The library's closing bell had long since rung, and only the faint hum of the magic lamp remained in the empty hall.
First-year student Vivian Doron Morristi cursed the damned credit assignment for the hundredth time in her mind while forcing herself to organize the last few rows of bookshelves.
"So sleepy... Why are there still people here?" She rubbed her sleepy eyes, her gaze falling on the figure still slumped in the corner by the window. Her inner voice was already stomping its feet: "What a nuisance! If you want to sleep, just go back to your dorm!"
She took a deep breath, tried her best to be professional, walked to the table, and called out in a deliberately soft voice, "Excuse me, senior? The library is about to close."
Chloe was pulled from her sleep by the sound, and she groggily raised her head, her eyes still somewhat blank.
Vivian's previously formulaic smile faltered slightly the moment she saw his face, and her drowsiness vanished almost instantly.
Isn't this the male protagonist from the duel news that's been circulating everywhere?
Her name is... Chloe? Why isn't she preparing for her duel? What's with her sleeping in the library?
"Ah, sorry, I accidentally fell asleep." Chloe, finally a little more awake, rubbed her eyes and subconsciously apologized to the girl who was probably the librarian.
Vivian blinked, somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting that this supposedly gloomy and terrifying senior would actually say "sorry".
She quickly waved her hand, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I just wanted to remind you that the museum was closing..."
"I know, I'll be right there…" Chloe hurriedly began to tidy up the history books piled on the table.
Watching his actions, Vivian's expression became even stranger. This person was so different from the rumors.
Wasn't this guy supposed to be a bully who preys on the weak and is extremely arrogant? Logically, he should have given me a cold look and then left without looking back... Yet he actually packed up his books! Could it be that I mistook him for someone else?
Overwhelmed by curiosity, Weiwei couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Um—senior, are you that Chloe senior? The one who's engaged to Princess Shirin?"
Chloe continued working, casually replying, "Yeah, it's me. But the engagement is probably over soon."
Seeing his calm reply, Vivian's curiosity completely overwhelmed her caution and drowsiness.
Instead of leaving immediately, she lingered by the nearby bookshelf, pretending to organize the books, and casually asked, "It's being said outside... that Her Highness the Princess has challenged you to a duel... is that true?"
"It's true." Chloe picked up the books and put them back in their places.
Vivian finally couldn't hold back any longer. She turned around, put her hands behind her back, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Chloe with a questioning look in her eyes, but her tone was still cautious: "Then... why did you agree, senior? Everyone is guessing... did Her Highness the Princess... threaten you?"
As soon as she asked the question, she immediately regretted it, feeling that she had overstepped her bounds. Even if this senior was not quite the same as the rumors, she figured he should be angry...
To her surprise, Chloe laughed upon hearing this: "Threatening me? What can she threaten me with? Taking away my allowance?" He shrugged: "My allowance comes from my family, and it's quite a lot."
"Pfft..." This unexpected answer made Vivian unable to hold back her laughter. She quickly covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents, and the tense atmosphere instantly eased a lot.
She grew bolder, leaned forward, and whispered, "Then... is it a bribe? What incredible benefit did they promise you?"
Chloe glanced back at the pretty junior who was a bit too friendly, thought for a moment, and suddenly laughed, "If I don't accept the duel, she's completely mine. What could be better than that? I accept the duel simply because I think that forcing someone to do something is not only not sweet, but might even cause diarrhea."
Vivian's expression became quite interesting, as if she had seen some rare species.
She lowered her voice, with a hint of urging, "Then... don't you feel very resentful, senior? Her Highness the princess challenged you to a duel to cancel the engagement because of another man! Don't you have anything to say about that, senior?"
Upon hearing this, Chloe stroked her chin, pretending to ponder deeply for a while, then looked at Vivian seriously and said in a clear and articulate voice, "Well... I wish them a long and happy marriage and many children."
"Pfft... Hahahaha—" Vivian couldn't hold back this time, her shoulders shaking with laughter. She felt that this senior was completely different from the "cruel and eccentric" image in the rumors. Rather, he was quite humorous!
"Senior, you are completely different from the rumors...!" she couldn't help but say directly.
"Oh?" Chloe raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What's the rumor about me like? Tell me, and let me see if there's anything I need to learn or improve."
He was genuinely curious about how Chloe appeared in the eyes of the world's native inhabitants, and whether her image differed from his own as a player.
Seeing that he seemed completely unconcerned, Vivian thought for a moment and then started counting on her fingers, her little face feigning seriousness: "Hmm... arrogant, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, cruel and perverse, gloomy and terrifying... it sounds just like a devil who loves to eat children in secret..." After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but laugh: "When I woke up and found out it was you, senior, I was even prepared to get a good scolding!"
"Ha—!" Chloe was amused by her description: "Maybe those rumors are true, and I'm the one who's possessed by some strange thing as I'm chatting with you here now?"
"Senior, you're so funny!" Vivian seemed to have a particularly low threshold for laughter, and she was amused so much that she doubled over with laughter.
Vivian found chatting with this supposedly terrifying senior to be really fun, and coincidentally, Chloe also wanted to get more information from the world's natives.
In no time, the two got along very well, and their conversation veered off course from dueling gossip to completely different topics.
Vivian was quite the chatterbox. From the professor of history of magic's strange accent to the recent explosions at the alchemy workshop, and even the bald head of the practical class teacher that was so shiny it could be used as a mirror, she could describe everything vividly and wittily.
Chloe was happy to play along, cracking jokes from time to time, and her witty responses always hit Vivian's funny bone perfectly.
Time flew by amidst laughter and chatter until Chloe, unable to resist the overwhelming drowsiness, let out a big yawn, forcing her to interrupt her energetic junior: "Alright, it's really getting late. Staying up late is bad for your skin."
"Huh—really?" Vivian seemed startled.
"Of course it's true! It not only damages your skin, but it also makes you gain weight! Junior, you don't want to become a chubby little girl with a face full of acne, do you?"
"Ugh—No way!"
"Then let's hurry back to sleep. I should probably head out too."
Chloe chuckled as she got up, intending to leave.
"Wait a minute, senior!"Chloe turned around and looked at the rather interesting and pretty junior schoolgirl with a strange expression.
Vivian flashed him a bright smile: "My name is Vivian Doron Morristi, I'm a first-year student!"
Seeing the girl's vibrant appearance, Chloe paused for a moment, then smiled and introduced herself in the same way: "Chloe Orost Dodor, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Watching Chloe's departing figure disappear at the end of the corridor, Vivian's sweet and lively smile slowly faded, replaced by a meaningful, playful, and inquisitive mysterious smile.
"This senior... is really much more interesting than the rumors say~" she murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the ends of her hair, her eyes deep, completely different from the innocent and carefree junior she had just been.