That said—credit where it's due—the campus bully looked really handsome when he was being all polite.
"I need the sign-up sheet for the school sports festival. I'm joining."
He was speaking to Summer Lin.
Summer blinked, scrambling to pull several sheets out of her desk.
"Team event or individual event?"
"Both," Luke Warren said clearly, enunciating every word.
Everyone's heads snapped up at once, eyes wide in disbelief.
Wait—this guy's being proactive?!
Wasn't he the type who hated joining anything?
Luke frowned at the staring crowd. "What are you all looking at? Can't I sign up for both team and individual events?"
"Of course you can! Just take the individual form—maximum three events. I'll handle the team events."
Luke blinked, his long lashes fluttering—a little too good-looking for his own good.
He had actually wanted to fill out every slot. His athletic ability was solid—he'd almost become a sports student once, if not for fear of giving his old man a heart attack.
But only three entries were allowed.
Without hesitation, he wrote his name under 50m Sprint, High Jump, and Long Jump—the events that best showcased his strengths.
At that moment, Luke was like a peacock spreading its feathers, eager to show off.
His gaze fell on Autumn James, waiting for her reaction.
But Autumn didn't seem impressed at all. Her expression was calm, eyes filled only with curiosity—not admiration.
Luke's eyes dimmed slightly. Disappointed, he went back to his seat.
Still, everyone else looked delighted. The more people who joined, the fewer they'd have to send themselves.
The bell rang, signaling class. Everyone returned to their places.
Time passed.
Meanwhile, in the infirmary—
Ethan James's eyelashes trembled before he slowly opened his eyes.
"Y-Yangyang…" His throat was hoarse, every word scraping like sandpaper.
"You're awake?" The school doctor, dressed in a white coat and mask, stood with hands in pockets, expression neutral.
"Where… am I?"
"This is the infirmary," the doctor sighed. "You had a fever—39.5°C. Any later and it would've hit forty."
"Here, drink some water."
The doctor poured a cup and handed it to him.
Ethan took one small sip, then set it down.
It tasted faintly of disinfectant—the smell of hospitals. He hated it.
"Did you see who brought me here?"
The doctor frowned, thinking. "He said he's from Science Class A…"
"Autumn James!" Ethan blurted out, eyes lighting up in hope.
But the doctor shook her head.
"I don't know their names—they didn't say. But there were two tall, slim boys. Quite handsome!" The doctor perked up a little—after all, girls of any age liked good-looking boys.
Ethan's gaze dimmed, his head lowering.
He clearly remembered—the last person he saw before blacking out was Autumn.
So she really had changed…
Before, even a small cough would make her worry for half the day, running around to get him medicine.
He remembered once when he just coughed—Autumn made rock sugar pear soup for him three days straight, bringing it fresh after every class so it wouldn't get cold.
Back then, she was so gentle, so thoughtful…
But now, he had a high fever—and she didn't even show up.
He sighed, disappointment filling his chest.
Too drained to speak, he silently waited for the IV drip to finish.
Maybe it was the fever, but his mood was terribly low.
Even after returning to class, he still hadn't recovered.
"Where were you? You skipped morning reading! Anna came looking for you—seemed like she had something to say, but wouldn't tell me what."
Daniel Grant frowned at Ethan's pale face. He remembered Ethan's complexion being rosy just that morning.
"Fever," Ethan muttered weakly. "Went to the infirmary. What's up—was it urgent?"
He didn't sound interested. After speaking, he rested his head on the desk, exhausted.
"I'm not sure. Why don't you go ask Anna yourself?"
"Later. I'm tired."
Daniel's brows knitted, a note of reprimand in his voice. "Don't be stubborn. Maybe it's important. Besides, the sophomore building isn't that far—just a four or five-minute walk."
"It's not easy for Anna to come all the way over here. She's not like Autumn—she's not here every day."
The moment the words fell, both boys froze.
Right—technically, the distance wasn't great, just three or four minutes on foot, maybe two if you ran. But breaks were only ten minutes long.
Autumn used to come here every single day.Yet lately… she hadn't shown up at all.
They used to find her constant visits annoying. Now that she'd stopped coming, something felt strangely empty.
"…Fine. I'll go."
Ethan finally relented.
He'd already lost his little sister, Autumn. He couldn't afford to lose Anna too.
Autumn had grown distant—he couldn't bear the thought of Anna drifting away as well.
Dragging his sick, weary body, he made his way toward the sophomore building.
Afraid he'd be late for class, he even broke into a few short jogs.
He'd walked this road countless times, yet for the first time, it felt so long.
By the time he arrived, he was panting heavily.
Inside the Sophomore Liberal Arts Class A—
Anna Hawthorne was laughing and chatting with her classmates, looking relaxed and carefree.
"What event are you signing up for?" someone asked.
Anna pouted, thinking for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'm not signing up. I'm not good at sports—I'll just embarrass the class."
Her friend nodded. "True, but if no one signs up, the teachers will draw lots. It's better to choose something yourself than get stuck with something worse."
Anna scoffed lightly. "We've got plenty of athletic students in our class. Let them handle it."
Sitting by the window, Ethan arrived just in time to hear that line.
Her words sounded selfish, making him frown instinctively.
"Anna." His lips were pale, his voice weak.
Anna pretended not to hear, continuing her conversation with the others.
Only when Ethan called again—his voice hoarse and strained—did she finally glance over.
Yes—she had heard him the first time. She'd just ignored it on purpose.
Because why should she respond right away—when he'd made her wait and walk all the way over earlier, only to find him gone?