A silent hunting game started between Seraphina and me, and we both acted like we didn't need to say it out loud.
At first, she used a few "accidents" to step into my space.
When she walked past my desk, the soft ends of her hair "accidentally" brushed my arm, and it left a faint itch while the rich scent of high-end shampoo hit my nose.
I played along by going stiff, and I acted like I wanted to stay calm but I was barely holding it together.
During self-study, Seraphina brought a math problem she couldn't do and leaned in by my desk.
When she bent down, she left her pink shirt collar a little too open on purpose, and the pale soft flesh under it flashed in my peripheral vision.
Her warm breath brushed my ear, and her voice stayed sweet and innocent.
"Lilu, should I draw the helper line like this?"
I stared at the workbook and didn't let my eyes drift even a millimeter.
Because I was nervous, my explanation sped up slightly, and my pen tip shook as it moved, leaving small crooked lines on the paper.
My resistance was slowly breaking down.
The hard shell I used to block the outside world was cracking under her careful heat, bit by bit.
I still dodged, but it wasn't as absolute, and my avoidance started carrying that teenage wavering that comes with a crush.
As a top hunter, Seraphina caught every tiny shift.
So by Thursday morning, she pushed the game into phase two.
She stopped locking onto me with that almost physical, aggressive stare, and she went back to her usual "saintess who treats everyone the same."
She laughed and chatted with classmates, and she gave boys those sweet, sticky smiles when they tried to please her.
If we ran into each other in the hallway, her eyes would drift past me like I wasn't there, and they would land on some random spot behind me.
When she walked past my desk, she didn't even glance over, and it was like I was just air.
This kind of push-and-pull was the oldest move in her book, and it was classic and effective.
I acted exactly the way her script expected.
On the surface, I buried myself in books and practice problems every day, but my little tells kept selling my real thoughts.
Sometimes I'd be twirling my pen and I'd freeze for a second when I heard her laughing with someone in the hallway.
I stared out the window more often than usual, and my empty eyes looked like they were searching for something.
When she passed by while she joked around with other guys, my hand would stop answering problems for a few seconds.
Every little movement screamed disappointed and I care.
But inside, I felt calm, and I was even happy.
Her decision to leave me hanging was exactly what I needed.
That stare that made my back itch was gone, and those endless probes stopped too.
Good.
I could finally move the 99% of my CPU that was stuck on acting back onto the one thing that mattered.
Studying.
I felt like a plant that had been growing underground and finally got free from a parasite vine, and now it could drink up sunlight and rain made of knowledge.
While Seraphina ignored me on purpose, every second of school life felt full.
Friday, last period was homeroom.
The teacher walked in with printed sheets and cleared his throat, and he announced the monthly exam results were out.
Like always, he read out the subject averages and grade rankings, and then he taped the sheet full of names and numbers onto the back bulletin board.
I stayed in my seat and didn't join the crowd pushing forward.
Only after I finished the last hard physics problem and the crowd thinned out did I walk up and scan the list from top to bottom.
Runa Selol, Class 1, rank: 1.
No surprise. The top spot still belonged to that gentle beauty with the powerful family.
Seraphina Xavia, rank: 3.
My eyes paused on her name for a second.
Talent really is something that makes people jealous.
In my memory, she never poured her whole life into studying, but she still pulled high scores like it was nothing.
Then again, maybe she did grind late at night when nobody knew.
But that picture…
It felt weird to imagine it on Seraphina.
I stopped thinking about useless things and moved my eyes down to look for my own name.
Luke Lin, class rank: 9.
Three spots up from last time.
Not bad and not great, which meant it wouldn't draw attention, but it still showed steady progress.
Nice.
When I was about to turn and head back, that cold system voice I hadn't heard in a while suddenly rang out in my head.
[Ding]
[Good afternoon, noble Saint-level Virgin.]
[Your academic results have shown a stage improvement and meet the reward criteria]
[Reward issuing…]
[Congratulations. You have obtained passive skill: Thought Thief (Limited-Time Trial Card)]
[Skill Effects
Target selection: Within 48 hours, the host may choose one person as the "Thought Source." Once chosen, it cannot be changed.Thought plagiarism: While active, when the host engages in learning-related thinking, the host will receive and understand the Thought Source's problem-solving approach, memory logic, and knowledge framework within the same field. This is equivalent to having a top-tier private tutor at all times.Maintenance condition: The host must have at least one valid intimate physical contact with the Thought Source each week, lasting no less than five seconds. If not completed in time, this skill will automatically expire.Side effect: While active, every night from 23:00 to 05:00, the host will be forced to receive sounds related to the Thought Source. This effect cannot be blocked and cannot be stopped.Usage limit: This skill can only be used on females.]
[Note: This skill is a limited-time trial card and will automatically expire after one month.]
A long wall of text flooded my vision, and my eyelid twitched.
This wasn't a reward.
This was a shitty cheat with a condition attached, and it could break at any time.
Five seconds of physical contact every week?
And it only lasts one month.
That kind of condition was basically forcing me to walk into a minefield on purpose.
And the side effect…
Being forced to listen every night to whatever sounds surrounded the target?
That plus my cursed trait would be double torture.
Just picturing having to take in a pile of garbage audio every night before sleep made my scalp tighten.
I frowned and swept my eyes across the classroom.
Girls in this class who fit the condition…
Seraphina was one of them.
The other obvious pick, someone worth plagiarizing from, was Runa, but she was in Class 1.
If I picked Seraphina, it meant I'd have to add a side quest on top of my getting played script, and I'd have to take five seconds off her every week.
That risk and the number of variables were huge.
If I picked Runa, we weren't even in the same class, and her background was just as deep, and I couldn't even guarantee I'd see her once a week, let alone touch her for five seconds.
My brain started running a full cost-benefit analysis at top speed.
Downsides:
High execution difficulty and massive social risk.The audio spying side effect would wreck my sleep and mental state, and it would lower my study efficiency.
Upsides:
Thought plagiarism is the strongest cheat to reach Province Topper.
It could let me fix weak spots fast and optimize how I study.
So…
Do I play it safe and grind like a monk for the next few years while I crawl toward the goal under unknown risks?
Or do I drink poison to cure thirst…
and accept this gift that comes with a blade?
My throat bobbed once, and my heart, the one that always chased efficiency and the best answer, already decided.
Risk can be calculated and controlled.
But if a shortcut to going home shows up and I miss it, it might never come again.
My eyes returned to the score sheet on the bulletin board.
That red 9TH place was sharp like an open wound.
And that unreachable 1st was still too far away.
Just working hard isn't enough to fight those talent freaks.
And right now…
Youth has no price tag.
Charging at Province Topper is right now.
So…
[Do you accept the reward: Thought Thief (Limited-Time Trial Card)?]
Two emotionless lines blinked slowly in my vision.
Deep down, I answered the cold words without a sound.
[Accept]