Chapter 70: The Idol Among Us

After class, everyone made their way to the cafeteria.

Having little else to do, and feeling a greater familiarity with Bai Li and her companions than with her own roommate, Gu Song’en joined their group.

It was likely due to her desire to comfort Teresa; as the student council president’s sister, Gu Song’en was often compared to Gu Yunzhi herself, having accumulated a fair share of similar frustrations.

“So, Gu Ling isn’t eating?”

Noticing that Gu Ling, immediately upon being pulled into the cafeteria, had produced a pillow from seemingly nowhere and promptly fallen asleep slumped over the table, Gu Song’en posed the question.

“Oh, she does eat, but her eating habits are incredibly erratic. In the past two days, ever since she was dragged out of her room to eat with us the day before school started, Gu Ling hasn’t had a single regular meal, sometimes eating at midnight, other times at three in the afternoon, or even at five in the morning.”

“Considering she’s a genius student in the Manufacturing Department, it makes a certain kind of sense, I suppose.”

“A science student, after all, and an exceptionally gifted one at that. Add in her social anxiety and ‘loli’ attributes, and the ‘incapable of self-care’ buff is stacked to the max.”

“Though, rather than being incapable of caring for herself, it’s more accurate to say she simply hasn’t considered the need to.”

“Don’t worry, I made her a bento box, and she did accept it. I expect she’ll eat it on her own at some point.”

“Huh? Bai Li, you can cook?”

Upon hearing Bai Li mention making Gu Ling’s portion, Gu Song’en’s curiosity was instantly piqued.

Could a physics-wielding magical girl, capable of punching someone into a state of self-isolation, actually cook? Was she perhaps pulverizing ingredients with her bare hands?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Bai Li began.

Bai Li, without even needing to look, instantly discerned Gu Song’en’s thoughts and promptly cut them off.

“It’s normal; I use kitchen utensils. I’ve often cooked for myself since childhood.”

“Since childhood? Didn’t you… no, never mind.”

Gu Song’en immediately realized she had almost uttered something inappropriate; although unsure if her suspicions were correct, it was best to avoid any potential awkwardness.

“So, how good is your cooking, really? I’m quite curious.”

“I won’t be cooking for you.”

Bai Li refused Gu Song’en’s request without hesitation.

Indeed, she had never intended for anyone other than Lin Xi to taste her culinary creations. Her cooking skills were, in a sense, born from Lin Xi’s presence, constantly honed over time with the sole purpose of ensuring Lin Xi could always enjoy the best possible meals.

However, that was no longer an option. If she only prepared meals for herself and Lin Xi every day, it might create unnecessary distance, and Lin Xi had already expressed a desire for them all to get along.

“Well then, can I at least have some of the cat’s food?”

With that remark, Gu Song’en reached out, intending to pick up a piece of meat from a small box placed beside Lin Xi.

In an instant, a cat’s paw swatted it away.

“What do you think you’re doing, meow?”

Ruth appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary black cat, her violet eyes perhaps her only unusual feature. Yet, Gu Song’en hadn’t even glimpsed a blur of motion from the paw that had just struck.

“This… is the mascot’s strength this exaggerated?”

Gu Song’en, having been introduced to the black cat by Lin Xi not long ago, knew her identity, but had never imagined she possessed such formidable power.

Even though Gu Song’en was a magic user, this didn’t imply any deficiency in her fundamental abilities, such as dynamic vision; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to react in high-intensity battles. Yet, she still couldn’t track Ruth’s movements.

“Ruth is the one who taught me magic, and even now, I haven’t fully mastered those spells, so under the same conditions, Ruth’s strength is indeed superior to mine.”

“I see… Wait, what did you just say?”

It took a moment for Gu Song’en to process what Lin Xi had just uttered.

“Are you saying your mascot is stronger than you, and it even taught you magic?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“There’s a huge problem!”

Gu Song’en slammed her hand on the table and cried out loudly.

“Normally, even if a magical girl has a mascot, it usually serves as an auxiliary character, perhaps assisting in activating spells. More often than not, they appear at the beginning and then truly become nothing more than a ‘mascot.’ You simply don’t see situations where the mascot is stronger than the contractor and even teaches them magic!”

“To put it another way, the situation with Lin Xi and Ruth is like a servant being stronger than their master, with no safety measures in place. It wouldn’t be surprising if the mascot turned around and eliminated the contractor at some point!”

“Hey, that’s incredibly rude, meow. This cat doesn’t like or do such things, meow.”

Ruth immediately refuted Gu Song’en’s proposed possibility, and Lin Xi, as her contractor, chose to believe Ruth.

“Ruth has helped me a lot. Even though she’s usually lazy and gluttonous, always sleeping or eating, when something truly important comes up, she’s ready to act and get things done at a moment’s notice.”

“…It feels like my contractor is mocking me, but there’s no proof, meow.”

“If you can tell, then do a little less slacking off, though I genuinely won’t need your help very often.”

“I feel even more severely mocked now, meow.”

Observing the remarkably good relationship between the girl and her cat, Gu Song’en decided not to press the matter further; with such a bond, betrayal seemed virtually impossible.

“Forget it, let’s just eat first.”

Having said that, Gu Song’en produced her own lunchbox.

Given the high traffic in the school cafeteria, most capable students brought their own lunches unless absolutely necessary, as it would be a shame to waste the kitchens provided in the dormitories.

“Hmm? Is that a Jiuge (TL Note: A fictional idol group/character name.) collaboration lunchbox?”

Suddenly, Teresa noticed the lunchbox Gu Song’en had pulled out, adorned with a chibi idol design, and inquired.

“Uh… it’s nothing, I just grabbed the wrong lunchbox…”

“Is that so? By the way, are you into idol worship too? While I primarily stan magical girls, I do watch idols to some extent. Take Jiuge, for instance, who’s been quite popular recently; they became a sensation at such a young age, though they’ve temporarily paused activities due to academic commitments.”

“Is… is that so…”

Gu Song’en visibly faltered at Teresa’s impromptu idol news update, her gaze darting away, utterly unwilling to meet anyone’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Bai Li, who had been alternating bites of food with Lin Xi, seemed to uncover a revelation about Gu Song’en’s demeanor.

“Speaking of which, the character on your lunchbox also has black hair and golden eyes.”

“Hoh!?”

Gu Song’en suddenly let out a strange cry upon hearing those words, which only further solidified Bai Li’s suspicion.

“Suddenly pausing activities for academics, the same black hair and golden eyes, plus this reaction… you’re actually the idol known as Jiuge, aren’t you?”

“No, no, no, I don’t know who you’re talking about?”

Indeed, with that reaction, the answer was abundantly clear.

“So you’re saying that the student council president’s sister, who initially came looking for trouble but turned out to be a good student after we got to know her, is actually a popular idol in disguise?”