Chapter 133 – Emergency Cramming

By the time the sun had climbed high in the sky, its golden rays bathed the land in warmth, heralding the start of a new day.

In the Crown Villa, it was the team’s first morning since forming. Still in their early stage of bonding, each member was trying—consciously or not—to bridge the distance between them through the little moments of daily life.

“Pat, pat…”

Lifting his head from a pile of books, Dylin yawned hugely. The crisp chirping of birds outside the window roused him from sleep. Looking around at the still-somewhat-unfamiliar furnishings, a fresh breeze swept through the half-closed window, clearing away the last of his grogginess. That’s when he remembered—last night, he had stayed up reading. After eating the warm midnight meal Wenfu made for him, his full and contented belly turned the words on the page into meaningless symbols. Before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep.

Sunlight streamed through the uncurtained parts of the window, casting gentle light across the wooden floor, adding a cozy charm to the room.

He opened the window wider, letting in the clear morning air scented faintly with floral perfume from the garden below.

Looking out, he noticed that Felicia, who’d been training hard in the backyard yesterday, was no longer there. Who knew when she had gone back to rest?

As he stood, something fell to the ground—a blanket.

It had been draped over him earlier, clearly. But he hadn’t prepared it himself. He’d never planned to fall asleep in the library.

Someone had come during the night and tucked him in?

Who…?

Before he could think too much, he noticed the blanket had a soft pink cat paw stitched onto one corner.

Remembering the little kitten of a girl standing on a stool last night to cook for him, Dylin’s lips curved slightly.

That little cat girl... surprisingly thoughtful.

He left the room. Despite sleeping in a lounge chair instead of a bed, he felt no stiffness—on the contrary, he felt refreshed.

Going downstairs, he glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already eleven.

I slept almost until noon...?

“Ah! Mr. Dylin, you're awake?”

“Hm... Huh?” Looking up, he saw his house cat (ahem) walk past carrying a breakfast tray. She wore an apron and adorable cat slippers, bare legs and ankles on full display, her ears and tail twitching playfully. Her sweet smile melted into her features as she passed.

This domestic look was quite a leap from the casual little dress she wore yesterday, and it took Dylin a moment to process the change.

Somehow... Wenfu would look lethal in a maid outfit.

A gentle, obedient, cat-eared maid...

“Mr. Dylin?”

“Ah—sorry, I guess I haven’t fully woken up yet.” Dylin handed her the blanket. “This was from you last night, right? Thanks.”

“It was nothing—just a small thing. Mr. Dylin, you fell asleep reading with the window wide open. I didn’t want you to catch a cold. The end-of-term exams are near—getting sick now would be troublesome!” Wenfu smiled sweetly, like honey.

“Tomorrow’s the written exam. Yeah, it’s a little nerve-wracking. Studying’s good and all, but you still have to take care of your health.”

For the first time in ages, Dylin felt a warmth that reminded him of motherly care.

“Thanks.” He also recalled that the window’s position was slightly different from how he’d left it last night.

So, she even came and closed it for him?

Looking at the small, cat-eared girl in front of him, Dylin felt an extra flicker of warmth in his chest. On instinct, he reached out to pat her head—but realizing that their relationship didn’t quite allow for that, he smoothly redirected his hand away.

“I'm lucky to have you, Miss Wenfu.” He offered a gentle smile.

“Mm... it-it’s nothing, really.” Wenfu shyly dipped her head, her ears twitching.

“Is it... hard for you to adjust here?” Dylin asked softly.

“Eh? Why would you say that?” Wenfu blinked, confused.

“Well, I don’t remember when I fell asleep last night, but it must’ve been really late. You hadn’t gone to bed yet—couldn’t sleep?”

“...Mr. Dylin really is perceptive.”

“It’s okay. Everyone needs time to adjust. I know you’re trying to fit in, but you don’t have to push yourself so hard.”

“I understand...” For some reason, Dylin's words reminded Wenfu of Teresa.

“Anyway, it’s late already. Mr. Dylin, go eat breakfast—I saved you a portion.”

“Mm, thanks... Wait—breakfast?” Dylin looked at the set table: toast, fried egg, milk. “Miss Wenfu, where did this come from?”

Does the Crown Villa include breakfast service too...?

“Mr. Dylin, you’re so silly! Of course I made it myself.” Wenfu chuckled.

“You made this?”

“Yup, yup.”

“But this kind of whole wheat bread… I thought you could only get it from the third floor of the cafeteria if you woke up before seven?”

“Uu... I just got up a little earlier. I didn’t want everyone to have to run all the way to the cafeteria.”

Dylin looked at the perfectly prepared toast, egg, and milk. Then at Wenfu.

This is only day two...

She was trying so hard to integrate into the team—almost to the point of overcompensating.

Perhaps it was because she had once been abandoned by her previous teammates, and now desperately sought recognition.

Dylin sat silently, thinking to himself that this kind of mindset could be dangerous in a different team—some people might take advantage of her.

He’d have to gently help her understand: friendships are built on equality, not one-sided effort.

But one step at a time.

