Chapter 16: Attending School Together

Chapter 16: Attending School Together

Back at home, Ke Lin had dinner ready. Hearing footsteps, he went to the entryway early to wait for Jiang Yi.

"It smells so good. Is it fish soup?" Jiang Yi asked.

"Mhm," Ke Lin nodded. Since Jiang Yi bought him a communicator, he could use the money in Jiang Yi's account. He didn't have many spending needs; he mostly just bought groceries.

At the dinner table, Jiang Yi told Ke Lin about him going to school.

"Can I go to school too?" Ke Lin exclaimed in surprise.

Opportunities for education for the Minority Race were scarce. He himself, for instance, had never actually attended school.

"You can participate in the school's open classes and clubs, but you won't receive a certificate or degree," Jiang Yi explained.

Ke Lin's enrollment eligibility was tied to Jiang Yi's. If Jiang Yi graduated, Ke Lin would have to leave the school, regardless of how much he had learned.

"Just being able to go to school with my master makes me very happy." Ke Lin's eyes lit up, and his voice took on a lighter tone.

When it was time for bed, Ke Lin lay down in his usual spot, while Jiang Yi leaned against the headboard, reading the book Bainasen had given him.

Although this book was more on the theoretical side, Bainasen's language was simple and clear, with plenty of examples, making it easy to get into.

Ke Lin glanced up at Jiang Yi.

Since that night when his master had kissed him, they had gone back to how they were before.

If his lips hadn't been swollen until the next day, he might have thought that night was just a fever dream.

Why doesn't Master...?

Master said he was his pet.

But what exactly is a pet supposed to be like?

He wanted to be close to his master, but he was afraid his master would get annoyed with him.

He wanted to be a well-behaved, obedient pet, but now this pet had its own thoughts and desires.

At this moment, Ke Lin even wished his master would treat him as a private slave.

If it were his master, he would be willing.

Ke Lin lay beside him, eyes closed, letting his thoughts run wild.

Jiang Yi had been practicing controlling his psychic ability all day to avoid unconsciously hearing other people's thoughts.

But Little Wolf was thinking about something, his face inexplicably growing redder and redder.

So, while reading, Jiang Yi sensed Ke Lin's thoughts.

Wants to be his master's private slave??

Jiang Yi immediately sat up straight. That was *not* a good line of thinking.

He had seen firsthand the inhumanity of Ke Lin's life in the Opa Family's shelter.

He couldn't allow Ke Lin, just because he was being treated well now, to want to return to that kind of undignified existence.

"Little Wolf, feudal slavery was overthrown hundreds of years ago. No regressive thinking allowed!" Jiang Yi leaned down slightly, hovering before Ke Lin's face, and tapped his nose bridge with a fingertip.

Ke Lin stared at his master's suddenly magnified handsome face, his heart skipping a beat.

What was his master talking about? Feudal slavery? Regressive thinking?

Watching Jiang Yi's lips part and close, he stared blankly and nodded.

Seeing Ke Lin's dazed expression, Jiang Yi chuckled helplessly. Did this kid even understand?

If Jiang Yi could hear all of Ke Lin's inner thoughts, he might sigh about his little wolf growing increasingly bold, then shower him with kisses and hugs. But for now, he just wanted to take Ke Lin to a federal history class tomorrow, to teach him that modern civilized society no longer had slaves.

The next day.

Ke Lin stared at the class schedule Jiang Yi had arranged for him, his mind going blank.

Ideology, Morality, and Law; Introduction to Linguistics; Outline of Modern Federal History; Information Retrieval and Utilization...

Jia Zheyu spotted the schedule on Ke Lin's communicator from afar and hurried over in surprise.

"Jiang Yi, Ke Lin's schedule is even fuller than mine. He's just here to accompany you to school, not to rack up credits and boost his GPA."

Many of these classes were notorious "sleep-through" foundational courses, rarely taken seriously by anyone.

"A university without considering credits and GPAs is the true university," Jiang Yi remarked with a sigh. "Ke Lin, cherish your learning opportunity."

He patted Ke Lin's shoulder encouragingly.

Ke Lin nodded with gritted teeth. He was functionally illiterate—being able to read and communicate normally was already an achievement. Could he really learn all the subjects his master had arranged for him?

Seeing this, Jia Zheyu felt his own approach as a guarantor was more humane. After bringing Uncle Dak onto campus, he hadn't scheduled any classes for him, only requiring his protection.

In fact, most students who brought their Minority Race charges onto campus did as Jia Zheyu did, treating them as drivers or bodyguards.

No one actually dragged their charges to attend lectures.

In class, the students were curious about the sudden appearance of a werewolf classmate.

Werewolf students on campus were few and far between, and this one looked unfamiliar.

Jiang Yi and Ke Lin sat in the second-to-last row. After the bell rang, two first-year werewolf Espers came over to greet them.

As fellow werewolves, they were eager to make friends.

Ke Lin, socially anxious, watched the two tall and athletic werewolf Espers approach, wanting nothing more than to flee the classroom.

But Jiang Yi remained seated, so he couldn't leave. He squirmed in his seat as they stopped before him.

"Hi, I'm Chu Zheng, and this is Chu Peng. What's your name? Are you a new transfer student?" The speaker was a young werewolf with dark gray fur, who seemed cheerful and outgoing.

Ke Lin stood up to reply, "Hello, I'm Ke Lin. I'm not a student here."

"You're not an Esper?" Chu Zheng asked in surprise. Espers could sense each other, but he felt no Esper aura from Ke Lin.

