After urgently dealing with the Student Council’s matters, Mirexia still had to go back to take a bath, change clothes, and rest. The academy uniform on her body was in far better condition than Vinny’s—his had long since been ruined and gone—but wearing it like this the whole time was still improper.

Just earlier, the campus had been lively.

After this happened, it suddenly felt like the campus had become desolate.

At least, the lower-year residential area was like that. There were only a few people walking around the streets. Lower-year students’ mental endurance was definitely worse than upperclassmen’s—right now they were either at home sinking into a funk, or they still hadn’t returned, lying somewhere waiting for someone to fish them out.

It sounded a bit hellish to put it that way, but it was the truth.

As he walked, Vinny suddenly stopped.

Even he didn’t know why he’d stopped so abruptly. Only when he subconsciously looked toward the side—at a certain building that looked familiar—did he remember.

This villa... seemed to be the dorm of a certain white-haired nutball.

That guy.

Vinny stood in front of Aesphyra’s residence, lifted his head, and looked through the main gate toward the tall villa in the courtyard.

Everything was quiet.

All he could hear was the wind, and the sound of leaves rustling in it.

Coming here, for some reason, Vinny suddenly thought of the first time he’d met Aesphyra.

But if he had to pick the most unforgettable “first meeting,” it was probably his past life back on Blue Star—when he’d first seen Aesphyra and been stunned by her animated character art.

Come to think of it, he’d gotten into Carillian Citrus in the first place because he’d been attracted by that idiot’s character art and image.

And now... he’d played the game, then transmigrated into it.

In a sense, his transmigration accident had started with Aesphyra.

Who could’ve imagined that the moment he’d seen that idiot’s character art, his karma would become tightly entangled with hers?

As expected, that idiot was a walking jinx.

She was born to clash with his fate. Even on Blue Star—where her existence was limited to being a flat character on a screen—she could still reach across worlds and screw him over.

What could he even say?

“That idiot,” Vinny murmured. “No idea how she’s doing now.”

He stepped forward and stared at the gate for a long moment, like he wanted to do something. He raised his hand as if to knock—

Then lowered it again, letting out a self-mocking laugh.

Seriously, what was he doing?

And besides, that person hadn’t even come back. What was the point of doing this now?

So Vinny was about to give up.

“Ding-dong~”

A crisp, pleasant doorbell rang out.

Vinny froze in surprise.

He hadn’t pressed the doorbell, had he? Why was the doorbell ringing by itself??

Only a moment later did he realize something was off. The doorbell sounded... weirdly impish. And the voice color was also strangely familiar.

“Ding-dong, ding-dong~ Sorry, meow! The owner isn’t home right now, so please come back later, meow~”

“Uh—what?!”

Vinny got so startled by the laughing voice behind him that he whipped around.

And sure enough—

Behind him stood that familiar white figure.

[Virtue +80]

[Current Virtue: 7624]

At this moment, that dreamlike, fairy-tale-perfect face carried a teasing, playful smile. The white-haired, violet-eyed beauty stood there exactly as Vinny had always remembered her—flawless, confident, radiant, as though nothing in the world could ever trouble her.

Wherever she went, she seemed destined to become the focus of attention and conversation.

Aesphyra was truly special. There was something about her presence that pulled people in. It was like if you stood beside her, you’d be infected by her confidence and dragged into a more positive mood.

Confident people—male or female—were always the most dazzling, the best-looking. That kind of confidence came from genuine inner strength and a solid understanding of oneself. It wasn’t shallow arrogance, and it wasn’t blind bravado.

Being an unfairly gorgeous visual apex was one thing.

Having that shining confidence was another.

When those two things intertwined, they reacted—creating a deadly kind of attraction.

Truthfully, Vinny’s mouth was always hard, but sometimes even he admitted it inwardly: in his last life, it definitely hadn’t been some coincidence that the Destiny Heroines had all liked Aesphyra.

With a face that could slay anyone, plus a poise and elegance cultivated by strength and deep experience... what man could compete with her?

Vinny blanked for a moment before realizing he’d been played.

This detestable white-haired nutball had watched his whole struggle—the reaching out, the wanting to press the doorbell, the pulling back, the final decision to give up—she’d seen it all!

