Recaps

Xiao Ling hosted Roccia and Morning after they and the students got caught in the rain, then cooked a dinner that brought everyone together. The chapter ended with Roccia happily watching the lively meal and enjoying Xiao Ling’s food.

• Xiao Ling served tea to Roccia and Morning and offered to keep clothes for them at his home, while Roccia teased him about his reactions to her outfit.
• Aemeath and Lynae played games instead of helping Xiao Ling cook, and Roccia urged them to learn to cook as the household grew.
• Morning researched plans for a dishwasher and self-defense devices while Sigrika and Chisa helped Xiao Ling in the kitchen; Dania slept until dinner was nearly ready.
• Xiao Ling served eight dishes and soup, and Roccia and Morning praised his cooking as the students realized they had gained some weight.
• Xiao Ling explained a local custom of clinking glasses before a significant meal, and everyone shared dinner together as Roccia watched them warmly.

While the others discussed Xiao Ling’s life at school, Xiao Ling spent the evening with Roccia and told her about the fight that had brought him to the law enforcement office in high school. He agreed to let Roccia use her resonance ability to see his past, asking her to keep it from the girls.

• Morning told the group that Xiao Ling did well in school but had few friends and avoided clubs.
• Xiao Ling left the others’ Old Maid game and relaxed in the backyard with a black cat.
• Roccia teased Xiao Ling about his reputation and asked about his high school fight.
• Xiao Ling explained that he had stepped in to save a brother and sister, who tried to testify for him, and that his mother had punished him out of fear for his safety.
• Xiao Ling asked Roccia to use her resonance ability to witness his past and keep the story secret from the girls, and Roccia agreed.

Xiao Ling assembled Aemeath a custom streaming computer to support her virtual singer career, and she tearfully named him her one and only lifetime honorary fan. That afternoon, Aemeath shared a photo of the gift with her fans.

• Dania woke to Xiao Ling’s noisy assembly work and scolded him before returning to bed.
• Aemeath helped Xiao Ling assemble a computer and waited as he tested its parts and decorated the setup.
• Xiao Ling revealed a custom computer covered with Aemeath’s images and placed a Savior figurine in front of the screen.
• Aemeath praised the gift, accepted Xiao Ling as her lifetime honorary fan, and hugged him while crying with joy.
• Aemeath posted a photo of the streaming equipment and figurine for her fans.

Xiao Ling enjoyed a quiet afternoon before his counselor and best friend confronted him about his long absence and rumors that he was dating several girls. He agreed to return to school the next day, but was left with a 1,500-character self-criticism to write and Ye Qing’s promise of a beating.

• Xiao Ling learned that the police had punished the convention attacker and declined their offer to thank him in person.
• Brother Yang berated Xiao Ling for taking half a month off and warned him against letting romance derail his future.
• Xiao Ling promised to return to school the next day, and Brother Yang demanded a 1,500-character self-criticism with no AI assistance.
• Xiao Ling asked Principal Roccia to intervene, but she supported Brother Yang’s demand and told Xiao Ling to reflect on his leave.
• Ye Qing confronted Xiao Ling about rumors that he was dating five girls, and Xiao Ling claimed they had come from Solaris.
• Ye Qing told Xiao Ling to treat the girls well and threatened to beat him when he returned to school.

Xiao Ling returned to school after half a month away and found his friends and the girls he cared about waiting for him there. He welcomed Aemeath as she took the seat beside him, leaving him thrilled to spend time with everyone at school.

• Xiao Ling woke at six, prepared breakfast for the girls at the villa, and left for school.
• Xiao Ling reached campus and made his way to class without being hassled by the senior cats or birds.
• Ye Qing teased Xiao Ling about his half-month absence and his relationships before Xiao Ling tried to nap.
• Aemeath arrived and asked Ye Qing to give up his seat so she could sit beside Xiao Ling.
• Dania, Sigrika, Lynae, and Chisa occupied the other available seats, and Ye Qing reluctantly moved to the back of the classroom.
• Aemeath told Xiao Ling that they would all be his classmates, and Xiao Ling happily welcomed her.

