Ding Dong.

  Recess. Every student’s favorite time at school.

  "Yawn~ Finally, recess."

  History class had drained the life out of me again. Every session felt like an ancient curse designed specifically to knock students unconscious; honestly, I slept better in History than in my own bed. Stretching, I let out groans of a creaky old man then staggered into the hallway.

  The corridor was already a riot. Lockers slammed, laughter pierced the air, and somewhere, someone was having a heated legal dispute over a stolen mechanical pencil.

  And then there was that smell. The universal scent of high school. It was a unique, suffocating blend of sweat, cheap floor cleaner, the stale exhaust of old air-conditioners, and the lingering, unmistakable scent of despair.

  I shuffled toward the canteen. From the hallway entrance, it looked less like a cafeteria and more like a disaster waiting to be filmed. Students swarmed the food stalls, elbows out, eyes locked on trays. Just watching the frenzy made my stomach twist.

  I placed both my hands on my chest.

  No way. I value my life.

  Our school canteen was designed for maybe two hundred people. The school, however, housed almost a thousand. Recess wasn’t a break. It was a survival trial curated by a sadist. I took a step back… then another… retreating with the dignity of an NPC who had just spotted a level 99 world boss.

  That's when I felt it. A gaze.

  A familiar, sharp, predatory gaze that could cut through steel. I didn’t even need to turn. My instincts screamed the name before I saw the face.

  Iz.

  She stood behind me, framed by the sun, radiating the kind of presence shoujo protagonists are born with.

  I, being the embodiment of maturity, immediately launched myself at her. "Heeeyah, Iz! I could feel your gaze of love from miles away! Did you miss me so much? Muah. Muah."

  Iz’s expression twisted as if she’d smelled something cursed. She slapped my back. Hard.

  "Eww, Lil. Here I thought you'd matured."

  I smirked and gave a little bow. Poised and refined. "In contrast to my overlasting self, you’ve actually grown! The Ice Queen finally melted." I paused a beat, then shot Iz a wink. "By me."

  Iz rolled her eyes so hard they almost left orbit. "I can't believe how little you've matured."

  I straightened and formed a finger heart. "True. Still as youthful and radiant as ever~"

  She glared at me, her gaze shredding my finger heart into imaginary confetti. Ouch.

  We walked out into the blazing courtyard, the worst place in the entire school. Our school layout was a confusing U-shape around a courtyard paved with sun-absorbing tiles. They were probably specifically designed to cook students alive by noon.

  For me, who has heat resistance: -999, this was literal torture.

  "It's been a while since we walked like this," I said, fanning myself with my hand. Useless, I know. But there was no other choice. "Side by side under this hell-sun."

  Iz gave me a flat look. "We literally did this before school reopened. Your memory is worse than a goldfish."

  "Oh?" I staggered back a step, feigning a heart attack.

  "We went to your favourite restaurant," she reminded me. "You flipped when you saw the prices went up. Again."

  "Ohhh~ right. That was just a week ago? It felt like years!" I threw my hands up in exasperation.

  "You need to be careful. If a team of neuroscientists ever gets their hands on you, they’ll crack your skull open just to see what’s going on in there.” Iz poked my head as if she was tempted to try it herself.

  I slapped her finger away and hooked my arm through hers. "Aww~ Thanks for worrying, Iz. But I won't be seeing any neuroscientist. Ever."

  She shoved me off with a grumble about my body heat. "You won’t need to. They’ll be the ones tracking you down."

  "Oh? Didn’t know I was such a magnet for men with PhDs," I draped a hand over my forehead dramatically.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  "They only want your brain."

  "Hah. Men. So picky. Always after one thing. Never the whole package."

  Iz rolled her eyes. Again. A skill she had maxed out long ago.

  We finally reached the canteen, where a wall of pure noise slammed into us. Screams. Yelling. The metallic scrape of chairs. Prefects barking commands. Each one wore a yellow sash that seemed to instantly double their ego; give them an inch of authority, and they acted the part of mini-dictators.

  I muttered under my breath, "Nothing's changed. The noise. The mess. The stench. Exactly like last year."

  The canteen tables were overflowing, so Iz pointed toward the gazebo. "Let's eat there."

  Smart choice. The so-called gazebo near the canteen was a sad little octagonal shelter: wooden pillars, peeling paint, and a roof that groaned like it had a lifetime of regrets every time the wind blew. In theory, it was a peaceful break spot. In reality, it was just a canteen with fewer walls.

