"Someone really messed with my body," Jake muttered as he stared at the ground. He pondered about the culprit, and he could think of one person who was capable of messing with someone's body, a certain scientist and someone he has thought of as his uncle. "Feng Lijie."
Feng Lijie was Feng Qiu'er's father and her killer. He was a genius scientist, and his talent was acknowledged by the Arcanline.
If that bastard could sacrifice his own daughter as the vessel of the Fox without being caught, he probably could mess with his body too.
"No, it's no use of thinking about it now. I shall hear the answer from my mother after I come back. For now, I will try to solve my own mess."
Jake stood up. He had had enough of hiding in this dark alley. With confidence, he walked toward the light.
Thanks for talking to his mom, Jake regained his confidence again. He believed he could solve the problem between his relationship with the girls.
Jake arrived at the dormitory and sneakily entered his room. After that, he shut himself inside.
---
The next morning, Reina arrived in the classroom early. She was the first one to come. She knew Jake always came early, so she deliberately arrived at this hour.
After yesterday, Reina couldn't contain her feelings. There was a little bit of guilt, but she mostly felt happy to get a boyfriend.
Jake Butler. Her boyfriend was a peculiar person with a unique motive. He claimed himself as a lazy person, but he helped others diligently. When people were usually busy to compete with others and focused on themselves, he made himself useful for other people.
Jake also wouldn't hesitate to throw himself in danger in order to save poeple. He had helped Misael when the latter was abducted by seniors. He had helped her and her friends from the giant snake.
Jake gave off the vibe of a capable man. When he was around, people felt safe. It was natural that she fell in love with him. Even though many people treated her like a walking destruction weapon, she was just a normal girl. She wanted a man who made her feel safe. She felt this sense of security when Jake was around, so she couldn't help but fall in love with him. Moreover, his face was really beautiful and handsome at the same time.
When Reina recalled his face in her mind, she became excited that she unconsciously kicked the table. The table launched like a trebuchet bullet and landed in front of the door.
As the table broke into pieces, Titan coincidentally stood in front of the class. One of the table's legs grazed his face and left a thin bleeding wound.
Titan's face paled, and he looked at Reina with teary eyes. "I—I am sorry for offending you." Tears almost flowed from his eyes, but he hid his face and ran away.
"Ah...." At the same time, Olympia Claymore arrived in the class from the other door. She witnessed everything and looked at Reina with a disappointed expression. "You shouldn't have done that to the poor boy. What did he do to you for you to bully him?"
"Wait, no! It was a misunderstanding!" Reina immediately stood up and chased Titan.
Luckily, she could catch up with him. After clearing the misunderstanding, they arrived into the class together. She, Titan, and Olympia chatted together.
Even though Reina enjoyed her time with her friends, half of her mind was occupied with Jake. She waited for him to show up. She wanted to see him badly. However, her boyfriend hadn't shown his nose, even though the others had arrived in the class.
Reina looked at his seat. Coincidentally, his friends were talking about him, so she eavesdropped on their conversation.
"Yo, Shorty. Where is our prince?" Warren asked Cody, but the latter ignored him. "Yo, don't pretend to not hear me."
"My name isn't Shorty, idiot," Cody said.
"Aw, come on. Don't be sensitive. Then, where is Jake?"
"How should I know? My room isn't even close to him."
Reina put on a disappointed expression because she didn't hear things she wanted to hear. As she pulled her gaze back, she was surprised when Misael stood beside her desk.
'Why is he looking at me? Don't tell me he wants to fight me?'
Misael fixed his glasses and threw a letter on the table. "I found this below Jake's room's door. It is addressed to the teacher."
"Ah, thanks." Reina suddenly remembered she was a vice president. That was the reason why Misael gave the letter to her. Still, she wondered what this letter was about, but it wasn't like she could open it, so she waited for the teacher to come.
A few moments later, Mr. Whitehound arrived into the class. She immediately gave the letter to him, letting him read it.
"Ah, Mr. Butler is asking permission to not attend the class for three days. It seems he is in the middle of learning a powerful spell. He also left a message to everyone. He said everyone has to learn their hardest in his absence. Now, we should honor his message and train hard."
Reina wore a sad expression as the news reached her ears. She desperately longed to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend's face.
During class, Reina found it impossible to focus. Her mind was consumed by thoughts of Jake, even the intimate moment they had shared in the restroom, causing her cheeks to flush.
Suddenly, a hearty slap on her back jolted her back to reality. She turned her attention to Olympia, her seatmate. The ginger-haired girl flashed a mischievous grin and teased, "What's got you so distracted, sweetie? Don't tell me it's Jake."
At the mention of Jake's name, Reina blushed, widening Olympia's eyes in disbelief. "No way. Is that really it?"
Reina was supposed to keep her relationship with Jake a secret, so she stayed silent, enduring her desk mate's teasing until break time arrived.
During the break, Reina informed her friends that she needed to use the restroom, but in reality, she had a different plan in mind. She wanted to meet up with Jake. She headed in the direction of the boys' dormitory, only to halt in her tracks when she spotted Marilyn standing there.
Reina offered a slight bow and greeted, "Hello, Princess."
Marilyn simply nodded and inquired, "Have you seen Jake?"
Reina shook her head and replied, "Jake requested to skip class today."
"I see... so what brings you here?" Marilyn asked.
Reina wanted to ask the same question. What was the princess doing here? She knew Marilyn was Jake's childhood friend, but she was his girlfriend. She believed she had more right to be by his side than anyone else.
Noticing Marilyn waiting for an answer, Reina shook her head and said, "I just wanted to make sure the class president is doing well," fabricating an excuse. Deep down, she secretly admitted to feeling envious of the princess. Marilyn seemed closer to Jake than she was.
"Hmm, I suppose Jake wouldn't appreciate it if we disturbed him. Shall we go have tea together?" Marilyn suggested.
Reina hesitated but ultimately followed as the princess gently tugged her arm. They reached the garden and settled at a table that had been set up for brunch.
Marilyn gracefully poured tea into Reina's cup before taking a sip from her own. After setting her cup down on the table, she asked, "How has the training been going?"
Reina replied, "It's been going well. Jake has been assisting us with our training."
"Jake has been helping you, hmm..." Marilyn removed her blindfold and fixed her golden gaze upon Reina, her smile never wavering. "Jake entrusted me with the training of class B. He relies on me."
Reina's brow furrowed upon hearing this. It felt as if the princess was intentionally trying to provoke her.
"In any case," Marilyn continued, "let's give it our all in the sparring match. Our opponents won't be a walk in the park."
Reina nodded resolutely. "I'll give it my all, for Jake."
"For Jake?" Marilyn raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
Quickly, Reina corrected herself, "And for our empire."
Marilyn gazed at Reina for a moment, then repositioned her blindfold over her eyes. "Ms. Rowe, as a daughter of the ducal family, do you understand why our empire possesses a smaller territory compared to other kingdoms? This academy, our empire, and this entire continent are all known as Beryl, yet our empire stands as the weakest. Do you know the reason?"
Reina shook her head slowly, prompting Marilyn to elaborate. "In the past, we stumbled upon a formidable dungeon. My mother and her colleagues took on the challenge, and they found themselves in a life-threatening situation. Since my mother was the strongest among them, she felt compelled to protect the others. In the end, they successfully conquered the dungeon, but my mother sustained severe injuries. While the dungeon's reward could heal her, it didn't make her stronger. However, her colleagues grew stronger and became renowned worldwide. This marked the beginning of the other kingdoms on this continent. The reason other academies are more powerful is because the rewards from that dungeon continue to benefit new awakeners to this day, while we have no such advantage."