A Floral Dress and a Latte: Sigelica's Weekend

On a rare weekend, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a thin golden line on the floor.

Sigelica had already changed into her civilian clothes and was standing in front of the mirror adjusting her collar. Her hand was already touching the standard holster at her waist, but she hesitated for a moment and then put it down.

Forget it, I won't bring a gun today.

"Etc!"

Linnai sprang out of bed with a thud, her hair standing on end as if she'd just been struck by lightning. She rushed to the wardrobe and rummaged through it. She dragged out a dusty box, blew on it, and choked herself so much that she sneezed three times. Then she pulled out a beige floral dress.

Linnai:(σﾟ∀ﾟ)σ

Wear this.

Sigelica pulled her skirt off her face, her brows furrowed in a frown.

"I don't wear skirts; it affects tactical maneuvers."

"When you go to the library with a psychologist to research, what tactical maneuvers do you need? Sliding or crawling?"

Linnai immediately reached out and pulled off her casual coat.

"Listen to me, today I won't be Sunspeakers, I'll be a soft girl."

Dania had just finished the last sip of milk when she leaned closer, her eyes sparkling.

Dania:(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

"Xixi, you'll look great in this."

She pulled Sigelica to the mirror, stood on tiptoe, and clumsily but earnestly combed her short hair, trying to braid it into a small braid.

"Xixi, you must be happy today!"

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of milk.

Sigelica looked at herself in the mirror, feeling somewhat dazed.

The hem of her skirt was just below her knees. Her face was forcibly covered with a thin layer of powder and some lipstick by Aimis, who claimed, "I hate doing makeup for people the most."

The person in the mirror had gentle features, and the weariness that had been constantly on her face had faded. She looked like an ordinary girl on her way to a date.

Sigelica's eyes inexplicably felt hot, and she awkwardly turned her head away.

"They're gone."

He grabbed his canvas bag and practically fled.

The Central Library of the Flamebearers' Academy has gray-white stone walls covered with ivy, and the steps are worn smooth and shiny from being walked on.

When Sigelica arrived, Lu Hesi was already standing at the bottom of the steps. He wasn't wearing a white lab coat, but a light gray thin sweater with the sleeves slightly rolled up.

He was holding two cups of coffee.

"Oatmeal latte, less sugar, warm."

He handed it over casually.

"The library café wasn't crowded today; I just got to the front of the line."

Sigelica took the cup, her palm pressed against the warm rim, her heart skipped a beat.

She never told him what he liked to drink.

How did he know?

"Let's go, the psychology section on the third floor is quieter."

Lu Hesi turned around, his steps neither fast nor slow. Sigelica hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed. The strap of her canvas bag slipped off her shoulder, and she frantically tried to retrieve it.

Third floor, psychology section.

The bookshelves were crammed full, and the air was filled with the smell of old paper and wood. Sunlight streamed in through the arched windows, casting a warm glow on the long table.

Lu Hesi took the window seat, with academic journals spread out on the table. Sigelica sat down opposite him, her canvas bag at her feet and her latte on her right.

She had expected it to be awkward.

But Lu Hesi made small talk, quietly flipping through journals and occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook. His concentration made it difficult to disturb him.

Sigelica slowly relaxed and picked up a collection of papers on post-war psychological recovery of Resonator. After reading for a while, she looked up and secretly glanced at the book.

He was writing with his head down, his eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes, and his fingers holding the pen had distinct knuckles.

Sigelica's gaze lingered on his fingers for two seconds before quickly averting it. Her ears felt a little hot.

She lowered her head and took a big gulp of her latte.

The fourth argument of this paper.

A voice suddenly came from the other side.

"I think that's debatable."

Lu Hesi was looking at her, his finger pointing to a page in his journal.

"Regarding the window of opportunity for drug intervention in Resonator under prolonged stress, the authors' data sampling range is too narrow, raising questions about the generalizability of their conclusions."

