After Chu Zihang finished his rounds of farewells with the Bamboo Staff crew and packed his belongings, he called for Gustave. The two made their way to the Gate of All Worlds, standing before the shimmering portal that had become such a familiar sight.
"I'm getting this strange sense of anticipation," Gustave mused, staring at the swirling dimensional gateway. "Wonder what that's about?"
"White money calling your name," Chu Zihang replied dryly. "I'd be excited too if I were about to shake down a college principal for dragon-slaying fees."
Gustave chuckled as Chu Zihang activated the Gate and stepped through. "That makes perfect sense."
Following close behind, Gustave emerged in the familiar confines of Chu Zihang's dormitory at Cassel College. The room was exactly as they'd left it—bed still unmade from when Chu Zihang had hurriedly departed, textbooks stacked precisely where he'd placed them, even a half-empty coffee cup sitting on the desk.
"The Gate of All Worlds really is magical," Chu Zihang observed with genuine wonder. "I spent months on the Bamboo Staff, but here it's like I never left at all."
"Ultimate cheat device," Gustave agreed, settling into the desk chair with the casual air of someone making themselves at home. "No wonder you managed to reach Admiral candidate level so quickly."
Chu Zihang flexed his hand unconsciously, feeling the power flowing through his enhanced physique. His current physical strength had transformed him into a walking human Tyrannosaurus. Without even activating his Armament Haki, he could probably trade blows with fourth-generation dragon species. With Haki engaged, he could face weaker second-generation dragons head-on. And with all his abilities fully unleashed? He'd be a match for top-tier second-generation specimens like Ladon.
"Let me check if Anjou's available," Gustave said, extending his Observation Haki throughout the campus. After a moment, he shook his head with amusement. "He's underground having a 'friendly discussion' with the Equipment Department staff. I'll wait until he returns to his office."
"Suit yourself," Chu Zihang replied, unpacking his few belongings.
Gustave pulled a leather-bound tome from Chu Zihang's bookshelf—something about ancient dragon bloodlines—and settled back to read. After a few pages, though, he looked up with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
"Got any snacks? Potato chips, maybe? Reading this kind of material feels incomplete without proper munching accompaniment."
"No," Chu Zihang answered flatly. "I'm not Finger. I don't stockpile junk food in my room."
As if summoned by the mention of his name, a rapid knocking echoed from the door, followed by an all-too-familiar voice.
"Junior Brother! Junior Brother! Are you in there?"
Chu Zihang winced. Had he somehow inherited Conan's supernatural bad luck? The moment he thought about Finger, the man appeared like some sort of snack-obsessed genie.
"Want me to hide?" Gustave asked with mild amusement.
"Why would you hide? You're not doing anything secretive, and Finger's seen you before anyway."
"Fair point."
Chu Zihang walked to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open to reveal Finger's eager face.
"Junior Brother, I thought I heard voices and—" Finger's words died as his gaze fell on the figure reading in the chair. Recognition dawned like sunrise over his features. "Foreign Aid Big Brother?"
Gustave looked up from his book and raised his right hand in a casual wave. "Bonjour, Finger. How are you doing?"
Finger's eyes darted between Chu Zihang and Gustave, clearly trying to process this unexpected development. "Foreign Aid Big Brother, what brings you to Junior Brother's room?"
"I need to discuss some business with your Principal Anjou, but he's currently occupied. Figured I'd wait here with Zihang until he's free."
"So you two... know each other?" Finger's question carried a note of genuine surprise.
Gustave raised an eyebrow. "We've spent considerable time together. Zihang has been training on my ship for months."
Finger's internal monologue was practically visible on his face as he tried to process this information. But outwardly, he maintained his brightest smile. "Of course! Junior Brother is really something, knowing such a powerful person as yourself but never mentioning it to me."
Watching Finger's instantly servile demeanor around Gustave, compared to his persistent clinginess when dealing with him, made Chu Zihang feel genuinely speechless. No wonder this guy thrived at the academy—with shamelessness this refined, failure would be impossible.
"Your name's Finger, right?" Gustave asked, though his tone suggested he remembered perfectly well.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Finger nodded so enthusiastically Chu Zihang worried his neck might snap. "I can't believe Foreign Aid Big Brother remembers my name! I'm so honored! So grateful! So—"
"Whoa there, dial it back a bit."
"Of course, Foreign Aid Big Brother! Whatever you say goes!"
"Since you mentioned it earlier, do you happen to have any potato chips?"
Finger's face lit up like Christmas morning. "Potato chips? What flavor would you prefer? I have every variety imaginable!"
"Spicy sounds good."
"Absolutely! Please wait right here—I'll be back in a flash!"
Finger practically sprinted from the room, leaving behind an aura of eager servitude that made the air itself seem to vibrate with enthusiasm.
Chu Zihang stared at the empty doorway, then at Gustave, feeling the beginning of a headache. The prospect of these two getting along this well did not bode well for his peace of mind.
"Gustave, I just remembered I have some... things to take care of," he said carefully.
"No problem, handle whatever you need to."
Seeing Gustave's completely unconcerned expression, Chu Zihang felt compelled to add, "You can eat snacks here, but please don't get crumbs on the books. And take any trash with you when you leave."
"Relax, I'm not as messy as Luffy."
"I'm going now."
"See you later."
With a resigned sigh, Chu Zihang opened the door and fled, leaving Gustave alone with the dragon history tome and the anticipation of Finger's return.
True to his word, Finger reappeared within minutes, arms loaded with what appeared to be his entire snack collection.
"Foreign Aid Big Brother, here are the spicy chips you requested!" He deposited the bounty on the desk with the pride of a cat bringing home a particularly impressive mouse. "But I also brought barbecue, salt and vinegar, cheese, honey mustard, and about six other flavors. Please, take whatever strikes your fancy!"
Looking at the impressive mountain of snack foods, Gustave couldn't help but appreciate Finger's thoroughness. Such enthusiasm deserved acknowledgment.
"I'll take one spicy, one barbecue, and one honey mustard. You can keep the rest."
"Foreign Aid Big Brother, please don't be so modest! They're just potato chips. While I, Finger, may not be as financially blessed as Junior Brother, I can certainly afford to share my humble snack collection with someone of your stature!"
He pushed the entire pile closer to Gustave, then suddenly looked around the room with confusion.
"Wait, where did Junior Brother go?"
"Said he had things to handle and left."
"Ah, well then. More room for us to chat properly!"
Finger found himself a seat, clearly settling in for what he hoped would be an extended conversation with someone he viewed as a potential golden goose. The man's shameless opportunism was almost admirable in its purity.