed out of the subway station in a very disheveled state.

"I've been waiting for you for twenty minutes," Roccia stated calmly. "Making a girl wait that long is definitely a major turn-off."

"Actually, I think you're just a greenhorn now, Principal." Xiao Ling's opening line was a devastating blow.

"If you can't speak, you don't have to, Sea King."

"Sorry, but I just had to get this off my chest."

Roccia how this guy could be such a high-EQ boyfriend in front of Dania and Aemeath, but with her, he became a bizarrely eccentric genius.

At that moment, she really wanted to ask, "Are you here to go on a date with me or to poke at my sore spots?"

"Ahem, alright, that's enough of the banter, Principal." Xiao Ling cleared her throat. "Want to hold hands?"

"Hold hands?" Roccia smiled slyly.

Then, she took Xiao Ling's arm and winked at Xiao Ling, much to his surprise.

"But I think this looks more like how couples should act, doesn't it?"

Xiao Ling: Wow, it's rare to see the principal take the initiative like this.

"Then it's up to you," he said gently.

"Where are we going first?" Roccia asked.

"Hmm... let's go to a place you've probably never been since you were a child."

"Claw machine?"

Roccia to the display window of the claw machine, gazing thoughtfully at the various toys inside.

"I'm not a child!" Roccia said with a hint of resentment in her eyes.

"Hey, you get angry when I say you're old, but you're not willing to experience the fun of being young," Xiao Ling said helplessly.

Do you think I'm the kind of person who sleeps with a plush toy at night?

"I didn't know before, but you can be now."

(Hajiling is completely unresponsive to reason.)

"In short, I'm not playing." Roccia her ultimatum.

"Oh my~ Sister Luo, my dear Sister Luo, I really, really want the doll you caught yourself~" Xiao Ling suddenly started fanning herself, "When I get it, I'll definitely tell everyone, 'Look, Principal Roccia caught this for me herself!' How about that? Doesn't that make you feel incredibly proud?"

Roccia covered her face in silence, so ashamed she could practically dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the sole of her shoe.

"Or are you saying, Roccia, that you're actually a nobody in this area?" Xiao Ling challenged at the opportune moment.

"Hey! It's just a claw machine, how hard can it be?" Roccia wasn't having it, and immediately prepared to show off her skills to Hajiling. "Tell me, which one do you want? I'll get it for you."

"That Pikachu plush toy, did you see it? It's the yellow one, the one with the lightning bolt-shaped tail!" Xiao Ling pointed it out specifically for Roccia to see, "Thank you so much Roccia- neechan~"

"Wait."

Roccia exchanged some game tokens and returned to the claw machine. Under Xiao Ling's expectant gaze, she began to concentrate on grabbing plush toys.

Everything went smoothly, and the doll was quickly captured by Roccia. All that was left was for the grappling hook to move to the cave entrance and claim the spoils of victory.

However, as you know, claw machines are profit-driven facilities, so they're not going to let novice players win so easily.

So, just when victory was within reach, the grappling hook suddenly loosened, and the toy that had been firmly in its grasp brushed past the hole and fell back into the display case.

"Tsk..." Roccia clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction, "Why did it have to fall apart at the very last step?"

Xiao Ling watched with great interest as Roccia focused on playing the claw machine, showing no intention of helping her.

Roccia's cheeks flushed, but she continued to concentrate intently on playing the claw machine; she couldn't afford to make a mistake this time!

But fate had other plans; several times in a row, Roccia failed to catch the Pikachu toy.

"Goo-hoo~" Roccia made a cute sound out of embarrassment and annoyance.

She had just been so confident, but now she's contradicted herself, which has made her lose face.

Roccia was feeling a little embarrassed by her earlier boast when she suddenly felt a hot weight on her back.

"Wait... wait a minute...!" Principal Roccia's cheeks instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple. "How could you do this here...!"

"Oh dear, Sister Luo, what are you thinking? I'm not that desperate," Xiao Ling said helplessly. "Look inside the claw machine, I'll teach you how to win."

Roccia's mind went blank; she responded blankly and stared blankly as the other person began to manipulate her with fluid grace.

Locate, hook out, grab, and then the Pikachu toy is steadily delivered to the hole.

Xiao Ling took the Pikachu toy from the shipping hatch, tossed it into the air twice, and then thanked Roccia with a smile, "Got the plush toy? Thanks, Sister Luo!"

