Chapter Summaries

Twilight and Yor reconciled, brought Richie home, and prepared to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Anya learned that Yor had crushed two of Richie’s ribs, and the chapter ended with the doorbell ringing as the family wondered who had arrived.

• Twilight told Yor he had discarded the filth he removed, then suggested buying a cake to celebrate their anniversary.
• Twilight settled the injured Richie in bed and prepared dinner with Yor.
• Anya returned home, found Twilight and Yor getting along, and went to check on Richie.
• Richie told Anya that Yor had crushed two of his ribs and warned her about Yor’s strength.
• Anya fetched cake and milk tea for Richie, then the doorbell rang and the family looked toward the door.

Sian Evan visited Richie Forger at home, claiming Mr. Henry had sent him to help Richie keep up with schoolwork while he recovered. After sitting beside Richie's bed, Sian admitted inwardly that he really had come to help, though something remained unsaid.

• Twilight and Yor welcomed Sian Evan, the son of the president of the People's Parliament, into their home.
• Sian explained that Mr. Henry had sent him to help Richie with his lessons, though he had actually volunteered because he was worried about Richie.
• After discussing Richie's collapse, Sian asked to see him, while Anya worried he might reveal that she had slept in class.
• Sian entered Richie's room, and Anya stayed to keep Richie company in case Sian bullied him.
• Sian borrowed Richie's stool and sat by his bed; when Richie doubted that he had come to help with lessons, Sian thought that he truly had.

Si Ang visited Richie under the excuse of checking on his health and schoolwork, while Anya and Richie recognized that he genuinely cared about Richie. As Si Ang prepared to tutor him, his memories revealed their shared past at the Research Institute and Eden Academy.

• Si Ang claimed he had only come because Mr. Henry ordered him to check on Richie’s health and schoolwork, though Anya and Richie heard his true thoughts.
• Richie secretly signaled Anya not to expose Si Ang’s concern, then pretended that blinking and shaking his head was a treatment for his broken ribs.
• Si Ang used his X-ray vision to confirm that Richie had two broken ribs and no other injuries.
• Si Ang recalled reading near Richie in the Research Institute library as a child, being adopted by the president of the People's Parliament, and recognizing Richie again at Eden Academy.
• Si Ang asked Richie to begin their schoolwork, and Richie agreed while planning to teach the arrogant boy a lesson.

Si Ang tutored Richie on Pride and Prejudice, but Richie ignored him and then confronted him about his domineering behavior and resentment. Si Ang left the Forger home in tears, recognizing that his pride had hidden his insecurity and desire to get closer to Richie.

• Si Ang read passages from Pride and Prejudice while Anya fed Richie cake and brought him milk tea.
• Si Ang asked Richie to repeat the passage, but Richie ignored the lesson and joked with Anya.
• Richie told Si Ang that he hated being threatened, ordered around, and treated without respect, then sent him home.
• Si Ang realized his pride and domineering behavior masked his insecurity and his wish to get closer to Richie.
• Si Ang packed his textbook and left, saying the tutoring would stop for the day.

Henry maintained Eden Academy’s elegant traditions while beginning his work as a homeroom teacher, and Damian grew gloomy as his friends discussed his older brother’s achievements. During a classroom quarrel, Henry watched sternly from the doorway, ready to discipline the students.

• Henry jogged around Eden Academy, bowed to the First Headmaster’s statue, and shared tea with a fellow teacher.
• Henry said his new students needed discipline and defended giving a student a Tonitrus as fair judgment.
• Damian brooded over his older brother’s success until Corn Head and Chestnut Head encouraged him to aim for a star in next week’s dodgeball match.
• Anya, Becky, Damian, and Chestnut Head argued during break while Si Ang quietly read nearby.
• Henry stood at the classroom door, watching the quarrel with a stern expression.

Anya came home excited to share news about the school dodgeball match, and Yor offered to teach her a powerful finishing move. Anya then visited the injured Richie, whose excitement over her school story made him aggravate his injury.

• Anya told Twilight that Becky had said she could earn a star in the dodgeball match, and Yor decided to train her.
• Yor demonstrated a forceful palm strike and promised to help Anya win a star.
• Anya remembered Richie and went to keep him company in his room.
• Anya told Richie that Second Son had picked on her at school, and Richie tensed up in anger and hurt his injury.
• Twilight and Yor came to check on Richie, who assured them he was all right.

Anya trained with Yor to earn a star, then competed in a dodgeball match against Class Four with Damian on her team. She was eliminated after her finishing throw went wrong, but Henry reconsidered whether the students’ teamwork might earn them a star.

