The VP's assistant stared at him, stunned. What Skyler said didn't register in her mind.
Lorian couldn't believe her eyes.
Skyler, one of the many students who had left for the Battle Royal, stood before her!
All she could manage was.
"How are you back already...?"
Skyler's eyes, which were trying to search behind her for Riruru, finally turned to her.
However, he was embarrassed when he took in her attire. He scratched his head awkwardly, unsure where to look.
"I... just came back."
Lorian finally shook off her surprise. She cleared her throat and adjusted the lapels of her nightgown, her cheeks burning.
She had opened the door without thinking, assuming it was one of the female workers or professors who lived in her building.
Who would have thought it would be someone she least expected?
Before Lorian could speak again to dispel the awkwardness, a sudden chill ran down her spine, as if someone was watching her intensely from behind. She was correct. Riruru had woken up due to the noise. However, she didn't like what she saw.
Skyler's eyes lit up when he noticed the familiar glowing red eyes behind Lorian.
"Riruru! Come here!"
He bent down and held out his hands toward her with a wide smile. For some reason, he felt happy just to see her. His smile faded when the snake on the bed turned her head away with a huff.
"Riruru...?"
Lorian looked at him, then at the white snake. Amused by the duo, particularly by the variety of emotions that flitted across Skyler's face in a matter of seconds.
He was overjoyed to see the snake, then confused when Riruru turned away, only to turn gloomy and hurt a moment later.
Skyler's shoulders dropped. Anxious.
"Did she forget about me? No, that can't be. We have spent so much time together."
Lorian fought back a laugh, her smile quickly swallowed as she met his gaze.
"It's late. Maybe she's just tired. She has taken a liking to me. How about you come back tomorrow to pick her up? And instead of coming here, first you should've reported to Vice Principal Doris about your return. But now I will handle that for you."
Skyler felt conflicted. He couldn't believe Riruru had developed a liking for someone else. His gaze remained fixed on her as he rose to his feet and turned to Lorian.
"Can I enter your room?"
Lorian raised a brow. He likely planned to barge in, pick up Riruru, and take her with him, intending to soothe her afterward. To be honest, she enjoyed Riruru's company. The snake was cute and very obedient. So, she wanted to remain with her longer.
"No. Come back tomorrow."
Skyler's shoulders dropped more. He could not enter Lorian's room without permission. He gave one final reluctant glance to Riruru before turning to go back to his room.
Yet, the moment he turned to leave, the snake panicked and rushed after him.
Lorian wanted to stop her, but Riruru was too quick. Bewilderment washed over her as the snake clung to him like a leech.
Skyler smirked and folded his arms.
"Not angry anymore?"
He looked at her, but Riruru turned away again, huffing and puffing, which made him chuckle. She was still angry at him, but she didn't want him to leave without her either.
"Let's go back to our room."
Lorian watched the two as they left. She shook her head when she saw how Skyler was trying to talk with Riruru, even though the snake could barely understand. She glanced at the clock in her room.
"It's late. Regardless, I will message the VP to tell her about him. This is important. Still, I can't believe he's back already. Does that mean Max and his team are back too?"
She froze suddenly.
"Wait... if I remember correctly, wasn't his potential tested as 5-star? So, why did the aura around him felt so strong? I am not that strong. Did I make a mistake?"
She turned back, gazing down the stairs where Skyer and Riruru had vanished.
"I will go talk with the VP instead of just sending a text. Hopefully, she's awake. This is not normal. I remember hearing he only awakened a 1-star potential in the start."
***
Meanwhile, Skyler entered his room and slammed the door shut behind him.
"Now, I feel I am done with everything."
He glanced at Riruru.
"Come on. Look at me. You can't be angry with me for this long. I bought a lot of gifts for you. I'm sorry for leaving you alone."
Skyler gathered his dirty clothes from the floor and bed, quickly tossing them into the washing machine in the bathroom. At least, he didn't have to dry the clothes himself, as the machine would take care of that.
He made his bed and settled down in the center with different snacks. Riruru left his arm and went to sit on a pillow. Opening a bag of potato chips, he sighed.
"Mom said to eat healthy... But I'm too hungry and tired to cook right now."
Skyler glanced at the grumpy snake, his eyes crinkling as he reached into his shirt and pulled out a pouch filled with storage rings. Selecting one of the rings, he took out the familiar Evol Bloodstone Jewels, their brilliance illuminating the room.
"These are for you."
Riruru was stunned. The warmth radiating from the jewels startled her. But that's it. It wasn't like she hadn't seen jewels before.
In fact, she had seen ones far bigger than these in her dreams recently. She had seen a sleeping woman surrounded by these. It's just the woman was frozen in the ice.
Truthfully, Riruru had already forgiven him the moment she saw him. But she wanted to keep pretending for a while, just to make sure he wouldn't leave her again.
Skyler's smile faltered as he noticed the lack of enthusiasm in her eyes. His pride, evident moments before, began to wane. Why does she look so unimpressed? This was the first time in his life he was sharing! He failed to notice how unlike usual he felt, not even a hint of hesitation to give away something he would never to another.
"Riru, You don't like these? I put my life on the line to bring these for you. What about something different? Gold or silver?"
He pulled out a multitude of items. By the time he was finished, the entire room was overflowing with treasures of every kind.
If anyone walked into his room right now, they would definitely faint at the sight.