"Well, that's hard to say," Milo replied cautiously at first, showing a sense of responsibility. Then she fell into thought. "Why did he invite you over?"
"Uh…" Vivienne couldn't exactly reveal the whole fake bond situation, so she went with her gut. "The class rep's been troubled lately, probably just wants someone to talk to."
"Talk?" Milo gave her a long, penetrating look, holding the stare for five full seconds. "Forget it. Don't worry about him."
"The Squire family is very strict. They wouldn't let him do anything outrageous."
"As for Jan Squire himself, while he's a little unconventional, he's still a Squire through and through."
Vivienne gave a perfectly timed shocked expression. "Unconventional?"
Ah, nothing like some good gossip to ease the soreness in biceps.
Milo chuckled at her, clearly not seeing the topic as sensitive. "Under normal circumstances, he should be doing hell training with you right now."
"But that guy's too stubborn. He has his own plans."
Hmm?
That actually made sense. Vivienne had the instinctive feeling that Jan's evolutionary level was also pretty high—he should've been more than qualified for the Seven Schools Trial.
"He's the heir of a long-standing noble family. A little noble arrogance is expected, but—"
Milo gave a sharp review: "That kid's so proper it's almost wicked."
She thought of that time during their "serious discussion" when he randomly brought out a cake, and the moment during that dramatic misunderstanding at the restaurant when the waiter awkwardly handed over a jacket.
Vivienne wholeheartedly agreed.
Totally cursed.
"Miss Milo, besides me and the class rep, are there other students doing this training too?" she asked. "Or do they just come at different times?"
"Of course there are, but none of them are like you." Milo shook her head, her tone full of teacherly affection. Vivienne almost thought she was going to say, You're the only pure, unpretentious SS-level freshman.
Milo said instead, "Just a clueless little freshman, new as a baby, doesn't know anything."
"But! Vivienne, don't be discouraged. With me guiding you, I'll get you caught up to the others' level in no time."
…
With Milo's intentional mix of teasing and motivation, Vivienne finished the day's training session by 9:30 p.m.
"I knew you could do it!" Milo smiled with satisfaction. "Trust your teacher—if you keep this up, you'll see real improvement soon!"
Vivienne… Vivienne couldn't even force a smile.
Dragging her exhausted body back to her dorm, she collapsed into her desk chair, her black hair spilling over like a waterfall. Her brow furrowed slightly.
"Huh?"
Oh, wow.
The improvement really was immediate.
Physical strength aside, Vivienne could feel a slight increase in her mental power.
Naturally, that meant her mental barrier was acting up again—it had thinned out just a little more.
Just a little, but she knew better than to underestimate that. A dike a thousand miles long could collapse from an ant hole, and compared to other Sentinels, her mental barrier was a tofu fortress.
If she found herself in an emergency situation later and had to use her mental control ability, the whole mental landscape could collapse on the spot.
"Delaying my exposure? Sure. But mental regulation can't wait," Vivienne muttered to herself while scrolling through her terminal contacts.
Last weekend, she'd exchanged contact info with Bailey Tong.
[Vivienne Cross]: Hey Bailey, are you there?
[Bailey Tong]: lil kitty peeks.gif
[Bailey Tong]: What's up?
[Vivienne Cross]: I was wondering when you might be free. Would it be okay to help me with another mental regulation session?
[Vivienne Cross]: My barrier is acting up again…
[Bailey Tong]: shocked.gif
[Bailey Tong]: guide-kitty patching holes.gif
[Bailey Tong]: I'm available
[Bailey Tong]: Come find me this weekend!
[Vivienne Cross]: grateful tiger bows.gif
Jan Squire had promised her 500,000 star credits in exchange for faking the bond. But right now, she hadn't seen a single credit. So for the time being, she could only express her gratitude to kind Bailey with emojis.
She even sent a "heart hands" emoji for good measure.
[Bailey Tong]: hhhh
[Bailey Tong]: Can I call you Vivi?
[Vivienne Cross]: Sure!
She hadn't given the girl any actual reward—so calling her something sweet was the least she could do. Vivienne quickly returned the gesture.
[Vivienne Cross]: Can I call you Tongtong?
[Bailey Tong]: Of course
[Bailey Tong]: kitty chases tail in circles.gif
Another calm and quiet Friday.
Combat class, followed by a mental control course.
After getting up early, Vivienne clasped her hands together and prayed: Please let this day pass quickly.
—Because nothing brings perspective like comparison. She was actually looking forward to the fake bond act tomorrow.
During combat class, the two "teachers"—Jan and Bailey—had already agreed to split tutoring duties: one class each.
Today was Jan's turn to train with Vivienne. After a quick briefing, Bailey went off to spar with Joey Yu, Tony Zane, and their group.
…
The idea of "training partner" meant they'd go through Milo's required moves one-on-one.
Vivienne stepped forward with her right foot, sweeping her right hand to hook Jan's wrist. She brought his arm down, then slid her hand up his arm to his shoulder, while stepping with her left foot to deliver a horizontal blow to his head.
Jan blocked with his left hand.
After all her hellish training, Vivienne's right hand moved instinctively toward his jaw while her left hand curved upward to hook behind his head.
…She could've pulled his hair, but that was a little too dirty for friendly sparring between classmates.
At the same time, Vivienne sidestepped left, using her right hand to push his jaw to the left, while pulling his head downward with her left—both hands locking onto his skull and twisting toward her waist in a controlled motion.
The Tianxing Fall technique!
She nailed it! A beautiful little combo—well, more like a single move—but either way, she executed it perfectly. Yay!
Jan, with his cheek briefly pressed to her waist, let out a light cough.
Vivienne immediately let go. "Sorry, Jan—did I hurt you?"
"I'm fine."
Once Vivienne backed away, Jan straightened up, red hair tousled from the intensity of their practice. A few strands clung to his forehead, making his usually crisp appearance look more human.
He lifted a hand to tidy his fringe and collar. The fabric of his shirt shifted slightly, hinting at the muscle tone underneath.
Vivienne silently marveled: Just from how he looks, he could take her down before she even got the move off.
Still, he had let her "beat" him without resistance.
Such a dutiful sparring partner.
The selfless spirit of a class rep!
Five stars!
…Although, it might also have something to do with their little agreement: the fake bond, the visit home, meeting his dad—tomorrow.
Jan commented earnestly, "Your Tianxing Fall form is very precise."