"Lightning, heed my command!" Nangong Shiyu raised his half-severed right arm toward the sky. "Unleash your wrath upon our enemies!"

Above Tianmu City, thunderclouds churned violently, their radiance outshining the sun itself. Thunder roared, shaking the heavens.

*Got it right!* Nangong Shiyu flashed a mental victory sign deep within his heart.

Just as he’d suspected—the title "Thunder God" wasn’t mere flair. He truly commanded lightning. Not just the magic within his body, refined into electric power, but nature’s own bolts answered his call.

Victory tilted sharply in his favor. His gaze locked onto the mantis monster as he prepared to unleash every ounce of his condensed power.

*Now.*

"Strike!"

At his command, natural lightning from the storm clouds and magic-born bolts from his body erupted simultaneously. Countless thunderbolts crashed down around Lingyang Lake’s shore, merging with Shiyu’s own energy. The entire lake transformed into a true domain of death—

—No one could survive within it.

A deafening blast shook the earth. The roar echoed across Tianmu City, rattling hearts in every chest. Above the lake, a pillar of light shot skyward, piercing the clouds until it vanished beyond the heavens.

Seconds later, the lightning faded. The thunder stilled. The restless world fell silent once more. The storm clouds had been blasted into a perfect circle, revealing a patch of clear sky. Sunlight streamed through the opening, spilling across Lingyang Lake’s surface—a breathtaking, serene sight.

Nangong Shiyu stared dully at the charred, blackened corpse. The stone weighing down his heart finally lifted.

*D...did it... work?*

*I’m alive.*

*I actually survived.*

*That’s... good, isn’t it, Zixin... jiejie?*

—I defeated the enemy. I protected you.

Every shred of strength drained from him. His consciousness frayed at the edges. His eyelids grew heavy, his body limp. Slowly, he sank beneath the lake’s surface.

Sunlight pierced the cold water, bathing Nangong Shiyu in warmth, pushing back the darkness around her. In that moment, she forgot the date, forgot whether she was boy or girl, even forgot her own name.

All she wanted was to sleep.

◆

"Luo Qitian? Luo Qitian! L-U-O! Q-I! T-I-A-N!"

A chalk projectile snapped Luo Qitian awake. He jolted upright at his desk, the entire class now staring at the fool who’d dared nap during homeroom’s math lecture.

"Stand up!"

Realizing his crime, Luo Qitian obeyed, shuffling to his feet.

"Napping? Take your books and pen to the back of the classroom. Stand while you listen!"

"Y-yes, sir..."

Though utterly confused how he’d ended up here, Luo Qitian trudged to the rear, textbooks in hand.

"Apologies for the interruption. Now, back to problem two. Using the ellipse equation from the question and the hyperbola equation we derived earlier, let’s set..."

Luo Qitian listened hazily, a nagging feeling prickling his senses. He scanned the classroom. His gaze landed on the empty seat ahead—Nangong Shiyu’s desk.

*That’s weird. Didn’t I see him this morning at the apartment gate? And met Xia Zixin walking with him too...*

*Man, Zixin’s crazy cute. When did Shiyu sneakily snag a non-blood-related older sister?—Okay, fine, she’s obviously his girlfriend.*

*And they’re living together? No wonder he turned down the class rep’s confession last month.*

*But after meeting Zixin... what happened next?*

*After that...?*

*Total blank. Nothing.*

*Probably just...*

A jolt of electricity sparked in Luo Qitian’s mind.

*Ohhh right! Shiyu said he felt sick halfway through and went home. Must’ve called the teacher to skip class.*

*Yeah, that’s it. Should be fine.*

*Hope that damn lovey-dovey couple’s okay. I still need him to hit the comic con with me tomorrow...*

...

*WAIT!*

*LOVEBIRDS SHOULD JUST DIE ALREADY! DIE! DIE! DIE! Every hetero heretic on this planet must perish!*

"LOVEBIRDS SHOULD JUST DIE ALREADY!!!"

"Luo Qitian, what did you just say?!"

The teacher’s glare snapped him back to reality. He’d screamed his inner monologue aloud. Luo Qitian ducked his head, silent as a mouse.

*Better just listen. I’ll deal with Shiyu tomorrow.* He cursed inwardly.

The bell finally rang. The teacher checked the clock, resigned.

"Tianmu City Fourth High forbids overtime lectures. That’s all for today. The class rep, come to my office for three test sets. Finish the Huanggang paper tonight. The other two are from the grade-level team—do them over the weekend, submit Monday morning... Ah, Shiyu’s absent. Learning Committee Rep, you handle it."

Groans erupted below.

"Ugh, seriously? More tests?!"

"We’ve had tests nonstop for days—I’m dead."

"Bro, our homeroom teacher’s toxic. Tests again?!"

"Ahhh, two whole weekend tests... ugh."

"Honestly? Sucking ass in Overwatch beats this."

"Right?! I’ve got ranked matches queued with my squad. Why’s the department so hyper? Churning out papers like they main Red Bull?"

Luo Qitian, freed after thirty minutes of standing punishment, dragged himself back to his seat and collapsed onto the desk.

Before his cheek even warmed the wood, a hand shook his shoulder.

"Luo Qitian. Wake up."

"Ugh... what? Can’t a guy catch his breath?"

He lifted his head. Predictably, Class Learning Committee Rep Shen Yining stood beside him.

Chestnut hair framed her face, parted by trendy wispy bangs. A high ponytail, tied with a red ribbon, swung against her back—energetic yet undeniably cute. Her sun-kissed skin glowed from outdoor workouts, and her figure drew every boy’s eye. Dressed in Tianmu City Fourth High’s uniform—white blouse, plaid pleated skirt—she wore black over-the-knee socks. The gap between skirt hem and sock top revealed a forbidden zone impossible to look away from.

"What’s up? Weren’t you handing out tests?"

"Done." Shen Yining pointed at Nangong Shiyu’s empty desk. A math test lay there, passed down from the front.

"...What do you need?" Luo Qitian sat up, grabbed the test from Shiyu’s seat, and stuffed it into his drawer.

"It’s... about tomorrow’s comic con." Shen Yining bit her lip, eyes locked on his.

"You mean Shiyu." Luo Qitian saw right through her. "He didn’t reply last night. I’ll try dragging him along."

"No reply? Did you tell him I’ll be cosplaying?"

"Told him. He didn’t look thrilled."

"Ahhh! Whyyyyy?!" Shen Yining stomped her foot. "Grrr! I won’t give up that easily!"

Watching her rally, Luo Qitian sighed. Should he tell her what he’d seen this morning? Would it be cruel... or kind?

"Yining," he murmured, face pressed back against the desk. "Why chase Shiyu so hard? Even after he rejected your confession... most people would quit."

"I’m not most people!" she shot back. "I really like him!"

"Keep it down. It’s practically school gossip already. Everyone’s staring."

"Oh... sorry! Hehe~"

Luo Qitian met her bright, innocent smile, then looked away.

"Yining. There’s something you should know."

"Hm? What?"

He couldn’t bear to watch her eyes while delivering the blow. His gaze fixed on the unsolved equations still scrawled on the blackboard.

"Nangong Shiyu... has a girlfriend now."