69novels 025 3 No Girls
025 3 No Girls
The first class of the semester was "An Introduction to Dragon Family Trees." The new students arrived early and took their seats, a palpable sense of pilgrimage-like excitement filling the air. The headmaster, Angers—a legendary dragon-slaying hero who had supposedly lived for over a century—would personally teach the course.
"Have you heard? The principal left the school three days ago."
"Really? And Professor Mans Rundstedt's 'Magic Mechanics Design' course has also been temporarily canceled."
"Something big must have happened; both big shots are absent..."
"bite--"
The school bell rang.
The door opened.
It wasn't the principal who walked in.
Professor Guderian, wearing a plaid suit, his tie askew, and his hair looking like it had just been blown by the wind, walked up to the podium with a bright smile.
"Good morning, students! The principal has an urgent assignment, so I will be teaching today's class."
A collective sigh of disappointment filled the lecture hall.
"Don't sigh." Professor Guderian pushed up his glasses. "Although I can't compare to the principal's legendary experiences, I still have the authority to speak on the topic of dragon family lineages."
Disappointment is disappointment, sighs are sighs, but no one is slacking off.
Because Professor Guderian's second sentence made everyone's ears perk up.
"I heard you're discussing why Professor Mance Rundstedt's Magic Mechanics Design course was also cancelled?"
The classroom fell silent for a moment.
"That's right." Professor Guderian nodded, his expression turning serious. "Both the principal and Professor Mans are away on missions, and some... things have indeed been happening recently."
The freshmen looked at each other, their eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. The big one was coming!
Professor Guderian picked up the chalk and wrote "Ragnarök" on the blackboard.
Ragnarok.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the real world..."
Ling sat to Lu Mingfei's left.
She had deliberately chosen this seat by navigating through most of the classroom, but once seated, she froze like an ice sculpture. She received all the sharp, gossipy stares from those around her, but completely ignored them.
She wore a white shirt and a dark blue pleated skirt. Her light blonde hair, which wasn't styled in an updo but instead cascaded over her shoulders with slightly curled ends, was perfectly styled. When she sat down, her movements were as quiet as a cat landing on a windowsill.
"Ragnarok, the final chapter of Norse mythology. At the roots of the World Tree, the dragon Nidhogg gnawed off the last root. The giant wolf Fenrir broke free of its chains, and the giant serpent Jormungandr awoke from the deep sea. The fire giants marched in from the south, and the army of frost giants shattered the Rainbow Bridge..."
Lu Mingfei rested his chin on one hand, feeling utterly bored.
He had heard these so-called "secrets" countless times in the insertion plugs of the EVA world.
Back then, he and Lu Mingze could only meet through a mental link. At that moment, everything went black, and they both felt like they were going to die in that world. During the daily synchronization tests, the little devil would log on every day to complain to him, gossiping about the family tree of these reptiles: incidentally keeping his synchronization rate stable at 100%, which shocked the NERV staff.
"The gods took up arms and marched out of Valhalla. Odin wielded the Spear of Eternity, Thor raised Mjolnir, and Tyr drew his cursed sword. They knew this was the final battle, they knew they would die, but they went nonetheless."
Professor Guderian's gaze swept across the classroom like a searchlight.
"Because behind them lies the world of humanity. Midgard, the Great Courtyard!"
Lu Mingfei glanced at Zero beside him.
She sat up straight, her hands flat on the table, the notebook in the center, the pencil to her right, and the eraser next to the pencil. Everything was neatly arranged, but she seemed to be daydreaming.
"This is our destiny, the destiny of hybrids."
The lecture hall was completely silent.
"For thousands of years, our ancestors have been repeating this war. When the dragons awaken, the hybrids fight. When the dragons slumber, the hybrids reproduce, wait, and prepare. We are not fighting for power, not for wealth, not for the crown of any human kingdom."
Guderian slammed his fist on the podium, sending up a small cloud of chalk dust.
"We do it for survival. For the human species to continue living on this planet."
Lu Mingfei thought of the ending of another world.
As the third impact approached, the boy in the black suit, whose body was dissipating into particles of light, grabbed his shoulder and gritted his teeth as he gave instructions for his "last affairs."
"I had prepared a top-notch script for you! Back home, I went to great lengths, using a mix of coaxing and deception to recruit a trio of nannies to protect you, and also kept some backup plans to turn that world upside down..."
Lu Mingze gave a self-deprecating laugh, his voice growing weaker and weaker:
"Although you might not need it anymore, remember this: a Russian girl named Zero will be entering the same year as you. She's an icy beauty; you'll recognize her immediately. Through her, you can take over my backup plan..."
"You are not ordinary students, and Kassel College is not an ordinary university. Dragon blood flows in the veins of every one of you; you are all living weapons; you are all on the front lines of humanity's fight against the dragons!"
"What is the front line? The front line is the first rank. If the dragons awaken, you will be the first to fight, the first to die, and the first to become heroes!"
Lu Mingfei turned slightly to the side, lowered his voice, and called out, "Zero."
Zero's eyelashes fluttered, and then she slowly turned her head to look at Lu Mingfei.
"I already know from Lu Mingze," Lu Mingfei said in a low voice. "I don't need to take care of you now, and you don't need to pay attention to me either. Just do what you want to do."
Zero stared at him quietly for a few seconds, then turned her head back without saying a word, showing no intention of agreeing.
Lu Mingfei was certain she heard him, but he didn't know if she understood him.
Zero, what are you thinking?
Guderian's right hand suddenly pointed towards the ceiling.
"You will be afraid. You will be terrified. You will wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, remembering those things you saw during the day that shouldn't exist in this world. But you will not run away. Because behind you are seven billion humans who don't know dragons exist. They don't know they are standing on the edge of a cliff, and you—you are the railing on that cliff!"
"bite--"
The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.
Professor Guderian put down his chalk, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said with a smile, "That's all for today's lesson. Next class we'll discuss the detailed genealogy of the four monarchs; the preview material is Chapters 3 to 5."
Thunderous applause erupted in the classroom.
Lu Mingfei had nothing to pack, so he left through the back door. Ling also packed her things and followed behind him, keeping a two-step distance.
As soon as the two stepped out the door, the remaining freshmen in the classroom could no longer contain themselves, and their gossip exploded.
"Did you see that? Lu Mingfei and Zero are sitting together!"
"Of course, the whole classroom saw it; they were sitting together before class even started."
"Wait...it's only been a few days since school started? We handed in our 3E exams early together, ate together in the cafeteria, and now we're even sitting together in class?"
"And did you guys notice? Lu Mingfei talked to her during class!"
"What did you say?"
"I don't know...it's too far away, I can't hear you..."
"Zero reaction?"
Zero didn't react at all; she just turned her head and glanced at him.
"Isn't that her normal reaction? She looks like that with everyone, doesn't she?"
"You have the same expression for everyone, but you don't sit next to everyone."
"Don't you guys find it strange?" the girl with glasses asked in a low voice. "Those two girls next to him, Nuonuo and Ling. These two are usually not close to anyone, but they always seem to hang around Lu Mingfei."
So, how many girlfriends does Lu Mingfei actually have?
"Who said she's my girlfriend? Can't we just be friends?"
Have you ever seen any ordinary friends go to Hakone for hot springs together?
"Public hot spring! Separate for men and women!"
"Well, you still got to soak in the hot springs!"
A group of girls chattered, their conversation shifting from "Does Lu Mingfei have a girlfriend?" to "How many girlfriends does Lu Mingfei actually have?" and then from "How many girlfriends does he have?" to "Who is more likely to be Lu Mingfei's official girlfriend, Nuonuo or Ling?"