Chapter 46: Relax, I’ve Got This

Chapter 46: Relax, I’ve Got This

Reality World, Crustyroll.

The audience watching from the dimensional stream had mixed reactions.

They’d just witnessed Chen Kong getting completely talked into circles by Tendou in a matter of seconds.

But instead of pitying him, their attention had shifted—specifically to the way Chen Kong’s eyes followed Isabelle as she left earlier.

“It’s over. Our boy’s fallen in love.”

“‘That Time I Met a Cold Aristocratic Beauty at a Noble School’—coming soon to theaters!”

“A poor boy falls for a rich heiress? Classic dog-blood romance! I don’t care, I love this trash! Woof woof woof!”

“Seriously, Kong? She just flipped her hair, and your soul’s already halfway to heaven?”

While the viewers teased and barked in delight at Chen Kong’s tragic love-at-first-sight moment, Tendou was in an entirely different mood—humming a cheerful tune as he strolled toward the main teaching building, clearly pleased with himself.

And who could blame him? That impromptu “extra scene” he pulled earlier had not only boosted his popularity ratings once again, but also ensured that the Season 1 main plotline remained intact and on a stable course—one that still favored his position as the “guy who knows the script.”

After all, in the original story, the person who was supposed to step in and help Chen Kong wasn’t Tendou at all—it was none other than the tsundere twin-tailed lady herself, Isabelle.

Even that “exploding soda bottle” trick? That was originally her move against Dekora.

So yes, Tendou might’ve shaken things up a little, stolen a few scenes, and swapped around who embarrassed whom, but as far as he was concerned, the core plot was untouched.

Everything was still under control.

. . .

Afternoon – First Year Class 1, Trilan Junior High.

Chen Kong pushed open the back door, carrying two heavy crates of Blue Tone Mountain City sodas in his arms.

A few students near the back looked up curiously.

They didn’t know him—just another unfamiliar face among the dozens of rich kids in crisp uniforms—but seeing someone lugging that many drinks into class was unusual enough to earn him a few extra glances.

Feeling all those eyes on him, the naturally introverted Chen Kong instantly stiffened.

His hands felt clammy. His steps awkward.

But then… he spotted a familiar golden silhouette sitting near the front row.

Isabelle.

That single sight sparked something inside him.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened up and raised his voice.

“E-Everyone! Um… these drinks were bought by another exchange student—Masamune Tendou!”

He stumbled a little but pushed through anyway.

“He said that even though we’ll only be classmates for a month, classmates are classmates, and we should all get along well!”

“So he asked me to bring these drinks here for everyone to share—so that, um, we can be friends faster!”

He meant well.

And maybe, just maybe, he wanted to defend Tendou’s name a little too.

But what he definitely didn’t realize was that he’d just said something that Tendou never actually said.

And the moment those words left his mouth—the entire classroom went silent.

Dozens of eyes turned toward him.

Some amused. Some skeptical. Some with that “are you for real?” kind of stare that could kill a man’s confidence on the spot.

Even through the livestream, the audience watching could feel the secondhand embarrassment.

“Bro… the cringe… it’s radiating through dimensions…”

“Abort mission, Kong, abort!”

“My toes are drilling holes through the floor right now!”

It wasn’t hard to understand why the reaction was like this.

After all, Trilan Junior High wasn’t just any school in the Coastal District—it was one of the most prestigious private academies around.

And among its students? Aside from a few scholarship exceptions with rare talents, everyone else came from money—a lot of money.

For kids like them, who grew up in mansions and summered in other countries, a random transfer student showing up with “free soda” and “let’s all be friends” energy…

It wasn’t cute.

It was alien.

And poor Chen Kong—standing there, sweating under the weight of two crates of soda—had no idea that he’d just unintentionally walked into one of the most awkward moments in Trilan history.

A mere bottle of soda meant nothing to these students—it wasn’t worth their attention, let alone being gifted by some stranger.

And besides, Chen Kong had only been in the class for half a day. He was new, unfamiliar, and—if one were being honest—hadn’t shown any special talent or charm to make people notice him.

So while no one would outright bully him, they certainly wouldn’t go out of their way to talk to him either.

Calling him half an outsider would’ve been generous.

Which was why, when this so-called outsider suddenly tried to “be friendly,” everyone found it… suspicious, to say the least.

Of course, poor Chen Kong didn’t realize any of this.

After all, back in Ember Base, even someone as transparent as him—one of the lesser-known “Children of the Stars”—would’ve been taken seriously if he said, “This came from Tendou.”

No matter how reluctant the others were, they’d still take the drinks. After all, no one wanted to offend that guy.

But this… this wasn’t the Ember Base.

This was Trilan Junior High—a completely different world.

And as the weight of his own awkwardness pressed down on him, Chen Kong lowered his head, wishing he could vanish into thin air.

Just then, a flash of radiant gold entered his vision.

“Give me one.”

He looked up, startled—only to find Isabelle standing right in front of him, her hand extended expectantly.

When did she even walk over?

There was no mistaking it—she was helping him out of the situation.

And after what had happened in the cafeteria earlier… that one simple gesture completely melted what remained of Chen Kong’s composure.

‘An angel… she’s an angel.’

But Isabelle’s brows furrowed slightly when he just stood there, frozen.

Seriously? Could he be any slower? No wonder he’d gotten bullied by Dekora—this kind of cluelessness was practically begging for it.

Still, for reasons of her own, Isabelle let it slide. With a calm wave of her hand, she called out to one of the boys in the back row.

“Leo, help me pass these around.”

“Ah—got it, Class Rep!”

The tension in the room instantly dissipated. With Isabelle taking charge, everyone relaxed, moving to grab a bottle or two from the crates.

