Every afternoon, Hildegrifa would visit Xuanxi in the infirmary right on time, bringing dinner she bought from the cafeteria.
Not the bland nutritional meals from the infirmary, but freshly baked toast, milk, and jam from the cafeteria, and occasionally a small plate of fruit.
She would set the tray on the nightstand, sit down by the bed, say nothing, and just quietly watch Xuanxi eat. Then she would take the tray away.
This went on every day. Until the third afternoon, she came carrying a backpack.
“Here’s the academy’s winter break assignment list.” She pulled a sheet of paper from the backpack and placed it in front of Xuanxi.
Winter break tasks are, naturally, learning tasks that every student needs to complete during winter break. You can choose to do them at the academy or take them home. Just submit the results after the semester starts.
On Xuanxi’s task list was a line: “Research water magic, attempt to create or improve a high-level water magic spell.” She glanced at the task list, then glanced at Xige.
“So difficult? Xige, will you help me?”
“Figure it out yourself. Don’t I have to improve or create a high-level lightning magic spell? All because you performed too well in the assessment. Elsa and the others only need to learn to cast one high-level spell.”
Xuanxi sighed. ‘People fear fame as pigs fear being fat.’ She folded the task list and put it in her pocket.
The next morning, Dr. Yilian examined her wounds for the last time. The bruising on her right arm had completely disappeared.
The scabs on several wounds were almost healed. The scab on her face had fallen off by itself during yesterday’s bath, revealing pale pink new skin underneath, whiter than the surrounding skin, like a faint crescent moon.
“Congratulations! Xuanxi, you can be discharged.” Dr. Yilian made a checkmark on her medical record, indicating that she had fully recovered.
When Xuanxi walked out of the infirmary, the sunlight was a bit glaring, making her squint. The academy’s stone paths gleamed in the sun.
The leaves of the plane trees on both sides of the road had all fallen, and the bare branches swayed gently in the wind. This also meant—winter break had arrived.
***
On the night of packing, Dormitory 404 was as chaotic as if a typhoon had passed through.
Xuanxi pulled clothes from the wardrobe and piled them on the bed.
Notebooks, diary, handkerchief—the small library she had built under the pillow was all turned out and knocked over. Xuanxi packed them one by one into the suitcase.
The jade pendant hung around her neck, close to her heart. After Xuanxi stuffed the last piece of clothing into the suitcase, she zipped it up and let out a breath.
The sound of water came from the bathroom; Hildegrifa was taking a shower. Through the semi-transparent glass window of the bathroom, the outline of her chest loomed in the steam, looking heavy, like two medium-sized grapefruits.
Xuanxi turned around and walked to the screen. This screen had been here since the first day of enrollment.
She suddenly inserted her fingers into the gap at the edge of the screen and gently pried it open. The screen was dismantled by Xuanxi like that—this was her first time damaging school property (she later found out it was a decoration bought by Xige).
The bathroom door opened. Steam rushed out first, scattering into a white mist under the light. Hildegrifa walked out, her silver-white hair draped over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled.
Water droplets dripped from the tips of her hair onto her robe. Her sash was tied loosely. Her face was flushed a thin red from the steam of the bathroom, with small water droplets still hanging on her eyelashes, making her look much softer than usual.
She raised a hand to smooth her half-damp hair, looked up, and her gaze habitually fell toward the direction of the screen—and then stopped.
That semi-transparent barrier that had stood for a semester was gone. Looking closer, the wooden frame leaned against the corner of the wall.
The silk cloth on it had been removed, folded neatly, and placed beside it, as tidy as a carefully filed document—Xuanxi had even made sure to fold it with the cloth side facing up, afraid of dirtying the silk.
The entire screen was taken apart cleanly, not even a single nail left behind, but the dismantled pieces were tidied up neatly.
Hildegrifa stood there stunned for a few seconds. That screen was something she had bought.
During the first week of school, she thought the dorm was too empty, so she had someone deliver it from home.
It was said to be decoration, but actually it was also used to separate the two people’s spaces. After all, she didn’t want a stranger to see her sleeping, nor did she want a stranger to get too close.
She thought this screen would stand for four years and only be taken down and brought away at graduation. She never expected Xuanxi to take it apart today.
“I spent two hundred gold coins buying it.” Her voice was very flat, indistinguishable between statement and query.
Xuanxi stood at the original position of the screen, her ink-green hair draped over her shoulders, holding a quilt and spreading it on the floor. Upon hearing this, she paused, then looked down at the quilt on the floor, the screen frame leaning against the corner, and then at the bed.
“Hmm… you spent two hundred gold coins to buy it?”
“Um, should I help you put it back?”
“No need. Since it’s taken apart, it’s taken apart. I don’t want it anymore anyway.”
Xuanxi could naturally tell that Xige’s excuse was flimsy, but Hildegrifa didn’t say anything more. Her gaze passed over Xuanxi and fell on Xuanxi’s bed.
As it turned out, Xuanxi’s quilt had been pulled off, the blanket pulled off, and the pillow was gone. On that bed remained only a pile of books—diary, notebook, the handkerchief she had given, and Xuanxi’s notes, all dug out from who knows where, piled into a small mountain.
“Then where are you planning to sleep tonight?” she asked.
Xuanxi spread the last quilt on the floor. “On the floor. I dismantled the screen just to make a floor bed to sleep on.”
“Oh.” Hildegrifa’s tone didn’t change at all, but she didn’t walk toward her own bed either. She stood at the bathroom door, her silver-white hair still dripping. Xuanxi looked up at her. Water droplets dripped from the tips of her hair onto the floor.
“Do you want to join me?” Xuanxi’s voice wasn’t loud.
Hildegrifa didn’t answer. Xuanxi took it as tacit consent. She finished spreading the quilt in her hands, stood up, walked to Hildegrifa, and took her hand.
Her fingers slipped through Hildegrifa’s fingers, interlaced, palm against palm. Hildegrifa’s palm was warm, and the back of her hand still had un-dried water stains. She pulled Hildegrifa toward the newly made floor bed.
Hildegrifa didn’t resist; in fact, she seemed a bit expectant.
The two lay down. On the floor were two layers of blankets, with the quilt on top. Pillows were placed side by side, one left, one right, taken from their respective beds.
They faced each other, very close, so close they could count each other’s eyelashes, so close they could feel each other’s breath brush against their skin. Xuanxi didn’t let go. Hildegrifa didn’t let go either.
The two just stared at each other like that.
The temperature inside the covers was gradually rising, the heat radiating from the two bodies slowly accumulating in the confined space.
Xuanxi could feel Hildegrifa’s heartbeat, one beat, one beat, as fast as her own.
“Good night, Xige…”
“Good night, Xuanxi…”
Smack! The light went out. No words were exchanged for the rest of the night.
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