Ariel had recovered.
She and Finn were now on their way to school.
Their school was called Chiron, named after a Virtuous Paragon from the past—Sagittarius, renowned as a great teacher whose students also went on to become Virtuous Paragons.
Chiron was one of the most prestigious and elite academies known to mankind. Only those who were truly gifted could get in.
The uniform was dominated by white, trimmed with gold embroidery along every edge, giving off a pure, clean, and elegant impression.
"Yesterday, I watched that recording. Are you really a virgin?" Ariel asked suspiciously, glancing at Finn.
"No. Not after sleeping with you. Yes, before that."
"But you knew how to do foreplay. There's no way an virgin could pull that off. Are you lying to me?"
"I learned it from adult videos I downloaded online. If you don't believe me, then sleep with a guy who's actually experienced and compare it to yesterday. I'm sure you'll notice a clear difference."
"Alright, I'll believe you for now. But if it turns out you have experience, I'm going to be mad."
For now, she chose to believe him.
Then she changed the topic.
"Listen, I'm going in first. You'll enter school after me."
"Why do we have to do something so troublesome?"
"If we go in together, people will think we're dating."
"Do whatever you want."
With that plan, Ariel ran ahead of Finn. After about five minutes of walking, Finn arrived at school.
This elite academy was built in European style, standing tall like a palace, surrounded by vast gardens with golden fountains.
The main building was made of white stone, with tall towers decorated with stained glass that reflected colorful light.
Its iron gates were sturdy, engraved with the academy's crest, while the hallways were wide, supported by marble pillars and domed ceilings filled with classical paintings and crystal chandeliers.
Finn never imagined he'd be able to attend an elite school like this in his second life. In his first life, he went to a run-down school filled with delinquents.
That's why—even though his soul was that of an old man—he still chose to attend school, making up for the unhappiness of his past.
You could say this was wish fulfillment.
In his first life,
He always walked at the edge of the hallway, afraid of bothering other students;
He wasn't smart or accomplished, and during lunch, he dug through trash cans for food.
But now…
Finn walked arrogantly down the center of the hallway.
Every student he passed stepped aside in fear—even the teachers didn't want to get on his bad side.
If someone bumped into him, he simply clicked his tongue, "Tch," and glared at them with narrowed eyes. It worked well; most people quickly got out of his way.
But that trick didn't work on dumb thugs or spoiled rich kids. So Finn just beat them up until they begged for mercy. "...Please spare us…"
Finn Ophis was a background character—but he was a naughty background character.
When the teacher handed out assignments, he was the first to finish in class. The teachers were usually suspicious, thinking he answered randomly.
But after checking, they'd find all his answers correct.
"I thought delinquents like you were always dumb," one teacher remarked.
"I'm not a delinquent. I'm ranked number one in the first year."
"Are you showing off?!"
Finn Ophis was a background character—but a smart background character.
During lunch break, Finn no longer scavenged for food from the trash.
Now, he brought his own lunch from home—meals he made himself.
When he opened his lunchbox, the delicious and luxurious aroma immediately filled the classroom, making his classmates' stomachs rumble—even Ariel drooled.
Today's lunch was A6-grade beef steak—a dish that symbolized wealth and luxury.
Finn Ophis was a background character—but a rich background character.
In short, he was a background character—but one that stood out just a bit more than the rest. He was strong, smart, and rich.
But still a background character.
Ariel approached Finn, who was eating alone.
Her movement made her classmates instinctively hold their breath.
"Ariel, what are you doing?!"
"That's Finn!"
"I heard his parents are interdimensional mafia!"
"If you bother him, he might turn you into a sex slave!"
Finn Ophis. A background character—but with a reputation on par with a final boss.
'His true identity is Ouroboros's servant,' Ariel thought.
"Your lunch is still as fancy as ever, huh?"
"Jealous?" Finn asked without looking up.
"I'm very jealous," Ariel said shamelessly before grabbing a piece of meat and popping it in her mouth like she was filming a food commercial.
She ate it with a bright, satisfied smile. But Finn frowned.
