Early the next morning, at Arc City University.
Su stood at the school gate, stifling another huge yawn.
Wind swept through the long walkway between the classroom buildings, carrying the morning chill.
He had slept last night, technically — just not well.
It wasn't that the bed at Golden Courtyard was uncomfortable — quite the opposite. The mattress was soft, the blankets clean, and once the curtains were drawn, not a sliver of light got through.
The problem lay elsewhere.
For instance, the moment Elysia learned he was back, she'd nearly announced in the group chat, on the spot, a grand welcome-home ceremony titled 'Su Has Finally Crawled Back Alive.'
Then there was Pardofelis, who'd come barreling into the living room hugging a giant bag of snacks, insisting she needed to go buy the cheapest yet most impressive party streamers at the market.
And Eden had sent a message saying, 'Once you're free, drinks are on me' — followed by a wine glass emoji.
Aponia hadn't said much, just a simple 'Be careful on the way' — but those four words alone carried real weight.
Fortunately, once word got out that he had a proper medical seminar to give at Arc City University today, Elysia — Miss Pink Elf herself — finally showed mercy and decided to spare his old bones for now.
"Fine, I won't bother you for now, Su~ But once you're done, you'd better brace yourself for everyone's 'warm welcome.' The party is happening — no excuses~"
Thinking back on it, Su rubbed at the spot between his brows, which had started throbbing again.
Elysia was still Elysia.
The person hadn't changed, and neither had that exuberance that was equal parts endearing and exhausting.
But Golden Courtyard itself had visibly changed compared to before.
It had grown quieter, at least.
Aponia spent most of her time at her convent-slash-orphanage these days.
Kalpas — that guy — was even more absurd. His 'Kindling Kitchen' had gotten so popular that reservations were booked out six months in advance.
Word was he'd gone full battle-mode lately, running off to other cities every few days for events like the 'Shenzhou Chef King Championship' and the 'Blindfolded Meat-Chopping Exchange.'
Sakura was still the same put-upon Office Slave who treated going to work like going to war and viewed the time clock as a class enemy.
The moment the clock struck, she'd sling on her backpack and head out, and she never came home before the moon hung tired and late in the sky.
Griseo and Kosma had school, and they left every morning more punctually than anyone.
As for Eden, don't even get started.
Her schedule of endorsements and appearances was packed airtight.
Not to mention Elysia was now an executive at Su Yu's company.
And Kevin, that walking deadpan, had gone from absurd to unbelievable — he'd become the CEO of miHoYo, the very company that ruled the global gaming industry with an iron fist!
Vill-V? That split-personality genius inventor had drifted off to who-knew-which city in Europe in search of 'the ultimate magic trick to shake all of humanity's soul,' and rumor had it she was currently working on how to make the Eiffel Tower disappear.
All he could do was hope the tower survived.
By that count...
The only one left with enough free time to tag along and watch his lecture seemed to be exactly one person.
Su turned his head and looked at Pardofelis beside him, craning her neck this way and that.
Pardo wore a loose hoodie today, the hood hanging down her back.
One hand in her pocket, the other shading her eyes from the sun, she looked exactly like a tourist scoping out a new attraction, eyes shining with wild curiosity.
"Wow... so this is what Arc City University looks like in the daytime. Not bad at all. Look at this landscaping, the material on these statues... tsk tsk, someone's loaded."
Su's steps slowed half a beat.
"Why specify daytime?"
Pardo's gaze drifted, her ears practically twitching.
"Ah... haha... well, you know, daytime's crowded, too many eyes around — not the best time for restocking or underground blind-box deals. I come at night to sell snacks and used study guides. Makes sense, right?"
She coughed twice, then smoothly changed the subject, well-practiced at it.
"Anyway, never mind that! Brother Su, isn't Hua a student here at Arc City University too? Your junior, right? You're giving a lecture at your alma mater today — how come she didn't come meet you?"
"Hua said the dojo's closed today, she's got something else going on," Su answered.
"Oh~ then she must be pulling overtime at miHoYo!" Pardo said, looking suddenly enlightened.
Su blinked.
"Hua joined Su Yu's company too?"
Pardo turned to look at him with a 'you didn't know that?' expression.
"Brother Su, you really were completely off the grid, huh! Hua was one of Brother Su Yu's very first, earliest team members! Even before Sister Elysia!"
