"Diana? It seems you weren't in the mood to toy with your opponent," said a girl with obsidian hair that faded into golden tips. The elegant braid fell to her neck, framing features that commanded attention. Her modest bust was more than compensated by the dangerous curve of her hips, and her golden eyes tracked the approaching figure with keen interest.
Golden eyes focused intently on the approaching girl—a striking figure with pure white hair, or perhaps platinum would be more accurate.
Unlike her companion, this girl's expression remained glacially cold. Her proportions were perfectly balanced, leaning toward an hourglass shape that would fully develop into something lethal to the male psyche within a few years. Even now, her near D-cup figure was impossible to ignore. Violet eyes regarded the other girl with calculated calm.
"You're one to talk," was all she said, folding her arms as she turned to observe the ongoing battles between various students.
All students had been informed that after the next phase—scheduled for Friday—current team arrangements would dissolve. Every student would then be permitted to form their own five-person squad. This method ensured ideal team compositions for their third year, so naturally, students were pushing themselves to perform exceptionally. Outstanding performance meant being paired with competent teammates they'd be bound to for the next two years.
The importance of skilled teammates couldn't be overstated. With the right allies, even the most dire situations could be reversed. However, strict rules governed team formation: students classified as Elite Rank—those ranking 1st through 30th in the class hierarchy—couldn't be on the same team. This rule existed to ensure fairness, as a squad of Elite Rankers would undoubtedly dominate over others. To maintain equal opportunity, it was mandated that Elite Rank members form separate teams or join existing ones, provided no other Elite Rank student was already present.
"Well, she was too weak, and there was no fun in delaying the inevitable~" Lisa laughed with evident pride.
"Hi, damsels." Lisa turned to see a young man with blonde hair and golden eyes approaching, waving with a charming smile that had conquered countless hearts.
"Damian," Lisa acknowledged. Diana kept her attention fixed on the battling students, not sparing him a glance.
"The one and only," he replied with his trademark smirk.
"Oh please, save your charms, pretty boy. You know that won't work on me, right?" Lisa smiled knowingly. She wasn't about to swoon over him simply because he was devastatingly handsome. She herself commanded legions of admirers within her own class and throughout the academy. Being recognized as a high-class beauty had its advantages—namely, immunity to his usual methods.
"Tsk." He shook his head and shifted his attention to Diana, who stood with arms folded beneath her chest, systematically evaluating potential candidates for her forming team.
"If you want, I can suggest some members. I've already assembled my team," he offered with a smile.
She glanced at him briefly. "That won't be necessary."
"You do know there are no restrictions on where you recruit members, right?" Lisa interjected with a knowing grin.
Diana's eyes widened slightly before returning to their usual composure.
Of course—she understood the implication. She wasn't limited to their class alone. She could recruit from Emerald and Jasper classes as well, significantly broadening her options.
"I do," she replied curtly.
Just then, her gaze fell upon Lungris, who was systematically pummeling his opponent with a manic grin plastered across his face. The fight was completely one-sided. For a moment, she considered approaching him, then dismissed the thought with a shake of her head. He appeared easily manipulated—the type who could be turned against his own teammates by a cunning opponent. That vulnerability could prove catastrophic in battle. He was a definitive no.
"Hey, isn't that Mr. Mysterious?" Lisa's voice drew their attention to something rather... peculiar.
"Is that who I think it is?" Damian spoke with a deep frown, recognizing yet not recognizing the young man before them.
The person he knew had been... well, a nerd was the most accurate description. A weakling who'd been blatantly infatuated with Diana. Someone with blue eyes, sporting a distinctive hairstyle that actually suited him, oversized glasses that enhanced his scholarly appearance, and average height at best.
Damian had never liked that young man for one simple reason: Diana.
For as long as he could remember—even from their first month at the academy—the young man had made his obsession with Diana painfully obvious. He'd pursued her relentlessly despite the beatings she'd administered and the rejections she'd delivered. Eventually, Damian, who harbored his own interest in Diana, had grown irritated by the persistent presence around her. That irritation had been the true catalyst for the systematic bullying that followed.
The harassment had been so severe that the young man had gradually abandoned his obsession, eventually giving up completely. In fact, the torment had become so unbearable that he'd begun avoiding everyone from their class, transforming into an absolute loner.
Kaeden.
That had been the young man's name.
But something was fundamentally wrong with what he was seeing now. This wasn't the Kaeden he knew. Those red eyes, that confident bearing—where were his signature glasses? And why did he appear so much taller?
"Yeah... I think..." Lisa seemed uncertain now that she observed the dramatic changes more closely. "But why is he so... handsome? He actually looks better than you, Damian."
This time she wasn't trying to provoke him—she was simply stating her honest assessment. Kaeden had always possessed good looks, that much she couldn't deny. However, the perpetual gloom that surrounded him, combined with the dark circles from his obsessive research and those massive glasses, had obscured his natural appeal.
Damian's frown deepened at her words. This bitch, he cursed internally. He despised being compared to others, and his narcissistic nature demanded he believe himself the most attractive male in the academy—a delusion of the highest order.
There would always be someone more good looking.
Lost in their respective thoughts, both completely missed Diana's shocked expression—a crack in the perpetually indifferent and cold mask she always wore.
Did he just... ignore me?