Chapter 388: Forty-eight, I won’t be worse than you! Hewinia!_2
So neither Tupac nor Hewinia had planned to get involved, which could not have been better.
With that, the preliminary selection for Chapters was decided upon rather quickly, even more smoothly than Phinis had imagined.
After that, they simply chatted casually.
Phinis asked Hewinia if she would join him on stage tonight for the opening ceremony of the festivity.
Hewinia replied with a forced chuckle, “I probably won’t be able to make it, I still haven’t finished my thesis that my ntor and Professor Arianna have assigned . If I can’t get it done, they probably won’t let go to the Second Academy, so tonight I can only stay in the dormitory to work on my paper.”
Phinis detected that this was Hewinia’s excuse for not wanting to participate, but did not call her out on it, and then asked Tupac, “What about you?”
“I don’t have anything else going on, so I’ll just accompany you to the opening ceremony,” Tupac replied lazily.
“Alright,” Phinis nodded and said, “Then after everything is over tonight, we’ll head back to the Second Academy first thing tomorrow morning to start preparing.”
Hewinia and Tupac both expressed their agreent.
Thus, this brief gathering also ca to an end. Just as they were about to break up the eting, Tupac suddenly rembered sothing, turned his head to Hewinia, and said, “Oh, right, Miss Hewinia. Do you know soone nad, nad… um, let think.”
Tupac struggled to rember for a mont, and then snapped his fingers.
“Oh, I think her na was Polly.”
Hewinia, who was just getting up, paused, “Polly?”
“Yes.”
Hewinia thought for a mont and said, “Last night, a freshman girl was poisoned to death, I think her na was that.”
Upon hearing that she had been poisoned to death, a flash of delight crossed Tupac’s eyes.
He looked quite pleased with himself and glanced at the expressionless Phinis, then spoke to the quite puzzled Hewinia, “That must be the person I was talking about. Miss Hewinia, this is a ga between Phinis and , and clearly, I won.”
“Is that so?” Hewinia asked with great interest, “Can you tell about it?”
“Now?” Tupac looked around and said with a smile, “This might not be the right place, Miss Hewinia. If you’re willing, I’d be happy to tell you in private, even tonight.”
Phinis gave Tupac a glance.
It was like he was flaunting his sche.
Hewinia, however, replied with a smile, “Is that so? Then I’ll probably have a chance soon, but I can’t make it tonight.”
Tupac wasn’t discouraged by the rejection, he simply shrugged, “Then I can only hope that opportunity will co soon.”
“Of course, we still have a long ti to spend together,” Hewinia said cunningly as she extended her hand to Tupac, “How about we shake hands as a start? To celebrate the founding of our Orchestra?”
Tupac and Phinis certainly would not refuse, even quite the contrary.
Although it was a rather superficial ceremony, it was still better than none.
“For the Lord’s wishes,” Phinis said with a smile, “and for us.”
“Yes.”
“For the Lord, and for us.”
After shaking hands, Hewinia was the first to leave.
Phinis then turned to Tupac, “I am going to see the head of the Three Colleges, are you coming with ?”
To be honest, Phinis was sowhat afraid that Tupac would continue to make a ss in the Three Colleges, so it was better to keep him close.
But to his surprise, Tupac stretched and yawned, saying, “Nah, I’m heading back to the Second Academy.”
Phinis was a little surprised, “Back to the Second Academy? Aren’t you supposed to stay with for the opening ceremony?”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Tupac said indolently, “Staying here is pointless now. The ga is over since the woman is dead, and Hewinia doesn’t wish to make an appointnt with , so I might as well go back earlier.”
Although Phinis was sowhat speechless about Tupac’s impulsive nature, him heading back early wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, keeping him from causing any more trouble.
So, he nodded, said nothing more, and got up to leave.
Tupac, however, watched Phinis walk away, a lazy smile gradually appearing on his face.
He opened his palm, revealing a crumpled note in the center of his hand.
Tupac savored the mory of Hewinia’s handshake earlier, the tickle of her fingertips against his palm, as he unfolded the note with a smile.
After reading the tiny words on it, Tupac chuckled, “She’s quite the enticing young lady,” then rolled up the note, placed it in the tabletop candleholder, and left humming a little tune.
The crumpled note was swiftly consud by the faint fla, then deford and blackened in the fire.
Ultimately, it turned to ash.
…
Hewinia wandered through the snow, quietly observing the academy.
Unlike seven days ago, completely imrsed in the festive atmosphere, today, although still at the tail end of the festival, the ambiance had completely changed.
Gone was the joy and relaxation, replaced only by tension and busyness.
Moreover, with deaths occurring one after another over several days, a lingering sense of crisis only added to the existing tension and busyness.
“Are you feeling tense?”
Bai Wei’s voice pulled Hewinia’s thoughts back from wherever they had drifted.
“Tense?”
“Yes,” Bai Wei said lightly, “You must know what your actions tonight an.”
“Does it an Golden Note will also die?”
“It ans that the hunter who has always been the one behind, suddenly finds themselves becoming the prey,” Bai Wei said, “At that point, fear and anger will rob them of their peace of mind.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Hewinia said.
“Yes, but it also ans that you can never go back to the past,” Bai Wei said with a smile, “If before there was a slight chance you could live out your life as Hewinia, then as soon as you act tonight, that possibility will no longer exist. They won’t rest until they have completely dug you out.”
“Are you advising to give up on tonight’s action?”
“Of course not,” Bai Wei waved a finger, “After all, I have been dismbered by God, so naturally, I have nothing to fear. I’m just giving you a reminder, when the waters are thoroughly muddied and everyone is forced into the fray, then the line between prey and hunter gets blurred. At that ti, what matters most is not strength, but… rationality. Only sufficient rationality and clarity will allow you to survive to the end, no matter what kind of events and surprises happen.”
The sudden reminder from Bai Wei left Hewinia sowhat surprised.
She didn’t quite understand why Bai Wei was suddenly talking about this.
Logically speaking, Bai Wei wouldn’t say sothing aningless at this ti… was he reminding her of sothing?
Uncontrollable events… what did that an?
Really, can you stop speaking in riddles?
Hewinia wanted to ask for clarification, but at that mont, she saw soone waiting for her in front of the dormitory door.
Daniel.
Hewinia’s brow furrowed slightly.
Was Bai Wei’s reminder about Daniel?
Hewinia walked towards Daniel without showing any reaction, and as Daniel saw Hewinia, he revealed that graceful smile again: “Miss Hevnia, I…”
Before he could finish, the dormitory door was pushed open with a “bang”.
Both turned their heads to see Orenna stumbling out, her clothes disheveled.
And upon seeing Hewinia, Orenna first paused, then her expression quickly beca excited.
“Hevnia!” she shouted at Hewinia, “I succeeded! I succeeded!”
Succeeded at what?
Hewinia didn’t quite catch on at first, then saw Orenna throw her blood-stained coat to the side.
Revealing the blood-stained,
Golden musical note on her flawless skin.
Hewinia’s pupils contracted slightly.
“I succeeded, I succeeded!”
Orenna’s excited eyes were also shimring with tears.
“I said it! I wouldn’t be worse than you! I wouldn’t be worse than you, Hevnia!”
In the middle of countless surprised stares, she hysterically spoke, as though venting all her grievances.
“I will defeat you fair and square! I will defeat you fair and square!”
Hewinia finally ca to realize.
The second Golden Seventh Note had appeared.
She was no longer unique.
The first unexpected developnt had occurred.
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