The next day, it was already 8:30 AM when Lu Ren woke up.
He yawned, climbed out of bed, pushed open the door, and walked out of his room.
Upon entering the living room, Lu Ren saw Jiang Yuening explaining various details about monsters to Xu Wenxing.
She was also teaching him how he, as support staff, should evacuate innocent crowds from the scene and guide them to the Shelter.
When Lin Yiyi saw him come out, she waved to show her greeting and pointed toward the breakfast on the table.
Seeing the steamed buns and soy milk, Lu Ren paused and asked curiously, “Are these for me?”
“Yes, your roommate bought them for you. Go ahead and eat,” Lin Yiyi replied with a nod.
“I see…” Looking at the diligently studying Xu Wenxing, Lu Ren felt a bit moved.
He used to be the one who brought breakfast to Xu Wenxing, but now the roles were reversed.
It wasn’t easy; his “adopted son” had finally grown up.
After a quick wash, Lu Ren ate his breakfast while scrolling through his mobile phone to pass the time.
Once he finished his meal, Lin Yiyi appeared beside him at some point and asked softly, “Blazing Flame, are you free right now? I have some personal matters I want to ask you about.”
“Ah… I’m free. But you should just call me Lu Ren. It feels a bit strange to be called Blazing Flame directly.”
Although a bit puzzled, Lu Ren nodded and agreed to Meteor’s request.
A sweet smile appeared on Meteor’s face upon his acceptance.
“Okay! Then I’ll call you Lu Ren! Lu Ren, Lu Ren, are you really famous now? After defeating so many dangerous monsters, all the citizens of City A should know who you are by now, right?”
Lu Ren was a bit bewildered by the sudden flattery. He didn’t understand why Lin Yiyi was asking such a pointless question.
Even so, he thought back to the discussions on the Forum and replied, “It’s not that exaggerated. Blazing Flame’s fame has certainly grown a lot over the past fifteen days, but saying everyone in City A knows her is too much. Even a Magic Girl of Baixue’s level hasn’t reached that point, let alone me.”
“I suppose that’s true…” Meteor let out an “oh,” seemingly agreeing.
However, her intense curiosity pushed her to continue.
“But your popularity must be number one in City A right now, right? You’re more famous than Sapphire and me combined.”
“Hmm… maybe. But I haven’t been paying much attention to those things, so I can’t give you a definitive answer.”
Lu Ren scratched his head, giving a non-committal response.
He truly didn’t know the extent of his reputation; he only knew that an unexpected number of his photos were being posted on the Forum and certain websites—more than those of Sapphire and Meteor.
Meteor’s eyes lit up when she heard him admit it.
Envy colored her voice as she said, “That’s so nice. It hasn’t even been six months since your debut, and you’re already more popular than me. I wish I were as outstanding as you. Then more people would notice me.”
Lu Ren raised an eyebrow. Looking at the self-pitying but smiling Lin Yiyi, he was completely confused.
‘What exactly is Meteor trying to say? Is she jealous of Blazing Flame’s fame, or is she upset that she’s just a nobody on the sidelines? I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all.’
Just as Lu Ren was about to ask for clarification, Lin Yiyi continued talking to herself.
“Sigh, it’s a pity. Even if a Magic Girl is famous now, it doesn’t matter. Idol activities have been banned, and fame can’t be turned into money.”
“Ever since our personal information has been kept strictly confidential, no one can learn our true identities except in rare cases. A few years ago, Sapphire’s reputation was everywhere. Way more people knew her than know Blazing Flame now, but no one ever called Yuening ‘Sapphire’ while she was walking down the street. Hmm… I really want to become famous too.”
Listening to the muttering of the bespectacled girl before him, Lu Ren finally realized what her goal was. ‘Wait, so Meteor wants her real self to become more eye-catching, which is why she’s jealous of my current fame? This… what kind of logic is that?’
To Lu Ren, the Magic Girl and the Transformation User were two separate identities with no overlap.
No matter how famous, powerful, or charming his transformed persona was, it was all an act.
Unless he reached a point where he could no longer change back, he wouldn’t care about the performance of his transformed self.
Looking at Lin Yiyi’s reaction, she seemed to have tied Meteor and her true identity together. Hmm…
He recalled Meteor’s strange habits—never wearing shoes properly, floating through the air constantly, and referring to herself as ‘Miss’.
Lu Ren found it impossible to connect that haughty, young-lady-like Meteor with the introverted, bespectacled girl in front of him. The contrast was just too stark.
However, if there was one thing they had in common… Lu Ren glanced at Lin Yiyi’s upper body, then at Jiang Yuening’s, and then thought about their transformed states.
He was instantly enlightened. It seemed that for everyone except himself, Transformation really was just a change of clothes and a power boost; no mysterious surgery was involved.
Otherwise, their figures before and after transformation wouldn’t be so consistent.
“Ugh, I really want to become an outstanding person like you! Teach me, Lu Ren!”
While Lu Ren was lost in thought, Lin Yiyi leaned closer and pleaded with him.
After hearing her strange request, Lu Ren remained silent for several seconds before asking, “I don’t have many friends at the university either, so why do you think I’m outstanding? Shouldn’t you ask Sapphire for advice?”
“Sapphire is too proud! When I asked her how to make friends, she just said it was a waste of time and that school friends are useless!”
Meteor immediately began to vent. Recalling Sapphire’s usual businesslike and decisive attitude, Lu Ren wasn’t surprised by that response.
Still, looking at Lin Yiyi’s expression… “Miss Meteor, you don’t mean to say you haven’t made a single actual friend at school, do you?” Lu Ren asked tentatively.
The moment he voiced his suspicion, Lin Yiyi nodded frantically, as if she had found her savior. “Yeah! You’re right! I didn’t have a single close friend in all three years of high school!”
“I memorized the names of everyone in my class, thinking it would help me bond with them once we became friends! But nobody dared to talk to me! Boys and girls alike only approached me when it was time to hand out homework. Otherwise, they stayed away! I don’t even know what I did wrong!”
“Help me, Lu Ren! I really, really want to make friends with my classmates!”
By the time she finished, Lin Yiyi was looking at him with total sincerity, hoping he could help solve the problem that had troubled her for years.