The arrival of the girl with white hair immediately drew everyone's gaze, making her the center of attention in the class.
That head of white hair was simply too eye-catching.
"Vyon, her hair is so pretty, just like snowflakes in winter," Sophia whispered into his ear.
Vyon had no time to care whether the white-haired girl's hair looked good or not. At that moment, all his thoughts were focused on the faint non-human aura radiating from her.
Why would there be an aura that doesn't belong to a human?
Could she be a Splicer?
Or perhaps... the offspring of a Splicer?
His mind filled with countless thoughts.
---
In the days that followed, Vyon kept an eye on the white-haired girl.
Her name was Luna—a simple name that matched her white hair quite well.
Several days had passed since she transferred to the school, and she never initiated conversation with anyone. As soon as class ended, she would lie down on her desk, motionless. She hardly ever went to the restroom either.
At the beginning, everyone was full of curiosity about her. But as time went on, gradually they stopped paying so much attention to her. The classroom returned to its usual calm.
Apart from the seemingly isolated white-haired girl in the corner, everything else was as it had always been.
That was until a month later.
The calm in the classroom was finally shattered.
Luna sitting in the corner often emitted an unpleasant smell. It wasn't pungent, but if you got close, you would feel very uncomfortable.
Vyon made a special observation and discovered that the white-haired girl gave off an odor because her skin secreted some white substance. It wasn't clear what the substance was—it looked clean, but it smelled bad.
Because of the smell, Luna became unwelcome. She started to be ostracized and mocked by her classmates.
Faced with this ostracism and mockery, the white-haired girl, from start to finish, didn't seem to care at all. As always, she lay on the desk to sleep as soon as class ended.
Vyon witnessed all this and was surprised by the girl's ability to endure, thinking she was mostly a dangerous person and remained wary of her.
Until one day.
When a mischievous boy deliberately poured water on Luna's desk to prevent her from sleeping on it after class, the girl, who had always been expressionless, suddenly couldn't hold back her tears.
They streamed down continuously. She cried until her eyes became swollen.
Vyon was shocked. The person he had always considered to be dangerous was crying?
Meanwhile, Sophia couldn't stand to watch anymore. Remembering when she was first bullied by classmates in kindergarten, she turned to Vyon and said: "Vyon, Luna looks so pitiful. Should we go help her?"
"Yes."
Vyon replied without hesitation.
He didn't know the details about the white-haired girl and couldn't understand what her situation was. All he knew was that she didn't seem to be the dangerous person he had imagined. She was more like a self-isolated little girl who had cried because of bullying by her classmates.
"Marcus, wipe the water off Luna's desk."
Vyon walked over to the mischievous boy and stopped in front of him, speaking to him in an indifferent tone.
Extremely calm. So calm that there was not a single ripple.
However, the mischievous boy was so frightened that he hurriedly took one of his books, using it like a tissue, and quickly wiped the water off the white-haired girl's desk.
He was too afraid of Vyon and dreaded upsetting this well-respected figure known for both scholarly and physical prowess at school.
It wasn't just the students in the class who were afraid of Vyon—even the sixth graders were scared of him. Every student at Sunshine Elementary had witnessed Vyon's feats during the sports festival and knew how strong his body was, so no one dared to offend him.
"Those who have bullied Luna before, come and apologize to her now."
Vyon looked around the class and directed his words to everyone his gaze fell upon.
As soon as the words had been spoken, the students who had bullied the girl with white hair all came forward to apologize to her of their own accord.
Some simply said they were sorry. Some offered their snacks as an apology.
Whether sincere or not, each person apologized to the girl with white hair.
Faced with so many apologies, Luna felt overwhelmed and for a moment forgot to cry.
After everyone had finished apologizing, Sophia walked up and stopped beside Luna, turned around, and said to the class, "From now on, no one is allowed to bully Luna. She's our classmate, and we should all be friends with her."
With Vyon there, nobody dared not to listen to Sophia's words.
From that moment on, nobody in the class dared to bully the girl with white hair again.
"Thank you, thank you all..."
Luna whispered her thanks to Vyon and Sophia through her tears, her voice barely audible.
Sophia smiled and said, "No need to thank us. We're classmates. We should help each other."
