Mr. Xu had just stepped into the classroom when the previously noisy chatter abruptly ceased, as if an invisible barrier had instantly sealed off all sound.
He walked steadily toward the podium and lightly tapped the desktop with his knuckles, his voice calm and clear: “Everyone, quiet down.”
His gaze then settled on Xia Ji standing by the door, and his tone softened a bit.
“Xia Ji, please return to your seat first.”
Xia Ji kept her head down the whole time, quickly crossing the aisle to the corner that belonged to her—the last row by the window.
Since entering high school, her seat had always been isolated in that corner, and Mr. Xu had never arranged anyone to sit with her.
“Today, we have a new student joining our class,” Mr. Xu said as he turned to look toward Chu You, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
“Chu You, come up and greet everyone.”
Accompanied by sparse applause, over forty pairs of eyes, woven with curiosity and anticipation, collectively turned toward the classroom door.
Chu You’s expression remained calm as she confidently strode up to the podium.
Even under the gaze of dozens, she showed no sign of nervousness and smiled brightly. “Hello, everyone. My name is Chu You. I’m very happy to be part of Class 9. I hope we can all get along well!”
The moment her words ended, the previously scattered applause completely faded away, replaced by faint, deliberately suppressed gasps.
After a brief self-introduction, Chu You quietly stood on the podium, the lazy sunlight perfectly outlining her graceful figure—the tightly fitted JK uniform accentuating her increasingly fair skin; beneath the skirt swayed a pair of slender legs wrapped in pure white over-the-knee socks.
“Tsk…”
A low sigh slipped unconsciously from a boy in the back row, only to be elbowed sharply by the person next to him.
“She’s really bold in how she dresses…”
The hushed whispers spread through the classroom like a tide—eyes filled with awe, curiosity, and a subtle, hard-to-describe scrutiny.
Mr. Xu cleared his throat lightly, cutting through the commotion below.
His gaze swept across the classroom before finally resting steadily on the last row, beyond all the expectant or empty seats up front.
“Chu You,” he said calmly, as if unaware of any subtle atmosphere, pointing toward that corner.
“Your seat is over there, with Xia Ji.”
The whole class was stunned by his words, even Xia Ji, who had kept her head down, suddenly lifted it, eyes full of disbelief.
Chu You raised an eyebrow, her gaze passing through the entire classroom, briefly locking with Xia Ji’s startled eyes.
Xia Ji looked uneasy, accustomed to her solitary quietness—or rather, numbed by the day-after-day loneliness.
This sudden arrangement by Mr. Xu left her feeling at a loss.
“Alright, teacher.”
Chu You’s expression was unchanged; if anything, her smile deepened slightly.
She obediently responded, then, in a complex silence, took steady steps toward the back of the classroom.
Under the silent watch of the entire class, she approached the island that had always been forgotten—named Xia Ji.
As Chu You drew near, Xia Ji instinctively shrank further into the shadowed corner, visibly unsettled.
Years of solitude had long accustomed her to being forgotten in that corner, so Mr. Xu’s sudden decision left her feeling awkward.
In Xia Ji’s heart, someone as radiant as Chu You shouldn’t be rotting away in this dark, damp corner with her.
“Sorry, all the other seats are taken. The head teacher arranged it this way…”
As soon as Chu You sat down, Xia Ji hurriedly started explaining.
“After class, I’ll talk to the head teacher to see if you can move up front.”
Hearing this, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed Chu You’s face; her voice even trembled slightly.
“Isn’t this… repaying kindness with ingratitude?”
“Huh?”
Xia Ji turned her head, eyes full of confusion and disbelief.
The spot here has great feng shui—you can nap if you want, play on your phone, and the teacher rarely calls on you during class.
Xia Ji simply couldn’t imagine wanting her to leave.
Ab-so-lute-ly not possible!
As long as her covert investigation mission wasn’t over, her seat had to be welded to this corner.
“I think this spot is fine. It’s quiet.”
Chu You lowered her voice slightly, with an air of natural warmth.
Not only did she show no hint of disdain for the seat, but she quickly stacked the newly received textbooks at the desk’s edge and turned her face, giving Xia Ji, still tense, a reassuring smile.
“Besides, aren’t we friends now? Friends sit together and look out for each other—that’s only natural, right?”
At the word “friends,” Xia Ji’s fingertips curled slightly.
A strange warmth rose in her chest but was quickly drowned by deeper worries.
After hesitating, she finally spoke up, “But… because of me, you hit Chen Xinyu today… she definitely won’t let it go easily.”
Upon hearing this, Chu You raised an eyebrow.
“No big deal. Don’t worry.”
Even with the Oracle silent, she wasn’t in the least worried that a high schooler could pose any threat to her.
Back when she was still a Swordsman, she faced bandits playing RPGs with their bare hands, even high-level aberrations capable of tearing down buildings.
Although her strength was now lost, her countless life-or-death fights had honed her combat skills enough for most situations.
And if something truly insurmountable came up, she could always call Lin Mo!
That bastard might be hateful, but his strength was undeniably impressive—Apprentice, Bronze Sparrow, Silver Eagle, Golden Crow—the speed of Lin Mo’s promotions was even faster than hers.
To put it bluntly, even if all the Oracles in Binhai were stacked together, to Lin Mo they were just a source of experience.
“Are you not afraid she’ll retaliate?”
Xia Ji didn’t understand where Chu You’s confidence came from, still worried.
She didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her.
“Afraid of her?”
Chu You chuckled lightly, her tone casual.
“No way. Don’t worry.”
She really didn’t put much stock in someone who hadn’t even touched the threshold of [Ember].
“But…” Xia Ji’s voice dropped lower, laden with anxiety.
“Chen Xinyu… her boyfriend is Lu Ran from the Oracle class. I heard Lu Ran got a special invitation to join the Swordsman division back in first year.”
When Xia Ji mentioned Lu Ran’s name, a trace of fear she didn’t even notice herself crept into her voice.
It was the pressure brought by the genius repeatedly mythologized in school rumors.
Yet Chu You remained indifferent.
Genius?
Special recruitment invitation from the Swordsman division?
Hmph, so what?
Once someone awakens to a B-rank or higher Oracle, they’ll most likely get a special invitation from the local Swordsman division—Chu You knew the traditions inside and out.
Below [Ember] rank, she was confident she could take them on.
If that Lu Ran kid really came to back Chen Xinyu and was an [Ember]-rank Oracle…
Chu You lightly swiped her phone screen, the corners of her mouth tilting up slightly.
In the emergency contacts list was the glaring entry: [Bastard Lin Mo].
“No problem…” Chu You put away her phone, gently patting Xia Ji’s arm to reassure her, a light laugh escaping her lips. “Who doesn’t know how to call in favors?”
At this, Xia Ji seemed thoughtful.
She recalled how Lin Mo had come to school before claiming to be Chu You’s guardian, but didn’t act like an elder at all.
Suddenly, she asked, “So he was your boyfriend before? He’s an Oracle too?”
Lin Mo didn’t look like a student, and if he was an Oracle, he should be stronger than Lu Ran, right?
Xia Ji thought.
As for Chu You—The moment Xia Ji blurted this out, Chu You’s expression froze instantly, as if a huge red question mark hovered above her head.
゛(◎_◎;)？
“He… he’s not my boyfriend!”