That night, around 6:13 PM.
"Chade, I can't take it anymore, I'm starving to death." As soon as Robin entered the door, she couldn't help but take off her backpack, hurriedly hanging it on the coat rack before hunching her back like a primitive ape and rolling all the way to the sofa. She pounced on a throw pillow while looking at Richard, who was cooking, with lifeless eyes.
Since "internal family relations stabilized," Robin had moved back in to eat and live with Richard. Over time, the household's vengeful spirits had become much more tolerant of her, seemingly treating her as part of the family. At least, as long as she didn't break the furniture, her habit of leaving things lying around didn't trigger any pranks from the spirits.
The water glass on the table moved automatically to the front of Robin. Accustomed to it, she said "thank you," picked up the glass, and drank.
Having lived there for nearly half a month, she naturally knew that some invisible guests resided in Richard's home. Since she hadn't suffered any attacks so far, she wasn't that afraid; at least those "things" made life for her and Richard very convenient.
Richard glanced at Robin and asked while chopping vegetables, "Busy today?"
"Running around all over the place, and I even took a language exam. Of course I was busy." Robin swung her feet on the sofa, propping her cheeks with both hands. "But it'll be easier after today. By the way, I've resigned from the bakery. When are you going to take me to start my new job?"
"You can start tomorrow. Anyway, I've taught you quite a few drink-making techniques at home. You just need to turn those techniques into a routine at the shop and get used to the faster pace." Richard put the green onions, ginger, and garlic into the hot oil to sauté, starting to cook the dishes.
Robin said with a grin, "Then you'll be my boss from now on. But you better be careful; if you dare to withhold my wages for no reason, I can find trouble for you at any time."
"Oh, my dear employee, do you know how many Robins Batman has gone through?" Richard teased back.
"Damn it! I haven't even started, and you're already thinking about replacements? Evil capitalist." Robin feigned anger and scolded him.
After the two of them bickered and joked for over ten minutes, a table of home-cooked food was ready. Richard and Robin shut their "foul mouths" and sat down to eat.
While eating, the feasting Robin suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, by the way, I went to school today to pick up my report card, and I ran into someone with a big, pert butt."
"I'll bet a crispy rib that person definitely wasn't a woman," Richard swore, raising his chopsticks.
"I'm not betting with you." Robin rolled her eyes and then smiled, "He really wasn't. It was a guy who looked quite handsome, but he seemed like the type with a terrible personality. He appears to be a transfer student; I heard he's in our grade. We'll see this new classmate tomorrow."
"He drives a blue sports car, right? I think I've seen him." Richard nodded, knowing the person Robin mentioned was likely Maxine's stepbrother, Billy.
Robin was surprised: "How did you know the person in the blue sports car was him?"
"Our town doesn't have much traffic, so outsiders are very obvious. Besides, that Billy is quite arrogant; he honked his car horn in front of my shop for ages. If he had pressed it any longer, I think this new classmate might have had to delay his enrollment by a few days." Richard explained what had happened earlier that day.
After hearing about the new classmate's behavior, Robin couldn't help but squint her eyes and curl her lip. "He really is an unlikable guy. Forget it, let's ignore him. I'll stay far away from him in the future."
After dinner, the two of them finished cleaning the kitchen and lay lazily on the sofa to watch TV.
A news program was on TV. Richard watched while lying on his side with his head in Robin's lap. The screen showed aerial footage of a Jeep speeding along a beltway with several police cars in hot pursuit; it was major news from neighboring Illinois.
Looking at the news ticker, Robin read, "The major criminal gang 'Mask' committed another murder around 7 PM tonight. Currently, the Windy City police are engaged in a fierce pursuit of the gang..."
"This bunch really is quite vicious; the news has even spread to our state." Robin toyed with Richard's hair as she spoke.
Richard didn't nod or shake his head, merely saying, "If they keep acting like this, they'll be caught sooner or later."
Robin deeply agreed. "Although they seem organized, their style is too crude. It has a scent of the slums. If the Windy City police follow this trail, I believe it won't be long before they find their hideout."
