The moment the girl appeared, Jace and Maxwell briefly believed angels existed.
Willa, where the hell were you last night? You bailed on us when we needed you most. Jace pointed at her, furious.
Willa shot him a glare. I was out doing business. Unlike you two losers who only mess with small change.
Jace had no comeback for that. Compared to Willa's line of work, his so called side hustles did look like pocket money.
Willa dropped into a seat. So what do you want from me?
Jace jerked his chin toward Lyria, then pointed at himself and Maxwell.
Willa raised a brow, silently asking for confirmation.
Jace nodded with grave seriousness.
Got it. Leave it to me. Willa stood up and headed over.
A savior. Finally.
Jace relaxed. He refused to sit that close to Lyria again. Forget the attention he kept drawing, staying beside her too long risked exposing everything.
But instead of replacing him, Willa stopped beside Maxwell and smacked him on the back of the head.
Maxwell froze, confused.
Why is this suddenly my problem.
Willa yanked him up by the collar and whispered, Can you not see Chuanzi likes this girl? And you're still sitting there like a mountain.
I...
Before he could finish, Maxwell was dragged away. He shot Jace a helpless look on his way out.
You saw that. Not my fault. She dragged me.
Jace nearly burst a vein.
What is wrong with everyone's reading comprehension.
He glanced at Lyria. Thankfully, since waking up she had sat perfectly straight, silent, expressionless, giving no indication she intended to talk to him.
Good. Just stay pretty and stay quiet. Do not get involved with me.
The second class brought a handful of late arrivals.
Jace ignored them at first. Skipping or arriving late on day one was normal in college.
What bothered him were the five who slipped in thirty seconds before the bell. They didn't sit down. They scanned the room.
And then their hostile, predatory stares locked onto a corner.
Exactly where his two childhood friends usually sat.
Thinking back on Willa's mysterious absence last night, Jace instantly suspected she was involved.
Oh great. What now. Did someone actually buy a weapon on campus?
There was no time to think. Sparring class began.
Fifty students in the swordsman class. Once the instructor finished the skill assessment, they paired up for mock combat.
Jace drew an old acquaintance.
Lilith raised her wooden sword and smiled. Jace, be careful. I bought a new battle technique over the summer. It's really strong.
She had always been obsessed with improving. In high school she was constantly training, sparring with every strong student she could find, especially the trio of top scorers Jace belonged to.
She had wanted desperately to join their circle, hoping they could grow stronger together.
But none of the three had been interested.
For a simple reason.
Lilith thought she was a genius sparring other geniuses. In truth, she wasn't remotely on their level.
As Willa once put it:
Do you know how hard it is to pretend she is almost your equal without knocking her out with one tap?
Today it was Jace's turn to play along.
Lilith shouted, Watch out.
Watch out for what? Your snail speed slash?
He stepped aside with theatrical difficulty, dodging her downward strike. Watching her swing with full effort made him think of the Sword Girl in the corner.
Same wooden weapon, yet that girl's blade work was transcendent.
After enough rounds, Jace became fully familiar with Lilith's technique. Like any store bought battle style, it was riddled with openings.
But she had worked hard all summer. He should at least reward her effort with emotional encouragement.
With Jace's flawless acting, Lilith finally scored a narrow victory.
Thank you for letting me win. Lilith bowed, joy shining in her eyes.
From losing badly to nearly keeping up to finally winning, she had chased this moment for years.
She expected him to share her excitement. Instead, Jace just returned to his seat.
With his two childhood friends gone, it was the perfect chance to distance himself from Lyria.
Finally, a break. He exhaled.
Five minutes of peace passed.
Then a pleasant voice cut into his ear.
Why did you hold back?
Oh hell.
Jace went from relaxed to fully alert. He turned his head and saw Lyria staring at him intently.
Hold back what?
Lyria repeated, You held back. When you fought that girl, you did not use your real level.
Jace's mind went into overdrive. He argued, What are you talking about? I was giving it my all.
Lyria nodded sincerely. I could hear it. You were acting very hard. Many times she should have lost, and you struggled to pull back your strength.
Jace pressed his lips tightly.
She heard it?
Lilith, who had sharp ears, spun around instantly. She crawled right up to his face.
Were you really letting me win?
Jace kept a righteous tone. You must believe in your strength.
Lilith bit her lip. I can accept losing. I cannot accept someone going easy on me.
Pure strength. Jace raised a thumb.
Really?
Of course.
Lilith turned to Lyria. What do you think?
Lyria hesitated. Her grandfather had taught her this. Exposing someone's lie leads to social rejection.
But the girl in front of her wanted the truth far too badly.
Lyria tugged Jace's sleeve timidly. Um… do you think I should tell her?
Why ask me.
Jace nearly laughed. Your question alone already confirms everything.
Lilith clutched Lyria's hand. Please. I need to know if my victory was real. It's important to me.
Lyria inhaled, then nodded. I will tell the truth then…
It's fine. I won't get mad. Lilith encouraged her.
Acting is suffering. Jace sighed inwardly.
Lyria then calmly explained that Jace definitely held back and proceeded to list an exhaustive set of technical evidence, analyzing the entire fight from a professional standpoint.
By the end, the two girls were kneeling before him as if interrogating a criminal.
Lilith looked devastated. Is my swordsmanship really that bad? You had to act so hard just to trick me?
Lyria tried to comfort her. It's alright. Some people blossom late. Maybe if you work hard for a few more years you will reach the entry level.
What? Lilith's eyes widened. I'm already over level ten. I haven't even reached entry level?
Lyria quickly corrected herself. Ah then I misspoke. You may need ten more years of effort to reach entry level.
Jace held his forehead, laughing silently.
You comforted her beautifully. Please never comfort anyone again.