Pardo started ticking things off on her fingers. "You don't know this — all the motion capture for the enemy soldiers and Valkyries in Honkai Impact 3rd was done by Hua and a few of her students from Inch Heart Dojo! And that's not even the best part—"
She paused deliberately, milking the suspense.
"There's even a super powerful character in the game modeled directly on her! Immortal Fu Hua! She's insanely strong!"
Su's mouth twitched slightly.
He knew Hua's personality well enough.
She looked young but lived like a retired old cadre who'd fast-forwarded straight to pension age.
The dojo had been her father's dream, and she'd guarded it faithfully ever since — poor as it made her, exhausted as it left her, she never accepted help easily.
Su had thought about lending a hand before, but every time he so much as broached the subject, she'd shut it down — politely, but with absolute finality.
Eden had mentioned privately once that this was just how Hua was — too rigid, too proud to bend.
Offering her money or resources was easy enough.
Getting her to accept help without feeling like she owed someone a debt — that was next to impossible.
And yet this 'living antique' with the word 'pride' practically branded on her forehead had somehow been recruited into Su Yu's company by that smooth-talking scoundrel?!
He'd even managed to convince her to commercialize the traditional martial arts she valued most — the very thing she'd never lower herself to cash in on — by folding it into an anime-style game and motion capture work?!
As far as Su was concerned, that was even more far-fetched than Kevin becoming a magical girl.
"Don't look at me like that, I was shocked too — I have no idea what kind of love potion Brother Su Yu fed her."
Pardo scratched her cheek.
"But you know how Brother Su Yu's mouth works — he could talk a corpse back to life and not feel a shred of guilt."
"I asked around afterward and heard what he actually told Hua was something like — this isn't selling out our ancestors' martial arts for grubby money, this is using the most cutting-edge digital medium to let the Tai Xu Sect's legacy break free of time and space and live on forever in the cyber world!"
Pardo mimicked Su Yu's righteous tone: "He said, otherwise, stuck on those rotting old wooden floorboards at the dojo forever, fewer and fewer people would ever know the Tai Xu Sect existed, until it died out completely! Anyway... I'm pretty sure Hua actually bought into that whole cyber-legacy pitch."
For once, her expression turned genuinely serious, tinged with real happiness for her friend.
"But honestly, it worked out pretty well."
"At least now Hua doesn't have to juggle five part-time jobs on top of her schoolwork, running herself ragged like a dog."
"Just the astronomical fee Brother Su Yu pays her at miHoYo for motion-capture consulting alone would keep Inch Heart Dojo running for ten years, with plenty to spare."
Pardo grinned. "And the best part is, Hua feels like she earned every cent with her own two fists, so she can spend it with a clean conscience. Sister Eden told me she's got some breathing room now — she even spends a little on her own hobbies these days!"
Su turned to her, disbelief written across his face. "Hua... has hobbies?"
"Of course she does," Pardo said, perking right up. "She just never let herself before, because she was too broke. Now she buys new martial arts theory books, and she even replaces her wrist guards!"
"For someone who used to squeeze every last day out of a lightbulb before replacing it, that's basically a leap from zero to one!"
Su fell silent for two seconds.
His inner shock quietly climbed another level.
He'd only lost signal at the bottom of the sea in Europe for a few months.
And in that time, the world back here seemed to have hit fast-forward.
Su Yu hadn't died in some rented apartment, hadn't kept living off instant noodles and livestream danmaku.
Instead, without a word to anyone, he'd casually untangled problems that seemed unsolvable, unraveled knots in people's hearts that no one else had managed to loosen.
Was Su really sure this kid hadn't been possessed by someone else?
"Heh heh."
Pardo suddenly lowered her voice, looking exactly like a little black cat about to peddle stolen intel.
"Brother Su, since you bought me breakfast today, I'll let you in on a secret. I've never told anyone else this, so don't you dare say it came from me."
Judging by her shifty expression, Su's gut told him this was nothing like an academic topic.
Still, he felt he had to listen closely.
Sure enough.
Pardo spoke up, mysterious as ever.
"Last time I went to drop something off at the convent, I saw Brother Su Yu and Sister Aponia hugging."
She wiggled her eyebrows as she spoke, her gossip-loving soul burning bright.
"I'm telling you, I always suspected there was something going on between those two!"
"Think about it — the way they both dote on little Griseo, it's practically more devoted than her actual parents!"
