The third morning.
At the Regent Hotel.
This was the most luxurious hotel in the coastal city. A globally recognized five-star chain, famous for its impeccable service. Lu Mingfei knew of it only because his uncle liked to drink tea in the lobby, chatting endlessly with friends while asking the servers to refill hot water until the tea leaves were completely drained of color.
For a small amount of money, you could enjoy top-tier service and surroundings.
The only requirement was a thick skin.
Fortunately, the servers here were well-trained and never showed even the slightest hint of disdain.
"What are you looking at?"
Lu Mingfei was sighing at the towering, prestigious sign when someone patted his shoulder. He jumped and turned around.
It was Morin.
He was still dressed simply-white T-shirt, short blue button-down, slim deep-blue jeans. Clothes didn't make the person. Some people could wear a sack and look like a runway model, while others wore suits and still resembled insurance salesmen.
"Are you... cosplaying a panda?" Morin asked, surprised.
"This is proof of my hard studying!" Lu Mingfei glared back. His eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night, with dark circles so obvious they barely needed explanation. He looked completely exhausted.
"You've studied so hard you've almost worn through the Buddha's feet," Morin shook his head. "Come on. Let's go up."
"What about you? You're just wearing that?"
"A truly capable person isn't bound by appearances. Besides, I look handsome in anything."
They entered the lobby. A server immediately approached with a smile, asking if they were students here for the Cassell College interviews.
"Please follow me to the executive floor."
She led them into the elevator.
"This place is insane," Lu Mingfei whispered beside Morin. "American schools are really rich."
"What's so impressive about this?" Morin scoffed.
"You've been here before?" Lu Mingfei stared at him, his gaze changing. He wondered if Morin was secretly a hidden tycoon.
Then another possibility felt more reasonable.
"...Or did you get yourself a sugar mommy?"
"With my looks? I'd go after a sugar mommy? It's more likely a sugar mommy would chase me."
"You mean that Ferrari woman you mentioned?"
"That won't work. She has a boyfriend."
"Ssss-" Lu Mingfei sucked in a sharp breath. "I didn't expect you to be that kind of person! I really didn't misjudge you!"
The elevator arrived.
Their banter stopped.
A beautiful young woman in a skirt suit and four-inch heels led them into a room.
Inside were familiar faces.
Chen Wenwen. Su Xiaoqiang. Zhao Menghua. Liu Miaomiao. Students from their class, plus a few from others. There were also people Lu Mingfei didn't recognize-his social circle simply wasn't that wide.
"Lu Mingfei?"
"Morin?"
Everyone noticed them immediately.
But the reactions were different.
Morin's name was spoken with a sense of inevitability.
Lu Mingfei's, with pure disbelief.
As if his presence itself was an anomaly.
Lu Mingfei instinctively shrank his neck. Honestly, he felt the same way. Just as he was about to lift the tightly clutched letter in his hand to explain-
Morin slapped him squarely on the back.
The words stuck in his throat.
"Yo, everyone's here," Morin said casually. "No need to arrive so early just to be runners-up. They don't pay you for that."
One sentence.
Total hostility.
In the adjacent conference room sat a man and a woman. Both wore dark green suits-slim-cut, immaculate. The woman's was a skirt suit. Silver piping lined the collars, gold buttons gleamed at cuffs and chest, and an embroidered silver badge marked them both.
A half-withered World Tree.
They were preparing documents while watching the situation through a large screen.
Morin's words froze them.
They exchanged a glance.
"Is that the person NoNo told Professor Guderian about?" Aki Shisuzu asked quietly. "The one she insisted on adding?"
"Based on appearance, it should be him," Ye Sheng replied, dazed. "But... how would he know?"
They weren't shocked by the hostility.
They were shocked because he was right.
This was a rehearsal for everyone except Lu Mingfei and Morin.
That was the problem.
Why did Morin know?
"Did NoNo tell him?" Aki Shisuzu guessed.
"Unlikely. That would violate protocol," Ye Sheng shook his head. "Forget it. We'll ask her later. Where is she?"
"She said she was going to buy breakfast. By now, she should be-"
Outside, Morin's remark had fully ignited the room.
Zhao Menghua stood up, straightening his expensive suit. Maybe to show off. Maybe for some other reason.
"Morin, even if you are strong and your conditions are superior, arrogance-"
Thud!
A loud crash cut him off.
It wasn't the sound of a door opening.
It was a door being kicked.
Everyone turned.
A girl walked in.
White tank top. Tight jeans. A blue vertically striped short shirt draped loosely over it. Baseball cap pulled low. Dark red hair.
Her presence alone overwhelmed every other girl in the room.
