After the small chat ended, Lu Ren studied some English words in the dormitory, ordered a takeout, and after resting for a while, went to bed for a nap.
It was rare to have a day off on Saturday, and he didn’t want to waste the time playing games.
He needed to catch up on sleep, making up for the hours he missed from his early morning classes!
He tucked his phone under his pillow, closed his eyes, kept his body still, and thought about simple things to quiet his mind. Soon, Lu Ren fell asleep.
He ended up sleeping for two hours straight.
Although he heard Xu Wenxing talking at some point, which left his mind a bit foggy and prevented him from falling into deep sleep, getting that much rest was still pretty good.
Lu Ren sat up on the bed, shook his head, exhaled sharply, and splashed some water on his face to wake himself up and prevent the drowsiness from dragging him back into a sleep that would last until evening.
“Brother Ren, you’re awake?”
Xu Wenxing, who had been sitting on the chair, heard the voice and walked over to Lu Ren’s desk, waving at him.
“Yeah, awake. What time is it now?” Lu Ren closed his eyes again, waiting for his brain to fully wake up.
“It’s two thirty in the afternoon. You slept for almost two hours. I envy you; I’ve never really gotten into the habit of napping,” Xu Wenxing replied.
“Nonsense. You just prefer to play games at noon. What do you mean you don’t have the habit? That’s a lie,” Lu Ren teased mercilessly.
“Cough cough, don’t expose me,” Xu Wenxing coughed awkwardly. “By the way, Brother Ren, want some mooncakes? My family sent me some. I’m going to the Delivery Station later. Do you have any packages? I can bring yours back for you.”
“Mooncakes?”
Lu Ren glanced at his phone and realized it was only early September, with still a good month before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
“Yeah, there’s ham mooncakes, lotus seed mooncakes, and five-nut mooncakes. All homemade by my family. Want some?” Xu Wenxing asked.
“Of course, I’ll eat them. Who refuses free food? But it’s still early September. Your family already sent you mooncakes?” Lu Ren slowly opened his eyes, feeling much more awake.
“Uh, well… my parents have a lot of free time at home. They like to make food early before traditional festivals and send it to me. You know how it is, Brother Ren,” Xu Wenxing said hesitantly.
“No, I don’t. Don’t tell me that. By the way, are you secretly rich? I’d never have guessed,” Lu Ren sized Xu Wenxing up and down. “You look more like a guy who fries fries in a McDonald’s kitchen.”
“Hey, no way I’m rich. I don’t even wear a watch,” Xu Wenxing waved his hand. “Besides, my parents’ favorite pastime is taking me to restaurants in the wilderness. Not exactly a wealthy family.”
“Your explanation just makes you sound richer,” Lu Ren sighed. “Who else has parents that enjoy eating out in the middle of nowhere? Move aside, I’m getting down.”
“Brother Ren, you’re getting up already? Not going to nap some more?”
Xu Wenxing took a few steps back, giving Lu Ren room to get off the bed, then asked curiously.
“What nap? I’ve already slept two hours. If I sleep more, I’ll turn into a pig.”
Lu Ren grabbed the bed rail and climbed down, stretching and yawning as he spoke to Xu Wenxing.
“Let’s go. I’ll come with you to the Delivery Station to get some movement.”
“Come with me?” Xu Wenxing looked puzzled. “I thought you didn’t have any packages?”
“I’ll just keep you company to the Delivery Station, then take a detour to Commercial Street to buy something to drink. You’re coming, right?”
“Uh… yeah! In this weather, I want something cold. Hot drinks make me uncomfortable.” After a moment’s thought, Xu Wenxing made up his mind.
“That settles it. Let’s go.”
Lu Ren grabbed his Dormitory Key and phone, pocketed them, and got ready to head out.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Xu Wenxing nodded, gathered his things, and the two left the dormitory, heading toward the Delivery Station.
On the way, Lu Ren scrolled through his phone, reading the latest news.
Apart from the usual weather forecasts, celebrity gossip in the entertainment circle, and marketing accounts with clickbait titles like “Shocking! This symptom means you’re sick!”, most of the news was about this morning’s Monster attack in City A, and the two Magic Girls teaming up to fight. It was quite dull.
But after scrolling for a few minutes, Lu Ren came across an interesting video.
The title read, “Unbelievable! The Magic Girl with the Most Flags of Honor Is Actually Her?!” The thumbnail was a photoshopped image of Sapphire and Blazing Flame.
Flags of Honor? What’s that? And why is it connected to me?
Skeptical, Lu Ren clicked on the video and turned the volume down to the lowest, watching quietly.
On screen, an elderly man wearing a Monster Response Department uniform cheerfully waved to a reporter, then took the reporter to three small rooms, explaining that these were the Flags of Honor given to City A’s three Magic Girls by the citizens.
The first room belonged to Meteor; her flags nearly filled half the room. The second was also Meteor’s, with flags covering half the room.
When the third room appeared, Lu Ren saw that Blazing Flame’s Flags of Honor filled nearly the entire room. His mind was full of question marks.
Was this video real?
He was a Magic Girl who hadn’t even been active that many times, yet had received this many flags? Had these people made a mistake?
Tch, this is really…
Lu Ren didn’t know how to describe what he felt inside, only that a wave of pleasant satisfaction washed over him, like wearing fresh underwear on New Year’s Eve and sleeping in a soft bed — incredibly comforting.
“What are you smiling about, Brother Ren? Let me see too.”
Xu Wenxing, also looking at his phone, noticed Lu Ren’s strange smile and turned his head to see what was on the screen.
“Cough, cough, it’s nothing. Here, look.”
Lu Ren cleared his throat awkwardly and handed the phone to Xu Wenxing for a better look.
“Huh? Oh? Wow? Blazing Flame has that many Flags of Honor? No way, I had no idea. This is the power of being both cute and strong. Truly fearsome.”
Taking the phone, Xu Wenxing listened to the elderly man explain the origin of each flag and watched the proud smile on his face.
He propped his chin thoughtfully and continued watching the video attentively.