SAINTESS [Chapter 69: Playing a round?]

Winnie opened his mouth, wanting to ask if the two of them had forgotten that this was a tutoring session for him, but in the end, he chose to close it again.

It wasn't that he was a coward, but rather because he felt that the two girls in front of him were chatting quite 'heatedly,' so heatedly that he felt if he dared to interject at this moment, he would be completely oblivious to social cues and atmosphere.

The two girls just stared at each other. Their exchange could be described as friendly, yet there was an underlying tension, like swords drawn.

Caught in the middle, Winnie was at a loss. He felt he should take some measures to avoid being affected by the high-pressure aura of the two, but he was utterly helpless.

Surely, if they were arguing, he couldn't just move closer to Shikondell and distance himself from their dispute, could he? Winnie always felt that if he really did that, the situation would only get worse. Perhaps these two cannons would turn from clashing with each other to aiming at him alone, which would be even more disastrous.

It was at this moment that the class bell finally rang, appearing like a savior to rescue Winnie from his sea of suffering.

Winnie sighed in relief, feeling that he could finally escape this terrible oppression. However, once the teacher entered the classroom, he realized a serious problem.

These two seemed to be staying in their current seats and had no intention of leaving, did they?

But, didn't Isatia come without a textbook?

“Oh, Isatia, you seem to have arrived a bit too hastily. Do you need me to lend you my textbook?” Aesphyra said, her face is full of goodwill, although Winnie couldn't fathom what she was thinking. Her seat was already very close to Winnie, making it convenient for her to grab her book bag.

Tsk, tsk, this stinky harem queen, her old habits are back. She wants to use this opportunity to make physical contact with Isatia and advance their relationship, right?

Winnie scornfully thought.

“No need,” Isatia responded calmly, as if she had long anticipated this situation. As she spoke, she leaned a little closer to Winnie. “Winnie and I can make do. I can also tutor Winnie along the way.”

“...” Aesphyra smiled without speaking.

Pfft.

For some reason, seeing Aesphyra's dejected expression at her failed attempt to pick up a girl, Winnie found it quite amusing.

He cautiously shifted to his side. Isatia and Aesphyra were sitting properly to his left. Aesphyra had no intention of leaving; she had opened her textbook and was ready for class.

“Winnie, try your best to understand for now. I'll teach you after class,” Isatia's cool voice carries a hint of noticeable warmth.

“Ah, oh! Okay, thank you,” Winnie replied, ignoring Aesphyra, who was looking over and chuckling, and noting Isatia.

As expected, Winnie was once again completely lost in this class, listening to gibberish. It was the familiar recipe, the familiar taste. He could hear the words, but when put together, they became a string of completely unintelligible mysterious symbols; he couldn't understand a single phrase.

Winnie knew his single-core processor couldn't keep up with the times, but he hadn't expected the difference to be so vast.

His only thought was that Isatia smelled really good.

Hey, hey! He really wasn't being perverted! It was a genuine feeling. He couldn't just sit there completely unmoved with a cool and beautiful black-haired girl next to him, could he?

Wouldn't that be the greatest disrespect to her?

Soon, this class also ended in a blur. The teachers at Carillian Academy were, after all, an elite team. They noticed that a certain student in class was completely lost due to missing a few days, so they thoughtfully told Winnie that if he had any questions after class, he could come find him.

Winnie had also thought about finding the teacher if he didn't understand something, however.

Looking at Isatia beside him, he felt as if he was bound and couldn't get up.

Isatia saw him completely lost in class and specially came to sit beside him to tutor him. If he then turned around and went to the teacher, wouldn't that be a very embarrassing thing to do?

So, Winnie certainly couldn't go find the teacher himself and asked Isatia next to him to continue teaching him.

This class...

He already couldn't understand it, and with the constant low pressure and aura next to him, it was even more terrifying. It would occasionally steal his attention, making him observe the other 'battle' beside him.

Winnie didn't know why he involuntarily used the word 'battle' to describe Aesphyra and Isatia sitting to his left. He just felt that if he were sitting between the two of them now, he might have been battered beyond recognition by the storm.

Although with their status and aristocratic bearing, they certainly wouldn't resort to kicking each other under the table, Winnie just felt that the atmosphere between them was quite subtle.

