A massive mansion sat in the wealthy district of Capitol City. High walls built like a fortress wrapped around the property, and security cameras watched every corner all day and night. Inside a private guardhouse, highly trained guards in black suits stayed on high alert.

  This was just one of the many private homes owned by the Alexander Sterling family. The only people who actually lived here were Serena Sterling and a few servants.

  "Hmm."

  Serena took a sip of her tea in the huge room. She thought back to what had been happening at the academy lately.

  It had already been a month since she started at Vanguard Academy. During that time, a lot had happened, but Serena was most curious about the connection between Julian Vance and Lily Pierce.

  I think this is the very first time Julian has ever liked a girl.

  Serena and Julian had known each other for years. Their families were close, so they practically grew up together. Because of this, Serena was really surprised. Julian usually ignored girls, but now he was actually making the first move.

  It was a huge change from when they first met. Back then, Julian rarely talked unless he had to. He kept his answers short and always had a blank look on his face.

  Does he actually like her?

  Serena thought it was just a passing phase, but maybe it wasn't. She felt a sudden wave of disbelief.

  To her, it made no sense at all. Lily Pierce was just a normal girl from an average family. She didn't have a special bloodline or amazing powers. Her grades were okay, but that was it. Julian had no real reason to care about her. Her family, her skills, and her talent were all nothing special.

  Is it... because of her looks?

  The only thing that made sense was her beauty. Even Serena, who attended many high-class parties, had rarely seen someone so gorgeous. Lily's pale skin and smooth, dark hair made even Serena admire her. Plus, she had a perfect body and long legs. Even another girl would find her attractive.

  But Julian wasn't the type to like someone just for their looks. He had seen plenty of pretty girls since he was young, and he never cared. So why did he like Lily so much? And why right from the very first day of school?

  "......."

  How long did it take for Serena to have a real conversation with him? It took months of him giving cold, short answers before they could talk normally. But with Lily, he was friendly on day one...

  Wait, that's not exactly true. She heard they went to the same middle school. So Julian must have liked her back then. She didn't know what happened between them in the past.

  But hold on, didn't Lily have a boyfriend in middle school? Oliver Brooks, her childhood friend. Did that mean Julian had a crush on a girl who was already dating someone else? Julian Vance, of all people?

  "......."

  Serena fell back onto her soft bed. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking things over, and then let out a dry laugh. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she felt.

  "Seriously, Julian..."

  Her pride was hurt. Yes, that was it. To Serena, Julian's actions were very annoying. He had never looked at her romantically, but now he was crazy about a commoner?

  ...Didn't that mean Lily was better than her? It felt insulting.

  Serena had perfect skills, talent, background, and looks. She had been around him for years, but he never gave her special attention. Yet he cared so much about Lily? She remembered trying to tease him when they were younger, but he never reacted. Why did Lily get a reaction?

  It wasn't that Serena had a crush on Julian. But losing so completely to Lily felt like a huge slap in the face. Especially since Lily had a boyfriend until just a little while ago.

  Oh, wait a second.

  That's right, Lily... she broke up with him on our first day here, didn't she?

  There was a big fuss that day. A gorgeous girl like Lily was suddenly single. It was great news for all the boys who liked her right away. But when Julian showed up, waiting for his chance, the other boys gave up.

  A breakup... a breakup, huh...

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  It seemed Oliver Brooks and Lily Pierce had just gone back to being friends. Since they grew up together, things didn't seem too weird between them. They were still close. Almost like their breakup was just a trick.

  But was that true? Could a boy and a girl who dated for years really be just friends with no feelings left? Oliver kept sneaking looks at Lily, after all. And Lily seemed a little bothered by Oliver too.

  ...Ah.

  A mysterious smile grew on Serena's face.

  What should I do? I just had a really fun idea.

  How would Lily react if Serena started talking to Oliver? Would she not care since they broke up, or would she glare at Serena with anger and jealousy? Or would she do something else entirely?

