"Please give me more advice."

Her words were concise and to the point, devoid of excessive enthusiasm or deliberate flattery; it was as if she were simply stating a given fact. After speaking, she nodded slightly again, concluding her self-introduction.

(It's over... let's finish this quickly...)

However, Ms. Kozuki seemed to think that was too simple, and quickly added, "Ah, Chika, please write your name on the blackboard so that everyone can remember you better."

Chika's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. (...Do I have to write my name?!)

But she didn't refuse. She turned and picked up the chalk. The instant her fingertips touched the chalk, the instinct of "understanding and reproduction" within her core of reason quietly flowed—she instantly understood the composition of the chalk, the material of the blackboard, and…

(...The name "Chika" has the most beautiful stroke structure and writing strength...)

So, under everyone's gaze, she picked up the chalk, her wrist suspended in the air, and placed the tip of the chalk on the blackboard.

The movements were not fluid and graceful, but rather possessed a strange, precise, and restrained beauty.

Every stroke seems meticulously calculated, with even force and smooth lines.

Phoenix Academy Chinatsu

Five Chinese characters appeared neatly on the blackboard, with beautiful structure and clear strokes, even carrying an indescribable, almost printed precision, which complemented her cold temperament at the moment.

(...Very good...No typos...No slaps in my hand...The Herrscher of Reason core is still occasionally useful...)

After writing the last stroke, she gently placed the chalk back into the trough, her fingertips free of any chalk dust.

She turned to the class again, still with that expressionless look, as if she had just completed a trivial task.

However, only she knew that when she wrote the character "千" (thousand), her heart skipped a beat—it was part of her real name.

"Wow..." A low gasp of amazement came from the audience, not only for her handwriting, but also for her series of cool and efficient movements.

Shido looked at the words on the blackboard, then at the "younger sister" in front of him whose temperament was completely different from his friend Chiin. His sense of incongruity and curiosity intensified at the same time.

(Their handwriting is so good... completely different from Chiin's scrawled handwriting... Are they really siblings?)

Origami's gaze swept across the blackboard, memorizing that name. (Hououin Chika. Needs attention.)

Chika tilted her head slightly, looked at Ms. Kozuki, and asked with her eyes, "Is it alright?"

Throughout the entire process, she maintained her aloof and arrogant young lady aura perfectly, flawlessly concealing the panic that had already crumbled inside her.

Her appearance perfectly exemplified what "the ultimate allure of asceticism" truly means.

Chika took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She could feel the gazes of the entire class, but under the influence of the mask's force field, the pressure from those gazes seemed to lessen considerably.

With a slightly trembling but clear voice, she briefly recounted the story of "siblings separated, reunited in the epicenter of space, her brother injured while protecting her, and her taking over his classes to care for him."

Her narration, tinged with timidity and sincerity, combined with the effect of the "Fool's Mask," sounded exceptionally convincing and evoked sympathy.

"So that's it!"

"Chika is amazing!" "Go, Chika!"

Friendly applause rang out in the classroom.

"Well then, Chika, please take a seat for now..." Ms. Kozuki's gaze swept across the classroom.

"Teacher!" Shido suddenly stood up, pointing to the empty seat next to him. (It was originally Senin's seat.)

"Please let Phoenix Inu sit here! I'm a friend of her brother, I can help look after her!"

He spoke with a sincere and enthusiastic expression.

Chinatsu's heart tightened: (Shido, you kind-hearted idiot! Being so close to you puts a lot of pressure on me!)

However, Teacher Xiaozhu nodded with satisfaction:

"Great! Then I'll leave it to you, Itsuka-kun. Chika-kun, you can sit in your brother's seat."

Chinatsu had no choice but to thank him in a low voice, and then, under the friendly (and still curious) gazes of the whole class, she walked to the seat next to Shido and sat down.

She could feel the friendly and concerned gaze from Shido beside her, as well as the calm yet intensely present gaze from Origami diagonally in front of her.

(Successfully...I've gotten away with it for now...) (But this location...it's practically a volcano crater...)

Her campus life began in a seemingly stable but actually turbulent state (mainly due to her inner tension).

Chapter 20 After Class

When Chinatsu appeared at the classroom door with a striking presence, accentuated by her school uniform, the class's reaction, even during recess, was quite varied:

Hiroto Tonomachi, who was closest to Shido and had a good relationship with Senin, began to go crazy under Shido's helpless gaze:

(His eyes instantly turned into hearts, and he almost jumped out of his seat.)

"Chi...Chika, my little sister!!!"

