Ren Xiyang’s lips curled up. “Yes. If you think it tastes good, I can expand production.”
Once the appetisers were eaten, the waiters came in with the next course, and the next course, and the next course. The plate sizes and colours changed, but the overall style was the same: a serving much smaller than its serving plate, garnished with microgreens. Even dessert had a garnish of microgreens, accented with petals from edible flowers.
Although each dish felt small, they were deceptively decadent. By the end of it, only Hadrian partook in the final open cheese course.
Before the chef and waiters left, Ren Xiyang thanked them for tonight’s dinner.
“As it should be,” the chef said. “It is our duty.”
The implication was for Ren Xiyang to not interfere, to not try to take over their work, and to not cook ever again if they were available. Ren Xiyang understood and made the decision to ignore it.
“So, do you think I should expand production?” Ren Xiyang asked Rian.
“How difficult is it to grow?” Rian asked.
“Easy. However, there are expenses. The leaves look small, but they’re more expensive than typical greens.” Since each little microgreen ‘leaf’ was basically one seed, growing microgreens took a lot of seeds. And in the current environment, seeds were not nearly as plentiful. He might need to set up a side business that focused on producing seeds from mature plants.
“Rather than wholesaling, we should open up a restaurant in the Capital serving these, along with other unique dishes,” Rian said.
Ren Xiyang’s eyes brightened. That could mean a lot of money—wholesale unit prices were always lower than retail, and they could charge a premium on restaurant dishes. “I have other ideas for styles of dishes in the future too,” he said, thinking of modern cooking trends, like milk tea, molecular gastronomy, and plant-based foods; and if his mushroom growing project worked, then they could also feature at such a restaurant.
“I’ll take care of the restaurant set-up, and you can take care of supply and chef training,” Rian said.
Ren Xiyang nodded. He looked at Florence. “Are you available to work with me?”
Florence nodded.
“A restaurant…” Prince Pollux looked at Rian. “Are we allowed to open a restaurant in the Capital?”
Rian smiled. “Of course.”
Hadrian, who had been enjoying the cheese, sliced meat, crackers, grapes, dried figs, nuts, pickles, and microgreens blinked at Prince Pollux. “What kind of restaurant?”
“Don’t you feel that Sedaveria’s Capital is lacking in imperial-style Angio cuisine?” Prince Pollux said.
Rian nodded in approval. “There will definitely be a market for that here.” He explained some of the legal and practical procedures for opening a restaurant in the Capital.
Ren Xiyang listened for a while, but then he leaned close to Florence. Through whispers, they agreed to meet up again early next week.
Rian: “…”
Rian finished off his explanation with a promise to get someone to send Prince Pollux further details in paper form.
“Tomorrow, Ayden and I have classes, so we must get going,” Rian said.
He received a round of agreement. After bidding each other farewell, Rian pulled Ren Xiyang back to the academy.
In their quarters, Rian stared at Ren Xiyang.
Ren Xiyang looked back with a calm expression.
Rian narrowed his eyes.
“You can’t read my mind like that,” Ren Xiyang said.
Rian gritted his teeth. “Clear your schedule as soon as possible! We need to work on the telepathy spell.”
“Florence is gay, remember?”
Rian made sad puppy-dog eyes. “But you were whispering together with her, and you told her a secret before you told me…”
Ren Xiyang reached out and rubbed Rian’s head. “The microgreens? I only told her a few hours before you.”
Rian pouted.
Ren Xiyang’s hand went down fondled with Rian’s ear, and then scratched under Rian’s chin.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Rian: “…?????”
Efc Wlsjcu’r ilqr megifv eq. “P tjnf rbwf lwqbgajca atlcur ab ibbx ja abvjs jcv abwbggbk, yea kf mjc kbgx bc atf afifqjats rqfii bc Mglvjs.”
“P’w kglalcu atja lc sbeg rmtfveif cbk.”
“Yxjs.”
Rian crossed out what Ren Xiyang had originally planned for Friday evening and put in ‘work on telepathy spell with Prince Rian’. He felt more pleased than expected: he liked seeing his handwriting in Xiyang’s notebook. Friday—he couldn’t wait!
