The Girls’ Academy Experience

‘What? You want me to impersonate a young lady? Then I’d have to say you’d better find someone more capable.’

The following morning, during breakfast, Mo Linyu informed Li Yue of the arrangements she had considered the previous night.

Upon hearing this, Li Yue naturally refused repeatedly and with great reluctance.

‘It’s already dreadful enough feeling like a woman; now I have to impersonate one of those pretentious young ladies? What kind of joke is this?’

‘Does someone like me, Li Yue, even possess such ability?’

‘A young lady, you say? I can’t do it, I simply don’t have the capacity!’

“Why don’t you go yourself?” Li Yue retorted.

“Because if I were to go, it wouldn’t be called ‘impersonating’.”

Mo Linyu, arms crossed, watched Li Yue devour her food and continued, “You are my personal bodyguard; shouldn’t you be helping with something like this?”

“What does this have to do with a personal bodyguard’s job?”

“Think about it: if I go myself, my identity might be exposed, which would bring about even more trouble.”

“No matter how skilled you are in combat, you’d still get a headache facing a never-ending stream of kidnappers, wouldn’t you?”

“Our city’s security isn’t that bad, is it?” Li Yue countered.

“Tianyuan City isn’t Gotham, after all.”

“Besides, I’m not asking you to impersonate her the entire time.”

“You just need to maintain the demeanor of a young lady and take a few photos with Alezno, so she can report back.”

“Afterward, we can take a stroll around campus and see if we can discover any souls from another world.”

Aside from this ‘Visitor Experience Day,’ it was not easy to enter the school under normal circumstances.

Although merely an experience day, it completely mirrored the daily routine of regular schooling, so teachers were present within the school.

However, most were likely just physical education teachers putting on a show.

‘Alright, if it’s just for photos, I suppose… it’s not entirely unacceptable.’

Mo Linyu successfully persuaded Li Yue, then called Alezno to confirm their meeting time.

Immediately afterward, Dong Lu drove the two of them to the subway station.

****

St. Mary’s Girls’ Academy was a private Catholic school.

Of course, the religious aspect had become quite faint; nowadays, it merely served as a place where the city’s aristocrats sent their daughters.

These pampered young ladies, who had no need to inherit family businesses, were sent here to receive an education befitting socialites, cultivating their refinement and aesthetic sense, expanding their social circles, and to some extent, ensuring their safety.

From Li Yue’s rather prejudiced perspective, this private girls’ school was probably just such a place.

Most of the female students here hailed from upper-class society, with parents who were wealthy merchants or powerful figures.

However, a portion of families who had barely managed to enter the middle class also sent their children here.

These parents harbored ambitions of connecting with the upper echelons through their daughters, hoping to achieve social mobility in this way…

Indeed, those who shared the same aspirations as Alezno’s parents were not few.

Naturally, the school wouldn’t shatter such beautiful dreams; after all, money was money, no matter whose pockets it came from.

The girls’ school was located in the city center.

It was, surprisingly, not too far from Tianyuan City First High School, where Mo Linyu and Li Yue attended.

“That red-walled church building, is that part of the girls’ school?”

Li Yue asked this, and Mo Linyu, who was also visiting for the first time, simply assented, “Yes, it appears so.”

The two had arrived at the school gates, where registration booths were set up.

Though it was an experience day, summer vacation was in full swing, so the campus seemed sparsely populated, with hardly any students in sight.

“The environment is truly lovely; even the landscaping resembles a garden.”

“With enough money, nothing is impossible.”

The elegant surroundings, the school buildings, and the exquisite uniforms were all products of immense financial investment.

Children from ordinary families could never afford the tuition here, which also highlighted the “great expectations” Alezno’s family held for her—though not as a daughter, but as a mere tool.

Mo Linyu asked, “Where is Alezno?”

The agreed meeting spot with Alezno was right at the main entrance of St. Mary’s Girls’ Academy, yet when the two arrived, they saw no sign of her.

As outsiders, Li Yue and Mo Linyu couldn’t enter directly without registering.

They had to complete the experience day procedures at the entrance to be admitted; as a long-standing girls’ school, it wasn’t a place just anyone could tour—especially not men.

However, there was no need to waste words at registration by having Li Yue pretend to be a young lady.

Mo Linyu could simply state their purpose, and Li Yue would follow as her personal bodyguard—even though her uniform hadn’t arrived yet, making her look nothing like a bodyguard.

“Look, she’s hiding over there.”

Li Yue pointed behind the shadow of a gatepost.

Alezno was standing behind the gate, cautiously peeking out, trembling slightly.

Hidden in the shadows, her figure appeared considerably more slender, so even after Li Yue pointed her out, Mo Linyu couldn’t quite make out her appearance for a moment.

‘Such a faint shadow of a person.’

Unexpectedly, Alezno wasn’t wearing her usual hooded sweatshirt today; instead, she was clad in the uniform of St. Mary’s Girls’ Academy.

It was a long dress that resembled a nun’s habit, still long-sleeved even in the peak of summer, appearing quite conservative yet stiflingly hot.

In terms of demeanor, however, it was certainly a vast improvement over her wild, tomboyish appearance when she was acting as a thief.

“Your school uniform looks incredibly hot.”

The mere thought of having to wear such an outfit for a photo with Alezno later made Li Yue feel drenched in sweat—though she was already perspiring profusely from the high temperatures.

Today’s temperature, living up to expectations, had soared to a scorching thirty-nine degrees Celsius.

“There’s a short-sleeved version too, but I don’t really like exposing my skin.”

It was then that Li Yue realized Alezno truly was the type to wear long sleeves and long pants even in the height of summer, despite having no tattoos or anything similar on her body.

“You’re really not bothered by the heat, are you?”

Mo Linyu had already completed the registration at the entrance, securing their eligibility for the experience day.

Though she hadn’t explicitly stated her identity, her aura was perfectly refined, so the consulting teacher at the gate didn’t ask many questions.

After simply filling out some information, they were allowed inside, clearly indicating that Mo Linyu was perceived as a potential student.

“Alezno, you said it’s an ‘experience day,’ but what exactly are we supposed to do?”

“Don’t call me Loli (TL Note: A nickname derived from ‘lolita,’ often implying youthfulness or cuteness, which Alezno finds embarrassing.), it’s mortifying!”

Alezno first retorted, then added, “We can walk around and tour the campus, but it’s too hot, so let’s quickly head into the main teaching building.”

No one objected to this.

The sun hung high in the sky, marking the hottest part of the day.

“Well then, let’s go get the uniforms to try on first.”

“The cafeteria also seems to be open for lunch today, but since there are no students attending classes, it won’t prepare too much food.”

“It’s just to offer a sample to those visiting for the experience day…”

“Is it free?”

“E-eating costs money; just use my student ID card,” Alezno stammered, appearing quite nervous.

She wasn’t particularly familiar with Li Yue and Mo Linyu, yet she inexplicably felt as though she had known them for a long time.

According to Gongliang Kuixi, during the two days she had lost her memory, she seemed to have spent time with them under a different personality and identity, even participating in a kidnapping and rescue.

Perhaps that was where this sense of familiarity originated.

‘Another me?’

‘It feels a bit detestable.’