Chapter 26

Orion stood straight, his voice cool and detached. "So, what's the outcome?"

"I nailed it, of course! The principal had me retake a different test, and I scored even higher than on the midterms." Lemira couldn't help but lift her chin in pride. The joy of her victory seemed most significant when she shared it with Orion.

Orion, his gaze slightly lowered, asked calmly, "Did they apologize?"

Lemira paused. Was he referring to Evelina and Alaric? She shook her head. "Only the scapegoat said sorry. The ones pulling the strings didn't, but I couldn't care less. I've already given them a taste of their own medicine!" It felt fantastic.

A smile graced Orion's refined features. "Meet me after school," he said, then left.

Lemira noticed someone approaching in the hallway, so she didn't ask further questions. Turning, she returned to her classroom. The usually noisy room had quieted. The teacher soon entered to announce that Lemira's scores were legitimate, clearing her of any cheating allegations.

Evelina, slouched at her desk, was in a foul mood, her interest in even cakes waning. She needed a plan. There was no way Lemira could outperform her. How could Lemira possibly be better?

After school, Lemira went directly to the infirmary. Orion, sitting in a chair, glanced back. "Finished your homework?"

"The teacher had us review our mistakes, and I've done that." She hadn't made many, only on topics she hadn't reviewed well or fully understood.

Orion tapped the computer beside him. "Ready for a game? Got an account?"

"Yeah, but I feel like starting a new one."

"Perfect, I'm not using my main either." He didn't plan on using his main account to play with her.

After Lemira launched the game, she randomly chose a username: SweetLemon. Once in the game, she looked at Orion. "What's your username? Let's add each other as friends."

Lemira sneakily glanced at his screen, finding his username familiar: Time Rewind. It instantly reminded her of someone. In her past life, she had an online friend with the exact same name.

Orion raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at? Accept the friend request."

Lemira's cheeks flushed as she hurriedly accepted, feeling excited looking at their avatars. But in her past life, she hadn't met her online friend at this time. Maybe it was just a coincidence?

Lemira stole another look. "Why did you choose that name?"

Orion paused, his gaze lowered. "Just picked it randomly."

Lemira nodded, thinking maybe it was a coincidence. Once they started playing, they headed to the beginner's area to begin their quests. Lemira could tell Orion wasn't a newbie. He probably switched to a low-level account to play with her, but she didn't pry. Yet, his gameplay reminded her so much of that person.

She couldn't help but ask, "Is your main account also named this?"

"No."

"Is this the first time you're playing with this account name?"

Orion looked at her. "Yeah, why?"

Lemira quickly looked down, her face heating up. "No reason."

She was conflicted. Could he really be that person? But it didn't align with when she met her online friend in her past life. Back then, it was after the playoffs that she encountered him. He taught her how to improve her gaming skills, helping her advance to the finals. Even though she never met him before she died, she was grateful for his support during her toughest times.

Distracted, Lemira and Orion completed their tasks and moved out of the beginner's area. As they were about to start another quest, they encountered another team. Lemira revealed a scornful look as she saw the team's name: Alaric and Evelina.

Orion's eyes narrowed slightly. "Wanna go for it?"

"To do what? We're on low-level accounts, and our gear can't match theirs. It'd be suicide." Though she said that, Lemira felt a spark of thrill.

Orion suggested, "Let's wait until they're almost done with their quest. When they're low on health, we'll swoop in and steal their boss."