Outside the classroom, Wu Changkong and Shen Yi, who had been watching quietly from the shadows, exchanged a glance.
"Aren't you going to step in?" Shen Yi sounded a little helpless. "You know how important the grouping is, it affects the whole six years of coursework ahead."
Wu Changkong's cool gaze, resting on the figure inside the classroom pumping his arm and shouting, softened for a rare moment.
"Step in and do what? Grouping exists to make resource allocation easier. What he's doing pulls things together far more thoroughly than any orderly, step-by-step grouping ever could."
Shen Yi sighed, glancing at him.
"Aren't you worried he's overreaching, that in the end he won't be able to pull it back? A set of battle armor per person within two years, only he would dare say something like that out loud."
"None of that actually matters." Wu Changkong said it flatly, though there was a barely noticeable certainty in his tone.
"Don't you see it? He's twisted everyone here into a single rope. He already has this whole class in the palm of his hand."
Shen Yi followed his gaze. Class had ended, yet no one had left.
Tang Wulin, statistics book in hand, was talking to the students in the forging group, his expression thoroughly earnest.
Gu Yue stood among the design group, tapping a fingertip lightly in midair, colorful elemental light sketching out the lines of battle armor components in the air; the students beside her watched, unable to look away.
She had two and a half years of experience designing battle armor, and was explaining to students just starting out where to begin.
The group led by Na'er and Wu Siduo stood there, brows knit in unison. They'd figured it out: repair specialists didn't seem to have much use here.
Before choosing the repair specialist track, none of them had thought much of it, but now that they were actually doing the work, they'd suddenly realized that until the battle armor was actually built, they were basically just along for the ride.
Up on the platform, Arthur was surrounded by a crowd of students peppering him with questions, his eyes full of amusement as he patiently answered each one, sunlight falling through the window and gilding him at the edges.
"Do you know what I like most about him?"
Wu Changkong's words made Shen Yi, who'd been staring off blankly, turn back to look at him.
"His scope." Wu Changkong's voice was quiet. "Or maybe, his capacity to accept."
"You'll feel it too, the longer you know him. Arthur is a monster in every regard, far beyond anyone else in this world, and yet he never looks down on people, never hides who he is. He treats everyone the same, and keeps a basic respect for all of them."
He paused, then added, "Except Evil Soul Masters."
"Is that really true?" Shen Yi blinked, pushing back. "When he was fighting for class president earlier, he abused his authority too, made me hand out a punishment to someone."
"And in the end, did you?"
Shen Yi froze.
"That was just" Wu Changkong thought it over, "his idea of a joke."
"And then there's Bing'er."
Hearing those two words come out of his senior's mouth made Shen Yi's heart skip; he watched the other man's expression carefully.
He found only ease there.
"All of you kept telling me to let go, to look forward."
Wu Changkong's voice was thin as wind. "I used to think that was the right way to be. It's just that I couldn't let go."
"Not until Arthur asked me, why should I have to?"
"If you can't let go, then don't. Spend your whole life chasing it instead."
"That's what makes him who he is."
Shen Yi stared blankly at Wu Changkong, who had regained a light in him that had been missing for a long time, then suddenly laughed and let out a soft sigh.
"No wonder you indulge him so much. So it's his clarity that struck a nerve in you."
He checked the time. It was already mealtime.
Arthur raised a hand and pressed it down.
The buzzing chatter cut off at once.
"Been busy all morning, everyone must be starving." He waved a hand, pointing outward. "My treat today. Everyone, meet at the dining hall, eat whatever you want!"
"Wooo! class president's the best!"
"We only just enrolled though, does the class president even have enough contribution points for this?"
"Doesn't matter. I have the authority."
In an instant, a crowd of boys and girls cheered and surged out of the classroom.
Before long, a lively wave of energetic figures poured into the dining hall, instantly packing what had been a fairly spacious ground floor lobby.
"Braised pork! I want three servings!"
"Grab the sweet and sour fish first! It'll be gone if you're late!"
"Get me a vegetable salad, thanks!"
The noisy shouting rose and fell without pause, and a long line formed almost instantly in front of the serving windows.
Off to the side, Arthur was haggling with a middle-aged dining hall manager.
"How many Federation coins?"
"Young man, didn't your teacher tell you? Everyone inside Shrek Academy generally pays with contribution points."
This little blond kid in front of him was clearly no ordinary student.
The manager patiently explained what contribution points were, and that payment had to be made with them.
"Blah blah blah, what are you even saying."
Arthur made a show of not understanding, waved a hand, and produced a Sea God Pavilion token. "Fine, fine. Here's what we'll do, send the bill to Sea God Pavilion."
The moment the manager heard the words "Sea God Pavilion," his eyes went wide as saucers, and he nearly lost his footing.
You want me to go collect payment from Sea God Pavilion?
What else was there to say? The manager was out of options. Fine, so be it.
Right as they were eating, a graceful figure walked over, a chubby little kid trailing behind her.
It was Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi.
"Long time no see." Ye Xinglan looked at Arthur with a complicated expression.
Arthur, in the middle of lifting a piece of braised pork to his mouth, looked up at the sound of her voice.
Seeing Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi, he looked a bit surprised, then set down his chopsticks. "Something up?"
"I'll be transferring into the first-year class soon."
"Me too, me too." Xu Lizhi waved a hand.
Then he noticed the crowd seated all around Arthur, every one of them eating like their lives depended on it.
"Are these all this year's new first-years?"
"That's right." Arthur nodded.
Excitement visibly lit up Xu Lizhi's face; if only he'd known sooner, he'd have come sooner.
This atmosphere delighted him.
Appetite thoroughly whetted, Xu Lizhi thought it over for a moment, then dashed straight off to the dining hall window to order food.
He was joining this authoritative feasting party.
Arthur then turned to Ye Xinglan. "Got it. So, what else?"
"I" Ye Xinglan pressed her lips together, "I want to join your group."
"Oh?" Arthur couldn't help leaning back. "I made you cry back then, and now you want to join me instead?"
Bringing that up made Ye Xinglan's face flush red at once, a faint red creeping even into the tips of her ears.
She clenched her fists, turning her face away to avoid Arthur's eyes, her voice carrying a trace of embarrassed anger and stubbornness. "That was before! I'm not someone who can't take losing."
She drew a deep breath, then turned to look straight at Arthur, her eyes full of seriousness.
"You're strong. Very, very strong, far stronger than me, that's simply a fact. But I'm not joining to attach myself to you, I'm joining to become stronger myself. The day I catch up to you, I'll challenge you again for sure!"
"You?" Sigma Arthur didn't give her an inch. "Then you'd better spend your whole life catching up."
Just as he said it, Xu Lizhi squeezed his way over carrying an oversized tray, piled high with every kind of meat and vegetable dish, sauce dripping down over the edges, his face full of satisfaction.
"Arthur, Ye Xinglan! You've got to try this, this braised pork knuckle is amazing!"
The students nearby couldn't help but gasp at the sight of his tray.
Only Na'er looked unimpressed. "That's all? Pathetic."