Clouds reminded him of her clothes, flowers of her face; the spring breeze brushed the railing, and the dew was thick.
A night passed, and hidden feelings and fervent love bloomed like flowers at Purple Mountain Villa.
If the last time was subconscious mischief under the influence of alcohol, this time was the passionate madness of a man and woman who had tasted the forbidden fruit and knew its sweetness, lasting through the night.
...
Unconsciously, dawn had broken. Unlike the hazy blur of the previous time, this time, in a state of clear consciousness, Raya's gentleness and thoughtfulness gave Jacob the most perfect experience.
After a night of exertion, the two only fell into a deep sleep at dawn, sleeping until noon. Only then did Jacob slowly wake up, gently opening his eyes.
Raya, beside him, was like a young girl, nestling against him like a small bird. She was holding Jacob like an octopus, completely different from her usual mature and elegant appearance.
Looking at her bright and captivating face, Jacob couldn't help but lean down and gently kiss her, unexpectedly waking Raya from her sleep.
Raya, opening her eyes in a daze, had a unique cuteness about her. She looked at Jacob, her fair skin tinged with pink, and shyly lowered her head, burying her entire face in the covers.
No matter how strong a woman was, she would show a girlish demeanor in front of the man she loved.
"Time to get up," Jacob said softly.
"Mm," Raya poked her head out and nodded gently.
...
After getting up, since there was no chef in the villa, the two could only order takeout from a restaurant.
"Jacob, I'll have Layne arrange for some people to come in. It'll be easier for daily cleaning," Raya said. "It'll also be convenient for taking care of your daily life and meals."
"Mm, whatever you think is fine. Just arrange it."
...
After the meal, Raya changed her clothes and stood at the door, bidding farewell to Jacob. She still had many things to do and couldn't spend all her time with Jacob.
"I'm leaving now," Raya said. Her eyes were filled with undisguised affection as she looked at Jacob.
"Mm. When will I see you next?" Jacob asked.
"If you miss me, just call me," Raya said with a smile. She gave Jacob a hug, her gaze fixed on him. "Goodbye."
The first man in her life, standing before her, had completely occupied a place in her heart.
...
After Raya left the villa, looking at the empty space and reminiscing about last night's experience, Jacob felt a moment of confusion.
Gently shaking his head, Jacob cast these distracting thoughts aside and lay on the sofa, resting.
...
Jacob, walking through the school dragging his luggage, naturally attracted a lot of attention.
As this year's Champion of the High School Cup, Jacob's university life was destined to be anything but peaceful from the moment he enrolled. Many older students were already eager to challenge Jacob in battle.
"Jacob?"
Just as Jacob was walking toward the dormitory, a voice suddenly came from beside him.
Jacob turned his head and found the person in front of him somewhat familiar.
"Chandler?"
The person in front of him was none other than Chandler, one of Jacob's university roommates.
Chandler was also among the top four in the Frosthollow Province High School Cup. His Self-Destruct tactics using Rabsca, Garganacl, and Grimmsnarl in the competition had left a deep impression on Jacob.
Because they were both students from Frosthollow Province, Chandler and Jacob were assigned to the same dormitory.
"It really is you." Chandler walked up with a smile and greeted Jacob. "All of us from Frosthollow Province are in the same dorm. Our other two roommates, Kyle and Nikolas, have also arrived."
Kyle, of course, needed no introduction—Jacob's best friend.
Nikolas was among the top eight in Frosthollow Province, and also a Charizard Trainer. He was one of the competitors Jacob had eliminated.
"Let's go, I'll take you to our dorm," Chandler said with a smile to Jacob, acting completely at ease.
Although the two had fought fiercely in the High School Cup, that was for the sake of ranking. Now that they were roommates, it was naturally different.
Moreover, looking back at that match, Jacob had clearly held back. If Jacob had used Mega Evolution earlier, Chandler wouldn't have had any chance of winning.
"Thanks," Jacob replied with a smile.
Among all his opponents in the High School Cup, Chandler was one who left a relatively deep impression on Jacob.
The skill combination of Sleep Talk and Revival Blessing, coupled with Garganacl's Self-Destruct tactics, still deeply impressed Jacob to this day.
A talented tactical Trainer like him had unlimited potential for future achievements.
After all, a Pokémon's aptitude was determined by the Pokémon itself, while a Trainer's quality was mainly reflected in tactics. On this point, Chandler was undoubtedly at the forefront.
"Let's go. Our 508 dorm will have a get-together tonight. Oh, by the way, are you in a relationship?"
Listening to Chandler's question, Jacob hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes, I am."
"Is your girlfriend from our school?" Chandler, off the competition field, was like a chatterbox, talking non-stop along the way. "Call her to join us. We can all have a meal together."
"Forget it," Jacob shook his head. Nina would, without a doubt, serve as their Pokémon Battle class teacher. If they found out about his relationship with Teacher Nina, it might not be a good thing.
"Still hiding it? Don't be shy."
...
As the two spoke, they had already arrived at dormitory 508. Kyle also heard the commotion and came out of the room. Seeing Jacob, he gave him a big hug.
"Jacob! Why have you gotten darker?"
Hearing Kyle's words, Jacob's face darkened.
He had been to Aqualis City twice recently, and the UV rays there were very strong. Naturally, he had gotten tanned from it.
"Men should be a bit darker. Otherwise, with smooth, tender skin, they look like little girls," Jacob said.
After Kyle mentioned it, he also realized that he did seem to have gotten much darker recently.
"Being darker is good. It's a healthy skin tone," Kyle also chimed in with a smile. "Now everyone in our dorm is here. Oh, right, let's go by age and see who's the oldest."
At Kyle's suggestion, the four all reported their ages. Since they were all students from the same year, their birth years were the same. Only the months differed.
Among them, Chandler was the oldest, born in January. He was already nineteen and a half.
Next was Kyle, born in June, who had also turned nineteen.
Then came Jacob, whose lunar calendar birthday was in July and solar calendar in September. He would soon turn nineteen.
Finally, Nikolas, born in December, still had half a year until he turned nineteen.
"Jacob, your birthday is in a week, and I've already prepared your birthday gift. When the time comes, I'm taking you to the biggest entertainment venue in the entire League City!"
It was only after Kyle's reminder that Jacob realized his birthday was in a week.