When they walked out of the office building, the setting sun had already dyed the clouds a peachy orange.
Little White followed behind Lin Xing, hugging Snowball in her arms, her cheeks still tinged with a lingering blush.
She had finally regained her composure, but every time she remembered how she had raised the Communication Badge high above her head like a trophy in front of the Black Cloak Man, she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.
“That… Lin Xing,”
She hesitated for a long time before she couldn’t help but speak in a low voice.
“Was I a bit silly back then? I could’ve crushed the badge quietly, but I just had to hold it up so high…”
Lin Xing paused, then realized what she was fretting over and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Silly? What’s silly about it? Raising the badge high looked imposing!”
“But, but it was so embarrassing!”
Little White stomped her foot, burying her face in Snowball’s fluffy fur.
“My mind just blanked and I raised it up… Now that I think about it, ugh!!…”
Snowball seemed to sense her embarrassment and rubbed its head against her chin, its ice-blue eyes full of comfort.
Lumiya, lying in Lin Xing’s arms, secretly covered her mouth with her tail and stifled a laugh.
She of course knew Little White had been nudged into action by her subtle prodding, but seeing Little White’s bashful expression was rather amusing. She deliberately patted Little White’s arm with her paw, as if to comfort her.
“It wasn’t embarrassing at all! You were super cool!”
After Lumiya’s pat, Little White became even more embarrassed, her cheeks turning as red as ripe apples.
She mumbled a faint “Mm,” and hurried her pace toward the dormitory.
Lin Xing watched her retreating figure, shaking his head helplessly as he hugged Lumiya and followed after.
When they reached the bottom of the Dormitory Building, Little White stopped with Snowball in her arms, nervously twisting the edge of her skirt with her fingers.
“I’ll head back first, see you in Magic Botany class tomorrow!”
She paused, seeming to gather her courage as she looked up at Lin Xing, her voice barely a whisper.
“By the way, Lin Xing! You, this weekend…”
She suddenly got stuck mid-sentence, her earlobes instantly turning crimson. She waved her hands frantically.
“F-Forget it!”
With that, she hugged Snowball and dashed away. The ends of her fluffy hair traced a hasty arc through the air, even her back looked flustered and shy. She didn’t dare look back at all.
Lin Xing watched her panicked figure disappear into the distance, rubbing his chin as he wondered what Little White had wanted to say—weekend? Was she trying to invite him…
To team training?
Lumiya seemed to read his mind, patting his cheek with her paw.
Kid, you’re hopelessly dense.
But Lin Xing wasn’t thinking about that at all. Ever since he’d left the office building with the Shapeshifting Crystal in his pocket, all he could think about was what Lumiya would look like after her Transformation. His pace was even half a step faster than usual.
The moment he entered his room, he locked the door behind him.
He couldn’t wait to open the Small Wooden Box containing the Shapeshifting Crystal, taking the crystal out and placing it in front of Lumiya, staring at her with anticipation.
Quick! Hurry up and transform! Become the Blonde, Blue-Eyed, Tsundere, Mild Scholar, Dragon-Horned Loli!
Lumiya was taken aback by his blunt excitement, her golden slit-pupiled eyes instinctively glancing at the crystal glowing with a gentle light. She nearly blurted out,
“I’ll transform your grandma!”
But for the sake of maintaining her well-behaved image in front of Lin Xing,
Lumiya could only endure Lin Xing’s eager gaze, and swallowed the Shapeshifting Crystal in one bite.
Hmm, not tasty at all. How long had it been since she’d last eaten a rock just to fill her belly?
She subconsciously flicked her tail, looked at Lin Xing’s expectant face, and hesitated for a moment.
A dazzling golden light suddenly radiated around her, wrapping her small body inside.
Lin Xing stared nervously at the light, even breathing more softly, his eyes fixed on the silhouette within the column of light as it slowly stretched.
When the glow faded,
Lin Xing looked at Lumiya, who hadn’t changed at all, puzzled.
He leaned in and poked Lumiya’s furry head.
“Why didn’t you change? Did the crystal fail?”
Lumiya secretly laughed to herself, tilting her head and pretending to be innocent. Want me to transform? As if it’d be that easy!
She secretly channeled a hint of magic, faking a “about to take effect” state, but on the surface she flopped weakly onto the table, her golden eyes full of “aggrievement”.
“Is your magic not enough?”
Lin Xing anxiously rubbed his hands, hurriedly pulling a bottle of high-grade Magic Potion from his backpack and pouring it into his palm to hand to Lumiya.
“Drink this and replenish yourself!”
After finishing the potion, Lumiya “tried” to summon her magic again, the golden light around her even brighter than before, but when the glow faded, she was still in her little dragon form.
Lin Xing frowned as he picked up the empty Small Wooden Box, turning it over and over in his hands, muttering to himself,
“Did Deputy Director Li give us a fake? No, that can’t be, there’s no reason for him to trick us…”
Lumiya patted the back of his hand with her paw, pretending to comfort Lin Xing that it was fine.
Want to see this dragon transform? Want to see a pretty girl? It’s not that easy!
She deliberately rubbed her head against Lin Xing’s palm, her tail gently brushing over his wrist.
“Don’t worry, maybe the Transformation just needs a little time?”
Lumiya did her best to make her voice sound soft and comforting, while her paw secretly tugged at Lin Xing’s sleeve.
“Just wait a bit longer, maybe it’ll work in a while.”
Lin Xing nodded dejectedly, put the empty Small Wooden Box aside, and reached out to rub her head.
“Yeah, something as big as Transformation can’t be rushed. Let’s eat something first? You used up a lot of magic earlier, you need to restore your energy.”
Lumiya immediately perked up, her eyes shining like light bulbs—food? She quickly rubbed against Lin Xing’s palm, pretending to be obedient.
She’d eat extra Fire-Roasted Meat skewers later, and add ten servings of Cheese Baked Magic Mushroom! Anyway, she was looking so drained now, Lin Xing couldn’t possibly stop her with his usual “it’s bad for your health if you eat too much”.
Lumiya thoroughly enjoyed her big meal, and glanced at the crestfallen Lin Xing beside her.
She couldn’t help but click her tongue inwardly.
This guy, is he really that disappointed at not seeing me transform?
Lumiya felt a bit soft-hearted. After all, he was the only one in years who could summon her, and he usually treated her well.
Lumiya gently patted the back of Lin Xing’s hand with her paw, comforted him with a “Don’t be sad,” but under the table her tail beat a restless rhythm.
“It’s fine, we’ll just try again next time. If one isn’t enough, we’ll get another!”
Lin Xing looked up and saw Lumiya’s smile, and ended up comforting her in return.
Lumiya immediately nodded and flashed an obedient smile—
Since Lin Xing says so, let’s wait and see.
Back in the dorm, Lin Xing carefully put away the empty Small Wooden Box, but still sat on the edge of the bed and couldn’t help sighing.
Lumiya hopped onto the desk, crouched in front of him, tilting her head to watch him.
Her golden slit-pupiled eyes were full of disdain. Didn’t this guy just say he was fine?
She gently nudged Lin Xing’s arm with her tail,
Trying her best to show an “I’m a little disappointed too” expression.
Lin Xing sighed and pulled her over to the pillow.
“Good night, Lumiya.”
Lumiya nuzzled his palm, closed her eyes—
Let Lin Xing wait just a little longer.