Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Has Professor Fu eaten lunch yet?"

With the arrival of the professionals, the meeting concluded with astonishing efficiency.

Professor Chang Mo, having approved the leave in a flash to shoulder the heavy burden entrusted by her student, offered a brief goodbye and hurried off, leaving Fu Qian and Liushuang behind.

Watching her go, Classmate Liushuang turned back with a smile, looking even more relaxed than before.

"No."

Just as she had expected, Professor Fu was too busy to bother with such trivial matters.

"...What about breakfast?"

"I did have that, but I can eat again now."

Fu Qian gestured as he answered.

Hehe...

The boss's first order of business upon returning was team building, and Ji Liushuang obviously had no objections to such treatment.

Though it was highly doubtful whether the boss had actually brought any money with him.

...

"It's been less than a week in total, but has Professor Fu noticed how significant the changes are?"

There were plenty of places within the Academy to fill their stomachs, but Fu Qian clearly didn't want to be so perfunctory. He motioned for his research assistant to find a place to eat outside.

She happily agreed, and even led her boss onto a swaying tram.

The dark red vehicle was clearly getting on in years, but it remained quite popular.

Many men, women, and children occupied the faded seats. It wasn't exactly quiet, but it pulsed with a vibrant energy.

After guiding Fu Qian to a seat, Classmate Liushuang seemed infected by the atmosphere. She gazed out the window and started chatting about the weather.

"Winter here at the Academy lasts quite a while. It got cold too early this year, so it looks like it will last especially long. It might even snow soon."

"Oh?"

Although ordinary fluctuations in temperature were practically meaningless to him now, Professor Fu rarely had the chance to take public transportation, so he casually took in the scenery outside.

Compared to his last visit, the streets indeed carried a hint of early winter's desolation. As a result, despite it being noon, there weren't many pedestrians around.

"I've been at the Academy for less than two years, but the winters here have left a deep impression on me. Aside from the heavy snow, the most special part is the snow trees..."

Ji Liushuang pointed to both sides of the street.

"They're called that because they never lose their leaves, no matter how cold it gets. Even more interestingly, when snow falls on them, their leaves turn white along with it."

"That is quite magical."

Fu Qian listened to this interesting trivia with great relish.

Though from his perspective, he couldn't see anything particularly special about these plants known as snow trees.

"I'm sorry for deciding how to handle that on my own."

Amid their idle chatter, Ji Liushuang suddenly remembered something and lowered her voice.

"Not at all. Our Laboratory has always kept public and private matters separate. That was yours to begin with."

Fu Qian didn't even turn his head, simply waving a hand to signal her not to overthink it.

"Besides, you handled it perfectly. I would have made the same choice."

Not only that, he even highly praised her method of handling it.

Just as he had said before, apart from its symbolic meaning and occasional use for enlightenment, there really wasn't much need for Classmate Liushuang to constantly lug the Sword in the Stone around for self-defense.

And as an item the Sword Comprehension Institute had yearned for over many years, if an instructor truly benefited from it during this autumn of many troubles, it was absolutely a good thing.

Even so, not everyone could make such a straightforward decision to share it.

...

"Dean Li stopped seeing anyone the day you left. He seems to have touched upon some opportunity for advancement. Now, the entire Sword Comprehension Institute is full of anticipation..."

Professor Fu's high approval made Classmate Liushuang feel almost embarrassed. She spent the next stretch of the ride looking at the street scenery without saying much.

It wasn't until they got off the tram and joined the pedestrians in the cold wind that she resumed their earlier chat, updating him on the changes since he left.

"Lotte is recovering very well. Her sister, Veil, also showed great talent and joined the Academy to study. Professor Naya is very happy about this..."

"Also, the new waitress at the shop she frequents is working very earnestly and hasn't done anything unusual..."

Sunny?

That last sentence naturally made Fu Qian think of that Dragon King Oathbound.

It seemed she was quite used to staying here and was in no rush to change the status quo. Since that was the case, he might as well respect her personal choice.

He just wondered if she would become a shadow over Professor Naya's drinking habits.

"What about your family?"

Giving a slight nod, Fu Qian didn't comment on any of those updates. Instead, he inquired about his assistant's family life.

"No new information has come through..."

Unable to hide her surprise, even if she didn't understand why Fu Qian suddenly brought it up, Ji Liushuang clearly didn't think he would ask for no reason.

"Last night, Anjing carried out some retaliatory actions against Siren. It was on quite a large scale."

Fu Qian didn't let her guess and casually explained.

"...So that's how it is. Because the Gospel Team is naturally quite independent, I don't exchange much information with my family."

Although she was focused on her studies, Ji Liushuang could perfectly judge what this kind of conflict meant. She explained, letting out a silent sigh.

Her situation was indeed special, after all.

Fu Qian didn't offer any meaningless comfort.

Such an operation might have been top secret, but for the Ji Clan—who played an important role in the conflict between the two organizations—they were definitely keeping a close eye on the situation while happy to see it happen. The probability of them not having received the news by now was extremely small.

At the same time, considering that the tacit understanding between the Ji Clan and Siren wasn't exactly a secret, it wasn't impossible for Anjing—now in an unstable state—to target them with some irrational actions as well.

And under these circumstances, the theoretical "next family head" still hadn't received a single word of warning. The ambiguous stance of the Ji Clan was evident.

It was inevitable for Classmate Liushuang to feel a bit complicated about it.

But it didn't matter. Learning to manage inner expectations was an important lesson of adulthood, and in fact, she was already doing quite well.

"No need to be so pessimistic."

After Classmate Liushuang quietly digested this information for a moment, Fu Qian finally offered a word of comfort. He even gestured toward a certain spot with his chin as he spoke.

Jia Keke, the assistant to the research assistant, was currently rushing over from that direction.

"An Gui?"

Only noticing this after the reminder, Ji Liushuang froze for a moment before the light returned to her eyes. She looked at Fu Qian inquiringly.

"Probably."

Fu Qian agreed with her guess. The person in the Ji Clan who cared most about Ji Liushuang's safety was undoubtedly her mother, Ji Xue. Unfortunately, her mother might not be that well-informed.

Comparatively speaking, the probability of the warning coming from Demigod Angui, who had already placed his bets, was indeed much higher.

"No need to rush. I'm perfectly safe with Professor Fu."

The two of them didn't say anything more. By the time Jia Keke dashed over to them, Ji Liushuang had already completely reined in her thoughts, showing no trace of abnormality.

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