Kempfa Royal Academy's training ground was normally reserved for senior students above first year.

But now, besides the older cadets, a few children stood there too.

Insiders knew these four were elites of the Enlightenment Class—future pillars of the Imperial Capital.

Schwarlow, male, eight years old, Enlightenment Class Two, peak Fighter;

Pace, male, nine years old, Enlightenment Class Two, mid-level Fighter;

Bing Pei, male, seven years old, Enlightenment Class Two, mid-level Fighter;

Luna, female, seven years old, Enlightenment Class Three, low-level Fighter.

The Enlightenment Class, led by Saori—the Tyrant of the Radiant Ten Stars—had three divisions.

Each held about twenty students, totaling sixty.

Among them, the average age was seven. Only six had achieved Fighter rank.

Besides the four above, Lord Sima Luan Tong was one of them.

Another was a legend in the Enlightenment Class.

Though in the same class as Ryosuke, she’d never spoken a word.

Ryosuke only knew her name:

—Xiu.

Other details were unknown. Her rare silver hair resembled Lord Sima Luan Tong’s.

In the enrollment exam, she ranked first—peak Fighter.

No one knew her current strength. She always held a book.

If Alpha slept endlessly, she read endlessly.

Regarding enrollment: due to ties with Dilu and Alice, plus admission chaos, Ryosuke was one of only two kids who entered the Enlightenment Class without exams.

Alpha joined purely as Ryosuke’s study companion, partly thanks to Bolong’s influence.

The other was our "delinquent golden-haired Sorceress," Alice.

With an older brother leading the school’s strongest fan club and Bolong’s pull, everything fell smoothly into place.

Their assigned class was unanimously named "Class One."

Kempfa ranked classes by strength.

Class One meant the leader of the Enlightenment Classes.

Naturally, Class Two and Three kids resented this.

Why should a class with someone who skipped exams be "Class One"?

And saddled with the absurd nickname "delinquent three-colored salad"?

How could such a messy class represent the strongest?

Well, kids will be competitive.

Ryosuke wore a bewildered look. No teachers were around. Not even one Class One classmate.

Only a few "elites" from Class Two and Three, surrounded by senior students.

"H-how... why aren’t we at the Enlightenment Class training ground? Shouldn’t we have outdoor class now?"

Alice panicked. Seeing seniors encircling them, she nervously grabbed Ryosuke’s small hand.

Used to Alpha clinging to him, Ryosuke didn’t notice.

He just coldly glanced at the trembling girl beside him.

"Orba, explain this to this young master."

"S-sorry! I was forced too!"

Orba yelled, squeezing into the senior crowd like a fugitive. No one stopped him.

"Sima Liangjie! You finally show yourself! I, Schwarlow, swear on Kempur nobility—I challenge you to a duel!"

Schwarlow stood center-field. His cape fluttered in the wind. A long sword hid behind his back. Quite dashing.

Senior girls squealed. Even Luna, a same-age elite, gazed adoringly.

The only regret?

Lord Sima Luan Tong didn’t spare him a glance.

"Let’s go back."

Ryosuke turned—then felt a wet grip on his hand. He looked down.

Trembling small hands held his. Tiny palms soaked with sweat.

"Alice?"

Ryosuke studied her. Alice hung her head, shaking. Golden bangs hid her face. Only her cherry lips showed—tightly pressed.

"I... I... I..."

Her stutter reminded Ryosuke of Fan Qiandai. His expression softened.

"What’s wrong?"

He asked gently.

"Hmph! Scared? Useless trash! Calling yourself the ‘delinquent golden-haired Sorceress’? Pathetic! Haha—"

Luna’s sharp laugh cut off. In Ryosuke’s indifferent eyes, she felt pure fear.

As if a monster would tear her apart next second.

"I..." Alice stammered. "...I’m nervous!"

"Hah?" Ryosuke froze. All this over nerves?

"So many older brothers and sisters watching Alice... Isn’t it normal for a human to be nervous? Don’t you get nervous, Ryosuke?"

[She even brought up being human—how big a deal is nervousness?!]

"Uh, a little."

Ryosuke lied.

Nervous? Ridiculous. To him, these "seniors" were just brats.

They were only first or second years—fourteen or fifteen tops.

"Sima Liangjie! Are you scared? Why won’t you answer me!"

Ryosuke sighed. "Haven’t I refused you enough times? This young master isn’t interested in brats like you."

Even Schwarlow’s composure cracked. Teeth clenched.

This wasn’t the first time. Since Saori named Ryosuke’s class "Class One," challenges never stopped.

Who could blame them? Class One was "strongest." And he was a boy.

You couldn’t challenge a refined girl like Xiu.

Ryosuke became the target.

He’d grown used to it. Elites just hated others’ success.

"Sima Liangjie, keep pretending! Think saying ‘this young master’ makes you one?"

Seeing Schwarlow speechless, Pace from Class Two stepped forward.

"None of your business."

Four words silenced Pace. Was he to reply, "Yes, it is my damn business?"

Pace stepped back helplessly.

Only Bing Pei remained.

All eyes locked on him. He sighed inwardly and stepped up.

"Sima Liangjie, afraid your enrollment-day luck will be exposed?"

"So what if I am?"

Bing Pei froze. No one his age admitted so easily! Now he had no argument.

He shook his head and retreated.

This silver-haired boy was a scoundrel.

"Enough foreplay! Main course time!"

A blond man clapped, stepping from the crowd. Two seniors darted like wind toward Ryosuke’s back.

Their target wasn’t him—but the golden-haired goth loli beside him.

Alice.

"Ah! What are you doing!"

Alice shrieked. The seniors grabbed her, retreating behind the blond man.

A shameless sneak attack.

Ryosuke’s interest sparked. Brats bored him. But seniors? Intriguing.

At least the generation gap wouldn’t be Mariana Trench-deep.