What Respectable Person Dates?

Freya was awakened by the delicious aroma of food. Today was April 29th, the third day she had harbored an escaped convict, as well as a morning without classes where she could sleep in. An adult Veela's normal sleep duration was twelve hours, but such a schedule was clearly incompatible with fast-paced city life. Thus, on days when she had classes, Freya would sleep for six hours and then take a refreshing medicine. If necessary, she could manage on four hours of sleep followed by two pills. However, refreshing medicine built up drug resistance; once the dosage increased, it was hard to reduce it again. Because of this, Freya prudently stuck to a pace of one pill a day, preferring to yawn her way through the day rather than take a second. Not that she was afraid of addiction, but rather that refreshing medicine was expensive—more expensive than moon sugar, in fact. Or looked at another way, moon sugar was simply too cheap. The Blood Moon was just like that: entertainment was always cheap, while anything used for working and earning money was bound to be expensive. Ogres using moon sugar to assist their painting was an exploitative racial talent, something one couldn't help envying without being able to replicate. After greeting the Fiendish Saint, Freya yawned and went to the bathroom. Putting on a non-slip headband, she took a shower, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and trimmed her body hair. As a naturally glamorous Veela who currently had no need to please others with her looks—being the paying party instead—she only needed basic skincare, finishing everything in under half an hour. Before stepping out, she thought about it and decided to give Yaxiu some face by getting dressed first. After all, she was heading to class later, not back to sleep, so she had no reason to walk around naked. Yaxiu had already prepared the meal and was eating while watching a video. Freya leaned over, took one look, and immediately lost interest—*Analysis of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Sorcery Factions (Part 1)*. "I'd suggest you watch a funny video instead, though this one's pretty hilarious too." Yaxiu was somewhat surprised. "Why? I just wanted to get a basic understanding of the other factions..." "Learning about them like this will only give you preconceived biases," Freya said. "Could you summarize yourself, someone who's existed for decades, in a single sentence? Do you think an introduction lasting a few minutes can summarize a sorcery faction that has existed for centuries or even millennia? "Watching videos like this will only make you think earth sorcery is just moving dirt, lightning sorcery just goes bzz-bzz, sword sorcery requires melee combat, illusion sorcery has no lethal power, prophecy sorcery is just a bunch of frail scholars, and mind sorcery can be countered just by plugging your ears. You'd be better off knowing nothing at all; at least you'd remain more vigilant. "If you want to understand a sorcery faction, you should at least read an introductory textbook, or at the very least listen to lectures by professional professors. Videos like this aren't aimed at sorcerers, but at non-sorcerers—viewers who just want the sense of superiority from thinking, 'Turns out sorcery factions aren't so mysterious after all, and they're practically useless anyway.' "You'd be better off watching the videos in the New Folder. At least there's no harm in them, and they can even work up an appetite." Yaxiu froze. "Do they really work up an appetite?" "You dare question a Veela's taste? Let me pick one out for you right now that's guaranteed to whet your appetite—" "No, no, that won't be necessary! I'll pick another video," Yaxiu hastily rejected the Veela's recommendation, swiftly browsing through the video Curtain. "Mm, let's watch this shop-review video, *Why Is It So Expensive?* We're eating right now anyway... Damn it, it's a review of a tea cafe?!" "Wait, leave it on this one." "You have such an omnivorous palate?" "In theory, I shouldn't be," Freya shrugged. "Then again, maybe I just haven't met a woman who makes my heart race yet... Tsk, if you don't like watching tea cafes, should I switch to a review of a mud cafe?" "Let's stick with this one then," Yaxiu conceded. And honestly, the food actually seemed to taste better. As they watched, Yaxiu looked around the studio apartment and asked, "Ever since you got into university and left the rearing institute, have you always lived alone?" Freya, who was holding a bowl of seafood Lalafell and eating, looked at Yaxiu with a puzzled expression. "I'm a person, aren't I? What else would I be, a cat?" She smiled at Xiaoxian and reached out to scratch the Scottish Fold under the chin. Xiaoxian made a blissed-out expression, drool nearly dripping from his mouth. "Have you never thought about getting a roommate or living with someone?" Yaxiu asked. "Wouldn't it be more cost-effective for two people to live together? Living expenses would go down, and your quality of life would improve..." "Not