Recently, Maya has been feeling troubled a lot. For some reason, the scenes she had heard at that time didn’t leave her mind.
She had never considered herself an old-fashioned or conservative person. She was very open to ideas; she didn’t dislike other people out of nowhere.
She was against those negative emotions. After all, she had grown up while receiving her kind-hearted parents’ love. The values that were instilled in her when she was a child had never been something that she wanted to discard.
‘Temperance against hardship is the way of nature and the way of Evergreens.’
She still remembered her mother’s words. Though her relationship with her father was close, her father had shown a bit too much of a love for her, and it was her mother who had taken the position of teaching her in general.
But, now, something appeared. Something that had disturbed her peaceful life. Something that went against those values.
Her inner turmoil grew with each passing day, her mind consumed by the scenes that replayed in her head relentlessly. She couldn’t shake the image of Astron and Sylvie dancing together, their movements graceful yet unsettling to her.
Despite her logical understanding as a mage and her past experiences telling her that there was nothing inherently wrong with their dance, something deep within her heartfelt conflicted.
Her feelings towards Astron had always been complex, a mixture of admiration, friendship, and something deeper that she couldn’t quite put into words. Yet, seeing him with Sylvie had stirred up emotions she hadn’t anticipated.
She felt a knot – a knot that refused to move down.
She felt something inside her rising – a feeling she wanted to suppress no matter what, something that she knew wasn’t good for her image.
‘There is no need to get angry.’
She tried to rationalize her emotions, reminding herself that the dance was just a dance devoid of any deeper meaning or significance.
She wanted to think that the junior she knew wasn’t someone like this. He wouldn’t randomly get close to other people.
‘There is nothing wrong with being dance partners. Yes….There is nothing wrong with him touching other girls or being that close…’
However, her inner struggle was compounded by the realization that she couldn’t easily dismiss those thoughts. Despite her best efforts to suppress them, they continued to simmer beneath the surface, refusing to be ignored.
And she wanted to talk to him, to get rid of these feelings. However, sadly, the academy had a new assignment for them, a practical project that required her to leave the academy. When she returned, she learned that her first years went to a mine, thus making it impossible for her to contact Astron.
However, she knew one thing.
‘Junior always works out very early in the day.’
Therefore, she decided to look for him in his workout times. Waking up very early at 3 A.M., she even put a lot of effort into her looks, making herself look presentable.
Of course, though Maya was a girl who was innocent in terms of girly things, she had always received praise for her good looks, and this still didn’t change.
And apparently, being a vampire was something that gave her a weird charm. Her already white skin got a lot whiter, and her figure became more seductive. Even the way she had walked had changed, with her body undergoing a transformation.
That was something that was apparently innate to vampires. Even her physical attributes increased, rivaling her mana and magic power stats.
Somehow, she became a strong-bodied mage.
In any case, under the snow, she was looking for her Junior. Of course, it was never hard for her to find him since she was always able to feel his smell of blood. It was as if she was connected to her somehow.
Somehow, this made her feel special in a way as well.
However, as she drew closer, her eyes widened in surprise. There, running beside Astron, was a girl she didn’t recognize. Her short white hair fluttered in the wind, and a radiant smile graced her lips as she chatted animatedly with Astron.
Of course, from her side, she wasn’t able to see Astron’s mouth, only the girl’s, but it was evident that they were talking.
‘Who is she?’
Somehow, a weird feeling enveloped her heart. The same feeling of her insides burning, but a weird chill coursing through.
She felt cold. Her thoughts turned cold.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight.
Lost in her thoughts and consumed by her emotions, Maya approached them without even noticing the presence of another boy beside the girl.
“Junior,” Maya greeted Astron, her tone unfamiliar.
‘Why is my voice like this?’
“Who is this?” She asked, turning her gaze to the girl.
“Senior Maya.” His voice was as calm as usual, without any feelings in them. But somehow, she could tell that Astron was relieved to see her. It was a subtle feeling that couldn’t be put into logical reasoning. She just knew.
“Senior Maya…” The girl before her mumbled as if to contemplate Astron’s choice of words. And then, suddenly, she raised her head, locking her eyes with Maya. “Are you, by any chance, Maya Evergreen?” And then she asked.
Maya locked her eyes with the girl before her, her expression unreadable as she processed Astron’s acknowledgment. When the girl addressed her by name, Maya’s demeanor shifted subtly, her tone turning chilly as she replied, “Yes.”
The girl, Julia Middleton, smirked in response, finding the situation amusing.
‘Hehehehehe….Look at what he we have here…’
She couldn’t help but smile. Her intuition as a gossiper as well as a woman was telling her something. Something that she would never miss.
