"It feels like it has been a long time since we last ate lunch here. I didn't expect the food to taste even better now that we're back." Chu Lian bit lightly on her chopsticks as she commented on what she had just eaten.
"We actually rarely eat here either. We usually bring our own food or go out to eat. Although the food here is quite good, most of it doesn't suit my tastes, so I don't come often."
Liu Yanran preferred light food, yet most of the cafeteria's dishes had rather strong flavors, which she did not particularly enjoy.
"I still prefer Mom's and Big Sis' cooking. I don't feel anything special about this place." Chu Chu had already finished all the food in front of her and was now sitting idly at the table. Hearing their conversation, she joined in as well.
It was not that she thought her mother and Big Sis cooked better than these chefs. She simply liked their food, nothing more.
Still, the word "like" truly was an excellent explanation whenever someone wanted to be willful.
"Although many of these chefs come from prestigious culinary schools, and some are even contemporary masters of a particular tradition or leading authorities on a specific dish, they're still lacking a little finesse." Cai Ya had grown up surrounded by luxury and delicacies. To her, this food was merely acceptable.
"I don't really understand why all of you are saying that, but personally, I think these dishes are delicious. They're far more authentic than anything I ate back in Japan. Perhaps this is the true charm of Huaxian cuisine."
Ruriko Nana put down her chopsticks, indicating that she had finished eating. No one knew whether her petite body concealed a bottomless pit. She had eaten more than anyone else, yet judging from her appearance, there was not the slightest change.
"Hoho, at the very least, it's far better than anything I ate in Britain." Of everyone present, Lux's evaluation was undoubtedly the most trustworthy. After all, she had been born and raised in Britain, a country renowned for its dark cuisine, and understood her homeland's food quite well.
Thus, after tasting Huaxian cuisine, she had become its complete captive. These days, she practically refused to eat any proper meal that was not Huaxian food. Her enthusiasm was even more extreme than that of the locals.
"You'll only understand what truly supreme delicacy is once you taste something Aunt Mingxue has cooked seriously. Aunt Mingxue is practically the embodiment of gourmet cuisine."
Li Xiu'er was no longer afraid of interacting with Li Mingxue, but perhaps because of what had happened before, she still did not dare call her Aunt. Thus, in front of outsiders, she always addressed her as "Aunt Mingxue."
"In that case, I have yet another reason why I absolutely must visit Chu Lian's home." Lux's eyes lit up when she heard Li Xiu'er's words, and she immediately began imagining just how delicious Li Mingxue's cooking might be.
Strangely enough, these girls all possessed distinctive personalities and maintained their composure in front of others, yet after spending enough time with Chu Lian, they would completely drop their airs. Aside from Cai Ya's tsundere nature, Liu Yanran's quiet gentleness, and Xiu'er's shyness, the others no longer seemed embarrassed by much of anything.
Could shamelessness truly be contagious? Would anyone who stayed around her long enough eventually become lewd and shameless too?
"Mm, then you can all come to our house this afternoon. You're completely welcome." There were plenty of empty rooms at home anyway. Even several more people could stay there without the slightest problem, so Chu Lian had nothing to fear. They could come whenever they wished.
"I'm suddenly looking forward to this afternoon." Lux and Nana exchanged glances, each seeing the other's anticipation.
"Huh? Why are we still sitting here after finishing our meal?" Chu Lian checked the time and discovered that only twenty minutes had passed, which meant they still had plenty of time to rest.
She stood first and spoke as she walked. "Come on, girls. Let's go rest somewhere else. Staying here isn't particularly pleasant. After all, if you keep watching other people eat, you'll eventually be tempted to order more yourselves, and then you'll be in trouble. Aren't you afraid of gaining weight?"
"True. This isn't a good place to rest." Hearing Chu Lian's words, the other girls rose and followed her outside.
"Where are we going?" Cai Ya walked up beside Chu Lian and asked where exactly their destination was.
"Over there~ Given the current circumstances, there shouldn't be anyone there." Chu Lian raised a hand and pointed toward the small grove where she and Li Xiu'er had stayed while Ayase was asleep before the school trip.
Far fewer people had returned to school today than on a normal school day. Moreover, after finishing their business that morning, many had already left one after another.
Those who remained were either students confident that they could put on a stunning performance and were waiting for the afternoon rehearsal, or people who simply enjoyed school life and had stayed behind to study or rest.
That grove was normally used mostly by couples on dates. It was secluded, quiet, and rarely visited by anyone else.
It was the perfect place to rest. No one would disturb them, and they could take a proper nap.
"That place..." Walking on Chu Lian's other side, Liu Yanran saw where she was pointing, and her gaze suddenly grew distant. She knew that place well. After seeing the photos someone had taken of Chu Lian and Li Xiu'er sleeping against each other, she had been deeply moved and gone there herself.
"How nostalgic." Barely more than twenty days had passed since then, yet it felt like an eternity to her. So much had happened during that time that even the girl herself felt somewhat dazed.