really," Freya said, shaking her head repeatedly. "I get a rent subsidy for renting alone, and with the university student subsidy on top of that, about eighty percent of my rent is covered. Renting is so cheap, so why would I share an apartment with someone else?" "Wouldn't splitting the rent between two people be even cheaper?" "It's not like I can't survive on my own, so why would I have to live with someone?" Freya tilted her head. "I had my own private room in the rearing institute, so why would I cram into a place with someone else after leaving?" "But if someone else is around, you can help each other out in daily life. For instance, if you slip and hurt yourself..." "I can just use my chip to alert the hospital and call an ambulance." "Two people wouldn't have to eat out and could cook at home..." "Actually, what I spend eating at the school cafeteria is less than what you spend buying groceries," Freya mumbled. "Cooking yourself means you have to wash dishes too... and my apartment doesn't have a dishwasher..." Yaxiu couldn't resist saying, "Still, since you have needs in that department, wouldn't living with a lover be much more convenient?" Last night, Yaxiu had scrubbed himself in the shower until his skin practically peeled off before the moans finally subsided. He had thought enduring it for one night would be the end of it, but after coming out and asking, he found out that Freya needed to take care of business every single night—usually three times. Depending on various factors like casting materials, her mood that day, and the amount of homework, casting time ranged anywhere from fifteen to forty-five minutes. Freya tilted her head at Yaxiu, her large eyes filled with bewilderment. "Setting aside the fact that I'm a Veela, taking care of one's needs is taking care of one's needs. What does that have to do with romance? Have you ever dated anyone?" Although Yaxiu wanted to put on a brave front, facing a master veteran with as much experience as Freya, he—who held only a heavy vehicle license without a single shred of actual driving experience—felt it best to stay honest. "No." Freya's response took Yaxiu by complete surprise: "Neither have I. What respectable person dates?" Yaxiu asked, puzzled, "Why? With your looks, wouldn't it be easy to attract the opposite sex? Or is it because your Veela constitution scares people off?" Freya shook her head. "No. If anything, I'm surprised you think I ought to date. Do you Four Pillar Cultists still harbor such unrealistic illusions?" "How is dating unrealistic?" Yaxiu found it baffling. "Last night, you were binge-watching the romantic comedy *100% Sorcerer* on the Curtain of Knowledge, weren't you? You were laughing your head off, too." Freya grew annoyed instead. "Then tell me, what kind of romance is portrayed in *100% Sorcerer*?" "Well... deeply in love with each other, whole-heartedly considering each other's feelings, bravely protecting each other at the risk of their lives in times of danger, and willing to compromise for each other in everyday life..." "Exactly!" "What do you mean, exactly?" "How could the kind of romance you're talking about possibly exist outside of shows and movies?" Freya threw her hands up. "Nowadays, who would be willing to compromise for someone else, consider someone else's feelings, or risk their life to protect someone? I sure wouldn't." She paused. "Feelings like love, liking someone, or infatuation—I have those too. For example, I think you're pretty nice, and I'd be willing to fool around with you once or twice, or even do it regularly. But if you wanted to take things further with me, like moving in together, becoming fully involved in my daily life, or being part of my future plans, that would be unacceptable to me. "When it comes to things like dating, most university students have recognized that such pure relationships simply don't exist in reality. Instead, it's people with less education who believe what they see in shows and movies, stubbornly clinging to the wishful thinking that true love exists in this world. Curtain games are full of fools like that. Their stories usually end with them getting swindled out of all their money, and the truly stupid ones even end up saddled with debt—only for the person on the other side of the Curtain to not be some handsome guy or gorgeous girl, but an Orc uncle or a fat Goblin broad." Yaxiu couldn't comprehend it. "But isn't a romantic relationship completely normal? Surely you can find someone you trust in real life, can't you? Couldn't you start out as friends first and gradually develop into lovers?" Freya burst into laughter. Unable to resist, she reached out and patted the Fiendish Saint's head, saying with a grin, "Silly child, people change. You might be able to trust someone today, but tomorrow they could get hooked on moon sugar and turn into an idiot, or the day after that have a serendipitous encounter in the Void Realm and start looking down on me. "Didn't the rearing institute teach you never to trust a stranger, and never to hold expectations of strangers?"