Chapter 10: The Lure of Anemia

"One, two, one, one, two, one…"

"Students at the back, keep up!"

"One, two, one…"

Anran, her hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in her sportswear, jogged leisurely in the middle of the group. It was her second day at St. Ignatius Academy, and her classmates still seemed distant, with no one initiating a conversation. However, the last two classes of the day were her favorite—PE—so at least she wasn't completely bored.

Today, her mysterious deskmate was still absent, and even the class monitor, Aixue, wasn't in her seat. The rest of the class was buzzing with speculation about Aixue's absence. Anran wondered if it had something to do with Aixue's strange behavior the day before.

As she jogged, she overheard a few girls whispering in the group.

"I heard Aixue has anemia."

"Really? Are you serious?"

"It's true. I overheard it outside the teacher's office. Her family called to ask for leave."

"Wow… I'm so jealous. I wish I had anemia too!"

Anran couldn't help but feel exasperated hearing their conversation. Were these girls out of their minds? How could they be excited about something like anemia?

"They say Aixue often stays after school, praying alone in the chapel. That's how she ended up with anemia."

"Really? Let's go there today too!"

"Sure, what time? I'll come along…"

Anran shook her head in disbelief. Did they seriously want to pray for an illness? How utterly bizarre.

Their excitement caused them to raise their voices, catching the attention of the PE teacher, who snapped, "You three, stop chatting and get to the side of the court!"

Reluctantly, the girls replied, "Yes, Ma'am."

"The rest of you, come with me to practice layups!"

St. Ignatius Academy covered a vast area, with ten basketball courts concentrated in one section. The boys and girls practiced separately. The PE teacher lined up the girls, demonstrated the layup, then stood aside, tossing the ball to the first girl to repeat the action. The boys' practice was overseen by the class sports representative.

The girls from Rosetown didn't seem particularly athletic, fumbling with dribbling and layups, with only a few performing smoothly. The boys, however, were noticeably better.

When the ball finally reached Anran, a layup was child's play for her. She dribbled a few times, ran forward, leapt gracefully, and sent the ball through the hoop. Her ponytail swished through the air as she landed lightly. The sheen of sweat on her forehead and the bright smile on her face radiated youthful energy.

Players from other courts noticed the scene, as such skill among the girls was rare.

A few spectators, their faces pale and unhealthy-looking, seemed particularly intrigued. Despite their appearance, they displayed impressive athletic ability earlier on the courts. For some reason, they paused their practice, their gazes locking onto Anran like predators spotting prey.

"What a unique scent. I bet she's type O."

"I've never smelled anything like it before. Her blood must be so healthy."

"Heh, she's new, isn't she? Never seen her around before."