“Here is a news bulletin for you.”
“…Yesterday, a group brawl broke out on a street in our city’s school district. Police arrived in time to stop the fight. Due to the hot weather, one student surnamed Xiao and another surnamed Luo simultaneously entered their second-sex differentiation. The police promptly called an ambulance and sent both students to the hospital…”
“…Both students successfully completed their differentiation at the Central City Hospital. Their second genders were alpha and omega, respectively. Notably, the pheromone compatibility between these two students is zero percent. Due to the innate attraction between the sexes, even the worst pheromone compatibility between an AO pair would not fall below twenty percent. A zero-percent pheromone compatibility rate is extremely rare nationwide…”
“…According to interviews with the parents of both students, Luo and Xiao have had a poor relationship since childhood. Fighting has been a regular occurrence between them, stemming from long-standing personal grievances. However, their parents never expected the two to complete their differentiation while fighting. Among them, the student surnamed Luo should bear the primary responsibility…”
“…Experts remind us that summer is the peak season for second-sex differentiation among teenagers. Students are advised not to linger outdoors, and even more strongly advised against gathering in groups to fight. The students involved have temporarily declined interviews. Regarding this rare zero-percent pheromone compatibility, our station’s reporters will continue to follow and report on the story…”
Luo Zhiyu half-closed his eyes as he wandered into the living room and switched off the television, which someone had apparently forgotten to turn off.
“What a fuss over nothing.”
He had merely gotten into a fight with an idiot and accidentally gone through puberty. He hadn’t expected it to land him in the city’s newspaper.
Good news stays indoors, but bad news travels a thousand miles.
He and Xiao Yan had never gotten along since childhood. They lived in the same neighborhood, and whenever they crossed paths, they would fight. Most of the time, Luo Zhiyu was the one who threw the first punch.
Fortunately, he would be starting school tomorrow. No. 1 High School in the city was a prestigious school with a good reputation and a boarding system. During the school term, he probably wouldn’t have to run into Xiao Yan anymore.
World peace.
He pulled a glass from beneath the coffee table, filled it to the brim with lemon water, and gulped it down. Only then did he feel somewhat awake.
He had just completed his second-sex differentiation yesterday and was still unusually sleepy. At noon, he had been playing a game with his phone still in his hand when he simply fell asleep with his head resting on the table.
The game had ended long ago. The screen was frozen on “Defeat,” while the top-right corner of the homepage displayed glaring reports from other players and penalty points.
Luo Zhiyu opened WeChat, only to find a flood of anguished messages from his teammates.
He selectively ignored their cries of despair and opened the new group chat that had appeared at the top of his WeChat message list.
【No. 1 High School Freshman Orientation Ceremony Coordination Group】
What was this?
Luo Zhiyu scrolled through a few chat messages and was startled by a screen full of middle-aged emoji stickers. There were all kinds of highly saturated images featuring kind-looking uncles and aunties standing in various scenes, smiling benevolently at him from beyond the screen.
[Principal Zhang]: Cherish This Moment.jpg
[Director Xu]: The Most Beautiful Flowers for the Most Beautiful You.jpg
[Director Wu]: Take Good Care of Yourself During These Busy Days.jpg
Luo Zhiyu: “?”
What the hell was this?
Not Cicada: Don’t fucking pull this crap with me. Panda Head.jpg
Not Cicada withdrew a message.
Amid a sea of naturally themed profile pictures featuring flowers, birds, insects, and fish, his anime wild-boar profile picture stood out like a sore thumb.
Luo Zhiyu shuddered and finally remembered what these “demons and monsters” were.
His homeroom teacher had called him that morning and asked him to give a speech as the outstanding freshman representative at the opening ceremony. He had been told to prepare his speech in advance.
This group was probably created by the teachers to coordinate the event.
Those people who had just lined up to send blessing stickers were likely the school’s future administrators and teachers.
Fortunately, he had withdrawn his message quickly. Surely no one had seen it.
