After Avery left, Lily ran into Ray and Chris one after another—both acting rather furtively.
Given their statuses, “furtive” was hardly the word that should describe them. Yet for various reasons, that was exactly the case.
At a quiet corner, Ray suddenly reached out and pulled Lily aside.
Lily hadn’t seen who it was at first, and her immediate reaction was to throw a punch. She hadn’t forgotten that she’d made enemies—even in the relatively safe academy, the possibility of someone jumping her wasn’t out of the question.
Her first punch was blocked.
“It’s me, Ray.”
Lily heard him, but her thought process was: Oh wow, it’s actually someone I’ve offended! And they really did come to jump me?
No choice—she had to strike first. Lily followed up with an elbow strike.
Ray reacted quickly too, blocking it again.
“Your rumored boyfriend,” Ray said in a gloomy tone, adding that bit of self-introduction. Even his usually composed face seemed to carry a hint of resentment.
He hadn’t wanted to bring up the “rumored boyfriend” label at all—he’d even preferred to pretend it didn’t exist. The whole thing was awkward, and he wasn’t good at handling it.
But when Lily tried to hit him the moment they met, and kept going even after he identified himself, Ray couldn’t help himself: As his rumored girlfriend, she shouldn’t be treating him like this no matter what! She hadn’t acted this way before!
Now Lily felt a bit embarrassed to keep swinging—she’d also confirmed that Ray had no intention of fighting.
She cleared her throat. “Well, you were being all sneaky, so I thought you were someone with bad intentions. Sorry about that.”
Ray felt even more exhausted.
Lily’s explanation was worse than no explanation at all.
Her first punch—worrying about “someone with bad intentions”—was fair enough. But after Ray immediately identified himself, Lily had struck faster and harder. What did that mean? It meant Ray was exactly the kind of person she’d suspect of having bad intentions!
“If it weren’t for those rumors, would I have to be this sneaky?” Ray said through gritted teeth.
He hoped someone knew who the real culprit was!
That’s right—after Lily had made a name for herself in the freshman assessment, the rumors between them hadn’t died down. On the contrary, they’d become more convincing: Ray hadn’t taken an inexplicable liking to Lily—he’d just recognized her merits earlier than everyone else.
Now even his own friends were starting to doubt his “denials.”
Ray admitted he had indeed become somewhat curious about Lily. But because of all this, he didn’t dare have any contact with her at all. If anyone saw them together, he’d never be able to clear his name!
Yet even if he didn’t want to reach out, others would create opportunities for him: the Student Council’s task of inviting Lily naturally fell to Ray.
Given their “relationship,” did the Student Council even need to worry about Lily being poached by other clubs?
“I’m really not in that kind of relationship with her,” Ray tried to explain to the president.
“Fine. Sure, whatever. But since you’re in the same year, communication will be easier. The task is still yours.”
Ray was helpless. He could clearly feel the president’s dismissiveness: I don’t care what you two lovebirds are playing at—keep it secret if you want, I won’t pry. Just bring her back.
What could Ray do? Refusing further would make him seem overly sensitive, so he had to use this low-key method to make contact with Lily—and nearly got pummeled for his trouble.
Ray considered himself even-tempered. Even when Chris constantly provoked him, he’d go about his business without issue. But when it came to Lily, his supposedly good composure was about to crack!
Lily felt no guilt either: When you sacrificed your reputation, I sacrificed mine too—we’re even.
She said calmly, “Don’t worry too much about what others think. That’s just how rumors work—once people get bored, they’ll fade away on their own.”
Ray understood that logic too, but he couldn’t stand Lily’s detached attitude and couldn’t help asking, “What if they don’t fade?”
Lily waved her hand casually. “After a while, when everyone thinks you’re not good enough for me, they’ll stop spreading those rumors.”
Ray: …
If I had your confidence, is there anything I couldn’t accomplish?
Ray took a deep breath, stopped wasting words, and got straight to the point. “I’m here on behalf of the Student Council to invite you to join.”
He handed Lily a relatively simple invitation card.
Lily opened it and saw that the contents weren’t as hastily written as Avery’s invitation—it included a brief overview of the Student Council’s internal bylaws.
The Student Council had the authority to participate in academy proposals and plan various events. In terms of power, it was no less than that of any mentor, but at the same time, it also bore the responsibility of managing the academy.
This included matters like the emergence of dark magic traces within the academy—the Student Council had an inescapable duty in such cases.
Joining the Student Council came with the obligation to help maintain campus order and carry out various administrative tasks. But in return, the benefits were considerable.
As long as one didn’t deliberately slack off, ordinary members could earn a base reward of 1 credit per semester. Those who made outstanding contributions could receive additional bonuses.
Beyond that, for many people, the networking opportunities built through the Student Council were an even more valuable perk.
“If you have any questions, now’s the time to ask.”
Lily did have questions.
“What’s the fastest promotion record within the Student Council? What are the requirements for becoming an officer? The truth is, quite a few major clubs are recruiting me and offering important positions. Your offer of ordinary membership isn’t very appealing.”
Lily was so direct that Ray nearly stumbled again.
“Uh, generally speaking, only third-years and above have the chance to run for council positions. The fastest record is becoming an officer in the second year.”
But Ray didn’t let her derail the conversation. “Don’t try to bluff me. It’s true that many clubs are recruiting you, but the truly major ones can’t offer you a position right now.”
“Alright, I’ll consider it.”
…
Ray’s stealthy approach had effectively hidden his tracks, but Chris’s furtiveness was the complete opposite—it was as if he was screaming, “I’m here! I’m here!”
He kept appearing and disappearing along Lily’s usual route, trying to act like he didn’t know her at all, yet his peripheral vision kept darting her way.
This guy was the living embodiment of “eight hundred feints a second,” and Lily would have had to be blind not to notice him.
Stop pretending, dude—the girls’ dormitory is just ahead. Don’t tell me that’s your destination.
His acting was so painfully bad that Lily couldn’t take it anymore and simply stopped to wait for him.
She was about to ask what he wanted when Chris struck first.
He curled his lip. “Looking for me? Well, since you’re being so sincere, I suppose I can spare you a little time.”
Lily was floored.
Absence truly makes the heart grow… thicker-skinned.
Clearly, Chris vividly remembered the lesson of “he sought Lily out and she ignored him.” He had no desire to experience that same embarrassment a second time.
His clumsy “coincidental encounters” were probably just a way to get Lily’s attention in the first place.
And sure enough, the situation had flipped—now Lily was the one approaching him, and he was magnanimously granting her an audience.
After the initial shock, Lily turned and walked away!
You do your little routine—what’s that got to do with me?
“Hey, hey, I’m not done talking!”
Chris couldn’t hold it together anymore: He’d only gotten a tiny verbal advantage—did she have to walk off that fast?
He quickly asked, “The Magical Research Association—are you interested?”
Lily paused. “You’re here to deliver an invitation?”
Avery had mentioned that the Magical Research Association came with some complications, and Lily believed her. Now she was even more suspicious: maybe the association didn’t actually welcome her joining.
It made perfect sense for the Student Council to send Ray to approach her.
But her relationship with Chris… was definitely far from “good.” There was no way the Magical Research Association was unaware of that, yet they’d sent Chris to represent them in recruiting new members. The implications were a bit subtle.