"Not now. Later, okay?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

​"I wasn’t going to ask now either."

​"Hmm."

​Quash nodded and sat back in his seat. There were people around them who were looking over, but the couple didn’t care.

​Quash was kinda surprised that she would come to find him on her own. He wondered how she did it, then remembered that they shared some kind of spiritual bond. Maybe it was some kind of signal tower that sends signals to her when she is around?

​Or she may have used her connections. Whatever that may be, he was very pleased because his stupid ass forgot to ask for her number.

​"By the way, Gabby. Give me your number."

​"I don’t have a phone."

​"Why?"

​"Safety reasons."

​"..."

​Quash stared at his wife with a frown. She turned to him and frowned as well.

​"What bad thing are you thinking about?"

​She said and pinched his side again.

​"Nothing!"

​He flinched and said in a panic. It hurt like hell.

​Seeing his reaction, Gabriella smiled softly.

​"Let’s go shopping later. By the way, Gabby, which Academy are you choosing? A Vampire one?"

​"No, Fruma Academy. Since it’s the no. 1."

​Hearing her answer, Quash nodded. It made sense since she was already ridiculously strong for a first-year. She may even be stronger than most 2nd-years. But he couldn’t say anything about the 3rd-years and the 4th-years. They had plenty of time to level up, increase their stats, develop their skill sets, and do many other things. Beating them would be tough.

​But she doesn’t need to, so that’s fine.

​Both of them stayed silent for the ride as the train started. It started with a straightforward motion, then it started to go up into the sky.

​Both of them watched the train slowly leave the Plaza into the distance. They enjoyed the majestic beauty of the Academy City. The sun had fully risen in the sky, and birds flew through the air to find their food. Mountain ranges shaped the land, and forests covered it with greenery.

​Quash saw many rivers flowing through the gaps of the mountains and plain land. The scene was truly beautiful. Both of them enjoyed the journey silently.

​The ride went on for about 20 minutes, with the train stopping at 3 different Academies on the way. There were still 10 more minutes before they arrived at the Duxford Academy.

​The Academies were located quite a distance from each other. Each Academy has a fixed territory. There are many reasons for that.

​Basically, each Academy is like a country. The citizens are the students, and the student of a specific Academy can enjoy all of that Academy’s perks, but they become restricted on another Academy’s ground.

​There are Academy wars, Territory wars, and many other troublesome things for the students to stress over other than studying. And that’s mainly why there are territories inside the Academy City.

​The territories dictate not only the range of influence but also the amount of resources an Academy gets to gather.

​And all of these are the students’ responsibility. The teachers just maintain the structure of the City. But of course, they get involved as well, but not directly. Because direct involvement will get them into trouble as that is a rule violation.

​Instead, they invest in students, scout for talents, and try to increase their position to get a better life.

​Because teachers need to earn a living. The salary from the Academies is nowhere near enough to sustain their spending. But it was all done to keep the economy flowing. The design of the Academy City was like this from the start. A pressure cooker. It will pressure a student until they are either burned out or cooked. Nothing in between.

​And by cooked, I mean the good kind. The kind that people want. Academy City is also the place where most of the world leaders originate from. The strong people also come from here. The students can cope better in the supernatural world when they get out because they are already trained on how it works. The real world is not easy.

​Nor is the Academy City.

​Not that it mattered to Quash. He had already achieved the peak male fantasy. He has a beautiful wife... aaaaaand. That’s. It?

​’Hold on. I’m not strong.’

​And he was once again reminded of his insecurity. What if this beautiful wife of hers replaces him?

​That’s a very big concern to be honest. Because if there is even a sliver of a chance, he might need to walk away from either the relationship with Gabriella or being a MagiCrafter. And he would rather pick the former instead.

​He didn’t lack self-respect. No way he would stay in a relationship where there’s a chance of him getting cucked.

​If he actually does get cucked, he may burn the world in shame.

​"Hmm. That’s a good plan."

​He nodded to himself, which prompted Gabriella to turn to look at him.

​"Which innocent person are you thinking of infecting with your toxicity now?"

​She said with a bit of a displeased tone. Quash looked at her, a bit flabbergasted.

​"... Are you saying... that I’m a toxic person?"

​"... I don’t know much about the person, but from what I have seen, your personality is very toxic. You need to stop getting on people’s nerves so randomly."

​She said with a flat tone. She felt like this was the longest sentence she had spoken in a while. Making her feel proud since she felt like she was improving in socialising. Now her mother won’t nag her to socialise anymore.

​"Hold on, what do you mean getting on people’s nerves randomly!? When did I do that!?"

​"... What did Odgur ever do to you?"

​"Who?"

​"The Dragon Prince."

​"Gasp!"

​At the mention of the Dragon Prince, Quash’s brain started to go haywire and play multiple scenarios he didn’t like. To him, she was defending the Dragon Prince or was showing interest. Completely ignoring the fact that she was just presenting an example.

​Seeing his reaction, Gabriella wondered what she said to earn such a dramatic reaction. Was he so oblivious to his own personality that it hit like an existential crisis?

​"Alright, Gabby, this is it, forget about shopping, we need to talk. After I’m done with the Academy and stuff, we really need to have a serious talk!"

​Gabriella: "..."