Chapter 29: A Roar Against Injustice

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

"Thud!"

In the first-floor women''s restroom of the Teaching Building, a forceful shove slammed An Le''s body against the wall.

The shrill wail of police sirens outside the campus echoed in the distance, but the sound seemed unable to penetrate this secluded space, breeding an undefinable darkness within.

"Ugh..."

The pain radiating from her back made An Le let out an uncontrollable whimper, and she instinctively clutched her chest.

Her breath caught in her throat once more, but this time, there was no opportunity to unbutton her collar for relief.

The sheer terror of being bullied, amplified by her own cowardice, manifested as a piercing ringing in her ears, turning the otherwise quiet restroom into a cacophony.

"Riiiing..."

But An Le could not afford to pay attention to her escalating panic or the deafening ringing in her ears. She hastily looked up at Park Seo-moon.

For no other reason than the fact that Park Seo-moon was currently holding the un-sent white letter An Le had written.

She watched as Park Seo-moon glanced at the words on the envelope and let out a cold sneer.

"Oh, ''Xiao Huan''... Who is this addressed to? How intimate."

"Give... give it back to me..."

Seeing that Park Seo-moon was about to tear the envelope open, An Le struggled, desperately trying to snatch the letter back.

Park Seo-moon''s face instantly darkened. She took a step back and held the letter high out of reach.

"Hold her down. Let''s see what this dairy cow wrote to the President!"

Just as An Le tried to step forward, the two girls beside her grabbed her arms and pinned her back against the wall.

"Riiiing..."

The ringing in her ears grew even more piercing and agitated.

"An Le, you''ve been a bad girl. You actually figured out how to use Yaqiao to deliver a letter to the President? Tell me, did you eavesdrop on our conversation?"

"I couldn''t tell at all. You''re usually so invisible, but behind closed doors, you''re secretly so desperate."

An Le tried to resist, but her strength was no match for the two girls holding her.

From beneath her disheveled black hair, her tear-filled eyes watched helplessly as Park Seo-moon ripped open her carefully written letter, pulling out the folded stationery inside.

"Ugh... let... let me go... That''s mine..."

Park Seo-moon completely ignored An Le, simply unfolding the stationery and reading the contents aloud.

After reading just two or three lines, Park Seo-moon looked up in sheer disbelief and sneered at her two companions.

"Hey, look at this. I think her wishful thinking has given her delusions. She''s claiming the President cared about her a lot when they were kids, and even went to live at her house... This is hilarious."

"Oh? The childhood sweethearts trope? You really have a wild imagination, little An Le..."

"What is a dairy cow when it''s little? A little cow?"

Park Seo-moon pinched the letter between her fingers and slowly walked up to An Le, staring her down.

"If the President actually knew you, why hasn''t he spoken a single word to you all semester? You just love your wishful thinking, don''t you? Aren''t you embarrassed?"

An Le''s previous struggles had been weak, mainly due to her lack of strength, but the moment Park Seo-moon accused her of lying and being delusional, she suddenly threw her head up and vehemently protested.

"I didn''t! I just... I just..."

In truth, she could have reconnected with Yan Huan the moment she saw him upon enrolling. So why hadn''t An Le dared to approach him until now?

They were in the exact same grade, on the exact same floor. Was it really that difficult to walk a few steps and see him in person?

There was actually a reason, one that An Le knew full well, but she simply didn''t dare admit it to herself.

Park Seo-moon let out a cold laugh and reached out, pinching An Le''s chin.

"Just what? Don''t think I don''t know what a dairy cow like you is thinking. It''s utterly disgusting. Do you even deserve him? Huh? You''re nothing but a sewer rat. Your family can''t even afford a single decent piece of clothing. You walk around looking like a female ghost every day, and you still have the nerve to like someone? You know what? If I were the President, I''d be absolutely sickened."

Initially just to highlight An Le''s wretchedness, Park Seo-moon roughly used the letter to brush aside An Le''s messy bangs, exposing the face she kept hidden.

Taking a closer look, Park Seo-moon initially froze in surprise, before her expression instantly grew several degrees colder.

She quickly let the lifted bangs fall back into place, then gripped the envelope tightly with both hands.

"You like writing letters? I''ll give you something to write! Let me tell you right now, if we ever catch you writing a letter to the President again, I''ll make you regret you were ever born."

Without hesitation, she violently yanked her hands apart, tearing the letter that An Le had spent the entire night agonizing over to shreds.

"Riiiing..."

An Le''s eyes, hidden beneath her bangs, slowly contracted. Only then did the piercing ringing in her ears seem to recede slightly.

Following that, an agitated and restless voice immediately flooded her mind.

"You useless piece of trash!!"

It was the voice of the little snake, Pinky.