The new students settled into the academy as Aemeath and Lynae played an intense badminton match and Sigrika was scratched by an orange cat after climbing a tree to rescue it. Xiao Ling caught Sigrika and carried her toward the infirmary, while he planned to have a senior cat deal with the orange cat.

• The academy students ranked the five new girls on the forum, placing Little Ai first and Xiao Ling at the top of their list of people they wanted to punish.
• Aemeath quickly mastered badminton and challenged Lynae to a match, which grew so intense that Aemeath's racket broke.
• Dania napped in the shade while Chisa played tennis and Xiao Ling filled in for a basketball game.
• Sigrika climbed a tree to retrieve a shuttlecock and then tried to rescue an orange cat, which scratched her and sent her falling.
• Xiao Ling caught Sigrika, decided to take her to the infirmary, and planned to call on a senior tabby cat to handle the orange cat.

Xiao Ling brought Sigrika to the infirmary, where Verina treated her facial scratch. He and Lahai-Roi discussed the other people who had arrived at the school and why the Fractsidus leader was unlikely to have been transported, then Xiao Ling offered Lahai-Roi a few comforting words.

• Xiao Ling brought Sigrika to the infirmary and joked with Lahai-Roi before asking him to treat her scratch.
• Lahai-Roi fetched Verina, who examined Sigrika and promised the wound would heal without leaving a scar.
• Lahai-Roi told Xiao Ling that Lupa, Augusta, Iuno, and Cartethyia were at the academy, and that the Septimont gladiator often visited the infirmary after pushing herself in sports.
• Xiao Ling argued that the Fractsidus leader had not been transported because the world’s rules would reject her and the arrivals had been granted a fresh start through someone’s wish.
• Lahai-Roi gave Xiao Ling a lollipop, and Xiao Ling urged him to let go of the past; Lahai-Roi thanked him for the support.

Xiao Ling’s five companions returned from his school and shared how they had settled into classes and clubs. When Xiao Ling jokingly said he wanted to eat “steamed peaches,” Dania understood his suggestive meaning, and Sigrika struck him so hard that he was knocked unconscious before he could make dinner.

• Aemeath explained that the girls had come to Xiao Ling’s school because they missed school and wanted to keep him company.
• Xiao Ling checked that Sigrika’s cat scratches had healed, and the girls described their classes and club activities.
• The girls ordered dinner, and Dania listed an extravagant feast for Xiao Ling to cook.
• Xiao Ling said he wanted “steamed peaches,” and Dania realized he was teasing her about her chest.
• After Xiao Ling whispered an explanation to Sigrika, she blushed, misunderstood his teasing as bullying Dania, and slapped him unconscious.
• Lynae and the others rushed to revive Xiao Ling so he could still make dinner.

Professor Morning visited Xiao Ling with a homemade dishwasher, cleaning robots, and self-defense devices for Sigrika and Dania. After revealing she had worked for three days without sleeping, she promised Xiao Ling she would not do it again.

• Sigrika apologized to Xiao Ling for slapping him, and Dania knocked him on the head to snap him out of his religious fervor.
• Professor Morning arrived at Xiao Ling’s villa with a dishwasher and demonstrated its faster, safer washing cycle.
• Morning gave Xiao Ling smaller sweeping-and-mopping robots and a transport robot for the villa.
• Morning gave Sigrika and Dania concealed electric rings and batons for self-defense, assuring Xiao Ling the devices would cause only superficial pain.
• Xiao Ling noticed Morning’s dark circles and learned she had worked for three days without sleeping.
• Xiao Ling scolded Morning and threatened to have Roccia ensure she rested if she pulled another all-nighter, and Morning promised not to do it again.

Xiao Ling reunited with Lupa when she joined his class, and they caught up before the teacher interrupted their affectionate reunion. Lupa accepted Dania after Xiao Ling explained her past, while the chapter ended with Xiao Ling and Lupa sitting properly under their teacher’s glare.

