‘Damn it.’
She couldn’t help cursing inwardly again.
She had lost count of how many times her defenses had been breached ever since she ran into that bastard Ailundun.
And why did she have to sit right next to him of all places?
No… why did he have to sit right next to her?
“You’re not at the Magitech Institute for class. What are you doing at our Sage Institute?”
Li An forced herself to calm down, quickly turning her head to face that bastard Ailundun, doing her best not to let her embarrassment show.
“The Magitech Institute’s classes are in the afternoon today. I had nothing to do, so I came to audit a class here. If I want to build a team, I need to be better than my own members.”
Ailundun replied with a smile.
Li An’s mood grew even worse.
Because she couldn’t find a way to fight back.
Ailundun had indeed said yesterday that he wanted to form a team.
But why… of all times, did he have to be this diligent right now?
She couldn’t understand.
“Miss Li An…”
Ailundun paused for a moment, his expression troubled, as if hesitating.
“What? Laugh if you want.”
Li An’s cheeks grew even hotter, already starting to turn red.
She sat fiercely in her seat and glared at him.
“I was going to say, it seems you brought the wrong book for this class. This Sage Institute class is Introduction to Mana Control, and the next one is Silent Spellcasting.”
Ailundun sighed.
Li An was momentarily stunned and looked at her desk.
She came back to her senses.
Only then did she remember that she had come in such a hurry that she hadn’t bothered to check what the first class was.
She just grabbed a random book and came.
Thinking about that,
A blush spread across her cheeks again.
“Why do you, a Magitech student, remember so clearly?”
Li An opened her mouth, somewhat incredulous.
Wasn’t Ailundun from the Magitech Institute?
Why did he remember their Sage Institute’s schedule so well?
“Just out of interest.”
Ailundun smiled modestly.
“Yeah, right.”
Seeing Ailundun like this, Li An felt a chill run down her spine.
She turned away, deciding not to look at that guy anymore.
That would only ruin her mood for the day.
What happened next, however, far exceeded her expectations.
As time passed, the light inside the classroom grew brighter, and more people came through the door of the Sage Institute.
The once-quiet classroom became noisy with the arrival of students.
They walked in slowly, took a careful look around, and their eyes lit up.
But without exception!
They all went straight to the last few rows, picking seats in the back.
Either they sat behind Ailundun, or they chose a spot nearby where they could see the light, then took out their books and pretended to glance casually in Ailundun’s direction.
Some acted like they had just happened to come to the back, while others stared straight at her with various expressions.
In short,
Soon, all the seats near Ailundun were filled, except for the two right next to him, which were left conspicuously empty, as if planned in advance.
And every single one of them greeted Ailundun.
Ailundun nodded back each time with a gentle smile.
This left the front rows of the classroom looking incredibly empty, with only the few early birds who had arrived first.
And the back rows, which should have had plenty of empty seats, had become the main gathering spot for Classroom 317.
Even some people in the front rows looked hesitant, their eyes shifting uncertainly toward the back, as if they were thinking of moving back too.
This terrifying sight stunned Li An on the spot.
Li An widened her eyes in disbelief, glaring at the guy beside her as if she had never met him before.
Was this guy… some kind of succubus?!
Ailundun ignored Li An’s shocked gaze.
He lowered his head and shrugged.
He knew exactly what they were here for.
Too bad Isabella had told him yesterday that she had something to do today and would be late.
Li An was silent for a moment. When she looked at Ailundun again, her expression was complicated.
She was starting to believe it.
That Ailundun could rally the new students and create a team just for them.
What she didn’t expect was that during her silence,
Ailundun broke it on his own.
“Li An, you’ve always cared about your sister, haven’t you?”
Ailundun sighed softly, whispering like a demon.
“Why are you bringing that up?”
Li An was momentarily stunned, her expression displeased.
She hated it when people pretended to understand her.
“Because you’ve always believed that she abandoned you, not that you wanted to abandon her.”
“…”
Hearing this, Li An’s eyes unconsciously drooped.
They trembled, and then her whole body shook slightly.
After a moment, she slowly calmed down, though her ears were still hot.
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She said after a pause.
She didn’t understand her sister, nor did she want to.
But even she hadn’t realized that she was constantly thinking about the other person.
If she really didn’t care, would it be like this?
Even she couldn’t help but ask herself.
But these things,
She would never admit directly.
So why… did Ailundun notice?
Could it be… that she was really just lying to herself?
Thinking about it, she couldn’t help glancing at Ailundun beside her.
He still had that same casual look, a slight smile on his lips, as if nothing had just happened.
This guy’s attitude always seemed to be that calm one.
Whether it was when she came to cause trouble last time, or when he discovered her embarrassment this time,
he always treated her the same way, as if it were their first meeting every time.
Except sometimes the things he said really made you want to punch him.
She was stunned again, then suddenly thought of something, making her mood even worse.
She felt like she was always being led around by him.
Ever since she met Ailundun, it had been like this.
Just then, the Sage Institute’s teacher walked in, holding Silent Spellcasting, with a dignified and serious expression.
Li An was silent for a moment.
During this time, neither of them spoke, until Ailundun glanced at the empty seat beside him and was momentarily lost in thought.
“…Leilei still hasn’t shown up today.”
Ailundun murmured, a hint of worry creeping into his expression.
Class had already started.
With Luofulei’s usual habits, she wouldn’t be this late.
Thinking this, he looked at Li An again.
Her expression remained unchanged, so it seemed she didn’t know what was going on either.
“…So, do you want to skip class with me?”
Ailundun stretched his body lazily and smiled at Li An.
He was thinking of going to look for Luofulei.
The only reason he had come to class was for Leilei.
Since Leilei wasn’t here, there was no point in staying.