Sigelica looked down at the collection of papers in her hands and happened to turn to the same one.

She couldn't help but laugh.

"You think so too? I've been thinking about it. His sample size is less than thirty, and they're all frontline combat personnel of the Sunspeakers. There's practically no control data for logistics support Resonator."

"Right."

Lu Hesi's eyes brightened slightly, and the smile on his lips deepened.

"So what's your view on the ideal intervention window?"

Sigelica put down her cup, leaned forward, and pointed at the chart with her finger.

"There are two scenarios. For acute stress, the earlier the intervention, the better; the golden window is within 48 hours of the incident. But for chronic, cumulative stress..."

"You mean the kind caused by long-term debt pressure?"

Lu Hesi added a sentence.

Sigelica's words caught in her throat.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Doctor Lu, your example is not very professional."

"Really? I think it's quite fitting."

Lu Hesi pushed up his glasses, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

Sunlight fell on the table between the two people.

They talked for a long time, from the thesis arguments to real-life cases of psychological recovery for those Resonator, and then to the loopholes in the college's mental health screening mechanism.

Lu Hesi would listen attentively to her, patiently waiting for her to pause, occasionally interjecting to pick up where she left off.

It felt strange; it didn't feel like a date, yet it was more comfortable than any deliberate date.

Behind the flower bed across the street.

Three furtive heads peeked out.

Linnai held up a high-powered telescope, with half a roasted sweet potato dangling from her mouth.

Linnai:(✧✧)

"Report! The objective is to conduct a serious academic exchange!" Xixi smiled, a slight upward curve at the corner of her mouth!

Aimis hugged her arms and huddled behind her back, shivering from the cold.

Aimis:()

"I hate these lukewarm dates the most. They're not exciting at all, so boring."

After saying that, she snatched the roasted sweet potato from Chisaki's hand and took a big bite.

Chisaki's tablet is using thermal imaging to analyze the library's dynamics.

Chisaki:[`´Д`]

"Based on body surface temperature and heart rate fluctuations, Sigelica's current mood is stable in the 'pleasant' range. Dr. Lu Hesi's mood curve... is as flat as a straight line, making analysis impossible."

"You two," Linnai put down her binoculars, looking utterly distressed, "A date! Not an academic defense! Can't you talk about something more romantic!"

What's wrong with discussing academic papers?

Aimis chewed on a sweet potato, her words muffled.

"Discussing papers is also an exchange of ideas; the sparks that fly from the collision of thoughts, aren't they sparks too?"

"... That makes some sense."

Linnai raised the binoculars again.

Just then, Lu Hesi turned his head unintentionally.

My gaze fell precisely on the direction of the flower bed.

Then he nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

A gentle, even somewhat indulgent, gesture.

The three of them immediately pulled their heads back, wishing they could bury themselves in the ground on the spot.

Linnai:Σ(°Д°;)

"We've been discovered!"

"I knew I shouldn't have come!"

Aimis threw the sweet potato peels into the trash can and grabbed Chisaki, ready to run away.

"Observe for yourself! Being stared at by Doctor Lu's eyes felt like I was being given a full-body X-ray!"

The three people scrambled and disappeared behind the flowerbed.

Sigelica was completely unaware of the undercurrents across the street.

She took out the rainbow candies that Lu Hesi had given her from her canvas bag, unscrewed the cap, poured out two candies, and popped them into her mouth.

The sweetness bursts forth on the tip of the tongue.

She thought for a moment, then handed the bottle to the person opposite her.

"Doctor Lu, would you like one too?"

Lu Hesi looked at the bottle, smiled, took out a blue one, and put it in his mouth.

"It tastes good."

"Of course, it was the recipe you prepared."

After Sigelica finished speaking, she suddenly realized that something was wrong with what she had said.

My ears are burning again.

She quickly lowered her head, tactically raising the paper to cover half her face.

Sunlight fell on the hem of her floral dress, and the oatmeal latte in her hand was still warm.