After dinner, Lin Mo nestled into a corner of the sofa, comfortably directing Chu You to get to work.
Washing dishes, clearing out the trash, tidying the room, making the bed… after all that hustle, the clock silently pointed to ten o’clock.
“Phew—”
Chu You practically collapsed into the corner of the sofa, letting out a long breath as if she had just finished a tough battle.
“Here.”
Lin Mo emerged from the room, casually tossing her a long, flat rectangular paper box.
“The Binhai Experimental High School uniform, your size.”
Chu You looked up at him, eyes filled with inquiry.
Lin Mo smirked slightly.
“Don’t overthink it. Your shoe size is even listed clearly in the Swordbearer Headquarters’ records.”
“Oh.”
Chu You responded softly, her attention returning to the box.
The sleek black box bore only a dark gold emblem of Binhai Experimental High School at its center.
She unwrapped the packaging to reveal a brand-new JK-style school uniform, folded neatly.
“This school’s sense of style… is this really so advanced?”
Chu You picked up a pair of pure white over-the-knee stockings from the box with two fingers, waving them in front of Lin Mo.
“JK I get, but with these too?”
Lin Mo nodded with a smile.
“A lot of schools do this now. Blue and white tracksuits are old news, Senior.”
Indeed, inside the box was the authentic Binhai Experimental High School uniform, and as for those white stockings… cough cough.
As a considerate junior, it was only right to think of Senior’s needs.
Though Chu You still had some reservations, she didn’t press further and instead asked the more pressing question: “I’m fine with undercover investigation, but you’re not seriously expecting me to sit obediently in a classroom every day like those kids, right?”
Lin Mo said nothing, only his smile grew even brighter.
Chu You’s heart sank.
Wearing that JK uniform and white stockings for undercover work was embarrassing enough.
Now she had to carry a schoolbag every day and actually go to class as a twenty-something “old lady”?
Her expression darkened instantly, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she spat out through clenched teeth, “Lin, Mo, don’t—go—too—far—…”
“Anyone who dares mess with Abnormal Being experiments is no saint.”
Lin Mo’s tone was calm.
“You don’t really think you can uncover the truth every other day, do you?”
Their ancestors were humans who couldn’t withstand the baptism when the Oracles descended, resulting in genetic collapse.
During the protracted war, that initial fragile yet ironic blood bond was long crushed into the dust of history.
In the past, no one had not tried “controllable Abnormals,” but every one of those people ended up the same—slain by the Swordbearers’ blades, turning to bones in the grave.
And yet, even now, someone still dares to defy the world and continue these experiments…
The anger in Chu You’s eyes quickly faded, her tone returning to calm.
“Understood. What’s the next step?”
Lin Mo raised a brow, as if conjuring it from thin air—a stack of heavy textbooks appeared in his palm.
“Just use your current false identity, Senior. I’ve adjusted your age to sixteen. You’ll be a transfer student in Class 9, Grade 2 at Binhai Experimental High School.”
“The good news is, the school’s atmosphere is really nice. You’ll have a pretty good time reliving youth.”
“But,” he said as he shoved the books into Chu You’s arms, “there’s some bad news… This week’s monthly exams. To avoid suspicion, you’ll have to… work hard~”
Sixteen.
Monthly exams.
These two words struck like thunderclaps exploding in her mind.
“I don’t look sixteen at all!” Chu You frowned, her tone agitated. “And monthly exams! I paid off all my high school debts long ago, damn it!”
“Senior is naturally beautiful.”
“Senior is brilliantly intelligent.”
With just these two lines, Lin Mo effortlessly blocked all her escape routes.
“You!” Chu You glared viciously at Lin Mo, but under his gaze, she swallowed back whatever retort she wanted to say.
The aura of the Oracle spread around them.
Bastard, son of a—Curse you to get takeout with no chopsticks, to tear the toilet paper wiping your ass, to have the water cut off mid-shower!