Thursday afternoon, magical combat practice, year 1, subclass A.
Ktf reqfgnlrlcu afjmtfg bo atf mijrr, Obgv Jsjc, ogbkcfv. Coafg tf tjv vfwbcragjafv atf rqfiir obg abvjs’r ifrrbcr, rbwf raevfcar rajgafv ab bgujclrf atf batfg raevfcar lc atf mijrr.
“Prince Rian, Ayden, please, stand over here…Everyone else, stand with your duelling partner and separate out a little!”
For the class, they were allocated two duelling fields and one larger training field. (Subclass B were practising on the other side of the duelling/training field area.)
Subclass A’s students chatted loudly and excitedly as they got into position on the field: all facing off Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood.
Lord Cyan had a bad feeling about this.
“Okay!” one of the organising students said. “This is how team duelling practice works! Prince Rian and Ayden are first going to give us some tips about duelling as a team! Then, they’re going to shoot attacks at us, so that we can practice defending as a pair!”
Lord Cyan: “…” What in the world?!! He was the teacher here! Did they want to take over??
Prince Rian smiled brightly. “Duelling together with a partner is all about understanding each other. It’s important to know both the other’s strengths and their weaknesses, and to know your role in the team. The beauty of team duelling is that you can work together to produce more powerful attacks and more powerful defences, casting spells that seamlessly control the field…”
Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood demonstrated how they could share the roles of shielding and attacking. Once the students nodded eagerly, they moved onto the practice stage.
Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood sent fire and ice attacks towards each group. At first, each team was meant to alternate between who was defending. Slowly, the attacks became faster and faster, from different angles, and of different elements. Students were forced to use different spells and to figure out which person in each team partnership was better at defending against which attacks.
Despite the fairly basic drill, the students were focused and enjoying themselves. Communication was encouraged and the field became noisy as pairs spoke (shouted) at each other.
When class ended, they chatted energetically and loudly in a big group, all clustering around Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood.
“Can we do this again?”
“I want more practice, that wasn’t enough!”
“I think my partner and I did the best. Ayden, Ayden, who do you think did best?”
“Next time, can we also attack back?”
Lord Cyan, who had been standing at the sidelines for two hours uselessly: “…”
News of the team duelling practice spread like wildfire among all the teachers and students.
The first-year students in subclass B wanted team duelling practice with Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood too. Their combat practice class happened at the same time, so could Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood spend half their time with subclass A and half their time with subclass B?
The second- and third-year students thought they could organise something like that among themselves. Their sense of older-student dignity meant they didn’t need Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood to direct them.
Several groups of students booked duelling fields to practice team duelling before or after class. Class time alone wasn’t enough to excel in this!
Meanwhile, the teachers were having a collective realisation. Student-organised tutoring groups. Table-top duelling among the students. And now, self-organising duelling practice.
The students were teaching, learning, and practising magic between themselves.
Prince Rian was involved in all three matters.
Recently, Prince Rian wrote a document with suggestions to change the academy.
Was this Prince Rian’s warning?
Was this Prince Rian’s way of showing that he could change the academy—had already changed the life at the academy—regardless of their wishes?
Dean Palatinate’s heart had skipped a beat (in a bad way) upon realising this himself. However, he wasn’t sympathetic to any of the teachers having a little crisis over it. He was working hard to flesh out and finalise his proposal to resubmit to the academy board. The academy was going to change, whether certain teachers liked it or not.
Friday arrived at long last.
With the week’s classes over, and dinner done, Ren Xiyang and Rian went back to their quarters. Rian felt a sense of relaxation—and anticipation—the moment the door closed.
With Ren Xiyang’s help, Rian took off his outer layers and then collapsed on the sofa. Rian held his hands out to Ren Xiyang.
Ren Xiyang rolled his eyes but climbed on top of Rian anyway.
A little kissing filled Rian with energy again. “Okay, let’s work on the telepathy spell now.”
“What progress have you made?” Ren Xiyang asked.
“I have several candidate spells already…”
“Oh?”
“But I’ve been thinking about what would suit us best,” Rian said. “Psychic mages like Prime Minister Mauveine are more powerful than they let on….and you’re average when it comes to verbal spells.”