Vyon didn't say anything but handed a tissue to the girl with white hair.
Luna took the tissue, timidly raised her head to glance at Vyon, and engraved his features deep into her heart.
---
After that day, Sophia began to approach Luna of her own initiative, wanting to befriend her.
She would share anything tasty or fun with Luna right away. And even introduced her to Vyon.
Saying that from now on, the three of them would play together and become the best trio of friends in the class.
Sophia was so earnest because she herself had been ostracized before and felt compassion for Luna who had experienced the same.
Luna was amazed by this and spoke meekly, "I smell so bad. Aren't you going to dislike me for that?"
Ever since she could remember, she had been shunned and disliked by her peers. Now, meeting Sophia and Vyon, who were willing to be friends with her, felt surreal, as if she were dreaming.
Sophia took Luna's hand and said earnestly, "We won't dislike you. We'll always be good friends."
After receiving Sophia's response, Luna looked humbly at Vyon, valuing his opinion and anxious to hear his answer.
"Same for me," Vyon said simply.
Feeling moved, Luna took off the pair of animal teeth she had been wearing around her neck, placed one in each of their hands, and said with little confidence:
"Sophia, Vyon, you've both been giving me tasty and fun things. I also want to give you something."
"These animal teeth were a birthday gift from my mom last year, and now I give them to you, hoping you won't mind."
"And, I hope... I hope we can always and forever be good friends."
"Yeah, we'll always be good friends," responded Sophia, accepting the animal teeth with a smiling face.
Afterward, looking at the two of them, she suggested, "Let's hook our fingers and make a promise, the one that lasts for a hundred years without change."
Soon, on the playground of Sunshine Elementary, the slightly childish voices of the three could be heard.
"Hook the finger..."
"Hang on tight..."
"A hundred years, no changes allowed!"
---
The next day, Luna transferred out of school.
Sophia was completely stunned when she heard the news, not understanding what had happened at all.
On the day Luna transferred, Vyon saw a tall man accompany her into the principal's office. He had a vivid memory of the man.
Because the man's arms, half his chest, and neck were all made of an alloy. He seemed to be a Cyborg.
Because of this, Vyon realized that the identity of the girl with white hair might not be simple.
Nonetheless, he didn't dwell on it too much.
After all, Luna had already moved away, and perhaps they would never meet again in this lifetime.
She would only become a passerby in their childhood.
---
That evening, Vyon sat in his room, turning the animal tooth necklace over in his hands. The tooth was large—too large to have come from any normal animal. It had to be from a Primordial Beast.
He held it up to the light. The surface was smooth, almost polished, and it gleamed with a faint iridescence.
"A gift from her mother," he murmured.
If Luna's guardian was a Cyborg, and her mother had access to Primordial Beast materials, then her family background was definitely unusual. Perhaps her mother was a high-ranking Splicer, or maybe Luna herself was the product of some experimental Splice Alchemy process.
That would explain the non-human aura he'd sensed from her.
He slipped the necklace over his head and tucked it beneath his shirt. Sophia had done the same with hers.
A promise was a promise.
Even if they never saw Luna again, he'd keep this reminder of their brief friendship.
He opened his status panel one more time before bed.
[Name: Vyon Vermilion]
[Age: 7 years old]
[Biological Level: Ordinary Tier 2]
[Biometric Attributes: Relentless Training, Photographic Insight]
[Achievement Progress: Dominate Nine Years of Compulsory Education]
[Titles: Kindergarten King (Unlocked), Elementary Sovereign (Locked), Middle School Tyrant (Locked)]
Two attributes. One title. One ongoing achievement.
And six more years of elementary school ahead of him.
Vyon closed the panel and began his nightly training routine.
[You are doing push-ups. Vital Aether +1, Arm Muscle Strength +1, Chest Muscle Strength +1, Push-up Proficiency +1]
The rhythm was familiar now. Comforting, even.
One repetition at a time. One day at a time.
That was how strength was built.
And one day, when he was strong enough, perhaps he'd encounter Luna again.
By then, he'd be able to protect both her and Sophia from anything this dangerous world threw at them.
That thought carried him through another thousand repetitions before exhaustion finally claimed him.