Watching his classmates actually helping out, Chen Kong finally exhaled the breath he’d been holding.

He turned to Isabelle, his voice barely above a whisper. “Th-thank you…”

“It’s nothing,” Isabelle replied evenly. “Keeping a harmonious atmosphere in class is part of my duty as class representative.”

Then, after a brief pause, she added, almost casually,

“By the way… you said these drinks were bought by another exchange student—this Tendou person, right? Mind telling me what he was like at your old school?”

Her tone was smooth, measured.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she continued, “I just want to avoid any… incidents like what happened in the cafeteria. So I’d rather understand who I’m dealing with ahead of time.”

Completely oblivious to the trap in her words, the thoroughly lovestruck Chen Kong nodded earnestly and began recounting everything he knew about Tendou from Ember.

Thankfully, he wasn’t entirely brainless—he carefully replaced “Ember Base” with “my old school,” and referred to the “Children of the Stars” as “my classmates.”

Even so… he talked. And Isabelle listened, every word painting a sharper image in her mind.

And so, after a round of “creative interpretation” from Chen Kong…

The fearsome tyrant who once ruled over the Ember Base with an iron fist—Tendou, scourge of the dorm halls, master of mischief—was somehow transformed in Chen Kong’s retelling into a radiant, cheerful, and altruistic model student.

To be fair, from Chen Kong’s point of view, that was the truth.

And while Isabelle didn’t know what kind of person Tendou had been before transferring here, after recalling what had just happened in the cafeteria, she found herself quietly accepting Chen Kong’s words.

After all, if Tendou weren’t a good person, would he really have stood up for his former classmate in an unfamiliar school—knowing full well it might make him an outcast?

The thought softened her expression slightly.

“Alright,” Isabelle interrupted as Chen Kong looked ready to ramble on. Her tone was polite, but distant. “That’s enough. Thank you for telling me…”

She almost said his name—then froze.

What was his name again?

Thankfully, Isabelle wasn’t the type to stumble over something so trivial. Without a hint of embarrassment, she asked outright:

“Sorry, what was your name again?”

“Chen Kong,” he answered quickly.

“Chen Kong, is it?” Isabelle nodded gracefully. “Thank you, Chen Kong. I’ll make sure you and Tendou adjust to this class smoothly—and I’ll see to it that what happened earlier doesn’t repeat itself.”

“Don’t worry,” she added, a faint glint in her eyes. “As long as I’m here, that narcissist Dekora won’t be making any waves.”

Then, as if the matter were settled, Isabelle turned away. “Class is about to start. Go take your seat. I need a bit of rest myself.”

And with that, she walked back to her desk without a backward glance.

Leaving Chen Kong standing there alone—grinning like an idiot, rubbing the back of his head, utterly thrilled that she had called his name.

Meanwhile, the dimensional audience, watching from their omniscient vantage point, could only groan.

“Bro, stop smiling—you are making me gag!”

“Good grief, Kong! You didn’t think it was weird she couldn’t remember your name even after half a day, but somehow she already knows Tendou’s before he even showed up? How dense can you be?!”

“Oh no… oh no. I can smell the tragic-romance subplot brewing. Somebody stop it!”

While Chen Kong basked in blissful delusion and the audience despaired collectively, the scene elsewhere shifted—Tendou, having just finished his registration paperwork, was immediately dragged up to the school rooftop by Caroline. He hadn’t even glanced at the dimensional screen, let alone noticed what was happening in class.

“Caroline, what’s going on?” he asked, brushing a hand through his hair. “You suddenly pulled me up here for something?”

“Here,” Caroline said, tossing him a sleek black tablet. “This is the mission intel Instructor Tachibana asked me to hand over.”

Tendou caught it one-handed, the corners of his mouth curving in that lazy, infuriatingly confident grin. He flicked through the files, scrolling for a few seconds just to look like he was paying attention—then handed the tablet right back.

“So, you’re telling me someone’s planning to kidnap Isabelle during the training camp next week?”

Caroline crossed her arms, expression cool as ever. “That’s right.”

“What about Yume-nee? What’s her take on it?”

“Instructor Tachibana says it’s better not to alert them. We play along, act normal, keep our eyes open. Just be ready when the time comes.”

“Got it. We’ll do it her way.” Tendou stretched, like the news barely registered. “If it’s just a few rogue Starbearers skulking in the gray zone, I can wipe them out myself. Hardly worth calling a mission.”

He was about to turn away when he noticed Caroline still standing there, brows faintly furrowed, like there was something else on her mind.

“What is it?” he asked, tilting his head. “You’ve got that ‘there’s more’ face again.”

Caroline hesitated for a second, then asked carefully, “Tendou… you didn’t cause any trouble today, did you?”

“…Huh?”

Tendou blinked at her, utterly offended. “Excuse me? Me? Cause trouble?”

“Yes,” Caroline said, tone perfectly calm but eyes filled with suspicion. “You and trouble go hand in hand. Asking you to behave is harder than asking you to give up desserts.”

“Caroline,” Tendou said, dramatically clutching his chest like he’d just been stabbed. “That hurts. That really hurts.”

Unfortunately for him, Caroline wasn’t buying it. Not even a little.

When melodrama failed, Tendou immediately switched tactics.

“Look, Caroline, I know you’ve got… some preconceptions about me,” he said with all the sincerity he could muster. “But this time, I swear—I didn’t do anything.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Really?”

“Really! On my honor!”

Caroline sighed, slipping her hands into her pockets. “Fine. I’ll tentatively believe you.”

“Tentatively? Wait—what’s that supposed to mean? Caroline, hold on, at least define tentatively!”

“Bye.”

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