They burst into First-Year Class A almost exactly as the bell rang.
The expected disapproving glare from the teacher never materialized.
The podium stood completely empty—the homeroom teacher apparently hadn’t arrived yet.
The previously noisy chatter in the classroom, however, fell silent the instant they appeared at the doorway.
Then it erupted again, even louder, into a wave of whispers filled with surprise and curiosity.
Dozens of gazes locked onto the pair of sisters at the entrance in unison.
Astonishment, probing interest, curiosity, envy… All kinds of emotions intertwined in those looks.
Only then did Qiu Mian belatedly realize that she and Qiu Kui’s appearances seemed a bit too outstanding within this ordinary group of students.
Qiu Mian possessed a delicate beauty laced with frailty and aloofness.
Pale skin, ink-black long hair, and eyes that hung half-lowered with cold indifference created an impression of something fragile yet difficult to approach.
Qiu Kui, even while lowering her head and desperately trying to minimize her presence, couldn’t be ignored.
Her tall, slender figure, soft light linen-colored hair, refined features, and those beautiful purple eyes that remained striking even when downcast drew attention effortlessly.
Standing together, their vastly different styles somehow formed a strangely harmonious picture.
“Wow… Transfer students? Two of them at once?”
“The black-haired one has such an elegant aura, but she looks really cold…”
“The girl with the linen-colored hair next to her is adorable too! She’s so tall!”
“What kind of good fortune is this? I heard there were quite a few transfer students this year. We’ve already seen two, and both are stunning in completely different ways!”
“There’s supposedly another one in the neighboring class—a super cheerful beauty!”
“Tsk, the first-year beauty ceiling is about to be completely rewritten…”
The scattered comments drifted into Qiu Mian’s ears.
She heard every word clearly, yet her heart remained unmoved.
If anything, she felt like sighing.
Popular? Beauties? What is all this nonsense…? Right now I just want to know if the plot has gone off track. Is Xia Qingkong in this class or not? And will that Yellow Hair from this morning come looking for trouble again…?
She kept her face coldly expressionless as her gaze swept quickly across the classroom.
Good.
Xia Qingkong wasn’t here.
It looked like she’d been assigned to the neighboring class.
This actually matched the original novel’s early setup, where the protagonist and villain were in different classes.
Qiu Mian felt a small sense of relief in her heart.
At least for the time being, she wouldn’t have to put on an intense performance right under the protagonist’s nose.
Her classmates’ enthusiasm, however, showed no signs of dying down just because of her cold demeanor.
Especially a few outgoing-looking girls in the front row.
Unable to contain their curiosity any longer, they came over.
“Hi! You two must be the new transfers, Qiu Mian and Qiu Kui, right?” A girl with twin ponytails and an adorable smile spoke up first. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Qiu Mian, then glanced curiously at Qiu Kui, who stood half a step behind her.
“I’m the class president, Yuan Cai. Welcome to Class A! Are you sisters? You both look so beautiful!”
Qiu Mian gave a slight nod in response.
She wasn’t particularly skilled at handling this kind of direct enthusiasm.
Especially while stuck in her villain role, she had no idea what to say.
Should she reply with “Thanks, but we don’t get along”? That would be far too strange.
I need to stay in character… but I can’t be too unapproachable either. Getting isolated would only cause more problems later… Tsk. This is exhausting.
While she was still struggling internally, another short-haired girl approached.
Her gaze lingered mostly on Qiu Kui, filled with good-natured wonder.
“Qiu Kui, you’re so tall! And your figure is amazing! Is that hair color natural? It’s gorgeous!”
Qiu Kui was completely flustered by the sudden attention.
She nearly shrank entirely behind Qiu Mian.
Her fingers nervously twisted the edge of her uniform as her face flushed pink.
She answered in a tiny, soft voice.
“Th-thank you… Y-yes, it’s natural…”
Her shy, timid appearance only heightened the girls’ affection and protective instincts.
“Wow, she’s so cute!”
“Don’t be afraid! Everyone in our class is really nice!”
“If you have any questions about anything, you can ask us anytime!”
Watching Qiu Kui become even more flustered as the girls “surrounded” her with kindness, a thought suddenly surfaced in Qiu Mian’s mind.
Qiu Kui is so socially anxious. It can’t be good for her to keep going on like this. In this world, she needs her own life and some friends… At least female friends should be relatively safe, right?
Besides, letting her interact more with girls her age might help her open up a bit instead of always being so scared of “me”…
Once the idea formed, Qiu Mian acted.
She turned slightly to the side and reached out, gently pulling Qiu Kui—who was hiding behind her—forward half a step so she faced the enthusiastic girls more directly.
The motion wasn’t exactly gentle.
It carried a hint of impatience, as if saying “stop hiding already.”
“She’s a bit shy with strangers.” Qiu Mian’s tone remained indifferent as she addressed the girls. Yet compared to her usual coldness, there was an awkward undertone that almost sounded like “please take care of her.”
“You all… talk to her more.”
Qiu Kui froze at the sudden “push.”
Caught completely off guard, she met several pairs of smiling eyes.
Her face flushed bright red in an instant, the color spreading all the way to her ears.
She looked helplessly toward Qiu Mian.
Her eyes shimmered with moisture, silently protesting.
Qiu Mian, however, had already turned her face away, pretending to examine the empty seats at the back of the classroom.
The girls paused for a moment.
Then, seeing Qiu Kui’s extremely shy expression and Qiu Mian’s deliberately cold but clearly caring action, they exchanged understanding glances.
Their smiles grew even brighter.
“No problem! Leave it to us!”
“Qiu Kui, don’t be nervous. We’re all friends now!”
“Yeah! After school, want to go buy the new stationery releases together? The school store has limited editions!”
The girls thoughtfully lowered their voices and began chatting with Qiu Kui in an even gentler manner.
Though still shy, Qiu Kui responded softly.
Her tightly tensed shoulders seemed to relax just a fraction.
Qiu Mian watched from the corner of her eye.
The strange irritation in her heart eased slightly.
This… should be okay, right?
However, just as the situation with the girls was handled, new trouble arrived.
Several boys sitting in the back rows, who were clearly more active, had also noticed the striking transfer student sisters too.
Especially Qiu Kui.
Her tall figure and delicate appearance quickly drew their attention.
After some mutual shoving and encouragement, a somewhat bold boy with light brown hair walked over with a smile he clearly thought was refreshing.
“Hey, new classmates! Welcome!” He nodded first at Qiu Mian, then let his gaze settle naturally on Qiu Kui. His smile deepened.
“Qiu Kui, right? I’m Yamaguchi, the sports rep for the class. With your height, are you interested in joining the girls’ basketball team? We’re short on players! Or after school, would you like to…”
His words were cut off.
Because the moment his gaze lingered too naturally on Qiu Kui and he attempted to extend that invitation, Qiu Mian moved faster.
She reached out again.
This time it wasn’t a pull.
Quite roughly, she yanked Qiu Kui back behind her, using her own body to completely block the view.
The motion was far more forceful than before.
Qiu Kui stumbled from the sudden tug, nearly bumping into her back.
A small startled sound escaped her, but she quickly steadied herself.
She simply stared in confusion and helplessness at Qiu Mian’s back.