The Kingdom of Stars, Jianhua University.

As night falls, the stars twinkle, and the school playground is decorated with lights, sparkling diamonds, and colorful flowers. A masked singer is singing passionately on the main stage, and a music artist assists in the soundtrack. The open space in the middle is a star-filled dance floor, and the surrounding area has become an open-air bar and buffet tables. Students dressed in costumes and wearing masks shuttle through it, dancing, talking, playing, and eating. The vibrant and energetic youthful atmosphere fills the entire school with the flowing notes.

July and August are the self-study summer vacations for various colleges and universities, and are also the period for various inter-school entertainment activities. Activities that allow students to relax, such as the "Dream Summer Village Madness Festival" of Trails University, the "Scarlet Theater" of Ark University, the "Great Debate" of Aletheia University, and the "Campus Singer" of Fantasy Sound University, are all concentrated in these two months.

The most anticipated event is the "Dance with Sword and Dragon" masquerade ball at Jianhua University!

These activities are all cross-school activities open to all college students, and Jianhua University is famous for its students who are the most beautiful in the world, and their family backgrounds are either rich or noble. The atmosphere of love on campus is strong, so every year at the Masquerade, countless students from other schools flock to Jianhua University to see if there is a chance to turn over a new chapter in their youthful love story, and even students from Aletheia University are no exception - in fact, the proportion of cross-school couples between Aletheia University and Jianhua University is much higher than that absorbed by Aletheia University itself.

Although many students are determined to "focus on homework rather than romance", the lack of classes in July and August will inevitably make them slack off; and the approaching masquerade will directly increase the desire rate of all college students in Galaxia. Even if you are a tough guy who can easily finish a few math papers, it is easy to be tempted by love.

Many students of Truth who came from strict families and devoted themselves to studying magic were manipulated by people from other schools and secretly married, regardless of gender, just because they attended a masquerade ball.

According to completely unreliable statistics, the number of couples successfully matched at the Masquerade every year is as high as four figures. Even though 70% of them will break up within a month, it is enough to make the young boys and girls who are in love look forward to it.

However, even though the students of Jianhua had already anticipated how popular the masquerade would be, they still didn't expect that there would be so many people tonight, as if half of the college students in Galase had squeezed in.

As for why there are so many people this year, everyone knows it.

"Why are there so many red-haired people?"

Outside the dance floor, a young man wearing a mask and dressed as a wolf was stunned.

Among the three girls who walked in front of him, one had dyed her hair red. Although there were various types of hair, such as pink, burgundy, crimson, and short, medium, messy, and ponytail, there were too many girls with red hair, right?

"Brother, this is normal."

At the bar, a female bartender was mixing drinks in a fancy way, jokingly saying, "When 'The Wrong Kind of Man' was aired, at least eight out of ten young women you saw in Galaxia had the same hairstyle as Deda Rose. Now that the red-haired swordsman is so popular in Meteor Robbery, it's not surprising that everyone is following suit and dyeing their hair red."

The young man in wolf costume looked over and found that the female bartender also had a strand of red hair. He took the cocktail helplessly, "But there are so many red-haired girls now. Even if Miss Jian Ji appeared in front of me, I wouldn't be able to tell her apart... ah!"

He took a sip of the cocktail and it felt so sour and bitter. He wanted to curse, but seeing that the bartender was cute and pretty, he held back his anger and said, "I ordered a Holiday Storm. What is this?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry." The female bartender took out a notebook and looked at it. "Let me see... No wonder, it turns out that I remembered it wrong and accidentally added bitter vinegar. I will look at the notebook and mix you a correct drink."

"You actually learned it on the spot?!"

"There are too many people tonight. I was just pulled here temporarily to work part-time." The female bartender muttered, "Who told me to fail the final exam..."

The young man in wolf costume blinked his eyes, and suddenly thought that the bartender was quite cute. Her cheeks were chubby and red like red apples, which perfectly hit his strike zone. So he coughed and said in a magnetic voice: "Then lovely lady, can I invite you to dance later?"

"Thank you!" the bartender said crisply, "But no, I have a fiancé."

"Can't you dance if you have a fiancé? Just enjoy the fun of dancing." The young man in wolf costume advised earnestly.

"If I just want to dance, I can ask my roommate to dance with me. Why do I have to dance with the opposite sex?" The bartender said with a chuckle, "Besides, you're not my type."

"So what type do you like?"

