Volume One: In the Prime of Youth Chapter Seven: The State of the Clubs

The activity was restricted to the garden and the hall on the first floor; the second floor belonged exclusively to the core members of Blaze Mountain Fire. At this moment, the club's president and vice president were sitting together by the window upstairs, watching Hoyeh, who was engaged in some unknown conversation with Alice.

"So this is the eldest son of the Halls family. I wonder how strong he is. Since Captain Halls trained him personally, he must be quite formidable. I also heard that when he arrived at the academy today, he was still wearing the Hunter Squad's uniform. That uniform isn't something you can wear just anytime; could it be that he just finished a mission?" Vice President Xiao Linghuo speculated.

President Flame Demon's reply was measured. "I bought his file from Jiang Feng, but it's encrypted. Jiang Feng couldn't access it either. He just arrived at the academy, so no one knows much about him. The only thing I could find is that he's a dark-type ability user. We don’t have much reason to recruit him."

Flame Demon spoke thus because Blaze Mountain Fire was a pure fire-type club; they only accepted fire-type ability users.

Linghuo sighed, "You're right, but have you considered this: for years, the Dark Hall has been at the bottom of the seven major clubs, largely because we've been squeezing their space. But their president, Tan Xiao, has always been the undisputed top student in the academy. If Hoyeh joins them, he'd be a great asset. That could be the turning point—the Dark Hall might rise and come back to retaliate against us."

Flame Demon nodded, "I've thought about it, but..." He couldn’t let go of the fire-type club tradition. After all, the seven major clubs had only recruited same-type ability users for decades; such rules couldn't be changed overnight.

"Actually, there's another way. We could try cooperating," Linghuo proposed, unwilling to give up on Hoyeh. Hoyeh's sudden appearance was too significant. Though the club leaders were also members of the student council and knew a promising transfer student was coming, none expected it to be the Halls scion.

The strength of a major club was never measured by numbers, but by the caliber of its top fighters.

Among the major clubs, the movement of talents like Hoyeh was like placing a marble on a precarious scale; whichever way it rolled would determine the balance. If Hoyeh joined a club, the equilibrium among the big clubs would be shattered instantly—the club gaining him would leap a level above the others. This would bring dramatic changes to future conflicts between clubs.

Flame Demon and Linghuo were longtime friends. Flame Demon easily understood Linghuo's intentions and asked, "You mean, not asking him to join us, but just to work for us as a fighter? That could work. I’ll give it a try."

"Ah, talk is cheap—don’t let your temper get the better of you again. He’s also the brother of your beloved Alice," Linghuo teased, knowing Flame Demon was notorious for his explosive temper, which had ruined more than a few things.

"I know, you don't have to remind me."

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"Xiao Ai, which one is the Flame Demon who’s been pursuing you? I want to see," Hoyeh held a wine glass in one hand, the bright evening lights shining on the glass. The swirling red wine left a fleeting beauty within, reflecting the noble side of this fierce young warrior.

As people walk through life, they wear masks and play roles; it's hard to say which is the real self. Perhaps the face beneath the mask has faded from lack of opportunity to show itself.

Alice replied bluntly, "Oh, what’s the point? I’m telling you, there’s nothing to discuss with him. If you meet him, just challenge him to a duel, then cut him down in the virtual battle. That’ll settle everything."

"So violent? You really are Dad’s child," Hoyeh joked.

"Will you listen to me or not?" Alice demanded, puffing her cheeks and closing her lips tightly, her nose emitting a dissatisfied "hmph~." The sound was thin and drawn out, perfectly expressing her annoyance.

"That again?" Hoyeh said. Alice had used this trick since childhood; he called it the 'angry hamster'—it looked angry, but was really just a way of acting spoiled.

Hoyeh, knowing his sister well, countered with his own tactic: he reached out and pinched Alice's cheek. She instantly broke character, yelling, "Let go, you jerk! I’m not a kid anymore—how can you still pinch my face?"

"You said it yourself—you're not a kid. Stop using this trick, it doesn’t work anymore," Hoyeh retorted.

Onlookers, curious about Hoyeh’s identity, had been watching this exchange. Now they realized Hoyeh was Alice’s brother—the Little Reaper! The future successor of the Reaper Hunter Squad.

But why did he seem so unreliable when joking with Alice? It was as if, deep down, he didn’t see himself as a nobleman at all, but entirely as a doting brother.

Flame Demon stepped out the villa door and immediately saw the siblings, but didn’t approach. The brother and sister had created a family atmosphere in this social setting, separating themselves from the crowd. Outsiders couldn’t intrude.

Shangguan Jade Butterfly remained calm and silent, her gaze shifting between Alice and Hoyeh. She thought, "This isn’t really the place for you two to mess around."

Hoyeh and Alice had only exchanged a few words. They hadn’t met in a long time and momentarily forgot the occasion; they wouldn’t keep joking forever.

Only then did Flame Demon walk over to greet Hoyeh. As he approached, Alice signaled Hoyeh with her eyes.

Hoyeh turned to look at Flame Demon—and nearly had his eyes burned out.

Flame Demon wasn’t ugly, but his style was utterly outrageous: flaming red, spiked hair, two mismatched earrings, smoky eye makeup so shallow you’d think he hadn’t slept for five days—a classic punk look. Hoyeh, who believed formal occasions called for careful grooming, felt his worldview tremble.

He quickly whispered to Alice before Flame Demon came closer, "Is this the Flame Demon you mentioned?"

Alice, with a resigned expression meaning "yes, exactly," nodded.

Hoyeh rolled his eyes, feeling a mix of emotions. "I think I understand why you don’t like this strongman." How could he not? The look was painfully garish! What kind of aesthetic disaster was this?

"Don’t worry, your brother will do his best to shield you from him," Hoyeh’s protective instincts toward his sister surged. He’d originally thought young people should handle their own affairs, but now... Ha! Try coming within half a step of my sister and see what happens.

Hoyeh’s overprotective brother mode activated!