As soon as the class ended, the entire room erupted into motion. No hesitation. No second thoughts. Everyone rushed toward the exit.

"Stop."

Celeste's cold, slightly irritated voice rang out. The crowd froze mid-step, turning back in confusion.

Following her gaze, they finally saw what she meant.

Ethan was hunched over, desperately trying to squeeze his way through the mass of bodies. Even with his ridiculous strength, there was no way to bulldoze through over a hundred people in such tight space.

And now? Now everyone knew exactly who Celeste was talking to. No one said a word.

Then, whether it was one person or several acting together, someone gave a hard shove.

Ethan was immediately pushed out of the crowd, stumbling into the open.

As he turned back, helpless, his classmates simply looked at him with a silent and collectively pitiful expressions.

Then, in a wave of motion, they all bolted from the training hall. Someone even took the time to close the door behind them.

Ethan slowly turned around, awkwardly facing Celeste. "Uh… M-Miss Celeste," he stammered. "So, uh… it's dinner time, right? How about… we, uh… talk over a meal?"

As he spoke, Celeste steadily walked toward him. Her face was unreadable.

Ethan, however, was very aware of how many times he had witnessed her absolutely destroy their classmates in sparring sessions.

Tension gripped his entire body.

She stopped just half a meter away.

For a moment, she simply stared at him. Then, to his utter disbelief, her lips curved slightly.

"You're buying."

"…Huh?"

Ethan's brain spun. Celeste had already opened the door and walked out before he managed to react.

He quickly followed, trailing behind as they left the building in silence. The atmosphere felt unbearably awkward, so Ethan finally broke it.

"So… where are we going?"

"You're paying. You decide." Celeste didn't even turn her head.

"Uh… there's this burger joint by the west gate. They make a good double cheeseburger."

Celeste stopped in her tracks and looked back at him.

"…Uh," Ethan blinked. He realized his mistake immediately.

She was the most sought-after girl on campus. Guys would probably line up around the lake just to take her to a fancy restaurant.

And what did he suggest? A greasy burger joint? Yeah. Not his best moment.

"Or, uh... we could get some sea food?" he blurted, his brain scrambling for an alternative. To his surprise, the Ice Queen actually smirked.

"I have to say, your taste is incredibly low. Seriously, how did you even manage to date Lyla?"

Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but then—

"But seafood sound good," Celeste continued. "Haven't had them in a while. Let's go."

And just like that, she wasn't walking ahead of him anymore. Instead, she walked beside him, shoulder to shoulder.

Ethan blinked.

Wait. Was this the second time he had seen her smile? And… it actually looked nice on her.

Of course, he wasn't dumb enough to say that out loud. As they walked together, students around them whispered frantically.

Within minutes, the news spread like wildfire. The Ice Queen… was leaving campus with a guy.

And not just any exit. The west gate.

Everyone knew what the west gate was famous for. Hotels. Motels. A whole street lined with them. So when Celeste suddenly spoke, Ethan wasn't surprised at all.

"Shouldn't you check in with your girlfriend first?" she asked.

He had already noticed the stares. Even some teachers were giving them strange looks. Apparently, Celeste's reputation on campus was that powerful.

Ethan cleared his throat. "Uh… I'll just ask Lyla if she's eaten yet."

Ethan wasn't usually the paranoid type, but he really didn't want this situation to be misunderstood by Lyla.

Things were finally progressing between them, he couldn't afford any unnecessary drama.

"Good timing," Celeste said casually. "I was planning to find Lyla anyway. Quite the surprise running into both of you like this. If she's free, have her join us."

Ethan wasn't really paying attention to her wording. Under Celeste's half-smirking gaze, he quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Lyla's number.

"Hey, Lyla, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet. I was actually heading home to eat with you."

"Uh… I'm still on campus. Senior Celeste invited us to dinner."

There was a brief pause.

"Celeste invited us to dinner?" Lyla sounded genuinely surprised. "Alright. Where are you? I'll come meet you."

After giving her the location, Ethan hung up. Lyla didn't take long to arrive. And just like that, the three of them walked out of the school gates together.

The scene they created? Absolutely eye-catching.

Ethan, flanked by two of the most stunning girls on campus, was now the center of attention.

They found a casual seafood restaurant and took a table near the window. This time of the day, the place wasn't crowded.

Soon, their table was filled with plates of fresh oysters, grilled fish, and crispy calamari.

Celeste, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke. "Do you know why I invited you here?"

She didn't bother with small talk. Ethan and Lyla exchanged glances. Then, they both shook their heads.

Seeing how stiff they looked, Celeste suddenly smiled, a genuine, beautiful smile.

"Relax, you two."

That only made them more tense. Celeste never smiled. It was part of the reason she was called the Ice Queen.

And according to rumors, anyone who had ever seen her smile… hadn't ended up in a good place.

Because when Celeste smiled, it usually meant she was about to wreck someone.

"Actually," she continued, "I'm not really a student here."

That got Lyla's attention. "Wait, but I heard you transferred in later. Where were you before?"

Instead of answering, Celeste asked, "Have you heard of Recruitment Officers?"

Ethan blinked. Recruitment Officers? Sounded like… military recruiters?

Lyla, on the other hand, looked genuinely surprised. "Wait, you're our school's Recruitment Officer?"

Ethan turned to her. "Okay, hold up. What's a Recruitment Officer?"

Lyla hesitated, then glanced at Celeste.

Surprisingly, Celeste, who had been nothing but cold and distant in class, now had the demeanor of a friendly older sister. She nodded. "Go ahead. It's not really a secret."

Getting her approval, Lyla explained.

"Recruitment Officers were basically military recruiters, but with a twist. Instead of enlisting for the army, they scouted for a special government division."

"The Ninth Division."

Lyla didn't go into detail, only saying that it was a classified national organization.

Every major university had at least one Recruitment Officer stationed to identify and recruit promising talent.

When she finished, Celeste studied her closely. "Sounds like you know quite a bit about them. Has someone tried to recruit you before?"

Lyla nodded. "Yeah. Before I transferred here, someone approached me. But… I have a Silverwood surname."

That last part sounded cryptic to Ethan. What does having that surname have to do with anything?

Celeste, however, immediately understood. She gave a small nod, though a hint of regret crossed her face.

Then she turned to Ethan.

"So? Are you interested in joining the Ninth Division?"

Ethan stared at her, baffled.

"The Ninth Division? What the hell even is that? Why do you guys talk about it like it's some top secret?"