No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

Damien was sitting quietly in Pearl Institute's garden courtyard, nestled under a flowering mana willow, sipping from a chilled carton of peach-flavored mana tea. The world, for once, was calm. No fireballs. No explosions. Just breeze, birdsong, and a few bugs wisely minding their business.

Then she appeared.

Jiang Xiao Yu.

She stepped through the garden arch like a breeze carved from glass—graceful, composed, but... distant. Her long raven-black hair drifted behind her, and her pale robes shimmered faintly with defensive enchantments. She looked unchanged, but Damien could tell instantly: something had happened.

"You alright?" he asked, closing his tea and rising slowly.

"I'm fine," she replied, just a fraction too quickly.

"Your parents—"

"I said I'm fine."

Her words weren't harsh. Just final. She turned and walked off toward the dorms, her silhouette poised, unreadable.

Damien sighed and scratched the back of his head. "So… I guess that means not fine, huh."

Damien Bloodbane, Super Soldier, was actually not as clueless about girls as he thought.

Later that evening, in the dorm's common room, Jiang Xiao Yu reappeared again. This time with a cup of jasmine tea and a very concerned look when she caught sight of Elly.

She sat gracefully beside Elly, who was in her human form—orange-haired, wide-eyed, barefoot, wearing an oversized hoodie and curled up on the couch with a giant bowl of popcorn.

"So," she said with a calm smile, stirring her tea. "Elly. Where are you from?"

Elly, who had been playing a mana version of Tetris on the common room tablet, looked up, ears twitching. "Uh… the forest?" she said, blinking innocently.

"Mmhmm. And your parents?" Jiang asked gently.

If she was still in her fox form, Elly's tail would have definitely started swishing nervously like a fuzzy metronome."They were, um… intense? We didn't really do hugs."

"I see," Jiang Xiao Yu said with a thoughtful sip. "But surely you remember something about them?"

Elly began sweating. Her human disguise was flawless, but her brain was overheating.

"I mean, they might have wanted to conquer the world or something, but that's probably fine, right?"

"I totally understand." Jiang Xiao Yu sighed deeply, as though she was on the same boat.

Just as Jiang opened her mouth to probe deeper about their current whereabouts, Fatty launched himself onto the couch between them like a cannonball made of carbs.

"She was adopted by ME!" he declared. "I am her legal human brother! I even bought her a bun last week! That's like, sacred bonding!"

Elly immediately latched onto the idea. "Yes! Fatty is my brother now! He promised to give me 30% of his desserts in exchange for protection!"

Damien choked on his tea. Jiang Xiao Yu's brow twitched.

"I see," she said again, this time with more concern than curiosity.

"Wait, I said 20—"

"I raised it. You were unconscious."

Damien, watching from the side, choked mid-sip and sprayed mana tea halfway across the rug.

Jiang Xiao Yu looked between the two of them, her face betraying exactly 0.3% emotion for the first time in hours. It was a mix of confusion, mild horror, and a flicker of amusement.

"I see," she said again, this time in the tone of someone wondering if she should call child protective services. But she doubted they would accept such a fat child.

"He's fat." They would say. "Fat means well fed."

"Healthy." The other would add. "Healthy means happy."

"Don't call us ever again." The first one would probably say while scowling at her disapprovingly.

Jiang Xiao Yu sighed. She probably shouldn't call them.

Fatty stood tall. "Don't worry, I'll raise her to be a fine, upstanding, completely not-world-destroying human being!"

"I don't want to destroy the world," Elly pouted. "Maybe just… nibble on it a little."

Jiang Xiao Yu set down her tea with exaggerated care. "Right. Well. Please don't nibble on anything I'm standing on."

"Deal!" Elly said brightly, her imaginary tail definitely wagging.

Fatty gave Damien a thumbs-up. "Handled."

Damien groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "This dorm is a disaster."

"Family," Fatty corrected.

"…I need a new dorm."

The next morning.

A giant notice board popped up in the middle of Pearl Institute's plaza, covered in glowing names and matchups.

"DUO TOURNAMENT - ROUND ONE. TONIGHT."

And right near the top, in bright shimmering gold letters, two very familiar names stood out:

Team Fat Fox: Fatty + Elly

"YES!" Fatty shouted, pumping both fists into the air like he'd just been accepted into the Royal Dessert Academy. "Boss, we're in! Elly, get your claws ready—we're gonna FLING our way to VICTORY."

"Wait," Damien said, eyes narrowing. "You named your team Fat Fox?"

"Best branding choice of the decade," Fatty grinned proudly. "Marketing. Personality. Emotional resonance."

"...You're just describing yourself and Elly literally."

"Exactly!" Fatty grinned wider. "Clarity!"

Elly popped her head out from behind him, already wearing her padded gloves and grinning ear to ear. "I'm ready to be weaponized!"

"You are not a throwing weapon," Damien sighed.

"Yes, I am," she beamed. "I practiced spin attacks and everything!"

Fatty nodded solemnly. "We ran full combat simulations in the training yard. I throw her like a cannonball. She lands with claws first. And then… we improvise."

"... …" Damien sighed again.

And then it was their turn to fight.

"Up next—Team Fat Fox versus Team Shadow Crescent!"

The opposing team stood confidently on the other side of the arena, two third-years from War God College. One wore sleek black armor and carried dual daggers. The other stood tall with a wind glaive and a smirk that said I eat amateurs for breakfast.

In their corner, Fatty rolled his shoulders like a wrestler entering the ring, while Elly bounced on her heels like an overexcited cat in sneakers.

"You ready?" he asked.

"I was born to be flung," Elly said, cracking her knuckles.

The announcer raised his arm. "BEGIN!"

"Yeet formation, go!" Fatty yelled, grabbing Elly by the waist.

"What is yeet form-" the enemy dagger-user began, right before Elly sailed across the battlefield like a missile made of claws and adrenaline.

WHAM!

Elly crashed directly into the glaive-user's chest, knocking him off his feet with a squeaky "WAAAH!" and pinning him to the ground as she began furiously scratching.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"Get her off! GET HER OFF!"

"I'm TRYING—SHE'S LIKE A WET GREMLIN!"

The crowd erupted in chaotic laughter. Students were standing. Professors were speechless. Someone from the engineering department threw popcorn into the air like confetti.

Meanwhile, Fatty was charging the dagger-user with a frying pan he'd somehow smuggled onto the battlefield.

CLANG!

"Ow! What the hell!"

"That's for scaring my fox!"

"You can't just hit people with pans-"

"Tell that to the rules committee!"