Side story: Castorice's high school life (1)

(Friendly reminder: This side story is unrelated to the main story, and Castorice's sister Polyxena, also exists in the side story. Feel free to imagine what would happen if Castorice was originally from this planet? Or you can directly read the article below.)

At 6:30 in the morning, before the sky was fully bright, the air still retained the chill and dampness of the night.

The metal sign for the "Mourning Funeral Home" gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the dim morning light.

It's less of a home and more of a building with a specific function and a special mission.

Behind the main building is a two-story building, which is the residence of the administrators and their families.

Castorice fastened the last button of her school uniform shirt and adjusted her bow tie in front of the full-length mirror.

The girl in the mirror had long, silver-purple hair that reached past her shoulders, and her purple eyes were calm and serene, carrying a composure beyond her years.

The blue and white school uniform of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School accentuated her slender figure, yet it couldn't conceal her unique, slightly aloof temperament.

"Sis, if you keep dawdling like this, we're going to be late."

A crisp voice, tinged with a hint of complaint, came from the doorway.

Polyxena leaned against the door frame, wearing the same school uniform, but on her, it exuded a more unruly air.

Her hair was a slightly lighter shade of purple than Castorice's, a softer light purple, casually tied back, with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks.

Unlike Castorice, her eyes were not closed, but her gaze always seemed to be through a thin mist, with a hint of nonchalance. She twirled a black white cane nimbly in her hand—although she was not completely blind, just had extremely poor eyesight, the cane was more of a habit and a kind of declaration.

"There's still time; we can't waste the breakfast Ms. Amonet prepared."

Castorice turned around, her voice ethereal and calm.

Inside the restaurant, a simple breakfast was already laid out on the table: white porridge, boiled eggs, and a small dish of pickles.

An elderly woman with gray hair, a straight figure, and dressed in simple dark clothing was sitting in the main seat reading a newspaper.

She was Amonet, the manager of the funeral home and the sisters' legal adoptive mother.

Amonet put down her newspaper, her gaze sweeping over the two sisters with a sharp and composed look.

Her finger joints were large, marks left from years of holding heavy objects.

"First day at your new school. Remember, watch your words and actions. This isn't a mourning hall; you don't need to demonstrate your 'professionalism'."

"Understood, Ms. Amonet."

Polyxena pulled out a chair, sat down, and skillfully cracked an egg on the edge of the table.

"We're just going to experience the 'ordinary' life of a regular high school student." She deliberately emphasized the word "ordinary," her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible mockery.

Castorice sat down quietly and sipped her porridge.

Amonet looked at Castorice, his tone softening slightly. "Castorice, especially you. Tone it down, don't frighten those... children who haven't experienced separation."

She paused for a moment, then added, "I've already asked the kendo club for you. You can go check it out after school today."

"Thank you." Castorice nodded gently.

Mastering swordsmanship was a requirement Amonet had imposed on her since childhood, initially intended to make her "work" more precise and less painful. Now, it has become one of the few "hobbies" that can be understood by the outside world.

Polyxena pouted, "I'll just hang out in the literary society, I heard it's easy."

After finishing breakfast, the two sisters put on their schoolbags and walked out of the side door of the funeral home.

The streets gradually awaken in the early morning, but being adjacent to the funeral home, it always seems a bit quieter than other places.

"Seriously, sis..." Polyxena tapped the ground lightly with her cane, sensing the path, "Do you think we can really be 'normal'?"

She tilted her head to look at Castorice, her misty eyes filled with amusement.

Castorice looked ahead, her gaze sweeping over the hurried passersby on the street, and said softly, "Let's give it a try."

At least here, there are no "guests" they need to personally see off, nor the constant need to maintain the compassion and dignity befitting the "Daughters of the River of Souls."

This in itself is a rare kind of "ordinariness".

Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, Grade 11 (3)

Before the bell rang for morning reading, the classroom was filled with the unique noise of the boys and girls.

In the window seat, Luo Li was rapidly spinning a ballpoint pen between her fingers.

The pen danced and weaved deftly between his fingers, between his thumb and forefinger, and on the back of his hand. Sometimes it spun rapidly like a propeller, and sometimes it seemed to come alive, circling his thumb in a perfect arc. Occasionally, it would float briefly off his hand for a fraction of a second before he gently hooked it back with his fingertips.

The C-level superpower "Super-Speed Reaction" may have limited use on the front lines of battle, but when used for something as "trivial" as pen spinning, it's a huge waste of its potential, with outstanding results.

He can precisely control every exertion of force and every change in angle, performing a variety of dazzling tricks.

At the beginning of the semester, the students would gather around curiously, marveling at the sight.

But as time went on, everyone got used to Luo Li showing off his "hand speed" like a hyperactive child from time to time, and at most they would laugh when the pen accidentally flew out of his hand.

"Li Zi, with your penmanship skills, it's a waste that you're not a street performer."

Yang Shan was in the front row, turned around and teased him with a smile.

He was tall and strong, a key player on the school basketball team, and had an outgoing personality. He and Luo Li were childhood friends.

Luo Li paused, catching the pen precisely, and raised an eyebrow smugly. "What do you know? This is called maintaining your feel for the pen. What if one day I need to use the pen tip to kill a mutated cockroach?"

