Chapter 46: Silent Shadows (With Illustration)

The bedroom door clicked shut, and Stella leaned her back flat against the wood, sliding down slowly until she sat huddled on the floorboards. Her hands were shaking violently. She buried her face deep in her hands, her silver-white hair spilling wildly over her knees as a cold, terrifying panic took over her entire body.

"No, no, no... it can't happen," Stella whispered into the empty room, her voice cracking with deep fear. "How did she find me so soon?..." She clutched her head tightly, the chilling, knowing smile of Professor Julia looping endlessly inside her mind, refusing to let her rest for the entire night.

.....

The next morning, the university campus was practically buzzing with stress. Wednesday had arrived, and with the midterm exams starting first thing on Thursday, every single student was running on high anxiety, completely buried in lecture notes and practice tests.

By lunchtime, the cafeteria was packed to the brim. Leo sat at their usual corner table, casually eating his meal alongside Cynthia, Chloe, and Nicole. Even though the atmosphere at the table was still a bit heavy with standard harem jealousy, Leo’s dark eyes naturally scanned the surrounding benches. A distinct frown traced his sharp face.

She isn't here.

Even though Stella was usually incredibly noisy and annoying, her complete absence felt entirely unnatural. Leo set his fork down, leaning forward across the table. "Hey, Chloe. Where's Stella today? She didn't come to grab a seat with us for lunch."

Chloe’s crimson eyes instantly narrowed, a visible wave of annoyed jealousy coloring her cheeks as she slammed her juice carton down. "Why are you asking me about that annoying girl, Leo?! I don't track her schedule! But..." Chloe paused, her brow furrowing slightly as she crossed her arms. "Now that you mention it... she was behaving really weirdly when we walked back from Professor Genevieve's extra study session last night. She wouldn't say a single word, and she looked completely lost in her own head."

Leo sat back, his dark eyes clouding with deep confusion. Weird? Stella is never quiet. Something is definitely wrong. She is already a mysterious figure.

After the lunch hour cleared, Leo walked down the quiet faculty corridor blocks. Turning a corner near the grand balcony windows, he suddenly spotted a familiar flash of silver-white hair. Stella was standing completely still by the frame, her slender fingers tightly gripping the stone ledge as she stared down at the open courtyard ground below.

Leo tracked her line of sight. Down in the courtyard, Professor Julia was casually walking toward the administrative wing, her sophisticated figure moving with calm elegance. Stella was staring dead at her, her jaw locked so tightly that she was violently gritting her teeth in absolute, quiet fury.

"Hey. Stella," Leo called out calmly, stepping into her space. "You didn't come to eat lunch with us today. Is everything alright?"

Stella violently flinched, her body jerking in shock as she was snapped right out of her dark thoughts. In a fraction of a second, she aggressively wiped the sheer terror off her face, forcing her signature, playful emerald eyes to flash with a highly mischievous grin. She lunged forward, tilting her head to the side as she teased him playfully. "Leo~! Are you actually checking up on me? That is so incredibly cute! Don't tell me... do you secretly like me that much?"

Leo let out an irritated huff, rolling his eyes as his usual annoyance rushed back. "Yeah, checking on you was a thoroughly bad idea. Forget I asked."

Stella didn't launch into a dramatic whimper. Instead, her playful smile slowly faded into a deeply sad, fragile expression. She stepped back, looking down at her folders. "I... I just have a lot of things I need to take care of, Leo. I'm leaving now." Without waiting for his reply, she turned on her heel and walked quickly down the hallway corridor.

Leo watched her go, his eyebrows furrowing deeply. She definitely looks weird. The playful act is completely forced.

.....

Thursday arrived, and the midterm exams officially went live. For the next two grueling weeks, the entire university was locked in absolute, high-stress silence as students poured every ounce of their stamina into their exam papers.

Finally, the long testing session came to an end, and the highly anticipated results day landed right on a clear Thursday morning. A massive crowd of first-year students was tightly packed around the grand central bulletin board, desperately searching the paper layout for their grade rankings.