"My fiancé's type."

"Why are all the girls I like already in love?" The young man in wolf costume sighed, "It would be fine if I failed in my pursuit, but why do all of them already have someone they like? Am I destined to be the type who seduces married women?"

"I have two single roommates who are also very pretty, although not as pretty as me. When they come over, I'll introduce them to you?"

"No." The wolf-dressed young man firmly refused: "I don't like this kind of encounter that is too introductional. What I pursue is the kind of inadvertent heartbeat."

The bartender said, "But aren't you here for the red-haired swordsman?"

"Yeah, when I was watching the Meteor Robbery finals, I was moved by Sword Princess's strong and unyielding attitude." The young man in wolf costume turned his head and looked at the large playground. "I was thinking if I could run into her at the masquerade, and then win her heart with my charm, or at least become friends with her... But who can recognize her! Even the one singing on the stage has red hair!"

"I thought you were just here for fun." The bartender looked at the young man in wolf costume with a strange look: "Aren't you dressing up like this to cancel your right to choose a mate?"

"I heard that Jian Ji's crush is not a student of Jian Hua University. I thought she might not like the extravagant and gorgeous style of Jian Hua University, so she dressed up as a werewolf swordsman." The young man in wolf costume held his chin up and said in a deep voice, "Do you think there is a lion in my eyes?" He hasn't given up on flirting with the bartender.

"Honestly, I think you're pretty cute." The bartender wiped the cup while trying not to laugh, "Like a big fluffy dog. Sword Princess might like it."

“Give it up.”

Next to the bar, another young man wearing a golden mask said, "Didn't you know that Lelouch confessed his love to Sword Princess a few days ago?"

"Lelouch? Lelouch Varudo?" The wolf-clothed young man asked in surprise, "The eldest son of Count Xuxing? The swordsmanship genius second only to Dimi at the University of Adytum?"

But among the Royal Guards, the five dukes known as the "Five Pillars of the Stars" are undoubtedly at the top of the nobility, but there are still people who can approach their status. In recent years, five earls who have risen to prominence during the technological revolution are called the "Little Five Pillars", to describe their power that can rival the Five Pillars.

Among them, Count Valudo of Virtual Star is one of them. His family has five major virtual game chambers, accounting for 80% of the national game market share, and is constantly expanding to recruit talents. Almost every young person has played their games. Whether in terms of social influence, the number of talent positions provided, or annual income, Count Valudo of Virtual Star is not inferior to the old Duke. "Virtual Star Game" has become the childhood of countless young people.

As the eldest son of Count Xuxing, Lelouch has a great family background and is a genius in swordsmanship. He completed both wings in his third year at the University of Alysm. He was once regarded as a rival of Dimi - of course, no one says that now.

But no matter what, Lelouch is a nobleman of the highest level. If he openly pursues the Red-haired Swordswoman, then everyone else will basically have to leave the stage in disgrace.

"The news that Lelouch confessed his love to Sword Lady has been the hottest topic these days. How come you didn't know about it?" The Golden Mask said with a smile, "He didn't confess his love to Sword Lady quietly. Instead, he organized a grand performance in the Sword Club, with roses on the ground and fireworks covering the sky... By the way, Lelouch also met Sword Lady in the Sword Club."

During the summer vacation, combat magicians often do not work behind closed doors, but instead join various clubs for competitions. A lower-level club might be a few students renting a classroom, while a higher-level club is usually led by a professor.

A club that even Sword Lady and Lelouch joined must be the highest level swordsmanship club, and it doesn't even need a name. Only the weak would be proud of "I am a member of XX club" or "I am in the same club as XX". For these talented magicians, the club is just an ordinary place for training.

"I don't know. The old man took me to the easternmost village half a month ago, saying that I could broaden my horizons, but I ended up feeding mosquitoes for half a month. I just came back yesterday. I don't know anything about what happened in Galashi!" The young man in wolf costume wailed, "Sword Princess, won't you agree? Sword Princess, my Sword Princess——"

"No."

"fine."

"But Lelouch said, 'I know you have someone in your heart, but even if we can't be lovers, we can still be friends. I'm not your first good friend, but I hope I can be your most important one who can help you the most. The road of swordsmanship is long and lonely. We can compete and communicate with each other. Although I'm not as strong as Dimi now, I will catch up soon.'"

