In Class 2's classroom, things were always noisy before the teacher arrived.
Lu Chen sat by the window, enjoying the occasional breeze of spring air. He flipped through his English textbook absentmindedly, clearly not focused.
Normally, he read so fast that he once sparked a "speed reading trend" across the class.
But today, his attention kept drifting to Zhou Yang, who was endlessly chattering behind him.
"It's true! Superpowered people are real! I heard from my friend's cousin's mother-in-law's neighbor that there's a green guy who can fly living in their apartment complex!"
"I'm serious! They all saw him—floating in the sky like some kind of celestial being!"
"And that's not all! There's been more and more weird news lately. Strange people, bizarre events… don't you think our world might be undergoing spiritual revival? Maybe it won't be long before we're all cultivating Qi or something!"
"I want to be one of them soooo bad—!"
Zhou Yang was talking to his deskmate about the urban legends that had exploded in popularity lately.
Stuff like "espers," "cultivators," "green people flying in the sky," and strange creatures that didn't belong in this world, showing up out of nowhere.
Lately, the front pages and social media feeds were full of rumors and speculation.
It was all part of the influence brought on by the instability of the "Gate of Teyvat." With it, all sorts of beings and phenomena from the continent of Teyvat were leaking into this world, slowly changing it.
Lu Chen could feel it clearly—the elemental energy in the air had grown noticeably stronger. Just yesterday, Raiden Ei had said her strength was gradually returning.
His deskmate, though, wasn't interested in talk of spiritual revival. She was far more curious about the new transfer student.
The one who supposedly soloed the entire school fencing team was joining Class 2-1!
Lu Chen had no idea how the story got so blown out of proportion—what started as a 1v1 with the captain had somehow turned into a 1v-all.
Ei had already been elevated to the image of some arrogant, unbeatable final-boss-type character straight out of a sports anime: undefeated, overconfident, and destined to one day lose to the protagonist.
But of course, what really caught the girls' attention wasn't the fighting.
It was her looks.
They'd heard the fencing senior was jaw-droppingly beautiful. Naturally, that piqued everyone's curiosity—especially among the more confident girls.
Lu Chen caught Zhao Xiaohan sneaking glances toward the classroom door again and again, looking more excited than he was.
Today was Monday—the day Raiden Ei would officially transfer in.
The two of them had come to school together, but she was now off handling enrollment paperwork with the homeroom teacher. She'd arrive soon.
As Lu Chen half-listened to Zhou Yang's chatter and quietly reviewed vocabulary, two sets of footsteps echoed down the corridor.
His hearing was excellent—even when distracted.
One set was quick and sharp—probably the teacher hurrying to class. The other was calm and steady, every step striking in perfect rhythm with his heartbeat, allowing him to imagine the long, elegant legs of the one walking.
It had to be Raiden Ei.
Lu Chen saw those legs every day. He was sure he knew them better than Ei did herself...
"All right, class, settle down."
"Quiet now! Before we begin, let me introduce a new student..."
The homeroom teacher tapped the desk twice, and the classroom instantly quieted.
Everyone turned toward the front. The moment they saw the girl standing next to the teacher, the silence deepened.
The room filled with the sound of collectively held breath.
At his desk by the window, Lu Chen leaned on one hand, eyes fixed on his Ei.
Her flawless face was as breathtaking as ever. Lu Chen never got tired of looking at her.
Her tall frame and slim waist stood out even in a standard-issue school uniform. She carried the unmistakable air of a main character, making every other girl seem dull in comparison.
Sunlight from the window spilled across the room, making her violet eyes shimmer as they locked onto his.
Lu Chen gave her a wink and added a playful whistling gesture.
Raiden Ei's usually emotionless face twitched slightly as her eyebrow rose.
"Okay, let's have our new classmate introduce herself."
After the teacher spoke, Raiden Ei calmly stepped up to the podium.
Every eye followed her as she moved.
She turned her gaze away from Lu Chen and slowly scanned the room, almost like she was gazing down at everyone.
Her expression remained unreadable. Combined with her slow sweep of the room and an extended silence, an oppressive mood filled the classroom.
Lu Chen frowned. That was her general's aura.
Was Ei seriously trying to carry that presence into a school setting?
No... As he looked at her more closely—too familiar to misread—he realized what was happening.
She'd forgotten her lines.
No one in the class dared to speak or even blink. The teacher stood awkwardly off to the side, looking more like the assistant than the instructor.
Just as the tension peaked, Ei's lips finally parted.
"Raiden. Ei. That's my name."
She stepped down from the podium like nothing had happened and silently glanced at the teacher.
"Ah—"
"O-okay!" the teacher stammered, realizing her self-introduction was over.
Normally, introductions were followed by applause, but this one had been so off-script that most people didn't know how to react.
Only a few scattered claps rang out—Lu Chen included.
Also clapping: the ever-supportive Zhang Zikai...
...and the two guys behind him, doing their best to help out.
"All right then, Raiden will be joining our Class 2 family. She's part of the school's fencing team, so she may not always be in class. If she needs help in her other subjects, I hope you'll all lend a hand and support each other..."
The homeroom teacher, responsible as ever, arranged Ei's seat after the introduction.
Naturally, it was next to Lu Chen—the only empty seat pair in the room.
As she walked down the aisle, Lu Chen heard howls of envy from the boys and the gossip already stirring behind him.
"It's her—it's really her!"
"She's the one you were talking about—Lu Chen's..."
"Yeah, I never expected her to be the fencing senior..."
"Aren't you friends with Lu Chen? He didn't tell you?"
"Seriously?! He didn't say a word to me! I'm so mad!" Zhou Yang stared at Lu Chen's turned back, full of sorrow. "He used me and left me! There's no love between us anymore..."
His deskmate gave him a look of disgust and rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to the new student.
With her violet hair gently swaying with each step, and the way she walked like she owned the aisle, it was as if she were modeling down a runway. The girl's eyes filled with sparkly pink bubbles.
"She's so gorgeous... so elegant!"
"Right?!" Zhou Yang agreed immediately.
"Mm!" she nodded.
"But... her face is terrifying. So cold..."
Right then, Raiden Ei glanced in their direction. The girl stiffened, breath quickening. She didn't even dare meet her eyes.
"So scary..."
Raiden Ei set her shoulder bag on the desk and sat down beside Lu Chen.
He leaned over with a grin. "Hey, new student, what's your name again? I didn't quite catch it."
Her eternally composed face broke character just long enough to shoot him an eye-roll.
The name "Raiden Ei" was one Lu Chen had chosen for her—he didn't want her real name exposed.
After all, it was tied to their shared memories from Inazuma, a piece of the past that belonged only to them.
Lu Chen watched as Ei kept up her icy act, pulling an English book from her bag and opening it like a model student.
English was the homeroom teacher's subject. Acting like the others was part of their plan to avoid suspicion.
But Lu Chen could barely hold in his laughter.
Ei, who couldn't read English at all, had the book upside down.
He quietly reached over and flipped it right-side up. "As the teacher said, we're classmates who help and care for each other. So I figured I should let you know..."
Even she couldn't help but crack a smile. Her cherry-pink lips curled upward, blooming into a rare, radiant smile.
It was like a thousand flowers blooming at once. And behind them, his deskmate froze in awe again.
"She... she can smile?"