On the first day of school, the skies above were crowded with private flyers carrying noble children. Xie Xingyan, however, arrived on a public transport flyer.
Her reasoning was obvious—she wanted to save starcoins on daily travel.
Passersby glanced at the girl with slightly wavy hair but quickly turned their eyes away. After all, interstellar people were not looks-obsessed.
Following the instructions from the school notice she had received days before, Xie Xingyan went straight to the registration desk. A staff member carefully scanned her body with an identification device, and her data appeared on the school's terminal.
"Name: Xie Xingyan
Age: 10 years and 3 months (Underage cub)
Aptitude: Mental Power—S-rank, Physique—D-rank
Major: Mecha Warrior
Minor: Pharmacist …"
"Hello. Based on your aptitude, your major class is in Lower Grade Class B, and your minor is in Class A. If the courses conflict, you will need to adjust on your own."
After speaking, the teacher gave Xie Xingyan several sympathetic glances. This girl was doomed—her schedule was jam-packed, and she'd need to train extra after class just to keep up.
"Thank you for the reminder, Teacher. May I ask if I can also arrange for freshman housing now?"
The teacher glanced again at her file. Wasn't this girl living right in Imperial Capital Star?
Still, teachers didn't pry into personal matters, so he processed it without comment.
Thus, Xie Xingyan successfully arranged on-campus housing. This not only gave her more time to improve herself but also saved on travel costs.
The moment she received her schedule, she highlighted the three conflicting classes between her two majors. She would figure out a solution later.
Her timetable was truly a death march, especially the Pharmacist program, which required students to travel to other planets for field practice even during holidays.
As the first student in years to choose dual majors at this school, she immediately drew the attention of both mentors and students.
That morning, the Mecha Warrior class officially began. The moment Xie Xingyan stepped into her classroom, she felt dozens of veiled gazes sweep over her. One in particular carried malice. But when she looked, it was gone—like an illusion.
Still, she trusted her abilities and quietly kept the matter in mind.
She did not rush to socialize. After scanning the room, she approached a quiet-looking girl. "Hello, is the seat next to you taken?"
The shy Emil blinked in surprise, then answered excitedly, "No, no one's here."
Looking at her new deskmate's delicate face, Emil's eyes sparkled: This seatmate is so good-looking! She doesn't mind me being a chubby girl. I must get along well with her—I can't let her slip away.
"Hi, my name's Emil. I live on Mili Star. I'm 11 this year. What about you?"
"Hello, I'm Xie Xingyan. I'm 10 years old and from Imperial Capital Star."
"You're younger than me! Ugh, even here I'm still the short one. But I feel like you're really nice. Before, whenever I greeted people, they ignored me as soon as they heard I was from a secondary planet…"
Xie Xingyan simply listened quietly, not commenting. Her first impression of her deskmate: a straightforward little chatterbox.
When the mentor entered, the class immediately fell silent. Everyone turned to look at the stunningly elegant woman who walked in.
The students thought Teacher Melusa was beautiful, smiling warmly and graciously. She looked like a gentle instructor.
Later, they would all learn: it was an illusion. The sweeter Melusa's smile, the more terrifying the outcome. She was known as the "Smiling Killer."
"Hello, students. My name is Melusa, and I am your class mentor. From this day, you must firmly remember the class rules I give you. Otherwise…"
Seeing the ambiguous curve of Melusa's lips, Xie Xingyan felt certain that breaking the rules would end in misery.
She shivered and hurriedly opened her mainbrain's holo-recording, determined to memorize every rule by heart.
Some students, however, were dismissive. They assumed the teacher was just putting on an opening-day show of authority. One even slouched over his desk and began to snore.
Melusa's eyes grew sharper, though her smile only widened. She walked to the student's side and spoke slowly:
"You must be very tired. Then as your teacher, I shall help you wake up properly."
At once, the class saw the sleeping boy lifted by mental power, spinning midair in uncontrolled 360-degree rotations.
The scariest part—he couldn't make a sound, for Melusa had sealed his voice.
After finishing, Melusa turned back to the class, smiling sweetly:
"Mhm, I have many such helpful methods. Surely one of them will suit each of you."
The students: No, Teacher Melusa! Please stop smiling—we don't want to try any of your methods. We're terrified already!
Seeing this "first crab-eater," the rest of the class sat upright at once, not daring the slightest movement.
Only after Melusa left did the poor student drop back down, his lips pale, body limp, voice hoarse and broken.
That afternoon, Xie Xingyan attended her Pharmacist class. The students here were noticeably arrogant, for this was an expensive program, and only families who could afford the exorbitant activity fees sent their children here.
She hadn't even entered when she overheard mocking chatter.
"Hey, did you hear? Someone's coming to our class this year. Supposedly she's double majoring."
"Talk about overestimating herself. I've got to see this."
"They say she's even a princess. Too bad her ambition is greater than her ability."
"In the interstellar world, strength is all that matters. Even if a princess comes, if she's weak, she'll still be forced to crawl."
"…"
Outside, Xie Xingyan heard every word. She walked in expressionlessly, her gaze sharp and cold, making the gossipers freeze on the spot.
But only for a moment. Soon their voices grew even louder.
What was there to fear? A princess couldn't touch them, especially one despised by her own parents.
Xie Xingyan had no intention of arguing. She came here to learn. The best way to silence people was not with words, but by crushing them—climbing to heights they could never reach.
Teacher Tonis, who had been quietly observing, was quite satisfied. He thought this quiet, unassuming student would be easy to handle.
Later, Teacher Tonis would regret it deeply. His lack of experience had deceived him. For this very girl was destined to stir up the most trouble of all.