Aragon

Hunter slouched in the back row, glancing at Zoe, who was sitting up straight beside him. He was surprised and asked, "Hey, when did you start liking card plays?"

"Like them?" Zoe shook his head. "I don't like them."

"But you seem really absorbed," Hunter said with a puzzled expression.

Sitting upright, Zoe replied calmly, "You can't just do things on the surface."

"But if you can't even do the simple work well, then chances are you won't do the rest well either."

Hunter sneered, "Hypocrite!" He yawned and added, "Anyway, I'm bored. Why did you drag me here to watch some card play? If you like them so much, why don't you just buy one yourself? Why come here and join the crowd?"

"We can't just focus on the surface..." Zoe began, but Hunter quickly cut him off, impatiently, "Get to the point."

"I'm here for her," Zoe replied calmly.

"Her? Who?" Hunter asked, puzzled.

Zoe glanced toward the corner of the classroom. "Marian."

Hunter froze, his expression turning to stone. It took him a good half minute to process what he'd just heard, and when he did, he reacted as if he'd just heard explosive news. "Marian? My God! When did you start getting close to her? Zoe, you've been keeping me in the dark, haven't you? Not a single hint! And what's with you suddenly waking up to this?"

Zoe ignored Hunter's outburst and continued, "I heard Aragon has been showing interest in her lately."

That one sentence left Hunter speechless. After a long pause, he hesitantly asked, "How do you know?"

Hunter suddenly noticed that Zoe was looking at him as if he were a fool. It dawned on him just how stupid his question had been. Zoe was one of only two students in the school's Disciplinary Committee, holding real power and being incredibly well-informed. Aside from Cindy, the leader of the school's gossip network, Zoe probably had the best sources in the entire school.

"What does this have to do with you?" Hunter asked, incredulous, as he eyed his friend up and down. "You don't exactly strike me as the type to step in and play hero when someone else is in trouble."

With a sharp clap, the brick-thick Card Theory Overview that Zoe had been holding snapped shut. Radiating a fierce intensity, Zoe declared, "According to the latest decision by the school administration, to prepare for the arrival of the exchange delegation from Star Academy, any disruptive incidents on campus are strictly forbidden. As a key member of East Guard Academy's Disciplinary Committee, I cannot simply stand by and do nothing."

Seeing the astonished look on Hunter's face, Zoe added, "The main point is, the school has assigned me to handle this matter." He looked a bit resigned, but quickly regained his usual composure. "Given Aragon's recent high activity, I've decided to personally monitor and handle the situation."

"So that's what this is all about," Hunter remarked, suddenly losing interest. "Why did you drag me along for this boring stuff, then?"

Zoe glanced at Hunter calmly and replied with just two words: "Personal guard."

East Guard Academy is known for its liberal academic environment, with the school imposing very few restrictions on students. Most students are either wealthy or influential, and the school can't afford to offend them. As a result, disputes among students are often overlooked, with the expectation that students will resolve their own issues. Even if something goes wrong, students typically don't blame the school. This has led to significant issues with campus security.

Zoe's entry into the Disciplinary Committee was partly due to his popularity with the teachers and partly because of his powerful family background. The Disciplinary Committee was known as a place where one could easily make enemies, and Zoe, as just a card maker, had minimal personal strength. He was known for his ruthless nature. After returning home, he personally requested five highly skilled card cultivators from his father. Surprisingly, his usually gentle father supported this request wholeheartedly.

With the five senior card cultivators in tow, Zoe returned to the school and began a rigorous overhaul of the school's environment, employing iron-fisted methods. Almost all of the rebellious figures in the school faced severe crackdowns. Among them were some wealthy students, but their backgrounds were not as powerful as Zoe's, and their subordinates could not match the prowess of Zoe's five card cultivators.

In no time, the safety level at East Guard Academy improved significantly, and the school administration was thrilled, offering full support to Zoe. This legendary episode solidified Zoe's fearsome reputation at East Guard Academy. From then on, wealthy troublemakers reacted to him as if they had seen a monster, and even the teachers in the Disciplinary Committee treated him with great caution. Zoe no longer needed to rely on the intimidation of his five senior card cultivators.

The other student in the Disciplinary Committee was Cindy, but she had no interest in the work of the committee and was instead extremely passionate about gossip. Aragon was a well-known troublemaker at the school, notorious for his misdeeds. However, due to his family's immense wealth, few could stand up to him. He was usually well-behaved and avoided crossing paths with students who were either better connected or exceptionally skilled, such as Hunter. Instead, Aragon focused on bullying students from less privileged backgrounds, like Marian. He surrounded himself with a group of similarly wealthy and unruly students, all typical examples of spoiled rich kids.

At such a sensitive time, the school was keen to avoid any negative publicity. So, as soon as Zoe received the news, he took immediate action. Coincidentally, they were sitting right behind Chris and Ray.

Suddenly, a woman's scream rang out from the front of the classroom: "What are you doing! Perverts!" This was followed by a chorus of mocking laughter.

"Hey now, beautiful, you shouldn't be throwing around accusations like that. Perverts? How exactly are we perverts?" a smooth-talking rogue voice replied, accompanied by a burst of brazen laughter from those around him. The speaker was Aragon. 

Aragon had a round face and a rotund body, with short, stubby legs, giving him a shape reminiscent of a collection of varying-sized balls. His small eyes had a distinctly sleazy look.

"You…" The girl was so furious that her face turned bright red, unable to find the words.

This commotion disrupted the peaceful atmosphere of the classroom, and many students, seeing the troublemakers, quickly vacated the room.

Chris, however, was somewhat stunned.

That voice...