Lu Mingfei, who slept until the sun hit his butt, opened his phone to find the first pop-up notification was his 3E Exam results.
As the college secretary, Noma's efficiency was extremely high; compared to the 996 blessing of office workers, Noma consistently operated 007 year-round, running every minute and second, serving everything at Kassel College.
When necessary, she could even activate a second mode, significantly increasing her computational power.
Fingel dangled his head from the upper bunk to look at Lu Mingfei's results, and his eyes immediately lit up.
"S-class! Junior brother! We're rich!"
Without tidying his messy bird's nest hair, Fingel jumped out of bed in one swift movement, flipped to his laptop, and quickly opened the Night Watcher Forum.
Many new students were already asking what privileges A-class had, or what the difference was between A-class and B-class; some more pessimistic ones were asking if being C-class meant being doomed to a failed college life.
Fingel's fingers danced across the keyboard, and he quickly posted a brand new thread.
It flamboyantly announced Lu Mingfei's confirmed S-class status, accompanied by a blurry picture of Lu Mingfei bowing his head to check his results.
The excitement leaping from the words was no less than that of parents on the day their child's college entrance exam results were released.
To be precise, Lu Mingfei was Fingel's adoptive parent; now that his 'parents' had taken the adult college entrance exam and become the provincial top scorer, Fingel wished he could pick Lu Mingfei up and spin him 10,800 degrees.
Fingel jumped up from the laptop again, pulled open the curtains, and the morning sun shone on Fingel's face, as if golden glitter had been sprinkled on his body, making his entire being glow.
From Lu Mingfei's perspective, Fingel's current body movements had a strong resemblance to the Shawshank Redemption movie poster.
Fingel's post rapidly rose, no need for red text, no need for sticky status, it stubbornly hung at the very top, with the floor count increasing with every refresh.
Lu Mingfei was dazed by Fingel's sudden enthusiasm, only hearing his senior brother exclaim, "We're rich!", and then seeing Fingel's frenzy, like Fan Jin passing the imperial examination.
He did want to retort, "Fingel, what are you rich from?"
But upon careful recollection, he realized Fingel had said "we."
"We?"
Lu Mingfei pointed to himself in confusion.
"Of course, not only from selling information but also from the profits of the betting pool, I'll split it with you fifty-fifty, my dear junior brother!"
Fingel's gaze was quite affectionate, no different from how he usually looked at Australian lobsters.
Lu Mingfei quickly raised his phone to block Fingel's dazzling light, "So, roughly how much?"
"At least five figures! Most likely six figures!" The thought of that number made Fingel let out a monkey-like cry.
He wanted to go withdraw the money now and enjoy the pleasure of counting it.
After blowing a kiss to Lu Mingfei, Fingel scurried out of the dormitory area.
Lu Mingfei didn't show any expression of ecstasy or excitement; knowing he was confirmed S-class and would receive a huge profit, he remained very calm.
Being S-class was something that had been determined long ago, and financially, after receiving that large sum of alimony, he suddenly became less sensitive to five-figure numbers.
To be honest, he didn't really identify much with the four words 'dragon-slaying mission.'
He just knew that being S-class would grant him privileges he had never received in 18 years, as well as a guaranteed job after graduation.
It had been three days since he arrived at Kassel College, three days since he came to this place entirely composed of hybrids, and he hadn't really adapted to his identity.
Lu Mingfei wasn't a chuunibyou; he had long passed that phase. S-class sounded very impressive; even Chu Zihang didn't have that evaluation. He had surpassed the character admired by all students at Shilan, but he couldn't feel happy at this moment.
What exactly does an S-class need to do?
This question lingered in his heart for a long time.
He couldn't find an answer.
Lu Mingfei was very confused.
As he thought about this, a polite knock sounded at the dormitory door.
Lu Mingfei composed himself, put on his school uniform to look less disheveled, and, wearing slippers, opened the dormitory door.
Outside the door was a classmate carrying large and small boxes, smiling at Lu Mingfei.
"Uh, I don't think I ordered takeout." Lu Mingfei scratched his face, unsure what was happening.
"I'm Seco, head of the Student Union's Sailing Club, a Frenchman," the man said, lifting the items in his hands. "I heard your hometown has such customs, so I bought some things before coming."
Lu Mingfei nodded blankly, inviting Seco in.
This situation was very much like a low-level clerk waking up to find himself promoted and wealthy, suddenly becoming a high-ranking director, and people immediately reacted by befriending him and offering gifts.
But Lu Mingfei felt that he didn't like this kind of thing. With this happening now, he couldn't refuse out of politeness, so he just closed the door and began to talk.
"Lu Mingfei, freshman."
Lu Mingfei helplessly introduced himself. He had seen the posts on the forum, and any more self-introduction would only seem redundant; that post was already detailed enough.
He quickly cleared a clean spot for the Minister, who clearly looked like an elite, to sit down.
"You're in the same dorm as Fingel, understandable." Seco nodded, seemingly blaming the messy dorm environment on Fingel.
Lu Mingfei could only scratch his head and remain silent; actually, he was partly to blame too.
The two cans of cola at Seco's feet were his masterpiece.
"Minister, you're looking for me for...?"
"I hope you can join the Student Union, and I'll take you to complete the procedures," Seco said gently.
Lu Mingfei immediately felt a headache. Fingel had just posted the thread, and immediately after, someone came to poach him. He could only imagine how many more people would rush over later.
"Senior brother, you just said it." Lu Mingfei pointed to Fingel's still-lit computer screen, whose wallpaper was a funny close-up of Fingel's face.
"Normal. Many people know I came to you with things. Those people are probably on their way back from buying gifts right now." Seco nodded slightly. "Many people will come to find you this morning. Your class schedule was sold out by Fingel long ago; they all know you don't have classes this morning. I just happened to be the first to arrive."
"A feeling of being dazzled and overwhelmed will quickly appear in your heart."
"The President told us that Nono helped you a great deal before you even enrolled. Help in times of need leaves a deeper impression than adding icing to the cake. We know full well that you'll lean more towards Nono's side, but we still have to come and show our stance," Seco said with a smile.
"After you join the Student Union, you're a sure-fire future President. I had to come and meet you to leave an impression."
"It sounds like the Student Union already believes I'll join you." Lu Mingfei glimpsed a figure passing by the window.
"It seems you're not very keen on joining the Student Union?" Seco raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Is it the Lionheart Society, or do you not want to join any organization?"
He placed a hand on Lu Mingfei's shoulder.
"Freshman, while enjoying the S-class privileges, you should also fulfill the S-class obligations. Your position does not allow you to be a free man."
Seco pressed Lu Mingfei's shoulder, then got up and left.
"Feel this weight and responsibility. You should join the Student Union and learn well from the President."
Lu Mingfei watched Seco pause briefly outside the door, then another Student Union minister entered the room, carrying a square box.
"Nice to meet you, I'm the head of the Music Department..."
Lu Mingfei nodded mechanically, but in his mind, it was still Seco's words about responsibility.