After discussing with each other, everybody left the house. Xia Shishu's father and mother went to work while Xia Shishu walks towards his school. Xia Shishu had pushed thinking about his family affairs into the back of his mind.
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As Xia Shishu entered his classroom, he saw that half of his classmates weren't present and they'll most likely not be present at school for the day. He knew they won't be present for the day because there are only a few minutes before class starts.
Those that didn't come included his ex-girlfriend and the giraffe Luo Meng.
"Hi. Where is everyone?" Xia Shishu went to his desk and asked Ji Anyi who was minding her own business.
"I don't know. They're probably staying home to play Second Reality because of the new update." Ji Anyi answered Xia Shishu with a light tone. She had opened up a bit to her new deskmate friend.
"En." Xia Shishu nodded in acknowledgment. What Ji Anyi said was quite feasible.
"Hey, do you want to play again today?" Ji Anyi whispered to Xia Shishu.
"No." Xia Shishu gave a direct answer. He needed to do his own things. He can't play around with Ji Anyi today.
"Fine!" Ji Anyi angrily pouted. She had thought they were good friends now! Guess they were just temporary friends!
The school bell chimed and another school day began for Xia Shishu.
"Hmm. Where is everybody today? Is there a holiday that I'm not aware of?" Xia Shishu's plain O'l Instructor interrogated the class just as he walked in from the door. His students are nowhere in sight!
"Teacher, Luo Meng and his group of buddies are all taking a leave from school to play Second Reality. They say that their future is in Second Reality and not in the classroom.." A fatty from the front of the classroom snitched on Luo Meng's group.
"Future is not in the classroom, huh." The instructor pondered and let the matter rest. He too was planning to get a future in Second Reality! He's just not saying it out loud because he doesn't want to lose his teaching job yet. Maybe he is even going to ask his student Luo Meng to let him join Unstoppable Youths. He's still youthful… right?
The rest of the students weren't surprised at what the fatty said. Other than 6 or so students, most of everybody in the classroom are already playing Second Reality and they know of what's happening around the classroom.
One of the reasons they came to school today is because their parents are still quite old fashioned and wanted them to secure a job in the real world. Finishing Highschool isn't mandatory and their family even needs to pay for Highschool out of their own pockets.
The other reason for the students being present in school is because they are not a part of Luo Meng's Second Reality group. Everyone that is playing Second Reality can already guess that Luo Meng's group is probably power leveling due to the new update.
"In any case, let's begin today's class." The instructor dispiritedly spoke to the class.
As class began, not many students paid attention to the lecture. They were spending the time to ponder about their next move in Second Reality.
Xia Shishu wasn't paying attention. Like others, he was also pondering about the things he can do with Dream and Second Reality.
The first thing he needs to do is to get to level 10 so he can receive his reward pack. The update stated that some BOSS monsters will be forced to be Dungeon Bosses, and he needed to check if Lady Ying is still stalking him once he gets on.
If she was turned into a dungeon boss, that is for the best. His freedom will be ensured, and he can finally go grind mobs. Else, he would have to do simple tasks or Talisman creation within the village for EXP and coins.
Ji Anyi is different. She took notes and is paying close attention to the instructor today.
Xia Shishu paid her no heed and she did the same towards Xia Shishu. They both minded their own business for the first half of class.
Time flew by and soon enough, the long-awaited lunchtime crept upon them. The teacher was long gone and some students went to eat the free and reduced school lunch while others brought their own nutritious meal.
"Move!" Ji Anyi stared at Xia Shishu viciously. Today, she wasn't going to starve because of him.
"Eh. Eh. I'm going to get lunch too! Calm down." Xia Shishu guarded himself with his two palms before getting off his seat and walking out the classroom door.
Ji Anyi followed suit and walked behind Xia Shishu towards the lunch room.
When they arrived at the lunch room, Ji Anyi rushed ahead of Xia Shishu and went towards the shortest lunch line. Xia Shishu could smell her flowery fragrance as she ran past him.
"Ehh.. Is she wearing perfume or something?" Xia Shishu wondered. 'Nah, must be her shampoo or something' he thought.
Xia Shishu didn't go get the school's free lunch. It didn't taste good at all and if so many students weren't absent due to Second Reality's first update, the school lunch was probably going to run out of food for the last few students.
What he needed from the school lunchroom were the free plates that they provide. Xia Shishu planned to do a tasting session of the food that he bought from Second Reality.
After borrowing a plate and some napkins from the lunch room, Xia Shishu jovially went outside to enjoy the spring breeze. The staffs don't mind if the students eat their lunch outside of the lunchroom as long as the borrowed items are returned and the school grounds aren't littered.
