“Pandora, you’re… you’re back quite late.”
Delia stared at the long-haired girl standing in the doorway, her expression a swirl of conflicting emotions.
She didn’t know what Senior had done after taking the girl away, but judging by the scraped knees and the tear tracks staining her face, she had certainly been taught a harsh lesson.
There was also a strange crow perched on her shoulder.
A warm current surged through Delia’s heart. Senior was simply too good to her… she truly wanted to do something in return for her!
However, what worried her was the way the black-haired girl’s eyes were wide and fixed, staring straight at her in a way that made her skin crawl.
Suddenly!
Pandora took two quick running steps from the doorway, launching into a sliding dogeza that brought her skidding right to Delia’s feet. She let out a pathetic sob.
“I was wrong!”
“Eh? Pandora?”
Delia was startled. This wasn’t just a lesson; the girl’s very spirit seemed to have collapsed.
Seeing her miserable state, the tea-haired girl couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. She quickly helped her up, offering a gentle smile. “It’s alright. I don’t mind.”
Being treated with such condescension by this “idiot brat” infuriated Pandora, yet she couldn’t stop a bizarre desire from bubbling up—a craving to be insulted and berated by the girl. Just imagining it made her body tremble with a strange excitement.
Unfortunately, the idiot brat wasn’t nearly interesting enough for that.
With Delia’s help, Pandora scrambled to her feet, grabbed her change of clothes, and hurried off to the showers.
In the shower stall, warm water washed over the girl’s snow-white skin, flowing down a physique that was slightly more developed than that of an average girl her age.
With no crow to watch her here, she leaned her hands against the wall, lost in thought.
The immediate crisis had passed, but being constantly watched by that crow was a massive headache. She had to deal with it somehow! Otherwise, her hands would be tied at every turn, and she wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything.
Her mind raced until a lightbulb suddenly went off. She had an idea.
She would use a Senior to defeat a Senior!
Back during the freshman orientation, that eccentric girl from the Karuta Club had given her a card, inviting her to visit. No matter how powerful “Mother” was, surely she was no match for those high-year students?
Hmph, how could a mere idiot girl ever win against a true maiden?
The next day, after classes ended, Pandora returned to the dorm. She changed into a white lace camisole dress that radiated innocence, leaving a generous amount of her porcelain chest and her well-proportioned, slender legs exposed. She slipped into a pair of flats without socks; her goal was to show as much skin as possible.
Humming a tune, she prepared to head to the Karuta Club to scout the situation and perhaps harvest a little Sin Value along the way to help her “bloom” sooner.
As she reached for her handbag to head out, the crow let out a sharp caw.
“What now?” Pandora snapped, stopping in her tracks.
“It’s cold outside. Put on more layers.”
Pandora clenched her fists, fuming internally. Mom! Why do you have to control everything?!
“So strange,” the crow said, tilting its head. “Are you not afraid of the cold? How long has this symptom lasted? Does it have anything to do with the box?”
The moment the box was mentioned, Pandora’s face instantly broke into a sunny, radiant smile. Her voice was sweet and melodious.
“Oh my, I was so focused on looking pretty that I forgot about the temperature! I’ll go change right now, tra-la-la~”
Fifteen minutes later, the girl emerged from the room, biting her lip in suppressed rage. She was now wearing a black crinoline dress with a small lapel and red silk trim.
“Do you have to stay on my shoulder? You’re heavy!” she complained after a few steps.
The crow ignored her.
“Tch.”
Pandora huffed.
As she walked through the corridors, Pandora’s eyes darted around, scanning the crowd. After searching for a long time, she couldn’t find anyone prettier than herself.
It seemed that the Academy wasn’t entirely populated by students on the same level as that Senior from the orientation. She finally felt a sense of relief; she was still quite competitive in the looks department.
Suddenly, her gaze pierced through a gap in the crowd, catching a glimpse of a vivid, blood-red streak against the snowy skin of someone’s wrist.
It was a red hand-cord, adorned with a light purple crystal charm in the shape of a little seal.
The seal was round and chubby, hitting Pandora’s “cute” trigger instantly. Her heart fluttered.
Ah, I want to steal it…
Her attention was completely captured by the little seal. she hurried forward, pretending to be passing by, and brushed lightly against the girl wearing the bracelet.