"I never really thought about it before, but looking back now... isn't this exactly the classic 'dad plus mom equals happy family of three' storyline?!"
Su didn't answer right away.
He stood there, head tilted slightly, eyeing Pardo with suspicion.
"Are you saying Su Yu is dating Aponia?"
"Whether they're officially together, I really can't say for sure. But speaking as someone who's spent a long time lurking on the sidelines eating popcorn..." Pardo swallowed. "Girls with 'dangerously high romantic potential' with Brother Su Yu — there might actually be more than one or two."
This time, Su's eyes went fully wide.
Those eyes, always half-closed and perpetually sleepy-looking, snapped open with an alertness bordering on shock.
"You're telling me that Su Yu — the ultimate shut-in who used to think it was too much trouble even when Elysia asked him out to a movie, who just wanted to hole up in his dorm playing galges, gaming, and eating instant noodles—"
"is now embroiled in romance rumors with several extraordinarily impressive girls?! And on top of that, at full-blown harem battlefield level?"
Pardo flinched, instinctively taking half a step back at his reaction.
"Su... Brother Su, don't glare at me like that. I'm just spreading unverified rumors here — for the actual player-boy details, go ask him yourself later. And don't tell him I ratted him out! He still owes me the balance on two blind boxes!"
But instead of cursing Su Yu as a beast, the way Pardo expected, Su did nothing of the sort.
Instead, the medical expert looked up at the blue sky and let out a soft, satisfied sigh.
"I'm not concerned about his questionable conduct." Though privately, Su did think the guy could use a serious dose of kidney tonic.
"Then what's with the..."
"I just suddenly realized — this guy has finally started acting like a normal human male."
Pardo looked utterly baffled.
Su thought it over seriously, then settled on a comparison so blunt it bordered on absurd.
"It's like watching your own pig finally learn to go root through someone else's cabbage patch on its own. How can a miracle of evolution like that not bring a man to tears?"
Pardo: "..."
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out for a long moment.
Su, meanwhile, seemed to be getting more emotional the longer he talked.
"You know, Pardo, back in college, whenever Kevin and I stayed up at night reflecting on life, we always agreed on one thing — that bastard Su Yu was almost certainly going to live and die alone."
"With that lazy homebody personality of his, if you told him to go chase a girl, his first reaction would've been that he'd rather spend the time pulling two more ten-packs of blind boxes for his little figurines."
"So hearing that he's somehow gotten himself into murky entanglements with so many outstanding girls at once, even trending toward a full-blown love-triangle battlefield — as one of his best friends in this world..."
Su tilted his head back and took a deep breath.
"My heart is deeply gratified."
Sweat nearly beaded on Pardo's temple.
"Su... Brother Su, I feel like the reason you're gratified... is kind of twisted and weird."
She paused, but couldn't help defending Su Yu a little anyway.
"Still, the change really is big. He's genuinely different these days. It's a good thing, if you ask me. Actually, I've secretly been collecting a bunch of Su Yu memorabilia already — autographs, for instance."
She perked back up as she talked.
"With his fame these days, I bet this stuff will fetch a great price eventually! Maybe I should grab a camera, play paparazzi, snap some photos of him, and sell them to the fans later..."
Su pictured the forum full of players wailing over the latest plot twists, then imagined what would happen if Pardo actually released those photos. He fell silent for a few seconds before offering sincere advice.
"Pardo, take my advice — maybe drop it," Su said, weighty with concern. "If you actually sell his photos to that crowd at premium prices, odds are someone will print them out in high-res on A4 paper, tape them to a dartboard, and stick it with a hundred throwing knives every single day."
Pardo pictured the scene and shuddered.
"Y-yeah, fair point. Slow and steady, harmony breeds fortune. Better to stick to quietly selling autographs."
Talking as they walked, it wasn't long before Su Yu and Kevin's figures appeared at the far end of the school gate.
Su Yu was dressed presentably today — presentable from a distance, at least.
Kevin was still his cool, aloof self, the kind of presence that stood out simply by existing.
The moment the two arrived, Pardo tactfully stepped aside, giving the three old roommates room.
"Yo, Dr. Su the great expert, how was your chat with that cat?"
Su Yu asked the moment he got close.
"Very enlightening," Su said, giving him a look. "Especially hearing about your Casanova-level romantic prospects, and your... uninhibited behavior at the convent. As your brother, I'm deeply, deeply gratified."
He turned, scanning around for that damn cat.
