"This is the baseball field, and that is the softball field…" Noshiro briefly introduced every area they could see to Lu Chen. When they reached a fork in the road, Noshiro stopped. "The beach volleyball court is straight down this path, heading south, to the end. This is where we part ways."
Lu Chen asked, quite surprised, "We're not staying together?"
"It's not impossible, if you want to admire the bikini-clad beach volleyball girls," Noshiro looked at Lu Chen with a half-smile. "Although I don't mind, you seem to care a lot about what others think. I imagine you wouldn't choose beach volleyball as your first stop, would you?"
Lu Chen agreed. "You make a good point."
Noshiro pursed her lips and asked, "Are other people's opinions that important? You could easily enjoy a feast for your eyes, and perhaps even have some unspeakable, wonderful experiences with them, yet you give it all up because you care about what others think."
"It might be related to my personal history; I'm not sure," Lu Chen patted his head. "There's an ancient saying in the East that 'gossip can kill.' Besides, this isn't giving it up permanently. I'm just adjusting the order of priority, so I'm not really losing anything substantial."
The Commander's background is an orphan. Growing up in an orphanage certainly required him to read people's expressions. A Commander who grew up like that must be severely lacking in love, Noshiro thought with a pang of heartache. Commander, we will compensate you for the lack of love tenfold.
"Let's forget about it. Go and enjoy yourself," Lu Chen said. "Shall we meet at the school gate after class?"
Noshiro pulled out her phone and shook it. "No problem. Keep in touch. I hope you have fun, too."
After Noshiro left, Lu Chen stretched and slowly strolled through the academy.
Just find a decent-looking place and join in? Are you kidding me? The person in his memory was a total recluse with almost zero social life. Lu Chen couldn't easily strike up a casual conversation with strangers and happily join their sport.
Whether it was Noshiro, Taihou, or even Hutten, they were always the ones proactively bridging the gap in their relationship, the only difference being their method.
He felt that his personality had some flaws, as he often found himself in a passive position in social interactions. For example, he was only proactively engaged with Noshiro, compared to Taihou and Hutten.
However, that was a deliberate outcome orchestrated by Noshiro. Lu Chen wasn't stupid; he could clearly see that Noshiro had truly adopted the role of a classical, virtuous wife and mother, centering everything around her "husband," which allowed Lu Chen to take the initiative in certain areas.
Perhaps by continuing to live this way, his memory would return, his personality would gradually become more proactive, and he would have a beautiful girlfriend. Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
Since that was the case, there was no need to rush. I'll slack off today.
Lu Chen decided to find a good spot to rest. Slacking off was an instinctive skill; no one was better at faking an attendance sheet than him.
He walked toward the west side of the academy. The closer he got to the boundary, the easier it would be to find a place to slack off. The center was too conspicuous, especially since he was the only man in the entire academy.
The westernmost area was the tennis court. As Lu Chen approached, his gaze was immediately fixed on the two people on the court.
A tall girl with peach and lead-colored twin tails was facing away from Lu Chen. But even from the back, her ample size was revealed in her casual movements. Lu Chen estimated she was at least on the same level as Taihou.
The girl facing Lu Chen on the opposite side of the court had short brown hair. Her size was roughly equal to Noshiro's—she looked much more normal.
The girl wore a sports bra and shorts, completely exposing her flat, toned midriff and long, smooth legs. Every one of her shots was fierce and full of the beauty of strength, with every movement exuding a heroic spirit.
While both girls were undoubtedly charming, they weren't the reason Lu Chen was staring. The reason lay with the brown-haired girl.
There were several large and small tattoos on her exposed skin. To be precise, they were temporary tattoo stickers. The reason Lu Chen could immediately tell they were temporary was because there was a pink heart-shaped design on her toned midriff. He didn't think anyone would get a tattoo in such a vibrant pink.
Doesn't this thing scream 'succubus use only'? Girl, you shouldn't be sticking that on yourself.
Besides the pink heart, she had several black tattoos on her body. Lu Chen didn't focus on the patterns of those tattoos; the pink tattoo was simply too eye-catching.
Yet, the girl looked every bit the sporty beauty, and the "lewd" tattoo didn't match her natural aura. The twin-tailed girl, however—judging by her voluptuous back—seemed to have a near-perfect affinity for that kind of design.
The brown-haired girl also saw Lu Chen. She nodded in acknowledgment and immediately refocused on the tennis ball. Lu Chen's presence didn't affect her actions at all.
Even a layman like Lu Chen could easily tell that her skill level wasn't on par with her opponent's. Before long, the twin-tailed girl couldn't hold out and was defeated.
She squatted against the tennis court fence, breathing heavily. "Haaah… haaah… Sure enough, I don't have your athletic genes, Big Sister Baltimore…"
Baltimore stepped over the net, walked over to her side, and pulled a thermos from a nearby backpack, handing it to her. "Bremerton, you're already very strong."
Bremerton took the thermos and smiled bitterly. "But I felt like you were completely dominating me. I didn't have a chance to fight back."
"That's just my style. If you could hold your own, it would mean I'm close to losing," Baltimore looked at Lu Chen. "Lu Chen, would you like something to drink? Oxygenated cola or torpedo juice?"
"What Lu Chen?" Bremerton didn't react immediately, but then she immediately turned and stood up, exclaiming, "When did you get here?"
At that moment, Lu Chen confirmed his guess: this girl named Bremerton was at least on the same level as Taihou. Judging by the title, she was a younger sister?
As for the oxygenated cola and torpedo juice, they sounded suspiciously like Implacable's green black tea. Lu Chen had absolutely no interest in trying them.
"I'm not thirsty. I just got here a few minutes ago."
Bremerton realized something and complained, "Big Sister, you saw him earlier, didn't you? Why didn't you warn me?"
"There was no need." Baltimore tapped the fence. "Lu Chen, please come in and talk. Talking through the fence makes me feel like I'm visiting someone in jail."
?
Why visiting someone in jail? What did I do to give you that impression?