The cafeteria at Rongcheng Medical College was very popular among students.
For seven yuan, you could get two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and unlimited rice. The taste might not have been exceptional, but for poor students, it was an incredibly cost-effective meal standard.
This was especially true for Su Tianqing, who barely had any money in her pockets.
As she walked towards the cafeteria, Su Tianqing chatted with the nervous Nan Jiayu beside her.
Nan Jiayu had come to Rongcheng Medical College from out of town. She was an orphan, raised by an elderly human couple, and had only been able to attend school thanks to the Beastmen Mutual Aid Society's funding.
Compared to Su Tianqing, who had no family, Nan Jiayu's family situation was even better.
"That's so nice~ Jia Yu, you still have grandparents at home, but I only have myself…" Su Tianqing said glumly.
Although, this glumness was intentionally feigned.
"Um… I'm sorry, Miss Tianqing…"
"It's fine, it's fine, I'm already used to living alone," Fox Fox waved her hand and said with a smile.
In Nan Jiayu's eyes, only Su Tianqing herself knew how much hardship was hidden beneath that smile.
The two sat in a corner of the cafeteria, eating and chatting idly.
Occasionally, students would pass by their table, and without exception, they would all glance at the smiling Golden Fox.
Looking at her angelic face and smile, even a fleeting glance would make one feel healed.
"Jia Yu, do you have any plans for this afternoon?" Su Tianqing asked curiously after finishing her last piece of meat.
"Huh? …Oh, I just arrived in Rong City, so I'll probably just wander around the school and get familiar with the area."
"That's perfect! I live nearby, I'll take you around!"
"That… wouldn't be good, Miss Tianqing, you…"
"You're still calling me Miss Tianqing!" Su Tianqing pouted, extended a finger, and lightly poked the Cat Girl's nose across the table.
"No adding honorifics without permission, just call me Tianqing."
"Ah, w-w-w-w…"
.
In truth, Su Tianqing wasn't very familiar with the surrounding area either.
But fortunately, the terrain near Rongcheng Medical College wasn't complicated. The roads were straightforward, there were only a few landmark shops, and student-oriented businesses were countless. You could spend an entire afternoon just wandering through the snack street in the back alleys.
"Jia Yu, where do you live in Rong City? In a dorm, or are you renting outside?"
"I live in the dorms when school is in session, and everyone in the dorms is quite friendly. During holidays, I stay at a relative's house nearby."
"Eh? Relatives?"
"It's my grandparents' biological son, who lives in Rong City with his daughter. I occasionally go there to tutor her daughter."
"I see, Jia Yu, your family is very happy."
"Don't talk about that topic anymore—"
Su Tianqing felt that Nan Jiayu probably found her quite likable.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been willing to be led around the school for an entire afternoon.
That afternoon, Su Tianqing saw at least seven new student pairs like herself and Jia Yu. Some were naturally outgoing seniors, and they didn't have any specific goals, just simply strolling and chatting.
That's right, that's what youth is like.
If you see someone you like, just go for it. What if they like you back? Then it's a match.
It wasn't until the sun set, bathing them in brilliant afterglow, that Su Tianqing suddenly realized how late it was.
"Oh, is it this late already? It seems like there are still many fun places over there."
Su Tianqing turned, her back to the setting sun, and said to the Cat Girl, who still seemed a bit reserved, "But it's already very late. How about we go to the cafeteria for dinner, and then we can hang out again in a few days."
Before leaving, she couldn't just say "see you next time." She had to set up the next meeting in advance, so it would be easy to find a topic.
—This was the art of language.
"Hmm… Tianqing, you go ahead. I need to go tutor my cousin now, and I'll just eat at my relative's house."
"I see, then I'll go by myself. See you tomorrow~ Bye-bye—"
Su Tianqing didn't mind and waved goodbye with a smile.
Nan Jiayu stared blankly as the fluffy big tail swayed and ran off. She slightly opened her mouth, then gently closed it, a smile appearing on her face that she didn't even notice herself.
How wonderful, Tianqing.
She had wished countless times to be a lively and cheerful beast-girl like her, but each time she failed to take that final step.
Someone so bright and radiant, like the sun, would such a person truly be willing to be her friend?
Nan Jiayu lowered her head and looked at the colorful braided rope on her wrist.
It was a cheap trinket bought from a street stall. Although it only cost one yuan, it was a welcome gift from Su Tianqing.
"Hiss… exhale…"
The Cat Girl took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
She truly hoped tomorrow would come quickly.
But before that… she should solve the problem of her hungry stomach first.
The girl lowered her gaze, looked around, walked into the depths of the greenery, and pulled something out of her pocket.
Her phone, and a golden cross star.
Nan Jiayu's gaze fell on the phone screen.
"Rongcheng Hero Association's active Magic Girl, 【Hyacinth】…"
The Cat Girl murmured, her sea-blue cat eyes narrowing into a slit, like a feline predator eyeing its prey.
Her original target was her.
But unfortunately, a newcomer had recently appeared in Rong City, and she happened to be a villainous Magic Girl like herself, which greatly troubled this outsider—
Anonymous video account, 【Magic Girl Fox Fox Official】.
This account only had two videos. One was a declaration of war against Hyacinth, and the other was her mocking session after successfully capturing Hyacinth yesterday.
If she were to use Hyacinth as her "food" for this month, she would have to wait at least another half a month, as Hyacinth had just been exploited by this fellow practitioner yesterday, and her magic reserves would definitely not be enough to sustain her until next month.
"【Xin Yuehu】…"
Looking at the Golden Magical Girl on the screen, Nan Jiayu's face showed no particular expression.
Since they were both villainous Magic Girls, her stance should be consistent with her own, and it was even possible that she, like herself, had come to Rong City from another city.
For their respective livelihoods, it was probably best not to bother her.
However, her fluffy tail and ears… she's also a fox-person, just like Tianqing…
After today's experience, Nan Jiayu found that she actually quite liked fox-people.
Should she try to get in touch?
…No, perhaps not. Tianqing might get angry if she found out.
The Cat Girl's finger pressed into the center of the cross star, and a deep blue light glowed in her palm.
Today, would she find suitable "food"?