Ysabella went to the safest shore that the students were permitted to, standing and waiting for someone.

A few minutes passed by, yet there was no sign of the person she was expecting.

"Where the fuck is that guy?"

Just as she was starting to grow impatient, she felt it. A subtle presence enveloping the shore. It was barely noticable, but perhaps because it was focused on her, she could feel it clearly.

Her body froze up temporarily, and then she turned around sharply.

"Damn you!"

She shouted at him, as she had been initially startled. That presence just now felt like a savage Nirad beast. She almost panicked.

Apollo stood some meters away from her, hands in his pocket and his expression relaxed.

He gave her a taunting smirk.

"What? You got scared by a simple display of that? Tch, pathetic."

Ysabella’s nose flared in anger, but she didn’t retort. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Instead, she softened her tone and spoke calmly.

"What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for over ten minutes."

Apollo shrugged casually. "I was just ensuring this isn’t a trap. Don’t blame me."

The blonde girl clicked her tongue in annoyance, then walked closer to him.

"You should know why I called you here already, right?"

The purple-haired delinquent’s smirk widened. "Something concerning Kaiser, right? I didn’t think you’d be this dark on the inside. Enough to want to betray your classmate."

Ysabella’s smile was gone, her expression dark and twisted.

"What do you think? I don’t like anything that inconveniences my school life and I think it’s time I remove him and some other annoying ones."

Apollo’s eyes glinted as he stared at her.

’She wants to eliminate some people in her class by using me? Heh. Trying treacherous. As long as it benefits me, I’ll work with it.’

"Spot it out. What do you have to say to me?"

Ysabella also didn’t beat around the bush and started talking.

"You’ve been wanting to attack Kaiser, right? Honestly, I don’t think you can win against him in a one-on-one. Probably your whole squad wouldn’t even be enough."

Apollo’s brows rose as he grew interested. He didn’t interrupt her, letting her continue.

"Since you can’t harm him, then your only choice is to target those around him."

This time, Apollo couldn’t hold back his curiosity. "You thought about that. So who do you think is close to him?"

He wanted to see if it was the same person he had in mind.

Ysabella’s face twisted darkly.

"It’s that damn Kiera Xenovia!"

Her outburst surprised Apollo, and he couldn’t help but look at her in surprise. Kiera? Liam’s girlfriend? How was she close to Kaiser?

Instantly, he grew interested.

"Tell me, Ysabella. How is she close to him? And you better not be lying."

The girl’s green eyes had darkened considerably, burning with rage.

"That girl isn’t human like us. She’s clearly something else. Yet Kaiser protects her like she’s his pet or something. It’s so twisted that I feel disgusted. How could he?! What’s even special about her?"

As she vented, Apollo could sense frustration, anger, hate, and a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Apollo remained calm and rational, slowly digesting the information.

"You say Kiera, that white-haired fake delinquent, is not human..."

Ysabella nodded, prompting him to continue.

"And Kaiser is protecting her dearly, like a pet?"

She nodded again, affirming his words.

"Heh." He chuckled, throwing his head back as he covered his face with a hand and laughed. "Haha—hahahahahahaha!"

His laughter was grating to the ears, making Ysabella shiver. She had never heard anything so unnerving.

"Fine." Apollo stopped laughing, staring at her with an intense expression. "I will work on this. Leave the rest to me."

Grinning, he turned around and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

He turned back, wondering what more she had to say.

"You already know about my secret. What guarantee do I have that you won’t expose me after everything is concluded?"

Apollo chuckled darkly. "You’re an unnaturally smart bitch, I must say."

He walked up to her, standing mere inches away from her.

"So? What guarantee do you expect from me?"

Something flashed in Ysabella’s eyes, and she suddenly grabbed his hand.

Before Apollo could react, she pressed his palm firmly on her breast, sinking his fingers into the tender flesh.

The purple-haired boy was confused for a moment, but then understood.

"You want to leave my handprint on your clothes as a leverage, not bad."

He chuckled, still feeling her warm flesh barely restrained by her uniform. His gaze darkened, and he suddenly tightened his grip on her breast.

"Ahh!"

Ysabella let out a startled yelp, suddenly assaulted by pain and a tingling sensation.

She tried to pry off his hand and retreat, but his grabbed her waist and pulled her close.

"Since you want an evidence so bad, why don’t we make it real? Right here, right now."

As he spoke, his hand continued to knead her breast, even going as far as to pinch her nipples through the uniform.

Ysabella squirmed in discomfort, struggling against his monstrous hold.

"Y-you freak! Let me go!"

She cried out with a flush on her cheeks, her eyes blazing with anger, humiliation and indignation.

Apollo chuckled and released her, letting her stumble back.

Taking out a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped his hand clean of imaginary dirt, then gave her a disdainful glance.

"If you want to make threats, know your place first, bitch."

With that, he turned around and left the girl to boil in anger and shame.

She felt disgusted, and at the same time, hot. That forceful hold was disgusting and made her want to retch, but it also reminded her of the ’submissive’ Kaiser.

That day, when she had kissed him in his room, he hadn’t even resisted, only playing along with her. That was what she liked, and she couldn’t help but hate herself for liking it.

"You brought this on yourself, Kaiser. No one messes with me."

Her composure returned, and she glared into the distance where Apollo had disappeared.

"Anyone who does, I will remove you all. Even if I’m the only one left in this academy at the end."