"Damn it, they''re bullying you like this and you''re still so paralyzed by panic that you can''t even hear my voice!!"

Beneath her skin, a faint, illusory snake tattoo writhed agitatedly, a clear manifestation of its fury.

"Kill them all for me! Kill every last one of them!! Right now!!"

Yet An Le merely stared blankly as the shreds of paper drifted slowly to the floor. It was as if the thing that had been torn to pieces wasn''t her unsent letter, but her very heart.

From within that shattered heart, the true reason why she hadn''t dared to seek out Yan Huan for the past half-year slowly surfaced.

She was simply...

Afraid.

Afraid of what?

After all, so many years had passed, and Xiao Huan had become so popular. In his world, he had undoubtedly made countless new friends.

Meanwhile, she had remained stuck in the exact same place all these years.

So deeply insecure, timid, and cowardly.

Even though they were already in high school, she was still clinging to memories from elementary school, treating the boy she hadn''t seen in years as her only anchor. Didn''t that sound pathetic?

She didn''t know how to dress up, and she was hopelessly plain and rustic.

She liked obscure reptilian pets instead of cute, fluffy animals, and she loved playing games that she couldn''t let anyone else know about.

If someone like her went to find the immensely popular Yan Huan, and he just gave her a confused look, what would she do?

"Um, excuse me, who are you again? I don''t think I quite remember..."

An Le was simply terrified—terrified that he had already forgotten her.

Rather than face that highly probable reality, it was better to just leave things as they were, pretending that he might still remember her.

As long as she told herself, ''We haven''t reconnected because I simply haven''t gone to find him,'' she could avoid the horror of ''He forgot about me a long time ago.''

That was how An Le deceived herself.

However, the human heart is fickle.

She didn''t know why, but when she heard Spencer confidently claim that Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi were officially a couple, she felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow.

Although she hadn''t understood the words Spencer mouthed at the time, the highly experienced An Le instantly assumed they had already engaged in a physical relationship.

That profound sorrow spurred her into acting impulsively, leading her to painstakingly draft a letter that she intended to give to Yaqiao, hoping he would pass it on to Xiao Huan...

But now, Park Seo-moon''s harsh words had violently thrown her back into the freezing depths of her own insecurity.

She stared at the shredded letter scattered across the floor, her vision blurring before she even realized it.

It wasn''t until she felt a scalding heat trailing down her cheeks that she finally realized...

She was crying.

"Hey, she''s actually crying?"

"Are you serious? She can''t even handle a few words?"

Inside her mind, Pinky''s voice was on the verge of a total breakdown.

The snake felt as if these girls weren''t just bullying An Le, but bullying it as well.

"You absolute trash!! Stand up straight!! Why are your legs giving out? What the hell are you crying for? Bite them!!"

Pinky was completely overheated with rage. It wished nothing more than to become a Gundam pilot right now, violently unleashing the Modifier''s power to teach these idiots a lesson.

But it couldn''t do that. Only the Host''s will could drive the Modifier to activate.

And right now, An Le was clearly not a qualified Gundam.

"Swooosh..."

Just as the atmosphere in the restroom reached a boiling point, the sudden sound of a toilet flushing echoed from one of the stalls.

Park Seo-moon blanked for a moment, completely unprepared for the fact that there was someone else in the restroom.

Turning her head, she watched as the stall door swung open and an expressionless, beautiful blonde girl stepped out.

"..."

''This person...''

''Ah, the new transfer student in our class?''

''What was her name again...''

''Spencer?''

For some inexplicable reason, the sheer sight of Spencer triggered a massive surge of disgust in Park Seo-moon''s heart.

That revulsion was almost on par with the disgust she felt toward An Le.

Spencer threw a casual glance their way, her eyes pausing on An Le, who was softly sobbing while surrounded by the other girls.

"..."

"What are you looking at?"

Park Seo-moon frowned as she snapped at her.

Spencer withdrew her gaze and silently walked over to the sink.

It seemed she was either intimidated by Park Seo-moon or simply didn''t want to meddle in others'' business.

"Splash..."

The sound of running water echoed as Spencer pumped some hand soap and began washing her hands.

Park Seo-moon coldly averted her gaze, returning her attention to the silently weeping An Le.

Just as she was about to speak, the deafening roar of a hand dryer erupted from behind her.

"Vrrrrrm!"

Park Seo-moon''s brow furrowed even deeper, deciding to wait until Spencer left before continuing.

But right behind her, Spencer''s voice suddenly drifted over in a casual tone.

"Dead bitch, were you talking to me just now?"

"..." Park Seo-moon spun around in utter disbelief. Without her noticing, Spencer had closed the distance and was now standing right in front of her, radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

A smirk played on Spencer''s lips, revealing her signature canine teeth, but a terrifying, dense black aura seemed to billow out around her...

"You..."

