The students from Class E didn't show any signs of anger—instead, one by one, they raised their eyebrows with cold smirks, their faces openly displaying irritation and hostility.
Selena frowned. With one sweep of her gaze, she quickly found a familiar figure at the back of the crowd.
Erwin.
He still wore that same lazy posture, half-lidded eyes, shoulder leaning against the doorframe as if nothing around him had anything to do with him. His gaze swept casually over the gymnasium but paused ever so slightly when it passed over Selena.
Her eyes darkened. Just as she was about to speak, a more obvious voice of contempt rang out beside her:
"Class E playing dodgeball? Bet they can't even catch a ball without dropping it."
Selena sighed helplessly and shot Aiden a look.
Aiden instantly understood, nodded, and silently picked up a ball, walking toward Class E with a spring in his step—and a touch of provocation.
"Do you guys… want to join in?" Selena approached with a smile and issued the invitation. "Our class only has eighteen people, so why don't we have a mixed inter-class match?"
Of course, the mention of "eighteen people" was more than just a casual statement—it was a deliberate jab. At Isilia Academy, Class A underwent intense annual performance screening, and the eighteen students left were all elite survivors of that system.
The implication was clear: "We're few because we're the best. You're many because you're the leftovers."
It was a subtle little counterattack from the former-life Selena to this-life Class E.
Most of the students on the other side didn't seem to pick up on the hidden meaning.
Except for that one person at the very back—Erwin. Upon hearing her words, his brow quirked ever so slightly.
But no one responded.
"Come on, guys, it's a really fun game! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!" Aiden picked up on her tone and added sincerely, "And hey, even if you lose, it's fine—what matters is having fun!"
Class E remained unmoved.
Finally, a tall and skinny boy stepped forward with a snort. "An invitation from Class A? No thanks. We don't have time to waste with stuck-up brats."
It was Ryder—Class E's infamous sharp-tongued troublemaker.
Selena gave a faint smile. "Then we'll just use the court for a little practice. We don't mind having an audience."
With that, she tossed the ball back to Aiden. The two of them started passing it back and forth—one high lob, one rolling pass—so quick and skillful that some Class E students started watching despite themselves.
After a few rounds, Selena suddenly stopped. After a pause, she gently rolled the ball toward Aiden again.
"Trust me, it's really fun. Or, you could just—"
Before she could finish, Aiden, for reasons unknown even to himself, suddenly threw a fast-spinning ball right at her.
Whack!
"Ugh…!" Selena winced, clutching her arm, and turned to look at Aiden in disbelief.
"…?"
"Uh—I thought you'd catch it…" Aiden gave her a wide-eyed, innocent puppy look.
Selena said nothing, only flashing a sweet—but extremely dangerous—smile.
A second later, she lunged.
Aiden immediately turned and ran, yelling, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!!"
The two of them instantly burst into a chaotic chase around the gym. Selena was lightning-fast, light-footed like a cat, staying hot on Aiden's heels, while he darted wildly through the crowd of students, frantically screaming and dodging as others quickly made way.
Within seconds, they had run a full circle. As Aiden passed by Class E, he lost his footing and went sprawling across the floor with a loud thud.
"I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!!" he screamed before even lifting his head.
"Too late."
Selena straddled his back without hesitation, grabbed the nearest ball, and gave him a heavy WHACK! with it.
Even as Aiden groaned beneath her, she mercilessly unleashed a flurry of slaps on his back with her palm.
Class E stared in complete bewilderment.
"…This is Class A?"
"They're insane."
Even Ryder looked stunned, muttering under his breath, "I thought Class A was supposed to be all refined nobles…"
Finally, Selena stopped, stood up, and elegantly brushed the dust off her hands. She cast a cool glance toward Class E.
"Are you joining now?"
Her tone was calm, but had an unmistakable note of mischief, as if that whole chaotic beatdown had just been a warm-up.
Ryder's mouth twitched. His eyes lingered briefly on Aiden, who was still lying on the ground playing dead. He tried to look calm, but his voice stuttered,
"F-Fine. It's not like today's the only day we can use the gym… We don't need to share with you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left, taking the rest of Class E with him—one faster than the next, the swagger from earlier completely gone.
At that moment, Selena noticed something odd—among the group, there was one person walking much slower than the rest.
She glanced over instinctively—and sure enough, it was the last person in line: Erwin.
He hadn't left right away. As he slowly followed the others, he glanced back toward her with a thoughtful expression.
"She looks… really familiar…" Erwin thought, fragments of memory flickering through his mind. "I've seen her somewhere before…"
Selena's eyes widened in alarm. Cold sweat beaded on her temple.
Not good.
To cover her unease, she suddenly turned around and shouted dramatically at the now barely conscious Aiden:
"AAAAHHHHHHH——!!"
She picked up the ball again and slammed it onto his back three more times.
"OWOWOW!!"
"Wh-why are you hitting me again?! I'm already dying here!!"
Aiden flailed and groaned, flopping around dramatically on the ground like he was about to ascend to the heavens.
Erwin watched the chaotic, ridiculous scene with a blank stare before his expression finally cracked. Shaking his head in disbelief, he turned and walked away.
Only then did Selena let out a small sigh of relief, patting her chest and muttering quietly to herself,
"Whew… That was close. Almost got recognized."
Meanwhile, Aiden lay sprawled on the ground, totally motionless, mumbling under his breath:
"Ugh… does anyone care about how I feel…?"
"…Sorry. I'll buy you a drink later."