A Provocation and an Unexpected Intervention

“How did you know?”

As soon as the words left Liu Yu’s mouth, she realized their futility. Anyone with sight, upon glimpsing her face, would almost invariably associate her with Vanguard; the only exception would be the blind.

“Never mind how I knew. If you wish to continue your quiet existence at school and in Dongchuan, you must resolve this matter without delay. Otherwise… I will post your pictures on the campus forum.”

“When did you take those pictures without my knowledge!?”

Liu Yu seized upon another crucial point in Villy’s statement.

“Hmph, ‘sneaky pictures’? Don’t make it sound so illicit. I took them quite openly.” With a flourish, she produced the photos and waved them before Liu Yu’s eyes.

The sight of the meticulously dressed gray-haired girl in the photograph made Liu Yu’s face flush; viewing herself from another perspective always evoked a peculiar sensation.

“Hey, hey, hey, stop spacing out, you little airhead! Come up with a plan, quick!”

“I can’t think of anything.”

Liu Yu’s utterly predictable response elicited no surprise from Villy. In fact, if Liu Yu were ever to exhibit a sudden burst of common sense, Villy would be more inclined to believe she had been swapped out for someone else.

Villy sighed, then spoke through gritted teeth, “Can’t you simply go over there now and demonstrate your true abilities to that senior, proving that the previous result was nothing more than a data anomaly?”

She truly couldn’t fathom how Villy managed to utter such a lengthy statement in one breath without seeming winded.

Having grasped Villy’s intent, Liu Yu marched back to the bewildered Hoshino and delivered a resounding pat on his shoulder.

“This student…”

Hoshino’s voice was exceptionally gentle, his tone as if he were tending to a precious, fragile artifact.

‘Ugh, how disgusting.’

A shiver ran down Liu Yu’s spine, and she swiftly interrupted him. “There was a data error just now. I need to retest.”

Under Hoshino’s expectant gaze, Liu Yu then performed an exaggerated, almost comical groin stretch.

“This is my true level.”

The young girl’s words, imbued with profound pride, utterly extinguished the hope in Hoshino’s heart.

‘Was it truly just a system error?’

A profound weariness, unbidden, washed over Hoshino as he stared at the prominent ‘0’ on the light screen. The abrupt descent from such a peak of excitement to this trough of disappointment was truly disorienting.

He had briefly entertained the thought that she might be feigning weakness, but Liu Yu’s erratic display of strength, oscillating between powerful bursts and feeble attempts, quickly dispelled that idea. Such inconsistency was, after all, a common malady among those newly initiated in the use of armaments.

Hoshino carefully began, “Student, for a freshman, you’re already doing quite well…”

His response was Liu Yu’s vibrant voice: “Indeed, indeed, I’m already quite good!”

Hoshino found himself momentarily speechless, his nascent attempts at consolation dissolving into thin air. Indeed, a person who could exude such cheerfulness even after scoring a zero clearly had no need for comfort.

“Oh, look, if it isn’t President Hoshino, hiding away here?”

Suddenly, an unfriendly voice interjected.

Liu Yu’s gaze followed the voice, settling on a black-haired young man with a close-cropped cut, making his way towards them. Towering at approximately 1.8 meters and boasting prominent muscles, he exuded an aura that immediately suggested he was not one to be trifled with.

“Uh… your friend?”

“This is the second-in-command of my club. His name is Xiang Wu, and he’s a senior from the combat department, one year ahead of me.”

“What’s a club…?”

Liu Yu’s innocent gaze, so guileless it couldn’t possibly be feigned, rendered him utterly speechless. Could there truly be individuals in this modern era who lived in such deep seclusion that they remained ignorant of the world’s ways?

Hoshino was on the verge of enlightening this ‘junior’ — who, to his mind, seemed to have been born into the wrong gender — about basic common sense, when the deliberately heavy footsteps approaching them extinguished his desire to speak.

Xiang Wu, a head taller than both of them, continuously scrutinized the pair, his gaze finally settling on Liu Yu.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. No wonder I couldn’t find you after all that searching; you were tucked away here, meeting your little paramour. It hasn’t even been long since the former president graduated, and you’ve already secured a new romantic interest. It appears the ‘assistant’ position was merely a convenient cover for your clandestine meetings.”

The instant those words were uttered, Liu Yu felt a multitude of gazes converge upon them, a torrent of envy, surprise, indignation, and even outright jealousy and hatred. Had Villy not stepped forward to shield her, Liu Yu would have wished for the ground to swallow her whole.

‘However…’

‘Villy is trembling quite violently, isn’t she? Is it really that terrifying?’

To ensure her friend remained a steadfast shield, Liu Yu cheerfully pressed against the black-haired girl’s back, took hold of one of her hands, and remarked with feigned nonchalance:

“Oh dear, could it be that Miss Villy is actually socially anxious? How surprising.”

The deliberately lowered, soft murmur breathed against her ear, causing Villy’s legs to momentarily buckle, almost sending her stumbling.