"Pardo, what dirt on me were you peddling out here this time?"
Hiding behind a flowerbed, Pardo immediately turned her face away, whistling off-key and pretending to admire the scenery.
Su Yu started to say something else, but Kevin cut in first.
"That's enough, stop embarrassing yourself. Let's head to the dean's office first," Kevin said, checking his watch. "The lecture starts in half an hour."
This lecture had been personally arranged by Murata Ryusuke, so protocol dictated they stop by to greet him first.
The group headed upstairs, and before they'd even settled outside the office door, it swung open.
Murata Ryusuke was dressed formally today, his hair impeccably combed, his glasses polished to a shine.
The instant he spotted Su Yu, the dean's stern expression melted, replaced by the warmth of a father-in-law welcoming a future son-in-law through the door.
"Well, well! Little Su is here! Come in, come in! What a rare guest!"
Su stood off to the side, watching helplessly as the dean bypassed him — the actual guest of honor today — and strode straight past to grip Su Yu's hand, launching into a stream of warm inquiries.
"Little Su! Busy with work at the company lately? The new Honkai Impact 3rd update must have worn you out! I saw the revenue figures — truly a young man of great promise, a pillar of the nation! It's good for young people to push themselves in their careers, but you must remember to balance work and rest!"
Murata Ryusuke even patted the back of Su Yu's hand affectionately, lowering his voice with deep sincerity. "Oh, and that girl Himeko keeps mentioning you, you know! Says you've been so busy with work she never sees you around!"
"You young people — work is work, but matters of love and marriage need attention too! Come over for a home-cooked meal sometime when you're free!"
Standing behind them, Su's expression grew steadily more complicated.
He knew the Murata family was wealthy.
And Himeko really was an outstanding person.
So was Su Yu — that scoundrel who was always joking about being kept by rich women — actually going to walk that road all the way to the end?
Even to the point where her own father was personally playing matchmaker?
The thought naturally brought up a completely inappropriate line in his head.
The flower language of a steel wool scrubber is 'endurance.'
Brother, tread carefully — this is about more than just a few coins of silver!
Thankfully, Su Yu had no idea what was running through his head, or the two of them would probably have unleashed the Judgment of Shamash right there in the dean's office.
After the round of pleasantries, they finally got down to business.
Su was led to the lecture hall to prepare for today's presentation.
Su Yu, Kevin, and Pardo, naturally, slipped into the back row, ostensibly to listen — though in every way, they looked like they'd simply come along for the show.
The lecture hall was even more packed than Su remembered.
He'd assumed the audience for this kind of talk would be, at most, a handful of students interested in medicine.
Instead, once he walked in, every seat was taken, and even the aisle steps were crammed with people.
Not just medical students, either — people from computer science, business management, even the fine arts department had shown up!
Some had notebooks out ready to take notes, others held up tablets like professionals ready to film, and a few had already set up high-precision recording equipment on the podium in the front row.
The scene, the sheer scale of it, was so earnest and fervent it looked like they were awaiting some heavyweight figure about to unveil a technology that would reshape human history.
Was he really that popular at his own school?
Su frowned slightly. The atmosphere felt oddly overheated, but he pushed down his suspicion and pressed on.
He stepped up to the podium and adjusted the microphone.
As his gaze swept over the room, he instinctively glanced at the back row.
Back in college, whenever the three of them attended a public lecture or mandatory seminar like this—
Kevin would nine times out of ten doze off against the back of his chair, while Su Yu would sneak open a bag of snacks the moment the professor wasn't looking.
Su would have to split his attention between listening and keeping the other two from making too much noise.
But today was different.
None of the three in the back row were slacking off. All of them were looking at the podium — looking at him.
Kevin sat ramrod straight, holding a pamphlet he'd swiped from somewhere.
Su Yu had his arms crossed, phone nowhere in sight — a rare sight indeed.
Pardo was the most exaggerated of all, nodding her head along, eyes bright as if she were at a fan meet.
Su paused.
Then an inexplicable feeling welled up inside him.
That's right.
Kevin, Su Yu, himself — none of them were the same as before.
They were long past the age when they'd throw down over the last bag of original-flavor chips in the dorm.
They were no longer the naive college kids who thought the harsh future was far away, who considered getting through today and passing finals a win.
But even so, even with the world turned upside down—
they could still, somehow, on an ordinary, sunny morning like this one—
drop every guard and mask, and sit — like ordinary students again — in the very same lecture hall where they used to sleep through class.
