Early in the morning, Aiting naturally woke from a deep, dreamless sleep and slowly opened his eyes.
That nap had been truly comfortable—no bizarre dreams to disturb him, and no need to rush out before dawn to stand guard at the Academy Gate like in the past few days.
He contentedly snuggled deeper into the soft covers, savoring the long-lost laziness and tranquility.
“Ah… it’s been a while since I felt this relaxed.”
Aiting stretched a big, luxurious yawn, the bones in his entire body letting out pleasant creaks as he couldn’t help but sigh in contentment.
The Rufus incident had been perfectly resolved, and the first major turning point in Selice’s life that might have pushed her toward darkness had been safely passed.
Thinking of this, a huge weight in his heart finally lifted.
Although, now Selice seemed to have developed an unusually strong dependence on him, which somewhat troubled Aiting and left him unsure how to respond.
But this was probably just a normal “path dependency” for someone who had just gone through a major upheaval and crisis.
After all, he had been the one to repeatedly appear by her side in her most helpless moments.
Now, Selice had successfully joined the “Star Seven,” becoming the brightest rising star at Saint Diyashi Academy and attracting much attention.
Her future was destined to be brilliant and limitless.
Surely, as her status changed and her horizons broadened, more and more friends would naturally gather around her, and her life would grow richer and more colorful.
Maybe before long, she would gradually adapt to her new circle and slowly forget the reliance on him during this “transitional period.”
Thinking this, Aiting couldn’t help but feel a faint sting of defeat from being overlooked by the very girl he had personally saved—but the feeling passed quickly.
If anything, this was for the best.
After all, his purpose for coming to this world was to complete his mission.
For Selice to have a better future and avoid falling into darkness was exactly the outcome he wanted.
He still had a more important and fundamental goal to achieve—returning to his original world.
Feeling good, Aiting pushed open the window, and the cool morning breeze, carrying the fresh scent of flowers and grass, immediately brushed against his face.
“Can’t escape the fate of parting ways, yet can’t forget that fleeting glance~”
He happily took a deep breath of fresh air, humming a familiar tune from a popular song in his original world as he shuffled lazily in slippers toward the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth.
At that moment, Ruby fluttered over, wings flapping excitedly, raising her small hand like a student eager to answer a question in class.
[Master! Ruby knows this song! Xue Ge is the mid laner!]
[Xue Ge is not a mid laner, Xue Ge is the S10 champion mid laner.]
Aiting held his toothbrush mid-air and shot Ruby an exasperated glance.
Really, what nonsense had that idiot goddess been writing into the system database?
After finishing his morning routine, Aiting entered the cramped kitchen, quickly frying an egg, toasting two slices of bread, and pouring a cup of warm milk to make a simple breakfast.
He tidied up the dishes efficiently, slung his slightly worn messenger bag over his shoulder, and headed out toward the academy.
Walking along the familiar street, the sun was just right and the breeze gentle.
His mood matched the weather—light and peaceful.
Arriving at the classroom, it was still early, but quite a few classmates had already gathered.
“Good morning, Aiting.”
A student greeted him proactively.
“Good morning.”
Aiting responded politely with a nod.
This was a recent change.
Ever since he had thwarted Rufus and become a Fengji Committee Member, those classmates who used to ignore or scrutinize him had gradually started showing friendly signals, and more were beginning to greet him.
He wasn’t sure whether they had truly changed their opinion or if they had never really held grudges but had been too intimidated by Rufus’s influence to approach before.
Still, Aiting didn’t care and didn’t bother investigating the reasons.
He kept up his courteous exterior but felt little emotion inside.
Selice was unusually not in her seat.
Aiting couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
He hadn’t come early today, but by Selice’s usual habit, she should have already been sitting quietly reading or previewing lessons.
Was something holding her up?
He didn’t pay much mind—it was probably just that she had woken late.
Minutes passed, the classroom filling with more students and growing noisier.
