Luo'er and his four companions spent a good seven hours in the virtual machine. Although they were lying down the whole time, the mental exertion was intense. After leaving the Virtual Machine Room, they all retreated to their respective dormitories.
While Luo'er was somewhat satisfied with their last hostage rescue mission, the ambush that occurred during their extraction point did leave him feeling dejected. Even though he knew that Zhuyan Yu had set it up, the failure to successfully rescue the hostages was still a big blow to him.
Before the five dispersed, Luo'er felt it was essential to strengthen their bonds. Therefore, he proposed a trip to Haiya Town, located outside Haiya Academy for some bonding time. The idea was met with agreement from everyone.
Haiya Town is a small city built three kilometers outside Haiya Academy in its downstream side and mainly inhabited by family members of academy personnel and some staff. Everyone entering the town undergoes rigorous political vetting and signs a confidentiality agreement to ensure that no details about the location are leaked.
Although there had been a few breaches in the past, most were dealt with effectively. As a result, the outside world remained largely oblivious about the actual conditions within the town. It gained the attention of foreign spies and was dubbed the Eastern Area 51.
Sub-beastman students of Haiya Academy had permission to visit Haiya Town to shop and relax during the weekends, familiarizing them with normal societal interactions. After all, maintaining contact with the human world was crucial since the beastmen had one day to interact with ordinary humans.
On Sunday morning, Luo'er and his friends gathered at the appointed location. Since it was an outing, they had switched from their academy uniforms to casual clothes purchased from the academy's shops.
The students' uniforms at Haiya Academy carried an Otherworld touch with dark colors and ornate decorations. The suits were made from advanced materials that assured wearers' comfort considering the tropical temperatures of the area. This fashion sense was adapted from Otherworld's aristocracy to help students adjust to Otherworld's clothing style without any discomfort.
This was Luo'er's first gathering with his peers. Even though he appeared calm, he was nervous inside and took great care in his dressing style. His clothes emphasized his masculinity, making him appear less effeminate. Cheng Ziang and Hu Daoke kept it simple with sweatshirts. With the summer heat, the intelligent fabric of their clothes cooled their bodies to a comfortable temperature, regardless of their thickness.
Baiyue switched to a larger hat. Although everyone knew she wasn't affected by the heat, her hat made them uncomfortable. Her species within the Beastman was unidentified, but her disliking these strange features was quite apparent.
Zhuyan Yu seemed fond of dresses, so she had changed into a long skirt for Luo'er's pleasure and twirled around him happily.
"The skirt looks good, but it's a bit too long. It's almost dragging on the ground," commented Luo`er honestly.
"It's a knee-length skirt!" Zhuyan Yu puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.
Though it was supposed to be a group gathering, it turned into Zhuyan Yu's shopping spree. She hung onto Baiyue's arm, not caring whether Baiyue approved, and pulled her all around. The three boys had no choice but to follow behind them carrying shopping bags. Thankfully, Zhuyan Yu's Academy-issued subsidy wasn't a lot. So most things she purchased were handled by Hu Daoke. This chap happily played the role of shopping assistant, following them around. The only relief for Luo'er was that despite Cheng Ziang's dissatisfaction, he didn't express any discontent.
After half a day of strolling, the group took a break at a small café. Hu Daoke happily watched Zhuyan Yu trying out various pieces of jewelry on Baiyue. Surprisingly, Baiyue didn't resist, but huddled onto her hat tightly, worrying about it being taken off. Cheng Ziang was looking at the group with a bored expression. Suddenly, happiness seemed a foreign concept.
Luo'er went to the counter to get their drinks and then quietly watched the group from his spot.
Cheng Ziang raised an eyebrow in Luo'er's direction, intrigued by his evident contentment. After a while, he couldn't help but ask, "You seem very happy?"
Luo'er blinked in surprise since Cheng Ziang rarely started conversations on his own. "Well, this is the first time hanging out with friends, so I'm feeling pretty good."
"Happy, huh…" Both of them glanced at Zhuyan Yu and others while Cheng Ziang sighed deeply. Not sure what else to say, he just shut his mouth.
"So, you don't have friends either?" After some hesitation, Luo'er decided to ask.
"Heh, having friends or not really doesn't matter to me," Cheng Ziang looked at him, pursed his lips and replied.
"But it's always good to have someone to talk to, right?"
