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Chapter 69
When Adrian returned, things finally started running properly again.
They moved all the flowerpots, wooden sticks, and miscellaneous clutter piled up inside the greenhouse outside, then swept up the dirt and dust that had accumulated everywhere.
Even just doing that took quite a lot of time.
On the freshly cleaned floor, Jaylin rolled out a huge sheet of paper she had brought.
The paper was so large that Nathan, Stefan, and even Adrian had to help unroll it and hold it down to keep it fixed on the floor.
“What are you planning to do on this?”
It was Stefan who answered Nathan’s question.
“Draw the blueprint.”
“You’re going to draw a blueprint this big?”
Nathan stared at Stefan in surprise.
He had heard that when formulas were extremely complex and overlapped in layers, the blueprint had to be drawn on a larger scale. But this was the first time he had actually seen one.
“Y-yeah. I already prepared the blueprint we need to draw, so we just have to assemble it and copy it onto this sheet.”
Jaylin said casually as she pulled out a thick bundle of paper with the design already sketched, from the box she had brought.
But this wasn’t something to be spoken of so lightly. Nathan’s head went a little dizzy.
Even if Nathan only knew the basics of design, he at least understood that creating something of this scale was no simple feat.
Now he finally understood why Adrian had been constantly driving Jaylin and Stefan hard, running all over the place.
Adrian called out to him.
“Nathan, give me a hand with this.”
“Got it.”
Feeling a sense of camaraderie with Adrian now, Nathan willingly agreed.
Together, they went outside the greenhouse and began covering the glass dome with blackout cloth.
As everyone focused on their tasks, time flew quickly.
Before long, the sky was dyed a deep crimson. It was clear that once the sun went down completely, night would bring heavy darkness.
Jaylin stretched her shoulders and massaged the stiff back of her neck. Hunched over in the same position for so long, her body had grown sore.
At that moment, she noticed the community magic stone glowing. It was a private chat notification. The name displayed on the chat window was Lionel.
Since Lionel had taught Jaylin training techniques, he sometimes contacted her through the community to share schedules or practice materials.
Today as well, it seemed he was reaching out about preparing for their mock monster combat class.
Unfortunately, though, she had no time for practice today.
[Lionel] Jaylin, hi. Did you finish preparing for the festival? We just wrapped up.
[Jaylin] No. Our club hasn’t finished yet.
[Lionel] Still? How much longer is it going to take?
Jaylin set down the pencil she’d been using for the blueprint and looked around.
Stefan, who had been up all night since yesterday, was so exhausted his eyes were half-closed as he sluggishly drew on the blueprint. The blackout cloth over the dome was barely a quarter finished.
[Jaylin] I’m not sure. Probably we’ll have to stay up all night… Even if we finish quickly, it’ll be around dawn.
[Lionel] Really? Sounds like there’s a lot to do.
[Jaylin] Yes. Since our club doesn’t have many members, it’s taking longer than expected. Luckily, Nathan is helping us. Without him, we wouldn’t even finish by tonight.
[Lionel] Hm? Nathan’s there with you?
[Jaylin] Yes.
[Lionel] Since when?
[Jaylin] From the very start of festival prep, he’s been here the whole time.
[Lionel] No wonder I didn’t see him at the student council meeting earlier, he was with you, haha. Did you have dinner yet?
Dinner time already? She hadn’t even realized while buried in the blueprint.
[Jaylin] No, not yet.
[Lionel] Even if you’re busy, you should eat while working.
[Jaylin] Skipping one meal is fine.
[Lionel] True, missing a meal won’t kill you, but still… Don’t ruin your health. Good luck with the preparations.
[Jaylin] Yes, thank you.
[Lionel] Try to finish as soon as you can and head back.
Though she regretted not being able to see him, Jaylin still felt happy just from chatting with him, being cared for, and hearing his concern.
It was just small talk—things he might say to anyone—but having such ordinary conversations with Lionel alone made her everyday life sparkle.
