Hybrid

Seeing everyone’s stunned faces, Luna wasn’t sure if she had said something wrong.
She scratched her head sheepishly.

“Um… sorry, does that mean I didn’t finish the problem?”

At that moment, Gru smiled and spoke up.

“As for the magic-guided alloy… since the power zone is rectangular, I calculated the perimeter to be roughly forty-eight point eight meters. At zero point five kilograms per meter, the total needed is…”

Luna blinked, then tilted her head.

“Twenty-four point four kilograms?”

“Exactly.”

Gru nodded with a grin.

The other students exchanged glances, then stared at Luna with strange, almost reverent expressions.

No one had expected this sudden little bean to be so brilliant.

After a long pause, the teacher finally snapped out of his daze and said excitedly,

“Excellent work, Student Luna! Everyone, learn from her approach! When facing complicated problems, simplify first—remove unnecessary factors and focus on the core!”

After class, Gru packed his bag and hurried to Luna’s side with a smile.

“Luna, let me walk you home. Lady Vivian and Lady Lucia must be waiting.”

“Okay, Big Brother Gru!”

Luna happily grabbed his hand and skipped alongside him, still chattering about the problem.

“There’s actually another way to solve that question! I’m gonna tell Mommy when I get home!”

“Sure thing.”

Just as they reached the academy gates, a boy in rather fancy clothes suddenly blocked their path.

He looked about seven or eight, with pale skin and a pair of small shadow-demon wings on his back—Simp, born to an old aristocratic shadow-demon family.

“What do you know? All you did was solve a couple of problems, and with completely unorthodox demon methods at that! Total heresy!”

Luna’s smile vanished instantly.
Her tiny brows knitted together.
She ignored him and tried to walk around while holding Gru’s hand.

“Don’t you dare leave!”

Seeing them ignore him, Simp planted himself firmly in their way and shouted,

“You’re just a freak! Your weird calculations don’t belong in this academy!”

Those words were truly vicious.

Gru’s face darkened.
He stepped in front of Luna protectively and glared at Simp.

“Watch your mouth! Luna’s method is fast, accurate, and simple—way better than your so-called orthodox way! The academy has always said everyone is equal regardless of birth or bloodline!”

“Equal?” Simp sneered as if he’d heard the world’s funniest joke. “And you actually believe that?”

Luna had never heard such things before.
Her little face fell, eyes glistening with unshed tears, yet she stubbornly held them back.

She tugged at Gru’s sleeve and whispered,

“Big Brother Gru, let’s just go. Don’t argue with him.”

Simp, seeing no rebuttal, grew even smugger.
He huffed, turned, turned on his heel, and ran off, shouting over his shoulder,

“Freak! Heresy!”

Watching Simp’s retreating back, Gru didn’t care about the insults directed at himself—he only felt bad for Luna.

He crouched down and looked at her gently.

“Luna, don’t listen to his nonsense. He’s just jealous because you’re smarter than him.”

Luna sniffled, forced a smile, and said sensibly,

“I’m okay, Big Brother Gru. I’m not sad. Let’s hurry home so Mommy and Mama don’t worry.”

Gru knew she was pretending to be strong, but could only sigh helplessly, take her hand, and quicken their pace home.

Once they reached the residence, Gru handed Luna to Vivian and Lucia, briefly praising how brilliantly she had performed in class while conveniently omitting Simp’s provocation.

After Gru left, Luna looked up at Vivian and Lucia.

The emotions she had been holding back finally broke.

Her eyes reddened, and she threw herself into Vivian’s arms.

“Mommy…”

“What’s wrong, baby?”

Vivian hurriedly hugged her, feeling her daughter’s small body trembling slightly.

She suddenly wondered if sending Luna to the academy had been a mistake.

Although they hadn’t spent much time together, over the past year Vivian had taught Luna basic arithmetic and literacy herself—and the child was frighteningly clever, mastering everything after a single explanation.

That was precisely why Vivian had decided the academy would be good for her.

Lucia came over too, gently stroking Luna’s hair.

“Did someone bully you at school?”

Luna nodded, voice choked.

“Someone said I’m a freak… that the arithmetic Mommy taught me isn’t orthodox, that it’s heresy…”

Lucia’s face turned ice-cold in an instant.

The light wings on her back even flared slightly in anger.

“Who said that?! That’s outrageous! Bullying our Luna—I’m going to find his parents right now and make them apologize!”

She started toward the door.

“Wait!”

Vivian helplessly grabbed her wrist and shot Luna a meaningful glance.

Lucia turned, confused, and sure enough saw Luna anxiously clutching the hem of her dress.

“Mama Lucia, don’t go!”

“Why not, Luna? Aren’t you angry?”

Lucia asked, puzzled.

Luna shook her head, tears brimming.

“I’m not blaming him… I just don’t understand… Is my method really heresy? Is everything Mommy taught me wrong?”

That was why she hadn’t named Simp.

Vivian seemed to understand the child’s little heart.
She hugged her gently.

“Silly treasure, remember what Mommy tells you before bed? Knowledge has no orthodox or unorthodox—only effective and ineffective.”

She picked up some wooden blocks from the table to demonstrate.

“For example, transporting goods. That boy probably thinks wagons are the orthodox way because that’s what he’s always used.”

“But our magic-guided vehicles are faster and save more effort. Does that make them heresy? Of course not. Whatever gets the job done better and faster is the good method.”

Lucia caught on immediately and sat beside Luna, deliberately fluttering her radiant wings for show.

“Exactly, baby! Being special doesn’t make you a freak—it makes you one of a kind! Just like Mama’s light wings and Mommy Vivian’s evernight mana. When those two powers came together, they created the amazing Luna—a gift no one else has!”

The gentle holy light from Lucia’s wings bathed Luna’s little face in warmth.

Seeing her daughter finally calm down, Vivian let out a quiet breath of relief and reached for her teacup.

Luna stared at the beautiful light wings, then suddenly thought of the evernight mana in Vivian’s palm, and proudly declared,

“I get it now! I’m not a freak—I’m light-dark hybrid powered!”

“Pfft—”

Vivian nearly sprayed the flower tea she had just sipped.

She looked at her daughter, torn between laughter and tears.

“That analogy… is unexpectedly perfect! Our Luna really is a little genius—even your descriptions are creative.”

Lucia couldn’t help laughing too.

“Exactly! Light-dark hybrid power is way stronger than pure light or pure darkness!”

The family of three laughed and chatted through dinner.

Vivian told Luna a bedtime story, watched her fall asleep hugging her little magic bunny, then quietly left the room with Lucia.

“You’ve already worked so hard, and Evernight is getting better every day—how can there still be people clinging to those outdated ideas?”

Thinking about what happened, Lucia was still a little indignant.