About three minutes later, the academy's shuttle bus finally pulled up. Wyatt and the other first-year students, who had been waiting for a while, climbed on board one after another.
But Wyatt noticed something odd: two or three adults, dressed in casual clothes rather than school uniforms, also stepped onto the bus.
Are they school staff? Or maybe family members of the faculty? Wyatt wondered idly as he made his way to the back of the bus. He slid into an empty seat by the window.
That's when he felt someone sit beside him. Turning his head slightly, Wyatt blinked in mild surprise.
Ariana Summers—his childhood friend—had sat down right next to him.
Wyatt glanced at her, half-amused. Ariana sat stiffly, head bowed, her fiery red hair and long bangs hiding most of her face. Her delicate figure was visibly tense, and her hands were clenched tightly in her lap.
Even without seeing her face, Wyatt could tell just how nervous she was.
"Well, look at you," Wyatt teased lightly, his voice low. "Growing up already. You actually dared to sit with me."
Ariana's response came as a whisper, barely audible.
"Please... Wyatt... don't talk to me right now... I-I can't breathe..."
Wyatt's lips quirked in a wry smile. Yep—still the same Ariana. Shy to a fault.
Even so, he knew sitting next to him like this probably took all the courage she had.
Up front, the driver called out, "We're full! Everyone else, wait for the next shuttle!"
A chorus of complaints followed from the freshmen left behind, but the driver paid them no mind. With a press of a button, the doors slid shut, and the bus began moving slowly toward the school.
As the ride settled into a steady rhythm, Ariana's nerves seemed to ease—until Wyatt casually reached over and took her hand.
Her body stiffened instantly. Her pale cheeks flushed a bright pink, hidden partly by her hair.
But rather than pulling her hand away, Ariana quietly let Wyatt hold it. She even adjusted slightly, placing her small handbag on her lap to discreetly cover their joined hands from view.
This wasn't the first time.
Whenever Wyatt and Ariana had gone to the movies or the amusement park together, he'd always ended up holding her hand just like this. It was a familiar routine now, a quiet kind of intimacy.
Ariana's heart raced, caught between nervousness and something warmer—something electric. Sitting so close, surrounded by a bus full of strangers, made her feel like she might pass out.
But she didn't pull away.
Ten minutes passed. Slowly, Ariana's pulse calmed. Her blush faded slightly. She licked her lips, stealing a shy glance at Wyatt.
He was resting his chin on one hand, gazing out the window like he wasn't paying her any attention at all. But Ariana knew him too well.
Wyatt might look casual, but part of him was definitely focused on her.
Wyatt really seems to like my hands, Ariana thought, her eyes dropping to their intertwined fingers. I should start taking better care of them...
What Ariana didn't know was that Wyatt wasn't particularly obsessed with her hands. It was just the most convenient thing to do right now.
If they were somewhere more private... well, holding hands wouldn't be the only thing on his mind.
At that moment, a faint glimmer of light flashed in Wyatt's eyes.
His mind-reading ability had activated—whether intentionally or not.
Wyatt King possessed two special talents:
Mind reading, and an ultra-high learning and comprehension ability.
His mind-reading power could be used actively or could trigger on its own when certain conditions were met.
When Wyatt used it actively, it drained his energy. Long stretches of mind-reading would leave him mentally exhausted, and he'd need sugar to recover.
Passively, though, it took no effort.
Right now, if Wyatt pushed himself, he could maintain active mind-reading for over an hour straight. While that didn't seem like much, the ability to start and stop at will made it extremely convenient.
Unlike the kind of uncontrollable mind-reading seen in some stories, Wyatt had full control.
Right now, for example—
I wonder who'll give me their freshman parking spot this time. I think the reward's 5,000 points, right?
Wyatt's gaze flicked to the right. Standing a few rows away was an elderly woman, steadying herself by holding the back of a seat.
His mind-reading had caught her stray thought.
The students nearby had definitely noticed the old lady too. But they were pretending not to see her—nobody had offered her a seat.
Human nature, Wyatt thought with mild amusement. Everyone wants to do the right thing... until it costs them their own comfort.
And frankly, Wyatt didn't think she needed the help. His sharp eyes noticed how defined her arm muscles were as she gripped the seat.
That old lady might be in better shape than half the freshmen on this bus...
Still, there was something else that caught his interest.
5,000 points? Wyatt frowned slightly. What's she talking about?
Since the academy was completely isolated from the outside world, everyone on this island was either a student or a staff member.
That meant the old lady was connected to Metropolitan Prestige Academy in some way.
Is this some kind of test? A merit evaluation or something?
Wyatt leaned back, mind already analyzing the possibilities.
One thing was certain:
This school wasn't going to be as simple as it looked.