"That's disgusting! Don't eat with your hands—use a spoon or fork. And more importantly, ask before taking someone else's food," Finn protested.
"Too fussy."
"That's why you lost to the graceful Elena."
"What does that have to do with anything?!"
Ariel's anger exploded as she slammed the table. Some of Finn's food leapt out of the lunchbox and fell to the floor.
"You're like a gorilla. No wonder you lost to a noblewoman."
"Shut up!"
Ariel then picked the food off the floor and tried to eat it.
"You're such a glutton."
"Food that falls on the floor—if it's within five minutes, it's still clean."
"That kind of logic will land you in the ER."
"That's my problem."
After finishing cleaning up while snacking, Ariel returned to her circle. To Finn's surprise, she was still on good terms with Arnold and Elena—two people she should've blocked from her life.
A normal person would've cut ties with them.
Did Ariel have some kind of NTR plan?
But whatever Ariel does, Finn doesn't care. He's just her sex friend, not her boyfriend or family. This relationship wasn't something he wanted to change either.
After all, Ariel's personality wasn't his type.
"Ariel," said Arnold, "I'll protect you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Just in case, write a will," added Elena.
"I know Finn. He's not that bad."
"You know him?"
"Yeah. He's my sex friend."
Upon hearing that Finn was Ariel's sex partner, every guy in class looked at him with hatred. Ariel was one of the prettiest girls in school, and all the boys had fantasized about being her first. But now that role had been stolen by Finn.
All they could do was feel incredibly jealous of him.
The classroom went silent.
A second later, the boys' gazes turned into hellfire.
They stared at Finn like he had just stolen all their SSR gacha pulls. Finn turned his head slightly. The guys immediately looked away, pretending to read books.
'Cowards…'
A female teacher walked into the classroom.
She looked more like a cute child than a seductive adult woman. To top it off, her pink hair only added to her adorable appearance.
"Is there a student named Finnophis here?" she shouted.
"That's me, Miss Lucyweston."
"My name's Lucy Weston, you bastard!"
"My name's Finn Ophis, Miss Shorty."
Lucy blushed instantly.
"You brat! Are you getting revenge on me?!"
"If you're just here to yell, I'll continue eating."
"You little punk!"
Lucy was furious at Finn's complete lack of respect for his teacher. But she took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking again.
"After lunch, come see me in the teacher's office."
"I refuse."
Lucy almost threw her bag but settled for a piece of bread instead. The bread landed squarely on Finn's face.
"You should show a little respect to your teachers!"
"Miss Lucy, I refuse because I'm lazy."
"That's not what I meant!"
The other students could only watch in a mix of awe and fear. That delinquent wasn't just unafraid of teachers—he turned them into material for his stand-up routine.
"Fine. Let's talk here instead."
Lucy walked up to Finn and sat down on the chair in front of him, facing him. Then she began eating the bread she brought.
"This is the first time I've seen a teacher eat in class."
"That's because you won't come to the teacher's office."
"Then what business do you have with me?"
"You haven't joined any clubs, right?"
Clubs were extracurricular groups in Chiron Academy. There were many types of clubs students could join based on their interests, like: Music Club, Soccer Club, or Literature Club.
Clubs served as places to channel hobbies and passions.
Usually held activities after school or in the afternoon.
"Yeah, I haven't joined any club."
"At Chiron, every student is required to join a club."
"Then I'll join the Go-Home Club."
"There's no such club!"
"Why not? It's the most productive one. Total rest."
Lucy facepalmed.
"If there's nothing that suits, just start your own club."
"I can?"
"Yeah. What's your hobby?"
"Cooking."
"…I thought you'd say 'killing people.'"
"Don't slander me."
"Cooking or culinary stuff is associated with Ouroboros. But since our school doesn't have a Culinary Club, we often get criticized for not respecting Ouroboros. The problem is, no one's interested in starting one. So be the founder of the Culinary Club and end that criticism."
"Alright, I'll think about it."
"Don't think—just do it!" she then whispered something naughty into Finn's ear. "If you're the founder, you get to pick all the members… all girls. You could build a harem."
Finn went silent. "…Now that sounds interesting."