"I want to take a shower. Want to join me?" Richard turned over and looked up at Robin's chin, asking with a smile.
Seeing Robin's rapidly changing expression, Richard found it amusing. Robin naturally knew Richard was teasing her with his wicked sense of humor. She gritted her teeth and pinched Richard's ear. "Who wants to shower with you, you guy who's in heat for his roommate?"
Richard clutched his ear and quickly escaped from the flailing Robin, rushing into his room. He grabbed a change of clothes and scurried into the bathroom like a streak of smoke, leaving behind a question like the wind: "What tape are we watching tonight?"
"ghostbusters," Robin said, looking at the fleeing Richard, feeling both annoyed and amused.
Listening to the sound of Richard running the bathwater, Robin touched her lips as if remembering something, her eyes shimmering and her fair face turning crimson... It was another Halloween Night. On the way to school with Robin on his bike, Richard happened to run into Mike and the others, who were "fully armed" today. Their costumes were incredibly familiar to both Richard and Robin.
"OK, ghostbusters," Richard and Robin said in unison. The group then stopped their bikes at a crossroad to wait for a large vehicle to pass.
"Hey, did you guys see the movie too?" Lucas asked, his happy smile revealing two rows of white teeth.
Robin looked puzzled: "Preparing for Halloween Night tonight? Isn't it a bit too early?"
Dustin explained, "Our middle school started Halloween activities last year. Every student dresses up as a ghost or monster for school. It's a school tradition."
"Was there?" Robin, who had graduated from Hawkins Middle School, turned back to ask Richard.
"I don't know." Richard blinked. He had only arrived in town last year; how would he know?
However, Richard had some memory of this plot point. He looked at the four kids with a somewhat strange expression and said, "Is it possible that last year's situation was an exception, and you don't actually need to dress up like this for school this year? Think about it, if you four are the only ones in the whole school dressed like this, won't it be very awkward?"
Hearing this, the happy smiles on the four kids' faces froze.
Sure enough, when Mike and the others arrived at school, they were surprised to find that not a single student had dressed up in Halloween costumes ahead of time. Everyone was going to school in their normal clothes.
At this, a sense of desolation welled up in the four of them. It was over; their reputation as freaks was likely to be firmly cemented now.
With no time to go home and change, the four of them had to bite the bullet and stick it out at school... Thud!
The backboard's rim was struck with a thunderous sound by a thick arm as the basketball swished through the hoop. The new transfer student, Billy, had conquered the hearts of the hot-blooded youths with a single PE basketball game.
"Cool! Billy!"
"Nice job, Billy!"
The girls were also drawn to Billy's robust physique and the vigorous pheromones he exuded. Among them, a few delinquent girls led by Carol had the strongest reaction; like panthers in heat, they stared intently at Billy's body with burning gazes.
Compared to Billy, the young master Steve seemed a bit lacking in exercise and showed signs of fatigue on his usually successful basketball court. His team was being beaten back by Billy's, and he felt somewhat unwilling.
While showering, the somewhat depressed Steve was subjected to words from Billy that seemed encouraging but were actually provocative.
"Nice game, Master Steve." After saying that, Billy laughed arrogantly and stepped under the showerhead, shaking his long golden hair like a lion in the water. Several teammates who had just played on his team followed behind him like lackeys, letting out ambiguous laughter at Steve.
Steve frowned slightly. Although he no longer cared about his title as the "King of Hawkins High," these guys were being a bit excessively arrogant. It was one thing for the newcomer Billy to be ignorant, but those kids who used to hang out with Tommy now thought they had found a new boss and could start doing whatever they wanted and jumping around in front of him again?
Although he was a bit displeased, Steve ultimately didn't look for trouble with them.
After all, his perspective had changed. Steve now cared more about those close to him and his own business. The title of school bully was a bit beneath him, and there were only a few months left until graduation. Even if that new guy Billy became the school bully, he'd only have this little bit of time to act out in school.
Are you good at fighting? Being good at fighting isn't worth a damn. To make it in the world, you need connections and influence... Master Steve thought to himself.