Andrew the Detective clicked his tongue, then swiftly danced all ten fingers across his phone screen. As he typed, he read everything out loud.
"… Breaking News: Ugly Mountain Monkey Ethan has crossed the line with Little Fox Autumn! The two weirdest weirdos of Class 11D took advantage of their assignment to decorate the backdrop for the October 20th Event to secretly go on dates together. Below are exclusive on-site photos provided by the President of the Journalism Club: Andrew Vo, Class 11B. Anyone who wants to see the Full HD photos and read the detailed article is invited to pay a fee to join the Harmony Daily Community on Discord…"
Almost immediately after that, Ethan's phone began to vibrate nonstop. His screen filled with notifications from various Telegram and Discord group chats of Harmony High that he was part of.
"Ethannnn!"
Autumn cried out shakily and shoved her phone screen toward him. The messages displayed there made his blood boil with rage.
"I thought that Autumn girl was dating Royce? I see the two of them getting out of the same VinFast VF9 every morning."
"Yeah, I've seen them ride home together too."
"But aren't Royce and Ethan best friends? Is Autumn two-timing?"
"Ethan's looked way better ever since he joined Let's Dance. Guess that's why Autumn started noticing him."
"I heard all three of them are close friends! But this kind of closeness feels really suspicious, huh?"
"I think I read a similar rumor back in late September. My idol Flora got dragged through the mud because of that too."
"Ugh, what a shame. That Autumn girl from 11D looks so cute, innocent, and sweet - who would've thought she was actually that easy?"
Ethan handed the phone back to Autumn. Reading any further would only make him angrier.
He was furious at how gossip-hungry the students of Harmony High were - but he was just as angry at himself. Because of him, Autumn was being smeared with ugly rumors.
Only now did he truly understand how unfair things were for girls. In scandals and love rumors, no matter what the truth was - right or wrong, who was actually at fault - the first one to be judged and condemned was always the girl.
"I want you to delete that post immediately. How much do you want, Andrew the Detective?"
Ethan spoke coldly. From their time training together in Let's Dance, he already knew one thing for certain - Andrew was someone you could always negotiate with using money.
"Just 500.000 VND, my dear friend…"
Ethan pulled out his phone, ready to transfer the money.
"Oh, right! I almost forgo - double it! This 'baseless rumor that won't last long' involves two people: you and Autumn. So you'll need to pay for both of them. That makes it one million VND."
Andrew grinned shamelessly.
"You… you piece of…"
Ethan clenched his teeth.
He desperately wanted to beat Andrew senseless, but his slender fingers were already tapping furiously on his phone screen, correcting the transfer amount.
It wasn't that Ethan cared about the money. What he truly hated was having to compromise with someone this shady. But right now, Autumn's reputation - her dignity and innocence - mattered far more than his pride.
"Stop it right now, Ethan!"
Suddenly, Autumn lunged forward and snatched the phone out of Ethan's hand before he could complete the transfer.
"We're not paying a single cent to this filthy, scammy excuse for a detective. Because…"
Autumn tilted her head slightly, fixing Andrew with an icy stare. A wicked smile flickered across her soft pink lips.
"... because dead people don't need money."
Still smiling, Autumn took slow, deliberate steps toward Andrew. The air inside Classroom 11D grew suffocating as murderous intent poured out of her small frame.
Faced with Autumn's completely undisguised malice, Andrew's face turned deathly pale. His arms and legs trembled uncontrollably. Stumbling backward, he tripped over his own feet and crashed hard onto the floor near the classroom door.
"Autumn! What are you doing?!"
Ethan rushed forward and grabbed her arm just as she was about to lunge at Andrew, who lay sprawled on the ground.
But Autumn said nothing.
She only turned her head slowly and stared straight at Ethan - her brown eyes blazing unnaturally bright, sharp fangs fully bared in a silent threat.
Autumn… had entered her Awakened Vampire state. But something about this wasn't right.
The next moment, Ethan was forced to release her arm as the Bloodbound mark on his neck flared with searing pain. His vision blurred, his ears rang violently, and he had to lean against the wall just to stay upright.
This was bad.
This was really bad.
Ethan gasped for breath.
Every hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and his heart was contracting at a terrifying, unnatural speed.
(Run.)
It felt as if a voice was screaming inside Ethan's head - ordering him to run, to hide, to get away from Autumn immediately. Because she had become dangerous. Uncontrollable. There was no guarantee Ethan would still be safe around her.
Ethan shook his head. Disappointment - and pain - rose in his chest all at once. He refused to accept this cruel reality.
Autumn…
Autumn was no longer the gentle Vampire Ethan had come to know. She was acting purely on instinct - the instinct of a blood-hungry apex predator. And her target was now unmistakably clear: Andrew the Detective's life.
"Autumn! Stop it! Calm down!"
Even as Ethan's survival instincts screamed at him to flee Classroom 11D, he forced them into silence and stepped forward to restrain her.
"A-ha ha! This time you can't deny it anymore, Ethan. Caught you red-handed - using the opportunity to hold Autumn again. Wow, that behind-the-back hug really looks romantic."
Andrew cackled, his grin returning despite the fact that he was still curled up on the floor. His trembling hand reached for his phone once more, the camera pointed straight at Ethan and Autumn.
Click! Click! Click!
That was the final straw. Ethan could no longer hold Autumn back. She let out a feral snarl and lunged straight toward Andrew.
"Idiot! Run! What are you waiting for?!"
Ethan screamed until his voice cracked - but Andrew remained frozen, his face drained of all color.
Suddenly, every light in Classroom 11D flickered violently. Then, in an instant, the white lights shifted entirely into a cold blue glow.
And…
… Autumn froze mid-stride. Her right arm, claws long and razor-sharp, was fully extended toward Andrew.
A few seconds passed. Then she collapsed onto the floor with a heavy thud. No cry, no movement, completely still.
Only then did Andrew scramble to his feet. He rushed toward Autumn.
Before Ethan could stop him, Andrew placed his shaking fingers beneath her nose.
His face turned impossibly pale. Then he pressed his index and middle fingers against the spot where her carotid artery should have been.
"Autumn… Autumn's dead! Oh my God - there's been a murder! A murder happened here! Help! Somebody help!"
Andrew the Detective stumbled backward after trying to check Autumn's pulse. He let out a feral scream - so shrill and unrestrained that it nearly ruptured Ethan's eardrums.
He clutched his chest, gasped like a fish out of water for a few breaths and… promptly collapsed unconscious onto the floor.