Chapter 9 - Rose Predicament

_Thursday, February 14th YEAR 3225. 7:15AM_

It's been a day since the event of the main character in the novel happened, and the crowd's views of the so-called geniuses have changed. The commotion they caused alerted a teacher, who came to disperse the crowd, disciplining them not to disturb the academy's peace.

Also, Draco had been allocated his own quarters now, thanks to his high talent; he lives alone in his quarters.

Draco is doing push-ups and squats, completing today's daily quest, and he can see a fundamental improvement in his entire body.

"Ding!

[Daily quest completed]"

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Host: Draco Xandros

Race: Human

Level: (2)

EXP: 11/20

Job: Nil

Talent: Copy Ability

HP: 72

MP: 130

STR: 11

AGI: 12

INT: 14

DEX: 12

STA: 12

DEF: 11

Skill: Nil

Inventory: Nil

Stat Points: 3

Daily Quest: Do 20 Push-ups (20/20), 15 Planks (15/15)and 10 Squats (10/10)

Status: Accomplished

Reward: 5 EXP and 2 Stat points

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Knock! Knock!

"Draco, it's time for your first lecture in the academy," Rose's voice signified that his friend had arrived.

"Doesn't it remain more than 40 minutes before the lecture starts?" he said, arriving at the door with a face towel around his neck.

Opening the door, he saw it was only Rose. "Where are the boys?" he asked, peeking out to see if they were trying to surprise him.

"No need to stress yourself, I came alone," Rose said, entering the house with a moody face.

"What's wrong? Your voice sounds down!" He noticed her moody face and tried to find a way to comfort his friend.

As Rose looked at Draco, her cheeks suddenly turned red, and she tried to hide her face. She pushed Draco toward the bathroom. "Go and bathe, you stinky brat."

Dragged into the bathroom, Draco was confused by the sudden change of mood. He entered, smelled his body, and wondered where the stinky smell was coming from, but found nothing—only his wet gym shirt revealing his still-developing abs.

Shrugging his shoulder, he removed his clothes and enjoyed the cooling sensation of the water.

A few minutes passed, and with his towel wrapped around his body, he headed out, only to meet Rose going through his clothes, with one cloth close to her nose.

Rose, who heard a noise, looked back and saw Draco looking at her weirdly. Like a thief caught red-handed, her whole face turned bright red.

"Dra...co... when... did... you... arrive?" Her mind was in disarray, thinking of how to protect her dignity.

"Are you sniffing my clothes?" he asked in puzzlement, wondering why she would do so.

As she heard Draco's question, Rose threw the cloth she was holding at his face and ran like a startled cat.

Hit suddenly by his cloth and watching Rose run out as if he wanted to harm her, left him confused.

Shaking off the scene, he began to prepare for today's lecture, wearing the school clothes given to him.

"I'd better assign the remaining stat points."

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Host: Draco Xandros

Race: Human

Level: (2)

EXP: 11/20

Job: Nil

Talent: Copy Ability

HP: 72

MP: 130

STR: 12

AGI: 13

INT: 14

DEX: 12

STA: 12

DEF: 12

Skill: Nil

Inventory: Nil

Stat Points: 0

Daily Quest: Do 20 Push-ups (20/20), 15 Planks (15/15)and 10 Squats (10/10)

Status: Accomplished

Reward: 5 EXP and 2 Stat points

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Adding one stat to Strength, Agility, and Defense, he nodded, heading out to meet Rose, whose mind had already calmed down.

"So, what made your mood down? No need to keep it to yourself; I'm here for you." He walked closer to her, giving her a pat on the head.

Meanwhile, Rose blushed at his words and his attitude towards her. Taking a deep sigh, she knew Draco didn't have or hadn't recognized his feelings for her.

"It's about my family."

"Yes, I remember now. About your family—why did you keep it hidden from us? Are we that untrustworthy to you?" He looked at her with an inquisitive gaze.

"No, it's not that. I'll discuss it with you on the way. Otherwise, we'd be late to class, which isn't good for our reputation." Draco nodded, agreeing with her.

"Give me a sec!"

"Bubble, bubble!" He began to call for his brother, who slithered out from his room, climbing onto Draco's body and hissing about why its sleep was disturbed.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Am I going to lecture; will you follow or stay home?" Bubble put on a human-like expression, pondering Draco's question.

Hiss! Bubble got down from Draco's body, heading back to the room.

"Looks like it's not following us; let's head out."

"I never thought your relationship was so close, that you understood what it was saying," Rose said, surprised by the conversation between Draco and Bubble.

"Yeah." He locked his dorm; Draco's dormitory was the same as others, except he lived alone and had his own bathroom.

"So, can you explain why your family is the reason for your current mood?"

"It's my father, the head of the Everett Clan. He wants me to invite you to the family."

"Oh, why? I think I don't have any connection to your family." He was intrigued by why Rose's father wanted to invite him to a meeting at the clan's house.

"Dumbass, you've awakened an SS-Ranked Talent, rare to find and awaken. Don't you know your level of prestige now? I'm sure your name will circulate throughout Calonia."

Rose sometimes wondered if the life Draco lived in the slum made him instinctively oblivious to popularity and talent.

"So, am I that popular?" Draco pinched his nose, making Rose feel like giving him a knock on the head.

"But how does your father relate to your poor mood?" He asked, looking at Rose, whose mood was getting better.

"You don't know my father; he can sacrifice anything to achieve his goal," she said in a solemn tone, gazing at the rising sun.

"Is he that scary? Why do I think he looks like a demon to you?"

"Yes, he is."

"So, is this why you left home?" He asked his friend as the sight of the classroom came into view.

"No, it's because of my mother." When she said this, her face darkened, like a tiger seeking revenge.

Draco felt chills, knowing he shouldn't continue that conversation. "If you need a shoulder to rely on, I'm right here for you."

"Oh, then I won't bother myself when I need one," Rose giggled, holding his hand and running toward the classroom.

Meanwhile, as Draco saw her smile, he felt blissful, knowing everything was okay if she was alright.

Getting to the classroom, he saw it was no different from a normal school classroom, even the buildings were the same.

"Yo, Draco, Rose, over here!" As they entered the classroom, they heard Blum's voice at the back.

Rose disengaged her hand, leaving Draco to clasp his hands together, missing the feeling of her touch.

"Let's go sit," she said, and Draco nodded, following her to the left back of the class and taking his seat by the window.

"I smell something fishy in the air," Blum teased, making Rose blush while Draco's face remained expressionless.

"Ahem, let the class come to order. Anyone who defies will be punished," a seductive female voice commanded, prompting gasps of surprise and audible swallowing that confused Draco.

Looking up at the voice's owner, Draco was surprised; the person he saw had a different aura than he expected.