MTLNOVEL Chapter 49: TST [49]
During the break, Morgan sat on the rooftop, a piece of bread in her mouth, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
She didn't know why, but ever since they got back from the Duel Amusement Park, Jade and Isla had been sticking to her more and more… like a pair of clingy glue traps she couldn't shake off.
And lately, their behavior had become harder to read.
Sure, it wasn't strange for girls to go to the restroom together, but sharing the same stall? That was definitely not normal.
Morgan was starting to fear what weird, over-the-top things they might do next.
After swallowing the dry butter bread, she felt like she'd just choked down an entire seaweed roll, struggling to breathe.
Thump, thump—
She heard rhythmic thumping on her chest, which helped a bit.
But then she realized... those weren't her own hands.
"Hey, Morgan Sweetheart, thirsty?"
A breathy voice came from behind, tickling her ear. Morgan jumped up, immediately putting distance between herself and the source.
Jade stood there, all smiles, holding a bright red can of Forget-Me-Not milk.
Anyhow, to Morgan, that smile felt oddly sinister.
"Morgan, I get the feeling you've been avoiding me lately. I'm so sad! We always eat lunch together, remember?"
Jade spoke with wounded innocence, wobbling toward Morgan like a freshly risen zombie.
"N-no, not at all! Uh... I was just hiding from all the guys trying to confess to me, so I came up here."
Of course, that was a made-up excuse. In truth, for some reason, the number of boys confessing to her had recently dropped significantly.
She didn't know why, but hey, she welcomed the peace.
Then Isla approached from behind as well, though she didn't accuse Morgan of anything. Instead, she gently said:
"Don't worry, Morgan. I already took care of them. You don't need to be afraid of them bothering you anymore."
'...Took care of them?'
Morgan blinked in confusion, glancing at Isla.
"How? There are a lot of second-year boys, right?"
Isla looked quite proud as she answered.
"Calming them down was easy. I founded a new cult—the Church of Morgan. Then I absorbed all the boys into it and regularly release photo perks. Controlling them is no problem at all."
'WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?!'
Morgan wanted to cry. Without her knowing, she'd become the figurehead of some bizarre cult—and it was even named after her!
The cringe was so bad she could feel her toes digging a three-bedroom apartment into the floor.
Then a sudden thought hit her, and an ominous premonition followed.
"Wait. Those photo perks... whose photos are you using?"
Isla's smile widened. She pulled out a handful of photos from behind her. Every single one featured Morgan.
The angles, lighting, and color balance were perfect—whoever took them had serious skill.
What chilled Morgan most was that she had no idea any of these had even been taken.
"Don't worry. These are all normal photos—the bare minimum I'd show to others."
Though meant to reassure, those words only made Morgan angrier. Bare minimum? That meant there were worse ones!
She shot Isla a glare and snatched the photos, ripping them to shreds.
"From now on, no more photos without my permission!
And disband that cult or whatever it is! If they want to talk to me, let them come directly instead of sneaking around!"
After scolding the two of them, Morgan let out a deep sigh. She knew this peace would only last a few days at best—but for her, that was already precious enough.
Just then, several buses arrived at the school gate. On their sides was the Duel Academy insignia.
"Those are..."
Morgan leaned over the railing and looked down.
"Ah, the senior division training group is back."
Jade hugged her from behind, inhaling Morgan's scent with deep breaths as she muttered.
"Training?"
"Yeah. The third-years' main goal is to get into the Duel Academy Senior Division," Isla explained as she walked up. "But spots are limited. Only the strongest make it. You need top scores in both written and practical exams."
"That's why there's a training camp before the yearly exams to rapidly boost their ranks and strength."
"Top performers get to live in the best dorms."
"And this year's number one is likely Kairos."
Arms folded, Isla looked toward the tall boy leading the group. He wore a stern expression and rarely spoke, but his looks were undeniably handsome.
He was popular among the girls, though not quite on Morgan's level—she still got over a dozen confessions daily.
"Just wondering... who will he choose for his graduation duel?"
...
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