In the original work, the relationship between these two was also very heated, a Schrödinger's 'who's on top' combination, just like the famous law that two bottoms must have one top, and two tops must also have one bottom.

Winnie remembered that in the original work, for Aesphyra and Isatia, who was on top depended on who had more dominant energy, and whoever lost the mutual-top competition was on the bottom.

In other words, the result was random each time, which was quite interesting.

Winnie wasn't sure if the two were playing this game right now, but they just happened to seize on the topic of 'engagement,' and thus began to argue endlessly, vying for dominance. After all, it's quite normal for dominant people to want to gain control over any topic.

One couldn't help but admire Isatia's clear and easy-to-understand teaching method. After just one break, Winnie had caught up somewhat.

Well, it wasn't that Isatia was good at teaching people, but rather that Isatia had an extremely strong learning ability. There was nothing she wasn't good at; this was just one of her many shining points, and the most inconspicuous one at that.

Aesphyra was also like this, but this girl had previously tried to manipulate and tease him with the matter of tutoring.

One could only say that the difference was immediately apparent. Isatia's appearance completely turned a certain silver-haired nut into a clown.

Winnie had also noticed during class that besides some tutoring for him, the two of them were almost entirely focused on each other. They refused to yield, only had eyes for each other, and couldn't accommodate anyone else. Winnie even felt that he had no room to interfere between them.

Was this the gears of fate in the original work turning again, bringing these two onto the same gear tooth once more, making them fall for each other?

Winnie still remembered that many people at Carillian Academy shipped this pair. The competition and rivalry between the top two students in their grade, both beautiful girls from prominent families, both strong-willed, and even their hair colors had a strong CP vibe, one silver and one black.

Heh, you really can't say, can you?

Soon, class was dismissed. Winnie had been in a daze all morning, feeling like he was in class but also not really. He was completely bewildered throughout. The teacher on the podium opened and closed their mouths, seemed to be speaking, but he just couldn't understand what they were saying.

It seemed these knowledge gaps could only be force-fed by Isatia's subsequent explanations.

It wasn't until he saw students leaving the classroom one after another that Winnie realized that the morning classes were mostly over, with only one class remaining.

If Winnie remembered correctly, the last class was combat training, which would be held in the training grounds. Since it was also the last class of the morning, everyone packed up their textbooks and walked out of the teaching hall.

Winnie looked at the innocent-looking Shikondell next to him, then at Isatia and Aesphyra to his left.

Two living fathers, oh no, living mothers.

After Aesphyra packed her textbooks, she was the first to stand up and glanced at Isatia, who was still seated.

“Isatia, you're really amazing. You have no pressure at all with cultural subjects. It seems your learning progress is quite advanced,” Aesphyra praised.

“It's alright,” Isatia replied to Aesphyra without even lifting her gaze, giving a rather perfunctory answer. “In this regard, I'm far from you, Aesphyra.”

“I truly think Isatia is very capable and excellent,” Aesphyra said with a smile. “I've seen the cultural written exam results from last semester's final exam. Your score was also perfect, wasn't it?”

“Aesphyra is quite refined and at ease,” Isatia naturally referred to Aesphyra deliberately checking her score in detail.

“Of course, because I've always paid close attention to Miss Isatia~” Aesphyra tilted her head and said directly, smiling like a charming little white fox made of jade.

Tsk, tsk, it's starting again, isn't it?

Winnie cast a disdainful look at Aesphyra.

This silver-haired nut is going to start flirting again.

“Is that so? Should I thank Aesphyra for her attention to me?” Isatia raised her eyes and looked at Aesphyra.

“Mhm~ I'm also very concerned about rankings, after all, Isatia is ranked second in the grade. If I don't pay more attention, you might surpass me one day.” Aesphyra seemed to be stating a very ordinary sentence. Well, if it wasn't for the 'second in the grade' and 'might surpass me one day' which added an imperceptible but indeed present emphasis, it should really just be a very simple humble remark.

With Isatia's keenness, it was impossible for her not to notice, but Aesphyra seemed completely unaware, speaking the sentence as if she thought the other person wouldn't care about such small details.

“…” Isatia was silent for a moment, then stood up, walking around Aesphyra to her previous spot, and began packing her book bag.

