New club member: Ving Lee… or is it?

It was safe to say that Ms. Atiro was pissed when Jovi and Jiho relayed the events of the previous day. By the following morning, the janitors had been called in to clean and restore the club room. They worked diligently, feeling bad for the two girls who clearly weren't at fault.

Though, they certainly looked uneasy whenever their eyes darted toward Zoan, who was sitting in a dark corner of the room, glaring at nothing in particular. She looked more like a shadow than a person—a shadow that seemed ready to kill someone.

"Why do you look like that?" Jiho asked innocently, tilting her head.

Zoan raised a brow, her lips twitching into a smirk. "Are you judging my appearance again? I'm hurt."

Jiho paled, quickly backtracking. "No! That's not what I meant—"

She stopped mid-sentence, realizing Zoan was grinning at her. Huffing, Jiho puffed out her cheeks like an annoyed squirrel stuffing its mouth with nuts.

Zoan chuckled under her breath. "I'm fine," she assured, leaning back in her chair. "Just a little pissed. We all worked hard on this, you know?"

Jiho sighed, the air in the room growing heavier as she sat down beside Zoan and smoothed out her skirt. "You're right… we did work hard. But honestly, I'm just thankful we're all safe. I'd rather lose everything we worked on than lose my friends," Jiho said earnestly, her voice soft but unwavering.

Zoan's expression softened, and she smiled. "You're right," she agreed.

Jiho perked up at that, her face brightening like a sunflower under the sun. The two of them sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the fresh breeze that flowed in through the open window.

"Hey, where's Jovi?" Zoan asked suddenly, realizing the girl was nowhere to be seen. The last she'd seen of her, Jovi had been talking to the janitors.

Jiho's eyes widened. "What if—"

Before she could finish, the door slid open, and Jovi bounced in with a pep in her step. Behind her, Ving followed, her hands clasped behind her back and a small, proud smile on her face.

Zoan's hackles immediately rose as Jovi turned to them, her grin wide enough to light up a dark alleyway.

"Guys! We have a new member for our arts club!"

Zoan had never imagined Ving had an artistic bone in her body. She'd never seen her do anything remotely creative—Ving seemed more like the type to draw diagrams for test scores than sketches for fun.

Then again, it was hard to read Ving. She always wore that unreadable, stone-faced expression.

—

"I thought you already had a club," Zoan said, her curiosity laced with suspicion.

Ving shrugged as they worked side by side in the club room, sorting boxes. Jovi and Jiho had gone to the canteen to grab snacks, leaving Zoan and Ving alone.

"I did," Ving replied simply, her tone neutral.

Zoan narrowed her eyes at her. Was she here for some ulterior motive? Was this just her way of interviewing Zoan? Or was she genuinely interested in joining Jovi's club?

Whatever the case, Ving's constant, almost unsettling gaze was starting to get on Zoan's nerves. Every time Zoan turned away, she could feel Ving's eyes lingering on her, like a cold draft sneaking up her spine.

"Do you need help?" Ving asked, her voice calm.

Zoan shot her a sidelong glance, her expression resembling a pissed-off cat. "No thanks," she replied blandly, turning back to her work.

She heard footsteps, then felt Ving sit down beside her.

"I heard from Ms. Atiro that Gilena threatened you, Jovi, and Jiho," Ving said, her tone casual but probing.

Zoan let out a noncommittal grunt in response, shrugging half-heartedly. Of course, Ving would know. There was no way she'd miss a chance to hear the latest news on campus, no matter how big the school was.

"It makes me wonder how you managed to get to them," Ving continued when Zoan refused to elaborate.

"I walked, duh," Zoan retorted, her tone sharp with annoyance.

She had no intention of admitting that she'd kicked their asses. If Ving found out, she'd probably sell the news to the dean. And Elias? He'd never let her hear the end of it.

Still, Zoan couldn't help but wonder why Ving—someone who seemed to follow every rule to the letter—was having such a hard time suspending Aliani and her band of little elves. Was it a matter of connections to the higher-ups?

Zoan's hands froze mid-motion as she stared at the dusty folder in her grip. Wait… is Ving suspicious of me because she thinks I have connections at the top? She thought with suspicion, it was not a long shot but-

It wasn't entirely untrue—her father had been the one to pressure the dean into suspending Aliani. But Zoan didn't know what exactly he'd said to make it happen.

"Look," Zoan said finally, slamming her hands on the box. "You're asking too many questions. You and the dust in this room are ganging up on me, and I'm getting a headache."

Ving raised an eyebrow, unfazed by Zoan's outburst.

Zoan huffed, crossing her arms. "Stop asking so many questions, will you?" she said, her tone calmer but no less annoyed.

Ving didn't respond. Instead, she silently took the box from Zoan and began sorting through it herself.

Zoan let out a startled noise, blinking at the unexpected gesture. Before she could say anything, the door slid open again, and Jovi and Jiho entered.

"We're back!" Jovi called cheerfully, tossing two cold chocolate drinks to Ving and Zoan. Both girls caught them easily.

Ving glanced at Zoan, who stubbornly avoided her gaze as she stabbed the straw into her drink and sipped it loudly.

"Gosh, I'm so glad you joined us, Ving!" Jovi squealed, practically vibrating with excitement. "To think I have three Class 1 students here. This must be a dream come true!"

Jiho giggled, rubbing Jovi's shoulders enthusiastically.

Zoan sighed from her corner, sipping her drink with a sense of foreboding.

She had a bad feeling about this.