Chapter 81: Mischievous Little Nyx

Shani shook her head. "She’s pulling her favorite trick again, running away the moment she’s cornered."

She then turned to Cyrus, offering a grateful nod and a warm smile. Cyrus shook her head with a soft smile in return, signaling that it was no big deal.

Although Shani was confident she could have pinned Nora down even without help, it was still refreshing to see who in the room had actual brains and who didn’t.

Once she reached the cafeteria, Shani filled her friends in on what had transpired in the restroom, mostly because the news was bound to spread sooner or later anyway.

Naturally, it wasn’t because she took pleasure in seeing Kiran and Sonny gang up to curse out Nora, though she certainly believed Nora had it coming.

After dinner, everyone retired to their respective rooms. Jeryon dropped by Shani’s room about fifteen minutes before nine o’clock for their resonance session.

This second session went just as smoothly as the first. Nyx drifted off to sleep in under thirty minutes.

Jeryon gently stroked Nyx’s furry belly, lingering for a moment without getting up.

"Jer, is something wrong? Is this about the Direct Student candidacy?" Shani asked, trying to recall if any issue related to Jeryon might have cropped up.

Jeryon shook his head and tapped open his smartwatch. "I sent something to your device."

"Huh? What is it?" Shani asked, though her hands were already opening her chat window with Jeryon, where several files and video attachments were waiting.

"Those are money transfer records Nora sent to Mrs. Rourken, chat logs retrieved from Mrs. Rourken’s device, and security footage of Mrs. Rourken getting into a taxi parked in front of South Plazalis," Jeryon explained before Shani could even ask.

Shani’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "You tracked down all of this evidence... in less than a single day?"

Jeryon didn’t answer directly. Standing up from the edge of the bed, he said, "Since you already have an experienced lawyer, you just need to pass these files over to him. If you need anything else, just let me know."

Shani was left speechless as Jeryon walked to the door and pulled it open.

"Thank you, Jeryon," Shani called out right before he closed the door behind him.

"It’s nothing major. Your help to me far outweighs this," he replied softly before the door clicked shut and his handsome face disappeared.

"But... I only helped you for my own sake," Shani murmured to herself.

Shani sat down on the edge of her bed, reopening the files and videos Jeryon had sent over.

’In this video, the person talking to Mrs. Rourken inside the cab isn’t entirely clear, but anyone who knows Nora could instantly tell it’s her...’

Shani let out a heavy sigh. ’Unfortunately, there’s no evidence pointing directly to the Ashbournes’ involvement.’

If there were, she would have relished the chance to strike back at them.

...

The next morning, Shani woke up naturally, without an alarm and without Nyx’s persistent meowing.

Scanning the room for her baby beast, she spotted the little panther busily pacing away on her exercise wheel.

It was an apology gift sent by Leah Bennett the day after she had paid a visit to her room.

Shani went ahead to prepare the feline baby beast feed. Nyx had already outgrown drinking milk.

"How long have you been running on that wheel, Nyx? Come eat first," Shani called out.

"Meowww!" Nyx let out an indignant protest, sounding just like a toddler throwing a fit over having their playtime interrupted.

Shani shook her head fondly. She set Nyx’s pet bowl down beside the bed, then checked the activity recorded while she slept on the mini camera she had installed.

Her eyes widened when she saw that Nyx had been sprinting on the wheel continuously for fifteen minutes.

"Nyx, stop right now!" Shani sprang out of bed, scooping the little black furball up into her arms.

"You’re only supposed to sprint for five minutes max! Are you trying to give yourself a heart attack? Actually, no—you’re gonna give me a heart attack first!" Shani scolded, holding fast as Nyx wriggled to break free.

"Nyx, I’m throwing that wheel away if you keep misbehaving!" Shani threatened.

The struggling little furball froze instantly, lifting her head. When Shani met Nyx’s glistening eyes framing that impossibly cute face, her heart melted right on the spot.

Shani leaned in to plant a kiss on Nyx, only to be blocked by a tiny, outstretched paw. "Meow!" Nyx turned her head away, thoroughly pouting.

In the end, Shani set Nyx back down after constructing a temporary styrofoam barricade around the wheel. "I’ll take the barricade down once you finish your food."

The little panther’s furry cheeks puffed up in a pout, but she trotted over to her food bowl anyway.

"Still, how are you completely fine after sprinting for fifteen straight minutes?" Shani muttered, staring in confusion at her baby beast devouring its meal.

After a moment, suspicion crept in. ’Does this have something to do with the System?’

Neither their academy classes nor baby beast books ever covered beast habits in fine detail, such as jump height, running speed, or physical stamina limits during exercise.

After all, the sole purpose of a baby beast was to serve as a source of beast essence. Nothing else. They were simply expected to eat, sleep, and play around the house.

Shani tried recalling how Ennie, Vivienne’s baby beast, behaved. ’Whenever Ennie climbed up to the attic, it needed a rest right after.’

Shani only knew that because her time spent with Ennie had always been brief.

Her eyes drifted back to Nyx. ’Nyx is hyperactive, leaping all over the place, yet it never seems exhausted.’

Shani opened her smartwatch, intending to look up info from fellow "parents."

Just then, Sonny dropped a series of messages into their group chat, Three Beauties and One Heartthrob.

Sonny: There are several posts about Nora trending on the forum right now.

Sonny: ’Restroom Drama! Pretentious Princess Lives Up to Her Name!’

Sonny: ’Pretentious Princess Nora Committed a Crime! Evidence Inside!’

Sonny: ’Nora Clay’s True Identity Revealed: Pretentious Princess Is Actually the Ashbournes’ Maid!’

Shani blinked as she scanned the clickbait titles Sonny had shared in the group. Whoever made those posts was pulling no punches.

"Nora, let me see if your crocodile tears can save you this time," Shani muttered, a cold smirk spreading across her lips.

...