If Vinny remembered right, exploration of the Marsmo secret realm was done in teams of three, and the match-ups were balanced by combat ranking—kind of like an ELO feel. If you were the donkey on the low end, the system would inevitably match you with at least one thoroughbred on the high end to be your captain.

Maybe it was an age thing, but even with Vinny sitting in the top three before, he’d never had a chance to be “captain” in the grade-level contests. This Marsmo expedition, though, lumped rankings together and set the entry threshold at Top-50 among first-years.

Within the Top-50, the gaps were obvious—and not all fifty would even sign up. Looked at that way, he was a textbook low-end donkey.

Which was fine. Being the low-end donkey had its perks—like this: didn’t he just get queued with a big sister already??

“Carillian Academy freeloading,” so to speak, meant hugging a big brother/big sister’s thigh on campus and coasting. Low hidden rating had its own way to play.

The first big sister was already confirmed: Isatia. Vinny really wanted to know who the second big sister would be, since he probably didn’t know them—likely a second- or third-year upperclassman.

Vinny shot Isatia a questioning look and found her face still blank, though a faint, nearly imperceptible hue flashed in those lovely eyes.

“Alright.”

Seeing that, Vinny basically understood the situation. He folded his arms and snuck a glance behind him; when he caught a tuft of white hair, his guess solidified.

“Confirmed: terrifying nut-person.”

He then put on a nothing-to-see-here face, ignored the pokes in his back, and stepped to Isatia’s side.

“Isatia, let’s go queue to enter the secret realm. As for our other teammate, they’ll probably show up on their own in a bit.”

“Mhm. Alright.”

“I figure we’ll run into them—everyone’s gathering inside the realm anyway.”

No sooner had he said it, before Isatia could even respond, that familiar, melodious voice rose behind him.

“Ah, Vinny—you’re joining the Marsmo civilization exploration too? I thought I was seeing things just now.”

After leaving the dorm, Vinny headed straight for the bridges linking the islands. Carillian Academy sat atop an archipelago; their usual campus was the main island, ringed by islands of all sizes.

His destination lay on a lightly developed isle to the southeast.

After crossing several sea-spanning bridges and taking some time, Vinny reached the nameless island hiding the Marsmo civilization’s secret realm.

Stepping off the bridge, he found a crowd already gathered—students and instructors both. Normally the place was deserted, save for the patrol instructors.

Looked like excavating Marsmo’s secret realm really was a huge project. Even at Carillian’s scale, it would be hard to survey everything without mobilizing students.

Token in hand, Vinny searched the crowd for teammates with the same number. He quickly found Isatia. As expected, the cold black-haired beauty stood out like a crane among chickens; just standing there drew eyes from all around.

“Morning, Isatia. Had breakfast?”

As he greeted her, Vinny suddenly felt how stiff that sounded—like forcing small talk.

“Mhm. I ate.”

Who would show up to a realm exploration on an empty stomach??

“Good thing Isatia didn’t seem to care about what he asked, and she wasn’t in a rush—her focus was elsewhere.”

“Vinny, if you remember right, it should be teams of three,” Isatia said, violet eyes seemingly searching for something.

“Ah, yes. That’s right—teams of three,” Vinny confirmed.

“Have you seen our other teammate?”

“Not yet. I just arrived,” Vinny said, scratching his head. He looked around, then waved at the nearby crowd: “Hey! Eyes off the beauty. Anyone in group fifteen? Step up—time to team!”

Called out for sneaking glances at Isatia, the students nearby reeled their gazes back, feigned nonchalance, and scattered.

“Come on, really...” Vinny was speechless. “These people are too honest.”

Those watching Isatia weren’t like the ones gawking at other “fated heroines”—the gender ratio among them was perfectly even.

Vinny still remembered that, among all the fated heroines, Isatia received the most love letters from girls. Who doesn’t like a cool, gorgeous queen?

He looked over at Isatia, arms folded, ignoring it all.

In that respect she felt a bit like Mirexia—cold on the surface, iron tree that rarely blossoms, and seemingly uninterested in such things.

Just as Vinny was fretting over how to find the last teammate—and guessing who it might be—he suddenly felt a light poke on his shoulder.

A chill ran through him. He turned—and there was no one behind him.

“Huh?!” Vinny’s eyes widened.

Was he imagining things? Was there nobody behind him?

The moment the thought formed, he felt another poke.

This time Vinny was sure it wasn’t his imagination—someone had jabbed him with a finger.

Who was it??

He turned his body back, found not a soul behind him, and only saw Isatia staring at him in silence, unreadable.

Then—another poke between his shoulder blades.

He spun. Still no one.

“What, did we run into a ghost today? Or a looping wall trick??”

Vinny gave Isatia a questioning look. Her face stayed blank, but that lovely gaze held a faint, unusual tint.

“Alright.”

At that, he basically got it.

Arms folded, he sneaked a glance behind him; spotting a flash of white hair, his guess locked in.

“Diagnosis confirmed: white-haired nut.”

Vinny feigned calm, ignored the pokes, and moved to Isatia’s side.

“Isatia, let’s go queue for entry. As for the last teammate, they’ll show up soon enough.”

“Mhm.”

“I think we’ll run into them—everyone’s converging inside anyway.”

No sooner had the words fallen than a familiar, pleasant voice chimed in behind him.

“Ah, Vinny—you’re joining the Marsmo civilization exploration too? I thought I misrecognized you.”

Vinny turned back blank-faced and silently stared at the smiling Aesphyra.

He could practically replay how she’d toyed with him: poke him from behind, slip away in a flash, keep perfectly in step so that each time he turned, she was instantly at his back again.

