NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The Freeloading Paramecium.
Standing outside was a white-haired, blue-eyed girl, panting and holding the food delivery in her hands.
"Huh? Class monitor, so it was you who ordered all this food." The white-haired girl looked up at the boy who opened the door, recognizing him as her usually silent class monitor, and smiled foolishly.
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Fu Lin heard the girl call him "class monitor" and quickly turned around, trying to recall his memories.
"What's wrong, class monitor?" Kiana curiously peered inside after seeing him turn away.
"Nothing," Fu Lin waved it off, though he was panicking internally.
Why am I in the same class as Kiana, and why am I the class monitor?! The worst part is that my school persona is a quiet, brooding loner, but at home, I'm a cheerful, playful guy.
"Here's your takeout," Kiana handed over the takeout but kept her eyes glued to the food.
Grrr… Her stomach rumbled.
"Would you like to join me for a bite, Kiana?" Fu Lin heard her stomach and, while taking the food, stepped aside to invite her in.
"I shouldn't…" (Stomach, why are you betraying me like this?)
Though Kiana's face flushed with embarrassment, her legs had already carried her inside.
"Make yourself at home." Fu Lin smiled, but remembering his aloof persona, he forced the smile away.
"You said it, class monitor. Don't mind if I do!" Kiana turned around, catching a glimpse of his brief smile. With that and his delicate, almost feminine face, she admitted to feeling a slight attraction. But Mei was still the one for her.
Kiana had only recently transferred, but she had already heard rumors about Fu Lin— how he was a brooding loner who kept to himself and didn't like talking to others. But now that she met him, he seemed totally approachable.
"Mm." Fu Lin nodded in agreement and mentally contacted the Herrscher of Knowledge, asking her to suppress her Herrscher aura.
The Herrscher responded with an inner protest, "Why do I have to hide? Kiana's no match for me anyway."
"Come on, you can't be exposed yet."
"Fine, whatever," the Herrscher responded, disinterested but still cooperative.
Kiana sniffed the air thinking 'That's odd. There was a strong Honkai energy just now, but it's gone.'
"What's wrong, Kiana?" Fu Lin asked nervously, noticing her scanning the room.
Though he knew Kiana at this point could be easily misled, he still didn't want to bring out the Herrscher of Knowledge prematurely.
"Nothing, class monitor."
"Were you trying to do some grilling?" Kiana asked, glancing at the table covered in what looked like charcoal lumps, some still smoking.
"Uh… yeah, I was going to grill, but I didn't have all the ingredients," Fu Lin replied quickly, heading to the table to clear the "charcoal."
"Xiao Shi! Time to eat!" Fu Lin cleaned up the table and laid out the takeout, then noticed the Herrscher was no longer in the living room and shouted.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." The bedroom door opened, and the Herrscher of Knowledge strolled out, arms crossed, glaring at Kiana.
"This is my twin sister, Fu Shi," Fu Lin introduced, seeing the Herrscher emerge.
Kiana's eyes darted between them, from head to toe, and back again. The two looked identical.
"Hi, I'm Kiana Kaslana, a classmate of your brother," Kiana introduced herself, scratching her head with her signature grin.
"Hmph, nice to meet you, Kiana." The Herrscher glanced at where Kiana had been staring, glaring before pinching Fu Lin's waist, causing him to wince in pain.
"I refuse to be your 'sister.' I am the Herrscher of Knowledge; I should be superior to you," she protested via their mental link, clearly annoyed by her assigned role.
"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry, but I've already said it…" Fu Lin winced in response.
"Did you forget who I am? I can fix that with just a word," she boasted smugly in their mental link, as if there was a little figure in her mind standing proudly with hands on her hips.
"… I underestimated you," Fu Lin mentally sighed, realizing he had no choice but to go along. After all, this was his ultra-cute Herrscher, so he had to pamper her.
Kiana, still feeling guilty for staring at Fu Lin's sister earlier, glanced away. That wasn't very Kaslana-like, Kiana… she scolded herself.
Something felt off, but Kiana couldn't pinpoint it— her memory of the last moment had been subtly altered.
"Let's eat before the food gets cold," Fu Lin quickly suggested, trying to break the awkward tension.
"Yeah, eating comes first! No food, no thoughts!" Kiana eagerly grabbed chopsticks and sat down, forgetting everything else.
Seeing Kiana so excited to eat, the Herrscher quickly joined in, not wanting to be left out—though, knowing the Kaslana appetite, that might actually happen.
Fu Lin, originally planning to maintain his composure and eat slowly, found himself speeding up as he watched the food disappear rapidly.
"None of you are allowed to take that last chicken leg! It's mine!" Fu Lin eyed the final piece, ready to defend his claim.
"Everyone for themselves; whoever grabs it first, it's theirs," the Herrscher retorted.
"Yeah, your sister is right! May the best eater win!" Kiana declared, staring down the chicken leg, determination in her eyes.
Kiana was already confident: I'm a Kaslana! Born with super strength, there's no way I'm losing that duck leg.
Three!
Two!
One!
The Herrscher made the first move, but her chopsticks were swiftly deflected by Fu Lin's. Just as Fu Lin was about to grab it, Kiana launched her attack but was skillfully blocked by Fu Lin's counter.
Thus began the fierce battle for the chicken leg, with chopsticks clashing in a chaotic scramble, each contestant using every trick they had.
(A random higher-dimensional observer (the audience): Are they really fighting over a chicken leg like kids?)
Eventually, the sounds of battle died down. There could only be one victor…