"S-S-Snowflower?!"

Everyone in the entire sixth training field couldn't believe what they were seeing.

But based on the usually cold fairy's extreme yet rather adorable reaction, there was a high chance that she indeed knew who Onimaru Kunitsuna was, and that she was simply helping them hide their identity.

If so, then this is massive!

Could the legendary novice—first in history to evade the world government's perfect system—actually be a student in their academy?!

The students exploded into energetic, almost zealous commotion.

As for Daru, he was tongue-tied, unsure of how to react.

On one hand, he wanted to head over and tell Iris not to disclose his identity if she could, but on the other, he knew that if he went there now, he would just look suspicious.

He naturally appreciated that his training partner lied for him.

Unfortunately, the accursed apparatus was simply too ruthless.

Daru could only watch in suppressed anxiousness.

It was then that a voice suddenly sounded to his right.

"Ah, you may return now," Krishna said with an excited expression and a wildly pounding heart.

Who knew she and her team would be the ones who would obtain the massive bonus?!

Like she had never done before, she bolted over, with the rest of her team members following suit.

They strangely smiled at Iris, taking her away while seemingly trying to ease her worried heart.

The strange event ended right there.

However, the aftermath was explosive, as the students used what remained of their time before the start of the afternoon classes to chat among themselves.

"D-Damn! Is Onimaru Kunitsuna from our academy?! But isn't his highness Skylar the strongest novice here?"

"Yeah, there's no mistake about it. The academy's forum administrator was the one who posted that cream of the crop thread…"

"Are you guys actual idiots?! Isn't this because the almighty, greatest supreme Lord Onimaru isn't registered yet? Otherwise, how could that false prince strut around like he owns the place?"

"Shh!! You're the idiot! If an underling of the prince hears of your treason…I'm not hesitating to cut ties!"

That day, the sixth training field became famous, and the afternoon swordsmanship classes were quite loose and chaotic.

News spread around that Snowflower "definitely" knows who Onimaru Kunitsuna was.

As a result, people from even the farther training fields—more than an hour away from the sixth, took the time to come and confirm the news after their classes.

Those from Class 67, 68, 70, and the most famous class of all, 69, with their spittle flying everywhere, enthusiastically told everyone how Snowflower was caught lying, trying to cover up for Onimaru Kunitsuna, who they suspect was her secret lover.

Daru, for once, found the noise too distracting. His secret identity was the topic, after all.

He found it difficult to continue training.

And so, he decided to call it a day, staying behind for no more than twenty minutes before leaving and returning to his dormitory with a heavy heart.

Was his peaceful life of pursuing excellence without anyone bothering him about to come to an end?

***

**

Around three hours after the shocking event.

Inside a luxurious guest room with a few arcade machines in one corner, a plush sofa and table set beneath a crystalline chandelier with an intricate design suspended from the center of the ceiling, and a tall glass window that offered a perfect view of the sunset, a blueberry-haired young woman, accompanied by an older black-haired woman, munched on a biscuit and sipped from a cup of tea.

"So, lil sis, have you eased up? I told you, calm down, we're not going to harass you or something. Here, have this strawberry shortcake." Krishna smiled, cheeks resting on her palms as she watched Iris swallow the pastries as though she had a bottomless abyss for a stomach.

She couldn't help but find the S-ranker quite adorable, especially since Iris didn't seem to have an ounce of arrogance in her, despite being one of the most renowned talents of Cluster 4's Southern Bladeborn Academy.

Snowflower nodded, having visibly calmed down a lot as she tried the strawberry shortcake.

The bliss on her face shortly after made the lucky team leader chuckle.

Krishna's expression then turned serious for a moment, checking her wristwatch.

'She should be arriving soon…' the team leader thought inwardly, immediately getting back to watching the adorable high-ranker.

A few more minutes later, Iris suddenly asked.

"C-Can I try that claw machine over there?"

Krishna was dumbfounded for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Of course, you can! I'll tell you what, you can even keep whatever you got from there! Ah, but wait for a moment, okay? I think it needs maintenance. Just five minutes."

The team leader then contacted one of the members of her team to "maintain" the claw machine.

In the next moment, a brown-haired young man entered, glancing at Iris and appreciating her beauty for a while before proceeding on his way.

He then "maintained" the machine, arranging the stuffed toys inside to be easily obtainable before leaving a few minutes later.

"Oh, look, lil sis! It seems maintenance is done. You can use the claw machine now. Don't mind me, big sister is just going to relax here, alright?"

Iris nodded and walked with suppressed excitement towards her destination.

She had been eyeing a certain bunny from the moment she entered the guest room an hour earlier.

To her delight, she got the plush toy in just a single try!

It was unfortunately all she could obtain, as, in the next moment, the knob clunked, and the door creaked open, prompting both Iris and Krishna to look.

The "big sister" suddenly had a nervous expression on her face as she stood up and bowed to the professional-looking, pink-haired woman of similar age, who had just entered with two middle-aged men donning black polo shirts and trousers.

The two bodyguards then bowed and left, proceeding to stand protectively in front of the door.

Krishna was shaking, but she knew this was her chance.

She can't mess this up!

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the apprehensive Iris, calling her over.

"Lil sis Iris, come. This is the big sister I was talking to you about. She'll be the one to ask you about your relationship with Onimaru Kunitsuna. No need to be scared of her, alright? I guarantee you she won't force you and respect your boundaries."

Snowflower nodded, seemingly already trusting Krishna, though she still seemed a bit nervous.

The guilt that had taken the backseat thanks to the tea-time and arcade machines was now back.

Iris repeatedly reminded herself to think about her words very carefully and absolutely not tell this pink-haired woman who Onimaru Kunitsuna was.

Otherwise, she felt it would be equivalent to betraying her training partner.

Iris could understand how annoying it is to be bothered by agents all the time, after all, and if she only had the options, she would hide her identity as an S-ranker as well.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.