"That's the one! So, tell me, who do you have a crush on in our class?" William Brooks adjusted his glasses with a lecherous grin and asked in a low voice.

"What are you talking about? No way! Can you stop having your head full of those kinds of thoughts?" Grace Miller replied irritably.

"Is it Lily Scott? Just now, when school ended, I saw the way you looked at her—so affectionate! It gave me goosebumps just watching from the side!" William Brooks smirked mischievously.

"Affectionate, huh? Then look at my eyes now—do they look affectionate to you?" Grace Miller deliberately stared at William Brooks.

Normally, with William Brooks's personality, he would definitely keep the banter going and tease Grace Miller. But in that instant, William Brooks just glanced at Grace Miller, his face turning a bit pale, and quickly looked away, a trace of awkwardness flashing across his face.

Grace Miller immediately realized he had gone a bit overboard. At noon, after practicing the Eye Sword, the nourishment of his whole body's energy made it so that even a little focus would bring a strong sense of pressure to his gaze. He must have accidentally scared William Brooks just now.

"What's wrong? Did you really fall in love with me? Well, it makes sense—someone as handsome and charming as me, a peerless guy as dashing as a pear blossom pressing down a crabapple, is naturally loved by all..."

"Damn!! Usually when I say that, it sounds so natural, but hearing you say it—what a difference!! Can you stop imitating me in such a cringey way?" William Brooks perked up. "What was up with you just now? Your eyes were kind of scary!"

"It's nothing, just remembered some sad things from the past." Grace Miller put on a deep expression.

"I'm gonna puke!"

The two of them joked and bickered as they walked to the school gate.

"See you Monday!"

"See you Monday!"

Grace Miller stood in the sunset, schoolbag tucked under his arm, watching as William Brooks rode off on a friend's bike in the opposite direction from usual. This guy always went to his aunt's house on weekends—there was a computer with internet there, so he could play games for free.

Shifting his gaze, at the school gate, a group of girls from their class walked together, chattering and laughing like silver bells. All of them were fashionably dressed, each with a well-made bag slung over their shoulder—obviously from well-off families. Behind them, Lily Scott, dressed simply in a white T-shirt and jeans, carrying a somewhat worn black backpack, walked out. Clearly, with her modest family background and not-so-outstanding grades—only around twentieth in the class—she wasn't accepted by the class's second clique. Grace Miller could easily guess that for a girl like her, her family must have paid a hefty price to get her into this school.

Grace Miller looked away, considering whether to follow Lily Scott. If she really was the one who would be harmed, and he didn't go after her, he'd probably regret it later. It wasn't guilt over not helping a classmate, but simply a sense of regret at seeing something beautiful about to be destroyed.

"Better follow her—hopefully nothing happens." Grace Miller watched Lily Scott head toward the snack street, and just as he lifted his foot—

"Bang!"

A figure slammed hard into his right side, accompanied by a waft of fragrance. The impact made Grace Miller sway slightly.

Grace Miller immediately realized he'd been bumped into.

"Damn it! Do you walk without looking where you're going?" a pleasant voice came from his right.

Grace Miller found it very familiar. He turned to look. It was none other than the famous big sister of Class 3, Grade 2—Edward King. But right now, she looked just like the cute, innocent girl next door. Shoulder-length hair, a small braid tied on the left, a strand of hair separated out, a plaid women's shirt perfectly accentuating her slim waist, with a white long-sleeve T-shirt underneath. Faded skinny jeans outlined her long legs. Her pink lips sparkled in the sunlight—clearly wearing lip gloss.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Did I hurt you?" Grace Miller asked gently.

Edward King might have recalled what happened just now—she was the one not paying attention and bumped into him, yet she got mad at him. Now she felt a bit embarrassed. She was about to apologize and leave, but when she heard Grace Miller's words, her eyebrows shot up and a surge of anger rose in her heart.

Grace Miller's words didn't sound wrong at first, but the problem was, ever since his rebirth, he'd been seeing things with the eyes of someone nearly thirty. So in that moment, what he said, if you listened closely, had the tone of an adult asking a child, "Aww, did it hurt?" That kind of vibe. Edward King, who had just felt a bit embarrassed, instantly got mad.

"George King!! Someone's bullying me!!" Edward King raised her little face and shouted.

"Who!! Who! Who dares bully my little sister!!" Luckily, there weren't many students left at school now. The commotion between Grace Miller and Edward King only attracted a few onlookers, but as soon as they heard Edward King shout for George King, those few quickly turned and left, as if avoiding the plague.

Grace Miller frowned slightly.