The little girl’s thinking was spot on—not just correct, but worthy of my respect.

As an utterly ordinary girl with no strength to speak of, she chose to rely on the law because she had no other path.

She had a sense of justice. She couldn’t bear to see those around her suffer. Yet she never forced herself onto a moral high ground to constrain or limit others, nor naively cursed them for failing to live by her own ethics.

She warned me against going too far out of worry for me—and fear of the law.

She knew Liu Li couldn’t help her, yet held no blame. She understood everyone carried their own burdens in this world.

What moved me most was this: she knew, as a top student, she could’ve stayed uninvolved. Yet she chose to stand up for me.

Thankfully, though upright and kind, she wasn’t rigid—no hypocrite hiding selfishness behind virtue.

Given her ability and status, this was simply the limit of what she could conceive and achieve.

The rest was up to me.

"Silly Yatou," I murmured, "let the past go. Those people got what they deserved, didn’t they? Good deeds bring good rewards; evil deeds bring evil rewards. It’s only a matter of time." *Though I didn’t know that for sure.*

Yingning lowered her lashes, leaning softly against my shoulder. "There’s no such thing as cosmic justice. Heaven’s blind. ‘Good and evil meet their rewards’ is just comfort for the weak… Xiang Ling was right. I’ve always known."

"So," the little girl choked out, voice trembling, "that’s why I crave strength. To wield a weapon. To become powerful enough to protect everyone around me…"

"Someday!" She gritted her teeth, her grip on my forearm whitening her knuckles. "Someday, I’ll protect them all—Gunfire Rose, my brother… everyone!"

Such a heartbreakingly adorable little girl.

If this were a novel, she’d be the Hero protagonist.

And me? The Demon King, I suppose…

A Hero vowing to protect the Demon King?

"I *will* build Gunfire Rose into something great!"

Her expression turned solemn, as if swearing an oath to me.

To her, this game wasn’t mere entertainment. In this era, games embodied humanity’s entire spiritual world.

She was far more serious than I’d imagined.

"I *will* grow strong! Strong enough that no one can ignore me! Not even that Jian Hui Tianxia guild can bully us—mmph!"

I stuffed cheesecake into her mouth.

"Eat first. Talk later."

Well. At least I’d tricked her into eating. Small victories.

************************

All day, people’s stares lingered on us—strange, uneasy.

A flicker of pity. A hint of schadenfreude. Mostly, a desperate urge to avoid us.

Everything around us felt worlds away from the Justice Yingning dreamed of.

Her spirits sank lower and lower. The hardest blow came from meeting the victim, Wu Ming.

"Take them to court? No… it’s not that serious. I was just… beaten up once. It’s nothing. Really… nothing…"

Yingning fidgeted helplessly. "You’ve been attacked by Xiang Ling *multiple times*! This is grave! Don’t you want justice for yourself?"

Wu Ming was utterly ordinary—looks, voice, build, grades, personality. Everything bland.

He hunched his shoulders, avoiding her gaze. "But it was just a beating… They’re so powerful. What could I do? What if I lose? I… I don’t want to trouble my parents…"

Yingning froze as if struck by lightning. She nodded with a bitter smile, her voice rough. "I understand."

*Every family has its hidden struggles.*

*So the law isn’t all-powerful… I really was naive.*

"It’s *because* he’s like this that they target him," I added quietly. "If he had the courage to sue alongside you, Xiang Ling and Xiang Renhe wouldn’t have picked on him. Sometimes people hide behind ‘peacefulness’ and ‘broad-mindedness’ to avoid conflict—pretending it’s noble. Wu Ming’s like that. Most people are."

"But it’s *because* most people are like that the world isn’t chaos!" Yingning shot back, pouting. "Not everyone’s a criminal scheming to break the law!"

I narrowed my eyes, licking my lips. "Easy now. Honestly? I prefer sheep like him…"

With the victim refusing to fight—even rejecting cooperation—Yingning was shattered.

Without Wu Ming as plaintiff or witness, our lawsuit would fail.

Even the law felt powerless against reality…

Yet Yingning refused to give up. Not while I still bore false accusations and punishment.

"Brother, don’t worry. I *will* clear your name!"

Exhaustion shadowed her face—not physical, but deep in her spirit.

Her stubborn need to protect me, the "weak one," filled me with warmth and helplessness.

During evening class, whispers drifted from near Yingning’s desk: "Yingning, did you hear? Your brother’s getting expelled…"

The test paper in her hand crumpled into a tight ball.

Her eyes flickered with a resolve I couldn’t decipher.

*Don’t worry, little one. The verdict isn’t final yet.*

I hadn’t done much. Just sent Xiang Ling and Xiang Renhe’s mother’s… *private photos*… to their father. With a note: *Disobey me, and these go to [Website A], [Website B], and [Website C].* Their father, a rare decent man among corrupt officials, was clean. No smoke without fire—I hadn’t found real dirt to destroy him.

A good dad. A terrible daughter. Don’t blame me.

Evening class belonged to homeroom teacher Liu Li. If expulsion was coming, it’d be now.

Xiang Ling and Xiang Renhe sat in the back row. Xiang Ling’s face was caked in thick powder; Xiang Renhe’s right hand was bandaged. Both glared coldly at my back.

"Regarding Su Shunhua—" Liu Li began.

"—Teacher, wait! I have something to say!"

Yingning stood up. Her jaw clenched, her face flushed with tension. Her legs trembled visibly.

Slowly, she raised her left palm. With her right index finger, she drew the character *ren* (person) on it. Then—*gulp*—she swallowed the imaginary character whole.

*Pfft… Eating a paper man?*

Our childhood ritual for calming nerves…

*How terrified must you be to pull out this heart-melting trick?*

After swallowing the "person," Yingning took a deep breath.

"This is the Law School."

Liu Li blinked, startled. "Yes… so?"

"This place should be where evil is purged…" Yingning’s voice grew steadier, louder. "But today—not just today—I’ve witnessed injustice here countless times. Turns out even this academy has schoolyard bullies. Has untouchable Retired Emperors ruling above the law."

*Silence.*

Then—uproar.

The incident had spread all day. Most knew the truth.

"Holy crap, is she insane? She’ll say *anything*!"

"She’s tearing into the administration!"

"Even as top student, that’s reckless!"

"This’ll be good."

Liu Li’s face turned ashen. "What are you implying?"

Yingning straightened her spine. All trace of tears and doubt vanished. Her gaze locked onto Liu Li’s, sharp and unwavering. Her words, slow but clear, cut through the noise:

"I’m saying this isn’t the cradle of Justice I dreamed of. Not the academy of my ideals."

"You—" Liu Li recoiled a step, shocked by the girl’s intensity. "Are you quitting?!"

"This is the Law School. If even *here* people abandon fairness… why should I stay? Exactly!"

Yingning shot me a deep, lingering look. Then—before our stunned eyes—she lifted her slender, straight leg high.

***SLAM!***

Her shoe sole crashed onto the desk.

She smiled, bright as a sky washed clean by rain.

"The hell with this place. I quit."