"You're out?"
Xu Xiaoyou, her hands tucked into the sleeves of her greatcoat, watched Tang Xin walk out from the dormitory building.
"You don't look too good. Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, I just ran into some people I don't get along with," Tang Xin said casually, carrying her suitcase as she headed toward the perimeter.
Xu Xiaoyou looked thoughtful, glancing back at the dormitory.
"But Yuzu, you were right."
Tang Xin stopped suddenly and turned back with a smile. In the freezing winter wind, the girl's face looked flushed red.
"Dealing with people you hate by hitting back directly really does feel good."
"Thanks, Yuzu, for being willing to accompany me back to the academy."
They walked through the birch forest of the school. In the distance, they could see pairs and groups of students sitting by the white birch trunks, sketching the scenes of the woods.
Most of them wore berets, linen windbreakers, long shirts, and paint-stained trousers. One could tell at a glance that their outfits were artistic; they were like the golden leaves covering the forest floor in autumn, matching the literary atmosphere of the academy perfectly.
In contrast, she was wearing a green greatcoat that lacked any sense of beauty. Like a local who had suddenly intruded into some elegant palace, she received occasional side-eyes while walking along the academy paths.
Xu Xiaoyou had noticed this from the moment they entered the Starry Art Academy.
Even the groundskeepers in the back garden dressed like master craftsmen, even though they were only trimming bushes or overturning the soil in the flowerbeds.
Wasn't this sense of ritual a bit too much?
As if guessing her inner thoughts, Tang Xin leaned in and whispered in her ear:
"You'll get used to it. After all, fashion and outfit design is a mandatory major. The academy hasn't recruited outside staff for a long time; those groundskeepers are all seniors who graduated in previous years."
"So that's how it is," Xu Xiaoyou nodded.
"Where are we going now?"
"My major is opera. Before I leave, I want to say goodbye to Miss Vandoni," Tang Xin said. "She took quite good care of me before."
"This academy really is huge."
Xu Xiaoyou looked around and sighed in admiration.
The entire art academy sat atop a mountain peak. From a distance, it looked like a medieval castle with a unique and mysterious architectural style. From here, one could overlook the entire Star of Art; it was the highest point of the Star of Art, the place closest to the stars.
Looking up, the stars and the sky felt as if they were right before her eyes.
"This way, this way."
Tang Xin waved her hand at the academy square, and a moment later, a pumpkin carriage stopped in front of them.
"Let's go."
Tang Xin took Xu Xiaoyou's hand and they sat inside the pumpkin carriage.
The cushions were soft and comfortable. The carriage body was made of sandalwood, and the doors were carved with the exquisite school emblem and plated with ornate filigree. The craftsmanship of the interior was so refined it felt like a mobile palace.
The carriage didn't move fast, gliding smoothly. If one had the leisure, they could pull aside the red curtains and admire the campus scenery through the window: buildings of golden proportions imbued with aesthetic sense, giant sculptures on the academy square that adhered to human ergonomics, the East Lake District with its lake like a clear blue crystal, and the clock tower that soared into the clouds beside it.
In fact, during their leisure time, student couples in the academy would often pair up and sit in these pumpkin carriages, seeking inspiration while touring the campus scenery. And it was often during these moments that inspiration would erupt continuously, like paint being squeezed from a tube.
Before long, the pumpkin carriage reached its destination: the gate of the East Campus. Outside the gate weren't busy city streets, but mountain cliffs. A fresh breeze blew across the wilderness, making one feel refreshed.
Looking toward another mountain peak in the distance, a grand opera house stood tall, looking incredibly magnificent.
"That's the campus for the opera major," Tang Xin said, pointing to the other side of the mountain.
"You can take a cable car from here to get there while enjoying the scenery."
"I loved riding this when I first came to this academy. When I felt depressed, riding it back and forth once would make me feel much better."
"It's just that it might be a bit scary the first time..."
Tang Xin acted as a guide for the academy, introducing it to Xu Xiaoyou. It was the first time Xu Xiaoyou had seen her so lively—true to her social media nickname, she was like a little blue bird chirping in her ear.
"You're in a pretty good mood today?" Xu Xiaoyou asked casually.
"Is it that obvious?"
The two of them boarded the cable car. The cabin was shaped like a white rosebud about to bloom, and the interior drifted with a faint scent of rose perfume. On a heart-shaped table were exquisite snacks: Black Forest cake dusted with powdered sugar and several translucent pomelo candy.
Whenever the cable car completed a trip, the campus staff would thoughtfully prepare new snacks for the students and play soothing music within the cabin.
The cable line was laid between the two mountains. The cable car moved forward steadily, the sound of its operation a subtle hum. Looking out from the window, one could see the craggy rocks among the cloudy peaks and the dense needle-leaf forests on the mountainside; there lay the rare green found in a world of white snow. When the wind blew through the wilderness, the needle-leaf forest below rose and fell in layers.
This kind of cold-resistant timber was commonly seen in environments with year-round cold climates and high latitudes.
Further down was the city. The Star of Art was located there. At this moment, the city had not yet fully awakened, and its lights were still brightly lit. The tallest building in the King's District—the Prism Tower—stood tall in the whistling wind and snow. The cold wind left many marks on its steel dome, yet it remained like a giant guarding the city, its red lights flashing day after day.
The spiritual world of the people in the Star of Art was far richer than that of the Corrupt Hive City; countless urban legends were born every year. That Prism Tower was a monitoring anchor point specifically placed there by the association. If a hazard-level urban eldritch creature appeared, the Prism Tower would issue a full-scale alarm to the city.
Strands of hair fell beside Tang Xin's face, curving gently and softening the girl's features. From this angle, she rested her face on one hand, melancholy flowing in her eyes as pale golden light fell on her neck and shoulders, adding a touch of grace to her aura.
Noticing the gaze, Tang Xin turned and smiled slightly. She picked up a piece of Black Forest cake from the tray with a fork and held it toward Xu Xiaoyou:
"Yuzu, open up. Aah~"
Being fed like this made the corner of Xu Xiaoyou's mouth twitch slightly, but she still opened her mouth and ate the cake.
"This feeling is pretty good, right?" Tang Xin said.
"It's alright," Xu Xiaoyou nodded.
Having grown used to a life fraught with danger, she was instead somewhat unaccustomed to such a dull and relaxed daily routine.
"It's rare for the mind to relax like this."
"I don't know how long this kind of time will last," she said. "If possible, I'd really like to keep going like this."
Meanwhile, somewhere in the academy.
Looking at the two redwood doors rising several meters high before him, the man fell into a brief moment of thought. Just as he intended to push the doors open, a woman's voice came from beside him.
"I really didn't expect you to be the one to come. I thought you had already drowned in that woman's gentle embrace. It seems that Diesel's matter has made the family smell the scent of crisis in the air."
The man looked up. The weathering of time had taken all the sharpness from the woman's eyes, leaving behind deep wrinkles. She looked like an old woman, her soft, water-like eyes reflecting his cold, lean figure.
"Am I right, Ayin Winter?"
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