Kai remained frozen in place upon seeing Yoora’s face up close—her enthralling eyes enchanted him briefly. Silence hung up in the air and, for a moment, neither of them knew how to react to this unexpected encounter.

“…Yuna?” he blurted out, his words escaping unbidden.

“Huh? My name’s Yoora.”

Jade desperately rushed in between them and forcefully thrusted Yoora away from Kai. Yoora managed to regain her balance but felt irked by Jade’s rough handling.

Jade exuded a snobbish attitude and scolded her. “You know, no one’s allowed here except students from S. From what I know, you’re in Class 8, a normal class. You shouldn’t even be on this floor.”

Yoora was taken aback. “How did you kn—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Kai cut her off and faced Jade. “Relax.”

Jade stepped back, but Tora, who had observed the entire situation, meddled in after finding Yoora oddly suspicious.

He interrogated her, his tone sharp and unyielding. “What were you even doing outside the door?”

“Xander, I heard he’s cursed,” she stated firmly.

Xander’s pointy ears perked up at the mention of his name.

Tora scoffed at her. “Yeah, everyone knows that, idiot. What of it?”

“I can break that curse,” she confidently confessed.

Tora could not help but crack up at her seemingly audacious claim. “You think I’m dumb enough to believe that?”

“I’m being serious.”

He jabbed his finger at her shoulder and ridiculed her mercilessly. “You’re a non-Rayor. What could you possibly do to break his curse?”

Yoora’s thoughts drifted back to Terrian’s words about the humility of Class S. She examined Tora mocking her, Jade judging her with arms crossed and Kai staring at her with confusion. Her frustration mounted from the false image of them. “Are you looking down on non-Rayors?”

Tora shot her with a withering glare. “You’re useless. Leave before I make you.”

That was the last straw for Yoora who became infuriated by Tora’s cruel insults. She conceded for the time being and stormed away from the confrontation. Tora headed back inside the classroom without a care while Kai watched Yoora as she trudged downstairs.

“She seemed pretty determined,” Xander commented.

Tora retaliated. “They were all like that and ended up giving us false hope.”

Within the Class S’ training arena, Yoora cautiously checked her surroundings and sneaked herself in. She approached the punching bag, a vessel for her pent-up frustration, and unleashed a barrage of kicks with her remarkable taekwondo skills. Each powerful strike channelled her frustration until she culminated her outburst with a powerful roundhouse kick that caused the punching bag to sway from the impact. Panting excessively, her blonde hair became dishevelled. She ran her slender fingers through it and attempted to regain her composure.

A dog suddenly barked. Startled, Yoora spun around to find Xander by the entrance—his eyes having watched her the entire time.

His unwelcomed presence nettled her. “What do you want?”

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Xander, ignoring her question, offered a sincere compliment. “That’s impressive.”

“What is?”

“You,” he replied, his voice filled with admiration.

Yoora felt her composure waver at his straightforward praise.

He seized the opportunity to explain his reason of pursuing her. “I followed you to give you a chance.”

“A chance? You mean to break your curse?”

Xander nodded his cute furry head.

She became sceptical of his trust in her. “You actually believe me? Your brother obviously didn’t.”

“I know he was harsh to you but understand him. So many people have tried to break my curse, even the principal. He just doesn’t wanna be let down again.”

She sighed at Tora’s childish behaviour. “He could’ve just said that.”

Xander found himself grappling with a whirlwind of curiosity as he wondered how Yoora could possibly break his curse.

She knelt to his level, her voice soothing yet determined. “All you gotta do is relax while I do all the work. Close your eyes now.”

Xander obeyed her without a second thought. His vision darkened as a strange mix of excitement and nervousness coursed through him. Yoora placed her palm against his little fluffy chest with great care—she felt the escalating rate of his heartbeat. Her crystal-like blue eyes gradually glowed as beautiful as an aurora. A shimmering, white light radiated from her and enveloped the entire arena in an otherworldly glow. The ethereal illumination bathed Xander who felt a sense of warmth. As the seconds passed, the light faded and Xander’s canine form was gone—replaced by a brawny boy with scruffy coffee-coloured hair. Yoora’s eyes returned to their normal state. She stared down at Xander crouched on the ground and became extraordinarily flustered—hurriedly covering her eyes with her hands. Xander opened his eyes and gazed down at his human hands.

He jumped up in exhilaration. “No way, I’m human again!”

His excitement was palpable as he approached Yoora to hug her.

She interjected with a sense of urgency. “W-wait! Y-you’re not wearing any clothes!”

Xander halted and let go of her. He peeped down at his naked self and felt overwhelmingly embarrassed—speedily hiding his private area behind his hands. Yoora, still blocking her vision, rushed to the bench to grab her school jacket and tossed it over Xander’s head.

“Use this for now and wrap it around yourself,” she demanded.

“T-thanks,” he stammered with a face as red as a ripe tomato. He hurriedly wrapped her jacket around his waist.

Yoora heaved a sigh of relief and dropped her arms back down, although she still avoided eye contact with Xander. An awkward silence followed as they both tried to process the bizarre turn of events.

Xander attempted to break the silence. “I’m not a pervert, I swear.”

“Don’t make it any weirder.”

Xander burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. As he pondered over Yoora’s hidden power, he could not resist asking the burning question that had been on his mind. “You’re a Rayor, aren’t you?”

She glanced at his eyes which bore an uncanny resemblance to Tora’s and shrugged off his suspicions with a touch of mystery. “Shouldn’t you go back to class now?”

“You’re right. I gotta show my bro. Thanks, Yoora, I’ll catch you later!” With that, Xander sprinted out of the arena—unable to contain his elation.

Yoora chuckled quietly after everything had resolved.

Xander, now fully clothed after a quick change in his dorm, dashed back to class with unparalleled excitement. He made a thunderous entrance by slamming the door open. Inside, Tora, Kai and Jade were startled by the sudden disturbance and faced the doorway.

“Who are you?” Jade queried, her tone laced with suspicion.

Tora’s eyes widened upon recognising who he was. “…Xan?”

With an impish grin, Xander strode into the room—everyone else was in disbelief.

He approached Tora specifically. “Remember that girl you insulted? You should thank her.”

Tora floundered, unsure of what to say. “You can’t be serious.”

Xander stared at Tora dead in the eyes. “Slip in an apology too.”

Tora was still grappling with the incredulity of the situation. “How can a non-Rayor break your curse?! That’s beyond their capabilities!”

Xander, with a knowing glint in his eyes, delivered the final blow. “You shouldn’t have underestimated her. You’re lucky she was nice enough to give me a second chance.”

On the sidelines, Kai listened intently to their conversation. Despite the astonishment that gripped him, he felt a tinge of disappointment after hearing that Yoora had broken Xander’s curse. “She’s a Rayor? She isn’t Yuna then…”

Jade glanced at Kai suspiciously. Her heart wavered slightly from the soft mutter of Yuna’s name—a name that had clearly left a mark on Kai’s heart.