“Bro! Are you there? Where’s your soul gone? Get back here right now, S?n Nam!!!”


    Nh?t V??ng’s incessant snapping fingers near S?n Nam’s ear yanked his mind back to the school canteen. His breakfast was still sitting in front of him, waiting to be finished, though by now it had nearly gone cold.


    “Man, you’ve only been sitting next to H? Thu for a few days, and you’re already this spaced out? If you were stuck between two girls on both sides like I am, I don’t even know what would happen to you. Women truly are the ultimate pain, huh?”


    Nh?t V??ng shot S?n Nam a look of understanding and sympathy. In the moderate lighting of the canteen, his pupils appeared round and perfectly normal, just like anyone else’s.


    S?n Nam couldn’t help but wonder—what kind of past experiences had Nh?t V??ng gone through with real, flesh-and-blood women to make him abandon them entirely in favor of 2D and 3D girls? And could those experiences have anything to do with the strange abnormality in Nh?t V??ng’s eyes?


    Plenty of male students at their school were into girls from manga, anime, and games. Rumor had it that there were entire clubs and private chat groups dedicated to sharing hidden artwork and exclusive clips. But no one else seemed as outright afraid of real-life girls as Nh?t V??ng.


    Ironically, Nh?t V??ng possessed a strikingly handsome face, a tall and well-proportioned physique, and a confident, composed demeanor. His obvious fear and hesitation around girls were always misinterpreted by them as an “arrogant, aloof, high-class aura,” much like those cold, untouchable CEOs in romance novels. This only made him even more attractive, increasing the challenge and appeal of “conquering” him in their eyes.


    “And now, you’ll have to take care of the Femme Fatale group too. Kim Ng?c and the Song Nhi twins will drain you dry. By the time you go home for T?t, your parents might not even recognize you anymore. Listen to me, bro! Run while you still can! Our school offers a Homeschooling program, you know!”


    The way Nh?t V??ng spoke in his usual humorous manner made it hard for S?n Nam to tell whether he was joking or giving a serious warning. But one thing was certain—this wasn’t the first time Nh?t V??ng had mentioned Homeschooling.


    He had first brought it up when he picked S?n Nam up from the hospital and drove him back to the boarding house where he was staying.


    But obviously, choosing a study program wasn’t something a teenager like S?n Nam, still dependent on his parents, could decide on his own.


    His parents, like many other “Tiger Parents,” were immensely proud of their reputation for strict, rigorous discipline. They were well-known for demanding absolute effort and perseverance from their children, never allowing them to quit under any circumstances.


    Yet, Nh?t V??ng had never been able to provide S?n Nam with a truly convincing explanation for his actions when he stood before Hoàng Anh Tu?n’s corpse in early September.


    And S?n Nam simply couldn’t believe that Nh?t V??ng’s title as an “associate collaborator” with the Nhan Hòa Town Police would grant him the kind of authority necessary to gain such detailed, meticulous access to a dead body. The police officers had confirmed Nh?t V??ng’s position when they took S?n Nam’s statement. But even so, the whole thing still felt far too surreal.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    So, no—one or two dead bodies, no matter how bizarre, weren’t enough to make the son of a military officer—someone raised in a family with three generations of revolutionary tradition—flee home like a cowardly deserter.


    “H? Thu isn’t a problem at all. You once told me I was lucky to sit next to her, remember? She sleeps peacefully through morning classes—no chatting, no touching, no bothering her deskmate.”


    (Unlike you, Nh?t V??ng.)


    S?n Nam spoke, then sighed. Suddenly, a faint blush started creeping up his cheeks, betraying the fact that, in reality, sitting next to H? Thu came with plenty of issues.


    “Hehehe. Oh really, bro?”


    Nh?t V??ng smirked, a knowing grin spreading across his face, making S?n Nam feel like an idiot. Why was he blushing, anyway?


    It felt as if every nerve in his brain was firing at full capacity, desperately trying to steer Nh?t V??ng away from the topic of ‘H? Thu.’


    “Alright, class is about to start. I’m heading back—are you coming too?”


    The amusement on Nh?t V??ng’s face faded as he sighed, stood up, and followed S?n Nam back to class. His deskmate had already taken up most of the middle space, and with no room left to shift away, he was stuck right where he was.


    As S?n Nam returned to his seat at the back of the class, he saw H? Thu resting her head on her arms, gazing out the window at the drizzling rain.


    “Hey, H? Thu.”


    “Mm.”


    She lazily waved her delicate fingers in acknowledgment but didn’t bother turning around to properly return the greeting.


    “You didn’t ride your bike to school today, did you, little sis?”


    As soon as the words left his mouth, S?n Nam clapped a hand over it. Damn it, he slipped up again. But once spoken, words couldn’t be taken back.


    “HEY! S?n Nam! That was uncalled for!”


    H? Thu shot up, hands on her hips, her brown eyes flashing, brows furrowed in anger, and her face burning red. She was doing her best to look fierce, hoping to intimidate him.


    “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”


    And for some inexplicable reason—perhaps under the influence of some divine being—S?n Nam dared to reach out and ruffle H? Thu’s hair a few times, as if comforting a sulking child.


    Given their height difference, no matter how much she tried to act intimidating, to S?n Nam, she still looked like a little kid throwing a tantrum.


    “P.E. class. We’re settling this. You’re dead meat.”


    With that, H? Thu plopped back down onto her chair, spun away toward the window, and continued staring outside. The rich scent of lilies filled the air again.


    But barely five minutes into the lesson, and she was already asleep—again. This time, she didn’t even pretend to fight off Hypnos’ embrace.


    Today’s schedule was relatively light, and the teachers were noticeably more lenient.


    Fortunately for her, she was small, seated at the very back near the window, and completely shielded by the tall students in front. This allowed her to sleep through the entire morning without even bothering to stand for greetings whenever the class monitor, V? Quang ??c, gave the signal.


    It was almost as if she was conserving energy for the upcoming duel.


    S?n Nam sighed.


    A part of him wished he could turn back time and undo his careless words.


    But another part of him was absolutely thrilled by H? Thu’s challenge.


    Ever since elementary school, S?n Nam had spent most of his time buried in books, constantly preparing for math competitions, winning every kind of award from local to city-level. The words ‘duel’ and ‘challenge’ had always sparked excitement in him.


    But this time, the battlefield wasn’t math—it was Physical Education. And that was not a subject where S?n Nam held the advantage.


    He was about to let out another sigh, but before he could, H? Thu grabbed his wrist and dragged him down to the field.


    Behind them, Nh?t V??ng laughed like a farmer with a bountiful harvest and made no move to help, ignoring S?n Nam’s desperate, pleading gaze.