The bus rocked gently as it rolled along the tree-lined avenue.
Gu Xi sat by the window, still in his school uniform. A cool breeze slipped in through the cracked window, brushing his damp bangs. In one hand, he held a plastic cup of milk tea—condensation clinging to the sides, the straw stained slightly from the thick brown sugar syrup inside.
He took another sip.
"...Not bad," he muttered.
Actually, better than "not bad." It was disturbingly good.
The kind of sweet that danced on your tongue, then punched your dopamine levels like a trained assassin.
He'd been here for weeks now and had tried no less than fifteen different milk tea flavors. Taro, jasmine, cream swirl, osmanthus, sweet potato (?!), and even rosewater lychee.
Every single one? Amazing.
There was just one problem.
No. Damn. Boba.
That's right.
No chewy pearls. No tapioca. No QQ bounce. No sink-to-the-bottom-and-scoop-it-with-a-wide-straw goodness.
It was a crime.
A nation without boba was like a sword without a sheath. A world missing half its soul.
Gu Xi narrowed his eyes, slurping the last of his drink.
If I introduced boba to this world…
Men would go feral for it.
He could already picture it. Pink storefronts. Soft ambient music. Boys in frilly aprons calling out orders with a smile. The occasional "pearl overload" promotion. Customized toppings, collagen-enhanced pearls, maybe even glitter boba if he was feeling wild.
I'd be rich.
Stupid rich.
The only problem?
He didn't actually know how to make boba. And starting a business required licenses. Capital. Suppliers. Workers.
And time.
Which he didn't have.
Also, boiling tapioca was a bitch.
Still.
If the opportunity ever came up, he'd file it under Plan C. Right behind "get a scholarship to University A" and "marry rich, die comfortable."
He took another sip from the now-empty cup and stared at it.
Even my tastebuds have gone soft…
In his previous life, he was a meat kind of guy. Ramen. Braised pork. Spicy hotpot that made your sweat glands cry.
Now?
He craved sweets. Creamy things. Fluffy things. Stuff with pastel colors and heart-shaped packaging.
It was horrifying.
He hadn't just been reincarnated.
He was being converted.
"Gu Gu~"
A high-pitched voice snapped him out of his strategic daydream.
Su Daji sat beside him, swinging his legs slightly, sipping his own vanilla-coconut snow cream tea.
"What were you thinking about just now?" Daji asked. "You had such a serious look on your face. Like someone was calculating world domination."
"Just thinking about milk tea," Gu Xi replied flatly.
Daji blinked. "You looked like you were about to annex a country."
Gu Xi glanced at him. "You are aware how evil I am, right?"
"Mmm… only when you're making me do extra math sheets."
"Tch."
The conversation veered off course as Daji launched into a discussion on boyband choreography, a new hand cream line made specifically for sensitive male skin, and whether cherry blossom-themed outfits were too cliché this season.
Gu Xi listened with half an ear.
Until the topic shifted.
"Hey, Gu Gu… do you believe in love?"
Gu Xi blinked.
"...That's out of nowhere."
"I was just thinking," Daji said, voice softer now, "Do you think there's someone out there meant for you?"
Gu Xi leaned back against the window and stared at the streetlights flickering past.
Love?
What a foreign concept.
Back in his old world, he preferred gentle girls. Cute, smaller than him. The kind that would cling to his sleeve and pout when they didn't get candy.
Here?
That dynamic was flipped on its head.
Girls were tall. Buff. Loud. Charismatic. They ruffled his hair. They carried his bags. They pushed him behind them when things got dangerous.
At first, it felt unnatural. Offensive, even.
But now?
He wasn't sure anymore.
There was something… alluring about a tall, capable woman. Older. Mature. Who could throw a punch, then hold your hand like nothing happened.
Maybe he was adapting.
Or maybe this world was slowly bending him.
He stared into his half-empty cup.
"I don't know," he said finally. "But I guess… my type's changing."
"Changing into what?" Daji asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
Gu Xi smirked.
"Tall, rich, hot older women with daddy issues, probably."
"W-what?!"
Gu Xi turned his head slowly.
Grinned.
Then reached over and pinched Su Daji's cheek.
"Speaking of love, who do you like?"
"I-I—No one!! Why are you asking me?!" Daji's voice went up two octaves, practically squeaking.
Gu Xi leaned in closer, watching with amusement as Daji squirmed.
"You've definitely got someone. Spill it."
"N-nooo! I don't—!!"
"Oh? That means it's someone close, huh? Someone in our class?"
"W-wrong!"
"Someone in the next class?"
"I said no!"
"Then is it—"
"Hello, two cuties."
A voice interrupted them.
No—two.
Both cocky. Confident. A little too familiar.
Two tall girls stood beside their seat, leaning in slightly.
One had long purple nails and a nose ring. The other wore a sleeveless hoodie that showed off defined biceps.
The nosering one smiled. "Do you two have W*chat?"