“Uh uh?” Winnie looked at Isatia's retreating figure, then at Aesphyra, who was still watching Isatia with a beaming smile.

“Winnie, did Isatia and Aesphyra argue? What about?” Then the innocent white-haired elf next to him leaned closer and whispered to Winnie.

“Shh, kids shouldn't talk nonsense. What do you know? They have a great relationship, they were just flirting! Which eye of yours saw them arguing?” Winnie made a shushing gesture, rolled his eyes at Shikondell, and responded softly.

“Flirting?” Shikondell tilted her head. Although she didn't quite understand the definition of the word, she just felt that their previous way of interacting wasn't like this.

Elves are very sensitive to emotional fluctuations. Shikondell could clearly perceive the subtle emotional shifts in their previous conversations and the emotions with which they had spoken.

Emotional fluctuations?

Even if there were emotional fluctuations, Winnie wouldn't know. After all, his virtue system only reacts when a heroine destined to experience emotional fluctuations because of him. If a destined heroine experienced emotional fluctuations because of another destined heroine, he would have no reaction at all and wouldn't know.

“Alright, enough talk. These are not things a child like you should understand,” Winnie lectured Shikondell in an adult tone. “Dell, don't be curious. You'll experience it eventually, but not now, understand?”

“Eh, eh eh?!” Shikondell was stunned for a moment. After realizing what Winnie had said, her cheeks inexplicably flushed.

'Virtue + 50.'

'Current Virtue: 4684.'

This girl is too easily embarrassed.

Winnie scratched his head.

After packing their textbooks, the entire class headed towards the training grounds.

Today's combat class was different. Usually, it was unarmed combat, but today it was armed combat. Aside from not being able to use soul arts, enchanted items, or alchemical potions, everything else relies on individual performance.

Winnie put on his training uniform and walked onto the training ground.

Well, everyone else had basically changed into their training uniforms too.

Winnie even saw a certain golden-haired elven imp secretly sticking out her tongue at him.

This damned golden elf imp, lacking love again. She'd forgotten the pain after the wound healed. Had she already forgotten the humiliation of being soundly defeated by him in the last combat class?

The combat teacher had already taught their class for a semester and was an old acquaintance. She immediately shocked everyone to go to the weapon rack by the training ground and pick up their preferred training weapons.

Winnie walked forward and picked up a training model long spear, twirling it a few times in place.

He hadn't scientifically learned any fancy spear techniques, but this was his most familiar weapon. He had used it countless times, going through life and death.

“Alright, we have plenty of time for this class, students. In the future, your rankings will involve arena matches. Today, we'll simulate an arena battle,” the female combat teacher said, then had the students gather around the training ground, leaving the center clear.

"Who wants to go first? Don't be nervous just because so many people are watching you. You're all classmates, there's nothing to be afraid of. In your future arena battles, there will be a crowd of strangers of different grades watching. So, practice your mindset when being watched now."

“Teacher, I'd like to be the first.” Soon, a male student swaggered forward with a training scimitar.

Winnie recognized him; he seemed to be a student from the Tyrell Empire in their class.

“Very good, then pick an opponent,” the female teacher said, crossing her arms.

“Haha,” the tall male student exclaimed a few times, not rushing to choose his opponent. “I'm sure all of you know that there was an accident in the Mars Dungeon a few days ago, and some students were trapped inside. It was quite dangerous, but fortunately, thanks to the decisionness, calmness, and strength of those involved, they managed to break through the encirclement.”

“I was really worried for them back then. I'm incredibly happy about their escape, but at the same time, I'm also curious about the actual strength of Winnie, who remained calm in the face of danger while in the Dungeon.”

Well, well, so he's getting straight to the point already?

Realizing that the eyes of the entire class, along with the Imperial male student's words, had fallen upon him, Winnie yawned with a speechless expression.

“Winnie, your injuries should be fully healed, right?” the male student joked in a teasing tone. “After all, I heard you weren't seriously injured to begin with.”

“I wonder if you can demonstrate your explosive power in the Dungeon and your strength as a top twenty-three ranked student today?”

Tsk, tsk.

Winnie knew it would be like this.

Two to three more days on this schedule after that I will back on time