Roy's expression was a bit awkward. He actually wanted to learn more about Clary's situation to see if there was any movie-related event he could trigger.
Not all movie characters could spark related events. Take Dahlia from the American version of Dark Water, for example. In the film, Dahlia, struggling financially after a custody battle with her ex-husband, moves into a cheap apartment and encounters supernatural events. But since Dahlia was now with Roy, she wasn't strapped for cash. Living in a high-end apartment in Monica City, the Dark Water incident had no chance of happening.
"Ahem! Mary, I think you've misunderstood! I just thought her name sounded like a friend of mine, and I was wondering if they might be related."
"Oh, really? What's your friend's name?"
"Claire. Claire Sheffield."
"Huh, that is pretty similar! But Clary's from a single-parent family, just her and her mom, no other relatives. You might've mixed them up."
Roy raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.
Who knew how this world stitched things together? For the sake of plot progression, anything could happen.
"Mary, is Clary also in the law school?"
"No, she's in the psychology department at the College of Letters and Science, but we're in the same year. I often sit in on Professor Lecter's classes, and that's how I got to know Clary."
So that's how it was.
As they talked, Mary had unknowingly led Roy and Ashley into the Film School.
UCLA's Film School, located near Hollywood, had a prime geographic advantage, making it one of America's top three film schools. The other two were USC's School of Cinematic Arts and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
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Since UCLA is a public university, its tuition is the cheapest among the three, which is why it supplies Hollywood with a ton of behind-the-scenes talent.
The most famous UCLA Film School alumnus is probably Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather trilogy, the school's golden name.
"I heard the Film School got a stunning new female professor this year. The campus BBS is buzzing about it—some seniors even sneak over just to catch a glimpse."
No way, really?
Mary's comment piqued Roy's curiosity.
But during registration, Roy and Ashley were in for a shock.
"Teacher Elizabeth, what are you doing here?"
Yup, the Film School's new gorgeous professor was none other than Elizabeth Hull—aka Belial, the King of Sloth.
"What's wrong? Not happy to see me?" Elizabeth teased with a playful pout, leaving Mary's jaw on the floor.
"You guys know each other?"
Roy and Ashley exchanged speechless looks.
"Yeah, Elizabeth was our teacher before. I had no idea she'd end up at a university," Roy explained.
"Hehe! Remember a few months ago when I said I had a surprise for you?" Elizabeth grinned.
Roy instantly recalled it. Before summer break, Elizabeth had mentioned a surprise. But with everything he'd been through over the summer, he'd completely forgotten about it.
Who would've thought the surprise would hit him like a ton of bricks on the first day of school?
Just then, another unexpected figure walked in.
"Mommy Elizabeth, here are the application forms for the second half of the year—oh, Daddy, you're here!"
Yup, Eloretha was there too, apparently acting as Elizabeth's assistant.
The moment Eloretha saw Roy, she dropped her work and launched herself at him.
Roy had to catch her, or the little succubus would've face-planted.
Elizabeth shot Eloretha a disapproving look.
"Eloretha, how many times have I told you? Call me by my title at work!"
Eloretha stuck out her tongue. "Sorry, Mommy Elizabeth, I keep forgetting!"
Ashley couldn't help but greet her. "Eloretha, remember me?"
"Of course! You used to be Sister Ashley, but now you're Mommy Ashley!"
This relationship web was way too tangled!
Mary was practically dizzy from the chaos. "Wait a second, Roy, you have a daughter? And Professor Elizabeth is her mom?"
Roy hurried to clarify. "Mary, it's not as complicated as you think!"
The messy relationships were mostly because of Eloretha. After her ascension, the little succubus's intelligence had reached adult levels—otherwise, Elizabeth wouldn't have brought her along as an assistant. The King of Sloth hated trouble and wouldn't drag around a troublemaker.
But Eloretha still loved acting cute and clingy around Roy, just like before.
After Roy's explanation, Mary finally got the gist: there was no blood relation, just a matter of nicknames. Like the four little ones from the Apocalypse Society who called Roy "Daddy" when they got emotional, Eloretha just did it all the time.
Of course, Roy also had to mention Elizabeth's demon king identity. If Mary accidentally pissed her off someday, it'd be a mess. Elizabeth wasn't as forgiving as Lucifer.
After hearing Roy's rundown, Mary looked dazed. "Another demon king? My God, why are all the demon kings flocking to Los Angeles?"
Elizabeth propped her chin, eyeing Roy. "Sounds like you two have met another demon king in L.A. You didn't mention that to me, little Roy."
Roy scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, I promised someone I wouldn't spill."
Elizabeth pouted, then put on an exaggeratedly hurt expression. "Sigh! Little Roy's all grown up, not listening to his teacher anymore. I'm so heartbroken!"
The King of Sloth's acting was top-notch—she didn't land a job as a professor in the Film School's acting department just by charming the administration.
Her performance only made Roy more embarrassed.
Luckily, Mary and Ashley were still reeling from Elizabeth's identity and didn't tease him. As for Eloretha… the little succubus's brain only had three modes when it came to Roy: Daddy's awesome! Daddy's hot! Daddy's delicious!
