Ti trickled by as the reassessnts continued, the courtyard gradually shifting from tense anticipation to quiet murmurs and drifting conversations. A few more students had their placents altered—so demoted with grim expressions, others walking away with stunned smiles as they rose to higher ranks. Yet among all the shuffling and recalibration, only a handful were pulled from Class 1-A. Aside from Marcus and Cynthia, the top class remained largely unchanged—a silent testant to its elite status.
By the ti the sun hung high above, casting warm golden rays through the shifting clouds, a decision was made: the rest of the students were dismissed for lunch. No need to subject them all to hours of watching their peers rise or fall. So found benches beneath shady trees; others wandered off to hidden corners of the expansive courtyard to enjoy a mont of rest.
Marcus, Victoria, and Cynthia found themselves seated within one of the academy’s many pristine gazebos—a white wooden structure nestled beside a koi pond, the kind of place designed for quiet conversations and long afternoons. The gazebo’s fra was intertwined with flowering vines that fluttered in the wind.
They sat in a loose triangle—Marcus on the right, Victoria on the left, and Cynthia at the center, legs crossed and elbows lazily propped on the armrests.
Leon had stord off earlier, his pride—along with his uniform—drenched and disheveled from Cynthia’s explosive reassignnt. Though several drying spells existed, soone of his princely status would never settle for less than a fresh set of clothing. Naturally, Maria had followed, her steps asured and quiet. She hadn’t said a word before disappearing after him, but the tension that lingered in her wake spoke volus.
"So then..." Cynthia broke the silence with a grin tugging at the corners of her lips, her voice lilting with barely restrained curiosity. "How do you two know each other so well already?"
Her gaze shifted between them, a mischievous glint in her eyes that made Marcus imdiately wary.
Marcus blinked. "Uh..."
A simple question, yet it sent a ripple of awkward energy through the air.
They were both seated casually, and yet the atmosphere inside the gazebo seed to shift slightly—charged with sothing intangible. The koi splashed in the distance, as if eavesdropping on the awkwardness.
"We just happened to et randomly and hit it off quite well..." Marcus replied, a subtle twitch in his voice betraying his uncertainty.
What the hell is this?
His gaze shifted—not toward Victoria directly, but to the empty air in front of him. A faint shimr blinked into focus, only visible to him.
Victoria [Affection: Warm 12]
His eyes darted to Cynthia.
Cynthia [Affection: Friendly 5]
...
...
...
[New Objective: Reach 20 Affection Points]
Rewards:
-Emotion Scan Feature
-View Current Route Feature
Why would I ever need this?!
Before he could unravel the implications, Cynthia leaned back in her seat, tilting her head. Her grin widened.
"Sohow I don’t buy that," she said, amusent dancing in her voice. "No way you two could’ve gotten that close in just a few hours yesterday."
She squinted playfully at them.
Victoria laughed softly, lifting a few fingers to her lips. "It’s nothing much, I assure you. We just... happened to have a lot in common."
She said it with practiced ease, but Marcus noticed a flicker of hesitation behind her crimson eyes.
Cynthia didn’t miss it either.
"For soone who used to be known as the Ice Princess across pretty much everywhere, you’re actually quite sociable," Cynthia said with a sly look. "What gives?"
Victoria stiffened—barely, but it was there.
Crap. Guess I’ve been way too reckless lately...
Victoria thought
She forced a chuckle. "Well... I guess I decided to change a little?"
The laugh that followed was awkward, but Cynthia didn’t press—though her skeptical look didn’t fade either.
As the two girls continued chatting, their voices blending into a light-hearted exchange, Marcus sat like a statue, eyes locked on the translucent system screen floating in front of him.
"Emotion Scan Feature...?"
He muttered the words aloud without thinking.
Cynthia imdiately turned to him, brows raised. "Said sothing?"
Marcus flinched. "It’s nothing..." he replied quickly, eyes still glued to the system interface as if it might start glowing red and explode.
Victoria raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Doesn’t sound like nothing to ..."
Cynthia nodded in agreent, eyes narrowing in amusent. "Yeah... you’re being real shady right now. And you seem to be looking at Victoria for quite a while..."
A bead of sweat rolled down Marcus’s temple.
Guess I’m screwed.
Suddenly, the screen shimred again.
[System Intervention]
[Dating System Hints Activated]
[Accept?]
Marcus stared at the blinking notification.
You’ve got to be kidding .
Reviews
All reviews (0)