That afternoon, the dismissal bell rang as scheduled.
Ruby quickly gathered her books when she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye—Phaga and Ellen were still sitting in their seats, not having moved an inch. Especially Ellen, sucking on a lollipop with drooping eyes, slumped over her desk looking utterly dejected.
Ruby couldn't help but ask, "Ellen, Phaga, aren't you packing your bags to go home?"
"Can't go home!"
Ellen sighed, turning her head away. The mere thought of that incident made her crunch the candy in her mouth to smithereens.
"What's going on?"
Hearing Ellen's response only deepened Ruby's confusion, and she tilted her head slightly.
"What else could it be? We're obviously getting make-up exams. Our moody homeroom teacher is forcing us to raise our average scores!"
The class president walked over with his backpack slung over his shoulder, hooked his arm around Phaga's shoulder, and urged, "It's the weekend tomorrow. Let's go street racing on the Outer Ring. You in?"
Phaga gave him a strange look and said softly, "You're still a student. Isn't it bad to go street racing?"
"Besides, I heard the Outer Ring is backward and dangerous. Countless robberies, endless hollows, never-ending gang fights... What, you wanna donate fresh organs to the patients in New Eridu who desperately need them?"
"Hah!"
The class president pulled up a chair and sat down, folding his arms behind his head as he reminisced. "I used to think that too, but ever since I crashed into Ethereal last time, I've gotten hooked on the feeling. That rush when your heart leaps into your throat? It's pure bliss!"
"And like I don't know the Outer Ring is dangerous."
The class president slung an arm around Phaga's neck. Glancing around, he noticed only Ruby and Ellen remained in the classroom. Seeing no need for discretion, he released Phaga and shrugged indifferently.
"I paid respects to the local kingpin. Something like 'The Vanquishers'... whatever. My family's in the clothing business—high-demand goods on the Outer Ring."
"So after we struck a deal, they agreed to protect me in the Outer Ring!"
His eyes lit up as he hooked his arm through Phaga's shoulder again, excitedly urging, "Come on, come with me! Please, please!"
Thud!
Suddenly, the class president took a hard blow to the back of his head, nearly biting his tongue. Snapping back to his senses, he whipped around and roared, "Who the hell... Teacher!"
He froze when he saw the homeroom teacher standing right behind him, clutching two sets of test papers. Her young face was dark and ominous.
She stared intently at the class president for a moment before saying in a low voice, "I just heard my students talking about going to the Outer Ring to race cars. I'm not happy about that."
"Um... um..."
The class president's eyes darted nervously. His heart was already pounding in his throat before any actual racing had even begun. Yet he felt not a shred of excitement, only his entire body tensing as his mind raced.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. Smiling broadly, he stood up and began backing toward the classroom door. "Hehe, teacher, you've got the wrong idea. 'Speeding' is slang in our clothing industry—it means 'shipping truckloads of clothes at top speed,' signifying booming business."
"See, Teacher? That's industry jargon. It's all thanks to your excellent teaching! Practical experience is key—I often help manage my family's business... Um, you're busy, so I'll head out now."
Seeing his homeroom teacher's expression darken with every word, the class president realized he couldn't talk his way out of this. He quickly excused himself and turned to run.
But like a panicked young driver, he stumbled at the starting line when facing a teacher whose authority weighed heavily on him. Before he could take a few steps, the homeroom teacher grabbed his backpack, yanked him back, and dragged him out by the ear.
"Pretty bold of you, huh? Think you know slang now... Phaga, Ellen, come get your papers yourselves. I'm dealing with this kid first. Ruby, you head home early too—no lingering at school... Come with me. Think you can run? We'll have a nice chat with your mother about fashion industry slang!"
"Teacher... I made a mistake! Easy there!"
Thud!
The back classroom door slammed shut. A future legendary driver would have to learn how to write a thousand-word self-criticism before ever touching a steering wheel again.
"Looks like the class president won't be speeding anytime soon!"
Ruby cutely stuck out her tongue, then turned with stars in her eyes, shaking Ellen's hand. "So tomorrow's the weekend—let's go take the Hollow Zero qualification exam!"
"Ellen, please, please!"
"Hold on, hold on. Stop shaking me... Phaga, is tomorrow okay for you?"
Ellen, helpless against Ruby's shaking, turned to look at Phaga.
By then, Phaga had already surreptitiously worked his way to the final multiple-choice question, his pen swiftly sketching diagrams on scrap paper. Only upon hearing voices nearby did he respond, "Mm, sure."
"Yay!"
Ruby skipped off happily, leaving Ellen alone in the classroom. She stared blankly at Phaga, her voice dull. "You finished that fast?"
"Huh? What else? Finish early, go home early. If I don't want to settle for some mediocre restaurant food, I'll have to fight Rina for the kitchen!"
As Phaga spoke, his pen suddenly halted. His eyes widened as he murmured, "Did I not cook breakfast this morning?"
"Then who made breakfast for Mr. Lycaon and little Corin?"
The thought made Phaga's drawing speed visibly quicken. After finishing the sketch, he began calculations, his pen racing across the paper driven by his accelerated thoughts, creating a rustling sound.
Phaga said urgently, "Ellen, I can't wait for you. I need to go to the hospital first to check on Mr. Lycaon and the others."
Ellen raised an eyebrow at his words. She knew the tension in Phaga's voice wasn't feigned, and began to wonder why he was so flustered.
Suddenly, she remembered how she'd dragged Phaga out this morning, leaving no one to cook. Could it be...
The thought struck her, and Ellen quickly snapped back to focus, diving into her math exam paper. She didn't forget to retort at Phaga, "You have to finish the entire paper, while I only need to pass. Who's waiting for whom?"
"Tsk!"
In a classroom filled only with the sound of pen on paper, the boy's faintly disapproving click of his tongue echoed.
Sure enough, an hour later, Ellen finished writing before Phaga. Though most of the paper remained blank, Ellen was certain every answer she had written was correct, and together they would just barely add up to a passing grade.
She immediately pulled out her phone and typed a message to Corin.
[Corin, are you guys okay?]
Soon after, Corin replied.
[We're fine, Ellen. It's just... Did Mr. Phaga cook today? Miss Rina brought in some meat porridge, saying Mr. Phaga made it. Mr. Lycaon drank it without a second thought, then went straight back into the operating room.]
[No, Phaga didn't cook today.]
[I knew it! That explains why Miss Rina was crouched in the corner drawing circles.]
[Uh... Are you all okay?]
[I didn't eat it, so I'm fine. It's just... Mr. Lycaon might need to stay in the hospital for another couple of days.]
[Glad you're okay.]
[Yeah, Miss Aileen and Mr. Phaga should hurry back too—Corin's getting discharged today. Miss Rina says she'll cook a whole banquet to make up for it... Help me!!!]
"Phew~~ finally done. What's up, Ellen?"
Phaga tossed his pen aside, rubbing his slightly aching wrists before turning to her.
But Ellen skipped the small talk entirely—she grabbed Phaga's wrist and started pulling him along.
"Hurry back! Rina's cooking again!"
"What?"
Phaga froze at her words. Then, snapping out of it, he caught Ellen's wrist with his free hand—and suddenly burst forward, running ahead of her.
"Then why aren't you running faster?!"