First Interstellar Guide Chapter 109: Extra 10: Parallel World; Incident

Chapter 109: Extra 10: Parallel World; Incident

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Xie Ran had an S-level talent in guiding, even though his spirit body was sealed within the scene and unable to use the guiding ability, his memory, comprehension, and intelligence were all innate. Therefore, he found the basic courses very easy, remembering them after the teacher’s explanation. While other students might take an hour to finish the homework assigned by the teacher, Xie Ran only needed a dozen minutes.

In his free time, he enjoyed playing with Lu Zexuan.

Saint Paul had a rule of organizing a school-wide exam every month. In the first monthly exam, Xie Ran got full marks in all subjects, ranking first. In the second monthly exam, he still got full marks. Meanwhile, Lu Zexuan got one question wrong, placing him outside the top thirty.

One day after school, while eating together, Xie Ran, afraid that Lu Zexuan might feel down, comforted him, “Although Xie Ran got first place in the exam, his personality is terrible, and nobody likes him. Your grades might not be as good as his, but you excel in other aspects.”

Looking at the earnest guy comforting himself, Lu Zexuan’s heart warmed and he said, “Thank you, Xiaoluo. I’ve figured it out. It’s normal for a sentinel to perform poorly in cultural subjects compared to guides. I won’t compare myself to Xie Ran in grades in the future.”

Xie Ran smiled, “That’s the way. Why bother caring about him? Instead of that, why don’t you come play badminton with me when you’re free?”

“Sure, let’s go tonight.”

At seven in the evening, the two arrived at the gym and went to the badminton court. Lu Zexuan had excellent athletic talent since childhood. Despite his young age, his serves were decisive and precise, with extremely tricky angles. Xie Ran couldn’t catch up for a moment, starting the game with a 4-0 deficit.

Xie Ran couldn’t help but say, “Could you ease up on your serves? Can I have a chance?”

Lu Zexuan hesitated and said, “I usually play like this.”

Xie Ran replied, “We’re just playing casually, not in a competition. It’s no fun if I can’t even return your shots, right?”

Lu Zexuan thought it made sense and adjusted his strength to play more gently. Finally, Xie Ran managed to return his shots and scored a point by smashing the shuttlecock back fiercely. Although Lu Zexuan could have returned the shot, seeing the score on the electronic scoreboard at 4-0, he suddenly felt a bit soft-hearted and deliberately let the shuttlecock pass.

Xie Ran finally scored a point.

Seeing Xie Ran’s bright smile, Lu Zexuan’s mood improved involuntarily.

Xiaoluo looks so good when he smiles. Lu Zexuan thought, It’s fine to let him win. After all, we’re just playing casually. If he’s happy, that’s what matters.

The two played for forty minutes, with Lu Zexuan not feeling tired at all, while Xie Ran sat on the sidelines panting. He looked at Lu Zexuan, who remained unfazed, and commented lightly, “Sentinels have impressive stamina. You’re not even tired after playing for so long.”

Hearing Xie Ran’s remark, Lu Zexuan couldn’t help but say, “Aren’t you a sentinel too?”

Xie Ran shifted his gaze uneasily and said, “My talent can’t compare to yours. You’re an S-level sentinel.”

Lu Zexuan sat down beside him, understandingly saying, “If you’re tired, let’s stop playing and take a walk or go back to the dorm to rest.”

The two packed up their rackets and left the gym side by side.

At the entrance of the gym, a boy suddenly called out, “Xie Ran, are you here too?”

Xie Ran’s back stiffened, and he grabbed Lu Zexuan’s hand, turning to run away.

Lu Zexuan looked puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

The voice behind them kept calling, “Xie Ran! Hey, I’m talking to you!”

Xie Ran nervously pulled Lu Zexuan, running even faster, explaining as they ran, “I need to use the restroom, urgently!”

Lu Zexuan thought, Doesn’t the gym have restroom doors? Why are you running outside if you’re in a hurry?

