"Hey... are you okay?" Cyan asked with a slight tone of concern in her voice to the person sitting across the table.
"Hm?" Lin Ling finally took his attention away from his phone, now looking curiously at Cyan.
"It's just that you haven't eaten yet..."
Lin Ling looked down and realized that his slice of pizza was still there, while Cyan was already on her fourth slice.
"Oh, sorry... I got distracted..." Lin Ling had a lost expression on his face.
"Did something happen?" Cyan had never seen him look like that before.
"I..." Lin Ling looked at Cyan and wondered if he should tell her.
"I received a notice... for the school alumni reunion... I had forgotten about it."
"School?" Cyan tilted her head curiously, Lin Ling could swear he saw a small sparkle in her eyes.
"You never went to school, right?"
"No... at first the orphanage gave some classes to the children, I even attended them, but quickly the classes became an activity to use my luck for some benefit, both among the children and teachers... after I became the saint, they stopped caring about any education I might receive. If it weren't for Luo teaching me the things he learned, I would certainly be less intelligent today..." Cyan smiled slightly when she mentioned Luo.
"Luo? This is the first time I've heard you mention him." Lin Ling already had an idea who he might be.
"W-well... he was my only true friend at the orphanage. He didn't care who I was, he saw me as a person, someone beyond being a thing to be used at the whim of others... he showed me a love for music and the determination to be a hero... he was a hero to me." Cyan smiled happily at the fond memories of her past.
So he's the person she mentioned in that presentation... it's like a love story.
Lin Ling had a small smile on his face.
"Luo is certainly an amazing person. He must be worried about you, isn't he?"
Cyan lowered her head at the question.
"Yes... but right now I don't have the courage to face him. I need to be sure about my life before I see him again." Cyan was still worried about how Luo would react to her choices.
...Love can make us more fragile than we think...
Lin Ling thought melancholically about the situation of the two great friends.
"I'm sure Luo would understand your choices, but it's up to you to decide when to do it."
Cyan nodded to him.
"You and Luo would definitely be great friends, I hope I can introduce you to him one day." Cyan smiled at the idea of the two becoming friends.
"Yeah... I'm sure it would be nice..." Lin Ling laughed nervously at the idea, hoping that Cyan wouldn't introduce him as the guy she was living with, as that could make any interaction between him and Luo awkward.
Lin Ling finally started eating his slice of pizza, but this time it was Cyan who had a lost expression.
And you... how was school for you?" asked Cyan, this question was bothering her.
Lin Ling looked back at Cyan and noticed that she had an uncertain expression after that question.
Lin Ling sighed before answering.
"It's complicated..." Lin Ling now looked up, thinking about how to explain it.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked you—"
"It's okay, now that I think about it, you've already told me so much about yourself... it's only fair that I talk about myself." Lin Ling flashed a calm smile at Cyan.
"About school, I wouldn't say I went through anything special... I don't have good memories or bad memories... I don't think I have anything to remember." Lin Ling said calmly, but the smile from before disappeared, and he seemed emotionless as he spoke.
"I don't believe that... you're a nice person, you must have had at least a few friends at school." Cyan said with a serious face, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Lin Ling blinked a few times, processing this. He hadn't expected that statement.
I wish the world were that easy...
Lin Ling thought, amused by the idea.
"Maybe I wasn't always this nice guy... I was more of a boring guy in class, keeping to myself and thinking about how long it would be until class was over."
"It's hard to believe..." Cyan seemed disappointed by this confession.
"But I did have a classmate who I often read comic books with, he was a nice guy." Lin Ling put on the best smile he could muster.
"I see." Cyan lowered her head at his response.
A silence remained in the room between the two.
Cyan clenched her fists in her lap, gathering the courage to ask one more question.
"...And your family?" Cyan asked, looking him in the eye.
Lin Ling showed no strong emotion at the question, but he understood the reason behind it.
He leaned back in his chair as he faced this question.
"It's even more complicated... My parents were always busy people, I hardly saw them when I was a child, it was my grandmother who always looked after me..."
It's ironic for who I am today...
Lin Ling thought melancholically about how he now understood what his parents had gone through.
And unfortunately, my parents died in an accident one day...
"My condolences for them." Cyan knew well how that pain felt.
