Chapter 36: You’re Too Baby For This!
Aileen clutched her skirt tightly, expecting these pranks would push that scheming Tillysha over the edge, making her lash out and accuse Aileen of all this.
If Tillysha had reacted as Aileen hoped, Aileen would play the innocent card: “Tillysha, such baseless assumptions are quite hurtful. Surely, you wouldn’t attribute these incidents to me just because of our past conflicts?”
Her plan relied on support from peers who’d chime in: “Is there any proof that Aileen did it? Did anyone actually see her?”
Tillysha would then find herself speechless, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth in frustration.
Aileen had never hidden her hand in these deeds—she wanted Tillysha to know full well she was behind them yet not prove it.
The whole classroom of divine beings were Aileen’s ‘cohorts.’ They wouldn’t stand behind a wild divine being like Tillysha, nor alienate Aileen, the second daughter of an imperial divine family.
But much to Aileen’s chagrin, Tillysha showed no reaction.
This prank war had been going on for days, yet Tillysha acted as if clueless. Dirty desks got wiped; nails on chairs got removed. Every day, she’d clean her seat with a handkerchief, taking care of everything casually.
As for the insects in her desk drawer, Aileen had her male minions plant them—few girls wouldn’t be terrified of bugs.
Tillysha’s response floored Aileen.
Not showing the slightest dismay upon finding her desk drawer filled with dead insects, Tillysha merely sighed, scooped up the insect carcasses, and left the classroom.
Aileen trailed her, astonished to find Tillysha heading into a small grove. Under an old tree, she buried the insect remains.
What a weirdo! She’s actually wasting time burying these disgusting bugs? There’s clearly something wrong with her brain. Aileen was utterly baffled, unsure why her ‘revenge’ wasn’t working—Tillysha seemed completely unbothered.
“Aileen, aren’t you grossed out by carrying these dead insects in your bare hands?” Aileen sauntered up after Tillysha finished.
“Gross? Insects are as much a part of nature as everything else—trees and their lushness benefit from the contribution of beneficial insects. So why would they be gross?”
“And there are far nastier things in this world—things too ugly to look at.”
“Like?”
“Human hearts.” Tillysha coolly pronounced, still not raising her head.
“You…” Realizing the implication, Aileen was at a loss.
Her raised hand drooped; she couldn’t blow up now—that would only confirm her own villainous nature.
Glaring daggers at Tillysha got her nowhere. Tillysha, immersed in her book, acted as if Aileen didn’t exist at all.
Oh how…
The school’s rules were strict—Aileen knew despite being insulted indirectly, she couldn’t retaliate openly.
She got away with bullying because the entire class wouldn’t support Tillysha, viewing her as an outcast. Their backing gave Aileen free reign to torment her. No witnesses, no proof—Tillysha was powerless.
But taking it to physical altercations would get her expelled—was it worth ruining her promising future over a wild divine being?
“Hmph…” Aileen scoffed and left.
Just wait, ugly duckling—you’ll get it good real soon!
Class started. Tillysha remained attentively engaged, politely asking the teacher after class ended before quietly retreating to her seat.
A day’s lessons concluded.
“See you tomorrow, Aileen.”
“Tomorrow…?” Watching Tillysha pass by, Aileen suddenly felt odd.
The ugly duckling was greeting her, exchanging pleasantries? Aileen couldn’t make sense of this change in behavior.
Hmph, so what if you’re pretending to be nice now?
On the next day, Aileen continued her mischief, turning the tables up a notch. Insults covered Tillysha’s desk, and instead of just tacking nails onto the chair, she swapped it for one barely held together from the supply closet. It would collapse under any pressure—Aileen couldn’t wait for the moment of Tillysha’s embarrassment when sitting down!
Back at her seat, Aileen waited smugly.
Minutes ticked by…
The class began filling up, but something felt off—only three minutes remained before class began. Normally, Tillysha would arrive twenty minutes early. Where was she today?
No way…had she not come? What Aileen concocted would have gone to waste…
She became uneasy, but didn’t understand why.
The bell rang. In walked Charis, textbook underarm, ready to start class.
Oh no!
Tillysha hadn’t come to clean the graffiti this time!
In the front row, Tillysha’s desk stood there, covered in vulgarities.
“Class… What is this?” Charis paused mid-command, noticing the mess. He removed his glasses and carefully analyzed the chair and desk at the front.
It was over.
Aileen sank into her seat, dread filling her heart. She ducked her head, like a turtle retreating into its shell.
Suddenly, she remembered…
“See you tomorrow, Aileen.”
That had been Tillysha’s parting words yesterday.
This conniving witch! Setting me up the whole time?
You’re too baby for this!
Aileen realized she’d fallen into Tillysha’s trap: teasing her to prepare for tomorrow, knowing full well she’d skip class!
With her desk up front… the repercussions would soon be apparent.
“Who did this?” Charis circled the class slowly. “Step forward.”