In the moment they crossed paths, her fingers became like supple white snakes. She accurately snagged the cord, nimbly unfastened it, and with a flick of her wrist, it was transferred to her own hand, fastened and secure.
This was a level of dexterity known in the thieving trade as the “Magician’s Hand”—fingers so flexible they could bend backwards, joints seemingly non-existent, moving like the boneless tentacles of an octopus.
But before she could even congratulate herself, the crow hopped down and delivered a sharp peck to the back of her hand!
“Wueeeh…”
Pandora stiffened, a jolt of pain radiating through her. She hissed air through her teeth, enduring the sting.
“How are you so practiced at this?” the crow scolded as it flew back to her shoulder. “Give it back, now!”
Damn it, I got too absorbed. I forgot Mom was watching…
Pandora cursed herself for being an idiot. Committing a crime right under her nose was peak stupidity.
The girl walking ahead felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a black-haired girl with misty, sorrowful eyes. She was holding out a familiar seal-pendant bracelet in both hands. Her lips trembled as she let out a voice like a whispering fledgling.
“Sister… did you drop this?”
The girl felt her heart break at the sight. She said softly, “Ah, I’m so sorry, I must have dropped it…”
As she took it back and saw the lingering, longing look in Pandora’s eyes, the girl flashed a bright smile and handed it back.
“If you like it that much, I’ll give it to you.”
“I love it! Thank you, Sister!”
Pandora’s heart skipped a beat, genuinely moved.
Once they reached a secluded area, she raised her wrist, showing off the bracelet to the crow like a trophy. She said triumphantly, “Haha! She gave it to me! She gave it to me! My charm truly is invincible!”
“Hmph. You’re easily satisfied,” the crow said, turning its head away in disdain.
“Tra-la-la~”
Full of confidence again, Pandora marched forward with a rhythmic stride, her legs kicking her skirt up with a rhythmic poof-poof sound.
The crow narrowed its eyes, tucking its wings tight. It sat pinned to her shoulder, motionless.
The Karuta Club was located in a corner of the Activity Center.
The Activity Center was a large, gallery-style building consisting of small rooms connected to several large halls.
Pandora took off her shoes. Her legs, clad in black stockings, stepped across the brightly polished wooden corridor until she reached the corner.
The members of the Karuta Club were currently sitting in a circle, playing Bridge.
“I don’t want to be on Nopeti’s team! She plays way too casually!” Lilith complained.
“It’s supposed to be relaxing. You’re just too competitive,” Gymnopedie replied.
“I’m done!” Lilith tossed her cards down. “We need to find a solution. I have makeup exams coming up, and if I don’t recover my mana soon, I’m in big trouble.”
“Then let’s stop playing,” Nopeti said, stretching her arms above her head. The movement accentuated her stunning curves. She let out a yawn. “I’ve been thinking about it these past few days. The ‘Acting Method’ you mentioned actually seems more plausible.”
“So you weren’t thinking at all before?” Lilith put her face in her hands, speechless.
“Now, now, don’t be impatient. I’m going to put it into practice today.”
Gymnopedie first motioned for the visiting junior to take a seat, then went to the inner room and dragged out a large, prepared crate.
When she opened it, it contained a full demon cosplay set: a headband with horns, a strange tail, scales, wings, colored contact lenses, and more.
“Today, we’ll test it out on the President,” she muttered.
The little silver-haired girl raised an eyebrow, pointing a finger at herself in confusion.
None of them knew that the instigator of all their troubles was secretly observing everything through the eyes of a crow.
The silver-haired girl put on the cosplay piece by piece. She sat cross-legged, her eyes vacant, striking a pose that screamed, I am a grand being.
Nopeti knelt directly in front of her, prostrating herself like a devout Believer. She kept her head buried deep against her knees, muttering for a long time.
Suddenly, she jerked her head up, a look of pure disbelief on her face. She froze for a moment, then turned to Lilith and whispered, “It worked…”
“Really? It actually worked?” Lilith asked, stunned.
“Wait, something seems a bit different.” Nopeti’s brows furrowed. she raised a hand for silence, closing her eyes to sense the change carefully. She said in confusion, “I can use mana… but I can’t absorb any.”
