Chapter 88: Aim For New Skin!
The laughter provoked by Hera's unexpected antics didn't last long, but it left a significant impression. Her uncontrollable series of loud, echoing farts certainly drew everyone's attention.
Now, her notoriety extended beyond Class 3 of the first-year students. The students from the neighboring Class 2 and Class 4 had also witnessed the spectacle. Some even found themselves infected by her contagious laughter, unable to resist joining in.
Rumors about Hera's bizarre behavior were sure to spread quickly across the campus. Fortunately, there's an old saying: "Loud farts don't stink, and silent farts do." Although her actions were unprecedented, since there was only sound without the accompanying smell, she inadvertently entertained everyone like a clown.
In this regard, she had, oddly enough, contributed positively. The students who thrived on amusement undoubtedly gave her a mental thumbs-up; her antics were highly entertaining! The monotonous high school life needed such individuals to bring joy to the masses.
However, Hera herself did not want this kind of recognition. After such a public embarrassment, she was in utter agony. What frightened her the most was not just the loud fart—after all, everyone experiences bodily functions. It was the uncontrollable laughter that followed. Was she under some kind of spell, like the legendary Elixir of Laughter?
The key issue was that her wild behavior made it seem as though she took immense pride in her loud fart, showing no sense of shame whatsoever!
Alright, Hera had absolutely no shame, she was completely self-indulgent.
Initially, her image in class wasn't much to speak of—academically, she ranked firmly last among the girls. Her social standing wasn't great either. However, her penchant for acting like she came from a wealthy familia, always emphasizing sophistication, gave her a "rich girl" aura.
But after this incident, forget maintaining any semblance of a rich girl image—she was now crowned with the "Fart Queen" aura!
[ System Prompt: Pain Points from Hera +++ ]
This heiress, previously with a history of bullying, finally struck gold in a big way!
Xanthia also tested out a new skill on her and found it quite effective. She could control the laughter of others like manipulating insects, making them laugh or stop at will, which was quite amusing.
Regarding those who maliciously targeted her, Xanthia felt no guilt using them as test subjects for her new skills. Every day, she would check her "Malicious Notebook"; anyone named in it would be prepared to become her pain point experiment.
It was all their own fault; Xanthia was merely defending herself.
Regardless, Hera's escapade brought laughter to everyone. She spread joy, which was commendable, to say the least!
As order returned, Dionysius finally began his mundane flag-raising speech:
"...Autonomy is an essential quality for learning. Only by possessing this quality can we best unleash our potential and build our future with a positive mindset."
"Autonomous learning, specifically involves 'self-awareness, self-knowledge, self-confidence, and self-discipline'. In the intense academic competition, mastering autonomous learning is our long-term core competitiveness. Now, I will start with these four words and share my thoughts."
...
The girls who had supported Hera found Dionysius's lengthy flag-raising speech suddenly boring. They couldn't help but feel that Xanthia's initial criticism was spot on—he was indeed boring!
Though slightly offensive, they sincerely felt that listening to him speak was less interesting than hearing Hera laugh while farting.
Hera's performance was like a wild horse show, incredibly entertaining!
While Hera had indeed struck gold, it must be said that her mental fortitude was quite strong. She could boldly do things that others would hide or feel embarrassed about, like favoring the wealthy or disparaging the poor, she did openly and saw it as the essence of how the world operated.
Therefore, she didn't think much about farting in public; it was the uncontrollable laughter that left her terrified of this unknown horror, speculating wildly if she had been poisoned or possessed by a ghost.
As the saying goes, nothing to hide, nothing to fear. Hera had indeed done quite a few questionable things in junior high, never reflecting on them. However, today's incident was truly bizarre...
Although the flag-raising ceremony had a minor mishap, it concluded satisfactorily. Everyone had forgotten what the leaders and student representatives had said on stage, but the girl from Class 3 who had caused the uproarious laughter remained memorable.
Returning to his own class after the ceremony, Dionysius's best friend, Santos, handed him a book like a microphone and asked:
"Dionysius, rumors are spreading. There's a girl in Class 3 who was so excited to hear your speech that she danced and farted happily, laughing brilliantly and infectiously. What do you think of such an admirer?"
Initially in good spirits upon seeing Xanthia, although she seemed distracted during his speech, he still thought she was adorable!
However, he now faced Santos's "interview" with onlookers nearby and his face darkened instantly.
Already annoyed by admirers and crushes, why were there so many bothersome girls in high school when it was time to focus on studying?
"What do I think? I have no comment. Since it's just a rumor, let's not spread it further. It's just for fun to listen to. Anyway, I can't imagine someone laughing loudly while farting in excitement. It's too exaggerated," Dionysius commented earnestly.
Struggling to hold back a laugh, Santos replied, "But it's not exaggerated. This news came from Class 2 next door. Apparently, there was a boy who secretly admired Xanthia's beauty and fantasized about marrying this new academic star. Then, he witnessed that heart-stopping scene. Poor Xanthia, the innocent beauty, was only two seats away from the epicenter. If your admirer's emissions were toxic, Xanthia might have been in real danger!"
"Shut up, will you? Why do you always have to come up with this kind of nonsense?"
Dionysius couldn't bear it anymore. He snatched the book from Santos's hands and gently tapped the fool's head.
He knew Santos deliberately mentioned Xanthia to provoke him!