Their school's outdoor is spacious and there were a few blue moon trees planted neatly on sidewalks. Each tree produced long strings of lavender-blue blooms that hung down from its branches.
White Festiva Maxima Peony flowers are also neatly planted on small patches of dirt that is separated by stones. Anyone can see that the school's gardeners didn't slack off on their work.
Xia Shishu chose a granite chair that's next to a blue moon tree and sat down with the borrowed plate on his laps.
With a few swings of his hand, one of each item that he bought from Second Reality appeared on his plate. The Stevia Tea was sat to the side while the other items were still warm and fragrant on his plate - His system inventory kept the food warm until their spoil timer runs out.
Xia Shishu rubbed his hands and was delighted that he was able to bring in-game food into real life. Of course, he is curious about their effects on people, but testing those effects should be on another date.
Pa. Pa. Before Xia Shishu even begin to dig in, a soft hand gently slapped his cheeks. Someone had snuck up from behind him!
Sweat almost covered Xia Shishu. He didn't think that someone would follow him outside! He was too careless! Hopefully, whoever slapped his cheeks didn't witness him spawning in the food from his inventory.
Xia Shishu slowly turned his head to check out who it was that had slapped his cheeks.
"I thought friends were supposed to eat together!" Ji Anyi angrily stared at Xia Shishu in the eyes. Yesterday in the game, her deskmate made the little NPC girl tell her that he likes her. Ya! Ya! That should mean they should be a little closer right? Afterward, they even went to have some fun together! Did everything mean nothing to her deskmate!? Ji Anyi gnashed her teeth.
"Oh! It's just you! You scared me!" Xia Shishu still had his fingers crossed in his heart. He doesn't want anyone to find out about his abilities.
"You say, 'oh! It's just you!' What do you mean by this!! Am I really that unpleasant?" Ji Anyi bit her lips and she looked as if she was going to tear up.
"Ah.. Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"Well, move over! I'm going to eat with you today since I'm already here anyway. Don't take this the wrong way, okay? This doesn't mean that I like you, okay?" Ji Anyi pushed Xia Shishu aside and sat next to him. Like Xia Shishu, she also placed her plate of food on her lap. There weren't many people in the lunch room so she got her plate of food quickly.
Xia Shishu felt like arrows pierced his heart after hearing what Ji Anyi said. She blatantly said that she doesn't like him! Was he not handsome?
"How come your food looks so much more delicious and familiar…" Ji Anyi compared her own food to that of Xia Shishu's. His plate of food was protein-protein, but her plate was lackluster and filled with brown rice and overcooked meat.
"Ah! I remember! These were the foods we ate and drunk yesterday in Second Reality! Did you purposely make and bring them to school today?" Ji Anyi's eyes were sparkling like the stars. She had made up her own story of how Xia Shishu got his food. She never once thought that Xia Shishu had brought the food from In-Game.
"En! En! I made this!" Xia Shishu vigorously nodded and played along with her. Was he safe? She didn't find out about his ability, right? Probably not.
"C-Can.. You give me some?" Ji Anyi shyly asked for Xia Shishu's food. She usually wasn't one to ask for food, but she wanted to try and see how good Xia Shishu's cooking is.
"No way. Eat your own food." Xia Shishu out-right refused her.
"Why!" Ji Anyi protested.
Xia Shishu chose to ignore her and dug into his own plate of food. He first picked up the skewered fish.
Just as the fish was about to go in his mouth, Ji Anyi speedily snatched the chicken wing from his plate and put it in her mouth
She paused. She trembled.
"DE.. LI.. CIOUS!" Ji Anyi's mouth drooled even when she still had the chicken wing in the mouth. Her face blushed and she gazed fondly at the chicken meat that was on her hands and mouth.
"Kyaa!!!!!! Yes… It's light. The texture is excellent! The taste is amazing! This can totally be compared with high-end restaurant food!" Ji Anyi screamed at Xia Shishu, shocking him.
"T-This is too delicious! This unique taste! H-How did you come up with it!?!?" Ji Anyi disregarded her public image and lifts up her other hand to hold the chicken wing. "Even the chicken juice is delicious!!!" She added. She didn't even want to let a single drop of juice run down her hand.
"Is it really that delicious?" Xia Shishu asked in wonder. They've eaten it before in Second Reality and Ji Anyi didn't exaggerate so much in the game. So what's up with her now?
"Rather than that, Ji Anyi, don't take my food!!" Xia Shishu yelled at Ji Anyi, but she didn't care. She was too busy enjoying the chicken wing's taste!