Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 307: Passing It Forward

Thursday morning started with chaos.

Luca stood at the library’s printing station, watching page after page of his old notes spit out.

Marketing fundamentals, consumer behavior analysis, strategic planning frameworks—four years of learning condensed into organized chaos.

"How many copies are you making?" the student worker asked, looking concerned.

"Ten sets. Is that too much?"

"That’s three hundred pages."

"I have ten freshmen in my group."

"That’s... actually really nice."

Emily appeared beside him with her own stack. "Please tell me you’re not printing your entire academic career."

"Just the useful stuff."

"There’s useful stuff?"

"Some of it." Luca checked the printer queue. "Twenty minutes left. You?"

"Fifteen. George is printing at the other station." She leaned against the counter. "This is ridiculous. We’re being way too nice."

"They’re terrified freshmen. We were terrified freshmen."

"We were disasters."

"Exactly. So we help them be slightly less disastrous."

The printer jammed. The student worker sighed, opened it, extracted crumpled pages.

"This is why I graduated," Emily muttered.

George found them twenty minutes later, arms full of bound notes. "Ready?"

"Where’d you get those bound?" Luca asked.

"Copy center. Cost extra but looks professional."

"Show off."

"Thoughtful mentor."

They headed to the Business building. The quad was already filling with orientation activities—booths set up, music playing, someone inflating what appeared to be a giant mascot.

"What’s happening?" Emily asked.

Maya ran past, looking frazzled. "Rivalry day! Didn’t you get the email?"

"What email?"

"Business Studies versus International Business. Competition day. Morrison set it up."

"Since when do we compete with International Business?"

"Since today apparently. Teams of students plus senior mentors. First event starts at ten!"

She disappeared into the building.

Luca, Emily, and George exchanged looks.

"Did we agree to this?" George asked.

"I don’t remember agreeing to this," Emily said.

"Noel’s going to be insufferable if they win," Luca said.

"Then we can’t let them win."

Inside, Morrison was organizing students into teams. "Ah, my Business Studies seniors. You’re team captains. Five students each, mixed challenges throughout the day. Winning team gets bragging rights and pizza."

"What kind of challenges?" Luca asked.

"You’ll see. First one’s in ten minutes. Quad."

They gathered their assigned freshmen—Luca got three guys and two girls, all looking confused but excited.

Emily’s team was mostly international students who seemed thrilled by the competition concept.

George got the quiet kids who clearly wished they were anywhere else.

Outside, Noel stood with his International Business team, looking composed and strategic.

Sarah, James, and Kenji had their own teams, all wearing matching blue t-shirts someone had apparently prepared.

"They have uniforms?" Emily said. "That’s cheating."

"That’s preparation," Noel called over.

"Nobody told us to prepare!"

"Not our fault Business Studies lacks organization."

"Oh, it’s on."

Morrison appeared with a megaphone. "Welcome to Orientation Rivalry Day! First challenge—Business Trivia. Teams answer questions about campus, professors, and general business knowledge. Points for speed and accuracy."

She pulled out a stack of question cards.

"Question one: What year was this business school founded?"

Luca’s team huddled. "1987?" one freshman guessed.

"1985," another said.

"It’s 1983," Luca told them. "Trust me."

They buzzed in first. "1983!"

"Correct! Business Studies gets one point."

Noel’s team looked annoyed.

"Question two: Name three professors in the Economics department."

This time International Business buzzed first. They rattled off names quickly, got the point.

The trivia continued—rapid-fire questions, teams scrambling, Morrison keeping score on a whiteboard.

By question fifteen, they were tied at seven points each.

"Final question," Morrison announced. "Worth three points. What’s the unofficial motto of this business school?"

Dead silence.

Luca’s mind raced. There was no official motto. But unofficially...

He buzzed in. "Survive and network."

Morrison grinned. "Correct! Business Studies takes round one, ten to seven!"

His team cheered. Noel’s team looked disgusted.

"Luck," Noel said as they passed.

"Skill," Luca countered.

"We’ll see."

Round two was a case study challenge. Teams got thirty minutes to analyze a failing company scenario and propose solutions.

This was where International Business excelled.

Their solutions were comprehensive, globally-focused, citing trade policies and international market factors.

Business Studies kept it practical—cut costs, restructure management, focus on core products.

Morrison deliberated with two other professors, then announced: "International Business wins this round. Superior analysis. Score tied at ten all."

"Told you," Noel said.

"There’s still more rounds," Luca said.

Round three was physical—relay race across campus, teams had to retrieve items from different buildings.

Library book, dining hall tray, gym equipment, and something from the arts building.

"Why are business students running?" one of Luca’s freshmen asked.

"Team building," Emily said. "Or hazing. Both probably."

