The next day

    Alex informed his friends of meeting Ethan and Abigail today as he was impressed with their skills. Of course, they asked to join him, and he had no reason to refuse. He had reached out to them via the academy network, and they agreed to meet in the Academic City. But there was only one concern though...

    Julia.

    ''I''m afraid she might chew her out...'' He thought silently as he watched Julia beam a sweet smile that didn''t reach her eyes. She seemed excited as if she was the one going to meet them, but that was far from the truth.

    He looked over to Ross who only shrugged, not saying anything. Lately, he had become mute whenever it came to Julia, and he didn''t know why.

    The Ross he remembered always spoke his thoughts. ''Has he met his match or something?'' He wondered with a curious expression.

    "What?"

    "Huh?"

    Alex came back to his senses when Julia said something. "The look on your face. What is that about?"

    "Oh, nothing. Let''s get going." He said and then turned around to make his way out.

    Julia watched him go with narrowed brows. She felt that Alex was thinking something rude about her. She turned to Ross expecting him to explain.

    "Don''t look at me, Julia. I know nothing." He replied with his hands raised in the universal sign of surrender. He quickly turned around and followed Alex.

    "Fine!" She accepted defeat and went after them. No matter what, she was going to roast someone today, maybe even freeze them.

    ...

    The trio of friends arrived in Academic City and found a spot in a large cafeteria where they could have their talks as well as snacks. You can''t have a good talk without some food, right?

    Abigail on the other hand instantly lost her challenging demeanour and looked away. She did not want trouble and while her actions were not needed, it was common sense to not find trouble with powerful families.

    "I guess I''m invisible," Ross commented jovially, watching the duo look back at him.

    "Sorry about that. I was just surprised is all." Ethan explained and Abigail nodded in agreement.

    "No worries. It happens all the time." He said and looked over to Julia who still hadn''t relaxed her expression.

    ''This is too much, isn''t it?'' He thought and looked at Alex who caught his gaze. Understanding what it meant, Alex moved his hand under the table and slightly pinched Julia in the thighs bringing her out of her killer gaze.

    "Julia, aren''t you going to say anything?"

    Feeling the pinch and his words, Julia momentarily closed her eyes and sighed, "Hello, and nice to meet you." She replied, her gaze moving between Ethan and Abigail. The cold air that settled among the group also dissipated shortly after.

    "Likewise."

    "Okay... With that out of the way..." Alex began was stopped by Julia; her left hand raised to indicate she had something to say.

    Alex could only smile wryly as he cast an apologetic gaze towards Abigail. The person in question was still confused as to why she felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

    Ross simply shook his head, but his blank expression gave no indication whether he cared or not.

    "Abigail..." Julia began, prompting Abigail to shift her focus to her. She had a feeling what she was about to her wasn''t going to be pleasant.

    ''Let''s hear her out first. Maybe I''m misunderstanding something here.'' She thought hopefully and waited for Julia to continue.

    "I don''t like you..." Julia spat with a frown, her starting words taking Ethan and Abigail by surprise.

    "Huh?"