First rank, Zoan. What a smart girl…

Zoan couldn't decide whether to be impressed or annoyed that Qian had finally figured out how to use his phone—probably with Mei's help. But now, thanks to his newfound tech-savvy, she was stuck studying while doing a forearm stand.

Her legs trembled as she tried to hold the position, her body shaking with the effort. It had been almost an hour, her textbook propped up on the floor beneath her. She kept having to move it out of the way, worried her sweat might drip on the pages.

It had been a while since she'd done any real training or exercise. She'd been too focused on studying lately, and a tiny part of her felt guilty. Maybe she was getting a little lazy.

She let out a small grunt as she almost tipped over, wincing before regaining her balance. Just as she was about to focus on her book again, a light knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Zoan called, her voice slightly strained.

The door opened, and Sol peeked inside, her eyes scanning the room before landing on Zoan. "Are you training again?" Sol asked as she stepped fully into the room.

Zoan hummed in response, followed by a grunt as her arms trembled. "Don't overdo it," Sol said, sighing as she crossed her arms.

"I'm not," Zoan grunted, tilting her head up to look at Sol, who sighed again, clearly unconvinced.

"You've been at it for an hour," Sol pointed out.

Zoan groaned, slowly lowering herself to the floor before flopping down bonelessly. "Gosh, that was tiring," she bemoaned, hiding her face in the crook of her elbow.

Sol chuckled softly, clearly amused.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Sol said suddenly, pulling Zoan's phone out of her pocket. "A girl named Jiho called earlier. You left your phone outside."

Zoan sat up immediately, her eyes widening as she sprang to her feet and grabbed the phone from Sol's hand.

"Is she a friend of yours?" Sol asked, her tone suspicious.

Zoan glanced at her over the top of her phone, squinting slightly. "Yeees…" she replied, drawing out the word.

Sol's suspicion deepened. "Is she kind? Or is she one of those people who bullied you?" she pressed, leaning in close.

Zoan leaned back, giving her an odd look. "What? No, of course not. Jiho wouldn't do that. Stop pressing me for info!" she said, swatting halfheartedly at Sol.

Sol huffed, clicking her tongue as she placed her hands on her hips. Zoan ignored her, typing furiously on her phone as the clicking of the keyboard filled the room.

"Aiya, Zoan, you're already a grown woman…" Sol began, her tone dripping with implication.

Zoan's eyes snapped up, incredulous. "What are you implying?" she barked, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

Sol rolled her eyes playfully. Zoan gave her an are you serious look, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"I'm just saying," Sol continued, "you should balance your schoolwork with… something like, oh, I don't know… love!"

Zoan narrowed her eyes, her expression deadpan. She placed a hand on Sol's shoulder. "Sol, please stop bothering me about useless things."

She ended the conversation with finality, turning back to her phone. While she liked to ogle girls, relationships were a completely different matter. Not that she couldn't have one, but…

Her family wasn't exactly the best in the universe. Being tied to Zoan meant inheriting her severe mommy and daddy issues—or rather, her family issues.

Sol cleared her throat, snapping Zoan out of her thoughts.

"Ugh! Just leave my room already! I still need to review, and Qian will kill me if I don't finish my punishment," Zoan grumbled.

"Oh, right! Your test scores!" Sol said, clapping her hands together. "What rank did you get? I just remembered!"

Zoan sighed, closing her phone. "First rank," she said flatly, though her tone carried no pride.

Sol raised an eyebrow. "You sound disappointed."

"I am," Zoan admitted, clenching her fists. "I just made myself cannon fodder for Ving Lee to get even more interested in me."

"Ving Lee? Who's that?" Sol asked, curious.

"A mosquito," Zoan said plainly.

—

"First rank, Zoan! You're so cool!" Jovi squealed, clapping her hands as they stared at the leaderboard. A crowd had gathered, everyone craning their necks to check their own ranks.

Zoan grinned slightly, basking in the praise as Jiho clapped her on the shoulder.

"You too, Jiho! Fourth rank! Gosh, I'm friends with such smart people!" Jovi gushed, bouncing on her feet. Zoan and Jiho had to grab her arms to keep her grounded before she launched herself into the ceiling.

"You're ranked 14th, Jovi. That's still amazing!" Jiho said, holding her hands as the two cheered together.

Zoan stood beside them, smiling faintly.

"Hm," a voice hummed beside her.

Zoan jolted, startled to find Ving standing next to her. She gave Ving a halfhearted glare, though she wouldn't admit she'd been caught off guard.

"Ving! Congrats!" Jiho said cheerfully, clapping for her. Ving returned a polite smile, her usual calm demeanor unwavering.

Zoan's glare deepened as she crossed her arms. It almost felt like Jovi and Jiho were congratulating Ving as if she had gotten first rank and not Zoan.

Still, Zoan knew she had to play along. She was a member of the arts club, after all and being jealous of Ving is just not it.

"Congrats," Zoan said lamely.

Ving turned to her, smiling warmly.

Zoan shivered, quickly looking away. There was seriously something wrong with Ving. She was too polite, too perfect, and far too curious for Zoan's liking.

As the crowd thinned and the bell rang, Jovi groaned. "Ah, class is about to start…" She looked downtrodden, clearly not looking forward to being in a room full of people she didn't feel comfortable with.

"Don't worry, we'll have lunch together!" Jiho reassured her, wrapping her arms around Jovi and Ving.

Zoan sighed, scratching her cheek. "Sounds good," she muttered.

Ving nodded. Jovi, on the other hand, nodded so eagerly that Zoan worried her head might roll off her shoulders.

"Alright, let's go to class!" Jovi said, her mood brightening as they made their way to their rooms. Jiho and Ving walked ahead, chatting animatedly, while Zoan trailed behind, her hands stuffed in her blazer pockets.

She zoned out, lost in thought, until they stopped in front of the classroom door. Jiho and Ving turned to her, clearly waiting for her input.

"Sorry, what?" Zoan asked, blinking.

"We were thinking you should tutor us—since you're the first rank out of all the second years!" Jiho said excitedly.

Zoan blinked again, glancing between Jiho and Ving. Ving nodded slightly, her lips pursed in quiet agreement.

Zoan resisted the urge to facepalm. Internally, she cursed. These two don't need a tutor. Isn't second and fourth rank enough?!