“Ding-dong—The next stop is Eden High Academy. Passengers alighting, please prepare—”
The broadcast sounded, and the tram began to decelerate.
The blue-haired girl, however, was still lost in that dazed state, completely unresponsive. Until a gentle voice sounded in her ear.
“We’re here.”
She snapped back to reality and looked up, finding Hell looking down at her. There seemed to be a faint hint of amusement in those pale eyes.
“Oh, oh! Thank you, Senior! Thank you so much!”
The blue-haired girl quickly bowed in thanks, then followed the crowd toward the doors.
After getting off, she stood on the platform, watching the black-uniformed figure walking unhurriedly toward the school gate.
A surge of indescribable impulse welled up inside her.
Then, taking a deep breath, she jogged to catch up.
“S-Sen—”
The girl’s voice came from behind.
Hell stopped and turned around.
The blue-haired girl stood before him, panting, the blush on her face still not faded. She hugged her bag, head lowered, not daring to look at him.
After several seconds, she summoned her courage and lifted her head.
“M-My name is Shuiyue Tianyin!”
Her voice trembled with nervousness, but she tried hard to speak clearly.
“I-I’m a first-year student in Class C!”
After saying that, she lowered her head again, not daring to meet his eyes.
“Hell.”
Hell looked at her and nodded slightly, his voice flat.
“Second year.”
Shuiyue Tianyin nodded, then fell into silence again. She stood there, fingers tightly gripping her bag straps, as if struggling with something.
After a few more seconds—
The girl suddenly pulled out her phone from her pocket, held it up with both hands, and offered it to Hell.
Those slender hands holding the phone were trembling slightly. Her face was as red as a ripe apple, her eyes not daring to look at him, fixed on her own toes.
“Th-then…”
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, hesitant and faltering.
“C-Can Senior… can you add me as a contact?”
After she said that, the girl looked as if she might catch fire, steam practically visible rising from the top of her head.
Hell looked at the girl before him—at the hands holding the phone, at the flushed face, at the evasive eyes.
He was silent for a few seconds.
Then he reached out. Taking the phone from her, he entered his contact information.
“Done.”
Hell handed the phone back to her.
Shuiyue Tianyin took the phone, stared at the newly added contact on the screen, and froze for several seconds. Then she bowed abruptly.
“Th-Thank you, Senior! I-I’d better get to class! Goodbye, Senior!”
With that, the girl turned and ran, her short blue hair flying in the morning breeze, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Hell stood at the school gate, watching the figure with short blue hair vanish into the crowd, before slowly pulling back his gaze.
He looked down at the newly added contact on his phone screen—the profile picture was a cute cartoon rabbit, the nickname “Shuiyue Tianyin.”
Then, Hell was silent for a moment.
‘To be honest, I don’t know why I exchanged contact info with this girl… After all, I came to this world to complete the mission of changing the world line ending. My goal has been clear from the start—the Goddess Angel. Luna, Seshi, and the other characters who hold important positions in the original work. As long as they aren’t Goddess Angel girls, they basically won’t have any connection with me. They’re just background pieces of this world, NPCs, irrelevant existences.’
‘But…’
Hell looked up at the sky.
In his mind, the image surfaced of that girl just moments ago, holding out her phone, face red as an apple, stammering as she asked for his contact info.
Her pale blue eyes were filled with nervousness and anticipation, as if she would burst into tears the second he said “no.”
‘Maybe it’s because this girl looked really pitiful? If I refused, she might start crying in the next second. So I couldn’t bear to?’
Hell let out a soft laugh and shook his head. ‘When did I become such a softie?’
‘A villain, someone who’s supposed to control Goddess Angels and overturn the world line—and yet I soften my heart for an ordinary junior.’
‘That doesn’t fit the character at all.’
‘Oh well. Added her anyway.’
Hell put his phone back in his pocket, adjusted the bag on his shoulder, and walked toward the teaching building.
