Chapter 21: Plastic Sister Flower

The elves are famously long-lived, and also famously emotionally distant.

According to legends passed down among humans: when the Goddess of Life first created all things, she began by shaping the first being in her own image — a prototype for all later creations — and that being was the human race.

After that, the Goddess of Life began to add and subtract from that human template, and with the whimsical creativity in her head, she experimented freely.

Thus were born the various non-human races of the continent, all different in form and nature.

The most straightforward example at present: Vivian, who represents the elven race.

Compared to humans, what do they have more of? And what do they have less of?

First, it is obvious: almost universally flawless beauty, exceptional affinity with magic, and a physical lifespan so long it borders on absurd.

Of course, for every gain, there is a cost. To receive, something must be given up.

If humanity is the prototype, then it can be considered like a game program running on a computer.

You can improve this game’s graphics, frame rate, gameplay, models… and so on, to varying extents.

But problems will inevitably follow.

If you keep improving the game in every aspect, the finished product may indeed look flawless at first glance…

But the original computer that once ran it smoothly will no longer be able to support this upgraded game.

This was exactly the trouble the Goddess of Life encountered when creating non-human beings.

The human race, though extremely adaptable and full of potential, is also like a “low-spec computer.”
Their internal capacity is limited.

Returning to the main point: after realizing this, the Goddess of Life attempted to give races with natural advantages — such as elves — certain “compatibility patches.”

Therefore, while elves gained those advantages compared to humans, they also received negative traits such as “emotional detachment” and “extremely weak reproductive ability.”

But…

Natiavida could not see even a trace of emotional detachment in her best friend Vivian.

On the contrary… Natiavida even felt that Vivian’s emotions were richer than her own, and richer than most students around them.

(Could it be because she’s a half-elf?)

But even for half-elves, their traits should fall somewhere between humans and elves.

Natiavida had seen many half-elves, even pure-blooded elves — but someone like Vivian was truly one of a kind.

Perhaps that was one of the reasons Natiavida was willing to call Vivian her best friend: the other girl was special.

“That pair is probably… siblings? Or it could be father and daughter.”

Natiavida pulled her gaze away from her friend and instead looked at the small blonde girl sitting at a quiet dining table, propping her chin with her hand, saying something to the man across from her.

For some reason, just one careful glance at that golden-haired figure drew Natiavida’s attention.

That obedient (too lazy to get her own food) and serene (too lazy to talk to the man) demeanor reminded her of her own adorable younger sister.

(Yes… she is really cute.)

(It’s just that she looks so young. Probably only fourteen or fifteen.)

(So how was someone that age even brought into the academy?)

(And the man beside her looks about thirty… Is he applying to be a teacher here?)

Questions began to sprout in her thoughts, but unlike Vivian, Natiavida did not show her curiosity on her face.
Instead, she quietly pinched Vivian’s arm.

“Stop staring so directly. You’ll make them uncomfortable.”

Saying so, Natiavida’s turn arrived in the cafeteria line — and unusually, she ordered two standard meals.

“You’re really eating that much today?”

As her best friend, Vivian immediately noticed the abnormality.

But Natiavida didn’t answer. She simply carried the trays with her usual elegant posture and walked to the table next to the man and the girl.

The moment she placed both meal trays down, she already regretted it.

Sometimes, people act this way.

They do something impulsively, thinking it will look kind and considerate — but halfway through, they suddenly realize how ridiculous they must look to others.

Natiavida had simply seen that the two had no meals, and thought to bring them something to eat as a friendly gesture, hoping to perhaps make acquaintances — especially with the golden-haired girl.

But now that the moment was real, the entire gesture felt reckless.

It wasn’t fair to Vivian either, since the two of them always ate together.

And if they refused the food, the embarrassment would be unbearable.

Wouldn’t it be just like the times she had to reject admirers herself? That same awkwardness?

Just as she was silently panicking and wondering how to undo what she had done—

She saw her best friend striding confidently forward, holding two identical meal trays, walking straight toward the pair.

(This traitor!)

Natiavida turned her head. Outwardly calm. Inwardly devastated.

She never imagined her seemingly loyal friend would have the exact same idea — and even act on it first!

And without hesitation!

Perhaps having a thick face does have its advantages.

If Natiavida had tried, she likely wouldn’t have been able to speak a word.

But Vivian not only successfully offered the food — she even sat right next to the golden-haired girl!

(We’re done. Friendship terminated.)

At that moment, no sorrow was greater than a dead heart.

Yet, just as Natiavida was quietly issuing her mental death-sentence, Vivian suddenly looked up while chatting with the two and searched around.

When her eyes landed on that flash of green hair, her smile was pure innocence.

“Natiavida! Come sit here!”

(…All right. That’s acceptable.)

Thus, the sentence was reduced from Immediate execution to Suspended execution.

Natiavida lifted the two meal trays, ignored the boys who had been trying to work up courage to talk to her, and walked to the only empty seat at the table.

She placed one tray in front of Vivian, and with a polite “Excuse me,” joined what looked like a very mismatched group from the outside.