"Wow, you actually didn't sleep in; that's worth encouraging."
Roa smiled and reached out to ruffle Claire's red hair, but she sidestepped, her face flushing as she exclaimed, "What are you doing, hey!"
Claire's shyness amused Roa; he felt the joy of teasing someone.
But this wasn't the time for teasing; Roa glanced at the door and said to Claire, "Shouldn't you let me in? This isn't a good place to talk."
Claire instinctively replied, "Who knows if letting you in will lead to something weird?"
However, despite saying that, Claire still obediently made way for him.
Roa sighed at Claire's insincere attitude. Upon entering the room, he was greeted by a messy sight.
The most eye-catching thing was the pile of canned goods stacked together, along with the trash from the cans carelessly placed nearby.
Looking at these cans, Roa fell into contemplation.
He turned his gaze to Claire, wanting to suggest that she tidy up her room, but after thinking it over for a moment, he decided to abandon that idea.
Clearly, Claire had developed this habit, and being so blunt might provoke her displeasure.
The girl in front of him was just like her fire cat, easily prone to explosive reactions.
If the fire cat knew Roa's thoughts, it would surely protest.
But looking at the mountain of cans, Roa couldn't help but ask, "Does Claire really like canned food?"
Claire raised her head with a look of certainty and replied, "Canned food is really delicious!"
Roa's gaze casually swept over the cans; some were vegetarian, and some were meat-based. Although they looked mixed up, they were surprisingly distinct.
Is this Claire's unique way of organizing?
Roa tried to ask, "You don't know how to cook, do you?"
Claire's face turned red instantly, as if he had touched on something shameful. She looked up and glanced away, saying, "Cooking, of course, I can do it! I just think canned food is really tasty."
Roa facepalmed in exasperation; Claire's evasive personality really needed to change.
He said to Claire, "You can eat in the cafeteria; there's no need to always eat canned food."
Roa's peripheral vision caught sight of the scattered cans, trying to persuade Claire to change her ways.
But this time, Claire fell into a rare silence.
Just as Roa wondered why Claire was so quiet, she finally revealed the truth: "The food in the cafeteria is very expensive; I don't have that much money."
Roa suddenly realized and recalled Claire's information.
Claire's title had been revoked, and the pocket money she could get was barely enough for her to live on. In this academy full of wealthy young ladies, even the food sold in the cafeteria was quite expensive.
Roa shrugged; he didn't intend to get too involved in Claire's matters, and his purpose for coming here wasn't to solve the girl's food issues.
Roa sat on the sofa and got straight to the point: "So, do you have anyone in mind for the Spirit Blade Dance Festival team?"
Claire was slightly taken aback by his words, and Roa continued, "If not, I would like to invite you to join my team. Your strength is still commendable, Claire."
Excitement appeared on Claire's face, and in her eagerness, she grabbed Roa's hand. With her fiery red eyes fixed on him, she asked, "Really?"
Knowing Roa's strength, Claire felt surprised by the invitation.
Roa smiled and nodded. Claire noticed how close she was to him and hurriedly released his hand, her face flushing even more.
Clearing her throat, Claire changed the subject: "So, have you chosen the other three team members?"
Roa shook his head honestly and then turned his gaze to Claire, asking, "You've been living in this academy for quite a while; you must have some friends, right?"
Claire averted her gaze, not daring to meet Roa's eyes.
Roa's mouth twitched as he turned Claire's head back to face him, looking exasperated: "You can't possibly have none, right?"
Claire snorted, "Those guys don't qualify to be my friends!"
Roa rubbed his forehead and lay back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, feeling that the situation was a bit tricky.
He had thought he could at least find one partner through Claire, but it seemed he had underestimated the charm of the red-haired girl.
Seeing Roa's expression of despair, Claire suddenly seemed to think of something and said to him, "There is one person who might work."
Roa became interested and curiously asked, "Who is it?"
"Rinslet Laurenfrost."
…
Standing outside the door, looking at the girl before him, Roa fell into silence.
She was a beautiful girl with stunning light golden hair, her beauty ethereal and noble, like a noble girl from a painting. Her skin was as white as freshly fallen snow, and her eyes resembled green gemstones, occasionally emitting a faint glow. The girl's posture was elegant, and her demeanor could be described as the epitome of grace.
She wore the uniform of the Areishia Spirit Academy—a pure white outfit adorned with black lines, with a bow tie-like sash at the chest, and the buttons were replaced with Spirit charms.
However, upon seeing Claire, both of them simultaneously displayed expressions of disdain.
Rinslet snorted and said to Claire, "So, what rare occasion brings you to find me?"
Claire's face showed displeasure as she coldly replied, "Hey, what kind of attitude is that? I specifically came to invite you to join our team. You should thank me properly; we will definitely shine in this Blade Dance Festival, and I brought you along this time."
Rinslet's expression froze, her face showing a strange look as she sized up Roa and Claire. She glanced at the exceptionally handsome Roa and then at Claire, curiously asking, "Just the two of you?"
Claire angrily retorted, "What do you mean? Are you looking down on us?"