"Don't worry... from then on, I grew up entirely with my grandmother, and I can say that thanks to her, I am the person I am today." Lin Ling smiled slightly again. "She taught me about heroes and how they are the definition of making a difference in a person's life. She made me want to be a hero, and I will always be grateful to her for that."
"She's definitely an incredible person." Cyan smiled softly at this confession.
"She is... it's a shame she's far away now."
Lin Ling noticed that Cyan's smile had disappeared and quickly became alarmed by the words he had spoken.
"N-no, she's not far away like that! She's fine, she's currently traveling and having fun. I said that because I'm sure you two would get along well." Lin Ling corrected his poor choice of words.
Cyan expressed relief after that.
"I'm sorry... about that. Shortly after I finished high school, she had heart surgery. After recovering from the surgery, she decided to travel in search of new experiences."
"I hope I can meet her someday." Cyan smiled again at the possibility.
"I hope so." Lin Ling smiled back.
Now a more comfortable silence surrounded the two of them.
But Cyan had one more question to ask...
"Are you going to that alumni reunion?"
"... I'm not sure.... Are you interested?"
"I-I... I'd like to see what a normal school is like..." Cyan confessed calmly, knowing she couldn't hide it from him.
Lin Ling seemed to be thinking deeply about it.
I think it's a good opportunity for Cyan to learn about this kind of thing... we just have to be careful to hide her identity, and it's not like anything bad will happen to me.
"The meeting is in three days. I can ask to leave work early that day, but before I ask, I'll try to reduce my workload as much as possible so there won't be any problems later..." Lin Ling said calmly.
"Are you sure? You don't have to go somewhere you don't want to go just for me..." Cyan didn't want to cause him any more trouble.
"I don't see a problem with that. Besides, spending your vacation inside an apartment doesn't seem like a very good vacation to me." Lin Ling smiled slightly.
Cyan nodded, accepting her answer.
Neither of them knew what to expect from that day.
LATEST NEWS!!!
Today, city X almost suffered a catastrophe when a person affected by fear began wreaking havoc in the streets. Recordings show that the person had the substance fear enveloping their legs, making them look monstrous and allowing them to cause great destruction with actions such as jumping and kicking.
Thanks to Rank 6 Heroine Loli, the person overcome by fear was restrained without any victims. Immediately after being restrained, special boots with the Spotlight organization logo were found on him. In response, the Association classified the Spotlight organization as terrorists, and an investigation will be opened into the case.
The information released about the person's identity indicates that he was an ordinary worker at a construction company who was laid off at the beginning of the year due to budget cuts. Friends said that he was once a young man with dreams, but unfortunately, due to an injury in the past, he was unable to continue his dream of long jump...
So now they're not just after heroes...
Wang Ming watched the news at his desk at work, his head resting on his hand as he watched distractedly.
I thought this fear substance was directly linked to confidence, which is why they were after heroes, but apparently anyone is subject to fear—
He looked up from his phone when he saw his desk neighbor approaching.
"Look who finally shows up—"
His greeting was cut short when he saw Lin Ling's condition. His hair was messier than usual, and his dark circles were bigger.
"Good morning..." Lin Ling greeted him in a slurred voice.
"I told you not to overdo it." Wang Ming sighed at this expected outcome.
"I didn't overdo it... actually, it's these autonomous requests that are excessive, there are some crazy requests... but it's just that until today I needed to get as much done as possible in the last few days."
"Why? By the way, did you finish the commercial for Nice and Moon? You need to deliver it tomorrow."
Lin Ling laughed nervously as he let his head fall onto the table.
"No progress... but I'll sort it out by tomorrow..."
"...It wouldn't be the first time you've handed it in on time... but what can you do... just remember that after delivery comes countless requests for editing... and in fact you seem worried about something else..." Wang Ming gave Lin Ling a skeptical look before starting to type on his own laptop; he also had work to do.
"That's why I'm like this... could you approve me leaving early today?" Lin Ling asked his supervisor hopefully.
"You know these things should be notified in advance..." Wang Ming didn't turn around to answer Lin Ling, he continued typing away at his own work.
"I tried, but you've only been in meetings for the past few days. I'm lucky to find you today..."
"Right... what's the occasion? Coming from you, I doubt it's just to relax."