A shame he couldn’t explain surged up out of nowhere.

He felt like his toes could dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the ground.

This woman... she’d deliberately hidden her presence just to mess with him?!

And why was it always like this?

Every time he did something that absolutely should not be discovered by Aesphyra, Aesphyra ended up witnessing the entire process. What was that about? Was it written into his fate—destined to screw him over like this?

This white-haired nutball was his nemesis!

And for some reason, in Vinny’s eyes, being seen by Aesphyra—showing even the slightest sign that he wanted to see her, wanted to find her—was unbearably humiliating and irritating.

Whether it was embarrassment or furious embarrassment, Vinny lowered his head and decided to stride away.

But Aesphyra turned lightly, blocking his path.

A spinning nut, huh?

“What do you want?” Vinny snapped.

“Wasn’t Student Vinny looking for me? You were just about to knock on my courtyard gate. Why is it that the moment you see me, you turn around and leave?” Aesphyra asked, amused.

“You’ve got the nerve to talk? Messing with me is that fun?” Vinny rolled his eyes at her. Even as he glared, he still couldn’t help assessing her condition.

Tch. He’d worried for nothing.

This white-haired nutball was tough as nails. Who could possibly make trouble for her?

Sure enough, her condition was even better than Mirexia’s. She looked exactly the same as when she’d left. Clothes intact. Shirt, tie, waist ribbon, skirt hem, thigh-high black stockings, loafers—all in perfect order. It looked like not even a single strand of hair was out of place.

In the cube space, Aesphyra had clearly handled things with composure and ease—unlike him, who’d nearly lost his life in there.

“Pff. No, not at all. I just meowed once, that’s all. How is that ‘messing with’ Student Vinny~?” Aesphyra said with a beaming smile.

Vinny’s little act of assessing her condition naturally didn’t escape her eyes.

[Virtue +80]

[Current Virtue: 7704]

Tch.

Why was she suddenly being so generous with virtue?

How did she go out once, come back, and suddenly start handing out virtue like it cost nothing?

That kind of generosity was rare, honestly.

Vinny grumbled inwardly.

“Whatever. If you say so,” Vinny clicked his tongue. He didn’t want to keep arguing with Aesphyra. In the end, he would definitely lose, get so angry he overheated—and then the virtue would explode in reverse.

“You just got back?”

“Mm-hm. Looks like Student Vinny got back before me.”

Vinny glanced at Aesphyra, pretending he didn’t care. “Getting dragged into that weird cube space, and you white-haired nutball didn’t have anything happen to you at all. You look like someone who never even went.”

“So... does Student Vinny want something to happen to me?~” Aesphyra asked with a smiling face—still that signature smile that made your bones go soft.

“Tch! Like I care about you? You annoying jerk. You’d be better off getting smashed into nut crumbs in there! I’ll never remember you for the rest of my life!” Vinny huffed, flicking his head away and refusing to look at her.

Who told her to mess with him just now?!

“......” Aesphyra fell silent.

“H-hey, what’s wrong?” Realizing she suddenly wasn’t speaking, Vinny abruptly worried that what he’d said might’ve been inappropriate.

After all, no one knew what other people had gone through in that cube space. If for Aesphyra it hadn’t been anything like it looked on the surface—if it was a terrible memory—then what he’d just said was extremely hurtful.

So Vinny turned his head back, about to say something—maybe apologize—

Only to see Aesphyra wearing the exact expression of someone who’d already known he’d feel guilty and turn back. Her smile hadn’t faded. If anything, it had gained a few more degrees of teasing.

A pure Got you~ look.

“You—! You jerk! You’re messing with me again!” Vinny overheated completely. “You damn pocket-sized little bun—your whole stomach is full of schemes, isn’t it?! This young master is ignoring you!”

With that, Vinny decided that this time he really wouldn’t pay attention to Aesphyra.

He turned and walked off.

Then he felt his hand get wrapped in something warm and soft.

“W-what are you doing?!” Vinny stared at Aesphyra grabbing his hand. He was shocked, then immediately tried to shake it off. “Let go! This young master is allergic to nuts right now—I don’t want to touch nut-based foods!”