• Xiao Ling watched Dania sleep at her desk while he passed the time with videos.
• Lupa found Xiao Ling’s classroom, recognized his scent, and excitedly rubbed her face against him.
• Xiao Ling told Lupa to keep her distance in class, then explained Dania’s history as a Threnodian Resonator.
• Lupa stopped suspecting Dania and sympathized with her, while she and Xiao Ling briefly lamented that Mia could not live happily in this world.
• Xiao Ling patted Lupa’s head, but the teacher’s murderous glare made them stop and pay attention to the lecture.

After class, Dania watched Xiao Ling and Lupa grow closer as they trained together, and she struggled with jealousy and hurt. The chapter ended with Dania quietly crying where they could not see her.

• Lupa introduced herself to Dania and invited her and Xiao Ling to watch her train for a track and field competition.
• Dania said she would sleep, but later went to the field and watched Lupa train beneath Xiao Ling's parasol.
• Lupa invited Xiao Ling to run with her, and the two jogged together while Dania watched from the side.
• Dania felt increasingly irritated and left out as Xiao Ling and Lupa chatted and laughed, then quietly turned red-eyed and cried.

Xiao Ling struggled to understand Dania’s jealousy, so Lupa spoke with Dania and encouraged her to pursue him openly. Dania and Lupa agreed to compete for Xiao Ling while remaining friends, and Dania reconciled with him before they resumed teasing each other.

• After Xiao Ling returned from running laps, Dania repeatedly moved away from him, and he realized she was upset about his closeness with Lupa.
• Ye Qing pulled Xiao Ling away to run more laps, leaving Lupa to sit with Dania and ask if she was jealous because she liked Xiao Ling.
• Lupa told Dania about her past with Rover and Mia, then urged her to take the initiative in love rather than wait passively.
• Dania and Lupa agreed to compete fairly for Xiao Ling while putting their friendship first, and Lupa encouraged Dania to resolve her spat with him.
• Dania apologized to Xiao Ling and hugged him, and he comforted her and planned to make her favorite food.
• Xiao Ling teased Dania about seeming taller, so she bit his arm and chased him around the playground.

Xiao Ling attended class with Aemeath, who was exhausted after practicing badminton and staying up late playing games. She fell asleep on his lap, and they left together after class, hand in hand, to go home for dinner.

• Aemeath laughed at the bite marks Dania had left on Xiao Ling's face, and he tried to hide them before class.
• Aemeath told Xiao Ling she had signed up for the women's badminton competition after the school encouraged her to compete.
• Xiao Ling recalled how he used to run alone in middle school and began considering entering the upcoming competition because Aemeath wanted to see him compete.
• Aemeath fell asleep on Xiao Ling's shoulder, so he shifted her onto his lap and told the teacher she might have gone to the bathroom.
• Aemeath woke near the end of class, admitted she had stayed up late playing games, and left with Xiao Ling to go home and make dinner.

Xiao Ling joined Aemeath and Lynae for a Delta Force match, then revealed his skill by saving them and defeating the remaining enemies. After Lynae recognized his voice and heard Dania nearby, Aemeath arrived at his room and confronted him, leaving Xiao Ling in trouble.

• Dania teased Xiao Ling while he waited for someone to play Delta Force with, and Aemeath invited him under the ID Thunder Fluff.
• Aemeath invited Lynae to join them, and the three entered Brakkesh Space City, where Aemeath found a valuable executive keycard.
• After Lynae and Aemeath were downed by enemies, Xiao Ling revived them under pressure and helped them eliminate the remaining opponents.
• Lynae recognized Xiao Ling's voice, and Dania spoke from his arms, revealing that she was in his room.
• Aemeath arrived at Xiao Ling's open bedroom door, teased him about Dania, and declared that their game time was not over.

After spending the night with Aemeath, Xiao Ling woke to her affectionate kiss, while Dania mistakenly believed they had slept together and was hurt by the thought. Xiao Ling explained what had happened, easing Dania’s fears, and comforted her as she cried in his arms.

• Aemeath kissed Xiao Ling and playfully took his finger between her lips before fleeing in embarrassment.
• Dania saw Aemeath leaving Xiao Ling’s room with a flushed face and scraped knee, assumed they had been intimate, and went upstairs in tears.
• Dania entered Xiao Ling’s room, waited for him to wake, and reflected on how deeply she had fallen in love with him.
• When Xiao Ling woke, Dania asked whether he and Aemeath had been together, and Chisa’s request for ointment revealed that Aemeath had only scraped her knee.
• Xiao Ling explained that Aemeath had kissed him but that nothing more had happened, and Dania relaxed before he held her while she cried.