• Richie comforted Anya and promised to get justice for her after his injuries healed, and Anya began special training with Yor.
• Yor demonstrated a powerful ball throw that toppled trees, and Anya practiced until she named her own finishing throw “Anya Wants to Pick a Star!”
• Anya told Richie she would earn a star and help Father finish his mission before heading to the dodgeball match with Damian.
• Anya used her mind-reading advantage to dodge Bill’s throws, but Damian protected her from a full-power throw and was eliminated.
• Anya tripped during her finishing throw, and Bill eliminated her with an easy throw, ending the match.
• Henry told Class Four that the match did not automatically earn anyone a star, then reconsidered after seeing the students’ unity and care for one another.

Anya’s disastrous test results led Twilight to begin tutoring her, while she decided to use her mind-reading ability to find out what her classmates were good at before the next exam. Twilight worried that raising her and Richie’s scores too quickly could draw suspicion and cause classmates to ostracize them.

• Anya was knocked down during the game, and Second Son scolded her for her throw until Becky defended her and Anya said she still hated him.
• Twilight saw that Anya had earned two points in science, seventeen in math, and zero in every other subject, then insisted she start studying.
• Yor praised Anya’s math result and suggested cartoons had helped her learn, while Twilight tried to use a spy cartoon to help Anya remember an answer.
• Anya decided she would investigate her classmates’ strengths so she could get full marks on her next exams.
• Twilight considered how to improve Anya and Richie’s grades without attracting suspicion or causing their classmates to ostracize them, and Anya worried that cheating with mind-reading would make her hated.

Twilight tried drawing, violin, and jump rope to discover Anya’s talents, but she struggled with all three, so he decided to take her out to contribute to society and earn stars. Meanwhile, Si Ang kept visiting Richie each evening to recite the day’s lessons, even though Richie could master them easily.

• Anya imagined her classmates calling her a monster for knowing the answers, and Twilight tried to lift her spirits by suggesting they draw together.
• Twilight praised Anya’s abstract drawing, but she revealed it depicted the cow her mother had subdued during the interview.
• Twilight gave Anya a child-sized violin, but she snapped its strings, then tied herself up with a skipping rope and cried.
• Twilight concluded that Anya had no apparent talent in art, music, or sports and decided to take her out to contribute to society and earn stars.
• Si Ang visited the Forger home several evenings in a row to recite the lessons Richie had missed, while Richie’s intelligence let him grasp any subject immediately.

Eden Academy announced The Voice of Eden, a music competition whose school-wide winner would receive a star, and Twilight prepared a music room so Richie could compete. Richie entered the room and, confronted with instruments tied to painful memories of his past, touched the piano and quietly cried.

• Anya and Richie learned that Eden Academy would hold The Voice of Eden, with the winner earning a star.
• Twilight converted the storage room into a music room filled with instruments, hoping to help Richie develop his musical skills.
• Anya told Twilight about the competition, while Richie rested on the sofa and Anya watched Spy Wars.
• Twilight encouraged Richie to explore the music room, and Richie reluctantly went inside.
• Richie remembered how his real-life parents had abused him over musical practice and mistakes.
• Richie touched a piano key, heard a note, and shed a tear.

Richie confronted painful memories tied to the piano but resolved to enter Eden’s Good Voice and earn a star for Twilight. At school, Anya learned that a fourth-grade musical genius had won the event’s star every year, and she and Richie wondered who he was.

• Richie recalled his past while staring at the piano, and Twilight comforted him and offered to let him stop learning music.
• Richie told Twilight he liked the piano and would enter the competition to earn a star, and they went to dinner together.
• The next morning, Richie arrived at school with Anya and saw Si Ang watching him from a distance.
• Becky asked Anya whether she was entering Eden’s Good Voice, and Anya confidently said she would earn a star.
• Becky explained that a fourth-grade musical genius had won the star every year from first through third grade, leaving Anya and Richie curious about who he was.

Richie and Anya signed up for “The Voice of Eden,” while the school’s music lesson left them asleep until a piano performance captivated Richie. He followed the music to an open piano room on the second floor, eager to discover who was playing.

• Becky told Anya and Richie about Ann Grandelle, whose black hair, black eyes, and gentle manner made Richie decide he should meet her to help his father’s mission.
• Richie, Anya, Si Ang, Second Son, and Becky signed up for “The Voice of Eden,” though the competition’s reigning champion had won for three years running.
• Anya and Richie slept through music class until the teacher’s piano playing startled Anya awake briefly, and the teacher lamented that the school no longer had geniuses like Ann Grandelle.
• During lunch, Richie heard delicate piano music that stirred vivid images of a happy family by the sea, so he abandoned his nap and followed the sound.
• Richie searched the classroom building and hurried toward an open piano room on the second floor to see who was playing.

Richie tried to find the pianist whose music he had heard at noon, then used his own piano performance to invite the player to meet him. He met Ann Grandelle, learned she understood his music, and discovered she was Eden’s Good Voice champion whom he might face in the competition.

