Click! Click! Click!
From the doorway of class 11D, flashes of light burst out along with the sharp shutter sounds of a camera firing nonstop.
And fast as a gust of wind, Andrew the Detective came charging into the 11D classroom from who-knows-where. His fingers were still hammering the shoot button on his phone.
Then Andrew the Detective blatantly kept snapping photos of Ethan and Autumn - from afar, then up close - while Ethan stood frozen stiff with Autumn still in his arms.
"Oh my god! Oh my godddd! I seriously never expected this! Students of class 11D look all quiet and proper, but you guys are bold as hell, huh? Hugging and holding each other openly like this right inside the classroom?"
Andrew the Detective's teasing, obnoxiously loud voice rang out. But it still wasn't enough to wake Ethan from his hazy trance.
"No… no, it's not like what you think. It was just an accident. Really!"
Autumn stammered in explanation, her face gradually turning red. She quickly slipped out of Ethan's arms and stood on her own two feet on the classroom floor.
Only after the warmth of Autumn's body left him did Ethan's consciousness begin to return. And he nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized the situation.
"Hmmm, no wonder Ethan didn't bother taking care of the two 'Princesses' Anya and Yara. And Autumn's been avoiding the people assigned to take care of her. So this is the real reason - you two have been going on lunch dates together."
"Dates? Don't make wild, baseless assumptions like that. We've been busy decorating the classroom for the October 20th event these past few afternoons, right, Ethan?"
Autumn pointed at the backdrop to prove her innocence. Ethan had no idea what else to do, so he simply nodded in support.
"Hehe. No matter how busy you are, you still have to eat lunch, right? Don't you guys get hungry?"
"We're starving, okay! But class work comes first."
"So… I guess couples in love only need to exchange enzymes through saliva at lunchtime and they're already full, huh?"
Andrew the Detective grinned wickedly, clearly enjoying making things worse - something he was exceptionally good at and deeply fond of.
"Exchange… exchange what?"
"'Exchanging enzymes through saliva' is just the scientific way of saying… KISSING."
"Kiss… what? Who's kissing who here?!"
Autumn stuttered, her face now redder than ever. Meanwhile, Ethan remained calm - simply because he still hadn't fully grasped what Andrew the Detective was implying.
"See? No wonder Ethan keeps getting skinnier by the day. He doesn't even eat properly anymore. A few liters of saliva a day - how could that possibly provide enough nutrition for a body that's a full 1.78 meters tall? Poor Ethan, honestly."
Andrew the Detective didn't answer Autumn's question. He simply sighed and looked at her with a reproachful gaze, as if to declare that she was the sole reason behind Ethan's declining health.
Faced with Andrew the Detective's sheer offensiveness, Autumn completely lost her composure. The Vampire girl - who was usually anything but gentle - could now only hide behind Ethan's back.
"Ethan! Say something to Andrew the Detective. We… we clearly didn't do anything at all!"
"Yeah, Autumn. Let me handle this."
Ethan said confidently.
But inside his head, his thoughts were tangled into a complete mess. He still hadn't figured out how to deal with Andrew the Detective. And somehow… something about this situation felt off.
It was true that Ethan and Autumn hadn't done anything - at least not in the sense Andrew the Detective was trying to pin on them. But the Bloodbound mark on Ethan's neck was still throbbing painfully from earlier, when Autumn's sharp fangs had brushed against it a little too recklessly.
Even now, Ethan couldn't tell whether Autumn had manipulated him with Vampire tricks - or whether he had willingly stepped into that sweet, dangerous trap himself.
Let's see.
Wasn't it Autumn herself who had slapped him twice to snap him back to his senses?
And even now, the dull ache was still lingering on both of Ethan's cheeks.
So… did that mean Ethan had voluntarily offered his neck to Autumn?
And Autumn had merely acted on Vampire instinct - seeing a bare neck and baring her fangs - just like the old saying: 'leaving meat in front of a starving cat'?
No.
Stop.
Drop it. Forget it. Ethan didn't want to think about this anymore.
Right now, he had to deal with Andrew the Detective's misunderstanding. That was the real priority.
Even though he didn't want to, Ethan still had to let out a sigh to steady himself.
He truly wished he could break his habit of sighing at the slightest trouble - but life simply wouldn't allow it. The wheel of fate kept rolling in new problems for him, each one more difficult than the last.
"Look, Andrew. This is the backdrop our class prepared for the Vietnamese Women's Day October 20th Event this year."
Ethan swallowed hard and spoke calmly under Andrew the Detective's suspicious gaze.
"Yeah. I know. It looks good. I have to admit - handmade backdrops feel way more authentic than those generated by AI."
"Thanks for the compliment. We - uh… I mean, I and Autumn - no! I mean Autumn and I… spent several lunch breaks attaching these paper flowers."
"But I do have a question. Where did all the boys in your class disappear to, leaving a girl like Autumn to…?"
"Save that question for later. For now, stay quiet and listen to me. Look at these scratch marks on the desk."
Ethan locked Andrew the Detective in a headlock and roughly dragged him over to the evidence.
"That chair slipped off the desk while Autumn was standing on it to attach the flowers. Look closely - the chair leg snapped clean off. If I hadn't caught her in time, she might've ended up in the hospital."
Ethan dragged Andrew the Detective over to the broken chair lying awkwardly on the classroom floor.
"Think carefully. Connect the dots. You're the most talented detective at Harmony High, aren't you?"
"Hmph. You know, Ethan? I actually don't like the nickname 'Detective' that everyone at school gave me. I prefer being called a Journalist."
After complaining about his unwanted nickname, Andrew the Detective placed a hand on his chin, striking an exaggerated pose of intense deduction. The whole investigative style looked more like a flashy manga school detective than a real-life journalist.
Andrew the Detective stood there studying the backdrop prepared for the Vietnamese Women's Day October 20th Event by Class 11D for a long while. Then he pressed his glasses close to the scratches on the desk. After that, he slowly approached the ill-fated chair to inspect the broken wooden fragments.
Over and over again, he repeated this process like someone with far too much time on his hands - until Ethan and Autumn were both growing increasingly impatient. Their stomachs were already rumbling, seemingly competing over who was hungrier.
Then both of them nearly jumped out of their skins when Andrew the Detective suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Ho ho ho! Got it! After carefully examining all the evidence, I've reached my conclusion. At noon today… the two of you weren't just hugging, carrying, and kissing - you were entangled in a passionate frenzy intense enough to break the classroom chair."
"What?! We didn't do anything like that! How could you fabricate something so outrageous?"
Autumn cried out, her voice trembling as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Just ignore him, Autumn. We didn't do anything wrong - so there's nothing to be afraid of. Rumors like this never last long at Harmony High."
Ethan said calmly. At his dismissive attitude, the ever-present grin on Andrew the Detective's face abruptly vanished.
"Hmph! Baseless rumors? Won't last long? Tsk, tsk. You two are seriously underestimating the power of the media. Let me show you exactly how powerful it can be…"