Maya observed her closely, her guard still up despite Julia’s seemingly harmless demeanor.
“I am Julia Middleton, a freshman.”
As Julia extended her hand in the introduction, Maya didn’t do the same. Though she knew she was being rude, at that moment, she didn’t care.
However, before Maya could refuse the gesture, Julia spoke reassuringly.
“I am not a threat to you, don’t worry.”
Maya paused at hearing her words, studying Julia’s eyes intently, searching for any hint. To her surprise, Maya found herself not experiencing the same discomfort she felt when she saw Astron with Sylvie.
There was something lacking in Julia.
‘What am I doing?’
Then, she realized her actions. The pressure she was emitting. With the corner of her eyes, she saw Astron slightly frowning as if he was trying to resist something.
‘I am releasing my aura.’
Instantly, Maya accepted Julia’s hand. “Nice to meet you too, Junior Julia.” A hearty smile bloomed on her face instantly.
And seeing this, Julia was more amused than ever.
“Huuuuu…”
Then, from the side, a breath of relaxation echoed. Turning her head to the side, Maya saw another boy beside the girl. His wavy blue hair was slightly sweaty.
“Cough…” Realizing that Maya was looking at him, Ethan coughed slightly, tensing. He had never thought Seniors would be this oppressive!
‘What the hell was that? I felt like she was about to drown me; I couldn’t even breathe at first. Thank god, I have this trait.’
Thanks to his trait, he was able to resist such an oppressive aura, or else he would already be dead in that dungeon at that time.
“Ethan Hartley. Nice to meet you, Senior.”
“Nice to meet you too, Junior Ethan.”
Yet somehow, the demeanor of that scary senior changed out of nowhere.
‘What did she mean by a threat? How did she change this senior’s mood this fast?’
He threw a look at Julia, who faced the brunt of Senior, and somehow, a new form of respect appeared.
‘I guess it is a women’s thing.’
After exchanging introductions with Julia and Ethan, Maya turned her attention back to Astron, her expression softening slightly. “Astron, it’s been a while. How have you been?” she asked, her tone gentle.
Astron nodded in response. “I’ve been fine, Senior,” he replied, his voice calm and composed. “Things have been okay.”
Julia and Ethan observed the interaction from the sidelines, both intrigued by the dynamics at play between Astron and Maya.
Ethan couldn’t help but feel surprised by Astron’s docile demeanor in Maya’s presence while Julia watched with an amused grin, her curiosity piqued.
Somehow, in both Ethan’s eyes and Julia’s eyes, Astron looked like a tamed cat.
As she saw this, Julia’s mind wandered to a certain redhead who had spoken about Astron subconsciously. She shook her head with a slight smile.
‘My friend….Your competition is really strong….Your road will be thorny….’ Meanwhile, Ethan, ever the blunt one when it came to these matters, turned to Maya with a curious expression. “Senior Maya. How do you know Astron?” he asked, his tone straightforward.
Before Maya could answer, Astron spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of respect. “She’s the one who taught me how to use mana,” he explained, his words filled with respect. “In a way, she’s my master.”
“…” Ethan’s mouth was left wide agape. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
‘Is this the same Astron I know?’ The fact that Astron was showing such respect to someone itself was a first.
“Junior, you are exaggerating.”
“No. If not for you, I may not even be able to use mana now.”
“Sigh…It was thanks to your own talent that you were able to grasp it that fast. I didn’t even do much.”
Feeling Julia’s grip on his arm, Ethan flinched slightly and turned his head to look at her, a questioning expression on his face. “What?” he whispered, curious about the reason for her sudden action.
Julia leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “Do you realize what this means?” she asked, excitement evident in her tone.
Ethan furrowed his brow, trying to decipher Julia’s cryptic message. “What are you talking about?” he whispered back, feeling slightly lost.
“You are hopeless….” Yet, Julia just rolled her eyes.
“What is it?”
“I won’t tell you. Find it on your own.”
“You…..”
Julia threw one last glance at Maya and Astron, a mischievous smile playing on her lips as she observed their interaction. With a satisfied nod, she made a decision.
“Let’s leave them to their conversation,” she whispered to Ethan, gently tugging on his arm.
Ethan nodded in agreement, still slightly perplexed by Julia’s earlier excitement but trusting her judgment nonetheless. He also got the same feeling, as if he didn’t belong here now.
“Yeah, sure,” he whispered back, allowing Julia to lead him away.
Julia, who was leaving rapidly, turned to look at Senior Maya, who threw a quick gaze at her, and then winked.
‘You owe me one.