He stood up abruptly, his voice trembling with excitement, and gestured exaggeratedly with his hands in front of his chest:

"Don't worry!!! From today onwards, your brother, Phoenix Inu Senin, is my dearest friend and brother! His sister is my own sister! Your studies are my studies! Your troubles are my troubles! If you encounter any difficulties, whether academic or personal, come to me, Tonomachi Hiroto! I'll go through fire and water for you!"

(As he spoke, he tried to get closer to Chika by going around her seat, his face beaming with an overly bright, even somewhat foolish, smile.)

However, just as he was about to approach, Chika subconsciously, with an almost instinctive, elegant and swift little step, took a half step back, just avoiding his enthusiastic "rush".

Their movements were as light as a startled deer in the forest, carrying a sense of distant wariness.

(Hongren missed his target, but his enthusiasm did not diminish at all. Instead, he clasped his hands together and his eyes became even more fervent.)

"Oh! That elegant evasion! That vigilant posture! As expected of Chika!"

His exaggerated words and actions, coupled with Qianxia's indifferent avoidance, drew a low chuckle and more ambiguous whistles from those around him.

Meanwhile, the male protagonist's gaze was drawn to the other boys as if by a magnet, and they whispered among themselves, their tone filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Hey...really?! That Phoenix Inu...she actually has such a nuclear-level little sister hidden away..."

"This gene lottery win is outrageous! Aren't the siblings' styles a bit too different?"

"Damn it...why wasn't I the one who got hurt protecting my sister..."

"It's decided! From today onwards, Phoenix Institute Senin will be my idol!"

"Save your breath... But then again, up close... the impact is even stronger..."

(Some boys were too embarrassed to stare for long, so they pretended to look at their textbooks, but their eyes involuntarily drifted towards the podium.)

As for the other girls, their reactions varied, and they whispered among themselves.

"Wow...her skin looks so good up close...her features are so delicate..." (enviously)

"But that figure... it's just too unfair... how do they even manage to look like that in a school uniform..." (Confusion mixed with a hint of jealousy)

"Is she mixed race? She has such a unique aura...she seems a bit aloof?" (curiously)

"Didn't she dodge Hiroto so easily just now? Her movements were so beautiful..." (Unusual focus)

"He seems... a bit unapproachable. But since he's injured and still substitutes for me, he must be a nice person, right?" (A benevolent guess)

"Did Yamabuki and the others already 'make their move'? They were quick..." (Follow for gossip)

There were also some subtle reactions: for example, a boy accidentally knocked over his pen and almost bumped into the table when he bent down to pick it up. Or a girl subconsciously looked down at her chest and then sighed silently. Some students sitting in the back even stood up slightly, just to get a better view. The air was filled with an atmosphere that mixed curiosity, amazement, envy, and a hint of restlessness.

......

Fraxinus bridge

On the huge main screen, a 3D map of Tiangong City slowly rotated.

However, on one side of the screen, a split screen clearly displays the real-time footage of Class 4, Grade 2 at Laichan High School—thanks to a nanometer-scale detector hidden in a classroom mural.

The focus of the scene is undoubtedly the new transfer student, Phoenix Institute Chinatsu, who sits upright with long, icy blue hair and a figure so good that her school uniform bears a burden it shouldn't have to bear.

The atmosphere inside the bridge wasn't exactly tense, but it was certainly highly focused.

Suddenly, a rapid but not piercing alarm sounded, and a complex stream of data began to scroll rapidly on one side of the screen.

An operator immediately reported it.

"A faint, unknown source of spirit energy has been detected! The intensity is extremely low, but the pattern is unrecognizable! Precise location coordinates: Classroom of Grade 2 (4), Lai Chan High School!"

Kotori Itsuka, who was sitting in the central commander's chair, suddenly sat up straight, and the Chupa Chups in her mouth were crushed with a "crunch".

Her brows were furrowed, and her red commander's uniform accentuated her extremely displeased expression.

"The fluctuations of 'Princess' have just stabilized, and the remains of 'Hercules (Walter)' haven't even been analyzed yet, and now another one has appeared?! And she's sitting right next to that idiot brother as a 'little sister'?!"

Her baton pointed like a sharp sword at Chinatsu on the split screen, her voice carrying an unquestionable commanding tone:

"Kannazuki! Reine! Investigate! Compare the spiritual energy ripples of this 'Hououin Chika' with those of the guy who was speeding on a motorcycle yesterday, and that perverted Welt in the skirt at the end! I need to know within five minutes whether they are the same person or part of the same group!"

