When Mira put the face lock back into the gift box and came out, the butler was already waiting outside. With just a glance at the box in her hand, he recognized which family it was from.
"This is a gift from the Morgan family." The butler locked the warehouse door and followed Mira closely. "Miss, are you planning to personally prepare a coming-of-age gift for Master Morgan?"
Mira weighed the gift box in her hand and thought about its contents. "Wayne, Master Morgan prepared a coming-of-age gift for me himself. Since it's his coming-of-age, I should choose a gift for him personally."
The butler pretended not to catch the implication in her words. "Madam thought you might not be in the capital on the 28th and had already prepared a gift for Master Morgan. Would you like to..."
"No need. Mother will represent the Fox family and give him a gift. I will give him a separate gift as a classmate."
The butler watched Mira go upstairs, unable to understand why the young lady was being so kind. He suspected she might be planning some way to embarrass Master Morgan.
Back in her bedroom, Mira casually tossed the gift box onto the table and walked over to the bed. She bent down and pulled open the bedside cabinet, pressing a spot on the wall. It flashed briefly and then recessed inward. The entire wall cracked in the middle and slid apart, revealing a hidden room.
In the center of the hidden room were weapons mounted on two large walls, not to mention the heavy weaponry scattered around. Almost every type of artillery weapon a single person could use was present. On a long table in the room, there were shelves with knives made of various materials.
Mira stepped inside, her gaze sweeping over the firearms mounted on the central wall, before turning her attention to the long table. She reached for a long knife on the top shelf and took it down. Holding the knife by its handle, she slightly pulled it outward, revealing a sharp blade.
It was a fine knife, but unfortunately, it couldn’t be carried on her person.
Finally, she selected a dagger from the lower shelf. The blade was thin and flexible, made of a non-metallic composite fiber. With just a gentle press of a fingertip at the base, the blade could bend, but once released, it returned to its original shape.
Mira slipped the dagger into the wrist area of her left hand, pressed against her skin, and pulled down her sleeve to conceal it. Once the dagger was securely in place, she exited the hidden room, closed its ‘door,’ and restored the bedside cabinet to its original position.
Less than two hours after staying in her room, there was a knock on the door—just a knock, and it was clear that the person outside was not the butler.
Mira got up and opened the door to find a graceful woman standing outside. Upon seeing Mira, her eyes lit up momentarily, but her expression quickly turned displeased. “You’ve decided to come home? The school’s been complaining about you more often than you’ve been showing up!”
“I’m sorry,” Mira apologized. “I won’t leave this semester.”
Jennifer looked at her daughter, her heart softening despite her irritation. “Come downstairs for dinner. Wayne had the kitchen prepare your favorite dishes.”
“What about Dad?”
“He’s in the living room, waiting for you to join us.” Jennifer allowed herself to be guided downstairs by her daughter. “Wayne said you’re planning to prepare a separate gift for Robert? Don’t get any ideas. The Morgans and our family are competing for resources, but you youngsters shouldn’t get involved.”
“I just want to maintain our classmate relationship,” Mira said casually, giving a reason.
“Let’s hope so.” Jennifer gave Mira a somewhat disdainful look. “If only you were as sensible as Robert. He’s been here for a year and has already been the disciplinary officer for almost that long. You’ve been here a year and have spent most of it skipping classes.”
Mira: “……”
The disciplinary office is indeed a prestigious place; essentially, the top students of the academy are in it, and being the head of it means a very strong network for the future. Robert has indeed excelled in this regard, as the disciplinary office is now his domain.
After scolding her daughter, Jennifer finally let Mira go to dinner. The head of the Fox family, Dickman, was already seated at the main position, waiting for her.
Dickman showed little reaction upon seeing Mira, merely nodding to signal her to sit down and eat. “Try the freshly roasted chicken.”
……
After skipping an entire day of classes, Mira was kicked out of the house early the next morning. Jennifer insisted she go back to school.
Reluctantly, Mira headed to the school and managed to reach her classroom without encountering any disciplinary officers.
Tom looked at her empty hands and then at the empty desk, curiously asking, “...Aren’t you bringing any books to class?”
“I didn’t go to the dormitory,” Mira replied nonchalantly. “I remember the content of the books.”