Cheng Ziang gave it some thought then said, "Perhaps."
"You know, I am quite envious of them," said Luo'er, sighing while watching Zhuyan Yu and others, "Sometimes, I feel like I have wasted my life wandering aimlessly without a clue about the end result."
Figuring he had nothing to contribute, Cheng Ziang stayed quiet and just listened to Luo'er's thoughts.
Nimbly, Zhuyan Yu helped Baiyue put on some delicate jewelry, making her look more girly. Baiyue clung to the brim of her hat, letting herself be used as a mannequin despite looking distressed. But surprisingly, she didn't lose her temper. Or perhaps she just couldn't bring herself to retaliate seeing how happy the others were.
"Luo'er, look, I got you a necklace." Zhuyan Yu reached out her hand with a silver metal pendant hanging on it.
"I..."
Luo'er was about to decline, but Tangmo didn't wait for his response. She trotted over and hung the pendant around his neck.
"It looks good, doesn't it?" asked Tangmo, clearly delighted.
"Yes, thank you!" Luo'er gave a bitter laugh and nodded.
"There's also one for you, Xiao Ang." Tangmo then took out another pendant to show him.
"No need!" Cheng Ziang immediately refused.
"Don't be shy!" Tangmo took the initiative, walked up to him, and put it on for him.
"You!" Cheng Ziang frowned and made a face, looking pleadingly at Luo'er for help. But Luo'er seemed to misunderstand his intent, only smiling at Cheng Ziang's situation.
With a sigh, Cheng Ziang just accepted his fate, allowing Tangmo to do as she pleased.
"Look, now everyone in our squad has one!" Tangmo stood up excitedly. She had a pendant around her neck too. It was only then Luo'er and Cheng Ziang noticed that everyone wore a pendant with the same design. Seemed like Tangmo intended it as a squad badge.
Cheng Ziang lowered his head to look at the pendant around his neck, a simple metal pendant. Nevertheless, he was struck by an unexpected sense of belonging. He held onto the pendant tightly until it gradually warmed, which oddly warmed his heart as well.
In the afternoon, they had to return to the academy. It was supposed to be a bonding session but ended up being a shopping spree for Tangmo and the girls. The three boys ended up being their porters. Fortunately, Tangmo didn't buy too much, so they were merely a bit tired.
It was a three-kilometer walk from Haiya Town to the Academy. Upon reaching the town's edge, they found, despite being the weekend, groups of students still headed towards the academy.
Most of these students were hybrid Human Races from Otherworld. They began murmuring as soon as they spotted Luo'er and his group. Luo'er and Hu Daoke stood out the most, though they were seemingly unaffected by the attention and followed the girls nonchalantly.
"Hey, isn't that Baiyue? So, this is your team? Looks like a bunch of freaks!" Suddenly, a sarcastic voice rang out. Luo'er realized it was the bully who'd once harassed Baiyue. He'd brought his cronies to accost the girls. Luo'er wondered if these ruffians had been punished as he'd reported them to the teachers.
"Who are you?" As the older sister, Tangmo instinctively shielded Baiyue and asked the towering students before her.
"Just another shorty. Seems like there ain't a single normal one in your group," replied one with a disdainful smirk.
"You're the abnormal one! Don't you dare insult my squad members. Apologize to them!" Tangmo retorted, standing up straight.
Seeing an angry Tangmo for the first time, Luo'er found her surprisingly intimidating.
"Mad?" The bully chief bent down, smiling provocatively at her. He tried to grab her hair, but his hand was caught tightly.
He looked up to see a handsome young man with light-colored hair. The boy had coldly gripped his wrist so hard he could barely move.
"You're a... a Human Race hybrid?" He withdrew his hand, rubbing his sore wrist, and asked hesitantly.
"She's our Captain. If you mess with her, you mess with us!" Cheng Ziang ignored his question and warned him coldly.
"Haha," The bully chief sneered, showing visible disdain. "I guess you're a freak too if you're rolling with these mongrels."
"It's you again. I warned you last time. This time I won't let you off!" Luo'er spoke up and stepped forward.
"You fucking snitch! You reported us last time, didn't you?" The bully chief exploded into a rage when he saw Luo'er, cursing him profanely. "You ambiguous little drift -"
Before he could complete his insult, he was already on the ground, his head bleeding profusely.