Kannazuki Kyohei's expression instantly turned serious and professional. He adjusted his non-existent glasses and calmly analyzed:

"Understood, Commander. The target's appearance is extremely deceptive, using the label of 'sexy' in human society as a disguise to try to lower the vigilance of those around them. The strategy is quite cunning... Hmm, the contrast between that sinful body shape, that aloof and cold gaze, and that barely concealed cleavage is indeed an effective tactic..."

His speech gradually quickened, his tone rose, and the professional analysis in his eyes was gradually replaced by a fervent light.

"...But! But! Commander!!" He suddenly turned sharply to Kotori, his previous composure vanishing completely. He spread his arms wide, his face flushed a grotesque red, and his voice became impassioned:

"This vulgar, lustful temptation is nothing but a low-level sugar-coated bullet that only mortals would be obsessed with! How can it compare to your petite body, which contains supreme power and majesty, as pure and flawless as an uncarved jade! This perfect barrenness! This is the symbol of absolute power! The perfect physique that only a god can possess! Ah! Commander! Please use your flat..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kotori expressionlessly grabbed some device (possibly a tablet) from the side and slapped it precisely across his face, knocking him to the ground again.

"Analyze using your normal (though you've never actually been normal) mode! One more word and I'll throw you off the bridge!" Kotori said viciously, veins bulging on her forehead.

"Yes...yes! Commander! Your violence is also a manifestation of your love for me!"

Kannazuki lay on the ground, groaned contentedly, then quickly got up, stood at attention, as if he hadn't been the one who had just had an attack.

"The conclusion is that the target is highly suspicious and it is recommended to eliminate him immediately... no, to closely monitor him."

At this moment, Murasame Reine, who had been silently operating the control panel, pushed up her glasses, and her heavy dark circles appeared even deeper under the screen light.

"...Preliminary analysis complete, Commander." Her voice, as always, carried a weary calm, yet always managed to get to the heart of the matter.

“Speak.” Kotori turned sharply to her.

"The spiritual energy waveform of the target individual, 'Hououin Chika,' is extremely unique,"

This will generate a complex spectrum comparison chart for the tone.

"Its fundamental frequency does not match the waveforms of the previously recorded 'Princess' and yesterday's 'Reason'. It can be preliminarily determined to be an independent, unrecorded individual spirit."

A soft gasp rippled through the bridge. Another new elf?

Lingyin then changed the subject, zooming in on a specific area of ​​the spectrogram.

“An extremely weak background noise, highly similar to ‘Reason,’ was detected in the ‘modulation’ and energy attenuation characteristics of its waveform. The similarity is about 7.3%. It is impossible to determine whether it is caused by the same technology, imitation, or some kind of high-level interference.”

"7.3%?" Kotori pondered the number. "A coincidence? Or a deliberate deception?"

Lingyin continued to drop bombshells in her monotonous, flat tone.

"The household registration database records are complete. The transfer process is flawless. All paper and electronic records are seamless."

She paused for a moment, then uttered the most crucial sentence:

"It's too perfect, which is the biggest point of doubt. It's more like... the 'result' was directly written into the world, rather than the 'process' arising naturally."

Kotori's face darkened completely. She understood Reine's implication. This wasn't ordinary pretense; it was almost a "realization of reality."

"What exactly is she trying to do? Approaching Shido directly..." Kotori chewed on a new lollipop, her eyes flickering. "Protect her? Monitor her? Or... is her target the sealed power within Shido himself?"

"Aww! Whatever her purpose, this newborn elf has put the Holy Son in danger!"

Kannazuki had somehow gotten up again, her face full of "passion," and said, "Give the order, Commander! I am willing to go personally, with love (physics)..."

Kotori coldly interrupted him, and after a moment's thought, decisively issued the order.

"Listen! Raise the observation level of 'Hououin Chika' to LV. 4 (High Concern/Potential Risk)."

"Strategy Change: Before obtaining more conclusive information, any direct contact or provocative actions are strictly prohibited. Prioritize non-coercive, natural intelligence gathering through Shido."

"All departments, thoroughly investigate all background information about 'Phoenix Institute' and find logical loopholes. At the same time, secretly upgrade Shido's security level and double the number of standby squads to ensure the absolute safety of my idiot brother!"

"Lingyin, continue analyzing that 7.3% similarity. I need to know what it really means."

"Yes! Commander!"

The bridge crew sprang into action.

Kotori leaned back in her chair, looking at the blue-haired "girl" on the screen who seemed to relax her shoulders slightly because she had solved a math problem correctly, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

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