Small birds chirped in the tree branches, welcoming the activities of a bright morning. Everyone moved about and went about their day as if it were a normal day, as if the commotion of the previous day had been nothing more than a normal routine.
Adults left for work and children left for school.
Ayu, who took a taxi to school, had now arrived at the school gate.
White shirts and green skirts/pants are mandatory for students, and Ayu is no exception, wearing a clean, ironed uniform.
She walks through the school gate like any other student. Although the girl tries not to stand out, some students sometimes glance at her from a distance. Of course, because they know Ayu lives in an elite apartment complex.
Some male students stared in admiration, and some female students stared with hatred.
Not only because of the beautiful appearance she had, but other fundamental things...
Ayu's steps were filled with confidence, but it did not show arrogance. It was a different kind of confidence if one tried to compare it to kids her age.
Sometimes, there were students who were brave enough to approach the girl to start a conversation. And Ayu always responded with a friendly smile before replying that she had to go to class immediately.
Ayu tried her best not to get too close to other people and kept giving excuses while smiling politely.
To the male students, Ayu was like an unattainable angel, but at the same time, her confidence and grace in responding to others made her very attractive.
However, for the female students, it was very different....
"Hey, Ayu," said a female student who suddenly blocked Ayu's path.
The girl stood at the front while several other female students stood behind her.
Her long blonde hair waves at the wind's direction. Her slightly taller stature than Ayu gave her a strong intimidation presence. In terms of body proportions, physically, the girl was more attractive than Ayu.
She crossed her arms with her chest puffed out and a slightly sullen face.
The girl was none other than Agnes Andil.
"What's wrong, Agnes?" asked Ayu, trying to remain friendly.
"Heh! What do you mean by acting so arrogant? How pretty do you think you are? Rejecting all those boy with such pride. Just because you come from an elite background, it doesn't mean you can be so arrogant!"
Agnes' rant forced Ayu to sigh heavily.
This wasn't the first time Ayu had to deal with Agnes, and usually she would find a way to avoid her.
However, Ayu's mood wasn't very good at the moment, especially when she remembered what had happened the day before. The girl didn't want to cause a scene, but Agnes had just given her a reason to vent her frustration.
"Agnes, you always make a fuss when some boy approach me, but aren't you the same? Why are you jealous? You're prettier, but you're jealous of me? I pity you, honestly," replied Ayu with a smile on her face.
Agnes could feel the veins in her head throbbing and her whole body trembling with anger that she could barely contain. "Huh?! What did you say?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, it turns out you're deaf, excuse me then" said Ayu, who suddenly walked away.
"Hey! How rude!" said one of the female students standing behind Agnes.
Several female students standing behind Agnes immediately walked towards Ayu, but just as they were about to grab the girl, Ayu's instincts kicked in.
With minimal yet efficient movements, Ayu dodged them elegantly. Her measured steps and effortless evasive maneuvers made her look like she was dancing.
Agnes became even more furious, while several male students who saw that became even more impressed.
Ayu could only smile contentedly as she continued walking towards her classroom.
This was the first time she felt grateful that she had void beast genetics in her DNA, because she knew that even if Agnes tried to physically attack her, she would still win.
Now, Ayu felt happy. It was true that yesterday had been a bad day because she had met Arya, but at least today she could vent her frustration and embarrass Agnes in public.
"It's a new day, I have to be positive and—"
*Thuk
Ayu bumped into someone while she was muttering to herself and knocked her to the floor.
When she looked up and saw who she had just bumped into, all her happiness vanished instantly.
The person in front of Ayu was Arya.
"What are you doing here, you scammer!" Ayu shouted.
Arya, who was just as surprised, now felt confused.
"Eh? Wait a minute, you..." Arya looked at Ayu's uniform and became even more confused. "Eh?! You go to school here?! Why? How?"
"That's my question! Why are you here?!" Ayu said firmly, pointing at Arya.
One of the teachers suddenly approached the two. A man who was at least 60 years old. "Wow, it turns out you already know one of our students."
Arya's attention immediately turned to the teacher and he then turned around to respond to the teacher's statement. "Sorry about earlier, isn't letting a void—"
Ayu, who was behind Arya, immediately jumped up and covered the man's mouth with both hands.
The difference in height between Arya and Ayu forced the man's back to bend backward when Ayu landed on the floor.
"He's my uncle's friend, sir!" Ayu said firmly. Her face was sweaty, and she forced an awkward smile.
"Oh, I see. It's good if the substitute teacher can be close to the students. Well then, excuse me. I hope you can teach well, Mr. Arya," replied the teacher before leaving Ayu, who was still covering Arya's mouth from behind.
When the teacher left, Ayu immediately let go of Arya. "Eh?! You're a new teacher here?!"
Arya massaged the base of his neck, which was slightly sore from Ayu's spontaneous action. He turned his head slightly to loosen his neck joints. "A substitute teacher. Besides, it's very rude to treat your teacher like this. Is this the current trend among students?"
Ayu raised her voice while pointing at Arya. "There's no way you're the new teacher here! A scammer like you isn't fit to be a teacher."
Arya looked at Ayu, thinking about her previous actions. When Arya mentioned the void hunter, the girl quickly silenced him with an excuse. Remembering that, Arya's friendly confusion evaporates to reveal the cold, assessing gaze of a trader spotting an undervalued asset.
Arya's voice dropped, losing all its teacherly pretense. "There's a lot of questions I want to ask you, but the most important is...." His eyes narrowed sharply. "Are you really a void hunter?"