  Serena grew excited wondering what Lily would do. Hopefully, it would be even more entertaining than Serena thought. If it wasn't fun, she would just force it to be fun.

  I really shouldn't do this...

  But she couldn't help it. Serena had always been like this.

  It had been more than a month since I started at Vanguard.

  "That is it for today."

  The different exercises we did were very hard. The more I worked out, the more I realized I had zero natural talent for being a hero.

  "Training is over."

  When Diana Reed spoke, the students started smiling at each other in small groups.

  "Listen up. Starting next Wednesday, we will be doing a team test."

  "A team... test?"

  "Yes. Make teams. Heroes do not work by themselves. Some do, but most are in teams. It is good to have partners who can cover your weak spots in fighting, dodging, surviving, and so on."

  The students listened closely to Diana Reed.

  "Make groups of three from our class and turn in your names by Monday morning."

  "Do we pick our own teammates?"

  "Yes."

  Diana looked around at us before continuing.

  "I am warning you now, this test will grade your plans, strategy, fighting, quick thinking, teamwork, how well you do your job, and much more."

  "......."

  "You might think it is smart to group up with the top students, but that could go wrong if their powers clash. You might also miss the chance to show what you can do."

  "......."

  "When you pick your partners, you should think about how well you work together and if you can do different jobs. The exact test will be a surprise until that day."

  Her advice meant we shouldn't just grab the strongest fighters. It was best to build a balanced team with different skills. Of course, a group with Julian Vance, Damian Steele, and Serena Sterling would be incredibly strong.

  "Are there any questions?"

  No one spoke. The students were already thinking about who to ask.

  "If that is all, we are done. You can go."

  "Yes, ma'am!"

  The class broke apart. As we walked back to our room, everyone talked nonstop about making teams and practicing.

  "Hey, join my group."

  "No way. I'm going with Hunter."

  "Man, I wish Julian would pick me. That would be an easy pass."

  "Same here. I know I'd do great if he picked me."

  Everyone was rushing to make their groups.

  "Lily, want to join my team?"

  "Um, I am not sure..."

  "Oh, come on, please?"

  "Haha, let me think about it."

  Lily was very popular. Because of her skills, she would be great in any group. She was very well-rounded, and she was so pretty that all the boys wanted her on their team.

  "My power is gravity. I know I can help."

  "Like I said, I use electricity. I can handle almost anything..."

  The room was loud with chatter. A lot of kids were trying hard to sell themselves to Julian. But Julian ignored all of them and walked straight toward one person.

  And that person was Lily Pierce.

  "Lily."

  "Hm? Oh, hi Julian. You are so lucky; everybody wants to be on your team. You can just pick anyone, right?"

  "Do you want to join my team?"

  "Huh?"

  Lily blinked, totally shocked.

  "With you?"

  "Yes."

  "Shouldn't you ask someone better? To be honest, I am not strong enough to be on a team with you."

  "We worked together back in middle school a few times. I think teamwork is the most important thing for this test."

  "Oh, really? Well, I would be happy to join you."

  In the original game, Julian never asked her first. That was because I was always there as Lily's boyfriend. But now, I was just a friend from the past. Julian had no reason to hold back.

  I am glad Julian asked her first.

  I nodded quietly. This team test was very important. I needed to reach the finals with a strong team, especially alongside Lily.

  This test was the start of the main story. There was one specific thing I needed to do in the finals.

  Okay, so I need to... Wait, what?

  "Hello? Oliver Brooks."

  Serena Sterling walked up to me out of nowhere and said hi. I tilted my head in my mind, very confused. I never thought she would talk to me.

  "We are in the same room, but we never really talk, do we?"

  "Yeah. Why?"

  "Well, I wanted to ask you something."

  Serena gave a small smile.

  "Do you have a team yet?"

  "Not yet."

  I bet she already knew that. We had been training for a month, so she knew I was way weaker than everyone else.

  "If you are free, do you want to join my team?"