Getting food from the cafeteria was a game of luck.
Even though seniors were usually let out ten minutes earlier than the freshmen and sophomores, it didn't help if a teacher decided to let class run long.
As long as the fourth-period teacher didn't run late, the seniors could generally grab a hot meal before the underclassmen arrived.
Of course, competing for food with their own classmates was also a major part of the challenge.
Because he had made plans with Li Zhi, Shen Yuan didn't sprint to the cafeteria like he usually did.
The three of them walked side-by-side, creating a rather harmonious picture.
As for why there were three of them, Li Zhi had invited her best friend, He Zhiyu.
To be honest, He Zhiyu was quite curious about Shen Yuan.
'What kind of person was her best friend's childhood sweetheart, anyway?'
Although a girl's feelings for a boy often started with curiosity, He Zhiyu didn't think she would ever fall for Shen Yuan.
After all, he was her best friend's childhood sweetheart.
He Zhiyu couldn't be the bad guy.
She was a good girl.
On the second floor of the cafeteria, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi both got the same thing: beef over rice.
Their craving for meat was top-tier.
'Eat, eat, eat. Must eat meat!'
He Zhiyu, on the other hand, was different. She much preferred tomatoes.
Even the fruit she brought to school for a snack was always cherry tomatoes.
Shen Yuan didn't believe for a second that cherry tomatoes could be considered fruit. To his palate, they were an absolute disaster.
Just as the three of them got their food, they saw a massive, noisy crowd surge into the cafeteria.
The freshmen and sophomores had arrived.
SLAM! Piles of books were thrown onto empty seats.
In the blink of an eye, the cafeteria seats were all claimed by books.
But this was just wishful thinking on their part.
When they were freshmen and sophomores, they'd all had their books moved by seniors. Now that the roles were reversed, why would they ever indulge the underclassmen?
'Either you sit your butt in the seat—that's fair—but what's the point of leaving a book?'
'Is the book going to eat your meal for you?'
If you ran into someone with a short fuse, they'd just toss your books aside.
'Besides, which one of your eyes saw me do it?'
'There were no books here when I arrived.'
Shen Yuan ate his meal, listening to Li Zhi and He Zhiyu chat.
He Zhiyu watched the underclassmen and remarked, "Senior year feels so much more intense than freshman or sophomore year."
"What do you expect? You think that college entrance exam countdown on the wall is just for decoration?"
"I just think it's unnecessary. It just makes everyone nervous for no reason."
Li Zhi shrugged. "What's there to be nervous about? Look at him. He scored a 600. Does he look nervous?"
Shen Yuan: ?
He felt like a dog peacefully sunbathing on the roadside, only to be violently kicked by Li Zhi as she passed by.
"That was a little uncalled for."
"Then score a 620."
"Please, continue," Shen Yuan muttered, lowering his head.
'I can't win. I just can't win.'
The god of specialized subjects didn't dare utter another peep when facing the god of all subjects.
Shen Yuan was terrified Li Zhi's next sentence would be something like, "A 600 barely makes you human."
The girl looked so quiet and gentle, but the moment she opened her mouth, she unleashed a verbal broadside.
What?
You think that's harsh?
That's because you haven't heard her other classic line: "Anyone with hands can score a 650, right?"
I ask you, are those the words of a human being?
"Seriously though, do your best on the weekly test this weekend and see where your weaknesses are. If you cram a bit before the monthly exam, you might get up to 620. It's only twenty points."
'Only twenty points.'
Suddenly, the beef over rice in Shen Yuan's mouth tasted like ash.
"Alright, you win! Let me buy you ice cream. Please, stop talking, I can't breathe."
Li Zhi didn't refuse.
Three sentences was all it took to make a high school boy buy her ice cream.
However, despite going to the cafeteria, Shen Yuan still hadn't completed his mission.
'There's still PE this afternoon. Don't tell me I have to tour the entire sports field to complete this mission?'
…
The first and second periods in the afternoon were both English.
Eldest Female Cousin must have just woken up. She was Vigorous and Full of Energy, and didn't let Shen Yuan substitute teach for the entire two periods.
Of course, the bigger reason was that yesterday's homework wasn't suitable for Shen Yuan to present to the class.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
Eldest Female Cousin packed up her lesson plan.
"Tonight's homework is a practice test. The class representative can come pick it up during evening self-study. Alright, class dismissed. I don't want to keep you from PE."
"Long live Shuishui!"
"Sister Shui is my god!!"
Amidst a wave of cheers, the students headed for the sports field.
Before the official fitness tests, PE class for seniors was pretty standard.
Line up, go for a run, then break for free time.
You could go back to the classroom, or head to the campus store if you wanted.
With the sun blazing down, nearly everyone hid in the gym, aside from a group of boys determined to play basketball on the outdoor courts.
'The gym was a great place to be.'
'Badminton and table tennis were sports too, right?'
Of course, the most important thing was that it was cool inside.
Shen Yuan was no overachiever, so he was certainly too lazy to go back to the classroom.
'What was so great about the classroom, anyway? It was hot and stuffy, unlike the gym.'
It was even more comfortable to sleep in the gym, since you weren't allowed to just lie on the floor in the classroom.
[Mission Complete!]
[Walk around your high school alma mater with Li Zhi. Reward: 1000 yuan. (Completed)]
Shen Yuan realized his mission was complete right after he finished his run on the field with Li Zhi.
'Seriously? And here I hadn't even toured the girls' dorm yet.'
But if that had been a required location, Shen Yuan figured he'd never complete the mission in his lifetime.
Watching Li Zhi cooling off in the shade of the gym, Shen Yuan suddenly felt there was something fishy about this mission.
The campus store, the cafeteria, the sports field... wasn't this the classic campus romance trilogy?
What decent person goes to the campus store, the cafeteria, and the sports field with a girl for no reason?
Weren't these basically the standard-issue date spots for a campus couple?
Could he and Li Zhi really make any fond memories in places like these?
She had just verbally kicked him in the gut back at the cafeteria.
'SOB, it hurt so much!'
At that moment, Li Zhi, who had been cooling off in the gym, seemed to notice Shen Yuan's gaze.
Their eyes met for a second before they both quickly looked away.
'Always hanging out with him/her. People are going to think there's something going on between us.'
Everyone had their own little clique at school.
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi were no exception.
Even though Shen Yuan was new to Class 15, friendships between guys formed quickly.
At the very least, Shen Yuan had already been integrated into Zhou Shaojie's circle when it came to the matter of the Aruba.
That's right, the circle dedicated to giving Zhou Shaojie an Aruba.
As for Li Zhi, girls' cliques were actually quite small.
Everyone seemed friendly on the surface, but behind the scenes, they were divided into several different groups.
Generally, you could tell someone's group just by seeing who was next to them most often.
Everyone had a constant companion, like an NPC.
Li Zhi's was He Zhiyu.
And even though Shen Yuan and Li Zhi were childhood sweethearts, there was no rule saying they had to end up together.
In Japanese manga, it was perfectly normal for the childhood friend to lose to the new girl who falls from the sky.
If you saw a childhood friend and a 'girl from the sky' appear in the same anime, you could pretty much assume the new girl would win.
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi would only form their own circle once they were outside the greater environment of the school.
It wasn't a 'lovey-dovey childhood sweethearts' circle, but the 'San Geng's Dad and Naonao's Mom' circle, or the 'Shen Yuan's Theory of Evolution' circle.
You know, the one about evolving from ape to man. After all, a score of 600 barely made you human.
Generally speaking, it was more often the latter.
Because in that second circle, Shen Yuan would be thinking about giving the child a complete home.