Just as Luke walked out the door, he bumped into a girl walking alone with her head down, headphones on.
"Ah!"
Maria covered her forehead. Before she could even see who it was, she quickly and cautiously said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's fine. Are you okay?"
Luke looked down at the delicate girl in front of him, overly cautious, a flicker of fear showing in her eyes.
Maria hadn't done it intentionally—but he had.
With his current Intelligence and Agility, four times the limit of a normal human, there was no way an ordinary person could collide with him.
Especially when he also had the 3D stereoscopic view.
Maria—the female protagonist of Look Away.
Timid, self-conscious, and fragile.
Not only was she isolated and bullied by classmates at school, but at home she had to face a mother who always submitted to her father, and a father who made strict demands without caring about her feelings at all.
Her only friend, Lily, merely treated her as the "fat" bridesmaid for blind dates and never truly helped her when she needed it.
Before she turned seventeen, Maria had been a punching bag for anyone who wanted to step on her.
After turning seventeen, she exchanged control of her body with her other personality, Elan—the deformed twin sister abandoned by their father at birth.
From then on, she embarked on the path of a revenge-driven, powerful female protagonist.
Honestly, Maria was incredibly beautiful—stunningly so.
Luke couldn't understand why such a gorgeous girl had no one willing to help her.
Were all the boys in school blind?
Fine then. If they didn't treasure this gem, he would.
Luke didn't mind lending a hand to a girl in need. He had no other intentions; he simply wanted to give her a warm, safe environment.
"Ah, I'm… I'm fine."
Maria's eyes were filled with tears. It hurt—a lot.
It felt like she had slammed into solid steel; he was quite literally a rock-hard man.
But this hard man spoke with surprising gentleness.
It had been a long time since a classmate had spoken to her with such kindness.
Maria thought silently to herself.
But because of her past experiences, she remained very wary of Luke.
Everyone she encountered wanted to hurt her.
Her heart was already full of scars; she no longer dared to trust others so easily.
Maria subconsciously looked toward her friend Lily, her eyes filled with a plea for help.
A blonde girl who looked blatantly manipulative glanced over from a distance. When she saw Maria's pleading gaze, she instinctively turned her head, pretending not to notice.
But the moment her eyes landed on Luke—his handsome features, distinct temperament, and strong physique—Lily's eyes brightened instantly.
"Hey, handsome!"
Lily eagerly walked over, completely ignoring Maria's hopeful expression. She spoke boldly and without hesitation: "I'm so sorry, I'm her friend Lily. Maria is just a very stupid person—please don't mind her."
"Did you know? She couldn't even speak a full sentence properly when she was six."
Seeing the mocking curl on Lily's lips, Maria quickly hid the faint smile she had shown earlier and lowered her head again, full of self-doubt.
That's right… she was just a clumsy girl.
Nothing like Lily—smart, confident, and able to make friends with anyone instantly.
Luke and Madison both subconsciously frowned.
Especially Madison—she instantly recognized someone of her own kind. Lily had "manipulative girl" written all over her.
The poor little girl beside her had been reduced to nothing more than a tool to elevate Lily's sense of superiority.
Luke ignored Lily, who was eagerly trying to start a conversation and force topics. "Your name is Maria, right? That's a beautiful name. I'm Luke Rowling, a senior. You can call me Luke—whatever you prefer."
Luke sharply noticed the look Madison shot him, but Madison didn't interrupt.
Maybe it was because like repelled like—she disliked Lily even more.
Although Madison had the nickname "Bitch Maddie," she would never exploit her friends the way Lily did.
She was always sincere to the people she cared about and would never hesitate when they needed help.
Hearing Luke's gentle introduction, Maria looked up at him in surprise. His warm, sincere smile made her heart flutter.
Such a handsome boy.
Maria felt dazed and flustered, her cheeks quickly turning red. In her panic, her words tangled together.
"Ah—um, Luke? I… yes—sorry!"
At a moment like this, Maria didn't know what to say. Panic tied her tongue, especially when she noticed Lily's envious, jealous stare—which unexpectedly filled her with a small surge of satisfaction.
He's looking at me!
In his eyes, I'm better than Lily!
In the past, whenever she stood beside the outgoing Lily, Maria always felt inferior.
Whenever someone approached, Lily would instantly step forward with a bright smile, greeting them and chatting effortlessly, leaving Maria alone every single time.
Other times, when Maria tried to talk to someone, Lily would smoothly cut in, cleverly steering the conversation away until Maria was left with nothing to say.
That constant contrast made Maria believe Lily was superior to her—someone everyone sought out, while she herself was invisible.
But now, Luke was looking straight at her, his gaze warm and focused.
Could it be… he likes me?
Maria thought this with a boldness she rarely had, but the moment she noticed Madison beside him—elegant, confident, smiling effortlessly—her courage shattered. Shame washed over her.
Luke's companion seemed even more dazzling than Lily.
Lily, meanwhile, felt unbearably awkward. She tried desperately to find a topic to pull Luke's attention back to herself, but he didn't even glance her way.
That made her furious.
I'm obviously livelier and braver than that timid quail Maria—so why won't he look at me?!
"Oh, right, Maria, didn't your mom tell you to go home early? Let's go."
Lily grabbed Maria forcefully and tried to drag her away.
Madison let out a cold scoff. "Maria, this friend of yours is really something. When you need help, she steps on you. Then she ignores your feelings and orders you around."
"I'd advise you to stay far away from this kind of 'friend.' She won't help you when you need it—she'll just make sure she's the only 'friend' you're allowed to have."
Maria, who had been hesitating, looked up in shock. She caught the flicker of panic in Lily's eyes.
"Hey! What are you talking about?"
Lily let go of Maria, stepped forward, and glared viciously at Madison.
"Let me tell you—what happens between Maria and me is none of your business, you fucking bitc—"
Slap!!