That night.
As the darkness deepened, Serena once again donned her familiar black cloak and mask.
She quietly pushed open the dormitory window and leapt out with practiced ease.
For the past few days, she had poured all her energy into designing their project for the competition—pulling all-nighters sketching, revising, arguing with her teammates… even the meeting she had initially planned with him had been delayed again and again.
And Elvin… she had no idea what he was thinking anymore.
Maybe he'd already started doubting the feasibility of this collaboration.
Maybe… he was even considering giving up?
She couldn't take that risk.
"If he really backs out, then everything I've done these past days will have been for nothing."
Her jaw tightened. Her eyes grew colder.
She wasn't afraid of challenges—what she feared most was not being taken seriously.
"Collaboration isn't a game," Serena murmured into the night wind, as if reminding herself. "If possible, tonight I'll make him see our partnership in a new light… for the sake of my plan."
Footsteps echoed along the stone path as she deftly made her way past the quiet classrooms behind the teaching block—toward Class E.
He needed to understand—she wasn't here to beg for cooperation.
She was offering him a chance at mutual benefit.
As that thought passed through her mind, she arrived. Class E.
The curtains were only half drawn, and faint candlelight glowed inside.
She approached the window, lightly calling out:
"Elvin?"
Silence.
Neatly arranged desks stood in an empty room, no sign of life.
"…No one?" she whispered, eyes scanning carefully.
She stepped inside, her footsteps instinctively slowing.
A flicker of unease tugged at her chest.
Could it be… he was already fed up?
Unwilling to continue working with someone as "mysterious" as her?
She stood near the podium, staring at the empty classroom, biting her lip.
Just then—
"So you finally decided to show up?"
A lazy male voice suddenly sounded behind her.
Serena's instincts kicked in—she flipped to the side in one smooth motion, landing softly and putting distance between them.
The voice's owner—Elvin Cassano—now stood exactly where she had just been, posture straight, an amused yet dangerous smile on his lips. He looked like a predator who had seen through everything.
"Well, you've got quick reflexes," he said with a smile.
He strolled toward her, unhurried, yet radiating danger.
"You didn't show up once these past few days. I thought you'd abandoned the collaboration."
Serena said nothing, her expression guarded. Beneath her cloak, her fingers tightened around the hidden weapon in her sleeve.
But Elvin didn't press closer. Instead, he let out a light sigh.
"That said… I have to admit—the intel you gave me last time was very useful."
He reached out to touch the corner of a desk, a satisfied gleam in his eyes.
"I used that information to stall my overly 'enthusiastic' uncle. He's now busy dealing with a sudden inquiry scandal… has no time to interfere with my business."
Then he looked up—eyes sharp as a blade.
"Which brings me to my question—who are you, really?"
"I have no intention of working with someone who refuses to reveal their identity."
His tone remained calm, but there was a chill beneath it.
Elvin's gaze swept over her, lingering on her poised stance.
A smirk tugged at his lips—he had caught something.
"And another thing. Every time you show up—you never waste words. You act quickly, more efficiently than most male agents I've seen."
His eyes drifted to her waist, shoulders, even the way she walked—then a glint of amusement flashed through them.
"Scent, muscle balance, how you shift your weight… I've figured it out.
You're actually a girl, aren't you?"
Serena's pupils shrank.
Before the words even fully landed, Elvin lunged forward, reaching for her mask with lightning speed.
"Let me see who you really—"
Fsshh!
Without hesitation, Serena threw a handful of mysterious powder from her sleeve—directly into Elvin's face.
"—Cough!"
Caught off guard, Elvin instinctively shut his eyes and stumbled back, scowling.
"You—!"
Serena didn't give him a chance to recover—she surged forward and slammed his head toward the ground with one hand.
Her voice was cold:
"Don't underestimate me, Elvin Cassano. I'm the one leading this game."
Her actions were swift and sharp, commanding the moment.
But—
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of force surged upward—
BAM!
A powerful kick struck her side!
"Ugh—!"
Serena was thrown back, doubling over and coughing up saliva, a sharp ache rising in her throat.
The impact stunned her briefly, but thankfully she had prepared—beneath her outfit, she'd hidden a soft pad to mimic muscle tone, which absorbed most of the blow.
Still…
"Hah…"
Elvin stood, rubbing his eyes. Though his vision was still blurry, his smirk was laced with mockery.
"So that's how it is."
He reached down, picking up a small padded insert that had fallen out during the scuffle.
His grin grew even more amused.
"So that's how you built that 'physique' of yours."
"Now this is getting interesting."
Even half-blind, Elvin radiated pressure like a hound who'd found a new game.
"Which family are you from, huh?
Disguising yourself as a guy, playing games with me, drugging me—"
"I'm not letting you go that easily."
"Oh?" Serena sneered.
Before he could react, she swiftly drew a small metal canister from her waist.
Fsshh—!
A pale blue gas burst out, engulfing Elvin's face in seconds.
His expression changed—he tried to move, but it was too late.
The gas slipped silently into his system—his throat tightened, and a tingling numbness spread from his limbs outward.
He collapsed to his knees like a puppet with cut strings.
Still fully conscious—yet unable to even lift a finger.
"...You…!"
"Shut up."
Serena's voice cut like a knife.
She walked toward him, towering above, her expression unreadable.
Crouching beside him, she said in a flat tone:
"I thought we could talk. Build a partnership.
You have enemies to deal with. I have a plan to push forward.
You get what you want. I get what I want. Isn't that a win-win?"
She paused, eyes cold.
"But you ruined it, Elvin Cassano.
You didn't trust me. You made a move on me.
That kind of 'partnership'? I don't need it."
With that, she turned on her heel and strode away, shadow-like and decisive.
"Wait—"
His voice was hoarse but resolute.
Serena halted.
Elvin struggled to raise his head, forcing out:
"...I'm sorry."
"I didn't mean to betray you or hurt you.
I just needed to know who you were.
I couldn't entrust my life to a stranger whose face I'd never even seen."
He coughed.
"I admit, I acted rashly.
But even if I had seen your face, I wouldn't have backed out.
I'd still choose to work with you…
Because you're someone worth betting on."
Silence.
Only the faint scent of the drug still lingered in the air.
Serena didn't turn around. Her voice was cold:
"You think your trust is what I wanted?"
"What I want is for you not to interfere.
Only then can we continue."
With those words, she flicked her cloak and disappeared into the shadows—
as if she had never been there at all.