[BL] Challenge: 100 Baby in Fantasy World-Chapter 255: Avoiding

Not only Vania, but even the beastkin girls who had been bullying her looked up toward the second floor, eyes wide in disbelief.

"All customers are to be treated equally, ladies. We hope such behavior won’t happen again," the shop staff clarified politely, though his tone carried quiet authority.

No one replied.

The whole situation had gone completely off-script for the beastkin girls and Vania used that moment to leave without saying a word. Her heart felt heavy and strange, and shame burned hot across her face.

Upstairs, those who had witnessed everything from above didn’t have much to say. Only Andine finally spoke up.

"I just hope Vania stops denying her own mistakes."

...

After class ended, Gara greeted his classmates with a polite smile. More and more of them had started being friendly lately. Not that he knew whether that was a good or bad thing.

As he exited the tower, he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to loosen the stiffness. He had really slipped into the rhythm of being a student again, the routine oddly nostalgic. It reminded him of his days studying in his previous world, same work ethic, same drive to master every bit of new knowledge that came his way.

"Heading back to the dorm?" Madha called out as he approached, joined by Revan, Jett, and Fian from another tower.

"Yeah. I just want to rest after this," Gara nodded.

"Same here. No more classes or training today," Madha said.

That usually meant Madha planned to enter the Dimensional Home with Gara. Fian nodded as well.

From a distance, Gara spotted Mona walking alone. The ghost girl was always by herself.

"Mona, heading to the dorm? Come with us," Gara called out. He couldn’t help but see a bit of Ava in her. He didn’t want people to avoid Ava someday just because of something she couldn’t control.

Mona simply nodded and joined them.

Before long, they reached the dorm tower.

Inside the lobby, Miki and his usual gossip circle were chatting away. The moment he noticed Gara’s group, Miki excused himself from him friends and hurried over.

"You guys really don’t hang out with Andine anymore, huh?" he greeted, voice tinged with curiosity and mischief.

"What are you talking about?" Gara frowned, shaking his head, though after a second, he realized Andine hadn’t come back with them. "We’re not in the same class as her. It’s normal we don’t go back together."

"But that’s not what I heard," Miki replied, his eyes gleaming with gossip-fueled excitement.

A few students nearby pretended not to eavesdrop but were obviously listening. Revan, ever the one to protect Class S’s image, immediately ushered Gara and Miki toward the floating stone.

Inside the pillar, Gara finally asked, curiosity getting the better of him. "So, what rumor did you hear?"

Before Miki could answer, the pillar doors slid open. They both stepped out, standing by the corridor junction where their rooms split off in different directions.

"I heard Andine confessed her feelings to Fianand that he turned her down," Miki said at last.

Gara blinked, eyes widening slightly. He already knew Andine had feelings for Fian, but he hadn’t expected her to actually confess.

And worse, he hadn’t expected the rumor to spread across the entire academy, reaching the ears of Miki, the gossip god himself.

Not long after, Fian and Madha stepped out of the pillar. Gara wasted no time asking Fian directly.

"I turned her down," Fian replied, short and clear.

"So it’s true then. Andine’s been avoiding you because she feels awkward," Miki nodded, jumping to his own conclusion.

Madha, who had only caught half of the conversation, immediately got the picture. "If Andine still wants to hang out with us, that’s fine. But if she’s uncomfortable, no one’s gonna blame her for keeping her distance."

Revan and Jett soon joined them, catching fragments of the talk. "I’ve noticed you guys haven’t been eating with Andine lately," Revan pointed out.

"That’s actually why people started wondering what happened," Miki explained, clearly pleased to be the source of information.

"I thought Andine was just busy training her trait," Gara said, a hint of guilt creeping in. He had been spending time helping Mona but hadn’t trained with Andine, so he hadn’t thought much of her absence. Who knew that would spark a rumor among their classmates’ fans?

...

Andine’s strange behavior didn’t stop there. The following week, during the counseling meeting, she didn’t show upeven though class was about to start.

"What’s going on with Andine?" Revan finally asked, worry creeping into his tone. The mermaid girl had never missed a single class.