That was-
If you ignored her sleepy eyes.
And the armful of soy milk and fried dough sticks.
After two seconds, Lu Mingfei's gaze drifted toward Morin.
It grew increasingly strange.
"Ah, you're all here," NoNo said, voice thick with sleep.
Then her eyes landed on Morin.
The drowsiness peeled away, layer by layer.
Sharp.
The crowd noticed her staring at Morin. For a moment, they thought she'd been captivated. That seemed reasonable.
They turned to Morin.
And realized something else.
"Are you copying me?"
Morin and NoNo spoke at the same time.
Wearing the same outfit was awkward. Same gender, it became a comparison. Opposite genders, it became misunderstanding.
Especially when both looked good.
"Inside," NoNo said, glancing at the popcorn-ready audience. She turned and headed for the conference room.
"Ahem," Zhao Menghua spoke quickly, eyes flickering. "You must be here for the interview. That's the interview room-the Cassell College examiners are inside."
"I am the interviewer."
Already irritated from the morning, NoNo kicked the door open again and walked in.
"You guys talk," Morin said, patting Lu Mingfei's shoulder. "Relax. You're not here to be a runner-up."
He followed her inside and closed the door.
Silence.
All eyes fell on Lu Mingfei.
If that girl really was an interviewer, then Morin was right.
Which meant-
They were just filling seats.
Being runners-up was tolerable if Morin alone was selected.
But Lu Mingfei too?
That was unacceptable.
Zhao Menghua was the most humiliated. He'd challenged Morin, then tried to play the gentleman.
Both attempts had failed spectacularly.
If not for the slim hope of entering Cassell College, he might have fled already.
Inside the conference room.
NoNo dumped the breakfast on the table. Under Ye Sheng and Aki Shisuzu's probing gazes, she pulled out a chair and sat in the interviewer's seat.
Then she pointed at the center chair.
"Sit."
"Ahem... what exactly is happening?" Ye Sheng finally asked. He exchanged a look with Aki Shisuzu.
They knew NoNo had a boyfriend.
So what was this?
The flames of gossip ignited instantly.
"Start his interview," NoNo said lazily, biting into a fried dough stick. "You'll understand. He's a freak."
"I'm not," Morin protested. "This is a coincidence. No matter how high my IQ is, I couldn't deduce your outfit without seeing your closet. Logically, you should be the one who knew what I'd wear."
"You want to see my closet?" NoNo gripped the dough stick like a weapon. As a beautiful woman, she exercised her right to be unreasonable.
Morin rolled his eyes.
In situations like this, intelligence was meaningless.
"...Let's begin," Aki Shisuzu said, choosing to believe NoNo. She nodded to Ye Sheng.
"Right." Ye Sheng straightened. "I am interviewer Ye Sheng. Hello, Morin."
Aki Shisuzu sat upright beside him.
Very serious.
Ignoring NoNo next to them, dressed casually, loudly eating and drinking.
"I'm Aki Shisuzu, also an interviewer~" She stood and bowed.
"Hello," Morin nodded. "So, what are your specialties?"
"We-" Ye Sheng began automatically.
Aki Shisuzu yanked him back.
He froze.
Wait.
He was the interviewer.
Why was he answering?
NoNo remained calm, still eating.
"...Student Morin is quite humorous," Ye Sheng said stiffly. He opened his notebook. "Do you believe in aliens?"
"Oh," Morin nodded. "I see."
Ye Sheng wanted to slam the pen and shout.
This was a question.
Answer it.
Next to him, Aki Shisuzu's smile stiffened. She glanced at NoNo.
Then-
"What are you researching?" Morin leaned back, relaxed. Calm. "Norse gods? The World Tree-Yggdrasil? Ragnarok? Nidhogg, the Poison Dragon?"
Both interviewers nearly activated their Golden Pupils.
They looked at NoNo.
Even she had frozen.
"I didn't tell him!" NoNo snapped. "Norma records everything! If I had, the Execution Bureau would already be here!"
Ye Sheng and Aki Shisuzu tensed.
Morin continued, unfazed.
"You reacted differently to each term. The strongest reactions were to 'World Tree' and 'Nidhogg.' So..."
"You study dragons."
Tap.
Tap.
His finger struck the armrest in rhythm.
Each beat hit like a hammer.
"Your information suppression is impressive," Morin said lightly. "That explains a lot. I'm just curious-where do your abilities come from?"
"Bloodlines?"
"Dragon blood?"
"The Dragon Race?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even NoNo, who thought she was prepared, stared in shock.
She knew Heavenly Calculation was powerful.
She didn't know it was this terrifying.