It was a normal morning.

Golden sunlight filtered through the curtains of a small bedroom, brushing softly across Lanny’s face. She blinked awake, her expression blank as always. Slowly, she sat up and washed her face in the tiny washroom. Cold water dripped down her cheeks as she stared at her reflection—half of her face hidden behind the familiar mask that never left her skin. A reminder of her curse. A reminder of what she could not feel properly.

After drying her face, she put on her academy uniform. A neat white shirt, a short blue jacket, and a skirt with woven digital threads that shimmered faintly—standard attire for the Elite Academy of Magic and Technology. Lanny’s movements were mechanical. She picked up her bag, stepped out, and boarded the floating passenger ship that stopped near her building.

Inside the ship, the morning crowd was thick. People pressed close together, their conversations blending into a meaningless hum. Lanny held onto a rail near the back, trying to ignore the heavy air around her.

Then she sensed him.

A man with a yellow scarf covering the lower half of his face moved through the crowd, weaving with practiced ease. He came up behind her—too close.

Lanny stiffened immediately. She knew him. The same man. The same routine.

His hand brushed her lower back lightly. Then it stayed there.

Lanny’s fingers tightened on the rail. She forced herself to remain still.

The hand slid upward.

The molester’s hand continued roaming higher, shameless and hidden by the crowd.

It touched her butt, his other hand grabbed her breast.

Her masked face twitched in disgust. Her heart thudded dully in her chest.

Finally, the ship arrived at the hovering platform of the academy. Lanny slipped out quickly, leaving the man with yellow scarf behind in the crowd.

As soon as she left, many thoughts appeared in her mind.

She wanted to slap him, push him away, scream—but the reaction never came in time. It never did, it only occurred to her after she left that place.

I should report him. I should shout. I should...

But she didn’t. She just stood there, frozen, as she always did. She doesn’t know why she didn’t shout there.

Nobody else in the ship even glanced her way.

Not one.

She wondered why she never acted until it was too late— why her body didn’t respond, why her voice never came. And each time she wondered, she hated herself a little more.

Outside, dozens of students zoomed past her on personal flying bikes, hoverboards, and sleek levitation discs. The Elite Academy was always bustling— large floating buildings arranged in the sky, interconnected by glowing portals and sky bridges.

Lanny walked quietly through the main gate, slipping inside the flow of students without drawing attention.

She arrived at her classroom, 2nd Year A-Class, and stepped inside.

The room was noisy. Students chatted casually, some even flirting openly. Two girls stood near a window, kissing each other passionately. A group of boys nearby laughed loudly about something vulgar.

The moment Lanny entered, the chatter changed.

A few students paused, looked at her, snickered, then turned away with mocking expressions.

Lanny headed to her desk. Her footsteps were steady, emotionless.

Her desk was covered in crude graffiti again.

"Masked Btch."

"Go die."

"Monster."

She quietly whispered a cleansing spell. The letters lit up and vanished in a puff of smoke.

She pulled out her chair—and immediately fell.

Her backside hit the floor hard.

The whole class erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha! She actually fell for it!"

"Masked btch couldn’t even detect a basic illusion, haha!"

"Elites my ass—she can’t even sense magic properly!"

Lanny’s fists trembled slightly, but she said nothing. She simply stood up, dusted off her skirt, and sat properly on the now-solid bench.

Eventually the laughs faded.

Then everything went silent.

Someone approached.

A pair of shoes stopped in front of her.

A hand extended.

Lanny looked up, and her eyes brightened ever so slightly.

"Professor White..."

Tyler White stood there in a tidy white coat, with soft silver hair and a calm, gentle smile. He always treated her just like everyone else—no pity, no scorn. For Lanny, he was someone who made her feel normal. Someone she admired deeply.

She took his hand, and he helped her up.

Near the back, Jina—the leader of the girls who bullied her—watched with narrowed eyes, jealousy burning in her expression. Her gyaru-style outfit sparkled with accessories, but her glare was sharp enough to cut.

---

Classes ended in the evening. The sky outside turned orange.

Lanny lingered after class. She had questions she wanted to ask Professor White—questions about elemental circuits, illusion spells, maybe even how to interact better with others.

But as she approached the faculty office, she froze.

