After that, I finally settled back into ordinary life and welcomed June.
The end-of-term exams were also drawing near.
My manuscript remained unwritten—not a single word. I had a bit of inspiration, but after writing a few drafts, I deleted them all unsatisfied.
Something still felt missing.
Though this new plan being accepted was different from before, my current "doing nothing" felt no different from the past.
Yet, subtle changes lingered.
Yao Star Yan actually yelled at me over the phone, making my ears ring with phantom sounds for days. This only fired me up for revenge.
At home, Willow Ran—who calls herself my savior—visited even more often after making our relationship public. Even if her words to Yao Star Yan were powerful before, was it really okay to repeat them so much?
It felt like this would mess with my novel’s progress.
“Hahaha, so you can say such cheesy lines too!”
“Shut up! It’s all for my novel!”
“Really just that?”
“What are you laughing at! If you hadn’t been pushing me to write, I wouldn’t have done that!”
Willow Ran seemed to know about my phone call that day. She nagged me for days over my “true performance.”
“If only that were true~ But... hehehe, dumped again! Haha.”
This girl was seriously asking for a beating. I was furious.
Willow Ran treated my place like her own, lying on the sofa with potato chips. Her feet pat-patted against the cushion.
“But as expected of Teacher Gale Splendor, you actually said such embarrassing lines!”
“Let’s skip this topic!”
Seriously, was it fine for her to keep eating and drinking here?
“Aren’t you heading back? It’s almost time!”
“What’s almost here?”
“Sigh... I mean the end-of-term exams! As a student, June is when you prepare for them.”
“Oh, that...”
Willow Ran’s voice was lazy as she sank deep into the sofa. I knew she was a special admission student, but even they had academic requirements, right?
“Whatever about that stuff!”
See? She had zero intention of studying.
Come to think of it, I still didn’t know what got Willow Ran special admission.
“Me? Obviously, I was admitted for being good at studying!”
Please—that’s called recommendation, not special admission!
With her lazy attitude now, I’d never believe she was good at studying. If true, hardworking students worldwide would send assassins after her.
“Don’t worry, assassinating me isn’t easy.”
“You can read minds!”
“Aren’t you tired of roasting me?”
In stark contrast to me, Willow Ran said calmly:
“If Star Yan knew your fussy personality, you’d be game over instantly.”
That made it seem like I was at fault. Stomachache!
“I just want to know your special talent...”
“Didn’t I tell you? Are you not only an idiot, Gale Splendor, but also forgetful?”
“I want the truth!”
“Sigh... Gale Splendor, some people rank first without studying much—like me. So yes, my talent is studying.”
“I’ll spread this and see how many hate mails you get.”
“But don’t worry, this skill has trigger conditions.”
Wait—skill? Weren’t we talking talent?
“The exams are end-of-month, so I need to conserve energy... in RPG terms, it’s casting. Such a powerful skill needs a month’s cast time. I’ll unleash it right before exams.”
Just say you cram before exams! Why beat around the bush?
“With level-ups, I might cast instantly someday. But this is fine.”
“Hey, you just don’t want to study! Fine... I, with no skills, need to review now.”
“What about your novel!”
Willow Ran shot up from the sofa, dead serious: “The deadline’s months away, and you’ve written nothing!”
“The exams feel more urgent.”
“Hmm~~ No helping it...”
Willow Ran sighed, dumping the last chips into her mouth.
“As your savior, Gale Splendor, I’ll help you.”
“What?”
“Hehehe, be grateful. I can help with your shoujo novel and studying. Such an all-purpose savior—why not cling to my leg?”
No way I’d let her teach me here.
Even if true, she was still in “casting” mode—zero studying, just a combat-power-five weakling.
Better to handle it myself.
Plus, writing was already noisy. I didn’t want my review time stolen by Willow Ran’s chattering.
“It’s dark. Time to go back?”
I mercilessly kicked Willow Ran out.
I locked the door, tuning out her shouting outside, and entered sacred review mode.
After five or six minutes, the noise finally faded.
Peace didn’t last. Ten minutes later, my phone vibrated with a text. I really didn’t want to deal with Willow Ran, but it might be Yao Star Yan.
After hesitation, I pulled out my phone.
I froze.
Willow Ran’s text had only a few words—
—Gale Splendor, I’m being followed!
Eh... did my earlier joke come true?
Had hardworking students sent assassins to eliminate “top-ranked-without-studying” Willow Ran—no way!
This wasn’t that simple.
Even with her annoying personality, Willow Ran was still a beauty. Sending her home alone this late—if she met a creep...
Elder Sister Liu Xin’s “kind” face flashed in my mind.
Nervously, I dialed Willow Ran’s number.
