“Gu Fan! You’re dawdling again—if we wait any longer, there won’t be any food left in the cafeteria!”
“You could go grab a seat first, you know. And order me a bowl of beef noodle soup while you’re at it. Thanks.”
“Oh, right! I totally forgot—I’m off then!”
The scatterbrained Fang Cheng let out a cry, didn’t even take his backpack, and dashed off.
I stood up and walked to the corridor, resting my arms on the railing, gazing at the crowd surging below as I quietly waited for it to thin out.
At some point, I’d gotten used to heading out late like this.
Avoiding the rush hour on purpose really did make life more peaceful—not bumping into familiar faces all the time.
And… after that confession incident a few days ago, I stopped being as patient with casual conversations.
Or maybe this is just who I really am?
After all, I never enjoyed talking nonsense with people anyway.
Maybe it’s because that girl got formally reprimanded and Fang Cheng even arranged a little ‘chat’ with her afterwards, but since then, no one’s dared to bother me.
All things considered, it was a blessing in disguise.
I used this as an excuse to distance myself from people I probably wouldn’t stay close with anyway.
Life felt easier this way.
The students downstairs gradually dispersed.
I stretched lazily, straightened up, and pulled out my phone to message Fang Cheng while getting ready to grab lunch.
And the moment I turned around—bam—I ran right into a petite girl.
“Huh? Ah, sorry about that.”
Because my attention had been on my phone, I hadn’t noticed her.
Her head bumped into my chest, and I quickly took two steps back and bowed slightly in apology.
“Mmm… it’s okay. I’m fine.”
That voice—so familiar. The way she spoke too—very familiar.
I looked up and realized the girl I’d bumped into was Zhi Nian.
No wonder I’d been feeling like someone was standing beside me this whole time, not moving.
And no wonder passing students had been glancing this way.
I’d just assumed they were curious because of the recent incident.
Zhi Nian’s cat ears drooped softly, looking like plush fabric strips.
I had the sudden urge to reach out and touch them.
“Have you had lunch yet?”
A safe opener.
Asking about food is always better than commenting on the weather—anyone could look up and see that for themselves.
“N-not yet…”
Zhi Nian rubbed her tummy, her voice trembling a bit.
Maybe she still hadn’t recovered from being bumped into.
But… her stomach did look kind of round.
“Zhi Nian, have you… gained some weight recently?”
“Eh? Huh? Did I? Really?”
Zhi Nian looked at her belly in disbelief and then—right in front of me—lifted up the shirt covering her stomach.
Her pale, soft midriff was exposed, and right across her navel, a black-furred tail with hints of dark blue fluff swayed gently, partially obscuring it.
“Ah—!”
I quickly stepped in front of her, blocking the view while nervously scanning our surroundings.
She really was a clueless little catgirl.
How could she be so careless?
This was a public hallway—and I’m a guy!
Facing such an adorable catgirl like this, it’s hard to keep a straight face.
I really wanted to scold her for being so reckless, but when I saw how seriously she was patting her belly, repeatedly checking if she had actually gotten chubby—just because of a single comment I made—I didn’t have the heart to say anything.
Turns out, Zhi Nian hadn’t gained weight at all.
I’d simply mistaken the way her tail was wrapped around her waist for a bulging tummy.
Clearly, I still need to work on my observational skills.
“Mmm, it’s all Gu Fan’s fault for being too attentive—you totally scared me!”
Thankfully, Zhi Nian didn’t take it too seriously.
In fact, she seemed to think I was just being overly observant.
She puffed her cheeks out slightly and shot me a mock-accusing look.
“Pfft. Then to make it up to this startled little catgirl, what should I do?”
I knew Zhi Nian wouldn’t randomly come up to me for no reason.
She’s not the kind of troublemaker who runs around smacking people just because they’re familiar.
“Um… I want to… borrow your class notes. And then… have lunch with you. At the cafeteria.”
Zhi Nian looked down, voice soft and shy as she made her request.
Her long lashes veiled the look in her eyes, and a few untied strands of hair fell messily across her pale cheeks, giving her an almost dreamy, disheveled beauty.
Hmph… to be honest, seeing Zhi Nian so bashful up close like this—it’s kind of a nice view.
I resisted the urge to pat her head and accepted her invitation.
“Sure. I’ll give you the notes later. Let’s eat first.”
“Eh?! Okay! Thanks, Gu Fan.”
“What are you thanking me for? It’s just lunch. So, Zhi Nian, what do you want to eat?”
“Me…? I’ll just have whatever you’re having.”
Looks like I’ll need to trouble Fang Cheng again.
I sent him a quick message asking for another bowl of beef noodle soup, and then started walking to the cafeteria with Zhi Nian beside me.
* * * * *
I… I did it.
Without using my phone, without making some excuse about skipping class—I actually invited Gu Fan directly.
And he accepted without hesitation.
I’d prepared myself mentally the whole way while running over to Gu Fan’s classroom, but the moment I saw him gazing gloomily downstairs, I froze on the spot.
No, it wasn’t because I was imagining anything weird about how he looked or anything—I was just… curious.
Curious about why he looked so melancholy.
I ended up standing there for a while. When I finally snapped out of it, I didn’t know how to approach him.
I didn’t want to disturb that quiet moment.
Just as I was overthinking it, Gu Fan stretched and lowered his head to check his phone, completely unaware I was standing right beside him—and then, we bumped into each other.
Luckily, he managed to stop himself in time.
Otherwise, with his build, I definitely would’ve been knocked flat.
The cafeteria was packed.
Even though it had been a while since class let out, there were still barely any open seats.
But maybe that’s a good thing.
Once we grab our food, I can suggest going to the Biology Garden or the Geography Courtyard.
Somewhere quiet.
Somewhere just the two of us.
I followed Gu Fan for a while, but instead of heading to the food counters, he was checking his phone while scanning the tables.
Did… did someone already ask him to eat with them?
Am I just an awkward third wheel barging in?
With that anxious thought lingering, Gu Fan led me to a corner of the cafeteria, where two familiar people were already sitting—the ones I saw earlier at the Bio Garden.
“Oh, Fang Cheng. And… you’re Shiratori, right?”
Fang Cheng waved both hands in greeting as Gu Fan smoothly took over the conversation.
“Yep yep, that’s me! Good afternoon, Gu Fan! You too, Zhi Nian!”
“H-Hello… hi, everyone.”
Shiratori’s voice was energetic and bright, while mine sounded dull and muffled in contrast.
I lowered my head, suddenly feeling small.
Realizing that these were Gu Fan’s friends, I quickly tacked on a more polite greeting.
Compared to Shiratori, I really… come up short in every way.
With the friend I finally managed to make sitting across from me, and my childhood friend also here—why does my heart feel so heavy?
Gu Fan’s gaze lingered on Shiratori for a moment.
Then he gestured for me to sit beside her, while he sat next to Fang Cheng.
Shiratori slid to the outer seat so I could sit on the inside, directly across from Gu Fan.
“Zhi Nian, you don’t mind, do you? I usually like sitting on the outside.”
“Ah… um… it’s fine.”
I lowered my gaze and gave a small shake of the head.
I wanted to seem easygoing and unbothered, but I couldn’t hold back the disappointment welling up inside.
Seriously… why is it like this?
I finally mustered up the courage to invite Gu Fan to lunch, and yet—how did things end up like this?