Park Seo-moon was thoroughly spooked by Spencer''s terrifying presence. Her previously arrogant voice instantly weakened, though she still tried to sound tough.

"I suggest you mind your own business. This is between us..."

"Oh~"

Spencer nodded, entirely ignoring the warning. Crossing her arms, she continued,

"I heard everything you bitches said just now. Honestly, I think the lot of you should go pee and look at yourselves in the puddle. She doesn''t deserve to write a letter to that Yan Huan guy, but neither do you. Every single one of you is ugly as sin, barking away like wild mutts. I''d find you too noisy even if you were chained up at my front door. So, shut the hell up, OK?"

The silently crying An Le dazedly raised her head, feeling as though she had just been caught in the crossfire of some indiscriminate area-of-effect attack.

Park Seo-moon was so choked by Spencer''s words that she couldn''t breathe. She instinctively wanted to retort and launch a personal attack of her own.

But taking a quick glance, Spencer stood tall with her chin raised. Her gorgeous golden blonde hair perfectly complemented her breathtakingly valiant features, making her practically glow, even in a dingy restroom.

''Damn it...''

''I can''t beat her in looks!''

''Then what about family background...''

Park Seo-moon glanced at the high-end luxury pendant hanging from Spencer, and her custom athletic wear...

She hadn''t even seen these designs before. If it weren''t for the brand logos...

"You bitch..."

Utterly defeated on all fronts, Park Seo-moon suffered from anger attacking the heart. In a fit of rage, she raised her hand and swung a vicious slap aimed right at Spencer''s face.

''Getting desperate?''

Spencer chuckled mockingly. With a casual flick of her left hand, she caught the incoming slap mid-air.

"Want to fight? Sure, fighting is my absolute favorite thing to do."

Park Seo-moon''s eyes widened in horror as she stared at her captured wrist, which was now radiating agonizing pain.

In that moment, it felt as though a grizzly bear had clamped its jaws around her arm.

A second later, Spencer raised her own right hand high into the air.

The raised hand cast a palm-shaped shadow over the pale face of Park Seo-moon, whose height barely reached Spencer''s chest...

"W-wait a minute..."

Park Seo-moon finally realized she was in grave danger and instinctively begged for mercy.

"Whoosh!"

But in the blink of an eye, Spencer''s right hand was already hurtling toward her cheek, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind.

"Smack!"

With a deafening crack, the left side of Park Seo-moon''s face completely distorted. She careened backward, spinning twice mid-air before finally crashing face-first onto the floor.

"...Seo... Seo-moon, are you okay?"

But Park Seo-moon lay completely motionless, looking as if she were in a deep, sweet slumber right there on the restroom tiles.

An Le didn''t even dare to cry anymore. She stared at Spencer as if she were looking at a terrifying urban legend capable of stopping children from crying at night.

The two girls who had been restraining her were similarly struck dumb, their minds going entirely blank.

Truly, An Le felt that the two girls beside her had gone even limper than she had. They couldn''t even seem to stand steadily.

It was the first time they had ever seen a single slap send someone spinning twice in the air before hitting the floor.

Spencer also looked at her own palm with a hint of surprise, stretching her five fingers.

Then, the smile on her face grew visibly more ecstatic.

She lifted her gaze and swept it over the girls on either side of An Le, terrifying them into shaking their heads frantically.

"Wait, I... I didn''t..."

But Spencer refused to listen. She kicked one of the girls squarely in the waist, sending her crashing to the ground where she curled up, clutching her stomach and wailing in agony.

The other girl turned to flee, only for Spencer to grab her by the hair, violently yanking her back and slamming her onto the floor.

Compared to the other two, she wasn''t actually hurt that badly, but she didn''t dare get back up, paralyzed by the fear of receiving another beating.

"..."

Having finished her brutal display, Spencer finally let out a light scoff.

She shot a brief glance at An Le, shook her head dismissively, and turned to leave the restroom.

''It feels like my strength has increased again. Ever since I threatened that President the other day, the plundered energy has gone up quite a bit.''

''Well, I still don''t understand the exact mechanics behind it, but it doesn''t feel bad at all.''

"Um..."

Just as Spencer stepped out of the restroom, An Le''s timid, small-animal-like voice called out from behind her.

Spencer paused for a moment and looked back at her.

"What is it?"

"Th... thank you for helping me..."

Spencer blinked, her tone dripping with absolute boredom.

"I wouldn''t call it helping. If that dead bitch hadn''t been so loose-tongued, I probably would have just ignored you."

"But... when you came out just now, you kept looking at me, Spencer... so I thought..."

"Ugh, aren''t you annoying."

Spencer seemed visibly irritated by An Le''s rambling. She crossed her arms, turned her head away with a scoff, and her long golden hair whipped around in a half-circle, looking exactly like the mane and tail of a golden lion.

