Chapter 831: The Ugly Duckling
While Saten Ruiko was still just making up her mind to change herself, on the other side, Killer Ellie found that her situation had undergone an earth-shattering change!
First, it must be stated that Killer Ellie's identity did not seem to have been exposed.
For some reason, Lin Wuming, the target of the assassination, did not retaliate, nor did he expose Killer Ellie's part-time job. So, on the first day of school, she was still able to quietly come to school alone, just like before.
Killer Ellie had already prepared herself for sanctions—although after actually experiencing "death," she gave up the idea of seeking death; but if it was a well-deserved punishment, she would not evade it.
However, until her discharge from the Hospital yesterday, everything around Killer Ellie was calm, nothing strange happened, and no one came to look for her.
After asking the nurses at the Hospital, Killer Ellie found that she seemed to have been treated as a victim of "that incident" from last week, rather than one of the culprits who caused the incident.
Despite being full of doubts, Killer Ellie did not dare to ask too many questions. She just obeyed the doctor's instructions, obediently left the Hospital and went home, and then it was the first day of school today…
Killer Ellie had no interest in attending school; she simply wanted to maintain her attendance rate so she could get into a good high school and escape her current predicament.
No matter how famous Killer Ellie was "in the industry," at school, she was just a pathetic girl who suffered from bullying.
As soon as she thought of her "good friends," Killer Ellie's mood became even heavier.
Her steps also became slower and slower, finally almost shuffling towards the classroom. She decided to enter the classroom just as the bell rang—preferring to be criticized by the teacher rather than being entangled by her "good friends."
However, Killer Ellie's timing plan was a bit off. When she was still a few steps away from the classroom, the class bell had already rung.
"Eh? Oh no!" Killer Ellie instantly woke up, quickly sped up her pace, and rushed to the classroom door in one breath.
She pushed the door open, ready to apologize, as soon as the teacher spoke…
"Oh, it's Killer Ellie. You're here." Our Ms. Teacher, who was always known for her strictness, had a gentle smile on her face. "Hurry to your seat. The class meeting is about to start; we've been waiting for you."
"I'm sorry… Huh?" Killer Ellie was a bit confused, but her personality also dictated that she didn't dare to ask too many questions. She just said "Oh," lowered her head, and quickly walked to her seat.
Not being scolded was good, after all.
The atmosphere in the class was a bit strange. Killer Ellie felt that everyone was looking at her. But this was not surprising; she was already quite the center of attention—though in a negative sense.
Arriving at her seat, Killer Ellie carefully checked it.
Because Our Ms. Teacher was indeed very strict, they didn't dare to play too obvious pranks. The desktop would not be defaced or have trash on it.
She just needed to check if there were any strange things inside the desk, and if there were any thumbtacks or glue on the chair…
"Nothing… at all?" Killer Ellie was surprised, even somewhat disbelieving her own eyes.
She instinctively turned her head to look at her "good friends," but saw that the leading girl among them had a pale face, held up her arm to block her vision, and did not look over here.
"What's wrong, Killer Ellie? Please sit down quickly," the teacher urged. "Today's class meeting schedule is very tight. Let's start quickly."
"Eh? Yes." Killer Ellie quickly sat down.
—Could it be that the pranks played on her had finally been discovered by Our Ms. Teacher?
However, based on Killer Ellie's understanding of Our Ms. Teacher, while she was strict, she was also notoriously biased, only focusing on good students and never showing a good face to poor ones.
For example, Caochi Liangzi, as a genius girl, even if she took leave for most of the semester and didn't come to class, Our Ms. Teacher would not have a single word of blame.
But if it were an ordinary student like Killer Ellie, if she dared to miss class or skip school, her usual grades would be in danger.
So, even if she knew Killer Ellie was being pranked, Our Ms. Teacher would most likely choose to ignore it.
After all, her "good friends" had good academic records, and they also knew their limits, not going too far at school, so the teacher couldn't catch them…
Just as Killer Ellie's thoughts were wandering, after Our Ms. Teacher on the podium said some routine opening remarks, she finally got to the point.
"Killer Ellie."
Hearing her name, Killer Ellie reflexively stood up.
"No need to stand up," the teacher said with a smile. "Have you recovered? Are you still uncomfortable? You were just discharged from the Hospital yesterday, don't push yourself too hard."
"Huh? I… I'm fine?" Killer Ellie was even more confused.
"That's good." The teacher nodded as if relieved. "If you feel unwell, be sure to go to the infirmary."
"Yes, I understand."
Our Ms. Teacher nodded again, then said to everyone in the class: "You may have heard, but I will officially announce it—according to the latest Level test report, Killer Ellie in Our class is confirmed to be a Level 4 Great Ability User, with the ability 'Thought Mapping.'"
"Killer Ellie has also become the Sixth Level 4 Great Ability User since the founding of Our school!" Our Ms. Teacher said excitedly. "She is also the second Level 4 I have taught. Everyone, congratulate Killer Ellie."
So, amidst Killer Ellie's confusion, Our Ms. Teacher led the applause, and all the classmates joined in, sending applause, and their gazes towards her became even more intense.
It was not until this moment that Killer Ellie finally understood why her classmates were looking at her like that.
The ugly duckling had turned into a white swan. The girl who was once generally considered to be at the bottom had suddenly become the top excellent role model student in the entire school.
As far as Killer Ellie's personal situation was concerned, it was a meteoric rise.
Let alone an ordinary school like Shinshiki Middle School, even the elite-filled Tokiwadai Middle School would highly value a Level 4 Great Ability User.
Therefore, when Killer Ellie's true Level was exposed, her status within the school instantly changed dramatically.
Forget about being pranked and bullied, the teachers and school leaders wished they could enshrine her, making her the best signboard to enhance the school's influence.
Killer Ellie looked around and saw that her "good friends" were even paler, even visibly trembling.
It could be imagined that they would no longer play pranks in the future.
Aside from the special attention from the school and teachers, the mere act of "targeting a Level 4" itself already made them feel immense fear.
They didn't know what was going on with Killer Ellie being a Level 4, or why she had obediently allowed herself to be bullied without any resistance before; but just because she didn't resist before didn't mean she wouldn't resist in the future, and she might even seek revenge later!
In Academy City, Level determines everything—and as bullies, they were precisely the ones who understood this rule best.
