"We're leaving. Do you want us to wait for you?" In the girls' locker room, the last group of people were preparing to leave. "No, I want to stay a little longer." Another girl stood in front of the locker and answered softly. "Okay, call me if you need anything." "goodbye." As her friends left, she was left alone in the locker room. The suppressed emotions surged like a tide, and she growled, "How dare he?" She angrily touched the small wounds on her heel and shoulder and slammed her fist into the locker, making a loud thump and leaving a dent in the metal. "Why?" She sat on the stool, lowered her head, and trembled slightly. The empty locker room reminded her of a past that she couldn't bear to recall. The disgusting touch of the old man, the creepy smile on his face, the hand that grabbed her, and the suppressed scream that never came out, all scenes replayed in her mind. "Ha...ha..." Her heartbeat quickened and her breathing became rapid. Although she had experienced countless battles in training, this memory was always a shadow that she could not overcome.
"Ugh!" Nausea surged into her heart, and she rushed to the toilet and vomited everything. Although her body felt a little better, her heartbeat still couldn't calm down. She clenched her fists tightly, trying to calm herself. "I have to get over this," she whispered to herself, her knuckles turning white from the effort. "That time, he was just lucky." She kept repeating, "You are no longer that weak little girl, you can protect yourself." These words seemed to work, and her emotions gradually calmed down. Her vision gradually cleared, and her fierce yellow eyes slowly opened, filled with hatred. "Morse Scott." She whispered the name, and the bastard's face appeared in her mind. "Next time, I'll make you pay," she murmured to herself, imagining herself defeating him and declaring victory by stepping on his face. In the empty dressing room, she repeated this sentence over and over again, trying to overcome her inner fear in this way. However, she didn't know that fate was quietly waiting for her. ...... Meanwhile, in the library of Arcadia Hunter College, the normally bustling space was now filled with students. Everyone's desk was piled with books, and everyone was studying hard for the upcoming midterm exams. "Hey, Sylvie, should we take a break?" Jasmine asked in a low voice. "Rest? I don't know..." Sylvie hesitated. "Come on, if we don't rest I'm going to fall asleep. We need to go out and get some fresh air. We've been sitting here for two hours," Jasmine insisted. "Oh... okay." Sylvie compromised. The two quietly stood up, trying not to disturb the students around them. They walked out of the library quickly, leaving the dull atmosphere inside. The courtyard outside the library was softly illuminated by the magic engineering lights, and looked peaceful and beautiful. A breeze blew through the treetops, and in the distance, students could be heard chatting during their break. "Ah, I feel much more comfortable." Jasmine stretched and took a deep breath. Sylvie nodded. "You're right. It's really stuffy in there." They stood at the entrance, away from the tense atmosphere of studying. Sylvie glanced at Jasmine and said softly, "I'm always so nervous every time I take an exam. It feels like the exam is just around the corner." Jasmine nodded, "True, but we will get through this." "But where is Danielle?" Sylvie asked, looking at Jasmine. "She needs to study too. Her grades aren't particularly good."
As Sylvie said, Danielle was one of the more laid-back students. She spent most of her evenings at parties and get-togethers, and was well-known among the freshmen. "Danielle," Jasmine looked up at the sky, "she said she was going to meet someone." "Meet someone...who is it?" Sylvie's curiosity was aroused. "It's a boy." When Sylvie heard this answer, her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed slightly. She knew what it meant to meet a boy at this time. "Boy? Who? Do you know him?" 'I can take this opportunity to get back at her.' Sylvie thought to herself. She had always been somewhat dissatisfied with her friend's numerous teasings, and now she felt that she had found an opportunity to fight back. Jasmine smiled at Sylvie's reaction, "I'm not sure. She didn't say much about him, just that she was going to meet him." "I see..." Sylvie pretended to be indifferent, but the blush on her face did not fade. "Well, I hope she has fun." Jasmine grinned. "Have fun? I'm curious what you mean by 'have fun'?" She walked closer to Sylvie. "Who were you thinking about just now?" Hearing this, Sylvie's face turned even redder and she stammered, "No...it's not like that. I'm just...curious." Jasmine laughed, "Curious? Really?" silence! At this moment, the noise around suddenly stopped. "Hmm?" Jasmine was the first to notice something was wrong. She turned her head and saw a familiar figure, the boy who occasionally became their topic of conversation. He was walking in the corridor of the library, holding a pile of books in his arms. Some students recognized him and looked at him. Although no one made a commotion, the pressure of silence and the stares were enough to make people feel uncomfortable. "Morse?" Sylvie noticed him, too. "It seems that he doesn't want to be expelled from the academy either." Jasmine said as she watched him walk into the library. She didn't have a good impression of him. After all, the rumors surrounding him and the attitude he had shown so far had affected her opinion. "Well, you're right," Sylvie replied, her curiosity temporarily diverted. Jasmine stretched and yawned, "Well, break time is over. We should go back to the library. I want to make the most of this study time." Sylvie nodded, and the topic of Danielle's meeting with the mysterious boy was temporarily forgotten. "You're right, let's go back to study." They turned and walked back to the library, ready to re-enter the review for the midterm exam. When Sylvie and Jasmine returned to the library and walked to their empty seats, they found that the seats next to them were no longer occupied by the seniors. Another person took his place, it was Morse who had just walked into the library. Morse sat with a pile of books and notes spread out before him. [The Study of Mana, third edition, by Elena Frost] [Dungeon Theory, 1st edition, by Brian Jack] [Monster Manual, first edition, author: Arcadia Magic Tower]
… He was absorbed in his studies, and the aura around him made it clear that he didn't want to be disturbed, just like when he was in the classroom. Jasmine glanced at Sylvie and raised an eyebrow: "It seems we have 'company' here." Sylvie was briefly distracted by Morse's appearance. She nodded slightly and whispered, "It seems so." Although Jasmine had a bad impression of him, Sylvie didn't say anything bad about him, and she didn't want to make enemies easily. Moreover, seeing that the books in front of him were all textbooks for their courses, Jasmine knew that he was serious and decided not to disturb him. "Let's sit down. It doesn't matter who sits next to us." Sylvie whispered and sat in her seat. However, Jasmine knew that she was trying to distract herself. "You're right." Jasmine also sat down and started studying. So, Sylvie and Jasmine decided to ignore Morse's existence and focus on studying. They opened their textbooks and notes and immersed themselves in her world of learning. The atmosphere of the library is filled with the rustling of pages, the tapping of fingers on keyboards, and the occasional low voices of students discussing study problems.