‘That damned little siren, always up to no good, just seducing humans.’

With a disgruntled huff, she squeezed the small hand she held. Only when a yelp of pain drifted from behind her did she, with a satisfied air, redirect her attention to the escalating conflict between the two seniors.

Compared to Xiang Wu’s sarcastic remarks, Hoshino’s response seemed utterly devoid of aggression.

“Please don’t speak nonsense, Senior Xiang Wu. This student and I are merely ordinary classmates, and my relationship with Senior Liu Ling is also completely innocent.”

Since Hoshino had assumed the mantle of the new club president, Xiang Wu’s attitude had become increasingly belligerent, his provocations growing more frequent.

While he could comprehend the frustration born from a failed rivalry, it offered no justification for Xiang Wu’s incessant rumor-mongering and deliberate instigation of trouble.

With this thought, Hoshino raised his voice:

“Senior Xiang Wu, it is currently class time. Please do not disturb our training.”

“Training? More like practicing until you find yourselves in bed. I wonder if that little girl’s delicate frame could possibly withstand you.”

“Xiang Wu!”

Hoshino roared, a blue aura emanating from his body.

He had personally experienced the destructive power of rumors, and if he didn’t clarify things here and now, the gossip about him and Liu Ling would spread throughout all student grades by tomorrow.

“What, are you resorting to violence simply because I struck a nerve? Still, a combat student should embody their discipline… rather than wasting time with petty insults, why don’t we settle this with a direct spar?”

A similar luminescence flared around Xiang Wu, and the smile playing on his lips twisted into a fervent, almost maniacal battlelust. It was then that the assembled students realized this entire confrontation had been a calculated provocation.

The battle was on the verge of erupting.

Under the collective gaze of the assembled cadets, Xiang Wu initiated the attack. He closed the distance of several meters in a single, explosive stride, and with a faint, guttural roar of displaced air, he unleashed a punch aimed directly at Hoshino’s head.

“If your sole intention in provoking me was to force a fight, then you’ve succeeded.”

Hoshino seized Xiang Wu’s fist. His face, which by all rights should have been contorted in fury, remained remarkably serene. Channeling the augmented strength granted by his activated armament, he astonishingly lifted Xiang Wu upside down, in blatant defiance of gravity.

Their eyes met, and Hoshino enunciated each word distinctly: “If you stop now, I can still pretend this never happened.”

Xiang Wu bared his teeth, swinging his free hand fiercely towards Hoshino.

“Bang!”

Predictably, it was blocked once more.

Blows were exchanged in rapid succession, the brief skirmish culminating in Hoshino forcefully flinging Xiang Wu across the floor.

“Well, I’ll be damned. I didn’t expect a sissy like you to have some actual strength. It seems I underestimated you, but…”

Xiang Wu straightened himself, and with nothing more than a preparatory bounce, the diamond-hard floor beneath him visibly buckled, unable to withstand the sudden impact.

“You don’t actually think you can defeat me, do you?”

Hoshino offered no verbal retort, but his tightly clenched fists spoke volumes, betraying the turmoil beneath his outwardly calm demeanor.

“Should we stop them?”

“Are you going in?”

“I can have Shadow obscure my face, and that big oaf is just too annoying.”

Villy nodded in agreement with Liu Yu’s assessment. While Xiang Wu’s vulgar taunts might merely be a calculated ploy to enrage Hoshino, Liu Yu, as the unwitting epicenter of this brewing storm, would inevitably suffer the fallout of this inexplicable, unearned calamity.

For once, Villy found herself in complete accord with Liu Yu regarding physical discipline: “Once you’re disguised, go up there and give him a thorough beating. Just remember to control your strength—don’t actually kill him.”

“Alright, understood.”

With her commander’s tacit approval, Liu Yu subtly detached herself from the throng.

The ongoing battle, which had successfully captivated the attention of most onlookers, allowed her to easily locate a tall cabinet. She swiftly ducked behind it, then commanded [Shadow] to construct her disguise.

A familiar shroud of blackness enveloped Liu Yu, gradually coalescing into a dark cloak that concealed two-thirds of her face, leaving only her cherry-red lips visible.

While the clothes she wore beneath remained partially visible, they too became indistinct under [Shadow]’s influence, their specific design obscured from view.

Her disguise complete, Liu Yu watched the two clashing figures in the arena with a burgeoning excitement, keenly searching for a dramatic opportunity to insert herself into the fray.

She did not have to wait long for that moment.

Amidst the collective gasp of her classmates, she launched herself upwards, soaring to the very ceiling of the training room. Then, with an astonishing descent, she plunged between the two men just as they were about to clash, her voice ringing out in a sharp command:

“That’s enough!”

Incidentally, she delivered a punch to each of them—one light, one heavy.

Hoshino, having received the lighter blow, merely staggered back a few meters. Xiang Wu, however, who bore the full force of the heavy punch, was sent sprawling across the floor, tumbling like a ragdoll for several dizzying rotations.

“Who are you?”

“You… bas-tard-tard-tard!”