Na'er narrowed her eyes and exposed her without mercy. "You were just peeking at us suspiciously from the entrance for ages."
Xu Xiaoyan: "..."
She coughed lightly, trying to change the subject. "It's already the holidays. When are you guys going back to East Sea City? Let's go together."
"Donghai..." Arthur sighed. "I probably won't be going back."
Xu Xiaoyan was stunned and instinctively asked, "Why?"
"Because my family moved to Shrek City."
His Uncle had been transferred to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
Mu Chen had also come to Shrek to take a position at the Association.
To Arthur, wherever his Uncle and Mu Chen were was home.
Xu Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment, then without hesitation, she pulled out her soul guidance communication device. "Hello? Bro."
"Change of plans. I'm not coming back for the holidays."
"What do you mean why? There is no why! Alright, hanging up."
Xu Xiaoyan ended the call with a crisp and decisive movement, as if that call had just been to inform the other person "what's for dinner tonight."
Arthur looked bewildered. "Just like that... you're not going back?"
Xu Xiaoyan stuffed the device into her bag and said righteously, "If you're not going back, why should I? It's so boring being alone."
She blinked, her tone light. "Besides, Shrek City is so big, I haven't explored it enough yet."
Na'er watched all of this. She didn't act protective of her food; instead, she felt a bit puzzled.
She wondered to herself.
"Why does it feel like Xu Xiaoyan is different from before?"
"She clearly didn't dare to strike up a conversation with Arthur when I was around before."
She scrutinized Xu Xiaoyan.
Blue twin-tails, her signature short skirt, eyes that curved when she smiled—her appearance seemed no different from before.
But that air of casual familiarity felt exceptionally grating to Na'er.
Damn it.
The more Na'er thought about it, the more annoyed she became. It seemed like the targets she needed to take down, besides Gu Yue, now included Xu Xiaoyan.
"What are you all doing here?" Another familiar figure approached.
Another expert?
Ye Xinglan walked over, ignored the three girls, and stared straight at Arthur. "Class monitor, I've been looking for you for ages. What are your plans for the break? Do you want to practice swordplay together?"
She went straight to the point.
Unlike Gu Yue, Na'er, and Xu Xiaoyan, Ye Xinglan was a pure power-seeker.
In an instant, four pairs of eyes were fixed squarely on Arthur.
Something's not right.
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly. The ahoge on his head stood bolt upright.
This is bad... His Intuition was screaming warnings, and a chill ran down his spine, as if he were being watched by four eldritch beings.
"Ahaha... sword practice, huh? Next time, definitely next time," Arthur said dismissively. "The break just started today; it's better to rest well and relax."
As he spoke, he quietly shrank back against his chair, trying to "downsize" himself into a less conspicuous target.
Ye Xinglan frowned; if anyone else had said that, she would have definitely scoffed at them.
But this was Arthur.
She thought about it carefully and finally nodded thoughtfully. "True."
In her view, when it came to getting stronger, Arthur was always right. "Then can I join you?"
She glanced at the desserts on the table, then at Arthur, and said seriously, "You said we should rest well today, so I'll rest with you. Anyway, while you're resting, I can still learn something by watching you from the side."
Arthur: "?"
Xu Xiaoyan asked with a smile, "Ye Xinglan, don't you hate wasting time the most? How did you learn to slack off too?"
Ye Xinglan remained unfazed. "This isn't slacking off; it's observation."
She said solemnly, "Observing the class monitor's state in a non-combat situation helps me better understand his combat rhythm."
Gu Yue had already seen through everything. She gently set down her glass and spoke indifferently, "You're just making excuses for yourself."
Ye Xinglan: "..."
She fell silent for a moment but still said stubbornly, "Regardless, I'm staying here today."
Looking at the four girls in front of him, Arthur felt like his head was about to explode.
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