"Didn't you catch that?" Roccia retorted, the blush on her face still lingering.

"To be precise, we caught it," Xiao Ling corrected, then tossed the doll to Roccia, "Here, take it."

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Because it's for you."

"You've really mastered the art of using someone else's flowers to present to Buddha," Roccia with a smirk. "But it's not bad, I'll accept it."

"Keep it safe, don't forget about it and throw it away one day, I'll be very sad."

"Just kidding, I'm a memory-based resonance person, it would be strange if I forgot about this, right?"

The two went to the beach for their second stop.

"Have you been to the beach before?" Xiao Ling took off his shoes and stepped barefoot onto the sand. The waves gently caressed his feet, making him feel refreshed.

"I've been there, but I've never actually experienced walking barefoot on the beach like this," Roccia shook her head. "Because it's a hassle to clean up afterwards, and I don't like the feeling of having sand between my toes."

"I understand, you're a germaphobe, right?" Xiao Ling chuckled.

"Hmm, perhaps it's a lingering effect of aristocratic etiquette."

After walking side by side on the beach for a while, Roccia seemed to be attracted by something and jogged ahead.

Xiao Ling quickly followed behind, and soon Roccia bent down a short distance ahead, seemingly picking up something.

Xiao Ling leaned closer to take a look and saw that it was a beautiful seashell, shimmering with its own luster under the sunlight.

"These seashells are quite similar to the ones Lynae gave Dania on her necklace," Roccia slowly after examining them for a while. "They're both equally beautiful; I thought they were very ingenious back then."

"How about I make one for you too?"

"No need for that, I was just saying," Roccia a smile.

After this little incident, Xiao Ling and Roccia walked along the coastline for a while longer, and suddenly noticed that it looked like someone had written something on the sand.

"What is this?" Roccia asked, looking at the writing on the ground.

"Oh, that used to be a popular way for couples to show affection," Xiao Ling replied, "But I doubt many people do that anymore."

At this point, Xiao Ling had a sudden inspiration. He pulled Roccia along and ran to a nearby open sandy area, where they started writing and drawing.

"What are you doing?"

"I want to get the same one."

After working on the sand for a while, Xiao Ling stood up with satisfaction and clapped the sand off his hands. "Done."

Roccia closer and finally saw the finished product—her name and Xiao Ling's name were engraved on the left and right sides respectively, framed by a large heart.

"How childish you are..." Miss Roccia's cheeks flushed, revealing a girlish shyness.

"The part about having a childlike heart," Xiao Ling said with a grin, raising her hand to make a half-heart gesture, "Want to take a picture together? I'll leave the taking the photos to you, I'm really bad at it."

Roccia didn't reply immediately, but silently added the other half of a heart, and then took out the camera she was carrying.

"Ready? Three, two!"

Click.

"Actually, you don't need to do this yourself." Roccia blushed, looking at Xiao Ling washing her delicate feet, feeling somewhat shy.

"That won't do! Didn't you say you hate the feeling of sand getting into your toes?" Xiao Ling silently continued washing her feet. "Since it's a date, of course I have to consider your emotional well-being!"

(Actually, you just wanted to take the opportunity to touch my feet, didn't you...?)

After scrubbing her feet two or three times thoroughly, and making sure that Roccia feet were sparkling clean, Xiao Ling finally put the shoes on Roccia with satisfaction.

It must be said that Roccia's bare feet were of very high quality, as white as porcelain and as delicate as mutton fat, clearly food-grade, and the flesh-colored nail polish on her toenails was the icing on the cake.

"... Thank you." Roccia's blush deepened.

"It's nothing." Xiao Ling wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve.

Gu~

"Oh dear? Is our headmaster hungry?" Xiao Ling teased.

Then Roccia's small fist landed lightly on Xiao Ling's shoulder.

"Some things are better left unsaid," Roccia said irritably, staring at Xiao Ling was in pain. "So, where are we going to eat next?"

Self-service barbecue restaurant.

"It's quite lively." That was Roccia's first impression.

"Of course, it's lunchtime now, and it's summer vacation, so there will only be more people," Xiao Ling explained. "But don't worry, I've already made a reservation."

After being led to their reserved table by the waiter, Xiao Ling and Roccia sat down facing each other.

