C13 – A New Journey!
“Come on, little guy, time to get up...”
Qin Hongyu barely registered someone calling his name as he groggily emerged from sleep.
Blinking away the drowsiness, he saw the figure looming over him—it was Mr. Qian, standing at his bedside, watching him intently.
Instinctively, Qin Hongyu reached for his phone to check the time. The display read 5:00 AM on the dot.
“Grandpa, it’s only 5 AM! Isn’t this a bit too early?” Qin Hongyu protested with a helpless expression.
He had been told to gather at seven in the morning; waking up at five seemed excessively early.
“Early bird catches the worm. Jiao has been waiting for you outside for ages. You wouldn’t want to make a young lady wait that long, would you?” Mr. Qian said with a chuckle, playfully flicking Qin Hongyu’s forehead.
“Okay, okay! I’m up!” Without another word, Qin Hongyu leapt out of bed and dashed to the washbasin like the wind.
Roughly twenty minutes later, the pair reached the entrance of Cirencester High School. They were caught off guard, having arrived early and expecting a quiet school gate, but clearly, they had underestimated the fervor of parents and the community for Battle Spirit Fighters.
At that moment, the school’s entrance was bustling with more adults than students—many were parents seeing their children off, alongside Cirencester High’s staff and leadership.
Qin Hongyu and Bo Miaojiao, each towing their luggage, seemed somewhat forlorn amidst the crowd.
After roll call, the students, guided by their teachers, prepared to board the bus headed for Deepfell City.
Class 9’s teacher led the way, with Qin Hongyu, Bo Miaojiao, and Ji Buyu trailing behind, almost as if they carried the wind with them. It was no small feat—Cirencester High had only one class boasting three students with the Battle Spirit Bloodline.
In any other class, having just one such student would be considered exceptional. Three was nothing short of miraculous.
The class teacher, having personally seen the trio onto the coach, intended to impart words of unity and support. However, recalling the past friction between Qin Hongyu and Ji Buyu, he bit back his speech.
After a long pause, he mustered a brief caution, “Try to keep the fighting to a minimum...”
This left the entire bus looking on in bewilderment. Teachers usually sent students off with words of encouragement. His cryptic advice to fight less left them all wondering.