As Dylin started on the egg with his knife and fork, Wenfu stood beside him with her hands folded nervously in front of her belly, watching intently.

No need to ask—she’d made it herself.

“This is delicious. You made this, right, Miss Wenfu?”

“R-Really?!”

“Of course. Your cooking is so good, I can tell just by the taste.”

“I-I see...” Though her expression remained calm, her tail was wagging so fast it could’ve powered a fan.

“Did Miss Astrid and Miss Felicia, and Teresa, already eat?” Dylin noticed the other chairs had been pulled out.

Of course, he knew Teresa wouldn’t have come down—he only included her name to avoid being too obvious.

“Astrid and Felicia both had breakfast already. Felicia’s out training again. As for Miss Teresa…” Wenfu looked upstairs. “I went to call her this morning, but she didn’t answer. When I opened the door, she wasn’t in her room. Her bed was neatly made—probably left early.”

“Wonder where she ran off to train. Hope she ate.”

“She’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“By the way, why didn’t you wake me up this morning?”

“You looked so peaceful… After staying up reading so late, I didn’t have the heart to disturb you.”

“I see.” After eating, Dylin got up to do the dishes. But as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, he found Astrid already washing them.

It took him a second to remember—when they were on the same team before, she always handled these little chores without complaint.

The noble elf princess, silver hair slightly damp, calmly washing dishes—it had a quiet charm to it.

“Dylin?” Her pointed ears twitched as she sensed someone behind her.

“Oh—don’t worry, I’ll do mine myself.” He stepped forward with his plate.

“...”

Astrid said nothing. But as Dylin began to wash his plate, a subtle flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes.

She had already washed everything else—only his remains. Yet as she watched him clean it himself, she couldn’t help but feel a little... off.

“Hmm? Something wrong?” Dylin turned to find her still watching him.

“...Nothing.” She turned away, as expressionless as ever.

Team rosters were basically finalized. Tomorrow would be the Crown Award Ceremony, and in the afternoon, the class placement exams. The schedule was tight.

After breakfast, the three of them headed to the library.

Felicia was out training—it was just her daily routine. She clearly had confidence in her written test performance.

Dylin’s studying was decent, too. As a Divine Child, his thirst for knowledge was strong, and as long as he didn’t stray, his academics were above average.

As for Astrid—there was no doubt. The elven genius princess had always been a top student. Dylin remembered she had ranked first in the initial entrance exam.

The three of them settled into the villa’s library. The Crown Villa’s collection was comparable to the academy’s own library. This was the privilege of champions—no need to jostle for seats elsewhere. Just sip some coffee at home and study.

As she watched Dylin quietly reading at the table, Astrid felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

She remembered how they used to sit like this, reading side-by-side, asking each other questions when they got stuck.

Relationships weren’t built on grand gestures, but on these simple moments. That’s what made them last.

She felt like she was returning to those days.

She knew it was rude to think so—but Teresa not being around at times like this… actually felt kind of nice.

“Miss Wenfu, something you need?” Dylin asked without even lifting his head.

“Eh? N-No… not really?” Wenfu blinked.

“You’ve closed your book three times now and leaned this way each time.”

“Ah… that's obvious?” She laughed awkwardly.

“If you’ve got a question, just ask. We’re teammates, aren’t we?”

“T-Then... Mr. Dylin, could you help me with this question? I really don’t know where to start...”

“Let me see.” Dylin leaned closer. “Oh, this one? Yeah, it’s a little tricky. You can’t just plug in formulas. Let me walk you through—”

“U-Um, Mr. Dylin...” Wenfu hesitated.

“Hmm?”

“I-I didn’t mean that question. I meant... the one below it...”

“......”

Dylin furrowed his brow—not because it was hard, but because...

It was too easy. So easy he didn’t even need scratch paper—he could solve it in his head.

Some subjects in this world overlapped with those in his past life. Math, for example.

Yes, even in another world, math was unavoidable.

Fortunately, Dylin wasn’t bad at it in his previous life. With his current learning ability, this stuff was easy.

“You don’t have any idea how to solve this one?”

“No...” Wenfu’s cat ears drooped.

“Miss Wenfu, could I ask—what was your math score on the entrance test?” Astrid suddenly spoke up.

“S-Six...”

“Sixty? Not bad, at least that’s passing.”

“N-No... not sixty...”

Dylin and Astrid stared at her in silence.

“It... it was six...” She made a little ‘six’ with her fingers.

“This... can it even be saved?” Dylin muttered.

“Six?” Astrid frowned. “That’s... quite low.”

“You might want to focus on other subjects. This one might be hopeless to raise in a short time—”

“I-It's not just math... The others are... not great either...”

“‘Not great’ meaning...?”

“Only like... two or three times higher than math?”

“...”

Dylin and Astrid exchanged glances.

At once, both stood and each placed a hand on Wenfu’s shoulders.

“Eeeh?!”

“Miss Wenfu,” Astrid said, a rare resolve in her voice, “prepare yourself.”

“From this moment on,” Dylin added, “we’re launching a last-minute, crash-course, hell-level, super-duper cramming session on all subjects. Understood?!”

“Eep!?”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.