The Buzzing Classroom and the Bristling Lion

“For this lesson, we’ll be discussing Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law and Kirchhoff’s Current Law…”

It was physics class. While Chloe had never been an academic prodigy, these were fundamental concepts she was quite familiar with; a casual listen was all it took for them to quickly resurface in her memory. Consequently, she opted to lay her head on her desk and journey to dreamland.

Yet, a persistent mosquito buzzed incessantly in her ear.

“Little Chloe, your hair seems even more beautiful than before.”

“Mmm? How could that be? Your eyes must be playing tricks on you.” Chloe rested her head sideways on her arm, a cascade of soft, golden hair spreading across the desk like a waterfall.

Night Moon picked up a strand between her forefinger and thumb, rubbing it delicately. “Really, it’s become much more luminous. If before it was a rich gold, like pure gold, now it’s like sunlight veiled by a thin cloud, with a hint of platinum. My eyes are quite sharp, you know.”

“Right, right, you’re Magical Girl Night Moon, codenamed ‘Dog Nose, Dog Eyes’.” Chloe chuckled, her eyes curving into adorable crescent moons.

“It’s Wolf Fang!” Night Moon pouted. “And I’m telling you, while you were gone yesterday, I smelled a monster’s aura at school, and it’s very likely in our class! I can’t believe a monster managed to sneak in here… It seems my sister was right; we really are short on magical girls.” She unconsciously furrowed her brow, resting her chin in her hand with a look of troubled concern.

Night Moon seems so mature like this, even though she’s not much older than me, Chloe quietly observed her deskmate.

Night Moon always wore her hair in green pigtails that bounced with every turn of her head, and her sparkling green eyes constantly shone with light. This vibrant vitality was so pure it made Chloe feel like an old woman with one foot in the grave. If she truly were a magical girl, it wouldn’t be surprising; after all, that’s just the kind of person she is.

“Little Chloe is the mature one. You’re clearly adorable, yet you always wear such a serious expression—it’s a waste of your good looks.”

She then launched into an enthusiastic monologue about her personal views on magical girls, occasionally complaining about her unnamed sister. Chloe let it go in one ear and out the other. Night Moon’s melodious, lark-like voice was surprisingly conducive to sleep, and Chloe was almost drifting off in a drowsy haze.

“Chloe!”

Hearing her name, Chloe instantly rose from her half-asleep state.

“Answer this: when applying Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law, how do you determine the reference direction for voltage?”

“You can choose any direction; typically, the current direction is chosen as the positive direction.” Without needing much thought, Chloe blurted out the answer.

“Correct… Go to bed earlier tonight, so you’re not so sleepy tomorrow.” Seeing that Chloe could answer accurately, the teacher didn’t press the issue further, instead calling on another girl.

Night Moon gazed at Chloe with an expression of utter adoration. “How did Little Chloe know the answer? You were sleeping the whole time!”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Chloe mischievously played along. She wanted to go back to sleep, but being called upon had completely banished her drowsiness.

The other girl who was called upon couldn’t answer the teacher’s question and was made to stand for the entire class. Scattered snickers immediately rippled through the classroom.

“Who is that girl? I don’t seem to remember her,” Chloe asked Night Moon.

“Her name is Xiaolan. Her family’s circumstances don’t seem very good, and she’s usually even more introverted than you. It’s normal that you, who sleeps all day, wouldn’t remember her.”

What does she mean, ‘even more introverted than her’? I simply have a generation gap in psychological age and no interest in interacting with them. This girl named Xiaolan was probably bullied quite often. Chloe couldn’t see the girl’s expression, hidden by her hair, but she could see her hands clenched tightly, her knuckles white.

Even though Lily High was considered the best high school in the city, bullying still occurred, though perhaps in a somewhat gentler form.

Chloe sighed. Perhaps before, she might have felt indignation and wanted to intervene, but after what Tia had done to her, she vaguely sensed a subtle change within herself. In such situations, a fleeting sense of schadenfreude even flickered in her mind.