Not Cicada changed their group nickname to [Outstanding Freshman Representative]
Just as he thought this, another message appeared in the group.
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: No. 1 High School Is Still Your Success.jpg
Luo Zhiyu: “?”
A kindred spirit?
He had chosen No. 1 High School purely because he scored well on his middle school entrance examination. He knew almost nothing about the school, so he might as well find someone to ask.
Not Cicada sent a friend request to [Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative], with the note: “An outstanding you deserves to meet an outstanding me.”
This classmate was probably marveling at his straightforwardness, because he didn’t respond for quite some time.
Luo Zhiyu rubbed the slightly sore back of his neck, opened his suitcase, and began sorting through the clothes he would need during his boarding school life.
As the start of the school year approached, the campus forum of No. 1 High School was particularly lively—
【Damn, I’m already a senior? Anyway, how’s the quality of this year’s freshmen?】 New · Hot
1L: ? RT. A batch graduated in June, and tomorrow is the freshman orientation ceremony. Are there any good-looking freshmen this year?
2L: Is Xiao Yan from Class 2 of Grade 11 not handsome enough? He recently differentiated into an alpha too. He’s A-fuckingmazing, okay? Why are you little fairies never satisfied?
3L: I was helping organize the freshman class assignments at the Academic Affairs Office a few days ago, and I actually found a good-looking one!
4L: Xiao Yan is the campus heartthrob, thank you very much. There isn’t room in my heart for anyone else.
5L: Luo Zhiyu from Class 3 of Grade 10. Even his ID photo looks this good. He must be absolutely stunning in person.
6L: Luo Zhiyu? Why does that name sound so familiar? Am I imagining things?
7L: …You’re not imagining it. Luo Zhiyu, the notorious troublemaker from No. 19 High School—the one rumored to have beaten someone with a drawing board. If you do the math, he’s definitely old enough to be starting high school now. I have a feeling our school is about to get interesting.
8L: It’s not a rumor. It really happened, and he even had to write a self-criticism. All I can say is, don’t be fooled by that face! Luo Zhiyu isn’t as harmless as he looks. Just don’t provoke him.
9L: That scary? Then I’ll just continue being a little fangirl for our campus heartthrob Xiao.
10L: Hehe, stop arguing. Here’s an interesting news article for you. News Link: [An AO Second-Sex Differentiation Caused by a Group Brawl? The Real Culprit Turns Out to Be… ]
11L: …
12L: …
13L: Um… are the students surnamed Xiao and Luo the two people I think they are?
The school wasn’t far from home, and Luo Zhiyu hadn’t brought many things with him. He planned to return home the following weekend.
Just after finishing packing his clothes, his phone received a new message.
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative] accepted and added you as a friend.
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: Fairy Frowning.jpg
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: It’s you?
Not Cicada: It’s me.
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: You added me? Are you serious?
This person’s profile picture was also three question marks, making him look exceptionally eager to learn.
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: Do you even know who I am? Fairy Frowning.jpg
Not Cicada: That isn’t important. Do you remember No. 1 High School’s motto? Unity and friendship. We’re schoolmates from now on.
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: Fairy Frowning.jpg
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: Fine. See you tomorrow. Hope you don’t regret it.
Not Cicada: Nonsense. I’ve never regretted getting to know you.
Apart from Xiao Yan and idiots, Luo Zhiyu was friendly and enthusiastic toward most people.
He spent the entire afternoon chatting with this seemingly aloof and solitary sophomore friend, basically learning everything there was to know about his new school.
Luo Zhiyu felt that this outstanding sophomore student had probably been won over by his enthusiasm.
How to order takeout on campus, the best dishes in the cafeteria each day, routes for leaving campus on non-holidays, and even the school’s most deeply hidden forum—Luo Zhiyu now knew it all.
However, it was getting late, and he had to attend the opening ceremony early the next morning. Luo Zhiyu decided not to browse the forum any further.
He placed his drawing board bag on top of his suitcase, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.