If you want to talk, just talk—why rouse the Oracle for no reason?!
Chu You clenched her fists, resigned, and flipped open the top book: Grade 2 History, which recorded key events and figures from the mid-war period between humans and Abnormal Beings.
“Year 492 of the New Calendar, Abnormal Beings launched the southern invasion war, with over twenty-three cities falling completely…”
“In mid-November of the same year, the Northern Province Guard Command executed an Abnormal Being disguised as a human on the street—marking the first human discovery of Abnormal Beings quietly infiltrating cities.”
“In year 493, to maintain city security, the Swordbearer organization was established.”
“In year 495, Swordbearer Headquarters issued the ‘Oracles Classification Guidelines Public Notice,’ laying the foundation for the Oracle system.”
“Oracles are divided into six ranks based on strength and development potential: S, A, B, C, D, and E.”
“And the stages of Oracles are divided into four levels: [Flame], [Moon Erosion], [Blazing Sun], and [Boundless].”
These textbook details only really mattered during exams.
After joining the Swordbearers for internship in senior year, no one cared about your stage or Oracle rank.
The motto on missions was always four characters: Just do it!
If you can win, you live; if not, you die.
Those novel scenes where they announce their names and ranks before a fight? Impossible.
Besides, even the highest-ranked Oracles weren’t invincible in real combat—Chu You herself had slain many enemies with higher ranks.
“Ha—”
That stinky, never-ending history textbook instantly dragged Chu You back to the terror of drowsiness in high school.
She skimmed through quickly, her gaze settling on the final ‘boss’—the so-called “High School Student Urban Legends” High School Mathematics (Grade 2, First Semester).
She straightened up, held her breath, and with the resolve of a sacrificial lamb, opened the pages.
Five minutes later.
Chu You: Zzzzzz…
Turns out, it was incredibly effective as a sleep aid.
This thing knew her; she didn’t know it. They were mutually indifferent. Knowledge wasn’t getting into her brain today!
When Lin Mo pushed open the door, this was the scene before him.
Only a floor lamp remained lit in the living room, its soft light enveloping the corner of the sofa.
Chu You curled up into a tiny ball, sunk deep into the soft cushions, sleeping soundly.
The open math book had long since slipped from her hands and lay lonely on the carpet beneath the sofa.
He stepped lightly over, quietly standing beside her.
The usually sharp and fierce Senior looked completely different asleep… Long lashes cast gentle shadows beneath her eyelids, her breathing shallow, lips unconsciously pouted slightly, all defenses and harshness melted away, leaving only pure vulnerability.
The warm light outlined her figure, even her hair appearing unusually gentle.
On impulse, Lin Mo bent down, lightly brushing his fingertip over Chu You’s soft lower lip.
The touch was more delicate than he imagined, like stroking a warm petal.
“Mm…”
Chu You stirred slightly in her sleep, her brow furrowing gently, a muffled whimper escaping her, her body shifting uneasily.
Lin Mo instantly held his breath, his fingertip frozen mid-air, not daring to move, afraid of waking her.
Time seemed to stretch in that moment.
Only when Chu You’s brow smoothed and her breathing returned to steady and long did he quietly exhale.
After waiting silently a while longer to confirm she was sound asleep again, Lin Mo bent down, slipped one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees, carefully lifting her horizontally.
The weight in his arms was light, warm and drowsy.
She nuzzled softly against him without waking, seeking a more comfortable position, resting her head against his chest with no sign of stirring.
Lin Mo carried her steadily to the bedroom, gently laid her on the made bed, and pulled the covers up carefully.
After finishing, he stood at the bedside watching her for a few seconds before quietly slipping out.
Hand on the door, Lin Mo paused and looked back at the sleeping Chu You, his eyes complex and restrained.
After a moment.
The door closed softly behind him, leaving only a faint voice drifting through the air.
“Good night, Senior.”