For Sakika, who lived next door to Ange, this morning was destined to be anything but peaceful.
When Huayin’s scream of shame and indignation pierced through the thin, non-soundproof walls, waking her from her slumber like an alarm, Sakika first blinked her eyes in a daze.
Then, out of a mix of curiosity and instinctive caution, she subconsciously activated the power of the Mamon Bloodline within her.
In an instant, the sounds from the outside world were amplified several times over, pouring clearly into her ears.
The conversation in the next room was no longer a muddled buzz but became distinct, word for word.
“I… I… didn’t think I was this… pathetic…”
“One drink and you’re down? And you still dared to drink?”
“The alcohol content in that bottle was too high! I didn’t know!”
“Heh, look at my bed, Huayin. The smell of blood, the stench of urine, and what else? Maybe your sweat?”
“Stop talking! What if someone hears you!”
“Heh, if someone could hear us, it’s already over because of how loud you just screamed.”
“Sakika! She lives right next door! The soundproofing… shouldn’t… be that bad…”
“Don’t get your hopes up. This is a cheap dormitory.”
“No! I don’t want to be treated like a lewd pervert like you! I want! I want to hire Director Rita! Let her modify everyone’s memories!”
‘What? What?!’
Sakika’s black eyes, which were usually calm and waveless, widened slightly in extreme shock. A hint of unbelievable golden light even flashed deep within her pupils.
She froze on her bed, feeling as if her brain could not process the information as fast as her ears were receiving it.
Huayin spent the night in Teacher Ange’s room last night?! And she even drank?! “Smell of blood,” “stench of urine,” “sweat”? What on earth was going on?!
Combined with the various strange noises she had overheard before, Sakika felt like she had touched the edge of a massive and dangerous secret.
Although the specific details remained blurry and she did not quite understand the meaning of some words, there was one thing she could now be 100% certain of.
There was absolutely an unspeakable relationship between Teacher Ange and Classmate Huayin that far exceeded the scope of a normal teacher and student — it might even be a bit “indecent”!
This conclusion caused a layer of fine cold sweat to break out on Sakika’s back.
She was just an ordinary student with no parents and no family background to rely on.
On one side was the former First Demon Hunter and current mentor, Ange, and on the other side was the Eldest Miss of the powerful Phoenix Family, Huayin… Neither side was an existence she could afford to offend.
‘The more you know, the faster you die.’ This ancient proverb rang like an alarm bell in her mind.
Almost immediately, Sakika made the decision that best suited her philosophy of survival.
‘I’ll play dumb and pretend I didn’t hear anything! I don’t know anything about Teacher Ange’s strange noises, Huayin’s screams, or the “scent of blood and urine”! I slept very soundly last night and didn’t notice anything unusual!’
After making up her mind, she immediately cut off the faint activation of the Mamon Bloodline in her body.
The power that had enhanced her senses receded like a tide, followed by a slight sense of fatigue and emptiness, which was a common price for using bloodline abilities.
After such a disturbance, most of her sleepiness had dissipated.
But Sakika looked at the time and saw there was still a bit of free time before the first class. She decided to indulge herself for once and take a morning nap.
However, some vague sounds of flowing water and vigorous scrubbing continued to come from next door; it was quite noisy.
With a blank expression, Sakika took out a brand-new, unopened pack of noise-canceling earplugs from her nightstand.
These were a necessity of life for her. After all, in the chaotic places she used to live where soundproofing was practically nonexistent, it was impossible to sleep without these things.
After skillfully putting in the earplugs, the world instantly became quiet.
She lay back down and closed her eyes, forcing herself to clear everything she had just heard from her mind.
‘I don’t know, I’m not sure, it has nothing to do with me…’
……
Ange and Huayin were currently engaged in a grueling “post-war cleanup operation.”
Ange wrung out the wet bedsheet after soaking and scrubbing it, then held it up high.
Huayin stood opposite her, controlling a cluster of gold-red flames at just the right temperature in her palm, carefully roasting the bedsheet.
The flames licked the wet cloth, making a faint sizzling sound. Steam evaporated rapidly, filling the room with a strange scent that was a mix of fresh detergent and a faint… smell of toasted fabric.
Both of them had tense faces, trying their best to avoid eye contact as they focused entirely on the task at hand.
For Ange, this was about saving an important memento. For Huayin, this was about destroying the evidence that would lead to her Social Death.
As time passed, the water stains on the bedsheet gradually disappeared, and the fabric became dry and fluffy.
Those embarrassing marks finally vanished completely under the flushing of clean water and the roasting of flames, restoring it to its original cleanliness.
“Whew…”
Huayin let out a long sigh of relief. Her tense shoulders finally relaxed as if a heavy burden had been lifted. It finally… looked clean.
Just then, the screen of the cell phone Ange had placed on the table lit up, emitting a slight vibration.
Ange walked over, picked up the phone, and glanced at it, her eyebrows arching slightly.
“Hmm, your Director Rita sent me a message.”
Huayin immediately became alert and leaned in closer.
“What does it say?”
“The actual first class is about to begin.” Ange turned the phone screen toward Huayin, showing the mission briefing.
“The mission is to find the demon lurking in the City Center Hospital and eliminate it. We are competing against Class E, and their class…” She paused and read out the daunting number. “They have thirty-two people.”
“Thirty-two?” Huayin repeated, followed by a disdainful snort. “That sounds like a lot, huh? But no matter how many small fry there are, they’re useless.”
“I won’t deny what you said.” Ange put away her phone and crossed her arms, a hint of trouble appearing on her face.
“Their individual strength might not be as good as yours, but Huayin, there are only four of us in total. The demon is cunningly hidden among the hundreds of rooms, corners, and the moving crowd of people in the hospital. How are the four of us going to find it? The efficiency is too low.”
Huayin’s eyes darted around, and she immediately thought of a simple and crude solution.
“Then isn’t it simple? We’ll just wait for the people from Class E to find it, and then we’ll just step in and snatch their prey!”
Ange gave her a helpless look.
“Eldest Miss, we are in a competition, not a robbery. Even if we complete the mission that way, our mission completion rate and evaluation score will be much lower than theirs. We would still lose in the end.”
“Tch, how troublesome.”
Huayin curled her lip, but she clearly had not given up. She put her hands on her hips, her face once again regaining the confidence of a young lady of her status.
“It’s fine! Ingrid and I will find a way!”
“Oh?” Ange looked at her curiously. “What way?”
“Isn’t it just about finding some helpers to expand the search area?” Huayin said nonchalantly.
“I still have a bit of pocket money left. It’s more than enough to hire some temporary workers to stake out the hospital and gather information.”
Ange looked at her “problems that can be solved with money are not problems” attitude. She was silent for a moment before finally letting out a heartfelt exclamation.
“…I really envy you.”
Hearing this exclamation, a hint of pride flashed in Huayin’s red eyes. She raised her chin and spoke in a tone that was slightly charitable yet encouraging.
“Are you envious? If you are, then hurry up and show some skill! Lead us to crush that Class E! When that time comes… if I’m in a good mood, I’ll consider giving you a reward~”
Ange looked at her act of feigning haughtiness while being unable to hide her childishness. She couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle and cooperatively bowed slightly.
“Then I am truly honored by your favor, Eldest Miss.”
“Don’t laugh at me!”
Huayin’s cheeks flushed slightly as if her thoughts had been seen through. She stomped her foot in embarrassment and indignation.
“Just say whether you want it or not!”
Ange straightened up and looked at the sky gradually brightening outside the window, a faint curve appearing at the corner of her mouth.
“Of course I want it.”