Right in front of her, just around the corner, two silhouettes pressed together.

Kissing. Deeply. Intimately.

Lanny’s breath caught.

The two figures were unmistakable.

Jina.

And—

Tyler White.

She stared in disbelief as the kiss broke. Jina smirked and brushed back her violet hair, her lipstick smudged.

"You seem to like that masked btch too much," Jina whispered in a low, accusing tone.

"Oh... she is the best student. How can I not—" Tyler began.

But Jina put a finger on his lips.

Then—slowly—her hand slid down, unbuckling his belt with practiced ease.

Lanny’s eyes widened in horror.

"No... no... Professor..." she whispered under her breath. She couldn’t hear the words, but what Jina did next said enough.

Jina tugged his pant and something popped out, hard – she toyed with ut "I know you want to put this in her," she said with a cruel smile. "I don’t care if you do her... but I don’t want her to feel loved. Not even for a second."

She whispered something else after that—something low and venomous. And then she knelt before him and used her mouth to gobble it.

Lanny stood frozen, her heart pounding unevenly.

Her favorite teacher...

Her idol...

And her bully...

Together like this?

Her chest tightened painfully. She didn’t cry—she couldn’t. The curse suppressed her reactions. But the ache was real.

Without a sound, she turned around and walked away.

The hallway felt colder than ever.

---

It was the weekend, and the academy was unusually silent. The long corridors echoed with Lanny’s footsteps as she walked through them. Today was her birthday—one she had never celebrated with anyone. But for the first time, someone had invited her.

Jina.

That alone had made Lanny hesitate for hours. Jina, the girl who bullied her daily, had suddenly approached her the previous day with an apologetic expression. She said she wanted to talk... to make peace... to celebrate Lanny’s birthday together.

Lanny didn’t believe it entirely, but—

It was Professor White who told her to accept the invitation.

He had said Jina genuinely wanted to apologise. So Lanny trusted his words.

Wearing a cute sky-blue dress she rarely dared to wear, Lanny stepped into the classroom with a small, hopeful smile.

But the moment she entered, two girls shut the door behind her and locked it.

The sharp sound echoed like a trap snapping shut.

Jina stood near the teacher’s podium, smoking casually. Her smirk cut through the room like a knife.

"Well, look who showed up," she sneered.

Lanny’s heart dropped.

She turned immediately, but the girls behind her grabbed her wrist and snapped a cold metal cuff onto her arm. A painful shock ran through her body as her prana was completely suppressed.

She couldn’t move.

She couldn’t run.

She couldn’t defend herself.

"Why...?" Lanny whispered, her voice trembling, tears gathering in her eyes. "Professor White told me you wanted to be friends..."

Jina laughed harshly and blew smoke directly into Lanny’s face. "Oh don’t worry. Since it’s your birthday, we did prepare a gift for you."

Lanny’s stomach twisted.

"A gift...?"

Jina licked her teeth. "You can finally become an adult now."

The door opened again.

Lanny’s blood froze when she saw the silhouette enter—the same yellow-scarf man who molested her on the floating passenger ship.

"No... no...!"

She tried to run, but the girls held her down.

Her expression twisted into pure disgust and hatred as the man approached her. Her clothes were torn away, revealing her young body.

Then—

Lanny was pinned down by the man, who also got naked without showing his face. Then her first time was taken. She continued enjoying the pleasure.

"Happy birthday to you~" Jina and the others sang mockingly, their voices echoing through the empty classroom.

The yellow scarf slipped off his face.

Lanny’s eyes went wide.

The molester was Professor Tyler White.

Her mask cracked instantly, unable to contain her real feelings anymore. Fractures spread across it like spiderwebs.

Then—

Shatter.

The mask broke into pieces and fell to the ground.

"Wow... we actually did it..." Tyler muttered, looking impressed for a moment.

The world around them suddenly flickered.

The girls blurred like static.

Jina’s figure distorted and vanished.

The classroom cracked like glass—

The illusion from the Time Seclusion Chamber collapsed.

The naked Tyler still pinned naked Lanny below while their private parts connected.

And when he saw her uncovered face, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"T-That face..." he whispered.

A long-forgotten memory resurfaced.

"Lan... Xuero?" Tyler breathed.