Before he could say anything, Xie Ran pulled him along, and they ran into the nearby teaching building. Lu Zexuan felt a bit dazed for a moment, being pulled along by the other, feeling the softness of Xie Ran’s fingers and the warmth of his hand.

This was the first time he had such intimate contact with a friend.

Lu Zexuan had some cleanliness habits and didn’t like being too close to people. Being suddenly pulled along like this made him feel uncomfortable. With a tense expression, he was led by Xie Ran to the entrance of the restroom on the first floor of the teaching building.

Xie Ran finally let go of him and said with a smile, “I’ll use the restroom, you wait here.”

In the blink of an eye, Xie Ran disappeared inside the restroom. Lu Zexuan stood there waiting, thinking he really must have been in a hurry.

Inside the restroom, Xie Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief. The person who had called him was a classmate of theirs. Luckily, he reacted quickly and slipped away in time; otherwise, it would have been embarrassing explaining to Lu Zexuan. It seemed like he should avoid public places in the future to avoid running into acquaintances.

After washing his hands and stepping out, Xie Ran saw Lu Zexuan waiting patiently. Feeling guilty, Xie Ran avoided his gaze and said, “I’m feeling a bit unwell. Let’s not play badminton anymore. After dinner, let’s go to the library to study.”

Lu Zexuan asked, puzzled, “Why suddenly want to go to the library?” Since he had known Xiaoluo, he remembered that he had never been to the library and seemed to have no interest in studying.

Xie Ran said seriously, “My grades are at the bottom of the class. After this semester ends, the report cards will be sent to our parents, and mine will surely scold me when they see it. So… starting today, I want to study hard.”

Lu Zexuan said reassuringly, “With your determination, your grades will definitely improve.”

From that day on, after dinner, Xie Ran would invite Lu Zexuan to go to the library together.

There was a secluded corner on the seventh floor where few people passed by, so they wouldn’t encounter any familiar classmates. Xie Ran occupied that spot and sat face to face with Lu Zexuan, revising their lessons.

Lu Zexuan studied very seriously, focusing entirely on his books. Therefore, he didn’t notice that behind Xie Ran’s textbooks were hidden various unrelated books such as “The Adventures in Space,” “Encyclopedia of Animals,” and “Guide to Alien Plant Breeding.”

Although they were reading different things, the atmosphere was harmonious.

Sometimes, when Xie Ran found questions that Lu Zexuan couldn’t solve, he would pretend to “discuss together” and subtly give Lu Zexuan hints.

Time passed quickly, and Lu Zexuan gradually regarded Xie Ran as his best friend.

In the blink of an eye, the semester ended.

In early July, Saint Paul’s School had a two-day final exam, and after the exams, they would officially start their vacation.

The boarding school usually had strict management, and everyone hadn’t been home for half a year. Hearing about the upcoming vacation, the students were all excited. Xie Ran finished his papers and then ran to find Lu Zexuan, asking, “What are your plans for the holiday? I want to go to the amusement park, do you want to come with me?”

Lu Zexuan, who didn’t like lively places and wasn’t interested in amusement parks, still blurted out instinctively upon seeing Xie Ran’s expectant eyes, “Okay, let’s go together.”

A smile immediately appeared in Xie Ran’s eyes. “Then let’s meet at the amusement park entrance at 8am this Saturday.”

Lu Zexuan nodded. “Okay, see you at 8.”

The school’s intelligent system graded the exams quickly. That evening, the exam scores and rankings were out. Xie Ran still ranked first in the grade, and surprisingly, Lu Zexuan made it into the top three.

During this time, he had been spending every day in the library, coupled with Xie Ran’s discreet guidance, his grades improved rapidly.

Although his memory couldn’t match Guide’s, Lu Zexuan had always been hardworking and diligent, believing in “diligence can make up for clumsiness.” As the son of General Lu, while other six-year-old kids were playful and mischievous, Lu Zexuan was already very sensible and had very strict demands on himself.

Seeing his ranking, he was particularly happy.

From being 35th at the beginning of the school year to third at the end of the semester, his parents would surely be pleased when they found out.

