During the first semester of freshman year, everyone was still pretty restrained—worried about being late and scrambling to get excuse slips if they ever missed class.
By the first week of the second semester, people were still testing the waters with each teacher’s personality and tolerance.
Now, for the first class on Monday, only about two-thirds of the students were scattered across the tiered lecture hall.
College could be as free and easy as you wanted it to be, or as rigorous as senior year of high school, depending on whether you were willing to pay the price.
While Ning Chu often spaced out in class, she still listened with one ear, unlike some students who treated the classroom like a gaming lounge, pulling out their phones to gather friends and start a team battle.
She lay on her desk, wearing a knit hat under her jacket’s hood, with two small symmetrical bulges visible from beneath the fabric.
Her horns were now as long as her index finger and getting harder to hide, but she was still trying.
Wang Jie and Zhang Shaoqing arrived just as the class began—Wang Jie looked pale and wobbly on his feet, while Zhang Shaoqing was bright and refreshed, his face glowing.
It made Ning Chu increasingly suspicious that Wang Jie’s girlfriend was a succubus.
Had he been drained of his vital energy?
The contrast between the two made Ning ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Chu’s thoughts drift in a strange direction.
Could it be that... Zhang Shaoqing had been draining Wang Jie’s energy?
"My back hurts so bad."
"I told you to exercise more, but no, you don’t listen! Embarrassing yourself in front of women!"
As the two sat down near Wen Yang, Ning Chu caught snippets of their conversation.
"Look at me—showing off my masculine prowess!"
"You just wait until it catches up with you," Wang Jie mumbled, laying his head down and stifling a yawn.
Zhang Shaoqing scoffed, "Not a chance! I’m young and strong, and I even signed up for a fitness elective!"
"See? Taking a fitness class because you’re scared."
"It’s called being prepared!"
Qian Qian didn’t seem to be doing a good job; she couldn’t even wear Zhang Shaoqing out.
Listening to them, Ning Chu mentally criticized Qian Qian for her lack of effort.
In most couples she knew, the girl usually had the upper hand, but Qian Qian had dragged down the average, how disappointing!
As for herself... well, her opponent was a novel's male lead! It’s not like anyone else would do any better!
The teacher finished calling the roll, and the noisy classroom quieted down a bit.
Yan Xinya, clearly uninterested in the lecture, started yawning within a couple of minutes and leaned over towards Ning Chu.
"Ning Chu~ Ning Chu~"
"The elective class schedule is out! We’re in the dance studio in Building F tonight."
Ning Chu fiddled with the fluffy white pom-poms on her hood, muttering to herself, "Tonight, huh..."
Her new yoga outfit hadn’t arrived yet, so tonight she’d have to wear the matching yoga outfit she’d ordered with Lily.
At least she wouldn’t be alone.
"Are your horns even bigger now?"
After just a couple of sentences, the wolf-girl had already noticed the bulge in Ning Chu’s hood.
Ning Chu brushed it off, "Yeah, they’re growing fast."
Having never had horns herself, Yan Xinya accepted her answer, "I still think you should go to the hospital..."
"Remember to bring your yoga outfit to class this afternoon. They have changing rooms there."
"Alright."
Yoga class, huh...
She didn’t know much about yoga, but it probably wasn’t too intense, should be easy enough?
Plus, as an elective, the instructor likely wouldn’t go over difficult moves, so she could just go through the motions.
While she was absent-mindedly thinking about what new poses she might unlock, a somewhat unfamiliar voice came from behind her.
"Ning Chu."
"Hm?"
She turned to see a female classmate she vaguely recognized. Despite having shared the same classroom for months, Ning Chu still hadn’t remembered her name.
"Uh... Someone asked me to bring you something on my way to class." The girl blushed, pulling a small box of chocolates from her bag. "I didn’t know him, but he was very insistent."
Ning Chu glanced at the chocolates and asked, "Didn’t you tell him I already have a boyfriend?"
"I did..."
Ning Chu nodded knowingly. "Then you have them. I’m not a fan of chocolate."
She wondered who this idiot was, thinking he could woo her away from Wen Yang.
What was he even thinking?
After pushing the chocolates onto the shy girl, Ning Chu turned and poked Wen Yang’s arm.
"Wen Yang~ Someone gave me chocolates~"
"I heard."
Though he was listening intently to the lecture, Wen Yang still noticed the moment she interacted with the classmate.
"Don’t you have anything to say?"
After a moment, Wen Yang nodded thoughtfully, "I’ll buy you a big box after class, so you can have your fill."
"Pffft!" Ning Chu couldn’t hold back a laugh, then quickly ducked her head down onto the desk and covered her mouth to avoid getting caught by the teacher.
"No thanks, I’m not a fan of sweets."
She shot Wen Yang a sideways look, only to hear Zhang Shaoqing behind her pipe up, "Hey, if you don’t like chocolate, I’ll eat it! I skipped breakfast!"
Before she could reply, Zhang Shaoqing leaned in with a look of surprise. "Whoa! Ning Chu, what’s up with the bump on your head?"
"......"
"You got a tumor?"
Ning Chu glanced at the teacher, who had turned to write on the blackboard, and promptly grabbed her textbook, smacking it down on Zhang Shaoqing’s head.
"Feel the power of knowledge!"
"You’re the one with a tumor!"
"Don’t go nuts!"
Zhang Shaoqing dodged her attack, but after the scuffle, Wang Jie also noticed the odd bulge on her head.
It was getting harder to hide her index finger-length horns...
At this point, trying to cover them only made things more obvious.
With a quick decision, Ning Chu confidently pulled back her hood, took off her hat, and tilted her chin up, proudly pointing at her horns with a smug grin. "Ta-da~ Look! Aren’t they nice?"
Wen Yang nodded in support, "Very cute."
Zhang Shaoqing stared, bewildered. "What the heck? You grew horns? Are you a goat?"
"They’re for fashion, you know? Girl accessories, ever heard of them? Straight guys have no clue!"
"Nice, my butt! What a dumb style!" he scoffed, though his curious gaze lingered on the small horns atop her head.
Then he looked past Ning Chu and saw Lily putting on her own pair of decorative horns.
Pausing, he reached out toward Ning Chu’s head. "Let me see!"
"Are you nuts?"
Startled, Ning Chu quickly covered her head and scooted to the side, only to bump her head against Yan Xinya’s arm, making both of them wince.
At the same time, Wen Yang grabbed Zhang Shaoqing’s hand. "Buy your own; that’s a gift I got for Ning Chu."
"Like I care!" Zhang Shaoqing scoffed, but leaned in with a mischievous grin to whisper in Wen Yang’s ear, "Trying out the monster girl experience? I’d recommend giving Ning Chu some cat ears and a tail—that’d be adorable!"
Succubi are the real champions! Wen Yang silently retorted.
