?Chapter 771:

    “Wait, what’s going on?” he asked, but she didn’t give him a chance to finish before hauling him all the way up to the rooftop.

    Once they arrived, silence stretched between them. The breeze swept past, leaving Ethan momentarily stunned.

    When Marisa finally turned to face him, the usual mischief in her eyes was gone. Her voice cut sharp through the air. “Tell me the truth, Ethan. What’s happening between you and Mnie?”

    Caught off guard, Ethan rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, “Nothing’s going on between us.”

    Without warning, Marisa leaned in close, her gaze locking onto his. “Then why has she been glued to you every single break for the past two days?”

    Ethan opened his mouth, faltered, then rushed out a reply. “She’s worried about the entrance exam. There were things she didn’t understand, so she came to me for help.”

    And just like that, he told Marisa something that wasn’t true — for the first time. Anxious thoughts surged through him, and his pulse refused to settle.

    “Is that so?” Marisa narrowed her eyes and stepped closer without hesitation. She wasn’t tall, but the energy she carried was impossible to ignore. nting her hand firmly against the wall, she trapped Ethan in ce.

    “Ethan, look at me,” she said, her voice dipping into something almost teasing, but beneath it was a demand as clear as steel. “Don’t feed me lies. I know when someone’s not being honest.”

    Backed against the wall, Ethan felt his breath catch, uneven and quick.

    Guilt tugged at him as he met Marisa’s eyes.

    Marisa was the only person at Wront University who had ever made him feel like he belonged. That was exactly why deceiving her didn’t sit right with him.

    But this time, the matter involved Maia.

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    He and Mnie had already started working together behind the scenes, and what they were nning had to remain a secret.

    Ethan’s gaze dropped, uncertainty and hesitation flickering across his face. Marisa’s questions left him cornered, unsure of what to say.

    But in the end, Ethan gave a small nod — because the mission to pair Justiceze with Maia mattered more than anything else right now.

    “I’m telling the truth. I swear,” he said.

    A bit of tension slipped from Ethan’s shoulders as the conversation settled.

    Taking a measured breath, Marisa stepped back.

    Her hand dipped into her zer until she found a brightly wrapped lollipop, which she pressed into Ethan’s palm.

    “Take this. I’m heading off now. If Mnie gives you trouble, you know where to find me.”

    Without another nce, Marisa spun around and strode away.

    Ethan stared down at the lollipop in his hand, lingering in quiet thought before heading toward ss One. Just as he stepped inside, the shrill ring of the school bell echoed through the room.

    He paused when he noticed something strange: the boy who usually sat beside him had moved to the front row, and Mnie had imed the seat instead.

    Moving quickly, Ethan slipped into his ce and leaned toward her, whispering,

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