George’s team won this one, completing the relay in fifteen minutes. International Business came in second.

"Business Studies leads, fifteen to thirteen," Morrison announced.

The competition continued through lunch—marketing pitch challenge, budget allocation game, even a ridiculous "build a business plan using only emojis" round that everyone agreed was absurd but entertaining.

By two PM, they were exhausted and tied at twenty-two points each.

"Final challenge," Morrison said. "Talent show. Each team performs something business-related. Judged on creativity and entertainment value."

"You’re kidding," James said.

"Completely serious. You have thirty minutes to prepare."

The teams scattered.

Luca’s group huddled. "Anyone have talents?"

"I can juggle," one guy offered.

"How is juggling business-related?" a girl asked.

"Multitasking metaphor?"

"That’s a stretch."

They settled on a sketch—exaggerated reenactment of a terrible business meeting, complete with buzzword bingo and one freshman doing an impression of a corporate motivational speaker.

International Business went with a musical number. Actual singing, choreography, the works. Sarah had apparently done theater.

When both performances finished, the watching crowd was laughing and applauding.

Morrison conferred with the judges. "This is close. But based on sheer entertainment value and creativity... International Business wins!"

Noel’s team erupted in cheers.

"Final score," Morrison announced. "International Business, twenty-five. Business Studies, twenty-two. Congratulations!"

"We were robbed," Emily said.

"They sang," George said. "We didn’t stand a chance."

Luca walked over to Noel. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Noel was trying not to look too smug. Failing.

"You’re very proud of yourself."

"We earned it."

"You earned pizza and bragging rights."

"I’ll take both."

Morrison ordered pizza for everyone—winners and losers alike.

They spread out across the quad, students mixing between departments now, the competition forgotten in favor of food.

"Everyone order whatever you want," Emily announced loudly. "It’s on Luca. He’s rich and a good mentor."

"I didn’t agree to this," Luca protested.

"Too late. You’re the rich friend now. Embrace it."

The freshmen looked delighted, immediately ordering extra toppings and sides.

"I hate you," Luca told Emily.

"Love you too."

After pizza, they handed out the printed notes. Luca’s freshmen were genuinely touched.

"You printed all your notes for us?" one girl asked.

"The useful ones. Color-coded by semester. Don’t lose them."

"This is amazing. Thank you."

"Just pass it forward when you’re seniors."

George was doing the same, handing out his bound copies. One of his freshmen flipped through it, amazed.

"These are so organized."

"I had a lot of time to procrastinate."

Across the quad, someone from Noel’s department approached George.

Tall, glasses, carrying her own stack of notes—one of Sarah’s teammates.

"Hey," she said. "You’re George, right?"

"Yeah?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Your case study solution earlier was really smart. The cost restructuring part."

"Oh. Thanks."

"I’m Rachel. International Business."

"Nice to meet you."

They talked for a few minutes—about the competition, classes, where they were headed after graduation.

Rachel laughed at something George said, touched his arm lightly.

Emily appeared beside Luca. "Is that girl flirting with George?"

"Looks like it."

"Finally. Someone with taste."

George noticed them watching, his ears turning red.

Rachel said something else, he nodded, and she walked away smiling.

"What was that?" Emily asked when he returned.

"Nothing."

"That wasn’t nothing. She was definitely into you."

"We were just talking."

"She touched your arm."

"So?"

"So that’s flirting, George."

"It’s friendly."

"It’s interested."

He looked flustered. "Can we not do this right now?"

"We’re absolutely doing this right now."

Luca left them to their argument, found Noel packing up his own note copies.

"Good day?" he asked.

"We won. So yes." Noel straightened. "Your students seemed happy with the notes."

"They’re good kids. Yours?"

"Same. Less terrified than Monday."

"Character growth."

"Something like that."

The quad was clearing out now, students heading to their next orientation events or back to dorms.

The senior mentors gathered their things, tired but satisfied.

"That was fun," Sarah said. "Ridiculous, but fun."

"Agreed," Maya added. "We should’ve lost the talent show though. You guys actually rehearsed."

"Competitive advantage," James said.

They dispersed gradually. George left with Emily, still being teased about Rachel. Sarah and Kenji headed back to campus housing.

Luca and Noel walked home together, the afternoon sun warm on their faces.

"Are you nervous about bout graduation?"Luca asked.

"A little. You?"

"Yeah. But good nervous."

Noel’s hand found his, fingers lacing together naturally.

"We did good this week," he said. "Helping them."

"Think they’ll be okay?"

"Eventually. Same as we were."

They climbed the stairs to their apartment, let themselves in, collapsed immediately on the couch.

Tomorrow was Friday. Last day before graduation.

But tonight was just this—rest, relief, the comfortable silence of coming home together.

And that was more than enough.