Chapter 13: Almost Done

The levitation tram emitted a slight braking sound as it slid smoothly into the wide platform in front of the main gate of Eden High Academy. Accompanied by a pleasant notification tone, the doors slid open to both sides, and the slightly chilly but fresh morning air flooded into the carriage.

The students, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately poured out like a stream from a burst dam, merging into the larger crowd on the platform. Youthful vitality instantly filled the space.

“Good morning! Did you finish the Magic Analysis homework assigned yesterday?”

A girl with twin tails and a sweet smile skipped over to grab the arm of another short-haired girl nearby, greeting her affectionately.

“Hey! Jackas! Did you watch the Virtual Arena last night? That combo was so cool!”

Several boys in sports uniforms gathered together with their arms around each other’s shoulders, gesturing excitedly as they discussed the latest battle footage.

“Hurry, hurry! The first period is Professor Paladin’s Practical Theory Class, and he hates it when people are late!”

Someone urged their companions while checking the time.

Laughter, conversation, and hurried footsteps… various sounds intertwined, mixing with the morning light and the scent of youth to form a vivid picture of a bustling academy morning.

By the time Hell unhurriedly stepped off the train, the once-crowded carriage had become empty, leaving only a few scattered students who, like him, were either not in a rush or were slow to pack their things. The crowd on the platform had also thinned out considerably, with most students having already surged toward the academy’s grand and imposing main gate.

He had intentionally waited until the end to leave.

Instead of merging into the dense crowd too early, enduring those ubiquitous, strange looks, and passively catching the whispers that always seemed to find his ears with precision, it was better to wait until the end to avoid that uncomfortable “center of attention” moment.

Walking at the very end when almost no one was around might make him seem a bit lonely, but at least he could have some peace and let his ears and nerves relax a bit.

This was a valuable “survival experience” Hell had gained after suffering on his first day after transmigration.

He still clearly remembered that day — he had just finished merging his chaotic memories, his head was still dizzy, and he felt a total sense of strangeness toward this body and his surroundings. He had not carefully considered the potential impact of the original owner’s “character setting” and reputation; he simply followed his instincts and the route in his memory to walk into the academy as usual.

As a result, almost the moment he stepped through the school gates, Hell felt as if he had stumbled into some kind of invisible force field.

The surrounding students, regardless of gender, looked at him with an indescribable and complex meaning. Curiosity, disdain, wariness, mockery… all sorts of emotions mixed together, forming webs of invisible gazes.

Even more unbearable were the whispers that were deliberately kept low, yet seemed as if they were meant for him to hear, drifting from every corner:

“I heard he ‘changed’ girlfriends again yesterday? Really…”

“Shhh! Keep it down! Did you forget what happened before…”

“Tsk, scum… just because he’s rich and powerful…”

“Hey, did you hear? Apparently, there was a girl he threatened with stuff like ‘You wouldn’t want anyone to find out about that’ before…”

“Really? That’s way too much.”

“Who knows? Anyway, that’s what the rumors say…”

The content was varied, and the versions iterated quickly. From him changing girlfriends every day to using underhanded methods to threaten girls, and even to him colluding with delinquent groups outside the school… in short, the more they spread, the more ridiculous they became, and the details became richer, as if everyone had witnessed Hell’s “crimes” with their own eyes.

At that time, Hell was nearly choked by this overwhelming “reputation.” He had truly experienced what it meant for “three men to make a tiger” and the power of false rumors.

From then on, Hell learned his lesson. Since he could not change this terrible “initial reputation,” he would try his best to minimize unnecessary contact and attention.

Looking at the character setting, the original Hell was indeed not a “good person,” and he had even been vaguely labeled with the negative “blonde scoundrel trope.” But in all fairness, after carefully reviewing the original owner’s actual behavior, he had never truly done anything that crossed legal boundaries, such as heinous acts like forcing a woman against her will.

The original Hell’s problems lay more in his twisted personality and terrible style of doing things — utilizing his family background and his face, he did act like a playboy, being frivolous and casual toward feelings and lacking a sense of responsibility. His words and attitude were often nasty and biting, hurting many girls’ feelings.

Of course, for the Hell who had now inherited all of this, this god-awful “character setting” was undoubtedly an expression of pure malice from the “Author” who had thrown him into this world. Starting off labeled as “scum,” hated by his sister, and isolated and gossiped about by his classmates… it was practically a hell-mode start.

However, after the initial frustration and helplessness, Hell actually saw a silver lining in it.

While the “keep away” negative aura made daily socializing difficult, it also invisibly erected a natural barrier for him. No one wanted to get close to him, and no one cared where he went after class or what he did.

This kind of transparency and marginalization actually became an excellent cover for when he needed to act as “Arbiter V” or handle certain matters that couldn’t see the light of day.

After all, who would care if a student with a notorious reputation, a withdrawn personality, and zero popularity occasionally went “missing” or acted suspiciously?

Everyone was more than happy to stay away from him.

However, even though Hell deliberately waited until the end to get off the train to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, as he stepped out of the empty carriage and onto the thinning yet still populated platform and the tree-lined path leading to the academy, he inevitably attracted many gazes.

