"Ugh... fuck..."
I couldn't help but say my thoughts out loud.
My body still felt sore all over even after a full day had passed.
I've spent a day lying on this couch doing nothing but push through the pain.
Though on the bright side, my leg seems to have healed...
I groaned for Wei to help me.
"Weiiii... help me get up..."
"Do it your damn self. Acting like you don't have hands."
"But they're so soreee, and I need to eat my breakfast..."
Grandma Guanhuai had already left by the time Wei and I were at home eating breakfast.
The only thing she left behind was a low-rank healing potion that I now had to drink once every day.
Ugh... I guess Wei isn't going to help me.
I slowly got up myself, and as expected, my arms burned like crazy.
There on the coffee table sat two pieces of stale bread, the healing potion, and a cup of milk.
This had basically been my breakfast for the last week.
Stuffing the dry bread in my mouth, I washed it down with my milk.
"... Sometimes, you don't feel like a noble at all."
"... Oh, uh, yeah, ahaha, I must be used to living in the slums; I'm quite good at adapting, y'know."
"... Right."
Maybe I should act more like how the original Hanzhi was... but... acting pretentious like that in the slums is like a death wish!
After that, we both ate in silence, yet surprisingly it didn't feel awkward... at least to me.
I thought about Churan and the information I got the day before.
I was lucky Wei probably thought I was just tired rather than suspecting I used my Li-Liang for something.
Hm... should I risk it and just straight up ask Wei?
I don't know how long he'll stay at Guanhuai's house, and I want to get this sewer thing over with before going into the academy.
"Wei, should we visit Churan today? Grandma Guanhuai gave us a day off, and I was thinking of visiting her."
I silently stared at Wei, awaiting an answer.
He raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you said you couldn't even lift a finger because 'your body was all sore'"
"But Wei, I've been stuck in this stuffy, horrible house for an entire day with you. I really need that fresh air before we begin working again..."
I said before that I didn't do anything but sleep on the couch, but the reality was that I studied the slum sewers on my phone for the entire day.
If Wei wasn't keen on going to the sewers, I would just need to discreetly get us to that location.
And by discreetly, I mean going on a pretend outing!
Wei stared, but I kept talking.
"Really, we don't even have to visit Churan; we could just walk around shops. After all, I still have a lot of cash."
For today, I just want to scope out the area in person, and when my body feels better, I'll investigate further.
Wei seemed to be lost in thought for a bit until he curled his lips into a weird smirk.
"Uh, are you smiling because you're agreeing... or....?"
"Sure, I'll come with you; you said you got money though, right?"
"Um, yeah..."
"So then you'll be treating me."
"... What? Why are you acting like you're broke? You literally took some of my shit! And the most expensive ones at that!"
"And you're the one inviting me, so act like it."
"Act like it?! You're older than me! You act like it!"
No wait, I need to calm down... as long as he's coming for an outing.
That's... the goal... yes.
"Okay, you know what? Fine. I'll treat you, but next time, you treat me, got it?"
"Alright. That's all you had to say."
... Is this guy purposefully trying to piss me off!?
"... Okay, then let's leave right now. I already have a place in mind to—"
"I've already got a place to go."
"..."
I had started to think over my plans.
Was it really necessary for Wei to be with me?
But the thought of getting jumped again scared me quite greatly, so I shut my mouth and put on a smile.
And Wei smirked right back at me.
He was a lot more likeable when not smiling.
***
Not everywhere in the slums is complete chaos.
Some areas are better than others.
And fortunately, that's where we went on this outing.
Wei said that he was going to lead the way, but this was going a lot better than I'd originally expected.
At least... from what I can tell, we're heading towards the district I wanted to investigate.
"Wei, you said you wanted to go somewhere, so where are we going?"
"You're still asking? Why not just follow me?"
I honestly couldn't guess which store he wanted to go to with so many shops surrounding us.
This place was basically an outdoor shopping center.
Looking around the shops, there were more simple, clean clothes on display as the smell of baked goods hit my nose.