The two of them had just played cat-and-mouse for ages; with her stats and footwork, he never caught her, and she had a blast.

Only Isatia, off to the side, had watched the whole thing in silence, unsure whether to say something.

“Heh... heh-heh.” Vinny let out two abrupt laughs. “The one poking my shoulder and my waist just now was you, right?”

“Eh? Nope,” Aesphyra said, all innocence.

“Cut it out. I’m not falling for it. It could only be you,” Vinny sniffed.

“Eh? And why is Vinny so sure? I only just got here. I didn’t do anything,” Aesphyra tilted her head.

“Oh? Why am I so sure? Fine, I’ll tell you—because if it’s you, your height isn’t enough for me to see anyone when I look back!” Vinny grinned. “No wonder I never saw anyone when I turned. So it was you, you white-haired little nut? Makes perfect sense.”

“...” At that, Aesphyra only smiled without a word.

[Virtue +10].

[Current Virtue: 2624].

“Hmph. Come on then—bring it.”

As for why teasing Aesphyra’s height usually didn’t give Virtue, but this time it gave a little—Vinny quickly realized the issue.

There was no rule requiring uniforms for this exploration, so everyone’s outfits were a mixed bag—Aesphyra included.

She was wearing the same simple yet exquisite white dress top she’d worn to present him the pageant award, and with her dazzling silver hair she was like a noble, graceful swan.

On sheer looks and presence alone, she’d erased any disadvantage in height; nobody would notice anything else.

Born advantages and talent, probably.

As for the flicker in her mood—it was because, just like that day, she’d paired the look with black high heels to offset the height gap.

Even with heels, that gorgeous outfit, and that aura, Vinny still noticed; a mood ripple was only natural.

“Vinny, you really are as insufferable as ever.”

With a top-tier face raised in a perfect smile, Aesphyra’s words were anything but gentle.

Maybe he’d spent too long around her, but even with the same smile, Vinny could read the micro-shifts in Aesphyra’s emotions now.

“Average. Not as insufferable as you,” he shot back with a side-eye.

Was there anyone in the world more annoying than this white-haired nut in front of him?

If not for the sense that it’d be off to say it now—if this were right after the pageant ended—Vinny would’ve waggled his brows and told her, “You’re the one I hate most in the whole world!”

“Isatia’s the likable one.”

He glanced—and found Aesphyra had somehow drifted right up to Isatia.

Had she been hop-skipping behind his back just now?

Vinny suddenly recalled the scene.

Mm. Figures—so that iron tree spirit is nimble. Greetings, then~

“Greetings, Isatia,” Aesphyra said, lifting her skirt in a noblewoman’s curtsey.

Tsk!

Oh, so when it’s someone else, you give a proper salute, but when it’s me, you fluff your feathers without even a hello?!

Arms folded, Vinny’s shoulders and mouth twitched in place.

So the white-haired nut ball was too gentle after all.

“Mhm. Good morning, Aesphyra,” Isatia returned the gesture—though nothing about her read as the “say ‘greetings’” type.

Less debutante, more empress surveying the world.

Right then, two very similar violet gazes locked together.

On the side, Vinny scratched his head; something about the scene felt... off.

“Ah, look, look—that’s Isatia and Aesphyra!”

“Wow, the first-year No.1 and No.2—are they joining the exploration too??”

“What are they doing—whoa, staring each other down??

Don’t you think they look super alike?”

“For real—they look exactly the same? Oh no! My CP-shipping soul is awakening!”

“Right? Both are absolute beauties in face and aura—the year’s No.1 and No.2—rivals on the surface. Everyone says they only act cordial, but in private they’re actually... ahhh! My brain can’t take it! They’re a perfect match. Too shippable!”

“One silver-haired, one black-haired, both with violet eyes. Don’t say it—yeah!”

“Can we start a fan thread here??”

Veins throbbing, Vinny watched the gaggle of CP fans mutter nonsense while staring at Isatia and Aesphyra. As for the guy standing beside them—him?

Yeah, he’d long since been treated like background scenery.

Heavens above—he, the capital’s infamous wastrel, had been downgraded in their eyes to a background extra—

—an NPC role instead of a villain steeped in sin. Truly delightful. Truly delightful.

Weird as their chatter was, it wasn’t incomprehensible. In the original, Aesphyra and Isatia were a pair.

As for how Isatia got routed by Aesphyra—that one you’d have to ask the original’s Aesphyra.

“Alright, Isatia, let’s get moving. Stop chatting with randoms. Our time ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ is valuable.”

As he said it, Vinny cut a glance at Aesphyra.

Damn it—don’t tell me your old habit is flaring up again: you see a pretty girl and your legs stop, passive flirt trigger engaged.

“Eh, eh? Vinny, I’m not a random,” Aesphyra tilted her head.

“Oh? Then what are you? We’re waiting on our teammate, and you’re holding us up. Where’s your teammate? If you don’t find them, you’ll be entering solo—get ready to be pounded into nut butter.”

Vinny snapped.

“Ah? So... Vinny got mad because I was talking to someone else and ignored you?” Aesphyra blinked.

“I’ll ‘mad’ you, you little nut!” Vinny laughed in exasperation.

This damned white nut ball—still as narcissistic as ever. Think you’re that charming??

“Isatia, let’s go. Don’t mind her. She’s not well, I’m telling you.”

“Sure you don’t want to wait for me?”

As she spoke, Aesphyra lifted her token.

“Wait for what? You—” Vinny looked at the number stamped on it: fifteen. He fell silent, then, after a long beat, couldn’t help blurting,

“Wait—why is it you again??”