“She’s going to lose it!”
The collective gasp of the onlookers broke the silence, their faces tightening with anticipation.
This wasn’t just a match—it was like a high-stakes, heart-stopping scene from a movie.
Somewhere among the whispers and gasps, a quiet voice broke through:
“But they’re performing so well…”
“Of course,” another voice replied.
“Acting alongside someone like Nimca, who’s won awards for best performance, makes it easy to fall into the moment.”
Standing quietly on the sidelines, Noelle lowered her lashes, her face calm. But her beautiful eyes were dull, like a starless night sky, betraying her subdued emotions.
She really did… love acting.
Unlike other girls who were bright and straightforward, Noelle wasn’t as open or sociable. But that didn’t make her the icy, unapproachable “ice queen” that people claimed she was. She simply didn’t know how to interact with others.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hold conversations or connect with people; she just didn’t know what to say or how to please them. Whenever she became nervous, her emotions often spiraled out of control.
But acting was different.
Only while acting could she rein in her emotions. Directors often said she had the makings of a great actress.
She loved acting—not because she wanted to wear a mask in real life, but because it allowed her to excel within a script’s framework. It was about embodying a character, not pretending in her everyday life.
Yet for some reason, no one seemed to acknowledge her effort.
They only ever tied her achievements to the spotlight that surrounded her. They always linked her success to those luminous halos around her, as if her hard work was invisible.
“Too noisy…”
A lazy voice suddenly broke through the chatter.
The crowd instantly fell silent, turning toward the source of the voice.
At that moment, the lights in the theater illuminated the room.
Sitting in a corner, a figure was reclined lazily, a hazy aura seemingly enveloping them.
The figure wore the academy’s uniform, their loosely knotted tie hanging at the collar.
The light flowed over their hair, casting an angelic glow over their flawless features. Beneath dark, curled lashes, sleepy eyes glistened with faint mist, as if the person had just awoken from a deep slumber.
Noelle’s heart skipped a beat as she stared in shock.
It was Avira.
With a stretch and a yawn, Avira stood up languidly, paying no mind to the attention drawn her way. She walked casually toward the door.
Her steps were as unhurried as her demeanor, one hand in her pocket and her bag slung carelessly over her shoulder, looking every bit like a carefree protagonist straight out of a Comic.
“Let’s go…”
As she passed Noelle, Avira’s hand—wrapped in a striking red ribbon—suddenly reached out and took hers, leading her toward the door.
Noelle’s body stiffened, her fingers trembling slightly. Yet her feet moved instinctively, following Avira’s lead.
There was an inexplicable warmth in Avira’s palm, a heat that radiated from her hand straight to Noelle’s heart. The sensation seemed to sweep away the bitterness and loneliness that had been weighing her down, leaving her feeling inexplicably lighter.
The night breeze was cool as they walked down the street.
Beneath the moonlight’s gentle glow, Noelle found her gaze drawn to Avira’s profile. A strange, unfamiliar emotion stirred within her.
Her eyes fell to their intertwined hands, and a faint blush crept across her pale cheeks.
They walked in silence, one behind the other. Avira didn’t say a word, and Noelle, unsure of what to say, remained quiet as well.
The atmosphere felt a bit awkward.
Suddenly, Noelle felt a prickling sensation at her back, like needles.
She froze, her heartbeat skipping erratically as a vague sense of unease crept up on her.
“Don’t turn around…”
Before she could look back, Avira’s voice came from ahead, casual yet laced with a strange sense of reassurance.
“Mm…”
Swallowing her anxiety, Noelle clutched the fabric over her chest, suppressing her nerves as she continued to follow Avira, feigning calm.
Behind them, a slightly overweight man followed closely, holding a camera in his hands. He snapped photos intermittently, the camera’s flash momentarily illuminating the night before being swallowed by the darkness.
Being followed…
It was the first time Noelle had ever experienced something like this.
She felt tense and uneasy, her gaze darting around distractedly as she walked.