"About that... it's a high school alumni reunion..." Lin Ling said hesitantly.
A silence fell between the friends.
"Really?" Wang Ming asked with surprise in his voice, but he was still focused on his work.
"Is it that surprising?" Lin Ling asked in a tired voice.
"You never talked about your school days, and personally, I don't see myself wanting to go to a place like that. For me, some things are best left in the past and moved on from."
"I know... it's not exactly for me, it's so I can show a friend what school is like. She's never been to school before and I wanted to show her what it's like. She's really curious about lots of things that are normal for us, so I want to help her as best I can." Lin Ling had a small smile on her face when she finished speaking.
Lin Ling didn't notice, but after he said the word friend, Wang Ming stopped typing and trembled slightly. Standing up, he grabbed Lin Ling's shoulders.
"YOU CAN GO!" Wang Ming said loudly, drawing the attention of other employees around him.
"Wh-what?" Lin Ling didn't expect that.
"Go ahead, I won't stop you from going on your date, no matter how strange it is." Wang Ming now wore a smug smile as he looked at Lin Ling.
"It's not a date! I just want to help her with whatever I can do."
"Okay, okay, okay... and remember," Wang Ming now looked seriously at Lin Ling.
"No lies. She'll like you just the way you are."
"I ALREADY SAID IT'S NOT A DATE!"
"AND NO TALK ABOUT THE MOON!"
Lin Ling was now arriving home with a shopping bag in his arm.
'Stupid Wang Ming, talking so loudly like that, now everyone will think about it.'
Lin Ling opened the door, frustrated with his friend's eccentric behavior.
"Oh! You really did come home early!" Cyan, who was in the middle of the room holding a basket of clothes in his hand, greeted him with a small smile.
"Yes..." Lin Ling didn't notice the small smile appearing on his own face.
"Cyan, I told you. You don't have to do the chores like this, I'll help you when I get home."
The last few days after work, Lin Ling showed Cyan how to do certain household chores. She had no trouble learning, but she still had a way to go in that regard.
"I know... but look." She showed him the laundry basket with the washed clothes inside.
"I followed your instructions and didn't spill any soap." Cyan had a small smile of pride on her face.
"Very good-" Lin Ling interrupted his congratulations when she noticed something. There were some pink shirts among the clothes, and he didn't remember having any pink shirts.
"...Cyan."
"Hm?"
"...Did you remember not to mix colored clothes with white clothes?" Lin Ling asked calmly.
A silence fell between the two as Cyan kept a smile on her face with her eyes closed.
"Sorry..." Cyan lowered her head, a comical cloud of sadness appearing above her.
Lin Ling sighed as he saw this sight once again.
"It's okay, I don't hate the color pink, just remember next time..."
"Okay..."
"Here, this is for you." Lin Ling handed the shopping bag to Cyan.
"What is it?" Cyan took the bag with curiosity.
"Well... I was thinking that since we're going to a place with people, and conversation is inevitable, we'd better try to improve your disguise..." Lin Ling seemed uncertain about what he was saying.
Taking what was in the bag, Cyan's eyes widened a little.
"Hair dye..." Cyan said in a low voice.
"The color of your hair... is your most striking feature, I'm sure changing its color will be the most effective disguise."
Change my color...'
Cyan stared at the package of hair dye.
Lin Ling was sweating, worried about her reaction. He knew it wasn't an easy decision, but he had to propose the idea.
"All right... I'll do it." Cyan held the hair dye closer to her.
"Are you sure? It's just an idea, we can try other things—"
"No." Cyan interrupted Lin Ling.
"You're right, this is the best way to cause less trouble." Cyan said with a smile as she walked to the bathroom.
"Right..." Lin Ling wasn't convinced by her answer. With a tired sigh, he sat down on the sofa, thinking about everything that had happened so far. It had been almost a week since he had found and taken Cyan in, and he still felt strange about the whole situation. He just hoped he was helping her in the right way.
Feeling relaxed, Lin Ling ended up falling asleep without realizing it.
It was late afternoon at a particular school, and some students were leaving after another day of classes.
"How did you do on the test?"
"I don't know... I didn't even study for it."
"Guys, are we going to see the new Fast and Heroics movie?"
"What? Didn't they finish with the 11th movie?"