Xiao Ling went to a cake shop to learn how to bake a birthday cake for Dania, whose unfulfilled wish was to eat one. The elderly shopkeeper agreed to teach him, and the chapter ended with Cartethyia arriving as his senior apprentice sister.

• Xiao Ling told Sigrika that Dania was asleep after they settled their disagreement, then left to handle a secret errand.
• Xiao Ling visited a cake shop and asked the elderly shopkeeper to teach him to make a birthday cake for his friend.
• The elderly shopkeeper shared how her daughter had wished for fruit and cream cake and how she continued making cakes in her memory.
• The elderly shopkeeper agreed to teach Xiao Ling in exchange for occasional help at the shop and said her senior apprentice sister would join them.
• Cartethyia arrived at the shop and greeted the elderly shopkeeper, surprising Xiao Ling.

Cartethyia and Xiao Ling reunited at a cake shop, where they learned to bake together and helped the owner while growing closer. After burning their cake and being made to eat it, Xiao Ling walked Cartethyia home.

• Cartethyia met Xiao Ling at the shop and agreed to teach him cake-making as her junior apprentice.
• Xiao Ling told Cartethyia he was learning to bake a birthday cake for Dania and promised to invite her to the celebration.
• Cartethyia and Xiao Ling helped the shop owner serve customers, and Cartethyia fed Xiao Ling strawberry cake before he flirtatiously wiped cream from her mouth.
• Cartethyia and Xiao Ling left their cake in the oven too long, burned it, and had to eat it under the shop owner's watchful eye.
• The shop owner asked Xiao Ling to walk Cartethyia home, and the two left the shop together laughing.

Xiao Ling discovered that Cartethyia lived in a dilapidated alley and cared for homeless elderly people, so he arranged to take her home and promised to bring help to the alley. As they left, one old man gave them a few coins, and Xiao Ling accepted two as a blessing.

• Cartethyia led Xiao Ling to deliver boxed meals to the elderly people who had once taken her in.
• Xiao Ling saw Cartethyia's run-down home and worried about her living there alone, while Cartethyia explained that she stayed to care for the old men.
• Cartethyia transformed into Fleurdelys, who explained that she could transform for five minutes and that the world’s perceptions shaped how her powers worked.
• Xiao Ling decided to take Cartethyia home and arrange for a mutual-aid organization to support the elderly people in the alley.
• An old man offered Xiao Ling money in thanks for taking Cartethyia in, and Xiao Ling accepted two one-jiao coins before leaving with her.

Dania waited up for Xiao Ling and found him returning after midnight with Cartethyia, whom he had brought home to stay. Dania accepted Cartethyia and offered to help Xiao Ling explain the sudden arrival to the other girls in the house.

• Dania waited in the living room until Xiao Ling returned with Cartethyia, then introduced herself as his girlfriend who had joined the family.
• Dania led Xiao Ling and Cartethyia inside and asked Xiao Ling to make them a late-night snack.
• While Xiao Ling cooked, Dania recognized Cartethyia and asked how she had met Xiao Ling.
• Cartethyia explained their earlier encounters, and Dania said Xiao Ling had been rash but that Cartethyia was welcome to stay.
• Dania warned that the other girls in the house would need an explanation, then hurried to the table when Xiao Ling finished cooking.

After Cartethyia and Dania agreed on how to explain Cartethyia’s arrival to the family, Dania sneaked into Xiao Ling’s bed and secretly kissed him while he pretended to sleep. The two fell asleep in each other’s arms, while Cartethyia remained puzzled by Dania’s connection to the Lament Leviathan.

