Tang Sui finished speaking, dried the handkerchief with her demonic power, and handed it to Ning Rongrong, perhaps as the last bit of gentleness she left.
What she wanted most now was to get back into bed and sleep.
Ning Rongrong, still standing in the same spot, watched Tang Sui's retreating figure, holding the now dry and soft handkerchief in her hand.
"Friend...sincerity..."
She whispered these words, slowly tightening her grip on the handkerchief, creasing the smooth cloth deeply.
...
In the early morning, Tang Sui was woken up by Xiao Wu's punctual biological clock.
Both of them, still groggy, tidied themselves up and left the dormitory, heading to the academy's cafeteria for a simple breakfast prepared for the students – fist-sized cornbread mixed with preserved vegetables.
Looking at the lean breakfast, Tang Sui thought about her malnutrition. She held the cornbread, her small face etched with worry.
She had thought that after leaving home, she could finally live a prosperous life. Unexpectedly, after entering the academy, the food supply was even less than at Nuoding Academy.
She missed her teacher, and she missed the little chicken legs their siblings always had every day QAQ.
Tang Sui stared at the cornbread, then grumpily opened her mouth and took a bite. In one bite—she ate half of Tang San's portion.
Tang San watched his sister, who had suddenly become emotional, with amusement. He picked up the wooden cup on the table and poured some water for Tang Sui, just in case—
"Cough cough cough!"
Tang Sui, having bitten off too much at once, couldn't swallow and choked. Her face turned red, and she quickly patted her chest with a half-clenched fist. Sudan Novel Network.
Xiao Wu chuckled and, holding the water Tang San had poured, offered it as a courtesy: "Sui Sui, girls shouldn't eat as ravenously as Xiao San."
Tang Sui, with teary eyes, embraced the wooden cup and drank it down in gulps.
'Your brother is indeed your brother; he accurately predicted the consequences of your actions.'
A deep, resonant voice sounded in Tang Sui's mind.
Tang Sui coughed even harder. She raised her watery blue eyes and, in the spiritual space, conjured a miniature version of herself to glare fiercely at the Ape-faced figure hovering beside the Fox-faced one.
'Don't laugh!'
The Ape-faced figure's pair of bell-sized eyes flashed red, and then it fell silent.
The Fox-faced figure's narrow, fox-like eyes flickered, and the curve of its lips seemed to widen. However, since its expression was always a smile, Tang Sui didn't notice.
Feeling that she had intimidated the Ape-faced figure, Tang Sui continued to eat her cornbread in small bites, but a sense of unease lingered in her heart.
She felt as if... she had forgotten something?
...
The bell for class rang, and everyone quickly finished their breakfast, heading to the training grounds.
The dean or teachers were not yet present, but a graceful figure was already standing on the training ground.
"It's Ning Rongrong," Xiao Wu whispered to Tang Sui as she linked arms with her.
As if sensing someone's arrival, Ning Rongrong turned her head. Her face, which looked a bit worn, came into view. Her eyes were red, and she appeared much more listless than yesterday.
But...
"Why does today's Ning Rongrong feel different?" Xiao Wu whispered to Tang Sui.
Tang Sui looked at Ning Rongrong, who was stubbornly standing upright not far from the flagstand. Her eyes curved: "She is indeed different."
She could feel that Ning Rongrong's temperament had changed.
She had shed her arrogance and genuinely wanted to integrate into the group.
Everyone lined up on the training ground.
The person teaching them today was still Dean Flanders.
However, this time, Tang San and the other six waited for a full quarter of an hour before the dean finally arrived in a leisurely manner.
Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong, just like Tang Sui and the others, stood silently in her position, waiting for Flanders's arrival without complaint or any sign of annoyance.
This caused Tang San and the others to glance at Ning Rongrong from time to time.
"Cough, cough."
Flanders cleared his throat with a half-clenched fist and his gaze first landed on Ning Rongrong.
He nodded to himself and, without reprimanding Ning Rongrong, got straight to the point: "Today is your second lesson... Hmm? Oscar? Is he sleeping in again?"
Flanders, who was about to announce today's lesson, suddenly realized someone was missing.
And in today's second lesson, the most important person.
—Author's notes—
See you tomorrow~