"This is an epilogue, idiot."
"I'm telling you, man! In a fight between E-soul and Queen, E-soul defeats her with speed before she activates her powers."
"I'm sure Queen is capable of reacting fast enough to activate her powers, one word and he's paralyzed, unable to do anything."
Classmates talked excitedly with each other.
"Hey... Han Feng," a young man with messy dark brown hair and dark eyes wearing a school uniform called out to another young man who was in the middle of a group conversation.
"Hm?" Han Feng turned around curiously to see who was calling him. Han Feng had short dark blue hair and black eyes, and was slightly taller than average.
"Are you Jin Ping?" Han Feng asked, looking at the who had called him.
"It's Lin Ling..." the young man replied with a nervous laugh. "Here." He took what appeared to be a comic book out of the bag on his shoulder.
"What?" Han Feng looked curiously.
The comic book I mentioned, the one you said you wanted to read." Lin Ling had a smile on his face as he explained.
"Aaaah..." Han Feng made a face of understanding. "You're from that time... look, I said that, but honestly, I'm not interested in it, I didn't even remember it." Han Feng spoke unconcernedly.
"But you said—"
"Look, man, that's cool and all, but all that hero stuff isn't my style, I was just curious."
"Hey Han Feng, let's go. We're going to be late for the next movie." A girl in the group called out to him.
"Okay, let's go." Han Feng turned around one last time to look at Lin Ling. "It's better for everyone to do what they really enjoy."
Han Feng and the group walked away while commenting on the scene they had just witnessed.
"Hey, who is he?"
"He must be a new student."
"Idiot, they don't take new students at this time of year."
"Really? Then how long has he been in our class?"
"He's boring. Who reads comic books about heroes nowadays? All kinds of heroes are on TV or out there."
"What was his name again?"
"I think it was Xin Qing."
Lin Ling, who could still hear the conversation clearly as they walked away, lowered her head and held the comic book tightly in her hand.
"It's Lin Ling..."
Lin Ling opened his eyes in surprise, realizing he was in the familiar ceiling of his apartment.
Damn...
He put a hand on his forehead with a distressed look on his face.
What a beautiful moment for these memories...
"Ah, you're awake." Lin Ling raised his head and looked in the direction of Cyan's voice.
Cyan was leaving the room, wearing a short, light dress in a subtle blend of cream and white. At the waist was a thin belt with gold details, and below that was a skirt made of a more transparent fabric. Underneath this transparent skirt was another, more robust skirt in white. but the most striking detail now was her hair, which was now black. Lin Ling had to admit, it was a beautiful sight.
"So... what do you think?" Cyan let out a nervous laugh when she saw his gaze.
Realizing that he was staring too much, Lin Ling stood up, alarmed and nervous, and replied as sincerely as he could.
"What can I say... I expected nothing less from you..."
"Thank you." Cyan flashed a small smile at his response.
A silence fell over the apartment, which was awkward for Lin Ling.
"Okay, now it's my turn to get ready." Lin Ling headed for the bathroom. "I won't be long."
They both got off the bus in front of the school building, where a few lights could be seen at the back of the premises.
Lin Ling wore the same clothes as always with her jacket on top, the difference being that instead of a white shirt, he wore a pink one.
Cyan had added a pair of glasses with fake lenses, just to help with her disguise.
"So, how was riding the bus?" Lin Ling decided to strike up a conversation first.
"It wasn't bad," Cyan replied calmly. "I always ended up riding in a car because of DOS, and it wasn't much different."
"Yeah... that makes sense."
Arriving at the school gate, Lin Ling showed the invitation on his cell phone to the security guard.
Upon entering the school, they each started heading in a different direction down the hallway, causing curiosity in both of them.
"Hm?" "Hm?"
"Where are you going?" Lin Ling was the first to ask.
"I thought we were going to the party... all that noise is coming from that direction..." Cyan innocently pointed to where she was going.
"We can leave that for later, come on, I'll show you around the school." Lin Ling smiled.
Cyan nodded as she followed him.
A good amount of time passed, and Lin Ling showed Cyan some specific places in the school, such as the cafeteria, the lab, and the library.
They were walking through the hallways again, but Cyan seemed uncertain about something.