He simply slung his bag over one shoulder, stuck his other hand into the pocket of his uniform trousers, and walked with a somewhat lazy gait along the neatly paved stone road toward the academy’s main gate.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on him. Although it was the most ordinary walking posture, combined with his tall, upright, yet slightly slender figure and that impeccable profile, it somehow formed a striking “scenic view.”

The reason was simple — Hell was far too good-looking.

It was an exquisite beauty that transcended gender, with facial proportions so perfect they seemed calculated. His skin was a cool-toned pale, his eyes long and elegant, the bridge of his nose high, and his jawline sharp and clean.

Specifically, this face also carried a vibe of being “so handsome it was almost evil.” Though he was handsome, there was a faint trace of gloom and sharpness in him, as if he hid a sense of danger, which instead better matched certain people’s secret fantasies of a “bad boy.”

Combined with the faint dark circles always hanging under his eyes and those pupils that always carried weariness and a few streaks of lingering melancholy, his entire being exuded a unique aura — a mix of a sickly beautiful boy and a detached, melancholy noble. For many teenage girls, he was practically a walking arsonist of hearts.

Therefore, even with a bad reputation, and even though no one dared to approach him easily, Hell could still feel the gazes of the opposite sex around him at every moment. There was curiosity, timidity, admiration, and even complex looks filled with regret or the feeling of “knowing he’s a flame but wanting to get close anyway.”

Many girls, as they passed him or talked with their companions in the distance, would pretend to casually sneak a quick glance at him, only to quickly look away as if they had been burned, their cheeks flushing slightly as they whispered with their friends.

However, no one ever truly dared to come forward and strike up a conversation.

After all, in Eden Academy, the name Hell was almost synonymous with trouble.

Most girls’ rationality would quickly take over after a brief moment of visual enjoyment and internal fluttering. One couldn’t really fall for this “famous scum” just because of a single glance, right? That would be not taking one’s own reputation and safety seriously enough.

Hell braved these complex gazes as he crossed the academy’s front courtyard. After a few days of “adaptation,” he had become almost numb to it, or even accustomed.

After all, his character setting was that of a villain member, a younger brother extremely hated by his sister who was a Goddess Angel, and a fragrant, soft young man isolated by the rumors and gossip of his classmates.

The elements were a bit too complete.

Hell even felt that this character was an “accumulation of malice” meticulously designed by the “Author” to retaliate against readers like him who had been “disrespectful.” It was practically a collection of ten thousand negative labels, stepping on every possible landmine right from the start.

Back when he was reading the book, he had been disgusted by the character Hell, but the guy had died in the first volume, so he hadn’t felt much for the guy’s situation.

‘I didn’t understand the song when I first heard it, but now I’m the person in the lyrics.’

Just then, the panting voice of a girl with a hint of familiarity came from behind him.

“H-Hell… Senior! Please, wait… um…”

The voice wasn’t loud, but it was exceptionally clear on the relatively quiet morning road, and it successfully caused Hell to halt his steps just as he was about to enter the teaching building.

He frowned slightly, turned around, and looked toward the source of the sound.

He saw the blue-haired freshman from the tram earlier, the one who had almost fallen, standing several meters away from him. One hand was pressed against her chest, which was heaving from the intense running, and her light purple eyes looked extra bright in the morning light, currently watching him with a hint of nervousness.

The girl seemed to have chased after him at a jog, and fine beads of sweat had even broken out on her forehead, with a few strands of short blue hair sticking to her pale skin.

She bent over, resting her hands on her knees, and panted heavily a few more times as she struggled to steady her breathing. After recovering slightly, she stood up straight and took a deep breath, as if she had made some kind of decision. She looked up, her crystal-like eyes gazing seriously at Hell.

“Is something the matter?” Hell asked, his voice still flat, revealing no emotion.

He swept his gaze inconspicuously over the surroundings — sure enough, because of the girl’s obvious action toward “Hell,” many of the students who were originally in a hurry slowed down or even stopped. they cast curious, searching, and even mocking looks. Whispers began to rise once more.

The blue-haired girl clearly noticed the gazes gathering around them. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her hands unconsciously gripped her bag straps, making her look a bit restless and nervous. But she still mustered the courage to take a small step forward. Although her voice was still not loud, it was clear enough.

“J-Just now on the tram… Senior saved me. I haven’t thanked you properly… and it’s been on my mind.”

As she spoke, she bowed slightly again.

“So… please accept my sincere thanks! Thank you very much!”

After saying this, the blue-haired girl solemnly gave Hell a deep bow, her light-blue hair sliding over her shoulders with the movement. The action was standard and sincere; she held it for a few seconds before standing back up.

Then, as if she had completed some major task, she didn’t even dare look at Hell’s expression. She just hurriedly said, “S-Sorry for disturbing you!” and immediately turned around, almost running away as she disappeared into the crowd heading toward the junior teaching building.

The entire process was swift and brief, yet filled with the unique awkwardness and courage of a young girl.

Hell stood in place, watching the direction where the blue-haired girl had disappeared, and remained silent for a moment. The whispers around him started up again.

“That Hell saved someone?”

“For real…”

“Seems like it’s true, someone saw it.”

“Is this some kind of hard-to-get game of his?”

“Exactly, he must be trying to play the ‘hero saving the beauty’ card to toy with a cute freshman in the palm of his hand!”

Hell’s expression darkened. ‘Give me a break.’