On the small stone path back to the dormitory, Victor's behavior was a bit strange.
He no longer walked swaggeringly in the middle as usual; instead, he was like a startled rabbit.
At times, he would shrink behind Enid, using her petite frame as cover, and at other times, he would quicken his pace, almost pressing against Wednesday's side as if seeking some kind of cold sanctuary.
His peach blossom eyes, which usually sparkled with a flighty light, were now scanning the surroundings tensely, wary of the shadows in every corner.
"Victor, what are you doing?"
Wednesday finally stopped, a hint of imperceptible frustration in her cool voice.
This guy was almost squeezing her against the mossy wall at the edge of the path.
Victor suddenly snapped back to his senses as if startled. He leaned in close to Wednesday and lowered his voice, his expression more serious and... mysterious than ever?
"Wednesday, I feel like I'm in a lot of danger right now."
Wednesday raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at him quietly, waiting for him to continue.
"Think about it."
Seeing he had her attention, Victor immediately began his "crisis analysis," his fingers gesturing unconsciously.
"I'm currently dating the first and second most popular beauties at Nevermore! Do you know how much aggro that draws?"
"The guys will be jealous that I found such beautiful and powerful girlfriends, and the girls will be jealous that a man as handsome as me is'stepping on two boats' without even considering stepping on theirs!"
The more he spoke, the more reasonable he felt it was. His expression became increasingly tense, and he even gave an exaggerated shudder.
"Thinking about it like this, I'm practically a walking aggro magnet, super dangerous! Seriously, I feel like something has been peeking at us from the shadows this whole time. That gaze is chilling!"
"Oh, you~"
Listening from the side, Enid finally couldn't help but burst into laughter. Her azure eyes curved into crescents as she shot Victor a playful glare.
"Are you trying to find a clever way to praise us, or are you just beating around the bush to praise your own looks?"
"Ugh... even Enid doesn't believe me."
Victor's face immediately fell. Like a large dog misunderstood by its owner, he puffed out his cheeks aggrievedly and turned his head away, leaving only a "hurt" back of his head.
"Alright, alright, I believe you~ I believe you, okay?"
Seeing him like this, Enid's heart softened instantly. Like coaxing a child, she reached out and patted his back, her tone filled with doting helplessness.
"Our Victor is the handsomest, so that's why the whole world is jealous of you, right?"
"Hmph."
Victor made a sound through his nose that meant "that's more like it," but his expression clearly softened a lot.
"Don't think about that."
Enid skillfully changed the subject, trying to dispel Victor's inexplicable persecution complex.
"Think about the bonfire party tomorrow that Principal Dott just mentioned! I heard there'll be lots of good food and even some impromptu performances!"
"Oh! Right! The bonfire party!"
As expected, Victor's attention was drawn away like it was pulled by a magnet. He instantly snapped out of his "being hunted" fantasy, his eyes lighting up brilliantly as a bright smile bloomed on his face again.
Just now, they had run into Nevermore's new acting principal this year—Barry Dott—in the Quad.
He informed them that there would be a bonfire party in the evening.
"This acting principal is much more open-minded than Cousin-Aunt Larissa! We should have been doing this long ago! This is what school life is about! I hope Principal Dott stays in charge for a while longer!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wednesday's flat, emotionless voice rang out.
"Don't worry. I've inquired, and Principal Larissa has officially applied for a sabbatical, stepping away from her administrative post until..."
She paused, her dark eyes glancing sideways at Victor, her tone carrying her characteristic, precise sharp-tongued wit.
"...until a certain someone graduates. After all, I don't think she wants to deal with the endless'surprises' caused by a certain someone every day."
Victor: "..."
The smile on his face froze instantly.
Seeing Victor's dejected look, Enid couldn't help but laugh again, and the corner of Wednesday's mouth curled up by an almost imperceptible pixel.
The setting sun cast the long shadows of the three individuals, intertwining them on Nevermore's ancient stone path.
Victor's inexplicable "sense of crisis" came and went quickly, soon replaced by anticipation for the party.
However, he didn't notice that near a distant sculpture, a figure suddenly appeared, silently watching the direction they were leaving, with an unfathomable curve at the corner of their mouth.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Victor stood at the dormitory entrance, looking at the oak door covered in colorful decorations, and gave a heartfelt exclamation.
The door was covered with all sorts of hand-drawn pictures in various styles—some delicate, some rough—but without exception, they all depicted the three of them—or rather, four "people."
There was Wednesday's cool silhouette in her Symbiote suit; there was the moment of Enid's wild power during her wolf transformation;
And of course, there was Victor's signature bright smile, along with Venom peeking out from his shoulder with a wide, grinning mouth.
Beside many of the drawings, slogans like "Our Hero!" and "Guardian of Nevermore!" were written in exaggerated calligraphic script.
"It seems we need to set some bear traps here, or more effective defensive measures."
Wednesday looked at these "fan works" expressionlessly, her tone devoid of any emotion other than annoyance at being disturbed.
Without hesitation, she reached out and began tearing down the papers with swift movements, as if clearing away annoying flyers.
"Hey, don't!"
Victor looked at the drawings being torn down with a bit of heartache.
"I think they're drawn pretty well. Look at this one, it makes me look so handsome!"
He said, pointing to one of the more normal portraits of himself.
"Are you sure?"
Enid suppressed a laugh, peeling off a drawing with a distinctly different style from the corner of the door frame and holding it up to Victor's eyes, her azure eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Here, this one is 'you' too."
Victor looked closely, and the smile on his face froze instantly.
It was indeed him... but only a solitary head with a terrified expression and hollow eyes.
And beside his head, a rusty-looking Cleaver stained with dark red "blood" was prominently drawn.
The art style was gloomy, and the meaning was self-evident.
Victor suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and subconsciously pulled his head in.
"This... whose 'artistic creation' is this?"
His voice was even trembling a little.
"Pfft—" Enid looked at his cowardly appearance and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, her shoulders shaking.
"Well? Still think it's 'pretty well done'? Mr. 'Hero'?"
"Enid, you're so mean..."
Victor shot a resentful glare at his gloating girlfriend, feeling his newly established "heroic" pride hacked to pieces by this Cleaver drawing.
Wednesday had already efficiently cleared away most of the drawings, finally crumpling the "Cleaver Victor" into a ball and tossing it precisely into the trash can at the end of the hallway.
She brushed off non-existent dust from her hands, pushed open the dormitory door, and threw back a line without turning her head:
"It seems your 'popularity' is indeed as Venom said—composed of complex elements. I suggest you stay alert when you sleep at night."
Victor touched his neck and followed into the dormitory with a long face.
"I think my neck needs some protection from Black Magic."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"