Rebuffed, An Le embarrassedly lowered her head, completely at a loss for words.

Seeing her utterly pathetic demeanor, Spencer sighed, but also found herself unsure of what to say.

"..."

"..."

An Le was simply too nervous and shy; even if she knew what to say, she wouldn''t have had the courage to voice it.

As for Spencer?

One could only say that she was thinking very hard.

Eventually, it was An Le who cautiously broke the silence.

"Um... if they try to cause trouble for you... I''ll testify on your behalf..."

"Hah, relax. They wouldn''t dare cause trouble for me."

Spencer seemed entirely unconcerned. However, An Le''s remark finally gave her something to latch onto.

"Instead of worrying about me, you''d better worry about yourself. Your luck won''t always be this good; I won''t always be around."

''After all, someone like you, who has nothing, is the most pitiful of all.''

An Le pursed her lips, keeping her head down as she nervously clutched her skirt and nodded.

Seeing Spencer turning back to head toward the classroom, An Le quietly tagged along beside her.

The wailing of police sirens echoed across the campus. Both An Le and Spencer glanced in that direction, though neither had a clue what had actually happened.

But unlike Spencer, who quickly lost interest and looked away, An Le faintly spotted a young man standing in front of the police cars...

Just catching a glimpse of the youth''s silhouette was enough to make An Le yank her gaze back as if she had been burned.

''Xiao Huan...''

At that moment, An Le suddenly recalled how Spencer had brought up Yan Huan the previous day, piecing it together with what she had just said in the restroom.

An Le nervously peeked at Spencer and suddenly whispered,

"Um... Spencer, you seem to pay a lot of attention to Little President Yan... Do you like him too?"

Spencer stroked her chin and gave it some serious thought before shaking her head.

"No, I don''t really feel anything for him."

She just immensely enjoyed the thrill of snatching him away from others.

As for An Le...

Spencer genuinely felt that someone like her, who had nothing, was the most pitiful existence imaginable.

"I see..."

Hearing Spencer''s answer, An Le let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Immediately after, An Le mustered her courage and stepped even closer to the blonde girl.

All day yesterday, no one in the class seemed willing to talk to Spencer. An Le deeply empathized with that profound sense of isolation.

And even though Spencer looked fierce and was easy to dislike, she was actually a very kind person at heart...

This realization sparked a strong desire in An Le to become her friend.

"Um, Spencer, no matter what... I really want to thank you for earlier. I haven''t officially introduced myself yet. My name is An Le."

"I know. I figured that out when those bitches were cursing at you."

Spencer let out a lazy yawn, offering a deeply perfunctory reply.

Right at that exact moment, the mobile phone in her pocket buzzed.

She pulled out the device and gave it a passing glance. Instantly, her eyes went wide, and she furiously unlocked the screen to read the details.

It was an email, sent directly by the Student Council.

"Notice Regarding the Compulsory Enrollment of Aria Spencer into the Study Group"

Below the subject line was a massive wall of text, apparently detailing the reasons for the email and a list of demands for her to fulfill.

However, despite violently scrolling up and down several times, Spencer''s eyes only caught a single, glaring phrase from the massive block of text:

"Prison Sentence!"

Spencer gasped sharply, letting out a laugh born of pure, unadulterated rage as she continued scrolling.

Finally, she reached the very bottom and saw the sign-off:

"In conclusion, Aria Spencer is expected to report to the Student Council Office to join the Study Group before the end of this Friday.

"Any tardiness or failure to report to the Student Council will be officially recorded and submitted to the Principal''s Office. Be advised that Aria Spencer will bear full responsibility for all ensuing consequences, including but not limited to formal notification of parents/guardians."

"President of the Far Moon Academy Student Council: Yan Huan"

An Le had also managed to catch the general gist of the email. But before she could even say a word, she watched as Spencer gripped her phone so tightly that the veins on the back of her hand bulged dangerously.

"...Didn''t you just ask me if I liked Yan Huan? Let me tell you, not only do I feel absolutely nothing for him right now, I''m actually starting to hate his guts."

"Eh? Eh?"

An Le blinked. Instinctively, she felt a brief flash of joy, but she quickly came to detest herself for feeling that way.

She frantically waved her hands, offering Spencer a strained smile as she tried to explain,

"Xiao Huan is just doing his job. It''s all the school''s fault. As the Student Council President, Xiao Huan has no choice in the matter, so..."

Spencer''s face went completely deadpan, fully prepared to explode in a furious tirade. But as she looked at An Le, who was standing there with her head bowed like a pathetic little animal who had absolutely nothing, all her anger abruptly deflated.

Ultimately, she just scoffed, turning around and stomping irritably back toward the classroom.

"Simps always meet a bad end, you know that?"