“Sorry, Junior Sister, I really didn't mean it.”
Greg reached out and pulled Victoria up from the ground, casually helping her brush off the dust clinging to her clothes.
“Junior Sister?”
The roommates on both sides uttered curious sounds almost simultaneously.
Kayla tilted her head slightly, her gaze scanning back and forth between Greg and Victoria, while Adele also wore an interested expression.
Rom directly scratched the back of his head, looking at Greg in utter confusion.
Greg had no choice but to explain, “Since Victoria and I share the same Instructor, she counts as my junior sister. Sometimes I just call her 'Junior Sister' directly.”
Everyone nodded in sudden realization.
Victoria, however, added with a look of utter disgust, “If I'd known in advance that I'd end up stuck with this guy, I'd rather not have an Instructor at all!”
Greg immediately put on a hurt expression. “Junior Sister, how could you say that? Have you forgotten the countless perils and hardships we braved together in the lab?”
“Then let me ask you,” Victoria said, crossing her arms and staring at him with sharp eyes, “who was the one who brought those perils and hardships upon us in the first place?”
Greg remained unabashed. “That's not important. What matters is—we braved them together!”
“Then how come I remember someone dumping me and taking off once?”
Greg: “...”
Watching the two of them exchange jab after jab, Kayla and Adele couldn't help exchanging a glance.
Although one was constantly tearing down walls while the other was constantly repairing them, both of them could tell—these two actually had a very good relationship.
That tacit rhythm of bickering and that familiar way of interacting were definitely not things people who disliked each other could fake.
At the same time, because of the close distance, Kayla and Adele were once again struck by Greg's good looks.
When seeing him from afar earlier, they had only thought he was a very handsome boy. Standing right in front of them now, that sharply chiseled face looked as if it had been meticulously sculpted by a deity.
They couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Only a person like this was worthy of their roommate.
In their eyes, a top-tier beauty like Victoria belonged with a top-tier handsome guy like Greg. The two looked like a match made in heaven!
They glanced at each other, the corners of their mouths involuntarily curling into a subtle curve—they couldn't resist shipping them a little.
On the other side, Rom and Corwin were equally stunned by Victoria's appearance.
They froze for several seconds before snapping back to their senses, then turned to look at Greg in unison, their eyes filled with reverence for a true role model.
Connecting this with what Greg had said earlier about “she actually dislikes me quite a bit,” they instantly became certain—this was definitely the girl Greg liked!
Because these two's looks were just too perfect a match!
Thus, to help their friend and to carry out the planned six-person date, Rom decided to take the lead and set an example for everyone.
He stepped forward, a cheerful smile on his face, and first greeted Kayla:
“Kayla, what a coincidence! Are you guys out strolling too?”
Kayla nodded and responded politely, “Yeah, after all, once the exchange officially starts, we'll be busy. So we're taking the opportunity to relax.”
Rom took the opportunity to say, “Right, speaking of relaxing, we plan to hang out a bit at the Imperial Festival after the exchange ends. Do you want to join us then?”
Kayla had a generous personality, and this wasn't the first time Rom had invited her out, so she didn't act overly shy. She simply smiled and replied:
“I don't mind, but I don't dare make decisions for my roommates. It depends on whether they're willing.”
Hearing this, Rom immediately turned his gaze toward Corwin, signaling him with his eyes to step up.
Feeling Rom's encouraging gaze, Corwin took a deep breath. As if summoning every ounce of courage in his life, he stepped forward and walked up to Adele.
His face flushed deep red, his voice trembling noticeably, but he still managed to deliver the invitation completely:
“Th-That... Adele... if it's convenient for you... on the day of the festival... do you want to... together...”
Adele froze slightly.
Although she and Corwin came from the same academy, they didn't usually interact much, and her impression of him remained at the level of “a quiet guy.”
But at this moment, seeing how the boy in front of her summoned his courage to invite her despite being embarrassed to the point where even his ears were beet red, she fell silent for a moment before finally nodding gently:
“...Okay.”
As if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his shoulders, Corwin let out a long sigh of relief, a complex expression mixing relief and ecstatic joy surfacing on his face.
“...”
Now, the pressure was on Greg.
He could clearly feel both Rom's and Corwin's eyes focused on him, filled with a sense of brotherhood expectation.
Although he didn't know what on earth those two were thinking, Greg knew very well—if he invited Victoria right now, given her temperament, she would definitely chew him out instantly and drop some sarcastic remarks to subject him to immediate social death on the spot.
But feeling the expectant gazes of his two roommates behind him, Greg braced himself and walked over to Victoria.
After carefully deliberating his words, he spoke in as natural a tone as possible:
“Um... Victoria, how about you come hang out with us then, too?”
Victoria kept her arms crossed over her chest, her gray eyes staring straight at him without saying a word.
Greg couldn't help swallowing hard. He had already prepared himself to be rejected and had even composed an excuse in his mind to smooth things over.
However, after a moment of silence, Victoria merely sighed and spoke in a tone tinged with a bit of helplessness:
“...Then you're paying.”
Although she didn't answer directly, the meaning behind her response was already plain to see.
Greg froze, completely caught off guard that Victoria would actually give him face at a time like this.
He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Rom and Corwin flanked him from both sides, throwing their arms over his shoulders and slapping his back hard while bursting into a chorus of hooting and cheering.
That display gave Greg a strange hallucination—as if he hadn't just issued a simple date invitation, but had successfully confessed his love instead.
Off to the side, Kayla stole a glance at Victoria, who had already turned her head away—the rim of her ears seemed to be tinged with a faint blush.
Withdrawing her gaze, Kayla gave a light cough and offered a timely reminder:
“But don't forget, before the exchange ends, our main focus still needs to be the exchange. Don't put the cart before the horse.”
Rom immediately patted his chest in guarantee: “Of course! We're all going to do our absolute best during the exchange!”
A bit more anticipation for the upcoming exchange bloomed in everyone's hearts.
Although Greg hadn't originally intended for things to turn out like this, at this moment, he had to admit—a trace of anticipation had indeed grown within his heart as well.
Rate on N.U.
