It was Bianca who stepped in to resolve the situation at this moment.
She shook her head helplessly, stepped forward a few paces, and gently removed the necklace from her neck that was used to suppress her hypnotic abilities.
As the necklace left her body, an invisible, soul-stirring wave quietly radiated outward with her as the center.
She gazed at the excited female students with eyes as deep as the ocean, her voice carrying a gentle power that brooked no refusal:
"Alright, you can disperse now. Go on."
The female students' eyes instantly became hollow and submissive, as if their self-awareness had been drained away.
They nodded woodenly and, without any hesitation or lingering, turned and quietly vanished into the crowd in the courtyard, as if the earlier frenzy had never happened.
"This is truly unsettling. I much prefer gazes of fear and hatred."
Wednesday said, watching their retreating backs.
She didn't like being gawked at like a monkey in a zoo.
Bianca put the necklace back on, sealing away that heart-bewitching power once more.
She turned to Wednesday, a smile that was a mix of understanding and teasing appearing on her face:
"Then you'd better get used to it, Wednesday. Ever since you all made that big scene and saved the entire academy, you've become celebrities at Nevermore—real VIPs."
"Especially you, Wednesday. You defeated the notorious Crackstone, that lunatic who advocated for the extinction of Outcasts."
"Why does anyone still care about this?"
Wednesday frowned slightly, her eyes full of confusion.
In her view, defeating a threat was a necessary means of survival, completely unrelated to something as ethereal as 'fame'.
Bianca sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of 'you're so naive'.
"You really aren't someone who chases fame and fortune. But popularity is something that sometimes doesn't follow the laws of physics. Often, the more you try to avoid it and reject it, the more it snowballs."
She paused, dropping an even more impactful fact. "By the way, according to the latest statistics, you're ranked number one on the academy's internal 'Popularity List'."
"First?"
Victor, standing nearby, immediately caught this keyword. His peach blossom eyes instantly lit up with an amazing brightness, and the frustration from being snubbed by the'solo fans' just now was swept away.
He suddenly leaned in close to Wednesday, a smile brighter than sunshine blooming on his face, his tone filled with pride as if he shared in the glory:
"Did you hear that! First! My Wednesday is the best!"
He was so smug he almost started dancing, as if he were the one who had received the honor.
"I knew it! My dear is cool and powerful; being popular was inevitable!"
Watching Victor looking ten times more excited than she was, the corner of Wednesday's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
She raised her hand expressionlessly and used a slender but cold finger to press against Victor's forehead, which was almost touching the tip of her nose, pushing him back a bit. Her tone was flat and emotionless:
"This kind of meaningless ranking will only attract unnecessary trouble and stupid stares."
"How could it be trouble!"
Victor took the opportunity to grab Wednesday's hand that was against his forehead, holding it tightly in his palm, his eyes still sparkling.
"This shows that everyone has good taste! They recognize your strength and charm!"
He swung Wednesday's hand, beginning to imagine the possibilities.
"Maybe in the future, Nevermore can release some merchandise or something, like a 'Wednesday Signature Dagger Necklace' or 'Dark Gothic Dresses'..."
"Second is Enid."
Bianca continued announcing the list, looking at Enid with approval.
"Her performance in the last battle, especially that power which combined wildness and precision, conquered almost all the werewolf students in the academy. You could say she's now the recognized, uncrowned 'Wolf Queen' of Nevermore."
"Hehehe."
Victor immediately turned his head to look at Enid, who was standing tall and graceful, her deep blue eyes holding a hint of shyness but also unable to hide her pride. An undisguised, proud silly grin appeared on his face.
"The Wolf Queen is my girlfriend!"
His voice was loud, as if he wanted everyone in the courtyard to hear.
In his smugness, he immediately puffed out his chest and pointed to himself with overflowing confidence:
"Then third must be me!"
In his view, as the core of the team with full participation, third place was practically in the bag.
A strange expression appeared on Bianca's face. She shook her head, ruthlessly crushing his fantasy:
"No, third is Venom."
"What? Why?"
Victor was instantly dazed, his eyes wide and round, completely unable to understand the logic of this ranking.
How could Venom be ranked ahead of him?
"Hahaha! You guys have good eyes after all! Good taste!"
Venom immediately peeked out from Victor's shoulder, letting out a raspy, smug laugh, several black tentacles even dancing with excitement.
"See that, Victor? The people's eyes are sharp! I'm the cooler one!"
Bianca suppressed a laugh and explained:
"According to the survey data from the backend, Venom received the majority of the votes from the boys in the academy. The reasons for voting were highly consistent—"
"They think he has an 'overbearing appearance', 'cool abilities','speaks directly', and is a 'manly guy who doesn't sweat the small stuff'. To summarize it in two words: very cool."
"What about me?" Victor pointed to his own nose in disbelief, pressing for an answer unwillingly. "How's my popularity? It's not like nobody voted for me, right?"
"Your popularity is also very high, of course..."
Bianca nodded, but then her tone shifted, and her expression became somewhat subtle.
"But... your number of negative reviews is also shockingly high, almost double the positive ones. Do you want me to randomly pick two representative negative reviews to read?"
"Read them!"
Victor stiffened his neck, adopting a posture of 'I'll see just how bad it can be'.
"No problem."
Bianca cleared her throat.
"I'll read a girl's comment first: 'Victor is so handsome, his body is so fit—'"
Hearing the beginning, Victor nodded with satisfaction, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. It seemed there were still people who knew how to appreciate him.
"But!"
Bianca's tone suddenly shifted, carrying a clear sense of disdain.
"'Two-timing scumbag! One star!'"
"..."
The smile on Victor's face instantly froze. He looked completely bewildered, opening his mouth to argue, only to find that... he couldn't?
"Next is a negative review from a guy."
Bianca didn't give him a chance to breathe, immediately switching to a gruff, coarse tone.
"'Bro is amazing! A total Casanova—being able to land Wednesday and Enid at the same time, he's a role model for our generation!'"
"Not bad, not bad! At least a brother understands me! A kindred spirit!"
Victor's eyes lit up again, feeling like he had found his tribe. He nodded repeatedly, even stealing a slightly smug glance at Wednesday and Enid beside him.
"But!"
This "but" was like ice water over the head, causing a sudden sense of foreboding to rise in Victor's heart.
Bianca roared in an even more indignant voice, as if fueled by raging flames of jealousy:
"'You shameless bastard! Actually having the gall to live in the girls' dormitory! And using your proximity to pick up the two prettiest roommates! This guy should be tied to a Stake and burned! One star! Definitely one star!'"
"..."
Victor was completely petrified on the spot, as if he could hear the sound of his own heart breaking.
With a long face, he looked at Wednesday and Enid beside him, his eyes full of innocence and grievance:
"Am I... am I being cursed out based on my own merit?"
Wednesday glanced at him expressionlessly and added a final blow in a flat tone:
"To be precise, you are being cursed out based on the merit of your 'living environment' and'social circle'."
Enid couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, her shoulders shaking, her eyes full of teasing:
"It seems your 'popularity', Victor, is quite a complex mix~"
Venom was already laughing so hard his tentacles were trembling, his large white eyes crinkling into slits.
"Hahaha! Bro, have you finally faced reality? Being popular and drawing aggro are sometimes the same thing! Whereas I am just pure cool!"
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