Bad Intentions? Send Him to Clean the Toilets!
The iron gate to the student records office was ajar.
Zhou Yu pushed open the door and entered, her thermos cup clattering against the duty desk with a dull thud.
Zhou Yu:(ㅍ_ㅍ)
"Teacher, wake up, I need to check some paperwork."
The teacher on duty jumped up abruptly, his glasses tilted to one side on his cheekbone, and tensed up completely after recognizing Zhou Yu.
"Master Zhou, what brings you here?"
"I'm here to check on a transfer student from the Northern Territory, named Yeqi."
Zhou Yu unscrewed the lid of the thermos and took a sip of saliva.
"Check his transfer certificate."
The teacher on duty typed rapidly on the keyboard; the cursor spun five times before a line of red text appeared.
[No transfer record found for this person]
"That's impossible; the principal approved the file himself."
Zhou Yu slammed a laminated copy of the "Detailed Rules for the Approval Process of Transfer Students" on the table and tapped the seventeenth article with his fingertip.
"According to regulations, both the transfer certificate and the certificate of no criminal record are indispensable."
The teacher on duty turned the file folder upside down and found only a transfer application with a blurred official seal.
There is no pacifist council in the Northern Territory, so naturally, no official stamp can be affixed.
Zhou Yu took the paper and looked at it under the light.
"Incomplete application process; student status temporarily suspended."
He tightened the thermos and announced slowly and deliberately.
"Until all required materials are submitted, this student will not be entitled to any teaching resources or accommodation benefits from the college."
The teacher on duty stared, mouth agape, not daring to utter a single word in rebuttal.
Meanwhile, in the corridor on the second floor of the Flamebearers' Academy.
Yeqi leaned against the window, her pale pupils fixed on the classroom door at the far end.
Dania came out carrying a notebook, her cheeks puffed out, a strawberry milk candy in her mouth.
Chisaki appeared behind her, her glasses reflecting the light, and she was already holding a tablet in her hand.
Chisaki:(¬_¬)ﾉ
"Yeqi- kun, your transfer application number."
Yeqi withdrew her gaze, her voice very soft.
"Forgot."
"Original college full name, jurisdiction code of the Public Security Committee."
Chisaki's pen glided across the tablet, and an information collection form popped up.
Yeqi a half step back, her shoes making a slight sound as they scraped against the ground.
"I can't remember."
"A normal person can remember seven plus two key pieces of information. You've even forgotten where you came from. I suggest you get a brain CT scan."
Chisaki pushed up her glasses, her tone as if she were reading a diagnostic report.
"The registration fee at the school hospital is five Star Coins, and medical insurance can be used."
Yeqi's lips twitched slightly, and her gaze passed over Chisaki, landing on Dania.
Dania was tiptoeing towards the end of the corridor, humming the Roasted Sweet Potato Song, and didn't notice this side.
Chisaki turned to the side, blocking his view, and drew another form on the tablet.
"Newly transferred students need to be quarantined for three days. You should report to the school hospital, not wander around the teaching area."
Sigelica emerged from around the corner, her thumb resting on the safety of the standard-issue pistol at her waist.
Sigelica:(╬◣д◢)
"From the Northern Territory, can't you understand human language?"
She walked over to Chisaki, her knuckles white from gripping the gun so tightly.
Yeqi looked at the two of them and smiled.
"The students at the Flamebearers' Academy are very enthusiastic."
He turned and walked towards the stairwell, the sound of his military boots hitting the ground muffled and rhythmic.
Sigelica stared at his retreating figure, her thumb still on the safety latch.
"Something's not right with this person."
Chisaki brought up Yeqi's file on her tablet, scrolling through the data line by line.
"He has no college code, no student ID number, only a special approval letter from the principal."
She pulled up another document, her brow furrowing behind her glasses.
"Principal Lupa's signature is genuine."
Sigelica gripped the gun handle tightly.
As Zhou Yu left the student records office, he nearly ran into Sigelica's gun as he turned the corner.
"Put it away. If it goes off, we'll deduct the repair cost from your scholarship."
Sigelica:(`Д´)ノ
"What time is it and you're still thinking about my scholarship!"
Your scholarship is now under the team's joint account.
Zhou Yu shoved a plastic file bag into her arms.
"Take it, don't wrinkle it."
He walked in the direction Yeqi had left, stopped after two steps, and looked back at Chisaki.
"Logistics Department Vacancy List"
Chisaki swiped on the tablet, and a blank work-study allocation form was generated.
"Hey boss, which position are you looking for?"
"The men's restroom, the dirtiest one."
Zhou Yu took a sip of water from her thermos and squinted.
"Building 8 has the highest foot traffic, the yellowest tiles, and three door locks are broken. It's a good opportunity for him to gain experience."
Chisaki sent the allocation sheet to the portable printer, and a piece of paper steaming with toner emerged.
Sigelica looked at the table, then at Zhou Yu, and opened her mouth.
Are you serious?
When have I ever not been serious?
Zhou Yu took the watch, folded it twice, stuffed it into her pocket, and put it together with the overtime pay application form.
North side of Building 8, at the entrance to the men's restroom.
Yeqi stood in front of the sink, his expressionless face reflected in the mirror.
I heard unhurried footsteps behind me, like the rhythm of clocking in for work.
Zhou Yu walked in carrying a thermos, her left hand clutching the still-warm allocation sheet.
"Yeqi, are you new here?"
Yeqi turned around.
"Who are you?"
