10:00 PM.

Opposite the dormitory complex, ten kilometers offshore.

Though the sky was cloudless, violent wind and rain battered the churning waves, vanishing instantly upon impact.

"Lingyue, Brother’s coming at you."

Yan Lingxuan hovered above the water, face stern, radiating intense magical light. The sea around him warped strangely—three tons of seawater ripped from the surface, compressed by magic into fist-sized orbs.

*(Though magic could transmute matter, using existing materials eased mental strain.)*

"Mm. Anytime."

Bai Lingyue stood motionless in midair, giving a slight nod as her brother shot toward her.

Fifty meters apart, Yan Lingxuan fired five water orbs.

Unfazed, Lingyue instantly erected a Barrier—a three-meter spherical shield enveloping her.

The soft white dome held firm, unmoved by the barrage.

"My turn, Brother."

The moment Lingyue extended her hand, a colossal Magic Array—over a hundred meters wide—materialized beneath Yan Lingxuan.

Recognizing her signature Gravity Magic, he knew one hit would end the fight. But the array’s blinding glow activated too fast. Trapped within its range, his speed couldn’t escape.

The ocean silently collapsed into a bottomless void beneath him.

Seawater spiraled inward, crushed by gravity, then surged upward—churning whirlpools painting a spectacular, mist-shrouded chaos.

When the array vanished, the sea calmed. Countless marine creatures floated lifelessly. Yan Lingxuan was gone.

Lingyue didn’t search. Her expression remained serene.

The water exploded. Yan Lingxuan surfaced ten meters away.

"Almost napped on the seabed. Now it’s my counterattack, Lingyue."

In one second, he encased her in a fifty-meter spherical Magic Array.

*Mobile Domain*—inspired by Zaku’s movement tracks. Inside it, his speed broke the sound barrier.

*First, grab her shoulders from behind. Twist her right arm. Pin her down! Perfect… then "accidentally" press close for skin-to-skin contact. Heh~*

Reality crushed his fantasy.

Lingyue shattered the Mobile Domain.

As the array disintegrated, Yan Lingxuan froze. Lingyue flashed behind him, wrenching his right arm backward.

*Controlled?! Exactly like my own plan!*

"The Valkyries train in close combat too. Don’t assume I only use long-range magic."

Her whisper brushed his ear, warm breath unmistakable.

*Her breath is amazing… if only I could "accidentally" brush against her chest—*

Sensing his lewd thoughts, Lingyue twisted his arm higher.

*Painful… yet blissful~*

The agony faded quickly as she released him.

Rubbing his throbbing arm, Yan Lingxuan shot her a sullen look. "You really don’t hold back."

"You ordered me not to," Lingyue stated flatly.

"...Fair. I asked for it."

*She’s holding back. Anyone who saw her crush Bernie Butterworth knows this is just a fraction of her power.*

"How’d you break the array?"

"Magic Arrays follow set patterns. Reverse their flow to destroy them—but it’s hard. You must deeply understand the array first. Rarely works on the first try in combat."

"You did it instantly."

"I saw you use it once before in Maple Grove. That’s why I cracked it fast."

*Only twice he’d used Mobile Domain. She memorized and破解 it after one glimpse? Reversing an array demands more focus than creating one…*

*My sister’s strength is truly unfathomable.*

Watching his pensive face, Lingyue wondered: *Why this sudden serious duel? Unlike his usual self.*

"Why spar all of a sudden, Brother?"

"Told you—I must grow stronger to stay by your side."

"Liar. You trained this morning. Today you’re… urgent. What happened?"

Her pout betrayed worry. He sighed. No hiding it.

"Nothing major. Just… a bad feeling. Trouble’s coming. I need to prepare."

He tried to drop it, but Lingyue pressed:

"Premonitions require omens. That’s Fate Theory 101."

*Should I admire her sharpness? Or accept she’s my other half—nothing escapes her.*

He confessed: Since fighting Mond’s group three days ago, they’d skipped school. Their hateful glares promised retaliation. (Zaku "visited" G-Class daily—not for him, but to see Afa. *Traitor!*)

"Skipping class means little. If they threaten you, I’ll sanction them. Rest easy."

Her words wrapped him in safety. *Wait—since when did roles reverse?*

"Ah, Sister’s words move me! Can I repay you with my body?"

*That disgusted look?! My heart’s wounded~*

"Students skipping three days trigger counselor intervention. This isn’t our burden."

"Right. Then… one more round while we have time?"

"Of course, Brother."

"...Go easy this time? Ten percent strength?"

"Ten percent? Possible. But what scheme’s brewing in that head?"

