The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 397: College Registration

Meanwhile, his mother and sister were carrying his daily necessities, both radiating joy. His father didn’t come since traveling was troublesome in a wheelchair.

As soon as Gao Yang arrived at home, he went to his grandmother’s room and walked up to the old-school crimson cupboard, on top of which was a photo of his grandfather and grandmother with a small censer before it.

Gao Yang put his walking stick aside and offered his grandparents three incense sticks, kneeling down to kowtow to them three times.

Rather than getting up immediately, he remained on his knees and looked around his grandmother’s room. It was left as it had been when his grandmother was alive. There was a hard bed, quaint brown two-door wardrobe, a broken sewing machine, and a calendar on the wall that had yellowed with age.

In the corner were an assortment of containers that didn’t offer much use, as well as an old electric fan and other trinkets. His grandmother was always reluctant to throw anything away, thinking it a shame, but in truth, those things held no value other than occupying the space.

Gao Yang took a deep breath. It felt as if he could still smell the sweetness in the air.

He thought back to his childhood. He and Gao Xinxin often came to their grandmother’s room and claimed her bed, listening to her tell them the strange and wondrous stories about the world.

Halfway through, the siblings would whine about wanting sweets. Their grandmother would pet them on the heads and tell them to wait before going outside. They would sit on the bed swinging their legs in excitement and anticipation. And not long after...

Click.

The door would open.

Their grandmother stood on the other side with colorful candies in her hands, smiling at them. “Yang Yang, Xinxin, have some candies.”

Gao Yang stared, his eyes reddening.

“Are you done paying tribute, Yang Yang? Come and have lunch.”

But the one standing outside wasn’t his grandmother, but his mother.

“Okay.”

Gao Yang reached out for his walking stick and got to his feet with feigned difficulty, closing the door behind him.

To celebrate his return, his mother had prepared a big lunch, all dishes Gao Yang loved. It looked like their table on the eve of Lunar New Years. They chatted while eating, avoiding the unhappy topics out of unspoken agreement.

In the afternoon, Wang Zikai came. He was here to drive Gao Yang to his university for registration.

His mother and sister would like to escort Gao Yang, but one had work, and the other had school, and both had only gotten a half-day off. Thus, the ever dependable Wang Zikai was entrusted with the task.

Holding his admission letter and the bank card with his tuition and living allowance, Gao Yang hopped on Wang Zikai’s sportscar.

They arrived at the Li City University in an hour.

The university had been around for a long time, or so it appeared to be. Gao Yang knew its long history was but a false tale since the lifespan of the Mist World was only a hundred years.

Located in the Nanji District, the Li City University ranked third among the schools in the city. There were about a dozen colleges with more than fifty departments. The total number of students, faculty, and other staff members amounted to close to twenty thousand.

Wang Zikai’s expensive car drew too much attention, so Gao Yang had him stop at a nearby crossroad rather than drive into the school.

“We aren’t there yet,” said Wang Zikai. “I’ll drop you off inside.”

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of the rest. I’ll call you.” Gao Yang opened the door and got out of the car.

“Alright, let me know if you need anything.”

“Yeah, you too. And don’t play around every day. Train well at home.” Gao Yang had drafted a substantial training course for Wang Zikai, worried that he would come to school to visit him too often otherwise.

“Don’t worry! I’ll train hard!” Wang Zikai pounded on his chest and drove away.

Gao Yang walked with a walking stick and his messenger bag hanging off his other shoulder. The sandalwood lucky charm Wang Zikai gave him was tied onto his bag.

Standing by the road, he called Can.

Can picked up in seconds, speaking panickedly. “Is there an emergency, Captain?”

“Not really...”

“Give me a minute! I’m getting onto the highland. My teammates need me!”

The call ended.

Gao Yang rolled his eyes. A minute later, Can did call back. “Captain, I’m the MVP of this match. Hehe!”

“I’m almost at the school gates.”

“Huh?” Can was surprised. “Didn’t you say you were coming tomorrow?”

“I came early.” Gao Yang originally planned to get discharged today, rest at home, and then register at the school tomorrow.

But he couldn’t wait to put his life back on the right track and made progress with Operation: Heavenbreaker. He had been unconscious for three months, already too much time to have wasted.

“Wait! I...I’ll be right there...”

Can was in such a rush that she forgot to hang up. There was a buzz. Then Can hollered, “Where are my socks? They were here yesterday... Sister Zhou, help! I don’t have time to wash my hair. Please lend me your hair dry powder for my bang... Whoa, where did the pimple on my chin come from?! Is my period coming? Sister Zhou, concealer! Where’s your concealer...”

Gao Yang hung up, letting out an exasperated sigh.

Ten minutes later, Can rushed over to the school gates.

She was wearing a loose, oversized gray jumper that almost reached her knees, and most of her hair and face were hidden under a baseball cap and a mask, leaving only her two large bright eyes visible.

Can, it seems that your roommate\'s hair powder and concealer don’t work well, or is there no helping the oil your hair accumulated after days of unwash and the pimples on your chin?

Gao Yang didn’t voice his thoughts or let them show.

“Captain, I’m...I’m here...” Can panted with her hands on her knees. It seemed that she had run here.

Gao Yang nodded and said with purposeful politeness, “Sorry for the trouble, Senior. Please show me the way to register.”

“Haha, just call me Orange at school,” Can said a little bashfully. “Then I’ll...call you Gao Yang?”

“Sure.”

“Gao Yang,” Can said, breaking into an infatuated smile under the mask. Ah, it’s my first time calling Captain his name. It feels like we’re much closer.

“Oh, right.” Remembering something, she took a necklace with a red crystal pendant from her pocket. “Would you put this on?”

“What is this?” Gao Yang took the necklace.

“Just put it on first. You’ll know later.”

Gao Yang put on the necklace and hid it under his shirt.

Can led him to the campus and past a few buildings before reaching a teaching building. “Before registration, I have to take you to another place.”

“Where?” Gao Yang asked curiously.

Can said cryptically with a grin, “It’s just a club.”

Ten minutes later, Gao Yang found himself on the top floor of the teaching building.

The classrooms on the floor were emptied and turned into spaces for the school clubs. Past a long corridor, Gao Yang and Can reached a door at the end. It looked like a small storage. Above the door was a black plaque. The words ‘Witch’s Club’ were written on it with red paint.

Under the plaque was a hand-drawn poster of all sorts of strange symbols and arcane patterns, and in colorful but terrible handwriting, the keywords that describe the club were scribbled.

Love, death, robots, cyberpsycho, spiritual poetry club, fallen angel no-hunting zone, the land abandoned by god, the abyss sealed by the crimson eye of the evil lord, the sanzu river with equinox flowers found in the cold celestial realm at the end of the world...

Gao Yang couldn’t bear to continue reading. The strings of words barely made sense, and the chuuni content was off the charts.

Really? That girl? Surely not, right?

Can walked up to the door and knocked on it thrice, suddenly exclaiming in a serious tone, “This is Orange, here for an audience with the descendent between the Creator Witch and First Fallen Angel, the dark guardian of the world, the forger of order, truth, and fate, and the supreme existence beyond the six paths, Your Majesty the Empress Nainai!”

Gao Yang facepalmed. Shit, it is her!