Chapter 88: Educating a New Roommate
I looked at Dongli Yiren in this state; from the shyness when her senior brought her here to now, she has yet to show basic politeness to me, a new student.
Perhaps there are indeed some uncontrollable factors for her, like her gender transition, which has a huge impact on her and requires time to adjust. But is it really necessary for me to tiptoe around her?
She feels quite different from Quan Xiuzhu. So far, she hasn’t even said a simple thank you!
Though it seems she may have muttered an apology earlier.
In any case, if she continues like this without realizing it, it’ll end up looking like I’m just seeking entertainment at her expense, and that can’t be right.
“Are you asking me? Then can you say it again in a more polite tone? After all, this is usually something seniors help you with.”
“Um… may I ask where I can collect it?” Obviously, after a second of hesitation, the lure of free stuff won over her shyness.
No matter what prompted her to say “please,” it seems this roommate might still be easy to talk to… probably.
“Of course! Let’s go now. Can you use the phone? I mean the phone issued by the academy.”
“I can use it.”
Dongli Yiren nodded. After all, living in this modern society, no matter how much the phone changes, young people can quickly get the hang of it after some exploration.
“No need for you to accompany me. Just tell me where it is, and I’ll go by myself… erm… I mean, I don’t want to trouble you.”
“But I’m free anyway. Are you really sure? Do you know how to get there? It’s not close from here.”
“I’ll take the bus; the senior took me on it, and I know it’s free.” Dongli Yiren nodded again, essentially rejecting me politely.
“Is that so? Well then, I hope you won’t encounter any strange seniors on the way.”
I smiled as I said that, but the senior who brought her actually took her by broom, so I initially thought she arrived that way too.
But that has nothing to do with me; if she doesn’t want me to go with her, then I won’t. Forcing my way in could be worse. Maybe she feels there’s a difference between boys and girls?
Whatever it is, I can only go along with her decision. The excitement of having a new roommate is quickly wearing off in this short interaction, and it seems I’m truly failing at making friends, even though I’m being proactive.
“Strange… strange seniors?”
Suddenly, Dongli Yiren exclaimed, startling me. I didn’t expect her to suddenly react like this and must admit I was genuinely taken aback.
“Ah? What’s wrong?”
I looked at her expression, resembling a trauma response. Has she encountered strange seniors before?
No, she must have already met one, like the one who brought her here.
“No… it’s nothing… I’m just asking, are there many strange seniors in the academy?” Dongli Yiren instinctively denied it, yet spoke in a slightly trembling tone.
“Ah? There should be quite a few.”
Looking at her, it didn’t seem like she was pretending, although I have yet to meet any strange seniors myself. Well, that’s not entirely true; I haven’t encountered any who acted strangely towards me, but doesn’t stop me from trying to scare her a little.
“Many seniors in the academy are indeed interested in new students who used to be boys. Anyway, you should be careful; you’re quite easy to recognize like this, and those strange seniors are very observant.”
At this point, I thought of Ying Shiqian and her friends. Despite disguising myself well, how did they see through it?
“Well… I think I won’t go out…” After much thought, Dongli Yiren halted her steps.
“What? Are you afraid of strange seniors? If I may ask, are you…”
“I’m not! I haven’t been… definitely not!” Before I could finish my sentence, Dongli Yiren interrupted me.
This sudden denial made it awkward for both her and me, and she realized her reaction was a bit over the top.
Isn’t that just confessing?
So, she must have already had an encounter with a certain senior… I wonder if there was any depth to the testing. She’s still a new student; surely it can’t be that serious?
“Okay, how can we ignore free things? I’ll go with you.” I stood up from the sofa and patted the wrinkles on my clothes while smiling.
“If you go with me, I won’t encounter any strange ones?” Dongli Yiren still asked worriedly.
“With two people, besides, I can use magic.”
I said this while tugging at the badge on my chest. I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but it really feels like my chest is already a bit more pronounced.
It seems this change isn’t slow; it’s only been a few days, and changes are already visibly evident. But now’s not the time to think about that.
“This is the badge from the four-item set, which contains a magic spell. You haven’t collected it yet, so you’re unaware, but I have. With an offensive spell, other seniors will be somewhat wary of me, so don’t worry.” I said with a smile.
Though I know that the seniors older than me definitely grasp stronger and protective spells, the spell I have might not be that powerful, and I haven’t used it yet, so I’m clueless about its might.
But it’s enough to reassure Dongli Yiren.
At this moment, Dongli Yiren was staring intensely at the badge on my chest while my hand instinctively covered my chest; her gaze felt a bit too intense.
“Ah… s-sorry, I was just looking at the badge…” Dongli Yiren quickly realized her earlier actions were a bit rude, and she hurriedly apologized, with a hint of a blush appearing on her cheeks.
She merely wanted to grasp this power quickly; as soon as she collects the four-item set, she can master the spell, allowing her to protect herself.
Even… even for revenge? Is that possible?
“It’s not appropriate to act like that, even if it’s a misunderstanding!” I quickly admonished, then my gaze shifted to her chest; after all, she’s a girl, so I quickly looked back.
But still, it seems peaceful; once she grows bigger, I want to personally get involved! I’ll keep that thought to myself; revenge can wait for later.
“I’m sorry, sorry, please lead me there.” Dongli Yiren hurriedly continued apologizing. If she initially only sought the free item, now she has another compelling reason to obtain it!
It’s the first extraordinary power she can access before enrollment! It’s also her means of self-defense.
She doesn’t want to miss this opportunity over such a trivial matter.
“Sigh… what can I do with you; you were just saying you didn’t want me to take you.” I crossed my arms, using a teasing tone towards her. Now she’s pleading with me, so I can certainly be a bit lenient.
I can see her yearning for the badge; after all, having it amounts to possessing extraordinary means. Plus, considering her previous reaction to “strange seniors,” I have a rough understanding of her.
“Sorry, I was too naive earlier. Well… shall we go?”
