Early in the morning, many students in the plaza slowed their pace, their gazes fixed on the center.
“Hey? Since when did our academy have such a pretty girl? Could she be a new student?”
“Yeah, I’ve been at the academy for two years, and I’ve never seen her before.”
“She shouldn’t be. I was on duty at this year’s freshman orientation, and if there had been a pretty underclassman, I would’ve noticed her by now.”
The two students nearest the center were whispering to each other, while everyone else around them murmured as well, commenting on the silver-haired girl they had never seen before.
The silver-haired girl didn’t look at them.
Her expression was blank, her gaze indifferent, and she walked with graceful steps, radiating an aloof aura that made people afraid to approach.
One male student seemed to muster up his courage, stepping forward to strike up a conversation, but a single cold glare from the silver-haired girl sent him retreating.
He gave an awkward smile and shuffled back, and when his companion beside him saw him return, he mocked:
“See, I knew you wouldn’t even dare say hello.”
“Bullshit, I just realized she looks a lot like Lady Sword Maiden, so I didn’t dare greet her. You know Lady Sword Maiden—”
“Here we go again, are you going to brag about fighting alongside Lady Sword Maiden again? You were only nine back then, keep on spinning it.”
“What do you mean spinning it? Lady Sword Maiden was battling the Demon Race on my family’s territory back then, and I was right there too. If that’s not fighting alongside her, what is?”
“Oh ho, then I could say I sealed the Demon God with Lady Sword Maiden too. As long as we’re in the same world, that counts as fighting together, right?”
“Is that the same thing?”
The two male students started snapping at each other, their voices piercingly loud in the quiet plaza, but everyone else paid them no attention, still watching the silver-haired girl crossing the square.
A cool morning breeze swept by, lifting a few strands of the silver-haired girl’s hair.
She raised a hand elegantly and tucked the stray locks behind her ear.
That motion made the students’ stares go rigid.
They were all curious just which noble young lady this silver-haired girl might be.
Stop looking, stop looking!
Dolores kept up her aloof facade on the surface, but inside she already felt like she couldn’t take it anymore.
Whose academy builds their dormitory outside the campus?
She only noticed today that the Elite Class students’ apartments were actually outside the Elite Campus, and every time she had to go to class on campus, she had to cross the plaza in front of the main gate, exposed to everyone’s gaze.
If she’d known this earlier, she should’ve waited until she got inside the campus to transform!
Dammit, all she’d thought about was how to dress herself up…
It’s too late to say that now.
Ever since she left the dormitory building, gazes from all directions had been on her like spotlights, prickling her and making her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
She felt like the protagonist on a stage, lit up wherever she went, with nowhere to hide.
On the road from the dormitory to the plaza, she’d run into about a dozen students in total, yet she could swear she felt dozens of gazes.
Clearly, they were all people upstairs leaning against their windows to watch.
Great, just great.
Now she understood how those school beauties felt.
A hundred percent turn-back rate—who gets it?
Is there nothing else for them to do this early in the morning?
It was one thing if ordinary people stared; she understood how eye-catching she looked in this form.
But some female students’ gazes were even more unsettling than the male students’—not like envy of her looks at all, but more like that female Sea King Feili, looking at her like prey, sending a chill crawling up her back.
Does Thorn Academy have that many lesbians?
Is that right?
Damn Orange Game, every female character wants to get with other girls, right?
She really wanted to sprint away and hide in some small, deserted corner.
Dolores lowered her hand and kept maintaining her graceful stride.
But she couldn’t ruin the cold persona she was playing.
High Queens of Flowers always walked slowly—there was no way they’d run without caring about their image.
Ahhh!
Can’t see, can’t see!
Dolores forced herself to ignore them, staring straight ahead.
Right now, the only thing in her eyes was the main gate of the Elite Campus.
Before long, Dolores finally entered the campus and arrived at the back entrance of the Training Ground.
This had to be the most agonizing stretch of road she’d ever walked in her life.
From start to finish, she was constantly under the students’ attention, and several students on the way tried to approach her, but she drove them off with her gaze alone.
Thankfully, no one mistook her for Yin Hui Jian Ji.
It seemed the disguise from her outfit was working decently well.
Dolores lowered her head to catch her breath, raised her hand to push the door, and planned to first find that follower who had drugged Feili and snatch the potion from him.
The moment she turned the doorknob, she caught sight of a pair of exquisite dark brown short boots, above which were legs clad in black stockings.
Huh?
Dolores’s gaze instinctively traveled up those beautiful legs.
The length and thickness… they seemed a bit familiar.
Who is it?
Her gaze continued upward, where a few strands of sea-blue hair hung over her chest.
Dolores realized something was wrong and jerked her head up.
After seeing the face of the person before her, she froze.
Aishalier?
Why is she here?
Inside the door, Aishalier was tying her hair into a high ponytail, her fingers still wrapped around the last strand.
She clearly hadn’t expected the door to be suddenly pushed open, and her movements paused for a moment.
The two locked eyes, and at that instant, time seemed to stand still.
Dolores quickly snapped back to her senses, forcing her expression under control, and prepared to keep up her persona—ignore Aishalier and walk right in.
But then she thought about it.
Aishalier was a proud Gong Nu, a true noble young lady.
There was no way she’d make way for her.
Fine, then she’d just obediently step aside.
Dolores was just about to move out of the way when she heard:
“Lady Sword Maiden?”
Aishalier’s hand tugging at the hair tie halted, her hair falling loose, and a hint of surprise appeared on her cold, aloof face.
Huh?
Dolores was stunned.
She’d just been thinking her disguise was great, and now she got slapped in the face?
What did Aishalier call her?
Lady Sword Maiden?
Wait, she suddenly remembered something.
Aishalier had trained with the Yin Hui Jian Ji when she was little.
Unlike others who had only seen Yin Hui Jian Ji in paintings and statues, she was definitely familiar with what she looked like.
Also, in the game’s character bio, it seemed to say that Aishalier deeply admired Yin Hui Jian Ji.
It’s over, it’s over.
What should I do now?
Just say she mistook her?
But what if she blocks her and won’t let her leave?
Dolores’s heart was racing, and she racked her brain for various responses, planning to first say “you’ve got the wrong person” to brush it off.
“Oh, I mistook you. Sorry.”
Aishalier spoke first.
Her gaze lingered on Dolores’s face for a long while, as if confirming something, then she resumed tying her hair, quickly finishing the high ponytail.
Dolores instinctively wanted to sidestep and make way, but Aishalier turned and walked deeper into the Training Ground instead.
She’s not going out?
Oh, right, I almost forgot.
Aishalier has a sparring match today.
Dolores watched Aishalier leave, but Aishalier stopped after a few steps, tilted her head to glance at her again.
Her eyes seemed a bit confused, but she quickly turned forward and continued on her way.
No way?
Has Aishalier set her sights on her?
Dolores watched her nervously, and only when Aishalier gradually faded into the distance did she let out a sigh of relief.
That was close.
She’d thought Aishalier was going to interrogate her with questions, but thankfully she left.
Alright, time to hurry and find that follower.
He should be making his move soon.
Dolores didn’t linger any longer.
She stepped over the threshold and hurried toward the restroom.