Travel Guide and Shopping List: Preparations for Departure

Chisa's voice echoed in the warehouse.

"During the trip, from 10 PM to 6 AM every night, the two of you must sleep separately."

Zhou Yu's hand holding the chopsticks was suspended in mid-air, noodles still clinging to the tips of the chopsticks, a drop of soup dripping onto the table.

Dania had noodles in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out, and she stopped chewing completely.

She swallowed the mouthful of noodles with difficulty.

"Sleep separately?"

Zhou Yu put down her chopsticks, opened her desk drawer, rummaged through it for a few seconds, pulled out a folder with the Flamebearers' Academy logo, and slammed it onto the table.

"Miss Chisa."

"According to the Logistics Department's regulations on business trips, due to limited funds, only one double suite can be approved this time."

Chisa looked at the document.

"I can sleep in the hallway."

"The corridor doesn't comply with security regulations." Zhou Yu pushed the document back, tapping the cover with her finger. "If you sleep in the corridor, who will ensure your sleep quality? If you run out of power, who will cover for you in an emergency? Me? I couldn't even pass the 800-meter run in my physical fitness test."

Chisa did not respond.

Dania reached out and tugged at Zhou Yu's sleeve.

"Xiao Yu, if we sleep separately, who will find me something to eat if I get hungry in the middle of the night?"

Zhou Yu rubbed the top of her head.

"Did you hear that? This is a matter of survival."

Chisa's gaze swept over the two of them before finally settling on Zhou Yu's face.

Rules are rules.

Zhou Yu sized up the white-haired woman carrying a knife, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

If she resists, she'll report directly to Lupa, or even draw her sword on the spot. If she goes along with it, as long as Dania is fed before 10 o'clock, everyone can go back to their own rooms after 10 o'clock, which is actually easier.

He sighed, took out a pen from his pocket, uncapped it, and turned to the last page of the food diary on Dania's desk, drawing a horizontal line at the end of the schedule.

I put pen to paper.

Okay, let's part ways after 10 PM.

He threw the pen on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Working before 10 AM counts as overtime for me, and overtime pay will be calculated separately."

The next morning, at XX Supermarket, south gate of the Flamebearers' Academy.

Zhou Yu was clutching a two-meter-long sheet of printed paper that had been dragged on the ground, densely covered with the names of various items.

The shopping cart wheels clattered on the floor.

Dania curled up in the bicycle basket, her feet dangling over the edge. She reached her hand through the gap in the wire mesh, grabbed a bunch of tomato-flavored potato chips from the shelf and threw them into the bicycle, then turned around and reached for a strawberry gummy bear, stuffing it into her arms.

"I want two packs of these." She pointed to the chocolate bars above her head, but her fingers couldn't reach them, and she almost tipped them over.

Zhou Yu held her steady by pressing down on the edge of the car with one hand, and with the other hand took the chocolate bar off and threw it into the basket, then ticked it off on the printer paper.

"Hold on tight, if you get flipped over, I'm not responsible for getting you to the hospital."

"You'll take care of the Xiao Yu." Dania confidently withdrew her hand, placed the potato chips under her, and sat down properly.

Chisa followed three steps behind them.

The supermarket lights shone on the ends of her white hair, and the bell at her waist remained silent.

Her gaze swept across the shelves on both sides, past those cartoon-patterned bags and sweet-smelling puffed snacks—snacks that had never appeared in the supply depots at the Reed Plain Frontline.

The supply depot only contained compressed rations and cold, hard weapons.

She stopped in front of the kitchen knife shelf and touched the back of a meat cleaver priced at 120 yuan with her fingertips.

The thickness is insufficient, and the material is too brittle.

Zhou Yu pushed her cart past.

Which one have you got your eye on?

Chisa withdrew her hand.

These knives can't kill anyone.

Zhou Yu picked up the meat cleaver and threw it into the shopping cart, smashing it onto the bag of potato chips.

"For cutting watermelons at the beach. You can't exactly use that katana on your waist to chop coconuts."

"I don't use my knife to split coconuts."

"So how do you plan to open the coconut? By banging it with your head?"

Chisa did not answer the question.

Zhou Yu continued pushing the cart, when Dania suddenly patted the edge of the basket.

"Xiao Yu, that bear."

A huge white plush bear perched on top of the shelf, its plastic eyes reflecting the light.

"You already have one in your dorm."

"This one is white." Dania craned her neck to stare at the bear, then leaned outwards again.

"White ones get dirty easily, and there's a lot of sand at the beach, so you can't take them with you." Zhou Yu picked up a box of white chocolates from the shelf next to her and handed it to her. "The white ones. You can take these, and you can even eat them."