The next morning, the school gathered all the students in the auditorium and held grade-level meetings in batches.

The grade one director stood on the platform and reminded, “The vacation officially starts on July 15th, and school resumes on August 30th. After a semester of hard work, students have also worked hard and can take a rest during the holiday. Of course, the homework assigned by the teachers must be completed on time. When going out to play, safety must be ensured…”

The lights in the auditorium dimmed. Xie Ran sat in the audience, absent-mindedly listening to the director’s nagging, yawning repeatedly.

After a while, the director’s verbose speech finally ended. Following that, he shifted his focus and said loudly, “Next, we have the award ceremony for the outstanding students of the first semester!”

Xie Ran’s spirits lifted, but he suddenly had a somewhat bad premonition.

The director continued, “We conducted a total of five monthly exams this semester. We have comprehensively calculated the scores of the five exams and decided to reward students who performed excellently, hoping that other students can learn from them!”

“Qin Yu from Class 13 of Grade One, Klein from Class 15…”

The teachers started reading the list, and one excited student after another walked up to the stage to receive their awards. However, Xie Ran couldn’t feel any joy.

Is it too late to slip away now?

“Lu Zexuan from Class Six of Grade One, receives the Most Improved Award! Lu Zexuan has improved in every exam, from 35th in the first exam to third in the final exam. He has been diligent and focused, and his progress has been seen by all the teachers. We hope Lu Zexuan will continue to work hard, and other students should learn from him!”

Warm applause erupted in the auditorium. Lu Zexuan briskly walked up to the stage and received the certificate of honor from the grade director.

He looked down at the audience somewhat happily, wanting to find his friend Qin Xiaoluo, but unfortunately, the dim lights below made it impossible for him to see where Xiaoluo was sitting. Maybe he would invite Xiaoluo for a meal after the meeting. His rapid progress was actually related to Xiaoluo often asking him to go to the library to study.

As Lu Zexuan was thinking, the grade director said, “Next, we will present the Best Student Award of this semester!”

“Xie Ran from Class Sixteen of Grade One. Since the beginning of the school year, Xie Ran has scored full marks in every exam, never missing a single question. Xie Ran is exceptionally talented, intelligent, and sensible. Despite his excellent grades, he remains humble and actively helps classmates with questions, making him popular among teachers and students. We hope everyone can learn from him. Please come up to receive the award, Xie Ran.”

The auditorium erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Xie Ran’s face alternated between red and white, and for a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to raise his head.

“Xie Ran, come up and receive your award!” the grade director repeated.

The classmates beside him excitedly pushed him, “Xie Ran, it’s you, go up quickly.”

“Xie Ran, don’t space out, go get your award!”

Xie Ran hesitated. Can I not accept this award?

Amidst the enthusiastic applause, Xie Ran reluctantly forced a smile, step by step approaching the stage to receive the award. He had always been clever and could handle any situation with ease. Yet today, he felt completely at a loss for the first time. This is bad. Lu Zexuan is on the stage now. If I go up, won’t I be exposed?

Under the spotlight, Xie Ran slowly made his way to the stage.

Lu Zexuan had been clapping along with the other students, wanting to see what “legendary Xie Ran” looked like. Until he saw the face of the person walking onto the stage. Fair complexion, delicate features, and those familiar clear eyes.

Lu Zexuan, “…” Qin Xiaoluo?!

At the moment when their eyes met, Lu Zexuan’s face turned pale. Qin Xiaoluo, who had been saying “Xie Ran has a terrible personality and is especially annoying. I’m at the bottom of the class because of him” in his ear every day, turned out to be Xie Ran himself?! In an instant, shock, anger, disbelief, and various emotions surged up. Lu Zexuan looked at Xie Ran with a gaze full of anger, heartache, and regret. The six-year-old Lu Zexuan’s eyes reddened slightly, his fists clenched tightly, as if he was about to cry.

Xie Ran, “…” This is not good. The little boat of their friendship is about to capsize.