"Speaking of which, what would happen if we let Talia and the Poet of Great Love try?"
Lanqi had long been curious about how Talia managed to rise in the timeline where he never intervened—the one where she smoothly obtained [Hymn of Compassion] and used it on herself.
Perhaps for other prophets, high-tier diviners, and wielders of Foresight, the timeline they could observe more than a year ago was indeed supposed to be that very one.
And the memories and intelligence he possessed regarding that timeline felt like a gift of Foresight in its own right.
"We can bring Lanfu over later and give it a try."
Hearing this, Hyperion seemed struck by inspiration, realizing there was actually another option.
Even though Talia and the Poet of Great Love had completely different personalities, the Poet of Great Love had, after all, been created by Talia's own hands, so their compatibility might be surprisingly high.
Ever since enrolling, the Poet of Great Love had spent all day thirsting for knowledge in the School of Magic Engineering.
She was a truly self-disciplined, model student, while Lanqi—who spent all day finding ways to skip class—was clearly the textbook bad example.
The two walked up the stairs to the third floor.
Passing the bank of large windows beside them, they arrived before the doors of the student council room at the very end of the corridor.
"President, we're here."
Hyperion knocked on the heavy door.
Faint voices drifted through the crack; the president seemed to be chatting and laughing with someone.
"Come on in."
Having received an answer, each pushed one side of the double doors open.
The nine o'clock chime echoed across the campus. A gentle breeze blew in through the window, carrying a crisp freshness and lifting the faint aroma of tea. On the coffee table in the center of the sofa set sat freshly brewed flower tea, the leaves floating lazily in the cups, dancing gently atop the water.
This time, the president wasn't seated behind his desk. Instead, he was taking a rare moment to lounge and chat on the sofa in the lounge area.
And seated beside him was a young lady whose hair was a similar color to his.
"Student Lanqi! Student Hyperion!"
Before Hyperion could ask in confusion, Florence smiled and greeted them.
Today, Florence had resumed her female attire. An aura of complete harmlessness emanated from her; her delicate facial features and fair skin were naturally supple, and her vermilion lips looked deliciously succulent.
"She is President Monaster's older sister, and also a dear friend of Dean Loren," Lanqi introduced her to Hyperion as he led her over to sit opposite them on the sofa.
"Hello, Miss Florence!"
Hyperion nodded respectfully in greeting.
She could sense that, like herself, Florence was a clergy member of the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and one of very high standing. For someone of that stature to treat her so warmly came as quite a pleasant surprise.
"No wonder Almis is so fond of you. Monaster told me all about you. You truly are an angel descended to the mortal realm—it must be the guidance of the Goddess," Florence said to Hyperion, full of delight.
In fact, during the earlier priest examination at Herrom Prison, she had watched Hyperion's actions from a higher dimension in her capacity as the Church of the Goddess of Fate's Paladin Commander.
"Sigh."
Lanqi let out a soft sigh.
Loren's recklessness from yesterday was still fresh in his mind.
He hadn't expected Loren to go and hug Florence the moment they met.
Still, there was no time to dwell on that now.
"Do you have a commission for us today?"
Lanqi looked across the table, temporarily interrupting Florence and Hyperion's conversation about the Goddess.
In the past, there were occasional student council matters on weekends that required their help, and Lanqi never refused.
And this morning, Senior Asna had told Hyperion that the president had some business with them, so they had come straight to the Ikerite Academy student council room from Boss Cat Restaurant.
Florence snapped back to attention and turned toward Lanqi.
She sat up a bit straighter, her expression growing slightly nervous.
"It's like this... well... since coming to Ikerite, haven't I been staying at a hotel? I don't know how many days I'll be staying or when I'll leave, and I've just been ordering takeout for meals. Loren originally thought I was living with Monaster."
Florence averted her gaze, her hands resting on her knees as she stammered in explanation,
"So last night, when we were chatting through communication magic, Loren said that I might as well just stay at his place. He has a guest room, so he could at least make me breakfast every morning, and it'd be convenient for him to chat with me when he gets home from work in the evening."
"Huh?"
Hyperion was dumbfounded.
Dean Loren was being a bit too open-minded, wasn't he?
"Wait, Hyperion, I have to explain! Loren doesn't know I'm a woman! He treats me like a bro because I usually wear full, heavy armor, and my voice sounds different from now!"
Noticing Hyperion's expression, Florence frantically waved her hands in defense and began explaining how she had commissioned Lanqi a couple of days ago to craft a transformation card.
"..."
Even after grasping the full context, Hyperion still felt somewhat dazed.
"Then... did you agree?" Hyperion asked again.
"I... he was just so hospitable, I couldn't bring myself to refuse. I felt like if I turned him down, he'd be heartbroken, so in that moment yesterday I didn't know what else to do and ended up agreeing..."
Florence lowered her head, murmuring softly.
Lanqi noticed the corner of Monaster's mouth twitch.
Then he pretty much understood the president's thoughts.
"I don't know what to do now. Even if I disguise myself as a guy and live with him, it's just too..."
Florence confessed with great difficulty to the two across from her, her voice practically broadcasting an SOS.
She had long heard that Ikerite Academy had student services offering relationship counseling, helping guide and resolve all sorts of issues.
"Don't worry. Your predicament falls squarely within our scope of business. Besides, this matter was originally connected to that card-crafting commission, so consider this after-sales service—I'll see it through to the end," Lanqi said with a profound sense of responsibility.
Florence instantly clenched both fists and nodded gratefully.
"Since moving into Loren's home is already a foregone conclusion, we might as well carefully consider how to pull this off seamlessly. There are several things you must pay attention to, Miss Florence," Lanqi instructed in a calm, composed manner, sitting upright.
"Please tell me."
"First: when taking a shower, you must make sure the door is locked. Furthermore, no matter what happens in the bathroom, do not scream, lest you prompt Loren to push the door open to see what happened."
Lanqi counted on his index finger, his expression solemn.
"Right."
Florence took mental note with utmost seriousness.
"Second: when it comes to shampoo and body wash, it's best to switch to something with a very faint scent. Otherwise, when you sit next to him after a shower in the evening, you might give him the illusion of, 'Bro, you smell so good.'"
Lanqi continued down his list.
"Right."
Florence dutifully noted Lanqi's words.
"Third: just comfortably join him for breakfast and leave it at that. Don't wake up early to make breakfast for him, don't do excessive housework, and especially don't bring him tea and snacks when he works overtime at night. Otherwise, he might feel like a devoted housewife has moved into his home."
"No problem."
"Fourth: mopping the floor once in a while is fine, but keep it clean and make sure it's never slippery. Avoid any cliches where the two of you slip and fall together, leading to close physical contact."
"...?"
To the side, Hyperion's brow furrowed tightly as she stared at Lanqi in a daze.
Wait.
Are you actually teaching her how to keep Loren from discovering she's a woman?
Or are you giving her a roadmap for how to manufacture heart-fluttering rom-com moments with him?!
Chapter 640