Dania took the chocolate, unwrapped it, popped it into her mouth, glanced back at the polar bear one last time, chewed it twice, and then looked away.

Fresh produce section.

Zhou Yu picked up a bag of beef jerky priced at fifty yuan, looked at the back, and then turned to walk towards the supermarket manager who was arranging stock.

"This batch of beef jerky was produced last month and is nearing its expiration date; according to regulations, it should be discounted."

The supervisor dusted off his hands.

"It still expires in five months, how can it be considered near expiration?"

Zhou Yu took out his terminal and turned the screen towards the other party.

"Article 4 of Chapter 3 of the College's Food Safety Management Regulations states that once a product is halfway through its shelf life, it enters a near-expiration warning period. If this batch of goods sits for another month, it won't even qualify for sale. I'm helping you clear out your inventory; you'll be thanking me profusely."

"We are a supermarket open to the public, and we are not under the jurisdiction of your college."

"I'll take them all now. Thirty-one packs a day." Zhou Yu slammed the beef jerky back onto the shelf. "Thirty yuan per pack."

The supervisor glared.

"The cost price is more than thirty!"

"Twenty-eight." Zhou Yu put away his terminal, took out a pen from his pocket, wrote a line on a blank page of the printed paper, tore it off, and handed it over. "I'll also give you a long-term cooperation agreement with the Logistics Department. You know how much snacks our college consumes each month. Once this pile of goods is cleared out, your performance bonus will be met next month."

The supervisor grabbed the note and looked at it for a few seconds.

Thirty is really not enough; I still have rent to pay.

Zhou Yu glanced at the digital watch on his wrist.

"29. For every minute you hesitate, I'll lower the price by one dollar."

"That's not how you bargain!"

Ten seconds left.

The supervisor released the note from his hand.

"Fine! Thirty it is! Take it!"

"Why didn't you just agree earlier?" Zhou Yu chuckled, then turned and stuffed a dozen or so packets of beef jerky into the space next to Dania.

Chisa stood at the other end of the shelf.

She watched the entire negotiation unfold, her fingers slowly loosening their grip on the knife hilt.

No bloodshed, no sacrifice. A few sheets of paper and a few words were exchanged for a truckload of food.

Long ago, at the market in Ashihara.

The older sister, Yulu, stood in front of the vegetable stall, arguing for a long time with the burly stall owner over the price of a bunch of greens.

In the end, the vendor gave him an extra scallion.

Yulu stuffed the few coins she had saved into her cloth bag; the copper coins clinked together with a soft clatter.

"Xue'er, keep this money to buy you candy."

Chisa tucked her hands into her sleeves; the fabric was rough, and the knife hilt was cold.

She closed her eyes.

Suppress that sound.

Checkout counter.

Zhou Yu swiped the Logistics Department's card, and a long bill came out of the machine.

The three walked out of the supermarket, where there was an ice cream shop.

Zhou Yu walked to the window.

"One strawberry, one sea salt, and one vanilla matcha duo."

I swiped my card, took three ice cream cones, one in each hand, and turned around.

The strawberry flavored one was handed to Dania.

Dania held it in both hands, opened her mouth and took a big bite. A corner of the pink ice cream was chipped off, and cream smeared on her lips.

Zhou Yu handed the double-pinched card to Chisa.

Chisa's hands hung at her sides; she did not accept it.

"Here you go." Zhou Yu pushed it forward. "It's not on the travel expenses; consider it my personal treat. If you don't accept it, I'll just throw it in the trash; it'll be a waste anyway."

Chisa reached out and took it, looking at the green and white ice cream scoop on top, and took a small bite.

The cool sweetness and the slight bitterness of matcha melt on the tip of the tongue.

Dania tilted her head to look at her.

"Is it tasty?"

"Fine."

Chisa raised her wrist and took another bite.

Zhou Yu chewed on the sea salt flavored cigarette, then took out his terminal to check his train ticket information for the evening.

"Let's go back to the dorm and pack our things."

Evening, girls' dormitory at the Flamebearers' Academy.

Three huge suitcases were spread out on the floor. Linnai sat cross-legged on the bed, holding a pair of pajamas with a bear pattern on them and shaking them a couple of times.

"Ya, how can you bring something like this to the beach? You should bring that tank top."

Dania sat in a chair, her hands resting on the back of a large brown bear on her knees.

"Xiao Yu said it's windy at the beach at night, and she'll catch a cold."

Aimis came over from the side and stuffed a box of sunscreen into the corner of the suitcase.

"Zhou Yu is such an old-fashioned person, does he expect you to wear a long-sleeved swimsuit?"

Dania nodded.

He said it was for UV protection.

"I take back my previous assessment that he was shrewd." Aimis covered her face.

