The journey home was relatively uneventful, at least for three of the four people.
Theym Quartet were now walking along a tree-lined path leading away from the university's main entrance. The evening crowd had begun to thin, though students still passed them in groups, some carrying takeout, others talking about assignments they had probably been avoiding all afternoon.
Qiū Huà Bǐ had been unusually quiet for some time, occasionally glancing at Chūn Lěng Fēng, who was walking beside him.
Chūn, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content. He had spent most of the walk looking around, occasionally getting distracted by something along the road before returning his attention to whatever conversation was happening nearby.
Qiū had become rather familiar with this particular behaviour.
For the past few weeks, Qiū had been using Chūn as a test subject to practise controlling his ability to hear other people's thoughts. More specifically, he was learning how to shut them out whenever he wanted.
It had taken some time to establish that he could do it at all.
At first, the thoughts came whether he wanted them or not. It didn't matter where he was or what he was doing. A person could be standing quietly beside him while thinking about something entirely unrelated to the conversation, and Qiū would hear it.
Sometimes he caught only a few words. Other times, he received an entire stream of thoughts, most of which he had no interest in knowing.
The headphones helped. They gave him something else to concentrate on, especially in crowded places, but they weren't a complete solution.
He had eventually learned to close off the thoughts of small groups. Four people were manageable. Thirteen was possible, provided he concentrated and didn't have too many distractions. That was already an improvement.
Unfortunately, the world was considerably larger than a group of thirteen people.
Malls remained difficult. Busy streets were worse. Arcades were practically unbearable, and the university was still a place where he needed his headphones most of the time.
Then there had been the amusement park.
He had visited one out of curiosity long before meeting Yè Yī, Violet or Chūn. He had imagined it would be an interesting experience. Instead, it had turned into one of the most exhausting days he could remember.
The screaming was bad enough, but the thoughts were worse.
The moment he entered, he had been surrounded by the thoughts of people waiting in queues, people arguing over which ride to take, children demanding snacks, and adults wondering why they had agreed to spend money on something that made them feel sick.
The worst part was that the noise outside and the noise inside seemed to compete with each other.
People were screaming on the rides, while their thoughts continued pouring into his head. Someone was worrying about their wallet. Someone else was thinking about a missed phone call. A child was repeatedly asking his mother for ice cream, both aloud and in his head.
Qiū had lasted less time than he cared to admit.
He had left with a headache and a renewed appreciation for quiet places.
Lesson learnt. He wasn't going back there until he could properly control his ability.
Chūn Lěng Fēng, meanwhile, had become something of a useful distraction during his practice.
There was never a shortage of thoughts coming from that particular direction.
Huà Bǐ had initially assumed that Fēng's mind would be reasonably straightforward. Perhaps a few questions, some memories of his old life, and the occasional complaint.
He had underestimated the situation.
Chūn's mind was a complete mess.
There were thoughts about food, followed by thoughts about other food. He could spend several minutes wondering whether a particular bird was edible, then suddenly become distracted by a shop sign or an unfamiliar buildings. He would remember something Violet had said three days earlier, question its meaning, forget what he was thinking about, and start wondering when they were going home.
Sometimes, Qiū couldn't even follow how one thought had led to another.
At times, Qiū genuinely wondered whether Chūn had the mind of a five-year-old.
No.
That was unfair to five-year-olds.
Two, perhaps.
Huà Bǐ glanced at him.
Lěng Fēng was currently looking at a shop selling roasted sweet potatoes.
He's thinking about food again.
Qiū Huà Bǐ looked away.
Some things were simply predictable.
A little ahead of them, Violet and Yè Yī were walking side by side. Their conversation had quietened, and Violet was now looking at something on her phone while Yè Yī listened.
Huà Bǐ's attention gradually shifted towards them.
There was something he still couldn't figure out.
Yè Yī and Violet.
For the past two months, he had tried repeatedly to hear their thoughts.
It had never worked.
There was something about those two that he still hadn't figured out.
Yè Yī had been the first person to leave him genuinely puzzled. He had tried to read Yè Yī's thoughts long before Chūn Lěng Fēng came along. The first time, he had been genuinely surprised. He had expected to hear something, even if it was only a passing thought, but there had been nothing.
He had tried again.
And again.
Nothing.
At first, he assumed Yè Yī had some unusual resistance. It wasn't entirely unreasonable. His Arm was already unusual, maybe there was something about his Arm that interfered with mental perception, and there were plenty of things about him that Qiū didn't understand.
He hadn't been able to establish anything.
Then Violet came along.
Qiū Huà Bǐ had been almost absurdly pleased when he realised that her mind was equally inaccessible.
For a while, he had entertained the possibility that the two of them shared some particular trait that interfered with his ability. He just hadn't worked out what it was.
It hadn't.
He had considered their personalities first.
Yè Yī was antisocial, much like himself. although he preferred to think of himself as selective about the company he kept. Yè Yī rarely spoke unless necessary and wasn't particularly interested in making new acquaintances.
Violet, on the other hand, seemed perfectly capable of talking to people when necessary. She simply didn't seem interested in doing so unless there was a reason.
That wasn't much of a similarity.
Their backgrounds were even less alike.
Yè Yī was Chinese, while Violet was African. They had grown up in entirely different environments.
Different backgrounds, different nationalities, different ethnicities, different upbringings, different cultures, different experiences.
Yè Yī was an orphan. Qiū knew that much about him, though he had never been particularly curious about the details. As he was one as well.
Yè Yī was an orphan.
Violet...
Qiū's thoughts slowed.
Come to think of it, what did he actually know about Violet's past?
Not that he had never wondered. He had simply never thought to ask.