One of them stood at the podium in a suit.
The others sat bored in the back row, listening.
It felt surreal, a little strange.
But also, unexpectedly... comforting. Good.
Su pulled his gaze back and began today's lecture.
The first half went smoothly.
He talked about his years of research experience, and about the practical realities of clinical work, experimentation, and the development of medical technology.
The students listened attentively, some taking notes, others occasionally raising their hands with questions — all within the professional scope of the talk.
The whole hall was steeped in a rich, purely academic atmosphere.
Until the final Q&A segment.
The first hand to go up belonged to a boy seated slightly left of center.
He stood ramrod straight with excitement as he took the microphone.
"S-Senior Su, hello! Your talk on gene recombination technology was amazing! But I... I wanted to ask something not really related to today's topic — is that okay?"
Su gave the eager underclassman a gentle smile.
"Of course. Go ahead. If it's about career prospects or grad school direction, I can offer some advice too."
The boy cleared his throat, his eyes lighting up.
"I heard back in the day, you and the current producer at miHoYo — Senior Su Yu — were tight roommates! Could you tell us about what Su Yu the ol— Senior Su Yu was like back at school, privately? What kind of earth-shattering things did he get up to?!"
The moment the question landed, the hall erupted like a kicked hornet's nest.
For a split second, Su's expression on stage went nearly blank.
He'd assumed that with such a solid buildup—
among this crowd of eager students, someone would ask about advanced study directions in medical research, about conditions at overseas labs, about Arc City's future medical planning.
Instead, the very first question went straight for Su Yu?
And it wasn't just one person, either!
The moment the boy finished, others across several rows started murmuring eagerly.
Several students who'd been pretending to take diligent notes lifted their heads too, and there wasn't a trace of medical curiosity left in their eyes — just the ravenous, blazing soul of gossip-hunters.
"I want to know too! Senior Su, spill the tea!!"
"Was that old bastard Su Yu — er, I mean Senior Su Yu — already this deranged... this amazing back in college?!"
"Did he go through some kind of trauma back then? How else could he have written something as brutally heartbreaking as Final Lesson?!"
"An exclusive insider view from his own roommate! That's all we want! We can read medical textbooks on our own — but missing out on the old scoundrel's dark history would be a real loss!"
Su's mind went blank with a ringing buzz.
He looked out at the sea of faces, burning with something closer to gossip than curiosity, and felt himself unraveling in the wind.
Wait, hold on.
Wasn't this supposed to be a medical lecture? This was basically a giant online gossip Q&A session!
I came here to teach and enlighten, not to host a public trial for you rabid Honkai fans!
All that diligent note-taking earlier — was it just so you could get to these last five minutes of gossip time?
Seems like the real number-one idol at Arc City University is you, Su Yu, not me!
Struggling to keep up an outward calm, Su's gaze swept back toward the last row almost on instinct, trying to hunt down the person who actually deserved to take the hit.
But—
Su Yu, who'd been sitting there just moments ago, was already on his feet.
He waved at Su on the podium with insufferable smugness.
In that instant, Su Yu's expression could be summed up in one phrase—
'Good luck, you're on your own.'
Beside him, Kevin had already risen, casually picking up Pardo's little backpack.
Pardo hunched her shoulders, shooting Su a look that said, 'Brother Su, I can't save you this time. Take care.'
The next second—
with perfect, treacherous teamwork among the three loyalty-lacking bastards—
the three of them slipped out through a gap in the back door like a trio of slippery eels.
Su's mouth twitched violently.
He'd been about to call Su Yu out by name, make him stand up and answer for himself.
But the guy was like some kind of sentient fox spirit, reading his killing intent seconds in advance and bolting faster than a rabbit!
He ran?
He just left him here, alone, surrounded by hundreds of rabid fans?!
Down below the podium, the underclassmen were still buzzing with excitement, eagerly waiting for the 'medical genius roommate' to dish out an exclusive scoop.
Some had already switched their phones to video mode, ready to record this deeply historic moment.
The early autumn breeze drifted in through a half-open window, gently lifting the corner of the projection screen.
Su closed his eyes.
A full five seconds passed.
Then he slowly opened them again.
Typical of you, Su Yu.
Vanished without a trace, greased heels and all — but the mess he left his brother to clean up? Not one bit smaller.
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