Sigelica pushed open the door and came in, carrying two large plastic bags, which she dumped onto the table with a clatter.

Motion sickness medicine, gastrointestinal medicine, band-aids, a roll of bandages, a bottle of iodine, and even a small tactical flashlight.

"The commonly used medicines that Zhou Yu just had delivered are all here. Don't give me any bad advice."

Linnai picked up the flashlight and pressed the button; the bright light shone directly onto the wall.

"Is he taking Ya on vacation, or on a wilderness survival mission?"

Dania took the flashlight and put it into her small backpack.

"Xiao Yu said it's better to be prepared."

Chisaki sat on the top bunk, her fingers swiping across the tablet.

"According to the meteorological bureau, the seaside resort area will be sunny turning cloudy for the next three days, with a 10% chance of precipitation, making it suitable for travel." She paused and looked up. "Also, that guard named Chisa has a combat strength rating of S or higher. Ashihara has extremely rich combat experience. Most importantly, she's from my hometown."

Linnai stopped fiddling with her clothes.

"S or higher? Even more capable than Director Moning? And you're from the same hometown?"

Sigelica frowned.

"The fact that the principal sent her out suggests that this trip to the seaside might not be peaceful."

Dania hugged the big bear and rubbed against it.

"Xiao Yu said she was just going to recharge."

Chisaki adjusted her glasses.

"Zhou Yu's cognitive model is always different from ordinary people. However, with an S-level combatant accompanying him, the safety factor is indeed greatly improved."

Sigelica stuffed the pillboxes one by one into the side pocket of her suitcase and zipped it up.

Did Zhou Yu exceed the budget this time?

"Xiao Yu said the principal approved double."

Sigelica's shoulders slumped.

"That's good. I don't want to take on any new debt."

Linnai leaned closer and nudged her with her elbow.

"With 80% of the debt settled, shouldn't we start thinking about the future of the library promise?"

Sigelica's ears turned red.

That was just an academic exchange.

Aimis laughed out loud.

"Yes, academic exchange while eating rainbow candies."

A pillow flew over and hit Aimis on the head.

"Shut up!"

Aimis collapsed onto the bed and wailed dramatically.

While the chaos raged, Linnai stuffed the bear pajamas into the box, pulled out a black lace camisole from the bottom of the cabinet and placed it at the very bottom, then covered it with a few T-shirts.

"Yaya, remember to change into this tonight."

Dania caught a glimpse of the corner of the dress, and a blush rose to her cheeks.

"But we have to sleep separately after 10 pm."

Linnai was stunned.

"What? Sleep separately?"

Sigelica also stopped what she was doing.

"Zhou Yu agreed?"

"That's what my colleague Chisa said, Xiao Yu agreed."

Linnai slapped the bed.

"That Zhou Yu! He's usually such a shrewd person, what's wrong with him at this crucial moment!"

Aimis peeked out from under the pillow.

"You can wear it before 10 o'clock."

Dania buried her face in the bear's fur, her voice muffled.

We were having a late-night snack before 10 PM.

The dormitory was silent for two seconds.

Then laughter erupted.

Linnai laughed so hard she rolled all the way to the inside of the bed.

"Having a midnight snack! That's so typical of you! You two are something else!"

Sigelica couldn't hold back her smile. She walked over, grabbed the zipper of the suitcase with both hands, and zipped it all the way down with a click.

She patted the box.

"Alright, go to sleep early, we need to catch the train tomorrow."

A breeze blew in through the window, causing the pages of the food schedule on the table to rustle as they turned.

Dania sat in a chair, wearing a straw hat, holding a large bear in her arms, with a packed suitcase next to her.

A very soft sound came from the doorway.

Chisa leaned against the corridor wall, the half-eaten matcha ice cream cone in her hand was empty, and she folded it neatly in her palm.

She looked at the warm yellow light leaking through the crack in the dormitory door and listened to the intermittent laughter inside.

A long time passed.

She threw the cardboard from the ice cream cone into the trash can at the end of the corridor and turned to walk back to her temporary dormitory.

He took two steps, then stopped.

Zhou Yu.

At the other end of the corridor, Zhou Yu was leaning against the windowsill, looking at the hotel confirmation email on her terminal.

"Um?"

Chisa had her back to him.

What time do we leave tomorrow?

Zhou Yu looked up at her, and his lips twitched.

"Meet at the South Gate at 7:00 AM. Latecomers will not be waited for."

Chisa didn't say anything more, and her footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Zhou Yu put away the terminal and glanced at the digital watch on his wrist.

The screen is black; nothing is displayed.

He smiled, put the terminal back in his pocket, and walked towards the dormitory.

Tomorrow, the South Sea.