"What's up?" Maine was startled, then asked.
Xie Sen held up the bag in his left hand. "To thank you for taking me in yesterday, I'm giving you breakfast."
Even on exam day, one shouldn't forget to collect energy; one breakfast earns two!
"You're welcome. I wasn't completely willing to take you home."
Xie Sen, unaware of Maine's "education" by the enthusiastic crowd, assumed he wasn't willing because Maine, seeing him unconscious and recognizing his previous self, had been compelled to rescue him out of humanitarian concerns.
"Anyway, you helped me, I should be grateful. Besides, we're friends," Xie Sen smiled. "I have something happy to share with you."
He gestured inside. "How about we talk inside?"
Maine had never met someone so welcoming. Those who knew him avoided him; sharing happy stories was a foreign experience for him.
The other person's expression was open and clear, with no ulterior motives at all, as if he truly considered him a friend.
He hesitated, then moved aside to make room for the door.
A message appeared before Xie Sen's eyes: Gratitude Energy 1, Total Value 1.
Xie Sen was startled, looking at Maine in surprise. The Gratitude Value above his head was 9/10. He
'd already gained one energy before even starting to eat. What a sign!
His smile widened. He hurried into the living room, quickly taking out the lunch box and placing it on the dining table. He turned and said, "Come and eat! I used a special insulated lunch box; it's still hot."
Maine closed the door, walked back to the table, and sat down. Seeing Xie Sen's beaming face, he paused and said, "You're really different from before."
"I've had a profound enlightenment," Xie Sen said, seeming to be curious. "What do you think I was like before?"
Maine used his knife and fork to cut the fried meat into small pieces. He answered almost without thinking, "Quiet and serious." He glanced at Xie Sen.
Could someone really change so drastically? It was a stark contrast to how he used to be.
"You're quite good with idioms," he sighed, thinking of his previous life. "What people say is scary, and the pressure is too great. Now I've decided to ignore what others think, and I feel much more relaxed."
Maine thought about it and felt it made sense, so he stopped dwelling on it. Personality may change, but appearance never changes. He focused on eating breakfast.
Xie Sen stared at him eagerly, hoping to receive the same gratitude energy as yesterday.
Maine finished eating and looked up at him. "You didn't eat?" Xie Sen's gaze was so intense that it was hard for him to miss it.
"I ate it at home," Xie Sen said, confirming that he hadn't received any energy. He glanced at the empty plate and couldn't help but ask, "Is my cooking not delicious?"
"Very good."
Very good. Why was there no gratitude energy? Xie Sen looked at Maine in disappointment. It felt like discovering a huge treasure cave, expecting to find many treasures, but the cave was empty.
Maine was puzzled by his reaction. After a moment's thought, a smile flickered in his eyes as he added, "Very good, even better than what many restaurants make."
Xie Sen waved his hand awkwardly, "I'm not a kid. I'm not asking for praise."
"Isn't it?" Maine raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not!" Xie Sen reached out to clean up the lunch box, but Maine stopped him with a raised hand. "I'll do it."
Maine was quick, quickly washing the box and returning it to Xie Sen.
Xie Sen had already gotten over the disappointment of not gaining energy from the food. Thinking of the energy he'd received upon entering the room lifted his spirits.
Regardless, he was determined to make this friend.
Even putting the energy aside, this guy was a worthy friend, not to mention the simple way to gain energy!
He decided to ask someone at school for the handsome guy's name. He looked like a celebrity, and asking directly wouldn't suit his status as an alumnus.
"Didn't you say you had something happy?" Maine asked, half-leaning back in his chair as he watched Xie Sen put the lunch box back into the bag.
Xie Sen laughed. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I found a job at the Gold Medal Care Center."
"Aren't you a plant specialist?"
"Yeah, I just looked for something casual. Anything was fine. I wasn't looking for a job tied to a specific profession."
Xie Sen said, his gaze dropping to Maine's chest. "You're probably a male, right? What's your contracted beast? If you need care, come to the shop I work at. I'll try to get you a discount." Maine
shook his head. "Giant Lionmon, I haven't found one yet."
Xie Sen learned a lot about contracted beasts while working yesterday. For example, contracted beasts are categorized as S, A, B, C, D, and E, with S being the strongest.
The stronger the beastman, the higher the level of the contracted beast they awaken. Therefore, the level of a contracted beast represents the strength of their owner.
The area he worked in yesterday was for female contracted beasts, and most of the contracted beasts he encountered were E-level, with only a few D-level. The beastmen who awakened D-level and above contracted beasts were almost all male.
If a female's contracted beast was above D-level, she would be considered a true "female macho" in the modern sense, and such females are rare.
He remembered clearly that Giant Lionmon was an A-rank Contracted Beast.
"You're amazing!" he praised sincerely. "I heard that not many people awaken A-rank Contracted Beasts."
Maine said, "S-rank is the most powerful. If you haven't even found a Contracted Beast yet, awakening it is meaningless."
"How can it be meaningless? You're really strong! We have many Contracted Beasts in our store. I'll keep an eye out for you and notify you as soon as a Giant Lionmon appears," Xie Sen said quickly.
Beastmen use their awakened beast patterns to find similar Contracted Beasts. A bond can be formed when the synchronization rate with a Contracted Beast reaches over 50%.
To possess a Contracted Beast that is truly yours, one must first find one of its kind.
The higher the rank, the fewer Contracted Beasts there are. Beasts above A-rank are not captive-bred; they are all wild. They are powerful and difficult to capture unless they are tamed by a Beastmen with similar beast patterns.
This is why many A-rank Awakeners don't acquire their own Contracted Beasts until at least middle age.
After all, every citizen must complete eighteen years of education. Finding a Contracted Beast in the wild during this period is nearly impossible. Even after being able to find one, the search is a long one.
Of course, lucky contractors could buy a contracted beast, but that depended on the skill of the vendors, as it was often out of stock.
Maine felt a warm sensation in his heart. Xie Sen's words were natural and swift, not at all forced, a sign that he truly wanted to help him.
Xie Sen stared at the sudden notification: Energy 1, Total Value 2. He was startled. He looked up to see Maine's expression unchanged, the energy level above his head at 8/10.
He smiled, "You'll definitely find a contracted beast. I have an exam today, so I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow."
"Wait," Maine called out to Xie Sen as he was about to leave. "I have an exam too. Let's go to school together!"
He was taken aback as he said that; he hadn't expected him to offer to join him.
Was it because the other person's claim of friendship was so unforced and natural that he was influenced by him? Or was it because he subconsciously considered him a friend, too?
"Friends," Maine pondered the word, his eyes flickering as he thought about the past two days together. It felt very different from when he was alone, and it seemed quite good.
Xie Sen didn't hesitate, and wasn't polite: "Really? That's great! My shuttle is still at school, so I can just give you a ride."