The Luofu Xianzhou, early morning.
The streets were still sparsely populated, yet a white figure, who shouldn't have been out at this hour, was walking through them.
"Ugh... waking up at six or seven every day is still a bit rough for me," Lumina muttered, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she gazed at the scattered passersby.
As an Emanator, Lumina didn't need sleep at all. But lying in her warm, cozy bed, enjoying the restorative comfort of dreams, was one of her few pleasures.
The problem was, she enjoyed it too much. She'd lose track of time, inevitably waking up around noon.
Having grown accustomed to midday awakenings, Lumina found the sudden switch to rising at six or seven in the morning to be a peculiar form of torture.
The last time she'd woken up this early, it was for Feixiao and the Astral Express crew.
[You'd even wake up early for a beautiful girl? You rascal...]
Lumina:?
"Where did you learn to talk like that?" Lumina's face instantly fell, her lips twitching slightly, and she found herself utterly speechless.
[ [It's a recent viral meme on the Interastral Network. Not funny?] ]
"Heh heh heh, that's hilarious," Lumina forced out a few laughter-like sounds, devoid of any genuine emotion, perfectly embodying the definition of a perfunctory response.
[666! Salt beans are no longer salty!]
Faced with Lumina's perfunctory laughter, the System fired off another internet meme.
"..."
"Go scroll through your short videos or something."
Another meme flashed across the screen, causing Lumina's lips to twitch again.
Look what they've turned this child into.
Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought, bought a few breakfasts along the way, and soon arrived at the location March 7th had specified.
"Sister Lumina! Sister Lumina!"
No sooner had she arrived than March 7th's bright, cheerful voice rang out, saving Lumina the trouble of searching for her.
"Good morning, Little March," Lumina greeted her with a gentle smile as she approached, handing her the breakfasts. "Have you eaten yet? If not, have a little of this."
"If you're going to practice swordsmanship, the training won't be easy. You'll need a full stomach to handle it."
"Hehe, thank you, Sister Lumina!" March 7th's eyes lit up at the sight of the breakfast before her, but the light quickly dimmed. A moment later, it surged back to life as she reached out to take the meal.
Although the inn provided breakfast, March 7th hadn't eaten any.
She wanted to wait for Sister Lumina so they could eat together.
Sharing the same breakfast would have been even better!
Even though Sister Lumina had brought her breakfast, achieving the goal of eating together, she had brought multiple servings.
This meant their dream of sharing the same breakfast wouldn't come true...
But it didn't matter much. March 7th felt only a fleeting pang of regret.
The next second, she was completely immersed in the joy of Sister Lumina bringing her breakfast.
In short videos, when someone brings breakfast for another, it indirectly shows that they value her!
In other words, Sister Lumina valued her!
How could March 7th not be overjoyed?!
Inside the takeout bag were six steamed buns and a carton of soy milk, neatly separated to prevent the soy milk from making the buns soggy.
March 7th immediately grabbed one of the buns and took a large bite.
The savory aroma of meat, tinged with a subtle sweetness, exploded on her taste buds, making her eyes involuntarily narrow in delight.
"So sweet!"
Lumina: ?
"Sweet?" Lumina's radiant smile vanished, replaced by a look of genuine surprise. She glanced at her own breakfast, then at March 7th's, double-checking to ensure she hadn't mixed them up. Her expression grew even more perplexed.
The buns Lumina had bought were just ordinary meat and vegetable varieties—nothing sweet about them.
Could someone have added something to March 7th's buns?
As the thought crossed her mind, Lumina's gaze drifted toward March 7th's breakfast.
Hiss... Impossible, right?
They wouldn't be that malicious, would they?
"Hmm?" March 7th, still munching on her bun, felt Lumina's gaze and looked up, puzzled. "Sister Lumina, what's wrong?"
"Um... March 7th, could I have a steamed bun?" Lumina asked, pointing at the breakfast in March 7th's hand.
"Of course!" March 7th's eyes lit up. She glanced at the bun in her hand, then at the others in the "breakfast bag." Finally, she bit into her own bun, reached into the bag, and handed one to Lumina. "Here you go, Sister Lumina."
"Mm." Lumina accepted the bun and took a small bite.
The rich, savory aroma of meat filled her senses, with no trace of sweetness.
After a few more bites, the taste remained unchanged.
Could it be just the bun in March 7th's hand that's the problem? Lumina wondered, wasting no time. She released a wisp of her aura to sense the bun in March 7th's hand and March 7th herself.
Ultimately, she found nothing amiss. March 7th was perfectly healthy, and the bun appeared completely normal.
Then what could possibly make March 7th perceive sweetness in a bun that contains no sugar at all?
Lumina pondered this as she continued eating her bun.
"Miss March, I've come to... uh, Lady Lumina!"
A young, boyish voice interrupted Lumina's thoughts.
Never mind. Since nothing's wrong, Lumina won't investigate further.
Let's just pretend March 7th is a bit clueless and can't distinguish "sweet" from other flavors.
"Good morning," Lumina said, snapping out of her thoughts and nodding to Yanqing. She then handed him a breakfast set. "Yanqing, here you go."
"Yanqing thanks you, Lady Lumina." Seeing this, Yanqing's eyes flashed with a momentary hesitation, but he still reached out to accept the breakfast.
Yanqing had already eaten breakfast, but since it was from Lady Lumina, he couldn't refuse.
So he accepted it, and to show his sincerity and respect, he even took out a bun and started eating it.
Good thing I didn't eat much this morning, Yanqing thought to himself as he chewed.
"There's no need to use honorifics with me. Just call me Lumina," Lumina said, secretly chuckling at Yanqing's expression.
She could easily tell whether Yanqing had eaten breakfast or not. Giving him the set was purely to enjoy watching his "discomfort."
While it was a shame she didn't get to see March 7th squirm, Yanqing's awkwardness was the next best thing to a "beautiful girl's" reaction.
Lumina didn't dwell on it. She had no intention of making Yanqing force himself, nor did she want to waste food. "Yanqing, have you had breakfast already?" she asked.
"Mm-hmm," Yanqing nodded quickly, swallowing the last bite of his bun.
Though he hadn't eaten much, the single large bun had already left him feeling pleasantly full. If he were to finish all the buns in the bag, he'd probably need to consult an Alchemist...
"If you can't finish them, just give them to me," Lumina offered.
"I... I can finish them!" Likely due to Jing Yuan's strict upbringing, Yanqing chose to stubbornly endure.
"Uh... okay, then. If you can finish them, go ahead. If you're still hungry after that, I have more," Lumina replied, momentarily speechless before nodding slightly.
If he can eat them, let him. It's not like I'll be the one suffering.
After a quick assessment of Yanqing's physical condition, Lumina concluded that even if he finished all the buns and soy milk, he might feel a little uncomfortable, but nothing serious would happen.
With that assurance, Lumina withdrew her gaze and paid Yanqing no further attention.