The dormitory was silent when midnight arrived, but his mind was anything but calm.
The diary materialized before him like a sheet of golden light, its pages turning slowly on their own as if waiting for him to write something that would change fate again. He had confirmed two crucial facts in the past few days. First, the diary copies were real. Second, Xiao Wu could read every word he wrote.
The new function hovered temptingly in his mind.
Anonymous Message — One per week.
He lay on his narrow academy bed, staring at the ceiling as moonlight filtered in through the small window. Sending a direct message would accelerate trust, but too much pressure might make her withdraw. Xiao Wu was not naïve. She was cautious, especially now that she knew someone understood her secret.
Slowly, he began to write.
He described the academy courtyard, the sparring matches, and Tang San's quiet observation habits. He deliberately avoided mentioning anything deeply personal at first. The diary glowed faintly with every word, absorbing his thoughts like a living entity.
Then he paused.
This was the moment.
He activated the anonymous function.
A small line appeared at the bottom of the page, waiting for his message.
He hesitated for only a second before writing:
"You don't need to face everything alone. Not everyone who knows your secret wants to use it."
The page sealed itself in golden light.
Notification:
Major Emotional Ripple DetectedReward Multiplier x1.5Spirit Power +1
He exhaled slowly. Level 10.
Not even a spirit ring yet.
The system was far more efficient than brute training.
Somewhere in the girls' dormitory, Xiao Wu felt the diary tremble in her hands. She had been waiting. Every night she waited.
When the message appeared separately from the entry, her heart skipped.
She read it twice.
Then a third time.
Her fingers tightened around the glowing pages.
He wasn't threatening her. He wasn't exposing her. He wasn't demanding anything.
He was… reassuring her.
That unsettled her more than hostility would have.
Because reassurance meant he saw her as a person.
Not a 100,000-year spirit ring.
Not a walking treasure.
A person.
She sat on her bed, staring at the opposite wall, thinking about the new boy again. His calm expression. His controlled movements during sparring. The way he didn't stare at her like the other boys did.
Something about him felt deliberate.
Across campus, another pair of eyes were narrowing thoughtfully.
Tang San had noticed the subtle shifts. Xiao Wu's attention was divided. She was distracted during practice. Her reactions were delayed by a fraction of a second — something only someone as observant as Tang San would detect.
He did not feel jealousy.
He felt calculation.
The new boy's spirit power was unusually stable for his age. His control during combat was refined beyond a six-year-old's natural instinct. And there was something in his gaze — awareness beyond childhood.
Tang San did not like unknown variables.
Back in the dormitory, the MC opened the emotional status panel.
Xiao Wu:Curiosity — Very HighCaution — LoweringTrust — IncreasingAttachment — Emerging
He studied the words carefully.
Attachment.
That was fast.
He leaned back against the wall and let his thoughts flow.
This system did not simply reward writing. It rewarded influence. Emotional influence. Psychological presence.
If he handled this properly, he wouldn't need to compete directly with destiny.
He would rewrite it.
The next few days passed with subtle tension building like a stretched string.
During sparring practice, Xiao Wu chose him as her partner.
The courtyard buzzed quietly as the two stood facing each other. She smiled as usual, but there was intent behind it.
"Don't go easy on me," she said.
He returned the smile. "I wouldn't dare."
They moved.
She attacked first, swift and graceful. Her footwork was light, almost playful, but the force behind her kick was real. He blocked, redirected, and countered with minimal force, careful not to expose his full strength.
Their movements drew attention.
Even Tang San watched more closely now.
Mid-fight, Xiao Wu leaned close enough for only him to hear.
"Are you scared I'll find out who you are?"
He met her eyes calmly while deflecting another strike.
"Maybe I want you to."
For a split second, she faltered.
He used that opening to gently sweep her legs out from under her — catching her before she hit the ground.
They froze in that position.
Close.
Too close.
Her heartbeat was fast. Not from the fall.
The golden thread between them pulsed brighter than ever.
System notification appeared in his vision.
Major Fate Divergence InitiatedHidden Condition MetSystem Expansion Progress: 12%
Interesting.
So direct emotional interaction accelerated the system's growth.
He helped her stand without lingering, but the air between them had shifted.
This was no longer canon.
This was no longer Tang San's exclusive story.
That night, he wrote again.
He described the sparring match. He described her strength, her spirit, her loneliness hidden behind cheerfulness. But he did not mock destiny this time.
Instead, he wrote:
"You deserve someone who chooses you knowingly."
The diary glowed intensely.
Across the academy, Xiao Wu pressed the glowing pages to her chest, cheeks warm for reasons she refused to admit.
And in another distant location — far beyond Notting Academy — a faint ripple stirred within the grand halls of Spirit Hall.
Unseen.
Unnoticed.
For now.
Because the diary copies were not finished spreading.
And the next name would appear sooner than he expected.