"Come on, with your meager abilities, you'd probably have trouble even killing a cockroach."

Yang Shan ruthlessly undermined him, revealing that he had awakened an A-level "Elemental Control," which, although currently mainly used in sports competitions and lighting cigarettes, had enormous potential.

"Hmph, it's better than you using your superpower to burn my homework," Luo Li retorted.

At that moment, a figure silently approached; it was Kong Yan'er.

He has a handsome face and always wears an innocent smile, but those who know him well know that he is a cunning and wicked person.

His superpowers are A+ level "Trickster Hands" and "Clone," and it is said that he can control several Clone to do different things at the same time, while he himself is elusive.

"Breaking news..." Kong Yan'er lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret. "I heard that two transfer students are coming to our class today."

"A transfer student? Male or female?" Yang Shan immediately became interested.

"A pair of twin sisters."

Kong Yan'er smiled and glanced between Luo Li and Yang Shan: "It's said that she looks very... unique."

Luo Li showed little interest in this and resumed twirling her pen. "Oh."

He's now more concerned with whether he can master the new pen-spinning combo he came up with in the next class.

In another corner of the classroom, Murong Xue was tidying her perfectly styled bangs in front of a small mirror.

She comes from a wealthy family and is quite arrogant in class.

Upon hearing the news of the transfer student, she merely curled her lip in disdain. How special could she be? More special than Murong Xue herself?

The first class was math.

The math teacher was a middle-aged man who wore thick glasses and spoke slowly and deliberately.

After understanding one point of knowledge, Luo Li's mind started to wander again.

The pen in my hand once again transformed into a sprite, attempting the difficult "back-of-the-finger spiral followed by a tiger's mouth spin."

He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice when his homeroom teacher, Teacher Li, appeared at the classroom door, followed by two figures in brand-new school uniforms.

"Class, please be quiet."

Teacher Li tapped the blackboard eraser.

The classroom gradually quieted down.

Luo Li subconsciously stopped writing and looked up.

Then, he froze.

Two girls stood at the classroom door.

They wore the same school uniforms and had equally outstanding looks, yet they exuded completely different auras.

The girl on the left has long, smooth, silver-purple hair draped over her shoulders, and her purple eyes are like a tranquil lake, clear yet carrying a hint of unapproachable coolness.

She stood upright, her hands naturally folded in front of her, her expression calm, as if everything around her was irrelevant.

The girl on the right has slightly lighter hair, tied in a casual ponytail, with a few strands of light purple hair playfully sticking up.

She tilted her head slightly, a curious yet somewhat nonchalant smile on her face, holding a black white cane in her hand. Her equally purple eyes seemed unfocused, veiled by a thin mist.

Twins? And both of them have... purple hair and purple eyes?

A series of suppressed gasps and whispers filled the classroom.

"Damn..." Yang Shan couldn't help but exclaim, nudging Luo Li beside him with his elbow. "Kong Yan'er wasn't lying, he really is 'special'!"

Luo Li did not respond.

His gaze involuntarily fell on the quiet girl on his left.

She has a strange aura about her; it's understated, yet impossible to ignore.

Like... like those little white flowers blooming in the corner of a funeral home, quiet, beautiful, carrying an aura of purity that is close to death.

The pen he had been wielding with such skill had come to a standstill, unconsciously clenched tightly between his fingers.

On the podium, Teacher Li began her introductions. "Class, these two are our new students, the sisters Castorice and Polyxena. Please welcome them."

Scattered applause broke out, but mostly it was met with curious stares.

Polyxena took a small half-step forward, her smile widening with a hint of slyness, "Hello everyone, I'm Polyxena, and this is my sister Castorice. We used to stay at the ' Mourning Funeral Home.' We're new here, so please take care of us."

"Funeral parlor?"

"Wow..."

A more pronounced murmur immediately arose from below.

In this era of awakening superpowers and rampant vampires, death is not far away, but it is still very rare to see peers who are so closely connected with funeral homes.

Murong Xue frowned and subconsciously moved away from the podium.

Castorice showed no surprise at her sister's frank introduction; she simply nodded slightly as a greeting.

Her gaze swept calmly across the class, barely lingering on the boy by the window who was still clutching a pen and looking somewhat dazed.

Luo Li felt her heart skip a beat.

He subconsciously tried to twirl the pen in his hand again to mask his inexplicable emotions, but because he was distracted, the pen fell to the ground with a "clatter," which was particularly clear in the quiet classroom.

Castorice's gaze seemed to fall on him again following the sound, remaining calm and undisturbed.

Luo Li quickly bent down to pick up the pen, her ears burning slightly.

Damn it, this is incredibly embarrassing.

Teacher Li arranged seats for the two sisters, which were diagonally in front of Luo Li Li's group.

As Castorice walked past Luo Li, he smelled an extremely faint scent, like a cool fragrance mixed with a hint of disinfectant.

Watching that silver-purple figure sit down in his seat with his back straight, Luo Li suddenly realized that this second semester of his senior year might not be spent just spinning pens and joking around, as he had imagined.

He looked down at the pen that had just fallen to the ground and suddenly felt that all those fancy tricks seemed a bit... childish in the face of this new transfer student.