“Oh! What’s got you grinning so much?”
On Monday, a laid-back figure swaggered into the classroom, hands in his pockets. Leaning against a desk, Zhang Shaoqing teased Wen Yang, “You’re staring at Ning Chu all the time—don’t you ever get tired of it? Smiling like that, you look like a total creep.”
Wen Yang only smiled calmly, but Ning Chu turned red with embarrassment and shot him an angry glare.
“Want a beating?!”
“Come on, hit me!” Zhang Shaoqing twisted his hips and mockingly taunted her. But as soon as Ning Chu leapt up, fists swinging, he darted out of reach. “Oops, missed me!”
Furious, Ning Chu’s face flushed bright red. “Xinya! Get him! Bite him!”
“Hey, that’s cheating!”
Yan Xinya, slouched over her desk with an unusual pink tinge to her face, lazily responded with a yawn, “Woof~”
“You’re a wolf...” Lily softly reminded her.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Wen Yang intervened, frowning as he tried to settle the chaos. “Don’t let Zhang Shaoqing get to you. The more you react, the happier he gets.”
“Such a jerk!” Ning Chu huffed. Annoyed and exasperated, she flopped onto Wen Yang’s shoulder.
Thanks to the horns growing on either side of her head, resting against his shoulder wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be. Wen Yang couldn’t feel the soft weight of her head anymore—just the hard protrusion of her horns.
The horns were cute and practical, but they came with their share of inconveniences.
Zhang Shaoqing finally sat down, though he continued to sneak curious glances at Ning Chu’s head.
Even though he’d been told she was a succubus, he still held onto some doubt. After all, no succubus boyfriend should still be standing, let alone smiling! And Ning Chu wasn’t the type to admit the truth so easily—he’d had to figure out for himself that she was even a girl.
“Alright, everyone quiet down,” said a voice from the door.
The counselor, An An, had entered the room five minutes before class was scheduled to begin.
“What now? Haven’t we had enough nonsense today?” Zhang Shaoqing muttered.
Ning Chu, already aware of the situation, peeked toward the hallway. Sure enough, she spotted a head of striking red hair outside.
“Our class has a new transfer student,” the ghostly counselor announced cheerfully. “A top student, skipping ahead a grade, and only seventeen years old this year.”
Turning toward the door, An An smiled. “Let’s give a warm welcome to our new classmate, Xi Xi.”
A smattering of polite applause followed.
Before college, classmates might have shared close bonds and a sense of collective pride. But in university, social circles often shrank to dormitory groups, leaving little enthusiasm for new arrivals.
However, when the red-haired, twin-tailed girl stepped into the room, her adorable appearance and petite figure drew gasps of surprise.
“Whoa! Another school beauty in our class? The quality of our girls is off the charts!”
“A cutesy type, huh? But she’s so flat... Not my thing.”
“I still prefer Ning Chu’s type...”
“Wake up. She has a boyfriend.”
“Lily’s not bad either! I heard she’s super wild online and even posts risqué pics!”
The classroom erupted into chaos. Xi Xi nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, glancing quickly around the room before her gaze landed squarely on Ning Chu.
Seeing how well-received the new student was, An An felt relieved. In a low voice, she said, “Pick any seat you like; class is about to start.”
“Okay.”
Without hesitation, Xi Xi walked over to Ning Chu’s row.
“Move over, Wang Jie,” Ning Chu called out, gesturing for her classmates to make space. She turned to Xi Xi with a sweet smile. “Xi Xi, sit next to me!”
Ning Chu knew better than to judge this girl by her harmless appearance. She’d already been labeled a “demon” and was now under Xi Xi’s surveillance. If Ning Chu did anything suspicious, Xi Xi wouldn’t hesitate to take her down.
Not that it mattered—she wasn’t about to transform into some tentacle monster or disrupt society. With nothing to hide, the surveillance felt pointless.
“But that’s my spot...” Yan Xinya weakly protested, her ears drooping. “I wanted to cuddle with Ning Chu...”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lily said, tugging the wolf-girl away to make room.
“Thank you.”
Despite her confident appearance, Xi Xi was still a high school student at heart. If not for the black cat pulling strings to send her to university to deal with tentacle monsters, she wouldn’t be here at all.
Surrounded by peers one or two years older, she couldn’t help but feel anxious and out of place.
She sat down stiffly, nervously asking Ning Chu, “Are the classes here really hard...?”
“Not really. Are you bad at studying?”
“I was... third from the bottom in my old class. The teachers wanted to kick me out.”
Realizing Xi Xi was a fellow underachiever, Ning Chu instantly felt a sense of camaraderie. “Don’t worry! Sixty points is a pass! Anything more is just a waste of effort. It’s super easy!”
“Really?”
“Yeah!” Yan Xinya chimed in, her ears perking up. “Sixty points is the dream!”
Lily, however, remained aloof, her cold eyes fixed on this new magical girl “senior.” She opened her lips as if to greet Xi Xi but swallowed her words.
The counselor observed from the podium, relieved to see Xi Xi quickly integrate into Ning Chu’s little group. With a nod to the professor waiting by the door, she stepped aside.
“Roll call!”
The classroom quieted down somewhat.
Zhang Shaoqing, however, had his attention on the new girl. Leaning toward Wen Yang, he whispered, “Hey, did you know her before?”
Looking at the lively group of girls—aside from Lily, who remained cool and detached—he couldn’t help but be curious.
“Yeah, she’s my neighbor. We’ve met a few times.”
“Man, you’re surrounded by beauties, huh? Living the dream~”
Ning Chu’s sharp ears twitched as she overheard. Wen Yang, knowing better than to provoke her, replied firmly, “I have a girlfriend. The others have nothing to do with me.”
“Sure, but that’s not what you said when she wasn’t around.”
“Oh?” Ning Chu turned her head, ears perked, eyes narrowed. “What did he say?”
Wen Yang quickly denied, “He’s making stuff up. Don’t listen to him.”
“He said... Heh, I’m not telling!” Zhang Shaoqing teased.
“Idiot!”
Glaring at Zhang Shaoqing, Ning Chu then returned to Xi Xi, introducing her to the others. “That shameless idiot is Wen Yang’s friend, Zhang Shaoqing. And the pale, sickly-looking guy over there is Wang Jie.”
“Shameless? I’m a tall, rich, and handsome gentleman! Stop slandering me!”
Wang Jie, sprawled across his desk like a dead fish, weakly waved his hand in greeting. “Hi...”
His voice barely audible, his lethargy suggested he’d been through hell.
Succubus-level exhaustion...? Even I can’t compete with that, Ning Chu thought with a shake of her head.
She turned back to Xi Xi, eagerly explaining which classes were best to skip for sleeping in...
