It was near the end of June, in the early morning hours. The air still seemed to retain the coolness of the night, though this slight chill was insufficient to dispel the increasingly rising temperature. Throughout the campus of Yuanyang City’s No.9 High School, students everywhere wore short-sleeved school uniforms, which made the figure in long-sleeved clothing and long pants stand out conspicuously.
He was a tall and slender youth, his puffy black hair slightly disheveled, with slightly curled ends that brushed against his cheek, vaguely revealing eyes of the same color.
A plain white coat, seemingly a size too large, hung loosely on him. He carried no backpack, only a book with an unrecognizable cover, which he absentmindedly rotated in his hand.
He moved through the noisy crowd. Despite having an exceptionally outstanding appearance, he did not attract much attention. Occasionally, there was an intensely strong sense of disconnection from those around him. Yet, if someone’s gaze fell upon him, they would only perceive an ordinary student, seemingly indistinguishable from anyone else in the crowd.
Zhang Yun recognized the figure in the distance at first glance. He quickly pushed through the crowd and approached, greeting the other with an enthusiastic voice. “Ah, how lucky! The first familiar person I’ve met today is you, Bai Yi. Indeed, ever since we became acquainted, my luck has started to improve.”
The youth turned to look at him, his gaze pausing imperceptibly on Zhang Yun for a second. “Oh, it’s you.”
Zhang Yun, now transformed by martial arts training, acutely perceived that momentary pause. He was speechless for a moment before speaking dramatically. “Hey, we’ve been deskmates for three years. We were even in martial arts classes together recently. You don’t need to act like we’re old classmates who haven’t seen each other for ten years and can barely remember each other’s names!”
“If you want to see it that way?” Bai Yi cooperatively replied, “But actually, it won’t take ten years. Strictly speaking, it’s an old classmate who’s forgotten after twenty days.”
His tone was so serious that one couldn’t tell if he was making a sarcastic joke or genuinely meant it.
Zhang Yun was stunned.
He let out a plaintive sigh, covering his face in a mock crying gesture. “How cruel. What a heartless man.”
Bai Yi quietly watched his performance without interrupting.
Compared to others who constantly leaked various bizarre thoughts and mental fluctuations, unable to control themselves, this person, while also emitting strange mental pollution, at least mostly radiated positive, cheerful waves. At most, he was merely noisy. These strong emotional fluctuations could at least mask other more disgusting noise.
He simply slowed his pace and walked alongside Zhang Yun.
Zhang Yun, having finished his dramatic performance, naturally walked with Bai Yi towards the classroom, chattering continuously about the anime series he had watched during the break.
While talking, he suddenly couldn’t help but glance at Bai Yi, then retract his gaze, then look again, repeatedly. His eyes gradually became hesitant, as if he had discovered an earth-shattering secret he couldn’t mention.
When he secretly cast his gaze on Bai Yi once more, seemingly observing something, Bai Yi finally spoke to expose his not-at-all subtle behavior. “Keep looking at me. Did you imagine me as some anime character again?”
Zhang Yun: “!!!”
After speaking, he felt an unusual silence from Zhang Yun beside him. Even the mental waves constantly emanating from the other person seemed to blank out for an instant, which made him tilt his head involuntarily.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Ah...” Zhang Yun finally came back to his senses, sluggishly shaking his head, “Nothing.”
...It just felt like he was just like that god who lost his memory and wandered the human world when he first appeared in the anime. The feeling was exactly the same as that moment before.
Just then, the broadcast station’s music suddenly played, its familiar repeated melody penetrating the entire campus.
Zhang Yun instantly snapped awake. “We’re almost late!”
He looked toward the classroom and instinctively tried to pull the youth beside him, but his palm merely brushed past the other. The person beside him had already started running at a speed no less than his own. From the wind, Zhang Yun’s voice could be vaguely heard. “We got so caught up talking that we forgot the main thing. Today is the day to fill out college entrance exam. With your grades, getting into the Imperial Capital University will definitely be easy. Which major are you planning to apply for?”
“...Probably Environmental Engineering and Science?”
Zhang Yun’s voice clearly rose an octave. “Eh? Why would you want to apply for this major...”
“The environmental pollution in this world is too serious. I’ve been concerned about this since I was young,” Bai Yi’s serious voice immediately followed, then he changed his tone, “But I don’t plan to go to the Imperial Capital. I’ll stay local.”
“...Are you serious?”
“I’m serious. Actually, I want to become a Spirit Forger. Aren’t all major universities now offering extraordinary-related courses? I’ve always liked cooking and am quite interested in the art of cuisine.”
But the start of the semester is still more than two months away...
Bai Yi’s gaze swept over the countdown of less than two months.
...Whether he would make it to university was now uncertain.
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