The Mage of Primordial Chaos

"Do you prefer this look or the teacher look, Xuan Kai?" Ling Xin asked with a seductive smile. "You've been staring at me for a while now."

"I'm staring at you in surprise…" I muttered. "I mean, I've never pictured you in such… traditional robes. They look like something out of the Ming dynasty or something. You look surprisingly fitting in them, though."

"Fufu~ if this was the Ming dynasty, she would likely be killed for witchcraft," Eve said. "Back then, the color black on clothing was considered a bad omen, since it stood for death. But since our friend here is from the Death Realm anyway… it is naturally fitting. You look quite good."

"Thank you for the compliment, senior," Ling Xin said with a bow. "But  since I am not in an uniform, going to crowded places will be a pain. We will most certainly attract many gazes given our group's lineup, after all."

That was an obvious. Each of the girls around me right now were heaven-defying beauties, each a goddess in their own right. Just by standing here together, many passerby shot glances over to us, and the male students especially glared at me in envy.

It would be an understatement to say we'd already gotten used to the feeling, but even so, avoiding too much publicity was for the best. That being said, right now was lunch hour, and just like us, all the other students—and teachers, according to Ling Xin—were also out here at this time to grab food. 

Some especially introverted individuals returned to their rooms to eat room service in the privacy of their own dorms (which, by the way, was already top-tier food), but this was a new environment for all of us. Most people, curiosity overtaking them, were eager to explore around—not to mention this is the Recreation Campus, no less. I wonder how many students will just outright skip lunch and go have some fun in this area instead.

Either way, the point was, there were many people out and about. Trying not to 'go to a crowded place'… was going to be far easier said than done, when we're looking for a place to eat.

"Avoid crowded places… then where should we go?" Feng Mian asked, out of ideas. "Look at all these people around us… sigh."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Ling Xin comforted, smiling widely. "Since I proposed that, I obviously have a solution as well."

Obsidia arched an eyebrow. "Oh? You mean to say you know of a place where we can eat in seclusion, peace, and quiet?"

Ling Xin smirked smugly. "Indeed. We'll need to get the food first, but we can just send one person to do that. After that, just come meet up with me, and we'll be off. Now then, let's decide right now—who'll be the one to get food for all of us?"

After some careful deliberation, all the girls turned to look at me. Okay, that's a lie. The first part, anyway. There was no careful deliberation at all. They instantly looked at me simultaneously, and honestly, I applauded their synchronization.

I sighed. "Why me…"

The girls, however, only smiled, and didn't offer a straight answer.

"Because you're our leader, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said warmly, hugging me. "The harem master. Naturally, you should be the one to take action in situations like this, no?"

I could argue with that logic, but the other girls all nodded along in agreement. I simply chose not to and instead simply shook my head in defeat.

"Fine, fine. What do you guys all want? Tell me, and I'll write it down mentally in my head."

With that, the girls happily fired off their orders, and I was left to do their bidding. Ling Xin and the others moved to somewhere discrete, while telling me to come find them in said discrete location after I was done picking all the meals up.

Another advantage of doing this is that I can go to multiple restaurants and pick up food from all of them to fit the tastes of all the girls, since we won't actually be eating at their stalls. It's like ordering take-out, in a sense. Now, I don't know if this was even going to work and if they supported take-out, but they should, given they're restaurants.

I would have my answer soon as I headed into the Food Hub under directions from my Navigator, and found myself surrounded by a thick and pleasant aroma in the air, born from a mixture of the scents of countless different world-class restaurants. Normally, one would think all those different cuisines mixed together would result in a weird smell, but surprisingly enough, the flavors blended in together quite well. After all, food, just like music, is another form of the universal language.

"Now then… let's see this list…"

Mentally searching for the list the girls made with their orders, I began looking around for any places that might have the dish based on what type of cuisine it was. Most of them ordered Eastern cuisine, however, so it's not like I had to run across the Food Hub to procure all the food items listed.

According to Ling Xin, as long as it was a dish, it could be found within the Food Hub. And damn she was right—no matter how specific the girls' orders were, the various restaurants I asked somehow always managed to have them, and within about 15 minutes, I had got all the items on the list and stored them within my Space Locket for preservation and appearance purposes.

After that, I returned to where the girls had told me to meet up with them… only to find Ling Xin alone standing there, leaning against the wall as she tapped on the side of her arm.

"Uh… Ling Xin, where are the others?"

"Hm? Oh, you're back."

Ling Xin turned to me with a smile and beckoned me closer with a gesture. I arched an eyebrow, confused, but did as told.

And then, I saw Ling Xin take out something from beneath her robes, and before I could even appraise it to see what it was… the world around me faded away.