She wanted to return the kindness, to say something warm to him, just as he had made her happy. Jaylin pressed her lips together, thinking hard about what to write.
She wanted him to feel the same warmth she did.
So she typed out her genuine feelings, word by word.
[Jaylin] Please head back safely, and have a peaceful night.
After hesitating, she added a more personal line. She knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t reply like last time, but she wanted to say it anyway.
[Jaylin] And tomorrow, at the festival… let’s definitely meet!
[Lionel] Sure. See you tomorrow.
Unlike last time, he replied. Her heart tingled sweetly.
A shy smile spread across her face as she read his message again and again. Then she closed the community window and returned to drawing the blueprint.
Just talking to the person she liked gave her strength. Even without dinner, she felt like she could do anything.
But before long, a commotion outside the greenhouse broke her concentration.
What’s going on?
She tried to ignore the noise and focus on her work.
“Reinforcements have arrived!”
A booming, energetic voice filled the dome’s entrance—Sasha’s.
Startled by the sudden volume, Stefan, who had been dozing while sketching, lifted his head toward the door.
“Huh? Sasha? What are you doing here?”
“I heard your club still had a long way to go for festival prep, so I came to help!”
Sasha raised the bags in her hands. And she wasn’t alone.
Following behind, Lionel walked in as well, his arms loaded with supplies.
Sasha and Lionel spread one of the blackout cloths on the ground, then laid out the food they had brought.
Sandwiches, bagels, and other breads, plus juice, milk, and coffee—all kinds of food and drinks covered the cloth completely.
Sasha went to fetch Nathan and Adrian, then called out to Jaylin and Stefan.
“Jaylin, Stefan! Come eat before you keep working!”
Stefan was the first to rush over, excitement written all over his face.
“Wow! What’s all this?”
“What do you think? You hadn’t eaten dinner, so I brought it.”
“Sasha… I’m seriously touched!”
Staring at the spread of food, Stefan gave her a big thumbs-up.
“Well? Not bad of me, huh?”
“Yeah, I knew you were loyal, but I didn’t think this much!”
“Good. Then remember this and treat me well from now on, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah! Of course.”
Mouth stuffed full of bread already, Stefan nodded vigorously.
“And listen to what I say, too.”
“Of course, of course.”
“Wait. What happened to your face?”
Noticing the shadows under his eyes, Sasha lifted Stefan’s chin with a finger, tilting his face this way and that.
“Huh? What’s wrong with my face? Did I get something on it?” Stefan asked, touching his cheeks.
“Your face wasn’t great to begin with, but now it looks awful.”
“W-what? Awful? How could you say something that harsh?”
“They said he stayed up all night for festival prep.”
Nathan, just coming in from outside, dropped onto the cloth and answered for him.
“Stefan, you can’t pull all-nighters. Your good looks don’t hold up.”
Sasha’s teasing made Stefan’s face flush as red as a ripe tomato. He even started stammering.
“P-pretty? I’m not pretty! I’m handsome and cool!”
“Sure, sure.”
Sasha nodded unconvincingly, her expression saying the opposite.
Adrian followed Nathan inside, rolling his sore shoulders. As soon as he sat down, he tore open a sandwich and took a big bite.
The taste was familiar. The food Sasha and Lionel had brought was from the academy cafeteria.
“How’d you get this at this hour? The cafeteria should be closed.”
It was Lionel who answered.
“The student council partnered with the cafeteria for the festival, so we’ll be running a booth. They gave us samples of what we’ll sell tomorrow, and I brought them.”
“So the cafeteria supplies the food, and you just sell it?”
“Exactly.”
“Damn… we should’ve done something like that. Why are we working ourselves to the bone?” Adrian grumbled.
By then Jaylin arrived.
But when she approached, there wasn’t any space left.
She spotted an open spot between Nathan and Stefan and turned that way.
But before she could sit, Lionel shifted closer to Adrian, making space beside himself.
The spot wasn’t very wide, so inevitably, Lionel and Adrian’s shoulders brushed together.
