Operation: Protect Our Salted Fish

When Zhou Yu appeared in Cafeteria No. 3, wearing his signature yellow utility repair vest and carrying his insulated cup of goji berry tea, he became something of a rare exhibit.

The students kept looking at him strangely and whispering among themselves, then immediately buried their heads in their food whenever he glanced their way.

His expression unchanged, he continued his rounds.

"Please sort your dishes properly."

"Ma'am, there was an extra half spoonful of sugar in today's ribs. That's a little over the limit."

Then three girls from another department, all dressed to the nines, gathered around him.

"Senior Zhou Yu, we're exchange students from Hyacinth Academy. We'd love to learn from your experience. Could we add you as a contact?"

The girl in front, with her long, curly hair, had a voice as sweet as if three spoonfuls of sugar had been added to it.

At a table more than ten meters away, Dania stopped mid-bite of her bun.

She saw Linnai whip out her terminal, point it at them, zoom in, and snap a picture.

A photo popped up in the encrypted group chat.

[Image: Three butterflies crowding around a utility pole.jpg]

Linnai: (ꐦಠ皿ಠ)

Dania looked down at the mountain of sweet-and-sour ribs on her plate.

Zhou Yu had put them on her schedule last night.

She took a deep breath, picked up her plate, and stood.

She walked over one step at a time.

She said nothing.

The noise around them seemed to fade away.

With her chopsticks, she picked up the biggest, prettiest rib on her plate. Her fingers trembled slightly, but her movements were steady as she placed it precisely on top of the white rice in Zhou Yu's bowl.

She did it all in one smooth motion.

The smiles froze on the three girls' faces.

Zhou Yu looked down at the glistening, steaming rib in his bowl.

He raised his head.

The girl stood with her small frame held straight, the tips of her ears so red they looked ready to bleed. Yet her eyes shone as she looked at him, like a little animal that had just laid claim to its territory and was now a little anxious.

Dania: (ง •̀_•́)ง

He suddenly smiled.

Without a word, he accepted her declaration as naturally as could be. He picked up the rib and, in front of everyone, put it in his mouth and ate it at a leisurely pace.

Then he pulled out a tissue, reached over, and gently wiped a dab of sauce from the corner of Dania's mouth.

"What's the rush? Your share isn't going anywhere."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him clearly.

The three girls from the other department looked at one another, their faces turning pale, then flushed. Finally, they muttered an awkward "Sorry to bother you" and scurried away.

By the time Zhou Yu took Dania's hand and sat down with her at the table, the Slacking Squad had gathered around.

"Yaya, you were so cool just now." Linnai's eyes sparkled.

"You were about eighty percent as cool as I am drifting on my motorcycle," Aimis mumbled around a mouthful of fried dough.

Then Linnai changed tack.

Her expression turned serious.

"But this won't do. With Zhou Yu's face and that gold faculty card, he's a walking romance magnet. We have to come up with something."

Sigelica had a bad feeling about this.

"An official announcement. Academy-wide, grand, and of landmark significance." Linnai was resolute.

"How about we put up a banner?" Aimis suggested. "It could say, 'Congratulations to our department's Comrade Zhou Yu on finding a partner. No disturbances from outsiders.'"

"Not romantic enough." Linnai vetoed it. "We'll hack the broadcasting station and play Flying Snow Velvet's 'Little Miracle' on repeat during the midday news, with Dania making a heartfelt confession."

Chisaki was already running models and calculations on her tablet.

"Considering both dopamine diffusion rates and peak oxytocin levels, a combined approach is optimal: a banner plus a holographic projection broadcast."

Sigelica's head felt twice its usual size.

"Have you considered how the people involved feel?"

She pointed at Dania.

The girl had already buried her face in her arms. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her ears looked ready to burst into steam.

"I... I don't want a banner."

Dania's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"And I don't want to go to the broadcasting station either."

She stole a glance at Zhou Yu, who was leisurely sipping his goji berry tea as though none of this had anything to do with him.

"I just want... to have breakfast with him like this, for a couple more days."

The whole table fell silent.

Of course.

For a girl who had once considered even "tomorrow" an extravagant hope, a grand ceremony might not have mattered as much as a peaceful breakfast.

Linnai was the first to respond, wiping the silly expression from her face.

"All right, we'll do it your way."

Aimis nodded in agreement.

Sigelica breathed a long sigh of relief.

At that moment, Zhou Yu set down his insulated cup and stood up.

He hadn't joined their discussion. He simply took Dania's hand as naturally as could be.

"Let's go. There's one more thing on today's schedule: collecting this month's roasted sweet potato allowance from the back hill."

His hand was warm and dry as it held hers firmly.

"Mm," Dania replied, obediently standing up with him. The blush had yet to fade from her face, but she couldn't help the smile that lifted the corners of her mouth.

The two of them left the noisy cafeteria side by side.

The sunlight cast long shadows behind them.

At the table, Sigelica watched them walk away, then looked down at the half-eaten meat bun in her hand.

The bun didn't seem so appetizing anymore.