Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

356  Interesting guy

Hillcrest Academy, around noon.

As soon as class ended, Ethan was ready to tackle the lunch situation.

But just as he stood up, he saw Kristen appear at the door, walking straight toward him.

"Hey, babe, let's go grab lunch."

The moment she spoke, Ethan felt like he'd been hit by a jolt of electricity. He frowned and said, "Kristen, your voice is so... cringey."

Kristen twirled a strand of her hair, looking a bit shy. "But I'm your girlfriend, aren't I?"

Ethan gave her a once-over and commented, "Kristen, you're a brilliant actress, but I gotta say, your acting right now is terrible. Also, I kinda miss your old, snarky, tsundere vibe. Can we bring that back?"

Kristen's expression froze instantly.

Then Ethan remembered something and asked, "Oh, by the way, did you step in with your right foot first when you came in?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Kristen narrowed her eyes at him, and there was definitely a hint of danger in her gaze.

But Ethan, completely oblivious, just sighed and said, "Sorry, I don't like girls who step in with their right foot first. So, Kristen, I think we should break up."

"…"

Kristen's face was a picture of disbelief.

Honestly, she'd seen breakups before. If it was about "incompatible personalities," sure, that made sense. No problem.

But breaking up over stepping in with the right foot first? Are you kidding me!?

Kristen's face flushed red—clearly from anger.

Then, without warning, she stomped hard on Ethan's foot.

"Ow!" Ethan sucked in a sharp breath.

"Why didn't you dodge?" Kristen hadn't expected to actually land the stomp.

Ethan chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I didn't want to ruin your perfect aim."

Kristen immediately took a step back, crossing her arms and turning slightly away, looking at him with disgust. "Pervert."

Ethan, unfazed, grinned and asked, "So, Miss Kristen, my dear ex-girlfriend, care to join me for lunch?"

This guy has no shame!

Kristen shot him a sideways glance, then acted like nothing had happened, staring at him blankly.

"Who said I was your ex? When were we ever dating?"

"True," Ethan nodded in agreement.

Kristen turned her head away in a huff, her tone a bit haughty. "But since you don't have any friends, I guess I'll graciously join you for lunch."

"No need to force yourself," Ethan said, ever the considerate one.

Kristen shot him a death glare. How can this guy be so dense!?

But what could she do? They were kind of alike—neither of them had many friends.

As they walked to the cafeteria, Kristen glanced at Ethan, puzzled. "Why do you keep shaking your head?"

Ethan shook his head again and replied, "I don't know."

Maybe it was because he was back in his own body, and the lightness of it made him feel at ease, so much so that he couldn't stop moving. Or maybe it was because Lila had been shaking his head so much while using his body that it had become some weird muscle memory.

Once in the cafeteria, Ethan ordered a fried chicken cutlet meal, and the two of them found a table to sit at.

Kristen was the perfect lunch companion—her looks alone were enough to boost anyone's appetite.

"You know," Kristen started, "I kinda miss the Elite Talent Program."

Ethan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too. I wonder why they canceled it out of the blue."

Kristen shot him a look of disbelief. "You seriously don't know whose fault that was!?"

The so-called "Elite Talent Program" was a scholarship system set up by Hillcrest Academy to attract gifted students. As long as a student's talent was recognized as "extraordinary," they could receive a generous scholarship and earn the corresponding "extraordinary" title.

Sure, the title sounded a bit cringey, but some people were really into that kind of thing.

At the time, Ethan was strapped for cash. If he could get recognized in just one area, he'd receive a hefty scholarship every year throughout high school. That was way better than working a part-time job, right?

So, he took full advantage of the system, milking Hillcrest Academy for all it was worth. In just one semester, he completely dismantled a program that had been around for decades.

A large chunk of the money he used to buy his current apartment? Yeah, that came from the school.

Thinking about it, Ethan still felt a bit indignant. "For such a big school, they sure are stingy. It's honestly shocking."

Kristen couldn't help but smirk.

She hadn't known Ethan back then, but she'd heard that the program wasn't canceled because of money.

It was because all the other "extraordinary" talents looked like total frauds next to Ethan, who systematically crushed them one by one, leaving them utterly demoralized.

Of course, titles like hers—related to acting—or those tied to being a rich kid had such strict prerequisites that they weren't on Ethan's radar.

But if the only titles left were things like "extraordinary young master" or "extraordinary heiress," what was the point of the program?

Eventually, the school's administration started questioning the entire system's validity, and they decided to scrap it.

Technically, the titles still existed, but without any real prestige, no one cared about them anymore.

After all that, there was a little incident when Ethan and Kristen were having lunch together.

In the cafeteria, Ethan spotted some new friends Lila had made while using his body the day before.

A lively blonde girl and a blue-haired girl.

It was Avery and Luna.

Wait, were they his classmates?

He'd never noticed them before, and it made him reflect a bit. Was this kind of coincidence just fate?

Even in different bodies, souls are still drawn to each other.

But Ethan didn't mind. If Lila could make friends on her own, it would make things easier if they ever swapped bodies again.

So, he helped keep the connection going by inviting the two girls to join them for lunch.

At first, Avery was a bit nervous because of Kristen. After all, Kristen was a big-time celebrity.

As for Luna, she was the quiet, emotionally detached type who had trouble expressing herself. You could probably throw her into a gravity well, and she'd come out just fine.

Thanks to Ethan's efforts, the group quickly warmed up to each other.

Kristen, being a professional actress, had some experience with music, so she easily found common ground with the others.

Then Avery brought up a topic. "Did you guys see the concert at the Aurora Hall yesterday?"

Ethan was surprised when both Kristen and Luna nodded. He hesitated, unsure how to respond. After all, he hadn't really watched it, but he was there.

The girls were all focused on the mysterious girl who performed last.

Avery sighed in admiration. "I can't believe the mystery guest was actually the Guitar Queen from the internet. That was her first live performance, right?"

"Huh?"

That immediately caught Ethan's attention. The mysterious girl was now being linked to the Guitar Queen?

"When did they figure that out?" Ethan wondered.

He pulled out his phone and searched. The Guitar Queen's account had gained over 100,000 followers overnight. How did it blow up so fast?

Then he found the source: Sierra had posted on her social media, saying how thrilled she was to perform alongside the Guitar Queen. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

With just that tiny clue, the internet's detectives had pieced together that the mysterious girl was, in fact, the Guitar Queen.

The bad news? His identity had been exposed. The good news? It wasn't completely exposed.

After all, they'd only figured out that the Guitar Queen was the mystery performer. No one had connected it to Lila.

Ethan had done more than just wear a mask that night. Even though he'd been in his school uniform, he'd made sure Lila's identity wouldn't be revealed.

Her hair color? In this world, light blonde wasn't exactly rare.

After a pleasant lunch, Ethan and Avery said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Avery kept watching him as he walked away.

"What's up?" Luna asked.

"Nothing," Avery shook her head. "I just feel like Ethan seems a bit different from yesterday."

Luna also glanced at his retreating figure. "Interesting guy."

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