"Take whatever you want to eat, grill it yourself, and be self-sufficient. I'll keep watch here for now."

Roccia and got up to get the dishes she wanted to eat.

A little while later, she returned with the ingredients. Surprisingly, almost all of them were vegetarian, with maybe one or two meat dishes mixed in.

"Roccia, how can you have such a large scale if you only eat vegetarian food?" Xiao Ling glanced at the dishes she was carrying, then at her front armor, and was somewhat shocked.

(Caused by a long-term vegetarian diet.)

"So this is what you're focusing on?" Roccia her eyes. "No wonder Dania and the others all agree that he's the biggest glutton in S-rank."

"Wow, big is powerful, powerful is good!" Xiao Ling exclaimed again, "Small ones are cute, but big ones have more charm!"

Then Roccia stepped directly on Xiao Ling's foot.

"Actually, I'd be happier if you stepped on my face." Xiao Ling said, wincing in pain but not forgetting to be cheeky.

"Are you... really human?" Roccia a soul-searching question.

"Isn't a teacher's duty to educate and nurture students? I'd say the principal is a teacher too!"

Roccia on his foot a second time. jpg

"Damn it, stop stepping on me, Sister Luo! My leg is going to break!"

"It's good that you feel pain," Roccia sneered.

"Hey, Ling, do I really look old?"

Before she even took her second sip of the cocktail, Roccia suddenly asked Xiao Ling a question.

"Um?"

"Because you kept saying I was old!" Roccia, seemingly a little annoyed.

Yes, that's right, Roccia drank alcohol again.

"You know perfectly well I'm just teasing you," Xiao Ling said calmly. "Besides, women are like fine wine, the older they get, the better they become."

"Besides, where else could I find another urban beauty like Roccia— so beautiful, so elegant, so knowledgeable, so graceful, capable in both formal and domestic settings?"

"She has a sweet tongue," Roccia with a smile, "And she's not bad-looking either, plus she's reliable. She's my type."

Such words are not something Roccia would normally utter; only when she is drunk does her emotions temporarily take over.

"Sometimes I really don't want to grow up~" Roccia lay on the table, gently swirling the empty cocktail in her hand. "I don't even have many childhood memories. Before I know it, I'm already an adult who has to stand on my own."

"Things like playing claw machines and taking walks on the beach are basically nonexistent in my memory."

Haven't you thought about taking a few days off?

"I've thought about it, but I can't do that, especially after taking over as the principal of the Star Torch Academy. I won't have much time for myself anymore. Maybe I'll have more free time during the school anniversary celebration..."

"But there's nothing I can do about it~ After all, I need to protect those children's dreams! I actually enjoy it quite a bit!"

The usually mature and poised Roccia smiled as brightly as a child when this topic was brought up.

Xiao Ling didn't say anything, but silently finished another cocktail.

This road was destined to be full of thorns, but her smile remained as bright as the stars.

So don't you think it's more rewarding to win over a principal like that?

late at night.

Xiao Ling carried the already drunk Roccia back to the villa, and as soon as they entered the entrance hall, they saw Honey Peach sitting in the living room.

"You're back?" Dania greeted lazily. "Why do you smell like fruit wine? You've been drinking again?"

"Okay, I'll go upstairs first." Xiao Ling replied briefly, then carried Roccia all the way to her room.

Back in the room, Xiao Ling silently took off Roccia's loafers and carried her to the bed.

"Hmm... I need to get her some honey water."

Having made up her mind, Xiao Ling was about to go downstairs when, after taking just one step, her wrist was firmly grabbed.

Not honored!

Xiao Ling looked at Roccia in horror, only to see that the latter had already opened her eyes. Her deep purple eyes gleamed with an aggressive light in the dark room, and a faint smile hung on the corner of her mouth.

"Got you~" Roccia playfully, "Come here, let your big sister pamper you~"

Holy crap, this plot feels so familiar!

Before Hajiling knew it, Roccia pulled her into bed and, quite naturally, gave her a facial cleansing treatment.

"This time, you can't escape!" Roccia said seductively.

There's no escaping it now...

That suits me perfectly!

Kids, youth has no price, so seize the moment!

Be prepared, Principal Roccia, there are no vegetarians here tonight!

Yay!

"What... um... what's our relationship now?"

"Don't talk, continue!"

"Awoo..."