On the way home, Ashford carried two large bags of Rock Candy on his back while chatting with Pinkie Pie beside him.
“Pinkie Pie, thank you so much for giving me all this candy. You know, I don’t live alone at home.”
“I know, you live with three girls, right?”
“Yes… have you met them?”
“No, I only entered your room and took you out of the house.”
Pinkie Pie was also holding a large bag of Marshmallows.
Unsurprisingly, this was also part of the reward for Ashford’s help.
“Even though this Rock Candy is delicious, I don’t think I’ll be eating it for a long time because my teeth really hurt. It feels like my ability to chew is starting to suffer.”
“I’m sorry, Ashford, but I think this big bag of Marshmallows will be perfect.”
“Yeah, it looks like I’ll only be able to eat soft foods for quite a while.”
“Hey, you still have some candy crumbs on your face. Let me wipe them off for you.”
Pinkie Pie freed one hand and pulled out a towel to wipe Ashford’s lips.
Ashford blushed at Pinkie Pie’s gesture.
It wasn’t until she finished wiping that he gradually snapped out of it.
“Um… Pinkie Pie, you just…”
“Wiped your mouth, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t you think this behavior is a bit… intimate?”
“Maybe, but we’re friends. Friends helping each other wipe their mouths—is there a problem?”
“But… but I’m a boy.”
“Ah~ I see. Is the boy from the East feeling a little shy?”
“…”
Shangguan Jingxing didn’t say anything, but his reddened cheeks said it all. This story is hosted at g.com.
“I’m sorry, my actions might seem a bit intimate to you. But around here, wiping someone’s lips or something like that is quite normal behavior.”
“I know, that’s why my social life here… is really minimal, just like your sister’s.”
“I can tell. In fact, I didn’t even notice you until your test results came out. I didn’t even realize our school had an extra person. I thought that extra person was Sunset Shimmer.”
“Haha, I understand, I understand.”
Ashford didn’t take offense; after all, his dislike for socializing had always been his lifestyle.
Relatively speaking, Ashford considered himself an introvert.
Making friends usually happened when extroverts like Pinkie Pie discovered him and got to know him.
No wonder his parents recommended he come here for school.
Compared to the reserve back home, the people here were much more passionate and uninhibited.
He wondered what Crystal Preparatory Academy was like.
Would life or studies there be closer to what it was like back home?
But that wasn’t something Ashford needed to think about right now.
Since he was at Canterlot High School, he should settle in and enjoy his school years here.
“By the way, Ashford, have you been looking for things related to magic lately?”
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
“Because I’ve noticed that everything you’re interested in so far is related to magic. For example, magic shows, or strange stones, and strange plants. Or some strange items. In short, you seem more interested in things that can’t be explained by common sense. Just like when I was little and was absolutely convinced the Earth would be visited by aliens. Oh, right, I don’t think I’ve learned about your family yet. But for the sake of fairness, since you know my sister Maud Pie, you could tell me about one of your sisters. How about it?”
Ashford was shocked by Pinkie Pie’s intuition.
Just as he was about to say something about Adagio and magic, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his brain, as if he were being pricked by a needle.
Ashford’s body buckled, and the Rock Candy on his back all fell to the ground.
Pinkie Pie immediately noticed his abnormality and rushed forward to support him.
“Ashford, are you okay?”
“Oh~ poor Ashford, I’m so sorry. I must have disturbed your sleep, causing your head to hurt so much.”
“It’s okay. This isn’t the first time this has happened. I just need to get a good night’s sleep.”
Ashford didn’t take the matter to heart and continued chatting with Pinkie Pie.
“You’re right, I have been quite interested in magic and such lately. Sometimes I wonder if magic really exists in this world. If this world really had magic, what do you think our lives would be like?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. Maybe… the sun and moon in our world would be controlled by magic to rise and set. There would be many magical creatures in this world, like dragons, or Merfolk, or even shapeshifting races that can change into anything. There would be many magical monsters wreaking havoc on world peace, and some heroes of justice would step up to use magic to defeat the evil villains.”
“Pinkie Pie, those strange fantasies of yours could be turned into a book. It would definitely be a bestseller.”
Ashford squinted his eyes, teasing Pinkie Pie’s whimsical ideas.
If this world used physics to describe natural laws, then according to Pinkie Pie’s description, the underlying code of a magical world would be magic, where everything could be explained by it.
After finishing the topic, Ashford and Pinkie Pie resumed their walk toward his house.
Compared to Pinkie Pie carrying Ashford, the pace of carrying the candy this time was much faster.
After bidding farewell to Pinkie Pie, Ashford pushed open the door to his home, only to see The Three Siren Sisters wailing and crying piteously.
“Adagio, Ashford is missing! We have to call the police right now!”
“Are you crazy? What if we get caught up in it? Do we just keep singing to solve problems?”
“Then how are we supposed to find Ashford? He didn’t even bring his phone. If something really happened to him, we won’t be able to run.”
“Aria, there’ll be a way. Let’s spend a bit more time looking.”
Adagio and Aria were arguing heatedly, seemingly debating whether or not to call the police to find Ashford.
Meanwhile, that little dummy Sonata was clutching Ashford’s schoolbag, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Waaaah, Ashford, how could you be kidnapped by human traffickers? Waaaah, if anything happens to you, who am I going to wear my little dresses for?”
Sonata wiped her snot and tears all over Ashford’s schoolbag, making his face turn dark.