• Cartethyia sensed a faint resonance between Dania and the Lament Leviathan’s power and wondered whether Dania was connected to the Fractsidus.
• Dania slipped into Xiao Ling’s bed and teased him before settling beside him.
• Xiao Ling fell asleep, and Dania quietly kissed him twice while wondering what kissing felt like.
• Dania stopped when Xiao Ling’s eyelashes fluttered, then fell asleep with her head on his arm.
• Xiao Ling admitted to himself that he had woken during Dania’s kisses but had pretended to sleep, then drew her into his arms.

Dania struggled with sleep after secretly kissing Xiao Ling, while Cartethyia settled in with the girls at home. At school, Xiao Ling met Sigrika as she gathered material for her birdwatching account, and their affectionate moment left her flustered.

• Dania told Sigrika she was tired because she had not slept well, while Cartethyia reassured the girls that the elderly men she had helped were safe.
• Xiao Ling signed up for the university sports meet’s 3,000-meter race, surprising Brother Yang.
• Xiao Ling encountered Sigrika chasing birds and lured them down with leftover toast.
• Sigrika showed Xiao Ling bird photographs and excitedly described the birds she had documented.
• Xiao Ling patted Sigrika’s head, and she blushed and lost track of the birds nearby.

Dania woke up with pink cat ears and a tail, then went to school despite the attention they drew. After learning she would return to normal by the next day, she spent the afternoon with Xiao Ling and a crowd of cats, eventually falling asleep on his lap.

• Dania discovered she had grown cat ears and a tail, and Xiao Ling and the others were surprised by her transformation.
• Dania went to school, where classmates stared at her and assumed Xiao Ling was behind her unusual appearance, but she went back to sleep as usual.
• Lahai-Roi told Dania and Xiao Ling that the transformation would likely end by the next day, and Dania decided to go home after her afternoon class with Xiao Ling.
• A calico cat joined Dania on a bench, and several other cats gathered around her while Xiao Ling watched.
• Xiao Ling pulled Dania into his arms and rubbed her tail; Dania bit and playfully attacked him before settling on his lap.
• Dania fell asleep on Xiao Ling's lap, and he fanned her as her ears and tail drooped.

Dania went to a badminton court with her friends, escaped their attempts to get her to play, and met Iuno at a convenience store. Iuno and Augusta discussed whether Dania could be trusted and decided to consider preparing a birthday surprise for her.

• Lynae, Aemeath, Sigrika, and Chisa played badminton while Dania watched, then urged her to join them.
• Lupa told Dania that Xiao Ling had signed up for the men's 3,000-meter race at the sports meet.
• Dania used buying drinks as an excuse to leave the court and went to a Lawson convenience store.
• Iuno served Dania at the counter, then spoke with Augusta about Dania's connection to the Fractsidus and whether she seemed trustworthy.
• Iuno told Augusta that Cartethyia and Blank were preparing a birthday surprise for Dania, and they considered preparing one themselves.

While Cartethyia waited for their cake to bake, Xiao Ling went to buy lunch and unexpectedly reunited with Calcharo, who gave him an extra jianbing guozi as a birthday gift. Xiao Ling returned to the cake shop and found an unexpected visitor waiting there: someone who asked whether to call him Rover or Xiao Ling.

• Cartethyia told Xiao Ling she wanted jianbing guozi for lunch, and he stayed behind to watch the cake while she waited.
• Xiao Ling met Calcharo working at a food stall and caught up with him while he made jianbing guozi.
• Calcharo gave Xiao Ling an extra jianbing guozi as birthday wishes for the person whose name he did not know.
• Xiao Ling hurried back to the cake shop, where a woman with violet eyes greeted him and asked whether to call him Rover or Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling reunited with Shorekeeper and invited her household to consider moving in with him. They made a strawberry cake together, and Shorekeeper ended the chapter calling it delicious and saying it tasted like happiness.

• Xiao Ling welcomed Shorekeeper and shared jianbing guozi with her and Cartethyia.
• Shorekeeper told Xiao Ling that she lived with Encore, Camellya, Iuno, Augusta, and Lupa, and agreed to ask them about moving in with him.
• Xiao Ling, Cartethyia, and Shorekeeper made a strawberry cake together, turning the baking into a playful cream fight.
• The three tasted their finished cake, and Shorekeeper told Xiao Ling that it tasted like happiness.