When the crisp bell signaling class start rang, the teacher entered with the lesson plan and began roll call.
The seat beside Aiting remained empty.
Selice still hadn’t arrived.
What was going on?
Aiting frowned slightly.
From what he knew of Selice, she would never be late or absent without reason.
Yet when the teacher called Selice’s name, he only glanced at the empty seat calmly, marked it on the roster, and started the lesson as usual, as if this was a common occurrence.
The surrounding students showed no surprise, as if this was perfectly normal.
Seems… that makes sense.
Aiting thought for a moment and relaxed.
Selice was now a member of the “Star Seven” with a completely different status.
She probably had privileges exempting her from many ordinary courses.
As long as she wanted to learn, the academy surely had more excellent elite teachers to offer her one-on-one guidance.
Maybe she had already started enjoying the so-called elite education life of being “above others.”
Though deep down Aiting felt Selice wasn’t the type to slack off or act haughty because of this.
After all, just last night she had refused the “Star Seven” internal welcome party to go shopping with him.
But the facts before him seemed to suggest otherwise.
Which was only natural.
Aiting ultimately told himself this, suppressing the slight, inexplicable worry in his heart.
After all, people always strive upward; gaining better resources and platforms naturally leads to corresponding adjustments and choices.
As usual, when the teacher launched into a long-winded theoretical lecture, Aiting naturally laid his head on the desk, preparing to catch some extra sleep.
For someone like him, who would eventually leave this world and had Ruby—his living encyclopedia—constantly providing support, these purely theoretical lessons were little more than a waste of time.
However, just as he settled into position and closed his eyes, images unexpectedly surfaced in his mind—the scene when he parted with Selice last night.
Her suddenly pale face, her terrified eyes, and then her hurried retreat.
Selice then… as if she had just seen something terrifying, and fled in haste.
Could it have been her mother?
Perhaps her strict upbringing made her nervous about being seen with a boy?
No, Aiting immediately dismissed that guess.
Selice’s reaction back then was not simple nervousness or shyness; it was a look of genuine horror caused by seeing something frightening.
The more Aiting thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
Unable to settle, he sat upright.
“Senior Hei Shen, have you seen Selice today?”
Finally reaching the break between classes, Aiting immediately used his Fengji Committee Member’s Communicator to connect to Hei Shen Chiyin’s channel, trying to keep his voice calm.
After a few seconds of silence, Hei Shen’s usual cold, clear voice came through.
“No.”
“That’s bad…”
Aiting’s heart skipped a beat, and he blurted the words out without thinking.
“Aiting, if something happened to Selice, you’re in trouble too.”
Hei Shen clearly heard his whisper.
At this moment, Aiting had no time to respond to Hei Shen’s warning.
Driven by a strong premonition, he abruptly stood up and, without explaining to the teacher, dashed out of the classroom amid his classmates’ surprised gazes, sprinting toward Selice’s home.
Something must have happened to Selice.
But… why hadn’t the system generated any related urgent task like before?
Panting heavily, Aiting reached the apartment building where Selice lived.
He rushed up the stairs two at a time, and just as he was about to knock, he found the door slightly ajar, unlocked.
His heart instantly sank.
Without hesitation, he gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The living room was eerily silent, completely empty.
He held his breath, faintly hearing the soft, suppressed sound of sobbing coming from the bedroom.
Aiting immediately followed the sound, quickly arriving at the bedroom door.
He took a deep breath and pushed it open.
The scene before him made his heart violently skip a beat.
Selice was curled up in the innermost corner of the bed, her back pressed against the cold wall.
She was tightly wrapped in a thick quilt, only the messy top of her hair visible.
Her hands clutched her folded knees, her face buried deeply within them.
Her fragile shoulders trembled slightly with each broken sob.
She was curled into a tiny ball, as if trying to hide herself completely and shut out the entire world.
“Selice?”