A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 166: New Beginning
Chapter 166: New Beginning

Just when Marceau was feeling hopeless and Deanna was ready to give in, a friendly voice broke through the tension.

”Hey, you two, it looks like you’re being blackmailed. Want me to call the cops?” Arix asked, smiling warmly at Deanna and her brother.

Turns out the commotion had caught Arix’s attention. She and Drexel had come back to see what was going on and witnessed the whole scene.

Drexel stood behind Arix, watching with keen interest. Seeing Arix get riled up was a rare treat. This was going to be fun.

Deanna was so shocked to see Arix that she couldn’t find her voice. Marceau, too, was taken aback, his mouth moving but no words coming out.

When neither of the siblings responded, Arix shifted her gaze to the girl who was blackmailing them. ”Do you know how many school rules you’ve broken today? Let’s see, blackmail, bullying... I won’t list them all. But if I report this, do you think you’ll get a major demerit or be expelled?”

Arix spoke with a gentle tone, but her words made the blackmailing girl shiver.

”I’m sorry, I was wrong,” the girl quickly apologized to Arix.

She knew better than to mess with Arix, a well-known figure at HMA. Crossing her could mean serious trouble.

”You should apologize to them, not me,” Arix hinted.

The girl bit her lip, then apologized to Deanna and Marceau before bolting away like a scared rabbit.

Watching her flee, Arix sighed and muttered to other students, ”Don’t judge others without knowing their struggles. We’re all classmates and future comrades. In my eyes, only the weak turn on their own, and we’re not.”

Arix’s words struck a chord, and the students around fell silent, reflecting on what she had said. Some got the message and approached Deanna and Marceau to apologize.

”Sorry we didn’t help you earlier,” one student said.

Deanna, still surprised, replied, ”It’s okay, I don’t blame you.”

The apologizing student’s eyes welled up, and after bowing, they quietly left. Seeing this, others began to step forward and apologize as well.

Arix watched as Deanna and Marceau were surrounded by classmates, looking a bit overwhelmed by all the apologies. With a smile, she turned and said, ”Drexel, let’s go.”

”Yes, let’s,” Drexel agreed. ”We still need to visit the office to get our dorm assignments and uniforms.” He followed Arix as they headed towards the administration building.

Not long after Arix and Drexel left, Deanna and Marceau finally managed to break free from their classmates. They looked around, wanting to thank Arix, but she was nowhere to be found.

”They’ve already left,” Marceau said, feeling a mix of emotions.

In his mind, no one besides his sister had ever been kind to him. But today, he realized he might have been wrong. Maybe there were kind people in the world; he just hadn’t been lucky enough to meet them before.

”We didn’t get to thank them properly,” Deanna said with regret.

”There will be another chance,” Marceau reassured her, giving her a comforting pat on the head.

...

In the office, Drexel pointed at Arix, looking at the administrator with dissatisfaction. ”Sir, this is unfair! My sister gets a private dorm, but I have to share with four? Isn’t this double standards?”

The administrator calmly asked, ”Were you the top scorer in the entrance exam?”

Drexel’s confidence deflated, and he replied honestly, ”No...”

The administrator nodded and asked, ”Do you have a rank in the Fifth Legion?”

”No...” Drexel’s shoulders slumped further.

The administrator nodded again and asked, ”Do you have the highest honor medal from the Alliance?”

By this point, even the administrator looked a bit envious, let alone Drexel, who was still a student.

”Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll stay in the dorm,” Drexel said, his eyes filling with tears as he felt deeply wronged.

Listening to the conversation, Arix covered her face in embarrassment.

After leaving the office, Arix noticed Drexel still looked a bit down. She finally spoke up, ”If you don’t want to stay in the dorm, you can come live with me.”

Arix’s dorm was a two-story villa, plenty big for both of them to have their own floor.

Drexel patted Arix’s head and said, ”Thanks, Arix, but I already promised my friends I’d stay with them.”

”Your friends?” Arix asked, puzzled.

”Hehe, they are my two good buddies I grew up with. Come on, I’ll introduce you to them,” Drexel said, smiling and eager.

Arix, curious, followed Drexel to the young men’s dormitory.

The dorms at HMA were divided into three main areas: the boys’ dorms on the left, the girls’ dorms on the right, and the staff residence in the middle.

The teachers live in cozy villas, while the students stay in high-rise buildings. Each floor has three dorms, each over 150 square meters, with four bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

Although not entirely separate, each student has their own bedroom, providing enough space for privacy.

As Arix walked through the campus, she ran into several familiar classmates. They exchanged quick hellos and went on their way.

When she spotted Calista, Arix was about to say hi but froze in her tracks, nearly stunned.

Calista and Dae-jung were holding hands, chatting and laughing. Arix noticed Calista’s happy smile and Dae-jung’s usually reserved but now affectionate gaze.

It was clear what was happening: Drexel’s little admirer had been swept away by someone else.

Drexel, meanwhile, was smiling and about to greet the pair, but Arix quickly covered his mouth.

Drexel looked at her, confused.

...

When Calista and Dae-jung walked away, Arix finally let out a sigh of relief. She removed her hand from Drexel’s mouth.

”Arix, why’d you cover my mouth?” Drexel asked, clearly puzzled.

Arix gave him a look that was hard to read. ”Your little admirer is gone.”

Drexel frowned, confused. ”What admirer? Which one?”

He had plenty of admirers, so he wasn’t sure who she meant.

Arix just rolled her eyes. ’Ugh, what a jerk!’ She felt no sympathy now.

With a disdainful glance, she snorted and headed towards the boy’s dormitory alone.

Drexel stood there, baffled by his sister’s sudden mood change. ’Women,’ he thought, ’their moods change faster than billboards.’

Shaking his head, he quickly followed her. They soon reached Drexel’s dorm building, a towering structure with 99 floors, elegantly decorated with large sofas and a coffee table in the lobby.

Without lingering, they took the floating elevator to the 30th floor, stopping at dorm number 3003. Drexel scanned his opticomputer at the sensor, and the door opened with a cheerful ”Welcome home” from an electronic voice.

Drexel motioned for his sister to enter first, but he noticed two figures rushing towards them. Before Arix could react, Drexel stopped the kids with a hand on each.

”Hey, Drexel! You went to the Empire and left us behind!” Kael cried, looking betrayed.

”Yeah, and why are you back today? We thought you’d been kidnapped by some beauty from the Empire!” Tevian joked.

Drexel coughed, trying to be serious. ”Ahem, guys, my sister’s here today.” He tilted his head to reveal Arix behind him.

Tevian and Kael’s eyes widened in confusion, then shock.

The two of them exchanged dumbfounded looks and vanished into their rooms in a flash.

Arix, puzzled, asked Drexel, ”What’s with them?”

Drexel shrugged and motioned her inside. ”Never mind them. Come in and sit down.”

Arix nodded and had just settled in the living room when Kael and Tevian emerged from their rooms, now neatly dressed. One held flowers, and the other a gift.

”Hello, Arix. I’m Kael, your brother’s best buddy. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Kael said, handing her the flowers with a polite smile.

”Hello, I’m also your brother’s best buddy. I’m Tevian. Nice to meet you,” Tevian said with a grin, handing a gift to Arix.