Ever since Santos learned Xanthia's true identity from Dionysius and saw how responsible he was, especially caring for this girl, he enjoyed teasing Dionysius about Xanthia, admiring his unexpected reactions. It was classic mischief from a good friend.
Yet Santos's frequent mentions of Xanthia and his habit of browsing campus forums had made him aware of more news about Xanthia. He discovered that this Papadopoulos familia heiress did indeed possess unique charm.
However, Santos still arrogantly believed he was the most charming person in the world. Xanthia was merely interesting to him. Maybe after meeting her in person, he would lose interest completely.
Some girls, because of distance and attractiveness, were easy to idealize, imagining their image to be increasingly beautiful. However, if they got closer and saw more of their essence, those illusions would naturally shatter.
Originally just an ordinary classmate in Class 1, Xanthia's unexpected surge in grades during the midterm exams ranked her 18th overall. In Class 1, this was enough to place her in the top 10. Coupled with her attractiveness, she quickly rose from obscurity.
Class 1's reigning academic champion might not have paid much attention to other experimental classes like Class 2, but the sudden rise of Xanthia, now Class 3's top student, had a profound impact. If she maintained these grades, she would surely be their formidable opponent!
Of course, some students wished to turn their admiration into friendship, hoping to make her their girlfriend to gain favor.
There was no way around it—someone as academically successful and attractive as Xanthia was bound to be popular in a prestigious high school, becoming the "girl we chased after in those years."
Dionysius was indeed surprised by Xanthia's academic turnaround, especially since she had never been serious about studying. Even before the midterm exams, she seemed to be enjoying herself, showing no signs of preparing for them.
On the other hand, while Dionysius spent his days as an ATM tool, accompanying his sister to play, he was diligent at night. He was smart and disciplined, naturally occupying the top spot in his grade.
Of course, with so many strong students at Thessaloniki First High School, Dionysius couldn't always come first. Everyone had their off days. What he could do was minimize the possibility of mistakes as much as possible.
Dionysius was surprised by Xanthia's academic improvement, but more importantly, he was relieved. His sister had become livelier and more cheerful since emerging from her shadow, her grades had improved, and everything was heading in a positive direction, which was fantastic.
However, Dionysius was slightly uneasy because he had recently befriended someone named "Dematero," also from Class 3, Xanthia's former desk mate.
He could sense Dematero's concern for his sister, which wasn't like the usual affection between a boy and girl. Instead, it resembled the loyalty of an old servant. This "old servant" even trusted him, a "stranger," as if he were familia.
Moreover, Dematero spoke cryptically, as if he had seen it all. Once they became more acquainted, he would share more, but his words were often elusive and hard to understand.
In truth, Dematero's greatest desire was to say, "Be careful of Susan." He also wanted Dionysius not to truly treat himself as a member of the Papadopoulos familia. After all, they would directly treat him like a "bastard" to be slaughtered, hesitating only when it was time to make a move, resulting in hesitation and defeat...
Dionysius was both too responsible and too sentimental—those were his greatest weaknesses!
However, the distance to the competition for the Papadopoulos familia inheritance was still uncertain. Dematero had "reborn" already, and the butterfly effect was becoming stronger. What if, by then, Dionysius and Susan had already become friends?
Dematero "before dying" also remembered Susan's harsh words and always felt that she might have some connection with Xanthia, even though Susan wasn't studying at Thessaloniki First High but at the equally famous "Foreign Language High School." She was in her second year and undoubtedly a school-level beauty and the most attention-grabbing heiress of the Papadopoulos familia.
Nevertheless, as long as Xanthia lived long enough, even if the future changed completely, Dematero believed this was the meaning of his "rebirth."
Dionysius increasingly felt that Dematero was full of mysteries. He wondered if one day he could get Dematero drunk and coax more words out of him. Knowing more about his sister would be very meaningful.
He feared that Dematero might blurt out "Xanthia died early from illness" someday, and Dionysius's expression would surely be priceless.
...
Time flew by, and a few days passed. The school was already warming up to the topic of the autumn sports meeting.
However, before that, due to a notice that leaders from the bureau would come to inspect Thessaloniki First High, Principal Herculano El Monterro ordered a classic "big clean-up" activity to present the best side of the school.
The students were already accustomed to these "big clean-up" activities. Even without leaders coming to inspect, the school often organized such events, often taking up precious "activity periods," which was quite annoying.
Of course, many students would just do a half-hearted job at the so-called big clean-up to avoid taking the motto "The school is our home, hygiene depends on everyone" too seriously.
After half-heartedly cleaning, they would just grab a ball and sweat it out on the basketball court or playground during the remaining time of the activity period. This was the most realistic depiction of life.
Xanthia originally didn't like these "big clean-up" activities due to her classic preference for "loving ease and hating labor." However, she stumbled upon a reward task on her system interface that was quite attractive to her.
The task wasn't particularly challenging—just clean the classroom thoroughly to a certain level of cleanliness to earn a set of costumes—a maid outfit, specifically a classic white stockings maid outfit!
Awesome! Another new skin unlocked!
The costume from the system was of extremely high quality, with excellent fabric and very comfortable to wear!
Although it was still a purple costume, Xanthia loved these rewards for herself and wore them happily, imagining how fun it would be!
Now, nothing could stop her enthusiasm for the "big clean-up"!
She hoping the principal to continue triggering more of these welfare tasks, and her loyalty to Thessaloniki First High would surely be beyond question!