• Richie searched the classrooms twice for the pianist but found each room empty.
• Richie played a piece about his feelings and invited the unseen pianist to join him.
• Ann Grandelle appeared in the doorway and told Richie she practiced piano in the building every day at noon.
• Richie told Ann the story of Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi and called her his kindred spirit.
• Ann corrected Richie’s mistaken name for her, and Richie said they might compete in Eden’s Good Voice.
• Ann said she hoped to see Richie in the finals.

Anya performed chaotic piano music at Eden's Good Voice preliminaries and was unanimously eliminated, while Damian impressed the judges with his refined playing. The chapter left Damian annoyed when he discovered Anya had fallen asleep during his performance.

• Richie kept meeting Ann Grandelle to play piano together until Eden's Good Voice preliminaries began.
• Anya eagerly went first, pounded out a chaotic performance, and was unanimously eliminated by the judges.
• Becky tried to comfort Anya, who briefly cheered up at the thought of playing for Becky after class.
• Damian performed a technically accomplished piano piece that impressed the judges and put the class to sleep.
• Damian looked for Anya's reaction and found that she had fallen asleep during his playing.

Sian Evan’s violin performance revealed his painful childhood to Richie, who recognized their shared past and struggled to respond. After Sian wished him luck, Richie took the stage and began his own subdued performance.

• Becky performed for fun, then several children took their turns while the judges endured the preliminary round.
• Sian Evan played the violin, but stopped briefly when he and Richie made eye contact.
• Richie heard Sian’s music and inner voice reveal his adoption, his father’s cruelty, and the fear and loneliness of his childhood.
• Richie recognized how much Sian’s past resembled his own, but could not bring himself to comfort him.
• Sian quietly wished Richie good luck, and Richie went to the teacher’s platform to perform with his eyes closed.

Richie’s music left the class and judges absorbed in memories, unable to explain its effect. Henry then began announcing which students would represent the class in the school competition, and the chapter ended after he named Becky.

• Richie finished playing, and Henry was the first to emerge from the music’s spell, briefly recalling his past before refusing to discuss it.
• The teachers struggled to assess Richie’s unusual performance, then consulted with Henry and finalized the competition entrants.
• Henry called for silence and prepared to announce the list while Second Son anxiously hoped to be selected.
• Anya knew Becky and Si Ang had been chosen, while Becky comforted Anya, believing she had not made the list.
• Henry announced Becky’s name, and she stood to thank the judges as Anya congratulated her.
• The class waited tensely for Henry to announce the next entrant.

Henry announced the students selected for the school preliminaries, including Richie, Si Ang, and Damian. Damian confronted Anya after class about the look she gave him, leaving his complaint unfinished.

• Henry announced Richie’s selection, while Richie slept through it and Si Ang watched him fondly.
• Henry named Si Ang as a selected student, and Si Ang focused on the sleeping Richie as the class applauded.
• After Henry selected another student, Anya teased Damian by keeping quiet about what she knew, making him more nervous.
• Henry mistakenly announced Yixili as the final selectee, then corrected himself and named Damian instead.
• Damian’s followers praised him, and he confronted Anya after class about her look during the announcement.

Richie woke to Damian and his lackeys bullying Anya, but he tripped on a step and knocked himself unconscious. Si Ang carried Richie toward the infirmary while Anya and Becky followed.

• Becky defended Anya from Damian, Corn Head, and Chestnut Head as they mocked her.
• Richie woke up, glared at Damian, and approached the group to protect Anya.
• Richie tripped over a step, fell, and struck his forehead on a desk leg, losing consciousness.
• Anya panicked and cried that Richie was dead, while Damian and his lackeys hurried to find their homeroom teacher, Henry.
• Si Ang reassured Anya, carried Richie toward the infirmary, and Anya and Becky followed.

After recovering from his injury, Richie returned to school and passed the preliminary round of Eden's Good Voice. On his way back to class, he was confronted by Nathan Caspar, who threatened to make his life hell, and Richie warned him that he had refused his chance to back off.

• Richie recovered in the infirmary, where Si Ang's hostile stare unsettled him, and Twilight and Yor took him home to care for him.
• Richie returned to class the next day and passed his Eden's Good Voice preliminary round after performing at three o'clock.
• Nathan Caspar, who had performed after Richie, followed him out and criticized his playing for being unremarkable.
• Nathan grabbed Richie's shoulder and tried to slap him, but Richie dodged and challenged Nathan's claim to have good manners.
• Nathan grabbed Richie's arm and threatened to make his life hell at school, while Richie warned him that he had already given him a chance.

Richie used his newly developed strength to overpower Nason, then hid in a grove to recover from the talent’s strain. Just as he began to doze, Si Ang found him and demanded to know why he was sitting on the ground.

• Richie grabbed Nason’s wrist, knocked him face-first onto the paving tiles, and threatened him into keeping quiet.
• Nason asked Richie’s name, then vowed revenge and headed to the infirmary while plotting to torment him.
• Richie revealed that using his new strength talent had left him exhausted and retreated to a grove to recover.
• Si Ang found Richie sitting on the ground and angrily asked what he was doing.