The warm September sun shone over the Royal Capital, and the sea breeze barely managed to dispel the lingering heat.
In the grand auditorium of the Royal Central Academy, the opening ceremony for new students was about to begin.
Aier curled up in the corner of the last row, trying her best to blend into the shadow cast by the seat back.
Scenes from yesterday’s long and humiliating “punishment” in the bathroom and bedroom flashed uncontrollably through her mind.
She could still feel a lingering exhaustion deep inside her body, as if she had been utterly drained, along with an unshakable sense of shame.
To show her “sincerity,” she not only had to endure Xie Yier’s enthusiasm, but even had to take the initiative to guide Xie Yier herself.
She had even missed lunch, having been tormented until… she felt like a lemon squeezed completely dry.
She shook her head forcefully, trying to banish those unbearable images from her mind.
On this first official day of the new term, she silently prayed that, for the next four years, she wouldn’t encounter another “Senior Mary.”
It would be best if she could become invisible, or if all the girls she met were cold as ice and kept everyone at arm’s length…
“Three years… Do I have to endure three years like this?”
It hadn’t even been a full month, but Aier already felt she couldn’t take it anymore.
Sooner or later, she’d be played to death.
As Aier wallowed in her negative emotions, she suddenly realized that maybe she didn’t need to endure three years at all?
She remembered a crucial clause in that Contract: as long as she paid off all her debts early, she could immediately end this humiliating captivity!
Xie Yier gave her 10 Gold Coins a month. With a total debt of 270 Gold and 50 Silver Coins, at the slowest, she’d only have to stay by Xie Yier’s side for another two years and four months.
And if she could save a bit more from her daily living allowance of 5 Silver Coins, even after leaving Xie Yier, she’d have some precious capital to support herself!
Thinking this, Aier’s mood instantly improved.
If Xie Yier found out about Aier’s little calculations, she’d probably be in for another round of carrot education.
Sooner or later, Xie Yier would train her until she could take two carrots at once.
The graduation threshold at the Academy was high: within four years, students had to obtain passing certificates in five subjects—grammar, mathematics, etiquette, horsemanship, and either Potionmaking or Alchemy (choose one of the two).
Aier chose Potionmaking. Because of Xiqi, Aier hoped that one day she could personally find a true cure for her Sister.
“Hey! You!”
A sharp voice interrupted Aier’s thoughts.
Aier looked up to see a figure standing in the aisle before her, hands on her hips.
Before her stood a blonde girl, exquisitely beautiful and radiating an air of arrogance.
Her long, golden hair was tied into neat twin tails, swaying slightly as she stood with her hands on her hips.
She wore a fitted, bright orange cropped jacket, open to reveal a delicate white lace shirt.
Her lower half was clad in a black pleated miniskirt. Her long legs were wrapped snugly in black over-the-knee socks, with a band of fair, alluring skin just above, and on her feet were a pair of shiny, round-toed leather shoes.
On her petite face, her lips were tightly pressed, her chin slightly raised, and her little nose wrinkled, perfectly expressing haughtiness.
But the most striking feature was her eyes.
They weren’t the usual brown or blue, but a clear, brilliant orange, like the afterglow of a sunset.
But Aier was in no mood to appreciate this.
Because she suddenly realized—wasn’t this exactly the sort of “troublesome character” she had just prayed to avoid!
When the girl’s bright orange eyes met Aier’s gaze, her hands-on-hips pose seemed to stiffen for a moment. The arrogance on her face subtly faded, or maybe it was just the light playing tricks?
“You, move to the front! This seat is mine!” The blonde girl ordered again, her tone a little less sharp than before.
Though her voice was a bit harsh, Aier had to admit it sounded nice, like a voice actress from her previous life’s anime.
Aier pointed, puzzled, at the half-empty seats in front: “Aren’t there plenty of empty seats up there?”
She had chosen this out-of-the-way corner for peace and quiet, so she couldn’t figure out what was so great about this spot.
“Hmph! I just have my eyes on this place! But… fine, seeing how pitiful you look sitting here alone, I’ll be especially generous and allow you to sit next to me!”
Aier: “……”
What kind of tsundere lines are these…
“Then you take this seat, I’ll go somewhere else.” With past lessons fresh in her mind, Aier decisively decided to leave.
She wanted to keep her distance from other girls as much as possible, especially the pretty ones that always brought trouble.
But just as Aier stood up, a stern-looking lady, clearly a teacher, happened to walk by and stopped her from leaving.
“You there in the back! The opening ceremony is about to begin. Please stay seated and don’t move around!”
Aier was on the verge of tears, but could only resign herself and sit back down.
Seeing this, the blonde twin-tailed girl gave a soft “hmph,” a faintly smug (or was it?) look on her face.
She said nothing more about changing seats and plopped herself down in the empty seat beside Aier.
As soon as she sat, a refined fragrance drifted over—a mix of expensive perfume, sunlight, and a sweet fruitiness.
Aier instantly became as skittish as a startled bird, her body springing away as if on a coil, pressing herself as close as possible to the cold wall.
“Hey!” The girl bristled, her pretty brows furrowing again. The orange collar of her jacket quivered with her annoyance. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you… disgusted by me?”
Aier: “N-no, I’m not!”
It’s just that your “trouble magnetism” is way too strong! If one of Xie Yier’s informants saw this… no, the pain is starting again…
“You’re not?” The girl clearly didn’t believe her. She leaned in a little, her tone slightly accusatory. “Then why did you just dodge away? Am I that scary?”
“I wasn’t avoiding you! I just… saw you seemed to need more space, so I wanted to give you a bit more room…”
Even as she said it, Aier felt her excuse was flimsy.
“Hmph! I wasn’t getting closer to you, it’s just your imagination.” The girl shot back at lightning speed, a faint blush rising on her pale cheeks, though she quickly suppressed it.
But she didn’t make things any harder for Aier.
Is the tsundere really this easy to handle?!
For the rest of the ceremony, the girl did nothing else to make Aier nervous, and they passed the time peacefully until the event ended.
Now that the term had officially started, it was too troublesome to keep running back and forth. Xie Yier told her to eat lunch at the Academy, and would send someone to pick her up in the evening.
Aier deliberately dawdled until the cafeteria was nearly closed, then snuck into the darkest, most secluded spot.
She had just sat down and breathed a sigh of relief when a sharp voice rang out overhead:
“Hey! You again? Get up! This seat is mine!”