"Ugh~~~"
Ellen grabbed her hair and leaned back, her pretty face visibly growing irritated.
Phaga couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on, it can't be that bad, right?"
"It totally is! School is so annoying. I really want to skip class. But if I do, Rina will scold me..."
The frustrated little shark rocked on her tiptoes, then suddenly remembered something. She turned her head. "Wait, didn't you also hate class? Remember when you were looking for a job? You couldn't wait for school to end."
"Oh, that was just me complaining."
Phaga lifted a cardboard box full of books, then gave his suitcase a light kick, signaling Ellen to help pull it out.
Ellen grabbed the suitcase and followed him as he explained, "After all, studying is like work for me. You know how expensive our tuition is, right?"
"Oh, right." Ellen suddenly remembered, her big eyes widening in a dazed sort of way. "So how do you even pay for it?"
"Because I don't pay tuition. I also get over a hundred thousand Dennies in financial aid every year. So for me, going to school is like going to work."
Phaga glanced back, shrugged, and gave a wry smile. "Two things I hate most, rolled into one."
So going out to work part-time was half a relief? Ellen couldn't help thinking that, the corner of her mouth twitching.
Hmm. Forget it.
She shook her head and followed Phaga out.
They had taken the bus on the way here, but now they squeezed onto the subway heading back.
It was a normal workday, but since it wasn't rush hour, the subway wasn't crowded.
Ellen pulled out her phone, ignoring the cute shark wallpaper, and opened her chat app to kill time.
"Huh, they're still at it."
She scrolled through the grade-wide group chat, amazed at her classmates' writing skills.
Ten minutes passed, but the group was still buzzing nonstop.
Anonymized messages shot upward like rockets. Posts from just a second ago vanished before she could even finish reading them. She had to hold down the screen and scroll back up just to catch the endless outpouring of love and devotion for their beloved principal.
The screen was filled with lavish praises, words so flowery her classmates wouldn't dare use them in their essays, yet here they were—all dedicated to the principal.
Especially their class president. Maybe he felt shy praising the principal openly in the grade group, so instead he unleashed his full literary flair in the class group, as if raising glasses and toasting with everyone.
[Class President: Just yesterday, we lost the alma mater that had accompanied us for two years.]
[Class President: Though built atop a mass grave, the principal was so concerned about our studies that he rushed construction. The structure was unstable, full of holes, and when the evening wind blew through, it carried a haunting melody.]
[Class President: But this was never the school's negligence—it was a beautiful mistake!]
[Class President: Once, we could only hear composers' visions of the underworld through horror films. Now, the school harnessed the power of nature to create an immersive experience. Truly worthy of a top-ten school in New Eridu!]
[Class President: Alas, our beloved school is gone.]
[Class President: But fear not. Though our school earned many honors and strong support from New Eridu, the government subsidies we secured are enough to build an even bigger campus.]
[Class President: But what kind of person is our principal?]
[Class President: Dennies are suffering, so the principal bears pain. Students are blossoms, so the principal loves them deeply.]
[Class President: And so, to bring us back to learning as soon as possible, we! will return to that old mental hospital converted into a school!]
[Class President: First, we listened to music from the underworld. Then the Hollow descended with no safety measures, making it truly feel like the underworld. Finally, we return to the mental hospital, washing away all our sins.]
[Class President: Truly our principal—so clear, so flawless in logic. Everyone, applaud!]
[Ruby: Applause! Class President, write ten more essays!]
"...Hmph, this bunch."
Ellen's lips curved into a faint, helpless smile. She shook her head lightly, then set her phone aside.
"Sure enough, once exams are gone, English really is the most beautiful subject."
Phaga tucked his phone back into his bag and lifted the cardboard box.
Just then, the subway stopped—it was the station near Victoria Housekeeping Headquarters.
Not long after, the two returned home together.
"Welcome back, you two."
As usual, Rina opened the door. The two Bangboo floating beside her were carrying groceries, clearly just back from the market.
Phaga looked around, not seeing Lycaon. He turned to ask, "By the way, where's Mr. Lycaon?"
"Lord Lycaon?"
Rina tapped her finger to her lips, her eyes shifting as if deep in thought. Then she suddenly clapped her hands together, smiling with squinted eyes. "Oh, that's right. He had a commission today and told us not to prepare dinner for him."
"I see. Then I'll cook today."
Phaga said this as he set the box down with a thud. Wiping sweat from his forehead, his pale face looked slightly wan.
Carrying the box had been troublesome, but Ellen had held the umbrella for him the whole way. The problem was, she was so clumsy with it that the sun still hit him several times.
"Hm? So I don't get to cook? Phaga's never had the head maid's cooking before."
Rina looked a little displeased, fingers intertwined and hanging limply.
"Didn't you say there's another member, Corin, who hasn't returned from her mission yet? Let's save Rina's cooking for her welcome-back dinner."
Phaga opened the fridge to check the ingredients. At the same time, Rina's two Bangboo brought over fresh meat from the market.
At that moment, Phaga was in high spirits—completely unaware of the trouble he had just invited for his future.
"Then I'll take your luggage upstairs!"
Ellen was heading up the stairwell, carrying Phaga's suitcase.
"Alright."
Phaga didn't look back, focusing instead on preparing the ingredients.
Chopping vegetables, mincing ginger, heating oil in the wok.
Sizzle!
He tossed the chicken into the pan. Oil hissed and popped. Once the aroma rose, Phaga added a ladle of cold water, then covered the wok.
"Even though he's a vampire, his sense of smell and taste are just like a normal person's!"
Suddenly, a ghostly voice whispered into Phaga's ear.
His heart jumped. He spun back instantly, slipping into a battle stance.
But then he realized it was just Rina.
She bent forward slightly, smiling faintly. Seeing his startled reaction, she covered her mouth and let out a soft giggle.
"Rina..."
Phaga let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest as he tried to calm down. He stole a sideways glance.
As expected, Victoria Housekeeping was no ordinary place—Rina had gotten this close without him noticing at all.
"Sorry, sorry! I was just curious. For a vampire, you really don't seem any different from a human!"
Rina pressed her hands together, still smiling.
Phaga sighed softly and went back to slicing vegetables. "I've never met another vampire, so I don't know if I'm normal or not."
"The internet says vampires fear sunlight, but I only dislike it. I wouldn't call it fear."
"It also says vampires have cold bodies, but mine has a normal temperature—actually, I stay at a steady forty degrees Celsius."
"And it says vampires only drink human blood, but in truth I..."
"There's just too much conflicting information. I can't tell what's real anymore..."
His voice grew smaller, his gaze dimmer.
Suddenly, Phaga's whole body stiffened. His eyes widened as a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, enveloping him in warmth.
"Don't worry. You'll always be the best child."