"Hey... are we lost?" Cyan asked Lin Ling, and in response, he ended up stopping a little abruptly.
"No... what makes you think that?" Lin Ling asked, trying to sound as firm as possible.
Cyan pointed to a specific door in the hallway.
"We've already passed this room four times."
Lin Ling sweated comically at Cyan's statement.
"I'm sorry." Lin Ling bowed his head sharply to Cyan in apology.
"It seems my memory isn't the best."
"No, no, no." Cyan waved his hands in an attempt to ease his guilt.
"I just wanted to make sure about that, after all, we don't want to miss the party, do we?" Cyan asked in a slightly nervous voice.
"Yeah..." Lin Ling replied strangely, and Cyan couldn't help but notice it.
"Hey—"
"AH!" Before Cyan could say anything, Lin Ling interrupted her with a surprised gasp.
"How did I not notice this before..." Lin Ling approached a door further down the hallway. "This was my classroom." He turned and smiled at Cyan. "Come on."
Cyan ended up giving in to her sudden enthusiasm and followed him into the room.
Upon entering the room, she noticed that it was just like any other classroom in the school; he could have shown her any room.
"So this was your classroom?"
"Yes... I would recognize this view anywhere." Lin Ling said nostalgically as he sat at the back table by the window.
Approaching, Cyan looked in the direction that place allowed her to see and realized that it was possible to catch a glimpse of the heroes' tournament arena.
Cyan smiled at this sight, Lin Ling surely thought about his dream every day.
"So what was it like to have class here?"
Lin Ling looked away from the window at this question, now looking at the front of the room.
"I could say it was normal... the teachers didn't seem to care much about the class, and the students were the same... many had their groups to talk to, some slept, some played games, and there were those who recorded videos for Fomo..." Lin Ling explained without much emotion.
"And you used to read comic books? By yourself?"
"Yes—I mean..." Lin Ling looked Cyan in the eyes and for some reason didn't know what to say.
"...I told you, didn't I? I just wanted to leave, I had no reason to stay or any desire to come to school." Lin Ling had his head down. "I'm sorry... I'm not the best person to explain what school life was like... but I'm sure you would have been popular, your life would have been special here."
"Did you really not have any friends here?" Cyan asked calmly.
"Yeah... I couldn't blame them for that... I was boring, bordering on weird, kept to myself, didn't draw attention to myself, I didn't make a difference to them..." Lin Ling spoke dejectedly.
"Well, I would be your friend." Cyan said in a firm tone of voice.
"...What?" Lin Ling raised his head, looking at Cyan as if she had two heads.
Cyan sat down at the table next to him, smiling at him.
"I don't care if you're boring or weird, I've only known you for a short time, but I'm sure you're one of the nicest people I've ever met. I don't care if I'm going to be popular at school, that's not what I wanted, what I wanted was to be able to live and learn with my friends every day, like a normal person... You're someone I'd like to have by my side every day here. That would be special to me." Cyan smiled happily at Lin Ling.
Lin Ling's eyes widened at this statement.
For a moment, his imagination took over his mind. At that moment, he imagined that, just as they were sitting side by side in a classroom, they would be together during their school days, both wearing uniforms and chatting distractedly during class.
Lin Ling lowered his head once more, but this time he didn't seem sad.
I think that way... it would be worth remembering those moments.
A happy smile appeared on his face without him noticing.
"HEY!"
Cyan and Lin Ling looked toward the new voice. It was a security guard at the door to the room.
"What are you doing here?! The party is in the school gym!"
"Sorry, we got lost and decided to sit here and rest. Could you show us the way to the gym?" Lin Ling stood up and explained the situation.
In response, the security guard sighed wearily.
"Okay, follow me... stupid couples..." The security guard muttered the last part to himself as he guided the two to the right place.
"Here we are." The security stopped in front of a double door. It was possible to see lights flashing between the door openings.
"Thank you." Lin Ling and Cyan thanked the security guard for his help.
"Okay... just control yourselves from here on out." The security guard waved as he disappeared into the corridors.
Lin Ling placed his hand on the door, and with that action, he froze in that position, staring intently at the door.
His attention was stolen when he noticed Cyan placing her hand on the door next to him.
"Shall we go?" Cyan gave him a small smile.
Lin Ling smiled back in response.
"Let's go."