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n- After the Duel -

nWe arrived at the school dorms at around 8:30 PM, half an hour before the curfew. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and the Yu sisters headed off towards the girl dormitories while Mei Gui stayed with me. I glanced at her with an awkward smile on my face.

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"Uh...Mei Gui, are you sure you want to come with me into the boy dorms?

" I asked hesitantly.

nShe nodded.

"There will not be any problems for Master unless I am seen, correct?

"

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"Er, yeah...but if you are, then I will almost certainly be expelled from the school, y'know...

" I replied sheepishly.

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"Not to worry, Master. Even if you are expelled from this trash school, together, we will survive and become stronger than anyone else.

"

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"Hah...that sounds tempting, not gonna lie,

" I grinned.

"But...there are still things I must do within this city. And right now, this school is acting as a perfect base for me.

"

nMei Gui perked up.

"The Xuan Family, correct? I will aid Master in whatever he wishes - even the destruction of the entire planet, much less a mere family.

"

nI smiled and pat her head gently as we entered the elevator. Luckily for us, no one was around - I had checked with Detect Presence earlier, a very basic Level One Psychic Element spell. It told me whether or not there was anyone within an 100 meter radius. However, since my magic was boosted, I could detect up to 500 meters, and even people purposely using Conceal Presence, the Psychic Element spell that directly countered Detect Presence, would be caught by my senses. Of course, this naturally meant that people using other methods to hide their presence would be rendered useless as well, for example - Vanishing Shadows (Level One Shadow Element spell).

nThat being said, if someone was using a Level Two spell or higher to conceal themselves, I probably wouldn't be able to know. But really, who would bother using the mana for a Level Two spell just to hide their presence? Especially since we were in this relatively safe school dorm environment. Unless someone was on a spy or assassination mission, they wouldn't bother using an advanced technique to hide their presence.

nIt was still better to be on our guard though, which is why I had Mei Gui run a Detect Presence on the entire dorm building as well. Her strength was three times mine, so she should be able to detect even people using Level Two spells to hide their presence.

nAlas, no one appeared on our radar - everyone was inside their rooms, and so the two of us had headed in. We entered the elevator and pressed the button that read '12', and the door closed behind us. I was still pretty nervous, since there was no telling when someone may leave their room and get on the elevator...though this was unlikely since it was already nearing curfew. Students had to be within their room by 9 PM, even being in the hallway of the dorms didn't count.

nAround a minute later, we arrived on the 12th floor. I ran another Detect Presence just to be safe, and we left the elevator. I walked the familiar steps to my room, Mei Gui trailing behind me silently. As I was unlocking the door's lock as usual, a thought popped into my head. Since I had magic now, I suppose I could use a Magic Array for my lock as well? They were far more secure and convenient than the security mechanism I had right now.

nThat wasn't anything urgent though, so I just made a mental note of asking Song Qian Long this the next time I meet him, and threw this thought to the back of my head. The door opened with a creak and Mei Gui and I stepped inside. I shut the door behind me after Mei Gui entered, and locked it. I finally breathed out deeply, since the entire way up I had been in fact extremely nervous. After a while, I noticed Mei Gui staring at me.

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"Oh, uh...what is it?

" I asked.

nShe looked at me for a bit longer, but then shook her head.

"Nevermind...Master, you don't have to trouble yourself.

"

nI stared back at her, and tried to figure out the meaning behind her words. I then realized her fidgeting with her hair, and realized that despite not being a human exactly, she was still a girl, and had basic necessities.

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"Uh, the bathroom's over there,

" I pointed at the white oak door leading to the washroom.

"You can take a bath and sleep first, you must be tired after teaching me earlier.

"

nShe tiled her head.

"But...what about you, Master?

"

nI shrugged.

"I'll go later. Don't worry about me.

"

nShe shook her head.

"No...Master, you should go first. You are more exhausted than I am.

"

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"No no, I already said, I'll go later,

" I replied with a sigh.

nHowever, it seemed that Mei Gui wasn't going to budge.

"I refuse. Master, you should go first.

"

nI blinked.

"...Look, Mei Gui...just go first, okay? I have some things to do still, by the time you're done I'll be finished with my stuff as well.

"

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"...That's a lie, I can feel your emotions.

"

nI flinched, and stiffened up.

"Uh...

"

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"...

"

nAfter a long and uncomfortable silence, Mei Gui finally broke the awkwardness lingering in the air.

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"...Seeing as this argument will not get us anywhere...in that case, Master, how about we take a bath toget-

"

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"Denied,

" I immediately rejected her suggestion.

"Just go first...that's an order.

"

nMei Gui appeared slightly unhappy, but since I had emphasized that it was an order, she had no choice but to obey. She entered the bathroom and I let out a sigh of relief. However, that was short lived...the door soon swung open once more, just seconds after it had been closed by Mei Gui.

nI glanced at her exhaustedly.

"What is it this time...?

"

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"M-Master...I have encountered a slight problem.

"

nI blinked. This was very out of character. Seeing her blush and fidgeting with her black dress wasn't a very common sight. I then replied,

"Uh, okay...details?