‘Having my own social circle can also help disguise my identity as an “Eternal Night Gospel Executor.” A “scumbag” isolated by everyone, versus an ordinary student with a bad reputation who occasionally interacts with people normally—the latter is clearly much less suspicious.’
With that thought, Hell’s mood improved even more. He slung his bag over one shoulder and walked briskly into the teaching building.
When Hell pushed open the back door of the classroom, quite a few people were already there.
Morning light streamed through the windows, illuminating the entire classroom bright and warm. Students were chatting in small groups, occasional laughter filling the air with the unique vitality of early morning.
Then, he walked in.
As usual, those gazes—open or covert—shot at him from every direction. Contemptuous, indifferent, disgusted, blind.
Like an unspoken rule, like a conditioned reflex.
Hell was long used to it.
He didn’t even bother paying attention to those looks, simply crossing the aisle toward his seat.
Because he was in an especially good mood today.
Luna had already made a breakthrough—though she was still reluctant, still gritting her teeth, she had already called him “Master,” had accepted her identity as his “slave.”
With just a little more guidance, she would become the sharpest sword in his hand.
And Seshi had made a decent start too—she had taken his allowance, she had left dinner for him, she waited for him in the living room, and she had even said “good morning” today.
Though still expressionless, still cold in tone, the ice shell that had been frozen for years was beginning to show cracks.
As for the stares from the outside world?
What did they matter to him?
The corner of Hell’s mouth lifted slightly. He sat down by the window, dropped his bag on the desk, and turned his head to look outside.
He was about to let his mind go blank—
Buzz.
His phone vibrated.
Hell looked down and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
It was a new message.
The sender’s avatar was that cute cartoon rabbit.
“Senior Hell, good morning! I’m the first-year student Shuiyue Tianyin from earlier!”
“Thank you for saving me again today! I’m really, truly grateful!”
“Please take care of me from now on!”
A cute emoticon with hands clasped followed.
Hell looked at this message, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. He thought for a moment, tapped a few keys on the screen, and replied with a simple “Mm.”
Not long after, his phone vibrated again.
“Um, Senior, to thank you for helping me twice, I’d like to treat you to some dessert…”
“I know a really good dessert shop! Right near the school! If Senior has time…”
The message cut off there, as if the sender had hesitated for a long time, unsure whether to continue.
Hell looked at this message, silent for a moment. Then he replied.
“You’d better not have too much contact with me.”
He didn’t explain why, nor did he need to. After all, everyone in the academy knew his reputation. Getting too close to him wouldn’t do her any good.
But—
A few seconds later, his phone vibrated again.
Shuiyue Tianyin’s message came back faster and more urgently than before.
“I think it’s wrong to judge someone based on other people’s opinions!”
“Senior helped me twice—that’s a fact!”
“And properly thanking you is also a fact!”
“So, so I’d like to treat you to dessert! If Senior doesn’t want to, I-I won’t force it…””
A timid emoticon followed.
Hell looked at these messages, resting his chin on his hand, and let out a soft laugh.
‘This girl… is actually quite interesting.’
Even though she knew his reputation, even though everyone around her was saying “stay away from him,” she still insisted on seeing for herself, judging with her own heart. Even after being rejected, she didn’t back down but honestly explained her thoughts.
Hell’s gaze lingered on the screen for a few seconds.
‘How come I never noticed this character in the original work?’
He thought for a moment, then typed on the screen.
“When?”
A few seconds later, an emoticon that looked like it was exploding with excitement came back, followed by a line of text.
“T-This weekend, is that okay? Whenever Senior is free!”
Hell looked at that emoticon, the smile on his lips deepening.
“Then Saturday afternoon.”
“Okay!! Thank you, Senior!! See you Saturday!!”
A string of exclamation marks and emoticons, as if he could see the girl bouncing with joy through the screen.
Hell put his phone down and looked out the window again.
The sunlight was still bright, the sky still clear blue.
He suddenly felt that this world wasn’t so boring after all.