"Yes, I'll be quite busy later, so I might not be able to co over." Tilan explained.
"I'm starting to believe more and more of what Suoga said." Alanna recalled their discussion from not long ago.
"Oh, what did Suoga say?"
"Suoga said you must be so young lady experiencing life. Forget everything else — regular students aren't usually this composed, nor do they have such insight."
"That... well, you can't really call a young lady. My life's been fairly normal since I was a kid; it's just that I've encountered more things later on." Tilan defended herself slightly.
Then, she and Alanna sat and discussed many topics, such as recent developnts.
"I've already talked it over with Sen. He said he'd help track the other party's traces online."
"As for the other defecting branch mbers, I'll be seeking them out right away." Alanna was now full of determination.
"Mhm, do your best. Let know if you run into any difficulties."
After helping Lilico and Momo Lan familiarize themselves with the base's personnel, Tilan only left in the evening.
The following days followed a similar routine: school, part-ti work, and working together with Alanna and the others.
Four days later.
"Today's the final day. Starting tomorrow, I won't be able to co anymore." At the pet hospital, Tilan inford Lemon Fruit.
"I'm going to miss Zi Jin." Lemon Fruit hugged Tilan, joined by several other staff mbers in the store.
Holding a small cup of coffee, Musuo sipped, "Who would've thought, in just two weeks, Zi Jin would beco the star of the store. I originally thought she'd be like Lemon Fruit — I never expected her to be this outstanding."
"What do you an, 'like '? Are you saying I'm not capable?" Lemon Fruit turned her head.
"No, no, Second Miss, you're certainly capable. It's just that Zi Jin's excellence was truly surprising."
"Alright, didn't Zi Jin ntion a friend would be taking over? I still don't know who that is." A doctor dressed in a white lab coat pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"He should be here soon." Tilan glanced at the ti.
Shortly after, a young man around two ters tall arrived outside the store. When he pushed the door open and stepped inside, the light behind him was blocked, montarily dimming the room and bringing an inexplicable sense of pressure. As he approached, it even seed as if the air around his body grew warr.
"Roar—"
A low, resounding growl ca from behind the robust young man. Erging into view was a mighty white tiger, its enormous body making its paw on the ground appear slightly larger than Lemon Fruit's head.
"Orcas, this isn't the academy." Tilan looked at the palpable heat constantly emanating from the young man's body and reminded him.
"Right." He replied, clenching his fists. The heat radiating around him contracted inward, returning to his body. He now appeared much gentler, no longer exuding the overwhelming pressure from monts earlier.
As he approached and sat down on the chair opposite Tilan, the staff in the store finally had the chance to observe him closely.
His bronze-toned muscles were well-defined, the product of consistent training, and his eyes burned like torches — the aura of a beast stepping into the city. Comparing him to his high school days, his temperant had clearly changed; he now radiated more confidence and depth. His hands, resting on the table, appeared rough, with knotted joints that seed capable of crushing bones with a single grip.
In contrast, the black-haired girl sitting across from him seed exceptionally delicate. Her pale, porcelain-like wrists and skin appeared fragile, as though they could be easily overpowered by him. She was significantly smaller than him in both height and build. However, the truth of their respective strengths was undoubtedly only known to the two of them.
During the last Four-leaf Crystal Winter Contest, Orcas had placed fourth under the joint cultivation of Yuanting Academy and Edith Academy, making him one of the strongest external students outside Edith's own ranks.
Of course, even with that said, there remained quite a gap between him and the 'frail-looking' black-haired girl sitting before him — despite appearances to the contrary.
"It's been over half a year, and Orcas has improved significantly." Tilan observed briefly, noting how close Orcas was to reaching Sequence 6.
"Not as much as you… Zi Jin."
He rubbed his wrist and then let go, recalling how, in a prior match, Tilan had severed half of his wrist with a single sword strike — though she kindly reattached it afterward.
"Alright, there's no need to keep bringing up the past. There's a bigger world ahead in university." Tilan reassured him, then shifted the conversation to the store's affairs.
"Actually, analyzing pets' conditions for custors is also a great way to accumulate practical experience. I've learned quite a bit from this period."
"Got it." Orcas adopted a respectful and compliant posture.
"Mhm, that's about everything I wanted to hand over. By the way, there's a black lion being fostered here at the store. If you have ti, could you help train it? Didn't you used to spar frequently with Besimor's black lion? You should be quite familiar."
Besimor had been one of Tilan's acquaintances at Yuanting Academy. The two had beco familiar through their matches at school competitions, though Besimor had since gone to the Bloodfire Furnace Academy in the Northern Givillia Star Domain.
"No problem." Orcas nodded, and the exceptionally imposing white tiger behind him lowered its head, lying beside him.
"With everything handed over, I'll take my leave. I'll be quite busy over the coming months. See you all later~" Tilan stood up and bade farewell to everyone in the store.
"Ah, Zi Jin, make sure to visit us again in the future. We'll all miss you." Lemon Fruit waved reluctantly, while the other animals in the store made various noises, rendering the space overwhelmingly lively.
"Mhm, I'll be back." With another wave, Tilan bid them all goodbye.
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