"Maybe she’s avoiding Fian so much she doesn’t even want to be in the same room with him?" Miki guessed.

The tension between Andine and Gara’s group hadn’t gone unnoticed by Lysa and Vania, two other Class S students outside their circle. Neither said anything, it wasn’t their business. Especially Vania, who often threw cold glances their way but didn’t dare speak up.

Moments later, Pere entered the room. And following right behind him, Andine.

But instead of heading to her seat, Andine walked straight to the front. "Sir, I’d like to be the first to take counseling. I have another training session after this."

"That’s fine," Pere nodded.

Without waiting for him to lead the way, Andine turned and left the classroom. Even Pere looked startled by how fast she moved.

He wasn’t the only one shocked. The whole class froze, their suspicions about Andine’s avoidance now completely confirmed.

"Wow, Andine’s being extra today," Miki muttered.

No one responded. The air felt heavy, more worried than gossipy now.

Realizing the gloomy atmosphere he’d caused, Miki quickly changed the topic. "Revan, I heard the vice principal’s coming to watch the Class S Duel next week, right?" he asked brightly.

The topic switch worked, especially on Gara. "Wait, really? Sir Agus Soren’s coming?"

Revan nodded. "That’s what Professor Langga told me a few days ago."

"Are you not close with your grandfather?" Gara finally asked. Truth be told, he’d wanted to ask that for a whilebut he’d held back, not wanting to seem nosy about someone’s family matters.

Even though Gara had learned a lot about the Space Bloodline from Mona, it still didn’t cover the things he really wanted to know, the kind of knowledge that could help him better understand his Dimensional Home Pocket.

"I’m close to him," Revan replied. "It’s just that he locks himself in his study most of the time. He only comes out once every few years."

"Once every few years?" Miki’s eyes widened. "And you call that close?"

"That is close, isn’t it? Other vampires my age only meet their grandparents once in their whole lives," Revan said, completely earnest.

Gara and Madha could only shake their heads. So the rumors about how reclusive vampires were weren’t exaggerated after all.

"Revan, is it true that your grandfather knows about space-type abilities?" Gara asked, earning a puzzled look from Revan.

"You seem really interested in space-type abilities," Revan said, glancing toward Mona, who had been training with Gara lately.

Gara choked slightly and quickly deflected, "I was just asking because I wanted to know more about Mona’s Space Bloodline. If the vice principal knows about space-type abilities, maybe he could open a Space Classso students like her can get proper guidance."

Revan nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. I know my grandfather has a lot of knowledge about native Bloodlines from various Devil sub-species. Maybe he does know something about the Space Bloodline."

"Let’s hope so." Gara couldn’t hide the grin forming on his face. He couldn’t wait to meet that old vampire.

...

A week passed quickly. The second Class S Duel of the year finally began. The great hall was packed with students. Some came just to enjoy the thrill of the battles, while others harbored ambitions of replacing the current Class S students.

Among the seats of the first-year Class S, Gara wasn’t focused on the podium. Instead, his eyes searched the row of professors and staff, eagerly waiting for Agus Soren’s arrival.

Suddenly, someone blocked his view. A girl with shimmering golden hair and matching golden gills stood before him, holding three leather bottles.

"Gara, Madha, Fian... would you accept these mermaid elixirs as my apology?" Andine asked, her voice trembling, eyes glistening with tears.

All three of them —Gara, Madha, and Fian— turned toward the mermaid girl in surprise.

For the past two weeks, Andine had been distant, avoiding them without a word. And now, out of nowhere, she showed up offering them elixirs? That alone was enough to stun everyone.

Still, Gara wasn’t the type to refuse a gesture of reconciliation.

"Thank you, Andine. Of course we’ll drink it," he said with an easy smile.

Without hesitation, Gara took one of the glass bottles and drank it in a single motion. Seeing him do so, Madha and Fian followed suit without a second thought.

Once they finished, Andine gave a small nod, then turned and left. She didn’t return to sit with the Class S students. Instead, she joined the seats among Class B, where many of her fellow mermaids were gathered.

As soon as she was gone, Miki leaned closer, lowering his voice in disbelief.

"You guys just drank it? What if she put something in there?"

...