Caius had a dream—one where he found himself surrounded by a world of fluff.
The flowers, trees, plains, and even the clouds floating in the sky were all covered in soft, plush fur. It was an incredibly cozy and relaxing place.
Lying on the furry grassland, Caius enjoyed the gentle massage of the plush fibers. But in the next moment, the fluffy terrain suddenly surged like a wave and swallowed him whole.
Breathing became increasingly difficult, and finally, he jolted awake.
The first thing he saw was something fluffy.
Propping himself up, Caius realized—it was Kiki’s tail.
That big, fluffy tail had landed right on his face, its plush fur covering half of Caius’s face and nose, making it hard for him to breathe.
With a helpless expression, Caius sighed. This girl had a terrible sleeping posture.
Even though he had placed her on the other side of the bed before sleeping, she had somehow climbed back onto him by morning.
Brushing Kiki’s tail aside, Caius rolled out of bed and reached for the pocket watch in his bedside pouch.
Despite its sophisticated appearance, pocket watches had been invented centuries ago in his previous world. While this world didn’t follow a technological path, its industrial development was still quite advanced, thanks to magic.
Magic had replaced technology, making Magical Devices comparable to the black-tech wonders of his past life—often even more versatile and powerful.
Take this pocket watch, for example. It was an old keepsake from the old man, who supposedly crafted it himself. It was incredibly precise, even driven by a magic crystal.
Handcrafting such delicate components without a lathe spoke volumes about the old man’s mastery of blacksmithing.
Glancing at the time, Caius’ eyes widened in shock.
“Six-twenty?!” He quickly packed his things while calling out, “Get up, Kiki, we’re late!”
Half-asleep, Kiki groggily stirred before finally snapping awake.
Caius figured they were both just too exhausted yesterday, causing their internal clocks to fail.
Had it not been for Kiki’s tail smothering his face, he probably would have slept straight into the afternoon.
After all, he had promised Belle to meet at five. Caius had always prided himself on being punctual.
Gathering their things, Caius and Kiki rushed toward the Orphanage.
The Boss Lady greeted him along the way, but he barely had time to return a quick acknowledgment.
"Such enthusiasm," Yvlan remarked, thinking Caius must be heading off on a mission.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Well… technically, she wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t the main point.
At six in the morning, Ocean City was at its quietest, with only a few pedestrians on the streets.
It was the transition from autumn to winter, and given Ocean City’s seaside location, the air was rather chilly. The early morning temperature barely reached double digits, prompting Kiki to sneeze.
When Caius finally saw the Orphanage’s entrance, he spotted a lone figure standing there, holding a small bag.
It was Belle.
Seeing that she hadn’t left yet, Caius sighed in relief—only for tension to creep into his heart immediately after.
He wasn’t sure why, but he felt inexplicably nervous.
Standing before Belle, Caius scratched his head with an awkward grin. “Sorry, I overslept.”
Belle was dressed in her usual plain, rustic attire. Her sweater was different from last time, but only slightly—just a lighter shade, though the design remained the same.
Oh, and there was still that mushroom-like hat on her head.
It had originally been flax-colored, but now it was a lighter, off-white shade, matching her sweater.
From a flax-colored mushroom girl to an off-white mushroom girl.
Belle simply gave a small nod in response to his apology, then opened the bag in her hands and handed Caius a wooden flask.
Caius was at a loss.
Water again?
Yet, perhaps out of guilt for being late, he accepted the flask and took a sip.
The moment the liquid touched his tongue, his eyes widened. He gulped down two more mouthfuls before exhaling warmly, then looked at Belle in surprise.
“Rum?”
Belle nodded lightly and then pointed toward the road ahead. “Time for school.”
“Oh, right. Let’s go.” Caius nodded, taking another sip before handing the flask to Kiki so she could warm up, too.
The little Catgirl wasn’t too fond of alcohol but still took a couple of sips before sticking out her tongue. “I still prefer milk, Meow.”
Walking alongside Belle on the empty streets, Caius held back for a while before finally asking, “Where did you get the rum?”
“Bought it,” Belle replied softly.
“You like drinking?” he asked.
Belle shook her head without speaking.
But Caius understood.
She had bought it just for him.
Because… he had casually mentioned before that he preferred alcohol over water.
A strange feeling settled in his heart.
He had casually mentioned it once, and Belle had prepared a flask of rum for him, yet he hadn’t even managed to keep their appointment on time.
“Did you stand outside the whole time waiting?” Caius asked.
He hoped Belle’s answer would be: No, I waited inside.
But alas…
“Mm.” Belle gave a small nod.
Caius rubbed his face.
How foolish. It had been even colder at five in the morning, yet she had stood there waiting for over an hour.
Now he felt even worse.
So in his mind, he silently deducted another twenty points from that girl—Manasa.
Damn it, it’s all Manasa’s fault!
“We won’t be late, will we?” Caius asked.
Belle shook her head. “Classes start at eight.”
Caius’ eyes widened. “Then why did you come at five?!”
Belle remained silent for a long moment before whispering, “So I wouldn’t run into… Manasa.”
Caius: “...”
Damn it, it’s all Manasa’s fault!
An awkward silence followed.
Normally, Caius wouldn’t mind quiet moments like this.
But right now, he felt extremely uncomfortable.
The quieter Belle was, the more restless he became.
It was like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
“Uh… This was just a one-time accident. I’m usually very punctual,” Caius blurted out, breaking the silence.
But even to himself, his words felt weak and unconvincing.
Belle simply nodded lightly, seemingly muttering a faint “Mm,” though her voice was so soft that Caius wasn’t sure if he heard it correctly.
Left with no other choice, he decided to change the subject.
“When will you be going to Hydis?” he asked.
Belle lowered her head in thought before turning to him. “In half a month, after the final exams.”
“I see…” Caius nodded, then asked, “How are your grades?”
“They’re… alright.”
“You guys have ranking exams, right? What place were you last time?”
“First…”
Caius’ eyes widened again. “You call that ‘alright’?”
“Being too modest is just being fake, you know,” he teased.
Belle paused for a moment before lowering her head.
Just as Caius was about to ask why, she softly whispered, “Sorry…”
Caius: “...”
What was she apologizing for?
After a moment of confusion, he finally understood and hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no, I wasn’t saying you’re fake! It was just a joke… Damn it, it’s all Manasa’s fault!”
Belle: “?”
