"Countless roads lie ahead, but safety comes first. Drive recklessly, and your loved ones will weep."

The taxi’s navigation jolted me awake with its cold, robotic voice. I turned to the driver, puzzled. *Why use GPS just to get to school? Doesn’t he know the way?*

"Hidden speed cameras popped up all over this road lately," he explained, eyes on the road. "This app warns me where they are."

"Stay safe, then," I said. I pulled my coat tighter, curled into the passenger seat, and tried to nap. Ever since becoming a fox, my body felt strangely flexible—and I craved curling into a tight ball. It felt safe.

"Kid, this road didn’t need so many cams," the driver continued. "But after that incident two days ago… someone reported a guy sprinting at 80 km/h. Nobody believed it—until the cameras caught a blur. Looked human, but too obscured to ID. So they installed all these high-speed HD cams to find him."

*…No need to look. He’s sitting right beside you.* I swallowed hard. *Was my stunt really that big a deal? And how do you know classified details, Uncle Driver?*

*[Is this what riding a car feels like?]* The Fox Demon’s voice crackled in my skull. *[This queen’s first time… So slow. So nauseating. This smell… ugh…]*

A violent ten-second retching echoed inside my head.

"No way—you didn’t vomit *in my brain*, did you?!" I shook my head. *Please be imagination. Please.*

*[All your fault! Never ride this junk again! Uncomfortable AND painfully slow!]*

"Sorry! I was just exhausted from last night… needed rest," I muttered. Normally I took the bus, but no seats meant no naps. Hence the taxi splurge.

*[Admit fault? Then recall our purpose at school.]*

"To study," I said flatly.

*Truth?* I just wanted normalcy—classes, chats, human connection. We’re social creatures. Plus… home was ashes. Computer? Ashes. Router? Smashed. No net, no PC. School beat rotting alone listening to her nag.

*[Study? Nonsense!]* she snapped. *[Your mission: find spiritually rich targets. Any gender. Drain them dry.]*

"Why still absorb? Weren’t we done?"

*[Before: restored my power to forge your fox form. Now: accelerate your cultivation. One tail? Pathetic. A fledgling demon. We need strength.]*

"Why hunt *here*?"

*[Students = youthful energy. Purity fades after… certain experiences. More untouched souls here than outside. Cultivator descendants? Luck of the draw.]*

*You don’t know modern schools,* I thought. *Nursing college next door has student parents. Society’s changed… Four days ago, I’d never held a girl’s hand. Now? Total mess.*

"Just don’t hurt anyone or cause trouble. Do what you must," I sighed.

Time flew chatting mentally. When I blinked awake—we’d arrived. Nap ruined. *Classroom nap it is.*

"Class Rep Hanhan… Should I say hi?"

She stood crisp at the gate, student council badge gleaming, radiating quiet authority. My stomach tightened. *I owe her. But after yesterday’s… no girl would forgive that. Is she still furious? Will she yell?*

Better skip it. Don’t upset her.

"Wait, Su Su." Her voice stopped me mid-step. She glided over, tilted my chin up. "No greeting for your class rep?"

"C-Class Rep Hanhan… h-hi," I stammered, stepping back. Glances swarmed us. *The aloof student council president never acts like this.*

"I’m well. State your name, class, student ID." Ice-cold gaze swept over me as she flipped open a notebook.

"Sis! You *just* used my name! Stop messing around!" Helpless, I recited my details.

"Student ID. For verification." Her pen scratched nonstop—*shush-shush-shush*—across pages.

*Wait… I said twenty words. She’s filled three pages?*

"…Can’t my face prove it? Fine, fine." I rummaged my bag. No ID. *Lost? Or ash from yesterday’s fire?*

"Uh… forgot it," I mumbled, scratching my neck.

A flicker—her lips curved *slightly*. A ghost of a smile. Gone in a breath.

"Come to student council after second period. I’ll ‘issue’ your new ID."

"Huh? Since when can student council do that?"

"Don’t ask. Just come."

"Yes… I trust you," I nodded.

Back in class, chatter buzzed. I leaned in.

"New student today!"

"Seriously?"

"Saw her by the teacher’s office—*stunning* beauty…"

*Pretty transfer student?* Not bad. Honestly… tired of the usual crowd. Besides Class Rep Hanhan, that is.