"

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"I c-cannot seem to g-get this machine w-working...

" she stuttered as she responded to my question.

nI chuckled.

"Ah...I see. I'll get the water running for you this time, just watch so you know how to do it by yourself in the future.

"

nMei Gui nodded vigorously, and I finally knew what the source of her embarrassment was. As a 'servant' (though I didn't exactly think of her that way) who called me Master, she probably had a strong feeling of wanting to be useful. Thus, not being able to even start the water of a shower must've had a huge impact on her confidence. Though I had to admit...seeing her like this was kind of cute.

nAfter I was done setting everything up for her, I left the bathroom and sat down on the couch. I began thinking of what to do tomorrow, at the main tournament. The other three teams, apart from ourselves, were all troublesome opponents. Xuan Kun was without a doubt the most dangerous, but Ming Hao was the most mysterious. As for the Solo Devil, Liao Fen...he has a very high and explosive power. They were the only team I had 100% confidence in beating, but they could definitely cause some damage to our team members, possibly causing a disadvantage for us in the next round.

nAs I was organizing my thoughts and devising a plan, time passed faster than expected. Before long, Mei Gui had finished bathing, and came out dressed in the same alluring black dress she had been wearing earlier. Except this time, her hair was wet, and I could smell the faint scent of flowers emitting from her from where I was sitting. Put bluntly, she looked like a beautiful fallen angel, clad in black. I subconsciously averted my gaze.

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"Uh...why are you wearing the same clothes as earlier?

" I asked meekly, scratching my cheek in an attempt to hide my awkwardness.

nMei Gui looked down at her dress, expressionless as usual. Her embarrassment from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

"These are the only clothes I have, Master.

"

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"Er, aren't they dirty though?

" I continued, still not looking directly at her. Instead, I was gazing out the window, at the beautiful moonlight. I needed a distraction right now, or else I might not be able to hold back...I am a boy in my teenage years, after all.

nMei Gui, however, didn't seem concerned at all.

"These clothes are brand new, Master - I can make them with mana. While they look the same as my earlier attire, they are completely clean.

"

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"Ah...I see,

" I nodded.

"Still, you're a teenage girl, you probably want more clothes, right?

"

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"...

" she didn't reply, but thanks to our telepathic link I could feel her emotions. She was troubled since she indeed wanted new clothes, but at the same time knew I was short on money and could barely support myself. She also didn't have any money, so buying it herself was out of the question.

nI couldn't help but smile at her concern for me. Despite her expressionless and cold demeanor, she was in fact kind on the inside...at least, to me. It was clear she didn't care about the other girls or anyone else whatsoever. That was a problem, as we were allies for the time being, but maybe with time she will grow close to them as well. Then it hit me - this was a perfect opportunity to let her become more friendly with them!

nI snickered.

"Hey, Mei Gui...if you want something, just say it. I might not have the money to buy anything right now, but the girls from earlier today certainly do. Why don't you go ask them?

"

nShe immediately shook her head.

"...I do not want anything if it is not from Master.

"

nI sank into thought.

"Hm...what if I told you they are all my close friends?

"

nThat was partly a lie, since to me, they were allies and nothing more. Perhaps Qing Yue was closer to me than the others, but I couldn't call them 'friends'. After all...I didn't even know what that word meant. Still, I would have to say this to convince Mei Gui. Since it wasn't a full lie, Mei Gui didn't notice anything off through our telepathic connection.

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"...

" she didn't say anything, but instead gazed at me deeply, as if searching for something.

nI smiled as warmly as I could.

"They are all nice girls. Trust me.

"

nShe stared at me for a while more, and for a second I was afraid she had seen through my gimmick. But then, she smiled faintly. Thought it was very small, could barely be seen, and left as soon as it came, it was enough.

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"...Okay,

" she replied.

nI gave her a thumbs-up gesture, and stood up from the couch. I went into the shower, and finished after around 15 minutes. I pulled on a clean sweatshirt and shorts. Mei Gui was waiting for me when I came out from the washroom, and I pointed at the bedroom I usually sleep in.

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"Uh, you can sleep on the bed, if you don't mind using something I've used...

" I muttered.

"I'll just sleep on the couch.

"

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"...No, Master, you sleep on your bed,

" Mei Gui replied. I blinked, and thought it must've been since she didn't want to sleep in my bed. I didn't really expect anything different, but it still hurt being told that to my face.

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"Ah...well, okay. I'll get you a pillow and blanket,

" I replied, and hurriedly went into my bedroom. Pillows and blankets were provided by the school, and each room had two sets. You were meant to swap between the two - use one while the other is being washed and dried.

nI tossed the pillow and blanket onto the couch, and waved goodnight to Mei Gui, who was sitting on the couch on top of the blanket I threw her, and also surprisingly didn't seem tired at all. I didn't think too much of it though, and closed my bedroom door.

nAs I lay down in my bed, lights closed, I sighed and wondered...

n...Would I ever be able to discover the true meaning of friendship?

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