"This guy has no good intentions at all. He intends to seduce Sword Princess slowly under the guise of ordinary dating!" The wolf-clad young man was filled with righteous indignation: "With his words and tactics, it can be seen that he is an old hand in the world of playboys. Sword Princess should break up with him on the spot! How should Sword Princess answer?"

The bartender raised an eyebrow - who said that if pursuing Sword Princess fails, then just be friends first...

"You might find Sword Princess's answer a little familiar."

"Um?"

"She said, "If I need competitors, Senior Leonie and Sister Trozan can give me enough pressure, so why should I date someone from another world? Lelouch, I don't dislike you for not being from the Holy Domain. In fact, no matter who it is, even if it's Dimi who asks me to date privately, I won't agree. Don't belittle yourself.""

At this point, the Golden Mask sighed: "They can confess their love if they want, and refuse if they want. Why do they have to drag Di Mi out to fight?"

“Good!” The young man in wolf costume clapped his hands on the table and cheered: “As expected of a Sword Princess, you saw through the scheme of that villain Lelouch at a glance and answered politely and appropriately! Wait, this does sound familiar…”

He turned to look at the bartender: "It's similar to what you just said to reject me."

The bartender blinked: "This shows that I have a keen eye for people just like Jian Ji."

"Besides, haven't you investigated Sword Princess' personality?" The Golden Mask continued, "She is obsessed with swordsmanship training. Apart from acting and record work, she never participates in other social activities. It is said that she has been invited to many noble banquets, but she refused them all. How could she show up at a social occasion like a masquerade ball that wastes time? Maybe she has already gone to explore the virtual world."

“I haven’t investigated.” The young man in wolf costume scratched his head: “I thought that as long as I was sincere enough, I could impress others.”

"It's just as the rumors say." The golden mask said with a smile: "Lan Shile, you are a sincere son."

"Since you're talking so nicely, I'll take it as you're not calling me stupid... Wait." The young man in wolf costume suddenly realized, "I didn't tell you my name, did I? Who are you? My admirer? Or... my admirer?"

"In the past half month, only your father has gone to the east for research." The golden mask shrugged: "I just happened to know about this and guessed it."

The young man in wolf costume sighed, "You actually pay attention to my old man, how perverted. Are you a prophet? Otherwise, how do you know so much about Lelouch's confession to Fiora?"

Golden Mask: "Because I was watching right there."

"I can prove it," the bartender said with a smile, "I am the roses that cover the ground."

The young man in wolf costume took a sip of the cocktail he had just mixed. Although it didn't taste very good, he endured it.

In front of him were all kinds of men and women hunting each other on the dance floor, and in his ears was a gentle and timeless song. He pondered for a long time, turned his head and asked them: "How can I make Sword Princess like me?"

The bartender asked earnestly, "If I knew the answer, what price would I get for it?"

The golden mask thought for a moment and said, "It's probably worth the same as the four-winged magic spirit."

"So much!" The bartender looked at the young man in wolf costume and asked, "Can you pay the deposit first?"

"I'm not kidding!" The young man in wolf costume said seriously, "Can you at least give me a direction to work towards?"

"At least don't use roses when you confess your love." The bartender said, "According to gossip, Sword Princess likes tulips."

"Also, she should like swordsmen." The golden mask said, "Lan Shile, you don't seem to major in swordsmanship, right?"

The young man in wolf costume said, "I'm not looking for a job. How can there be any restrictions on magic when it comes to love? I don't accept it! Is there any news about Sword Princess's sweetheart? I want to know what type she likes!"

The Golden Mask smiled and said, "The question of "Who does Sword Princess like?" will probably become an unsolved mystery for countless people during their college years."

"I think that even if strength is not the decisive factor, it is an important factor."

The bartender finally gave a serious suggestion: "After all, Sword Princess will definitely strive for the legendary realm in the future, so her partner should at least be able to keep up with her pace-"

"Achieving legend status? Is she worthy of it?"

Everyone turned around and saw two people passing by the bar. The tall man was wearing a black tiger mask, and the petite woman was wearing a butterfly mask. The speaker was the butterfly mask.

The golden mask smiled and said, "You seem to be questioning the value of the 'Half Year Sanctuary'?"

"It's because she has been in the Holy Land for half a year." Butterfly Mask said bluntly: "She has no combat experience, no accumulation of magic, and she is just a vase with empty ranks."

"She can cheat her way up to the Far Side of the Sky, so can she climb up Ruby Mountain?"