  Even here, the seats were gone. Prefects tried to maintain order, but the students had perfected the art of "passive filtering". Words went in the left ear and exited the right without ever touching the brain.

  With no seats left, we ate standing up resembling starving warriors on the front lines. Then, a prefect with the confidence of a mini-boss stepped up to us.

  "Don’t eat while standing. Find a seat."

  I smiled. My most innocent, venomous smile. "There are no seats. Unless you're planning to stack us like dinner plates?"

  His smirk vanished. He grunted and retreated into the crowd.

  "That's what I thought." I hissed at his back, secretly savoring my tiny victory.

  Iz frowned. "What if he reports you to the head of discipline?"

  I shrugged. "Pfft. What's there to fear? Did I say anything wrong?"

  "This year, it's Mr. Woo."

  Mr. Woo...?

  Ah.

  The final boss.

  The man students feared more than exams, cockroaches, or group work with strangers. Legend said even the principal avoided him. Rumor had it he once glared so intensely that a delinquent apologized on reflex.

  "…Oui~ I'm screwed, aren't I?"

  I began pacing the gazebo in the manner of a general planning a last stand.

  Apologize? Fake fainting? Escape portal? Fake stomachache? No, Mr. Woo detected lies better than a polygraph possessed by Satan.

  Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. Mr. Woo was the upgraded, elite version of Ma with permanently rage mode enabled.

  Feeling doomed, I spotted Iz’s lunch box. The scent hit me like a divine blessing. My stomach growled.

  Aunty Christine. The legendary family chef. Once a Michelin star champion, now Iz’s personal household deity. I drooled. Literally.

  Iz sighed, not even looking up. "If you've got something to say, say it. And stop drooling on my food."

  I wiped my mouth. "I do have something to say… But not here. Can I have some food first?"

  She handed it over. I inhaled it with the fervor of a starving beast.

  "Ouish! Aunty Christine's food is the best I've ever had. Don't tell my mom I said that." I eyed Iz meaningfully, and she nodded. Then I continued my rambling. "Waaa~ It purifies my soul. Maybe it can purify Mr. Woo too. Hahahaha! Just kidding. Kinda."

  Iz laughed. "Aunty Christine would be delighted."

  "Tell her thanks... WAIT, no, don't. If she finds out, we'll both get scolded."

  "She'll probably just make you a second portion."

  "Really?! Tell her to make it ginormous or I'll starve to death in Physics class."

  Iz giggled. "Anyway, you said you had something to say?"

  "Let's go somewhere quieter."

  "Where?"

  "The usual place!"

  I polished off the food and we made our way to the gazebo near Block D.

  Unlike the chaotic one near the canteen, this gazebo was old but peaceful. Wooden benches. Overgrown trees. A roof that filtered sunlight into long, golden strips. It was the last quiet corner in school. Naturally, everyone fought for it as if it were a rare loot drop.

  I flopped down on the seat dramatically. "Why don’t they let us eat outside the canteen area? It’s suffocating."

  Iz raised a brow. "They want to control the mess." She crossed her arm. "Anyways, what did you want to say?"

  "Oh, right. It's a long story, but I'll make it short—"

  Ding. Ding. Ding.

  The bell sliced through the air. I flinched before I realized why.

  "…Seriously?"

  "Ah! We got to go to class now. How about we continue after school? Bye!" Iz stood up and bolted. One moment she was here, the next second her shadow had vanished.

  "Wait. What?! You're leaving me? Me? Your only friend? For a class?" I clutched my chest. Betrayal. Like a side character being abandoned in Chapter Three of every story.

  But then, a shadow fell over me. A shadow I recognized. My body shook. Not from chill, but from what lurked behind.

  It can't be... Can it? Why... oh why...?

  Gulp.

  I looked up. And met the gaze of a demon. No… worse.

  Mr. Woo.

  "Llyne," he said, smiling. It was the kind of smile a spider gives a fly. "Are you planning to skip class?"

  "Skip class? Mr. Woo! How could you accuse me—" I clutched my chest, appalled. Not by the accusation, but by the sheer terror of that smile.

  "I didn’t," he replied calmly. "I merely asked."

  "Really? Oh. Uh... well!" My eyes darted around, desperately searching for an escape route. Then I spotted a bunch of female students lounging near the field. I jabbed a finger toward them. "Mr. Woo. Look! Criminals!"

  The moment he glanced away, I spun around and bolted. "I’m going now! Ciao!"

  And I ran as though my life depended on it. Because honestly?

  It did.