At 4 PM, the sunlight had lost its harshness from noon.
On the commercial street outside Winter Rose University, Orange Quiet Forest had just finished her drowsy afternoon tea lecture and was aimlessly walking down the street.
“Ah…”
She paused her steps, her gaze cutting through the bustling crowd and locking onto a figure not far ahead.
A girl in a brown knitted top and a black-gray long skirt was holding a melting matcha soft-serve ice cream cone.
Just as Orange Quiet Forest recognized her as her teammate, Jing He Xuanyiang.
As if sensing the gaze from behind, the girl ahead turned around.
When she saw it was Orange Quiet Forest, Jing He Xuanyiang’s narrow, languid fox eyes curved slightly, and she smiled.
Then, her vermilion lips parted.
“Meow-meow?”
…
“Why is it you, meow-meow.”
‘Meow-meet fox.’
‘But foxes eat meows, you know. And she’s meowing, which makes it even scarier.’
‘No, Orange Quiet Forest is the older one here.’
‘Jing He Xuanyiang is only sixteen, so why should she be afraid of her?’
‘This is where she should show the dignity of an elder.’
Orange Quiet Forest lifted her chin slightly, putting on the air of a senior.
“Don’t you have class? High school shouldn’t be out yet.”
Jing He Xuanyiang seemed indifferent.
“Mm… not going anymore. I never planned to go to college anyway.”
The two stood in the middle of the sidewalk and simultaneously turned their heads.
Their gazes, as if by tacit agreement, crossed half a street and locked onto that old-fashioned pastry shop at the corner.
Two people who both liked to slack off looked at each other and instantly understood.
Jing He Xuanyiang walked ahead.
“We each pay for our own.”
“Obviously.”
They pushed open the wooden-framed glass door of the pastry shop, and a cool breeze mixed with the fragrance of tatami and the subtle bitterness of hojicha rushed in.
Since it wasn’t yet time for middle and high school students to be let out en masse, there were only a scattered couple of tables occupied inside.
The two chose a corner window seat for two, sitting across from each other.
Only then did Orange Quiet Forest, using the natural light from outside, carefully observe her teammate across the table.
Jing He Xuanyiang wore a textured brown knitted top today, outlining the young girl’s budding curves.
Her lower half was a black-gray high-waisted long skirt, with white canvas shoes and plain short socks casually on her feet.
No overly flashy accessories, but it exuded a mature, high-class feel.
Combined with her ever-calm demeanor, she could easily pass for a sophomore in the art department.
Jing He Xuanyiang took a small spoonful of matcha cake, moving her mouth with satisfaction as she savored it.
As she chewed, her usually somewhat aloof face finally showed a look of contentment appropriate for her age, like a little fox that had eaten an exceptionally fine piece of fried tofu.
“Quiet Forest, just got out of college classes?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Winter Rose University?”
“How did you know?”
“Is it hard to guess?”
Jing He Xuanyiang rested her cheek on one hand, her gaze idly scanning the street outside the window.
“Because around here, Winter Rose University is the only university. It occupies such a large area in the prime city center—truly a TOP1. Nationwide, the only one that could probably go toe-to-toe with it is the Wanjing University in the neighboring city. Winter Rose is a super prestigious school that crushes all those old historical universities.”
Having her identity as a top student exposed, Orange Quiet Forest didn’t show any pride.
She simply straightened her back naturally and took small sips of her milk tea through the straw.
“It’s okay. I’m just a student; I don’t really care about that reputation.”
‘After all…’
‘It was really just because I reincarnated and put in a bit of effort.’
‘How ironic.’
Jing He Xuanyiang watched her like this, a deeper smile behind her eyes.
“Oh my, so it turns out that our black-haired, straight-haired beauty who goes all out with crazy acts in the live stream, whose laughter can shatter glass, is actually a hidden high-achieving student in real life.”
Orange Quiet Forest almost choked on her milk tea.
“Cough, cough… That’s just a university!”
Orange Quiet Forest forcibly maintained her elegance, but the tips of her ears uncontrollably turned red.
“And I didn’t do any crazy acts! I just… had a flash of inspiration at the time and wanted to do it!”
‘In truth, Orange Quiet Forest only acted so recklessly under the cover of that “virtual avatar” in the live stream.’
‘When offline, with the strict upbringing of the Orange Family’s eldest daughter ingrained in her bones, she was mostly quiet and dignified, even a bit daunting to approach.’
‘Even during her time in an all-girls high school, the other girls saw Orange Quiet Forest as a perfect, unattainable flower on a pedestal.’
“Mm-hmm, is that so? But I think it’s pretty much the same.”
Jing He Xuanyiang didn’t continue teasing.
She lowered her eyes, picked up the long-handled spoon, and slowly stirred her iced lemonade.
Ding… ding…
The glass cup wall collided with the ice cubes, producing a crisp, rhythmic, ethereal sound, exceptionally clear in the quiet afternoon.
Xuanyiang remained silent, and the atmosphere fell into a lull.
‘The two had known each other for a length of time that wasn’t long, nor short.’
‘As teammates in “=π,” they had only just over two weeks in total.’
‘Orange Quiet Forest, having been praised as “someone else’s child” since childhood, was absolutely adept at interpersonal skills and social interaction.’
‘She knew how to make others comfortable, yet also how to maintain a safe social distance.’
‘And Jing He Xuanyiang? She was steady, learned things extremely fast, and had a sharp mind.’
‘When the team practiced group dances together, if someone made a misstep, she could always point it out precisely.’
‘The two worked together very harmoniously.’
‘But, peeling off the layer of “work,” the sense of distance when they were alone together was like the condensation on the outside of the cup at that moment—blurry and unclear.’
‘Because aside from work, they had no other interactions.’
“Ah… Xuanyiang, you said earlier that you don’t plan to go to college?”
Jing He Xuanyiang’s hand stirring the ice stopped.
She looked up, her eyes without the confusion typical of a high school student, and nodded.
“I plan to become a manga artist. The idol thing is just part of my research material, and being an idol can’t last forever anyway. Think of it as a small episode in life, providing more material for my manga.”
“I see…”
Orange Quiet Forest held the frosty glass cup with both hands and sank into thought.
‘Because even after reincarnating as a beautiful girl, she still hadn’t figured out what she wanted to do.’
‘Go to college? Get a good job? Make a lot of money?’
‘In reality, she could have all of that now if she wanted.’
‘What does she need to pursue?’
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