Soren and Gideon were standing right at the front, scanning the first-year results, before their eyes violently locked onto the absolute top slot of the board. Turning their heads around slowly, they glared at Leo, who was casually standing behind them with his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Leo... you absolute traitor!" Soren cried out, his face melting into absolute, tearful frustration as he pointed a shaking finger at the board. "Look at the numbers! You came in absolute 1st place across the entire first-year humanity department! Didn't you literally tell us on Tuesday that your preparation was average and you didn't study much?!"

Gideon let out a heavy, dramatic sob of pure injustice. "He totally betrayed our friendship, Soren! Look at us, we barely managed to pass barely by a single point, and this giant campus model just casually takes the championship slot! You're a backstabber, Leo!"

Leo offered a relaxed, effortless shrug, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I really did just do basic revision, guys. You just need to pay attention during the actual lectures."

"Hmph! Don't act so cool, dummy!"

A familiar, haughty voice cut through the crowd. Nicole walked over smoothly, her short chestnut-golden bangs framing a beautifully cute, blushing face as she held up her report slip. "Congratulations, Leo. But don't get arrogant. I officially came in 2nd place in the 2nd year science department tracking list!"

"Congratulations, Leo!" Chloe chimed in happily, running to his side and pulling his arm defensively against her curves. "I managed to secure 3th place in the first year, so you have to praise me!"

"You both did exceptionally well," Cynthia’s elegant voice echoed through the avenue. The campus goddess walked over with her usual disciplined grace, offering Leo a warm, glowing smile. "And congratulations to you as well, Leo. I managed to retain my 1st place slot for the second-year business department, so we can finally celebrate together."

The four of them stood together, the girls trading subtle, jealous glances as they crowded around Leo’.

"Well, well. It seems our top student is enjoying his victory."

The crowd of students naturally parted as Professor Genevieve and Professor Julia walked over to join the table. Leo’s dark eyes naturally focused on Julia. She looked exceptionally beautiful, wearing a form-fitting charcoal-grey business skirt suit that perfectly accentuated her mature, striking hourglass curves. Her dark hair was pinned up elegantly, and her cold, knowing eyes carried a deeply impressive warmth as she stopped right in front of him.

"I must say, Leo, I am profoundly impressed by your exam results," Professor Julia said smoothly, her voice carrying a sophisticated, velvety tone. "Securing the absolute highest score as a first-year is a remarkable achievement."

Smiling warmly, Julia gracefully extended her slender, manicured hand forward, intending to offer a formal, professional handshake to congratulate him.

SWIPE!

Before Leo’s fingers could even move, a sudden flash of silver-white hair violently cut through the space. Stella aggressively stepped right between them, her small hands shooting forward to firmly grab Professor Julia’s extended hand, breaking the contact entirely.

Stella forced a massive, incredibly loud, and bright smile across her pale face, her emerald eyes locking dead onto Julia’s cold profile. "Thank you so much, Professor Julia! And thank you, Professor Genevieve! It’s entirely because of your mandatory extra review session that a late transfer student like me could pass the midterms with such good marks! We are so incredibly grateful for your faculty guidance!"

Professor Julia's smile didn't fade, but her cold eyes narrowed slightly, tracking Stella's trembling fingers with absolute, terrifying calm. "It is simply our job to guide students who are... struggling to find their place, Miss Stella. Keep up the hard work."

With a polite nod, Julia and Genevieve turned on their heels, their mature figures moving elegantly down the main building corridor.

The exact microsecond the two professors disappeared around the corner block, Stella’s bright smile vanished into absolute dust. She stood perfectly still, her emerald eyes staring blankly at the empty hallway, her posture completely freezing with a deep, chilling intensity. Without saying a single word to Leo, Chloe, or anyone else at the board, she abruptly turned around and walked out of the central lobby, her lonely silhouette disappearing into the campus crowd.

Leo stood beneath the grand bulletin board, his hand slowly sliding into his pocket as his dark eyes tracked her exit vector. She didn't tease me, she didn't whimper, and she completely shut down the handshake. A profound, heavy silence settled over his thoughts as he realized her layers were becoming entirely too mysterious.