NOVPUBThe student council room’s rest area was graced by a dark wooden coffee table standing silently.
President Monasite leisurely rose to his feet and strode over to the cabinet on the other side of the room. It wasn’t long before he returned with a tray and porcelain cups, pouring two servings of cranberry tea for Lanci and Hyperion.
Ever since Vice President Asina graduated and took over as the head chef at Boss Cat Restaurant, the tasks often done by the senior members of the student council had also become part of the president’s routine.
"About your clothes, make sure to wash and dry them only when Loren is not at home, and ensure Loren doesn’t discover the presence of women’s clothing in the house."
"In addition, pay special attention to the fact that [Transformation Technique: Human] has a 24-hour cooldown. Don’t revert to your original form casually at his house, or you might not be able to transform back for a while. You’ll either have to meet him in your armored battle stance, or he’ll see that suddenly there’s an extra girl in his house."
Lanci was still offering guidance to Florence,
"And even if Loren feels very down one day and suffers a great setback, don’t go to his room with a pillow to chat with him, and definitely don’t fall asleep together while talking."
"Hmm."
Hyperion took a sip from her tea cup, and seemed to choke on her drink a bit.
But since the president had no objections, she didn’t feel it was her place to say anything.
After all, how to choose wholly depended on Miss Florence’s judgment, and their Ichrite Student Council’s community service never interfered with the wishes of their clients.
"Lanci, I’ve got it all memorized, thank you."
Florence said gratefully.
"No problem, I will be responsible for this task regarding you and Dean Loren until the end. If you have any issues, feel free to come to me."
Lanci replied with a bright and earnest gaze, presenting an "at your service" attitude.
"Then I’ll leave it in your hands!"
Florence nodded repeatedly.
She lowered her head in thought for a moment, then looking up again, she turned her eyes toward Hyperion seated on the sofa opposite her.
"Uh, I have a few girl questions I’d like to ask Hyperion."
Florence spoke softly, fixing her gaze on Hyperion.
"I’ll go downstairs and look for Lan Fu. She’s in Professor Bolao’s workshop below. It’s about time I called her back."
Lanci immediately stood up, his hand resting on the back of the sofa, and spoke with a smile.
From this distance, he could clearly sense Lan Fu’s location. It was time to stop her from studying any further; she wasn’t allowed to keep grinding.
"Hyperion, I’ll wait for you downstairs later."
"Oh, alright."
"I’ll be going back now too. When you leave, sister, just close the department’s door."
Monasite waved his hand and exited along with Lanci.
The sounds of their conversation outside the student council room door gradually faded away until they were no longer heard.
The aroma of the cranberry tea wafted in the air from the porcelain cups, infusing the room with its sweet and tangy fragrance, giving a sense of serenity to their minds.
"Hyperion, your relationship with Lanci is really good, isn’t it? To be able to open up like this and comfortably interact with each other," remarked Florence.
There was a rare touch of envy and concern for her own situation in her lively eyes as she looked at Hyperion.
"Miss Florence, can’t you drop the pretense and meet Dean Loren directly?"
Hyperion could probably understand Florence’s sigh.
She too had long been curious why Florence didn’t want Loren to know the truth.
"Monasite and I were born in a Military Merit Family in the Camberra Kingdom on the western side of the South Continent. As the eldest daughter, I was brought up as the heir from a young age, being treated like the eldest son. Later, when Monasite was born, my father discovered he lacked any talent for battle and became even more certain that I should be trained as the next family head..."
Florence gazed out of the window of the student council room, but Hugh could only see her profile, failing to catch a glimpse of her eyes.
"That’s why, when I first met Loren, we were both young and had a very simple idea on the battlefield—that was to survive."
"Without realizing it, he and I have become good friends who have gone through life and death together a few times, feeling as if entrusting our lives to each other was no big deal."
Having explained this much, Florence didn’t go on about her past any further.
She believed those who could understand would naturally do so.
It’s like wearing a mask for so long that you can’t take it off.
"So that’s how it was."
Hugh nodded.
She felt that if she had pretended to be a boy when she first met Lanci and became close friends with him after going through so much together, she would probably never let Lanci know that she actually was a girl. She didn’t know if it was "couldn’t," "didn’t want to," or "dared not to." No matter which word she used, it seemed inadequate to describe her feelings.
"Miss Florence, is there anything I can help you with?"
Hugh stood up and sat down beside Florence on the sofa, asking her nearby.
She felt a strong desire to help Florence, not just because they were both clergy serving the Lady Goddess, nor because she had always been taken care of by the president and others in the student council; she simply wanted to help the woman sitting before her.
"Hugh..."
Florence seemed to feel Hugh’s goodwill and looked at her, visibly touched.
"It’s just... it’s just..."
But when it came to articulating her request, Florence seemed to struggle with finding the right words.
"Actually, I’ve agreed with Loren that we’ll go out together next time. Although he doesn’t know I’m a girl, now that I think about it, this will still be my first date with a guy, and I don’t really know what to do."
Finally, Florence closed her eyes and confessed the words that made her feel both embarrassed and shy.
"Ah..."
Hugh was momentarily stunned after hearing this.
She didn’t have much dating experience herself, unless going to and from school with Lanci every day and having casual chats while walking counted as dating. If that was the case, then she indeed had been on many "dates."
"I can’t really ask a guy for help with this kind of thing. Monasite has told me you’re very reliable; could you please give me some guidance for the date?"
Florence asked for help.
"Next time?"
Hugh came back to her senses and asked.
"Yes, roughly speaking, teach me how to interact with a male close friend during a date, and remind me if I’m doing something wrong."
Florence didn’t know when Loren would be free next time—it could be in the next month or two, or maybe half a year, but he promised it would be the next time.
Initially somewhat panicked, Hugh seemed to grasp the key point and suddenly had an epiphany.
"No problem, don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to interact with a male close friend on a date."
Hugh clenched her fist confidently.
"Thank you, Hugh!"
"It’s no big deal, Sister Florence!"
The two hit it off, exchanged their Communication Magic contact information, and with smiles on their faces, they clinked their teacups and began to chat.