"How can you think so lowly of your own brother?!"

Lingyue nodded solemnly:

"You were so proper as a child. Now you feel… lewd."

*This time, his heart truly cracked.*

"Even a lewd brother… is still your favorite brother."

Her words resurrected him—tripling his spirit.

*To earn her approval, I’ll give this duel my all… and maximize "accidental" contact. Show her Brother’s reliability!*

---

Simultaneously.

North Town Street.

Night had fallen, yet neon-lit streets pulsed with unnatural vitality.

Hover-jets and wheeled vehicles glided past shops, their signs and headlights weaving a luminous tapestry.

*(Modern tech could banish night entirely—but biological rhythms demanded darkness. So humanity relied on streetlights instead.)*

A couple exiting a boutique collided with three men.

The girlfriend stumbled. Her boyfriend stepped forward angrily—then froze as a finger pierced his chest. A bloody hole blossomed. He collapsed. Before the girl could scream, her neck snapped 360 degrees.

"Fragile. Being a Mage is truly magnificent!"

Laughing, the trio strode into the boutique.

Shattering glass and screams soon echoed onto the street.

---

Next morning.

Yan Lingxuan and Lingyue watched the news in their dorm living room.

*Last night on North Town Street: Three unidentified Mages murdered two pedestrians, then robbed a boutique—slaughtering seven inside. Arriving Magic Police eliminated the culprits. This marks the 13th Mage-related violent crime in three days, nearing Atlantis’s monthly total. Authorities suspect illegal Mage immigrants.*

Campus buzzed with uneasy chatter. Not panic—yet.

After parting with Lingyue in the hallway, Yan Lingxuan entered his classroom.

"Morning." Gavi greeted him immediately.

"See the news?"

"Yeah. Crime’s skyrocketing."

"Mm. Feels like disaster’s brewing. As your Han saying goes—‘The mountain rain approaches; the tower fills with wind.’"

Seated by the window, Yan Lingxuan scanned the room. Clusters of students whispered about Mage crimes.

After a brief chat, Gavi drifted to another group—the social butterfly.

Yan Lingxuan’s WD buzzed. The notification header read: ****.

---

Fifteen minutes later.

Yan Lingxuan stood before the principal’s office, meeting another summoned student.

"Yo, Princess. Fancy meeting you here?"

Sherlock shot him a withering glare, turning away pointedly.

*No use forcing warmth on ice.* Yan Lingxuan knocked—*thud-thud-thud*—the solid wood door echoing.

"Enter."

Principal Yuan Ye Misaki’s voice. He pushed the door open. *Odd—no auto-door in this era? Must be for "atmosphere."*

"Welcome to the principal’s office."

Sitting behind her desk, Principal Yuan Ye Misaki offered a warm smile to the two visitors before her.

Compared to the oversized desk, the petite Yuan Ye Misaki looked almost doll-like—adorable yet utterly out of place. She resembled a little girl playing in her father’s office, nothing like the academy’s principal or this room’s rightful owner.

Yan Lingxuan’s gaze lingered on the woman beside her: Miura Riko, the secretary. Her crisp white shirt, black mini-skirt, single ponytail, sheer black stockings, thin-rimmed glasses, and icy beauty made her the ultimate secretary archetype.

Those glasses weren’t for poor eyesight. Atlantis boasted world-class vision correction—nearsightedness was nearly extinct there. Few wore glasses unless they were Wearable Devices disguised as eyewear.

“This is my secretary, Miura Riko,” Yuan Ye Misaki chirped. “Don’t let her looks fool you. She’s just an inexperienced virgin, really.”

Pfft—

Before Yan Lingxuan could retort, Miura Riko sprang into action.

“What do you mean, ‘just a virgin’?!” she snapped, her smile frozen in a tight grimace. She seized Yuan Ye Misaki’s head and drilled her knuckles into the small scalp.

“Aah… Riko, I’m sorry! Spare me this time… It hurts, it really hurts…”

“Why must you always do this, Misaki? Announcing I’m a virgin to strangers—can’t you keep it to yourself?”

“Riko… isn’t being an older virgin a charming trait?”

“I’m not old! I’m not even thirty!”

“You’re twenty-nine. What’s the difference?”

“Don’t say it out loud!”

“It’s fine. Brother Yan’s a sister-complex guy—he’d never be interested in you anyway, Riko.”

“That’s irrelevant!”

“It hurts, it hurts… Easy, Lady Riko! My head’s about to explode… I was wrong…”

Watching the two grown women bicker and wrestle, Yan Lingxuan stood speechless. Beside him, Sherlock merely watched, utterly unfazed.