"Zhou Yu, Logistics Department, Equipment Administrator, and Work-Study Position Assignment Specialist."
Zhou Yu unfolded the "Flamebearers' Academy Work-Study Job Assignment Notice," the large red characters standing out prominently.
According to the rules, transfer students must register for a work-study position within 24 hours, otherwise they will have to give up their student status.
Yeqi looked at the paper but didn't take it.
"I haven't reported for duty yet."
"You're here now."
Zhou Yu handed over the allocation sheet, his fingertip pointing to the small print at the bottom.
"Job No. JQ-0847, Cleaning staff for the men's restroom in Building 8, seven days a week, three times a day. Performance evaluation will be conducted in accordance with Article 17 of the Hygiene Management Regulations."
Yeqi's pupils twitched, and she reached out to catch it.
The moment the fingertip touched the paper, the line of red text lit up.
An irresistible force spread from the paper, climbing up his fingertips and up his entire arm.
Just as the resonant energy within Yeqi's body was about to rebel, it was suppressed by the official seal on the allocation sheet. A burning pain shot through her wrist, and her fingers involuntarily spasmed.
Zhou Yu looked at his trembling fingertips and took another sip of water from the thermos.
"I forgot to mention, the work-study allocation form is a legally binding document, equivalent to the college's charter. It takes effect immediately upon issuance, and any rejection requires an appeal to the president's office."
Yeqi clenched her teeth.
His dark gray uniform began to deform under the power of the rules; the fabric rolled up, the color faded, and it reformed into a dark blue cleaning uniform.
Three words were clearly printed on his chest.
Cleaning staff.
Zhou Yu took out toilet cleaner and rubber gloves from under the sink and stuffed them into Yeqi's hand.
"The tools are here. Remember to wear gloves, don't waste them."
He patted Yeqi on the shoulder, making the wrinkles on the cleaning uniform even deeper.
"Keep up the good work. If you get an excellent performance review at the end of the month, I'll give you two extra points for moral education."
Yeqi looked down at the toilet cleaner in her hand, then looked up and saw a handwritten slogan pasted on the cubicle door.
[It's reasonable to punish those who break the weekend by making them clean toilets for a month.]
Zhou Yu walked out of the men's restroom whistling.
At the corner of the corridor, Dania was looking around while holding a bowl of braised pork rice. When she saw him, her eyes lit up.
Dania:(๑´ڡ`๑)
"Zhou Yu, the cafeteria lady gave me an extra piece of braised pork; I'll save it for you."
Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the cafeteria?
I was worried you'd be hungry after you finished your work.
Dania shoved the lunchbox into his hand and then pulled out a small paper packet, warmed by her body heat, from her pocket. Inside were two pieces of sesame candy.
Zhou Yu lifted the lid of the lunchbox; the braised pork was still steaming.
Dania leaned closer, lowered her voice, and looked on with adoration.
"I saw Yeqi wearing a cleaning uniform. How did you manage that? He's from the Northern Territory."
Even those from the Northern Territory have to follow the rules.
Zhou Yu picked up the largest piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling something.
"The college stipulates that transfer students must work part-time, and the men's restroom is short-staffed, so this is perfect."
Dania nodded vigorously, her eyes curving into crescents, and then peeled a strawberry milk candy and stuffed it into his palm.
This one is yours too.
On the second floor of the cafeteria, Sigelica stared at the window of the men's restroom downstairs, watching Yeqi walk in carrying toilet cleaner, her chopsticks almost piercing through her plate.
Sigelica: (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)
He really went.
Linnai lay on the table, the nib of her pen poking at the ink dots in her notebook.
"I told you Zhou Ge was invincible, this shows you don't trust him."
Chisaki adjusted her glasses and brought up Yeqi's real-time vital signs data.
"His heart rate has increased by 23 percent, and his blood pressure has risen by 15 mmHg. He is experiencing severe cognitive dissonance."
She squinted behind her glasses as she opened another sheet of data.
"But the fact that he's sweeping shows that the rule suppression is working, and Brother Zhou's allocation table is real."
Aimis pressed her face against the cold plate, her voice muffled.
"I now think that Brother Zhou punished us by making us clean the warehouse because he loves us."
Sigelica put down her chopsticks and covered her face with her hands.
He owes me a six-figure sum, and I'll never be able to pay it back in this lifetime.
In the principal's office, Lupa watched the monitor screen.
In the video, a young man in a dark blue cleaning uniform is squatting in a cubicle, scrubbing the tiles with toilet cleaner.
She recognized the face; it was Ye Qi, the transfer student she had specially approved and Yeqi for the Northern Territory Fractsidus.
She lightly tapped the touchpad with her fingertip, and the screen zoomed in, freezing on the three words on Yeqi's chest.
Cleaning staff.
Lupa pulled out a file from the table, turned to the last page, and looked at the question blurred by fingerprints.
Does he have the authority to intervene in the underlying rules governing the world?
She closed the file, her fingertips touching the cold red security label on the cover.
In the cafeteria, Zhou Yu placed the last piece of braised pork into Dania's bowl, and slowly spoke to her while looking out at the reddened sky.
"It's reasonable to punish those who break the weekend by making them clean toilets for a month."
Dania watched him, biting her chopsticks, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel hiding a pine cone.
Zhou Yu ruffled her hair, placed the thermos on the table, and pressed the already effective "Work-Study Job Assignment Table" under the bottom of the thermos.
In the distance, a bottle of toilet cleaner was being squeezed and making a cracking sound in the window of the men's restroom in Building 8.