Ren Xiyang: “…” He shifted back, sitting upright. “Then?”
“So instead, we need a direct-magic-manipulation telepathy method,” Rian said with a sparkle in his eyes. “I’ve determined ways that will help keep our communications private, secure, and discreet. To keep it private and secure, our telepathy messages should be like our private communication mirrors. And to be discreet, the physical magical line should be very thin and routed discreetly. Rather than a direct line from your body to mine, we could have a line that extends from your body, down into the sofa, and then up into my body.” He reached out and held Ren Xiyang’s hands and became even more sparkly. “It would be even better if we were touching, because then we can connect directly.”
Ren Xiyang shouldn’t have been surprised that Rian would think if such an method (excuse) to be sticky and close. But Rian’s bright eyes and anticipation was a little endearing…
“So, first, we’re going to practice the spell. Then, we’ll do it directly,” Rian said.
Ren Xiyang nodded.
“Alright, the spell goes like this…”
After Ren Xiyang could pronounce it properly, they both cast at the same time while holding each other’s hands, with a dab of each other’s magic inside the other person. A thick rope of psychic magic emerged from their hands and fused, establishing the connection. That dab of magic was used as part of the spell and incorporated into the connection.
Ren Xiyang was immediately bombarded—
—Is it working, is it working, I think it’s working, yes, I’m the best, Yangyang is so good, I want to pinch his cheeks, we’re going to be even better at duelling together now, we could defeat the entire class—
Ren Xiyang: …
Ren Xiyang pulled his hand back, but the connection continued to hold.
—Wait, why can’t I ‘hear’ Yangyang? Is it not working? Ugh, I love him so much. Rian frowned. Yangyang’s eyes are nice, the spell looks right and the connection is there.
Ren Xiyang: What the—is he always like this? I didn’t realise he liked me so much, it’s a bit adorable and cute, like a little excited puppy…
Rian’s cheeks went red. “Oh?” Yangyang thinks I’m adorable and cute? I’m a man! A grown man! I’m not a puppy, that’s Alexius!! It’s no fair that Yangyang spends time with Alexius, Yangyang is my lover, not to mention Florence, wait, the spell is working so Yangyang can hear me? Ah, embarrassing!
Very endearing, handsome—Ren Xiyang cut the spell off first before more of his thoughts could be transmitted back. He gave Rian a stern look.
“You think I’m adorable and cute and endearing?” Rian asked, pretending not to be embarrassed.
“I thought that only directed thoughts would be transmitted,” Ren Xiyang said.
“For that, we need to tune the spell’s sensitivity,” Rian said. “It’ll be easier with practice.” His lips curled up. “You think I’m handsome!”
Ren Xiyang didn’t need to read Rian’s mind to know that Rian had done it on purpose. They could have started with the least sensitive setting and increased the sensitivity in stages. “You know you’re handsome.”
“But it’s different hearing it from you,” Rian said with a proud tilt of his chin.
“What’s the spell for the lowered sensitivity setting?” Ren Xiyang asked.
Rian pouted, but he spoke the relevant spell, with a few sounds changed.
This time, when the spell connected, the amount of thoughts Ren Xiyang could hear was decreased.
Yangyang, Ren Xiyang, Renren, send me a message quickly, Yangyang!
I can hear you. I never knew you were like this inside…
Rian raised an eyebrow. What do mean, what are you implying?
You’re wordier than expected.
Rian laughed. Yangyang is so funny, I love him!
Ren Xiyang: … You like me too much.
“Never!” I want to kiss him, I want to kiss him—
Ren Xiyang leaned forward and kissed Rian.
Instead of quietening down, Rian’s inner voice seemed to increase in volume.
KISSING YANGYANG, yummmmm his lips, his tongue, his breath, his magic, I want to mess him up, should we go to a bedroom? Wait we could just do it right here, the power of magic to clean up—
Graphic images started to flash into Ren Xiyang’s mind, courtesy of Rian.
Ren Xiyang: What. Oh damn, I’m starting to also—He cut off the kiss and cut off the connection again. And then he gave Rian a stern look. “Do you want to practice the telepathy spell or not? You can save all that for bed later.”
