Looking at Jacob's retreating figure, Eleanor's smile faded, and her brows were tightly furrowed.
Her conversation with Jacob today left her with mixed feelings of joy and worry.
The joy came from confirming that Jacob was indeed Giovanni, and also proving that Jacob's new experiment must have made significant progress. Jacob might have already created Gigantamax Pokémon a long time ago, but he was still keeping the news tightly under wraps.
If she hadn't discovered Jacob's secret from subtle clues, she would still be in the dark.
Jacob truly lived up to his reputation as a genius in the scientific research world. How long had it been since Mega Evolution was announced? Less than half a year, right? And he already had new experimental results! Such efficiency was unprecedented worldwide.
Her worry stemmed from her complete inability to understand Jacob. Given Jacob's identity, why would he still use the Giovanni persona? Jacob was already the national Champion and the most outstanding scientist; why would he still take such risks by acting as Giovanni?
She was utterly perplexed. Perhaps the thoughts of a genius were simply different from those of an ordinary person like her.
Of course, another thing that worried Eleanor was Jacob's relationship with Raya.
Others might not know, but she was aware that Raya was one of the shareholders of the Golden Gamble.
From the moment she suspected Jacob was Giovanni, she had also conducted initial investigations into the two women who appeared by Jacob's side.
Ultimately, she narrowed down one of the women's identities to Raya because there were only a few women who had a cooperative relationship with Jacob. A little elimination made it easy to deduce it was Raya.
Although she couldn't be one hundred percent certain, the probability of that woman being Raya was about fifty percent.
Because of this, she was now in a dilemma, facing an age-old problem.
When you discover that your best friend's boyfriend is suspected of cheating, what should you do?
After much deliberation, Eleanor finally sighed and decided not to tell Nina for now.
Firstly, Jacob was only suspected of having issues. Secondly, she had just blackmailed Jacob for a reward. Lastly, it was best for her to meddle less in other people's relationships.
At the same time, Jacob, walking on the road, also fell into deep thought.
Eleanor's words also served as a reminder to Jacob: if he were to act as Giovanni again in the future, he must clearly distinguish that identity from Jacob's identity!
As for the one Gigantamax Pokémon he promised Eleanor, he decided to postpone it for a while. He would delay it as long as possible; there was no rush for now.
From Eleanor's attitude, it was not difficult to see that she probably wouldn't reveal his identity, but the fact that Eleanor knew his secret was indeed a huge hidden danger.
He had to find a solution soon.
After leaving Eleanor's office, Jacob walked toward the classroom. A month of task-based life had made him forget his identity as a student.
Too much had happened in the past month. Now, shedding the Giovanni persona, Jacob would temporarily return to his university life.
Jacob also set a simple goal for himself in the near future: to quickly train all his Pokémon to Gym Leader level or above, and to evolve his Fraxure and Shelgon from his main team as soon as possible, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent G3, G2, and G1 competitions.
While thinking about future matters, Jacob walked toward the classroom. This class happened to be Teacher Long's. If Eleanor had directly approved his leave, he wouldn't have been late.
Now, with Eleanor's delay, he was already half an hour late.
Jacob quietly slipped in through the back door and found the nearest available seat.
Although he was extra careful, the sound of the door opening still attracted the attention of many people, especially some drowsy students in the back rows who turned their heads to look toward the back door.
When they saw that it was Jacob, expressions of surprise appeared on everyone's faces. Nina, standing on the podium, also noticed Jacob immediately. Her eyes instantly brightened, but quickly returned to normal, and she said with a stern face, "Quiet, pay attention to the lecture."
Julia, who was sitting in the first row listening attentively, also noticed the commotion, but she did not turn around. She kept her attention focused on the podium.
It wasn't until her best friend whispered to her, "Julia, look, quickly, look who's here."
Listening to her best friend's words, Julia frowned and turned her head. Seeing Jacob appear in the classroom, her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and a brilliant smile instantly appeared on her face.
Since Jacob's birthday last time, she hadn't seen Jacob again, only occasionally calling and video chatting with him.
Now suddenly seeing Jacob, she was naturally overjoyed. If it weren't for the fact that class was in session, she would definitely walk toward Jacob immediately.
Soon, the class ended, and it was time for the five-minute break.
Julia walked toward Jacob without hesitation, a brilliant smile on her face, her eyes entirely focused on Jacob.
Jacob, on the other hand, was breaking out in a cold sweat because he clearly saw Nina on the podium picking up her cup to drink water, but her gaze remained fixed in his direction.
"Jacob!" Julia, dressed in a white dress, was breathtakingly beautiful. Her voice was soft as she walked to Jacob's side, called out to him, and said with a hint of complaint in her eyes, "You didn't even call me when you came back today."
"I was just thinking... I'd give you a surprise," Jacob said. He did intend to give a surprise, but it wasn't for Julia—it was for Nina.
"Really?" Listening to Jacob's words, Julia's smile grew even wider, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Jacob and said, "How about we have lunch together today?"
Listening to Julia's invitation, the other male students nearby showed envious expressions.
Julia's proactive invitation!
Since the beginning of the semester, countless people in the school had pursued Julia, including those from her own year and older students, but she had rejected them all.
It wasn't until now, seeing this scene, that everyone understood what was going on.
"Cough, cough. Not today for lunch." Jacob naturally didn't dare to agree. He planned to have lunch with Nina today. "I have important business today. Let's do it tomorrow or the day after. Once I'm done with my business, I'll treat you to a meal."
Listening to Jacob's words, a hint of disappointment flashed in Julia's eyes. Although she knew that important matters came first, she still hoped that Jacob would prioritize her.
Jacob continued, "Didn't we agree last time? I'll treat all your roommates to a meal. When I'm done, I'll call you. You can invite all your roommates and good friends, and I'll treat everyone to a meal."
"Really?" Listening to Jacob remembering what she had said last time, the initially somewhat disappointed Julia's face lit up with joy, and her eyes brightened. "Then it's a promise. Call me when you're done."
"Mm."