Hearing Nine’s suggestion, Joshua squinted slightly and said softly, "You seem to know quite a bit about this stuff, huh?"
Nine snorted lightly: [It’s just built-in functionality. That way, I can promptly check the trending winds on social media and simultaneously give you the best possible development paths! I’m even better than a top management company—you should feel grateful!]
Joshua nodded, but didn’t rush to pick up his phone, claiming he was too busy.
Just then, Justin had finished arranging everything.
"Joshua, do you want to go have lunch with me? I hear our cafeteria has a lot of delicious food!" He looked at Joshua, his eyes sparkling.
Joshua nodded and then got off the bed.
He glanced at Arthur and asked, "Do you want to come eat with us too?"
Arthur smiled and shook his head. "Maybe another day."
Joshua then looked toward Luther, who seemed to sense his gaze. Luther didn’t even lift his eyes from the paper and said coldly, "Don’t mind me."
Justin shrugged, feeling that both roommates were too challenging to deal with. Impatient, he dragged Joshua outside. "Come on, come on. I’m just inviting you."
Joshua silently glanced at the camera, still emitting a beam of light in the room, and then couldn’t help but look at Justin. He couldn’t believe that Justin hadn’t noticed the camera.
Was he really just clueless, or was he ignoring it?
They quickly reached the cafeteria, which was already crowded—after all, it was lunchtime.
A flash of red caught his eye as soon as Joshua sat down. Leonard sat beside him and, slightly late, said, "This spot isn’t taken. Mind if I sit? Hehe."
Joshua could only give him a silent, helpless look and subtly scooted over a bit.
Sitting across from Joshua and busy with his food, Justin frowned slightly at the movement. Were Joshua and Leonard really that close?
Leonard crossed his legs and, facing Justin’s skeptical gaze, smiled with interest. "Hello, I’m Leonard."
Justin nodded, swallowing his bite. "I’m Justin."
Joshua had already started eating and ignored Leonard, but Leonard was the opposite.
He feigned sadness and said, "I thought we could share a dorm, but who would’ve thought we’d be separated! Why don’t you look even a little sad, Joshua? I almost cried, really!"
Joshua pressed his lips together. Leonard continued, "Do you think we could switch rooms now...?"
Before he could finish, a piece of broccoli blocked his mouth. Leonard blinked, surprised, then looked at Joshua with astonishment and suspicion.
Joshua slowly withdrew his chopsticks. "Eat your food." Then he continued chewing deliberately, his cheeks puffing out, making Leonard want to pinch them again.
Leonard instinctively chewed the broccoli in his mouth, ultimately saying nothing further, just quietly eating his rice.
At that moment, Nine’s voice sounded in Joshua’s head, serious as ever: [You have to eat your vegetables too. Don’t think I won’t notice your true intentions!]
Joshua stayed silent, as if ignoring Nine completely.
Then Justin suddenly said, "Joshua, aren’t you going to eat your vegetables?"
On Joshua’s tray, some broccoli and bell pepper remained untouched.
Joshua nodded, and Justin naturally started taking the vegetables onto his tray: "Then I’ll eat them."
He ate quickly, finishing his tray in no time, and now had spare time to handle the vegetables on Joshua’s tray.
Joshua couldn’t help glancing at Justin, wondering how he could eat so fast without choking.
Leonard, squinting, watched the two of them, then suddenly pinched Joshua’s cheek: "Eat more, will you? Are you trying to lose weight? If you slim down, you won’t have these chubby cheeks anymore."
Joshua frowned and pushed Leonard’s hand away. Sitting across from them, Justin looked dumbfounded, as if surprised that someone could pinch Joshua’s cheek, his face blank, like a clumsy bear.
Joshua didn’t like Leonard touching him, so he stood up and looked at Justin. "Are you done eating?"
Justin fumbled a little. "Done... why? Are we heading back to the dorm now? But you haven’t finished yet..."
Muttering to himself, Justin hurried after Joshua. Leonard remained seated, watching their figures recede, a smile still on his face, but his gaze held a trace of depth.
"Joshua, you’re not happy? Is it because Leonard pinched your cheek?" Justin caught up quickly without much effort, asking anxiously.
Joshua glanced up at him—no, really, looked up, because Justin was unusually tall, his muscles well-defined. Joshua said thoughtfully, "No, Justin. Don’t say random things."
Justin scratched his head. He felt sure that Joshua was upset because of Leonard, but since Joshua had told him not to say random things, he didn’t bring it up again and switched the topic: "Have you seen the announcement on your phone? There’s a dance training session this afternoon. I’m really looking forward to it. Could you give me some one-on-one guidance then?"
He paused momentarily, then added, "To thank you, I’ll give you an Aria keychain... the limited edition. Is that okay?"
Joshua looked at Justin’s bright, sparkling eyes and said softly, "I’m not that into Aria. I can teach you myself, you don’t need to repay me."
Justin frowned. "No..."
Seeing Justin’s forlorn, pitiful expression, Joshua could only say, "Fine, I’ll accept it."
Justin immediately widened his eyes, his mood shifting so visibly that it was as if he had a tail, it would have been wagging nonstop. "Joshua, you’re so kind!"
Joshua couldn’t understand how Justin measured kindness, but he had started to realize that this big, clumsy guy actually had a delicate, sensitive soul—a stark contrast to his appearance...
That afternoon, in the dance studio.
Each class had its own studio. Joshua and Justin were in Class B and already knew each other, so they naturally went in together.
"You need to understand that on stage, it’s not just your singing but your dance moves that contribute to your charm. Sometimes the audience becomes fans because of just a single moment..."
Mr. Benjamin explained part of the theory, then led them through some exercises and pointed out key things to watch for on stage before letting the trainees practice independently.
Until the group draws tomorrow, they still wouldn’t know the song and choreography they would perform for the next stage.
"That’s right, remember to check the announcements. Tonight is your chance to debut before the National Producers, so ensure you’re well prepared!" Mr. Benjamin left them with that reminder and then departed.
"He seems kind of relaxed, doesn’t he?" As soon as Mr. Benjamin disappeared, Justin came up beside Joshua.
Joshua worried that one day Justin might accidentally make enemies with everyone. "He’s busy elsewhere. He’s in charge of four classes," he explained gently.
Justin widened his eyes at Joshua, as if he didn’t understand why he had suddenly been disliked. "I-I’m... sorry..."
Justin muttered suddenly, and Joshua couldn’t help looking at him. He spoke softly: "Justin, you don’t care too much about outsiders, but you put too much thought into the people you care about and want to be close to. No matter how good the relationship is, no one else can define you for you..."
Joshua wanted to say they weren’t that close, but looking at Justin’s expression, he worried the boy might start crying right then and there.
Sigh, I’m really meddling too much. They only met this morning—not even a full day yet...