What a reassuring little sweetheart.
Seeing Roy's expression, Elizabeth couldn't hold back a giggle. "Alright, let's get you registered. It's almost noon!"
Even without saying it, Elizabeth could guess who the other demon king was. Roy had already crossed paths with Mammon, Samael, Asmodeus, and Leviathan. Excluding herself, that left only Beelzebub and Lucifer. Between the two, Lucifer was more likely, given Roy's ties to Heaven and Lucifer's less aggressive nature.
Meanwhile, Marianne had infiltrated UCLA's campus by leveraging her looks. Being attractive definitely had its perks in the workplace—neither Franklin, a Black guy, nor Mike, a middle-aged man, could've waltzed into UCLA so easily.
"Mike, do you know which school Roy Black is headed to?"
"The forums mentioned Roy Black applied to the Film School, but I'm not sure if it's true."
"Then let's start with the Film School!"
Marianne was all action. The trio quickly reached the Film School and started asking around about Roy. Unfortunately, with Roy wearing Nidi's black-framed glasses, no one recognized him.
However, ABC's interview team had already contacted Roy, arranging to interview him at UCLA's cafeteria. This was likely with UCLA's blessing— an ABC interview was great publicity.
By noon, Roy and his group had finished registering and picking dorms. They headed to the cafeteria for lunch and the interview.
Roy had to ditch the glasses—otherwise, the interviewer wouldn't recognize him, and what's the point of that?
It was at this moment that Marianne, who'd been scouring campus all day without finding Roy, finally heard he was at the cafeteria.
"Damn it! How's this guy so good at hiding? Hurry up! We'll wait outside the cafeteria and nab Roy Black the moment he shows!"
Marianne, in her high heels, was still sprinting like a champ, while Franklin and Mike were gasping for air.
"Slow down, Marianne! Roy Black's not going anywhere!" Mike panted.
"You two are pathetic! Mike, fine, you're a middle-aged guy paying the 'husband tax' every night. But Franklin, you're always bragging about hitting the gym—how are you this weak?"
Franklin, breathless, shot back, "No amount of gym time helps when you're lugging a camera around!"
Mike chimed in, "And what's this about 'paying the husband tax'? What are you implying?"
Yup, Franklin was hauling a camera, and Mike was toting recording gear. After running around all day, they were beat. Marianne, carrying nothing, was practically flying.
"Fine, five-minute break. Then we sprint to the cafeteria!"
By now, Roy was already in a private cafeteria room, being interviewed by Gretchen. UCLA had sent a senior official to oversee the interview, ensuring no topics would harm the school's reputation.
When Roy saw Gretchen, his expression turned odd. He recognized her as Nicole Kidman.
Roy remembered Nicole Kidman had starred in a horror movie, The Others, where she played a mother. But this Gretchen was way too young to pass as a mom.
Alright, another movie role Roy hadn't seen.
"Mr. Black, shall we begin the formal interview?"
Gretchen sat with her legs crossed, poised and electrifying. Roy's first impression? This woman is pale as hell! Like a living piece of alabaster.
"I'm ready whenever you are."
Gretchen signaled the cameraman to start, then ran through Roy's introduction and began asking pre-approved questions. Katherine, Roy's studio rep, had vetted the list, weeding out anything too spicy, so the interview went smoothly. Gretchen's high EQ made it feel like a breeze.
"Mr. Black, last question: a lot of people want to know why you chose UCLA."
The question's intent was obvious. Roy glanced at the UCLA rep standing nearby—probably the one who fed Gretchen the line.
"Simple. I met a UCLA alum who told me about the school's amazing academic vibe and traditions. After some thought, I knew UCLA was the right choice."
Classic PR talk, and Roy nailed it.
The UCLA rep looked pleased—Roy's answer was perfect.
Then Gretchen flashed a sly smile. "Mr. Black, I've got a personal question, one your fans are dying to know. Have you ever had a girlfriend?"
That wasn't on Katherine's approved list. Gretchen probably thought the pre-vetted questions lacked juice and threw in a curveball for some tabloid fodder.
It was a rude move, but she didn't have much choice—her bosses wouldn't be happy with bland content.
Roy frowned slightly.
The girlfriend question seemed innocent but was a trap. Admitting he'd had a girlfriend could alienate his female fans. Saying he'd never had one was worse—in this day and age, a high schooler without a girlfriend was either a total loser or gay. If Roy said he was single, tomorrow's tabloids would be debating whether he was a top or a bottom.
Weighing the options, Roy decided to admit to having a girlfriend. Female fans come and go—he wasn't some idol star banking on their devotion.
"Of course I have a girlfriend."
Gretchen's eyes lit up. There's the headline!
"Mr. Black, care to tell us about her?"
Roy kept it brief. "We're high school classmates, and we both got into UCLA."
Gretchen wanted to dig deeper, but Roy shut it down. "Ms. Henderson, it's getting late. Let's wrap up for today."
After all, Roy had his black-framed glasses, but Jennifer and Nidi didn't. If the interview dragged them into the spotlight, it'd be a hassle.
Gretchen Henderson (Nicole Kidman).