That was where Big Sis and Xiu'er pledged themselves to each other, wasn't it? While everyone else was reminiscing, Chu Chu alone silently thought about that matter. What would have happened if I had been the one there instead? Perhaps everything would have changed.
But that was Xiu'er's destined opportunity, the beginning of the feelings between her and Big Sis. Even if I truly could have taken her place, I still wouldn't have been able to do the same thing.
"I've heard illicit couples often sneak in there." Ruriko Nana had been born in Japan and naturally possessed the comparatively open Japanese attitude toward sex. Thus, the angle from which she viewed things was somewhat different.
The moment she finished speaking, she felt something tug at her hand. Turning around, she saw Lux frowning delicately at her and looked somewhat confused.
'You gave yourself away.' Seeing that Nana still did not understand, Lux silently mouthed the words without making a sound.
"Ahem. Whatever the case, let's head over first." How could Chu Lian possibly fail to notice the little exchange between them? To prevent the somewhat innocent Ruriko Nana from revealing even more, she immediately redirected the topic toward herself.
"How interesting." Propping her cheek on one hand, the petite girl watched the seven girls depart together and murmured softly.
Then the lively beauties around her drew away her attention, and she began enjoying their service.
As for the fiery looks those boys were giving her? She could not care less. As long as she did not deliberately provoke them, they would not dare lay a hand on her here.
After all, something this interesting doesn't happen often. Wouldn't it be a terrible shame if I couldn't insert myself into it? Her intentions had never changed from beginning to end, yet for some reason, she still had not acted on them.
"As expected, the afternoon sunlight feels far more comfortable than usual. Lying here gives you a kind of comfort that's difficult to abandon." The girls lay on the grass with their heads gathered together in a circle. Listening to one another's breathing beside their ears in the stillness of the afternoon made them drowsy.
"Big Sis, if this keeps up, Chu Chu is going to fall asleep. Yawn..." Chu Chu, who usually seemed the most energetic, was actually the one enjoying this feeling most. She was already nodding off as she spoke. In a moment, she probably would not merely fall asleep but sink into a deep afternoon nap.
"Then go to sleep. Don't think so much. Whatever it is, we can talk about it this afternoon. Be good. You haven't had much proper rest either, have you?" Chu Lian was not foolish enough to be like Ruriko Nana and openly reveal her own secret tryst. She had not mentioned a single word about the passionate lovemaking she and Chu Chu had enjoyed.
"Okay... Good afternoon..." Chu Chu murmured before tilting her little head and falling asleep. Being beside Big Sis and everyone else truly felt wonderful. What she loved was not this sort of afternoon, but this kind of time together, this feeling.
"What do you two plan to do from now on?" Chu Lian used her spiritual awareness to examine Chu Chu. Only after confirming that she had fallen asleep did she ask Ruriko Nana and Lux Lyle.
"We already told you. We will follow you forever and serve by your side." Lux repeated her previous words without the slightest hesitation. Just as she had said, after casting aside that so-called fate, mission, curse, or whatever it was, she wanted only to live her own life.
Even if such a life required her to pay a certain price, she was still willing to choose it. It was her own decision, one she would never regret.
"The same goes for me. The Hidden Path no longer needs an heir like me." Ruriko Nana no longer concealed herself behind her previous identity and openly revealed her origins as the heir of the Hidden Path, an existence no one could afford to overlook.
"You're not going to consider your families? They must still have very high expectations for you. Otherwise, they wouldn't have trained you to your current level." Chu Lian's former weakness had prevented her from seeing it, but now that her strength and discernment had improved considerably, she understood at least some of the secrets hidden within Lux's and Ruriko Nana's bodies.
"That's right. We don't need to consider them, because they have never considered us." Lux Lyle's voice contained no emotional fluctuation. To her, family and clan would soon become things of the past. She had no need to understand them or care about them any longer.
"Even without me, there are plenty of other heirs to the Hidden Path. Although they value me most, they also know I'm the one least likely to stay. I only hope they won't be foolish enough to attack you when the time comes." Nana's tone was faintly melancholic. She was not worried about herself. Instead, she had begun worrying about Chu Lian on her behalf.
"It doesn't matter if they attack me. I won't kill them, and I'll bring you back safely. Isn't that enough?" Chu Lian knew what the so-called Hidden Path was and understood how formidable its people were, yet she simply was not afraid.
"In that case, there won't be any problem." Having received answers from both girls, Chu Lian finally settled the matter. Whatever happened, they could now be regarded as her own people.
"I'm getting a little sleepy..." Li Xiu'er, who was lying on Chu Lian's other side, yawned as well. Listening to the girls' conversation while a gentle breeze brushed over her gradually filled her with hazy drowsiness.
"Go to sleep." Chu Lian knew that whenever Li Xiu'er dreamed, everyone would enter a strange dreamscape, but she did not stop her. None of this was Li Xiu'er's fault.
"Mm, I'm going to sleep." She pursed her cherry lips and slowly drifted off as she spoke.
Drowsiness seemed to sweep over every girl. After Li Xiu'er fell asleep, no one spoke again, and before they knew it, they had all drifted off as well.