Jan Squire paused for half a second. "Vivienne just treated me to a meal."
Vivienne Cross let out a quiet sigh of relief. Looks like he wasn't planning on coming out to their classmates just yet.
Truth be told, she wasn't quite mentally prepared for that either.
"What?! Treated our class rep to dinner? Tsk Tsk, why doesn't stuff like that happen to me!"
"Degeneration of moral values! Complete collapse of social virtues!"
Jan Squire raised an eyebrow. "Next time Galen Keyes stirs up trouble, you deal with it?"
That shut everyone up.
"Ah, Rooster Keyes—say no more."
"So that's how it is. Our dear Vivienne is repaying the class rep's righteous stand in class. A noble gesture indeed…"
Vivienne could only smile and nod along. Honestly, "Rooster Keyes" was a pretty fitting nickname for Galen.
In reality, last week's 'thank-you dinner' for Galen's meddling had long ended. Today's was a "Sentinel-Guide bonding" meal.
"Shoo! Do you even know what you're saying, Dong the Dimwit?"
…
A whole gang of them were talking over each other, chattering non-stop.
Jan Squire was starting to get a headache from the noise and was about to lose it, when Vivienne beat him to the punch by asking, smiling, "What about you guys? Where are you all headed, all banded together like this?"
"Board games! All-nighter at the internet café!"
"Screw that, I'm not pulling an all-nighter. I've got a mech sim session tomorrow at the Giant Shark room!"
"Giant Shark? How'd you land a spot? And why didn't you tell me?! That's so shady of you!"
With so many people talking at once, Vivienne wasn't surprised at all when they completely veered off topic within two seconds.
Just like that, the conversation drifted off in another direction.
Her carefree, clueless classmates had no inkling of the "private arrangement" between her and Jan Squire.
"Join us, Jan!" Joey Yu called.
"We were just looking for you! And Vivienne too—we didn't see you earlier. Come hang out with us!"
"Hang out and do what?" Vivienne asked curiously. Given her background, she'd never really joined in on this kind of fun, lighthearted student activity.
Joey started counting on her fingers: "King's Game? Truth or Dare? Cards maybe?"
"Shhh! Keep it down, are you a pig? You can't just talk about card games out loud on campus!"
—The military academy had clear rules: students were strictly prohibited from gambling in groups.
That's when someone clever would ask:
"What if we don't bet money? Just playing cards for fun."
Still a no-go.
But since it was just casual fun, the school would usually turn a blind eye—basically, as long as you don't get caught, you're fine.
"Pig pig pig! Your voice's no quieter than mine!"
"Whatever, just play whatever you want."
Jan Squire looked at Vivienne. "You coming?"
The final call came from Tony Zane: "What are a bunch of Sentinels doing playing King's Game? Let's go sing!"
Colorful lights spun across the ceiling, casting beams of red, blue, and green. The private room had a retro vibe, with vintage vinyl records and guitars hanging on the walls.
Someone had queued up a trending love ballad and was crooning away while the others chatted.
"I've heard the Imperial Military Academy is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers," Tony Zane slurred slightly after two fruit wines. "But once I got here, I realized—it's crawling with second-gens and bursting with third-gens…"
Joey Yu: "Beep—there, censored that for you."
"Besides our Jan, we've got the grandson of Chancellor Nathan Wendell, the only son of Duke Roland and the Crown Princess…" Tony rattled off a whole list of golden-spooned elites, each with a juicy rumor attached. "There's even word the Emperor's youngest daughter is enrolling. The talent here is insane."
Vivienne's mouth twitched. What goes around comes around, huh? No one escapes karma.
Westley, I went from gossiping with you about exes to gossiping about you with Tony Zane.
Joey Yu rolled dice half-heartedly and grumbled, "With all this 'insider info,' I'm telling you, Tony should switch to the Info Support division."
"The Emperor's youngest daughter, Princess Toria? Isn't she the one who's never been seen in public? Why would she suddenly show up here?"
"Yeah, and doesn't the royal family have a signature light hair gene? No standout light-haired students in our year, are there?"
"What do you mean 'suddenly'? This has been tradition for years, alright? The Crown Prince is an alum too. The Empire's top military academy is right here in the capital, she wouldn't even need to travel."
"Solid point. You get a drink for that!"
Tony Zane groaned, "Ugh, I swear—glug glug glug—I can't drink anymore! Why are you force-feeding me?!"
"It's my humble offering!" another student teased, solemnly presenting their cup with both hands. "A loyal subject offers this to His Majesty—please drink~"
"Judging from your tone…" Vivienne, reminded of Westley's chaotic friend group, followed up with interest, "You really don't like Nathan Pennington's precious grandson?"
"Nathan Pennington? The guy from the opposite unit during military drills," Joey Yu said with a shake of her head. "Total rich brat—nose perpetually in the air."
Tony Zane rubbed his ear and added, "He bought himself a whole gang of lackeys with money and power. You know the type—stepping on others' dignity just for fun."
"That fast? School's only been in session for a month." Vivienne's juice was empty—she hadn't touched alcohol today. She'd already maxed out her 'alcohol quota' last weekend with Westley and the gang.
A glass of passionfruit juice appeared in front of her. Jan Squire handed it over, seated right beside her. Though relaxed on the couch like everyone else, his long limbs and upright posture gave off an air of discipline.
Vivienne lowered her gaze as she took the glass. Their fingers brushed ever so slightly during the exchange.
"Thanks," she said.
"Mm," Jan replied, twiddling his fingers with a strange, fluttery feeling in his chest.
Does that count as a couple moment?
Before he could dwell on it, Tony Zane had already jumped in: "You're new here, Vivienne, so you don't know—Nathan Pennington's a second-year."
"Westley and Nathan had a bit of a clash recently."
"What do you mean? Don't they always clash?"
"Us regular folk are just spectators. Word is, it was over a rare, natural gemstone."
Vivienne finally had something to contribute: "It's called 'Eternal Time.' Sold for 47 million."
"Forty-what?!"
"Whew~ must be nice to be a little duke~"
…
Vivienne's eyes drifted to Jan Squire. The red-haired boy was looking down at the terminal on his wrist. Suddenly, he stood up and grabbed his jacket.
"Family stuff. Gotta head out."
"Leaving already? Stay a bit longer!"
"I'm off," Jan said, looking straight at Vivienne. "You staying?"
"What the hell!" Tony Zane grabbed Vivienne's sleeve. "Leaving's one thing, but you gotta take our double-S buddy too?!"
Vivienne thought for a second. "I'll hang around a bit."
"Mm. Stay safe."
Their exchange went unnoticed by the rest, except for Joey Yu, who, despite being only half-tipsy, frowned slightly. Something felt off.
…
Weird.
She'd only had juice—so why did her head feel all fuzzy?
"Ugh—" Vivienne moaned softly as she opened her misty eyes. Her cheeks were flushed with the heat of a buzz.
This… is the dorm?
Whoever brought her back was the worst—why'd they leave her lying on the floor?
Vivienne mustered some strength and got to her feet, then suddenly realized something was off.
A large, downy bed… cloud-like blankets… and a polished watch glinting on the desk…
Who am I, where am I?!
This wasn't her dorm room!
Shocked, Vivienne jerked her head up—only then did she notice the sound of running water.
Her eyes widened as she followed the sound to its source.
Vivienne: "!"
There was someone in the room!
Someone was showering—with the door open!