No. 1 High School was a prestigious school. Its educational philosophy held that a good beginning was the first step toward success, so its annual opening ceremony was always especially grand.
Luo Zhiyu arrived at school early the next morning and received his school uniform.
The base color of the uniform was white, with different accent colors for each grade. Luo Zhiyu’s uniform, representing Grade 10, was light red, while the uniforms for Grades 11 and 12 were light blue and pale green, respectively.
“Have you figured out what you’re going to say, Outstanding Freshman Representative Luo Zhiyu?”
Jing Ximing had grown up with Luo Zhiyu and was in the same class. The two of them would also be roommates throughout high school.
“Improvise.”
Luo Zhiyu had just changed into his uniform. When he lowered his head, the newly applied pheromone-blocking patch at his neck became visible.
“Trust me, hardly anyone listens at events like this. No matter what I say, no one will remember it.”
“You’re really something,” Jing Ximing said. “Your predicted differentiation period was right around now, and you still went out to get into a group fight.”
“Still worth it,” Luo Zhiyu said. “That bastard ended up differentiating along with me.”
Only Xiao Yan was an alpha, so he hadn’t suffered as much during differentiation as Luo Zhiyu had.
As for appearing on television, they had both appeared together. Neither of them had escaped. Fair was fair.
The school anthem played inside the auditorium. New and returning students took their seats, while the front rows were reserved for school administrators, teachers, and reporters from the city’s Morning News, who had specifically come to take photographs and write an article.
The people scheduled to speak had not yet taken their seats, and the students in the auditorium began whispering among themselves.
“Who is this year’s freshman representative?”
“No idea. We’ll know in a bit. No. 1 High School is very practical about these things. Whoever has the highest score gets the spot.”
“I’m new here. I heard there’s a really handsome guy in Grade 11? An incredibly handsome alpha.”
“That handsome guy got his face injured these past couple of days. You might have to wait a few days.”
“It’s starting, it’s starting! Stop talking, shh!”
The school anthem came to an end, and the opening ceremony officially began.
Everything proceeded according to schedule. The principal, vice principal, and grade director expressed their blessings and hopes for the new students one after another, while the sound of camera shutters rang out incessantly from the front rows.
There were no name cards on the student representatives’ seats.
There was one empty seat between Luo Zhiyu and the senior student representative. That must have been the guy he had befriended yesterday.
The grade director had already begun his concluding remarks, yet this person still hadn’t arrived. What an unbelievably laid-back guy.
“Hey, buddy.”
Luo Zhiyu quietly called out to the senior student representative sitting beside him twice.
The student who had been addressed looked at the omega freshman with confusion.
“Do me a favor. Move forward a little.”
Luo Zhiyu lowered his voice as he gestured.
The guy didn’t seem to understand, but he still moved himself and his chair forward by about ten centimeters, blocking the view of a row of school administrators on the left.
Luo Zhiyu looked around, pulled out his phone, and took advantage of the senior’s cover to scroll through his messages under the watchful eyes of the school administrators.
Not Cicada: Friend, are you still not here?
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: Getting the materials. Be there in a minute.
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: You care about me that much? Fairy Frowning.jpg
Not Cicada: Fuck off.
[Outstanding Sophomore Student Representative]: One minute. I’ll be there.
One minute later, the Grade 10 Outstanding Freshman Representative, Luo Zhiyu, lowered his phone amid the applause of all the students and slowly turned on his microphone.
“Good morning, school leaders, teachers, and fellow students. My name is—”
A sudden burst of cheers erupted throughout the auditorium.
Luo Zhiyu noticed that someone had appeared beside him. Maintaining his friendly smile, he turned his head.
Luo Zhiyu: “…”
The idiot he had gotten into a group fight with yesterday was smiling at him.
Xiao Yan had clearly anticipated his reaction. He grabbed Luo Zhiyu’s hand with one hand, pointed at himself with the other, and made no attempt to hide the amusement in his eyes.
“An outstanding you deserves to meet an outstanding me?”
Luo Zhiyu: “…”