---
Gab scratched his head in confusion and looked back, seeing a boy with long hair—and body almost thin, but not too thin.
Fiona, beside him, was confused as well and turned to look. Just then, she remembered something.
"This...?" she murmured.
It was the boy she met at the banquet—the one who had made a deep impression on her since that day when Gab defeated Tristan and helped her free her emotions, no longer needing to masking them.
She felt that a burden on her had been free and she had been much happier ever since. She smiled more often now, and Gab noticed. He even praised her for it.
The two of them stared at me as if I were a ghost. I took a deep breath, not wanting to cause a scene by talking to them.
Fiona, the daughter of the Empress of the Solitude Kingdom, held a great reputation. Combined with her beauty and exceptional talent as a mage, she was one of the academy's most popular students. Many boys had fallen for her.
Then there's Gab—a prodigy. He managed to land six hits on a senior during the examination. Most students could barely hit their senior opponents, if at all. No one messed with him. With his talent and extremely handsome face, calling him an angel in the future wasn't an exaggeration.
I looked back, confused as to why Gab and Fiona were staring at me like that. Not wanting to get involved, I gave off an unapproachable aura and glared at the two.
Gab's eye twitched when he saw me do that. Fiona, however, understood immediately.
"He doesn't want to attract attention," she whispered to Gab.
Gab just nodded and turned away as the teacher began to teach.
The teachers at this academy either teach Mana or Qi. Even though most students are either Mana Knights or Mages, the academy doesn't neglect cultivation. They still teach it, since cultivators also study here.
Looking at the teacher, I nearly fell asleep—it was just that boring. I didn't really need these lessons. I already knew most of it.
What I needed was cultivation techniques, and this academy had plenty of them.
Time passed, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. Everyone headed to the cafeteria, but I stayed in the room. I scratched my head in annoyance, realizing I'd forgotten something.
"I forgot to tell Ma'am Lyra where my room is," I muttered, looking at the key she had given me earlier on the way to class.
Irish, who hadn't left yet because she was still fixing and cleaning her desk, seemed to have heard me. She turned and looked at me.
Her beautiful face became unreadable.
How could this boy I haven't met know so much about me? she wondered, staring at the yellow aura above my head.
---
In the novel that never made it to writing…
She had been a child, walking with her servant. Coming from a noble family—a Duke's daughter—her status was high, so she always had someone watching over her in public.
She had always been energetic and curious, with a bright and charming smile.
One day, as she was about to go home, she saw a yellow book. It was dusty, but the cover and pages were clean. She took it home and read it with excitement.
The more she read, the more interested she became. She was still naive and didn't know it was a spell.
The spell revealed how much someone understood her, shown through colored auras:
Black: hate or bad intentions
Yellow: knows about her a bit either acquaintance and has no bad intentions
Blue: knows a lot and has good intentions
Mostly her friend or family have this
Pink: in love with her; could have good or bad intent (darker pink = desire)
Yellow:said it have the best understanding on her someone who knows her likes and dislike
The only one who ever had yellow was her mother. Over time, her mother's aura turned more yellower, which is why she loved her so much. Her mother was the reason she had a smile so bright and also charming...
---
We made eye contact, and I realized I messed up. First Gab and Fiona noticed me, and now Irish too.
I slapped myself out of frustration.
"What's wrong with this face…" I sighed helplessly.
Irish's expression flickered with surprise, then she giggled.
Her voice sounded like a bird chirping. I stared at her blankly and glanced at the key—Room 407.
"Want help finding your room?" she asked energetically, flashing a bright smile.
I blinked a few times.
Is this girl the sun or something? She's so bright and charming, I thought.
I nodded unenthusiastically.
She grabbed my hand and led me outside. Irish wasn't cautious—those with yellow auras meant no harm, and she trusted that.
My eye twitched as we walked outside. She was still quite popular. If this continued, rumors would spread. I pulled my hand back once we stepped outside.
"I'm kind of an introvert… can you go easy on me?" I said in a low voice.
Her eye twitched at my attitude and tone. She knew I was pretending, but she nodded with a smile anyway.
As we walked, she chatted and asked endless questions, her energy seemingly endless.
Before we reached my room, she showed me around—where the cafeteria was, where to find cultivation techniques, skills, and even spell archives.
After introducing everything, she paused and looked at me deeply.
It's still yellow, she thought. Does this boy really know that much about me? She sighed and just shrugged it off for now.
Finally, we reached the third floor and arrived at Room 407. I inserted the key—it worked.
The room was more spacious than my old one and had everything I needed: a uniform, bathroom, and more.
I smiled, then praised her. From what I remembered, she preferred praise over a simple "thank you."
Irish was surprised again and stared at me.
This guy really knows a lot about me. Is he a stalker? she wondered.