This class was Federal History. She had already flipped through all the books when she picked them up two weeks ago.
“You’re impressive.”
The teacher hasn't arrived in the classroom yet. Tom glanced at the people coming in through the door and nudged Mira, who had her arms crossed and eyes closed. "For next month's elective courses, I guess you two will end up facing off against each other. Whether it's the shooting class or the combat class, the anonymous forum on the school network has already set up a betting pool, wagering on who among you is stronger. Of course... that is, if he manages to differentiate successfully first."
Mira opened her eyes, her gaze landing on the person in the front row. Suddenly, she remembered the black face lock from yesterday, gritted her teeth, and with a hint of defiance in her eyes, she said, "So what if he differentiates successfully?"
Tom recalled the terrifying suppression of Mira’s pheromones and felt a bit scared, but he quickly rallied his spirits. "You said before that he could drive away Rain even without differentiation. Once he differentiates successfully, he might not be any worse than you."
"I'm looking forward to it."
The person in the front row seemed to sense that people were talking about him from behind. After sitting down, he slightly tilted his head and glanced back, but quickly returned his gaze forward, and no one noticed.
"Recently, all the clubs are recruiting new members." Tom walked with Mira along the campus path and pointed to the longest line. "That's the Discipline Office recruiting. There are several times more people than last year. They’re probably all here for Robert."
Mira's attention was drawn to a recruitment area on the opposite side, specifically to the people in front of the recruitment station. She walked over and kicked one of them in the calf. "New student, I forgot to ask you last time—what's your name?"
Alec, who had been eating some sample cookies from the club, was kicked and reflexively wanted to retaliate. However, upon seeing it was Mira, he was momentarily stunned. "A-Alec."
"Hasn't anyone told you to control your pheromones on campus?" Mira asked him.
Alec's expression towards Mira changed to one of fear and irritation. "Are you from the Discipline Office too?"
"Impulsive and reckless," Mira observed his arms and legs. "But your physical condition is quite good."
Alec was very angry and wanted to retort, but his instincts told him it was better to stay silent. Robert had restrained him physically, leaving him resentful, but Mira was different. The fear from that day had left a deep impression, and he still felt it now.
"Control your pheromones better. Even from a distance, the scent is detectable," Mira said. "There are not only Alphas in this school."
Even though Omegas now have inhibitors that effectively block Alpha pheromones, failing to control pheromones in public is akin to s****l harassment. Of course, people from more remote areas might not care about these rules.
"Which military unit do your parents serve in?" Mira suddenly asked.
Having already differentiated before entering school and dressing casually, Alec enjoyed the club's cookies with relish. He clearly wasn’t from a prestigious place and had a rough military demeanor, suggesting he was likely from a remote military unit where his parents were stationed.
"Exiled Star 377th Army!" Alec puffed out his chest and answered.
Tom, upon hearing this, looked at Luo Huan. "That's also affiliated with the Frost Army."
Mira handed Alec a card. "I’ll treat you to a meal tomorrow. The address is on this card."
Alec looked down at the card with the restaurant's name and finally remembered that the leader of the Frost Army had the surname Fox.
Meanwhile, Peter had managed to finish his registration at the Discipline Office and came over, seeing Alec standing still. He walked up and asked, "Alec, I’ve finished my registration. What’s that VIP card you’re holding?"
“It’s for a restaurant.” Alec put the card away, turned, and shamelessly grabbed another plate of sample cookies before leaving with Peter.
Up ahead, Mira and Tom hadn’t walked far before running into Robert. He was still impeccably dressed, with the top button of his military uniform fastened perfectly.
"Even before graduation, you’re already trying to gain influence privately?" Robert looked at Luo Huan with cold eyes. "Is this what you came back for?"
Mira smiled. "Unlike our Discipline Office Director, who can gain control over the best students in the entire military academy, my methods still fall short."
Robert frowned and, after a brief moment, walked ahead, choosing not to respond to her.
However, Mira couldn’t resist turning back to provoke him. "Director, did you forget to deduct points for yesterday?"
Robert didn’t stop his stride but raised his hand slightly. The next moment, Mira received a system notification of point deductions on her holographic brain.
Mira: "......"