C17 A Strategy

Startled, Lin Mu looked up toward the source of the explosion. "Is it over there...?"

He inhaled deeply, steadying his nerves before creeping up the stairs. Reaching the classroom door where the blast had originated, Lin Mu's ears caught a familiar voice bellowing with audacious words. "When asking for someone's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

Boom!

Before Shido could finish, the elf known as Princess swung her arm, sending a gust of wind that punched a gaping hole in the wall beside him.

Lin Mu was taken aback. He couldn't help but blurt out to Shido, "Dude, seriously? That reckless?!"

"What the heck?! Are you trying to kill me?!" Shido, knocked to the ground by the blast, clutched his ear and voiced his complaints.

For a moment, Lin Mu was confused, but then it clicked. Shido's earlier behavior was likely under someone else's direction; knowing Shido's character, he wouldn't make such remarks on his own. He was probably communicating with the puppet master through some invisible earpiece.

However, the next instant, the elf girl stood before Shido, her expression dark. "This is your last chance. If you refuse to answer, I'll consider you an enemy." The threat might have sounded mild, but coming from an elf wielding mysterious powers and aiming an energy orb at your forehead, it was terrifying. Shido was certainly scared, and Lin Mu feared another outburst might provoke the princess further.

But, as Lin Mu braced to intervene, Shido quickly gestured with his hands and came clean about his identity.

"I'm Itsuka Shido, a student here. I don't want to be your enemy."

Lin Mu breathed a sigh of relief for Shido, and the Elf Princess's demeanor softened, her voice losing its previous edge.

"I remember seeing you once before... with another boy who had white hair." Clearly, she was talking about Lin Mu.

Hearing himself mentioned, Lin Mu sensed his cue to step in. This was a matter of life and death; no time for hesitation! He couldn't stand by and watch Shido win over the elf princess. That would only widen the gap between him and Shido, who was already a step ahead...

With this thought in mind, Lin Mu exhaled a heavy sigh and stepped forward to enter, but...

Thud!

That was the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the floor. Yes, Lin Mu had taken a tumble, tripped up by a piece of the wall that had crumbled onto the ground.

Instantly, Itsuka Shido and the Elf Princess shifted their attention to Lin Mu.

Even Itsuka, miles away in Flaxis, watched with astonishment as the "Voldemort" figure appeared on the screen. Despite the face being planted on the ground, the shock of silver hair and the pale, youthful skin were dead giveaways. Itsuka recognized this "Voldemort" in an instant.

"What's happening? Why is Mr. Lin Mu in such a place?!" Itsuka bit down hard, shattering the lollipop in her mouth, as the scene before her defied all expectations.

"Ah, never mind, Shen Wuyue, bring Lin Mu back to Flaxis!" Itsuka shook her head, determined not to let Lin Mu's unexpected appearance throw off Shido's strategy with the Elf Princess.

...

"Uh... this is awkward..." Lin Mu's mouth twitched into an uncomfortable smile as he looked up at the two people in the room, acknowledging the undeniable awkwardness of the situation.

Thankfully, the elf known as the princess was quick to respond, preventing the awkwardness from lingering. "Ah, it's you. You were with him last time, weren't you?"

Following her lead, Shido also recognized Lin Mu and blurted out in surprise, "Mu?! What are you doing here?!"

Lin Mu hesitated, knowing he couldn't reveal the truth about his presence, especially not the details of the Dimensional Main City and the missions it assigned. So, he offered a half-hearted explanation, "Um... would you buy it if I said I was just passing through?"

Yet, in an unforeseen turn of events that caught the other three off guard, Lin Mu's casual excuse seemed to manifest into reality. He appeared swiftly and left just as quickly, vanishing into thin air from the decrepit classroom...

As Lin Mu's vision blurred and a sensation of weightlessness overtook him, he found himself transported from the rundown classroom to a space brimming with futuristic technology. Truth be told, Lin Mu was utterly bewildered.

"Hey there, Lin Mu." A familiar voice with an unfamiliar intonation caused Lin Mu to instinctively look up at the speaker.

"Itsuka?"

Indeed, it was Itsuka calling out to him, albeit in the guise of a black ribbon.

Lin Mu, ever attuned to the minutiae, immediately noticed the change in the color of Itsuka's ribbon.

He flipped over and settled cross-legged on the floor of indeterminate material, eyeing Itsuka with her mischievous grin. Blinking, he ventured, "I see. You must be a different Itsuka now... This is actually my first encounter with someone who has a split personality."

At Lin Mu's observation, the smile faded from Itsuka's face, replaced by a look of surprise. "Wow, Lin Mu, you're really quite perceptive."

Lin Mu pursed his lips, a silent signal of his reluctance to converse. Resigned to the unexpected teleportation that had befallen him, he had a hunch about the reason behind it...

Itsuka, feeling a bit uneasy under Lin Mu's silent gaze, hesitated briefly before producing a lollipop from nowhere. She unwrapped it and offered it to Lin Mu, "Want a taste?"

Lin Mu: "..."

With a resigned sigh, Lin Mu opened his mouth, prompting a small smile from Itsuka as she placed the lollipop inside.

Afterward, Itsuka turned to leave. As the mechanical door swung open, she paused, looking back at Lin Mu with a hint of curiosity. "Hey, want to come check it out?"

Lin Mu shook his head, "No, thanks. If you could, please send me back."

Itsuka gave a slight nod, signaling her understanding, and made her way back to the control room as the door shut behind her.

Lin Mu remained seated, glancing at the system panel before him.

Elf: Princess (Princess) Favorability with Itsuka Shido: 88

Elf: Princess (Princess) Favorability with Apostle 10086: 4

He then facepalmed and sighed once more, "Well, it is what it is... Though I never would've guessed Shido had such a knack for charming the ladies..."

Murmuring to himself, Lin Mu's silhouette silently vanished from the Flaxis, and the view before him seamlessly reverted to the familiar surroundings of his own bedroom.