Rian’s eyes flashed. “What a wonderful idea, Yangyang!”
“Lower the sensitivity again.”
“Yes, dear.” Rian taught Ren Xiyang the modified spell again.
This time, the magical connection thinned, and this time, the number of thoughts that passed through decreased once more.
Is this sufficient? Rian asked.
Yes. Let me study it, Ren Xiyang directed back.
Okay.
Ren Xiyang gave Rian a warning look before focusing on the telepathy link.
Rian’s lips curled up, unfazed. I love hard-working Yangyang!
Rian: I love Yangyang! I’m not ashamed to say (think) anything!
Ren Xiyang: Can we just focus, please… (sub thought: he’s sweet and endearing)
Rian: 😍😍😍😍
So, I finally checked out Cherry Magic recently. It’s cute!
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🤣🤣🤣 This was hilarious! Rian, you adorable puppy! And yeah, lecturers, you better be careful, or otherwise students realize they can do your job a lot better than you can! 😁
Cherry Magic is cute! I watched the Japanese version some time ago and liked it, so now I’m giving the Thai version a try 🤩
Fluffy ears and fluffy tails on Rian would be cute~!! Gotta give those teachers a little life crisis 🤭🤭🤭
I’ve just read the manga for Cherry Magic 🤭 Maybe I should try out the live actions 🤔
OMG Rian is embarrassing. 🤣
A restaurant is a wonderful idea! And I’m glad that Pollux gets new financial avenues as well. Follow Ren Xiyang to get rich! 🤣Thank you for the update.
RIAN IS NOT EMBARRASSED, nope, not at all, he’s shameless!!! 😆😆😆😆
Following Ren Xiyang will indeed get you rich, many people know this and Rian is trying to block as many people as possible 😆😆
i watched the first episode of the anime last week and went to read the manga just after that 😂
what anime and manga? 😶
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
Nice! I’ll try it when I get the mood 👍
I did not even know there was a Cherry Magic anime! I assumed we were talking about the live series 😅 (which are both very good, even with the Thai version not finished yet). Now please pardon me, gonna check out that anime🥰
SAME!!
My goodness Rian… those thoughts 😂😂
by the way I think there’s a typo in this sentence : and to not cook every again if they were available
Rian: puffed up chest, proud of himself
Thanks for catching the typo!
Ren: petting Rian, the cute puppy
Rian: ???
🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭 Cutie-Rian~
Yay telepathy! Lol thank you for the chapter!🩷💜
I kept procrastinating writing the telepathy scene, until I read Cherry Magic 🤣🤣🤣
I love how Ren breaks off the connection before enough intimate thoughts can leave his brain xD
Ren Xiyang is not as shameless and blatant as Rian 🤣🤣
this reminds me of the first time you mentioned the telepathy spell and asked us how’d they’d react to each other’s thoughts and I said RXY would be surprised at Rian’s internal chaos XD
also, Yangyang petting Rian like a dog is all i need in life TwT if Rian gets all mopey again, i need Xiyang to start ruffling his hair going “who’s a good boy? Com’on!” and Rian going “Me?” and somehow that actually works to cheer him up. Extra points if someone sees and is baffled but can’t say anything XD
Ahah! Your comment about Rian’s internal chaos must have entered my subconsciousness!! Thank you! 😆😆
OMG. OMG! Ren Xiyang ruffling Rian’s hair like that…!!!! That is SUCH a cute and funny image 🤣🤣🤣 Now imagine if it was King Edric who saw….. hahahah!
Puppy-Rian is perfect and will never not be funny XDImagine RXY is getting irritated that Rian is being clingy at an inopportune moment so he makes up an excuse to send Rian to “fetch” something lmao (and then imagine Rian falling for it before realizing what exactly just happened :P)
OMG 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Rian’s stream of consciousness omg… he is so “loud” akxhsjxh
🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭 he’s using the new telepathic connection to his fullest advantage!
Aaaaaaawwwwwwww 🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️
😘😘😘😘😘
Ah! Cherry magic was the first BL that I’ve watched! They’re so cute! 🥰🥰🥰
Very cute!