He knew she had an elder brother, which was the person Yè Yī. He knew they were close, and he had seen enough of their interactions to understand that their relationship was important to her.
He knew she had come to China and had somehow become involved with Factor IV. He knew about her Time and Space Arm, and he had witnessed enough of her abilities to understand that there was considerably more to her than she usually let on.
But beyond that?
But where had she grown up? What had her life been like before all this? Did she have other family members? He couldn't remember hearing her mention her parents.
He couldn't recall her ever discussing those things or anything thing similar...
Qiū frowned.
It was strange. He had known her for months, yet there were entire portions of her life he knew nothing about.
How had he managed to spend so much time around someone and know so little about her?
Perhaps it was because Violet rarely volunteered personal information. Perhaps it was because he had never considered it necessary to ask. Or perhaps he had simply become accustomed to knowing her through the things she did rather than the things she said.
He considered another possibility.
Maybe her mind was inaccessible because she had some kind of mental barrier.
That would explain it.
Except Yè Yī had never shown any sign of deliberately blocking him.
Yè Yī's Ice and Void aspects were unusual, while Violet's Time and Space Arm was equally difficult to understand. Perhaps certain Arms possessed properties that interfered with mental perception.
But then, why could he hear Chūn Lěng Fēng? His Arm was hardly ordinary either.
But then, what exactly did the two have in common?
Their bloodlines?
That seemed unlikely. The Yè clan had a long history. Perhaps there was some inherited trait he didn't know about. But Violet wasn't from the Yè clan, and he had no reason to believe their family histories were connected.
Perhaps it was something they had inherited individually.
Or maybe their minds were naturally difficult to perceive. There were plenty of things about the human mind that he didn't understand, and his own ability was still developing.
Could it be that they were deliberately keeping him out?
Qiū considered that for a moment.
Yè Yī didn't strike him as someone who would bother doing something like that. Violet, either. Neither had ever shown any particular concern about his ability in that way.
Unless—
He stopped.
There were too many possibilities, and none of them led anywhere useful.
He could ask Yè Yī, but the likelihood of getting a satisfactory answer was questionable. Yè Yī knew less about the ability than even he did.
He could ask Violet. That was even less promising. She would probably look at him for a moment, ask why he wanted to know, and then give him an answer that left him with three more questions.
He frowned.
Nothing made sense.
Qiū Huà Bǐ sighed.
He would have to investigate it himself.
He was just beginning to consider whether there might be a connection between their respective Arms and the nature of their minds when he realised something.
It was quiet.
Not the usual quiet he experienced when he concentrated on shutting out surrounding thoughts. He hadn't done anything. He hadn't deliberately closed his ability or put on his headphones.
The thoughts had simply stopped.
Usually, even when he wasn't paying attention to the people around him, their thoughts continued to reach him. He had grown accustomed to the constant background noise, sometimes barely noticing it until something particularly loud caught his attention.
But now there was nothing.
He hadn't put on his headphones. He hadn't deliberately shut anyone out.
He looked around.
Violet and Yè Yī were standing beside him, each with a hand resting on one of his shoulders. Both were looking at him with concern.
Chūn had also stopped walking.
"What's wrong?"
Qiū stared at them for a moment.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough," Yè Yī replied.
Violet studied his face. "Huà Bǐ?"
Qiū looked at her, then at Yè Yī.
Had he really stopped walking without noticing?
Chūn stepped closer, looking between them.
"What's wrong with Huà Bǐ? Is he... perhaps hungry?"
Qiū slowly turned his head towards him.
Bro. Is food the only thing you can think about?
Was being hungry the only thing he could come up with whenever someone behaved strangely?
Lěng Fēng's noticed his stare and immediately became wary.
Wait. Why is he looking at me?
Qiū Huà Bǐ remained silent.
He's not planning to steal my leftover rice, is he? No. Violet cooked that for me. No one gets to take a share in my rice.
Qiū nearly lost his composure.
Violet cooked for him?
He turned towards her.
She cooked?
Violet?
The same Violet who had never once cooked in front of him?
Fēng had been eating her food?
When?
Why hadn't anyone told him?
More importantly, why was he only finding out now?
He knew she had an elder brother who handled most of the cooking at home, but he had never given much thought to the reason. He had simply assumed she wasn't particularly interested in it.
Apparently, there was more to the story.
And she had cooked for Chūn.
Qiū looked at the latter.
Chūn was still standing there, looking rather concerned about him.
He hadn't even realised what he had just revealed.
Qiū turned back to Violet.
She was now looking at him with a slightly puzzled expression.
Was something wrong?
Qiū felt something rise in his chest. He couldn't quite decide whether it was irritation or something else, and he had no intention of examining it in front of everyone.
He huffed.
Then, without saying a word, he reached for Yè Yī's hand and began walking.
Yè Yī glanced down at their joined hands.
For a moment, he seemed unsure what Qiū was doing. Nevertheless, he followed.
Violet watched them go.
Chūn Lěng Fēng watched too.
Neither seemed to understand what had just happened.
"What happened to him?" Chūn asked.
Violet looked at her brother, then back at Huà Bǐ.
"I don't know."
"Did I do something?"
"I don't think so."
Lěng Fēng considered that before hurrying after them with Violet.
A short distance ahead, Yè Yī glanced down at his hand.
Qiū was holding his palm.
Yè Yī adjusted his grip, turning his hand slightly so that Qiū Huà Bǐ was holding his wrist instead.
Qiū Huà Bǐ didn't seem to notice.
Yè Yī looked ahead and continued walking.
Behind them, Violet and Lěng Fēng caught up.
Neither had figured out what was going on.
Qiū Huà Bǐ, meanwhile, had no intention of explaining.