People bustled around, chatting with friends while eating, looking through shop windows like I was.
This feels so similar to my original world...
I couldn't help but be surprised at how... normal people acted in the slums.
I guess the game didn't do these people justice...!
"Agh, Wei, what the hell?"
All of a sudden, Wei stopped in his tracks, leaving me to bump straight into him.
"We're here."
"... A dessert shop?"
I looked at him questioningly, then looked back at the shop.
It was covered in cute, but poorly painted pastel colors.
Little kiddy stickers covered its walls, and a huge sign sat at the top of the store.
Delicious Desserts of the Slums... what an original name...
Wei immediately walked into the shop, and I quickly followed.
The interior wasn't much different from the outside, except for some tables and chairs along with hand-drawn posters.
The second we went inside, I could smell the intense sweetness hit my nostrils.
We swiftly stopped at the counter.
There, sitting behind the glass were rows and rows of all kinds of desserts.
They glistened and were impossibly good for something in the slums...
Standing there was a young girl; she couldn't have been any older than me.
I was then reminded of that waiter...
No, now's not the time to think about this; focus on the mission.
"Wei, what are we—"
"I would like a large box of macarons and another small box of macarons."
... Did he just ignore me?
"Alright, sir, coming right up!"
She grabbed a small and a big box and started loading them with macarons.
"Hey, can you make sure the bigger box gets more pink ones?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, of course!"
Pink ones? Whose he giving this to? There's no way it's for himself...
After she finished, we were set to pay the bill... or, I was set to pay the bill.
"Well, aren't you going to pay?"
"Shut up, I'm going to!... Hah... Okay, how much is everything?"
"It'll be 1,900 Jia."
It's that expensive?! No wonder there's no fucking line here; there's no way any normal person can afford this!
I begrudgingly pulled my phone out to finish the transaction.
Well... since they seem to be homemade, I guess it makes sense...
"There, I did it. Now we're going to where I want to go."
"You're sure salty for someone who has well over 100,000 Jia in their account."
"... H-How did you... You know what, why am I even surprised? You seem to know everything."
The employee neatly put the boxes inside a pink bag with their logo printed on the front.
We bid them goodbye and left the shop, with only one of us fulfilled and the other not so much.
"So, who are those for? Definitely not for you."
"That's actually exactly what I wanted to talk about. I'm going to go deliver this right now."
"See? I knew it wasn't for you... Wait—WHAT! What do you mean 'deliver'? What about me!?"
"You can do whatever you want, and I'll do what I need to do."
"But why? Can't you do that later?"
"Isn't right now the most optimal time? We'll be back at work tomorrow, and I've got multiple destinations to head to. You also have your own stuff, so splitting up is the best choice."
Hah! Fucking bastard, testing my damn patience!
You know what? Fine.
I'll do this on my own!
As long as I don't stay around till night, I'll be way less likely to be jumped, and it's not like I'm wearing an expensive suit this time.
Wei annoyingly stared at me until I gave an answer.
"Okay. Fine. Go your own way; I have stuff to do too, but before you leave, we should exchange numbers."
"...? My number?"
"Isn't it obvious? If I get kidnapped, you better come!"
Like a tired caretaker, Wei sighed.
"... You're not going to get kidnapped."
I laughed. There was no way he'd just said that.
"Hah, funny, coming from you."
Wei stared at me before glancing at his phone.
Checking the time?
Is he in some sort of rush?
"Well then, I'm not letting you go until you give it."
Now, Wei was tapping his feet on the ground.
"Wei, it's just your number, why the hell are you so reluctant?"
"... Hah... Alright, fine."
Grabbing my phone, he quickly punched his number into it.
"See, it wasn't that hard, was it?"
Wei just rolled his eyes at me before leaving.
So much for being older than me; honestly, he acts more petty than I do.
I quietly watched as he walked away, and soon enough, I walked in the opposite direction he was going.
And so, that's how we ended up splitting up...
... Or so Wei thinks.