My mind must really be broken…

Chloe rubbed her forehead in annoyance. The more she thought, the more muddled she became, and she didn’t hear a single word for the rest of the class.

After the dismissal bell blared, Chloe stood up.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

After splashing water on her face, her damp little face was as adorable and tempting as a peach covered in raindrops, her golden hair curling and sticking to her temples.

Damn, I’m cute!

Chloe playfully stuck out her tongue. She couldn’t help but want to kiss herself. I wonder how Tia could have brought herself to do it. Just looking at her own face every day made her mood instantly brighten.

As she was about to return to the classroom, Chloe suddenly heard some commotion from the restroom. A girl from her class hurried out, and seeing Chloe curiously staring, she kindly warned, “Don’t go in! Miss Sera is giving someone a lecture!”

After the girl left, Chloe couldn’t quite suppress her curiosity.

Sera? Chloe had some impression of that name; she was the daughter of some wealthy merchant who would always heavily fund class activities to assert her presence. She often associated with a few other well-connected girls, forming a clique. A typical villainess bullying a poor, unfortunate girl. She just wondered who was unlucky enough to be chosen as the target.

Just a quick peek, no need to go inside.

Chloe stealthily approached the restroom, using the blind spot of the door, and peered through the crack, seeing several figures inside. Upon seeing the bullied girl, Chloe couldn’t help but be surprised, though it was also somewhat expected.

The girl being bullied was none other than Xiaolan, who had been made to stand during class earlier. She was now silently crouching by the restroom windowsill, surrounded by several girls with their hands on their hips. The most prominent among them was the so-called Miss Sera.

She also had golden hair, though it was a deeper shade than Chloe’s and curled into large waves. She wore a lavish dress adorned with various colored frills and patterns, looking exactly like the daughter of some ancient noble.

“Heh, why are you commoners so gloomy, always covering your face with your hair? Are you really that ugly? Hahaha!” Sera bent down, yanking Xiaolan’s hair upwards to reveal a face that was usually difficult to see. She was just a very ordinary-looking girl, but perhaps due to her family’s poor living conditions, her skin was rather rough and tanned.

“Just average. I thought she was some kind of monster.” Sera uninterestedly released her grip, and Xiaolan’s hair once again fell to cover her face.

“I, however, greatly admire you, Miss, for having the courage to flaunt yourself despite looking like a fat pig.”

Oh my goodness! This poor girl seems to have said something extraordinary. Chloe was momentarily stunned by her remark. She didn’t even need to imagine what would happen next. She worriedly covered her eyes with her hands, continuing to watch through the gaps between her fingers.

“You b*tch!” Sera instantly overheated with rage. Chloe could almost hear a “Warning! Warning!” sound.

She swung her heavy palm, and with a loud “Thwack,” it landed on Xiaolan’s face.

“Beat her up! You ungrateful wretch! I was kind enough to offer you money to be my follower, and you still dare to put on such a sour face! Don’t think I don’t know, your whole family works at my dad’s company. It seems you think your family’s wages are too high!” Sera cursed, tearing at Xiaolan’s hair.

The few followers around her exchanged glances upon hearing Sera’s command. They were all pampered young ladies; they certainly wouldn’t dare to hit someone on their own. However, they couldn’t afford to offend Sera. Her family’s businesses were vast, and offending her could potentially affect their own families. So, they also started to gang up on Xiaolan, with a punch here and a kick there.

“Little Chloe, what are you peeking at! Hiding at the entrance of the girls’ restroom like a pervert!” A sudden pat on her back made Chloe shiver. Seeing that it was Night Moon, she placed her index finger vertically over her lips.

“Shhh… There’s some serious trouble here.”

“What’s so mysterious?” Night Moon also leaned in to peek. Upon discovering it was a heinous school bullying incident, she immediately pulled the door open like a bristling lion.

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you guys doing! Let go of that girl!”

Chloe, standing frozen to the side, was stunned.