"No," Ke Lin denied immediately. "I'm..."

"He's here to accompany me to class," Jiang Yi interjected, standing up.

Chu Zheng understood. Ke Lin didn't look like a bodyguard or anything similar—maybe a study companion. Who knew?

A frail wolf-man who hadn’t awakened as an esper—they immediately lost interest in getting to know him.

Chu Zheng looked at Jiang Yi. “You’re Jiang Yi, right? I’m rooting for you in your duel with Luo Chuan. If there’s a chance, we could partner up during the wilderness training.”

“We’ll see. In terms of esper types, we’re not really compatible.”

“Esper abilities are one thing, but synergy matters too.” Chu Zheng winked at him.

Jiang Yi frowned slightly, wanting to say they had zero synergy either—but he didn’t want to dwell on the topic. He took Ke Lin’s wrist and stood up. “We have things to do, so we’ll be going now.”

Watching their departing figures, Chu Zheng said to his companion, “He seems really protective of his wolf-man. Bro, what do you think their relationship is?”

Chu Peng, clearly more level-headed, replied, “That’s none of your business. The family has already arranged a partner for you—you can’t team up with Jiang Yi.”

“I know, I’m just saying. Anyone else would be thrilled at the chance to team up with us, but he didn’t react at all.” Chu Zheng pouted, bored.

Seeing this, Chu Peng chuckled lightly. “Not only does he not want to team up with you—he doesn’t even want to talk to you.”

“Master, will you partner with another wolf-man?” Ke Lin asked softly on the way back.

“No, I won’t.” Jiang Yi answered without hesitation.

During wilderness training, teaming up with a wolf-man esper increased the chances of entering the core area. But most people were human espers and could still complete the training just fine. So Jiang Yi wasn’t overly particular about a partner.

If it came down to it, he could team up with Jia Zheyu. Two support-type espers might not make it to the core area, but they could still hunt a few low-level mutants in the outskirts.

“Oh.” Even though he’d received a definite answer from his master, Ke Lin kept replaying the appearance of those two wolf-men in his mind. Whether it was their physique, looks, or combat strength, he felt he couldn’t measure up.

Awakening esper abilities seemed too elusive; Ke Lin didn’t dare hope to become an esper.

But he wanted to grow stronger. It would be enough to be like those wolf-man bodyguards—at least he could protect his master.

Actually, compared to his time in the second-hand market, Ke Lin had already grown much stronger. But for some reason, his frame remained lean, unable to develop the muscular, burly build typical of other wolf-men.

Jiang Yi was more concerned with Ke Lin’s health. He thought Ke Lin was perfectly fine as he was. Only Ke Lin fretted in front of the mirror, wishing he could better match the average aesthetic ideal for wolf-men.

In the afternoon, Jiang Yi had to attend a combat simulation class—open exclusively to enrolled espers.

Ke Lin walked Jiang Yi to the classroom door and said he wanted to join the free combat club.

Jiang Yi looked at him worriedly. “Will you be okay on your own?”

“Yes—I saw other wolf-man bodyguards training inside.”

Jiang Yi considered it and decided it might be good for Ke Lin to practice his social skills. “Then be careful. Once you get there, find the instructor in charge or the club president to register first. Then practice some basics—or watch a match first. Don’t jump straight into sparring with others. If anyone gives you trouble, don’t confront them head-on. Wait for me to come find you after class.”

Jiang Yi rambled on and on, while Ke Lin stared blankly at his lips—unsure if he was even listening.

Finally, Jiang Yi helplessly ruffled Ke Lin’s ears with force. “Silly little wolf—go on now. Just don’t let anyone bully you.”

Among last semester’s many courses—aside from his major classes in the psychic department—Jiang Yi was most interested in the combat simulation class.

Students sat in specially designed operator chairs, wearing immersive VR helmets. Before them stretched 360-degree panoramic screens, with various mutants constantly charging forward. They needed to eliminate the mutants as quickly as possible.

Espers possessed a natural combat drive when facing mutants. After each class, everyone eagerly wanted to go hunt real mutants.

This class demanded high-intensity mental and physical stamina. When the simulation ended, everyone let out a long sigh, removed their helmets, and reviewed the relevant data displayed on the large screen for analysis.

“Jia Zheyu, I have something to do, so I’m heading off first.” Jiang Yi said to Jia Zheyu beside him.

"You used to spend half an hour going over things. I offered to let you leave early before and you refused. Why are you in such a hurry this time?" Jia Zheyu asked, puzzled.

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he said, "Oh, I get it. You're rushing to see Ke Lin, right? Tsk tsk, you two even came to school together and still can't bear to be apart."

Jia Zheyu had a knowing, gossipy grin.

Jiang Yi gave him a bewildered look. "Ke Lin went to the MMA club alone. I'm worried he might get bullied."

"MMA club?" Jia Zheyu jumped down from the operation platform. "I saw Caston there a few days ago. You don't think Ke Lin will run into him, do you?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yi's expression immediately darkened. Before deciding to bring Ke Lin to school, he had considered the possibility of encountering Caston. As long as he was around, there shouldn't be any problems.

Moreover, Ke Lin had already put his past behind him. There was no need to avoid coming to school just because of Caston.

But the idea of Ke Lin having to face Caston alone now still sat uneasily with Jiang Yi.

Jia Zheyu picked up his backpack, ready to leave with Jiang Yi. "Hey, don't worry. Caston might not even be there today. Come on, I'll come with you to get Ke Lin."