“Oh? That serious?” Aesphyra said lightly. “Then is Student Vinny allergic to cake and ice cream too?”

“......” Vinny stared. “What do you mean? Do you think mere ice cream and cake can make this young master bend the knee?!”

“Kontro brand, though~?” Aesphyra continued. “My ice-stone cabinet at home... has a lot saved up.”

“?!”

“Ahem! It wouldn’t hurt to go take a look!” Vinny shook off Aesphyra’s hand, wiped at the corner of his mouth like he hadn’t just started drooling, then turned his head aside with an air of You wouldn’t dare do anything to me anyway.

But in reality, he turned his head because he’d felt Aesphyra’s body heat—and his cheeks had warmed up from it.

“Hehe. Then should I say... thank you for gracing me with your presence, Student Vinny~?” Aesphyra laughed softly.

“Tch. Save your thanks. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Who knows if your black-hearted nut core is sincere?” Vinny huffed.

“Sincere or not... wouldn’t Student Vinny know after trying it?” Aesphyra’s lips held a meaningful smile, her beautiful eyes glittering with a bewitching charm.

“Get lost, get lost! You pocket-sized little bun, learning to throw flirtatious looks now? Do you even have the hardware for that? And you’re trying to learn it?!” Vinny said disdainfully—then glanced at Aesphyra’s hand.

She wasn’t wearing disposable gloves like usual.

No idea when she’d taken them off.

Why aren’t you wearing gloves? Don’t you have a cleanliness obsession—don’t you wear gloves anytime you touch a guy?” Vinny pursed his lips. “So you don’t mind that I’m dirty? You’re not afraid I’ll dirty your hand? Don’t come asking me for compensation over this later.

“Oh~ If it gets dirty, then can Student Vinny take responsibility and clean it for me?” Aesphyra asked, turning her head back while walking ahead.

“Huh? Clean it how?” Vinny hesitated.

Aesphyra didn’t answer. She only smiled and stuck out a soft little tongue, like she meant something else entirely.

“......??”

It took Vinny a moment to understand what she meant.

And then his whole face lit on fire.

“Y-you—! You really are... shameless!”

“What?” Aesphyra looked at him with amused eyes. “Did I say anything? Student Vinny, your reaction is huge.”

“I—I’m not reacting!” Vinny forced himself to stay stubborn.

“Really? Sometimes I feel like Student Vinny is even more like a girl than I am,” Aesphyra teased.

“Get lost! You’re messing with this young master again? You have no eyes at all—this young master is a righteous, towering man. Anyone on the street who sees me would praise me as a fierce macho man, and you’re saying I look like a girl?!” Vinny overheated again.

“Student Vinny is special, so you don’t need that, though.”

“? Special how?” Vinny didn’t understand.

“Didn’t Student Vinny ask me why I didn’t wear gloves?~” Aesphyra tossed him a look.

“?!”

To be honest, Aesphyra was really good at stroking Vinny the right way. Every time she made him overheat, she’d toss out a single line that instantly covered Vinny’s brain with a different kind of heat.

“Y-you... what are you even saying?!” Clearly, that kind of straight ball was extremely effective on Vinny. In just a few hits, she left him stumbling over his words.

Calm down, calm down.

This white-haired nutball is definitely teasing you and messing with you again. If you take it seriously, you lose.

Vinny reminded himself in his heart.

He wasn’t coming to Aesphyra’s place for the first time.

But Aesphyra’s house—entering it as Vinny, with Vinny’s identity—was indeed his first time.

He followed behind Aesphyra. She swiped her student identity card and opened the door.

After entering, Aesphyra pressed her toe against the heel of the other foot and slipped off her loafers. Her thigh-high black stockings—faintly revealing the flesh beneath—stepped onto the spotless floor. She changed into her own slippers placed there, then found another pair from the entryway and handed them to Vinny.

“Student Vinny, these slippers are for you.”

Vinny took the slippers and glanced at them.

They were cute—cartoon-style slippers.

A pair of blue octopus slippers.

“Didn’t see that coming. You like buying slippers in this style,” Vinny said, glancing at what Aesphyra normally wore.

White cat slippers.