Accidentally Provoked My Archenemy [ABO] - Chapter 25

Gu Amo’s conflicted expression was far too obvious. Sang Yu shot him a glance and ordered, “Speak.”

Gu Amo stammered, “…It’s nothing, really.”

“I didn’t see anything! I was standing far away—and I even closed my eyes afterward!”

As he spoke, he gestured animatedly, looking both startled and fearful. Sang Yu, having been on alert earlier, figured he probably hadn’t seen much, so she let it slide and asked, “You said you came back to look for something. What was it?”

“The pendant Ah Bai gave me.”

“Pendant?” Sang Yu glanced at him.

Gu Amo scratched his head, looking embarrassed. “It’s a couple’s pendant. We exchanged tokens of affection when we went to A493 last time. That was hers.”

Sang Yu nodded, unimpressed. She turned and walked away casually. “Well, I’m off. Take your time finding it.”

“…Oh.” Gu Amo blinked. He thought she’d help him look.

“Oh, right.” Sang Yu suddenly stopped and turned around. “You’ve been sneaking out quite a few times lately, haven’t you? Next time you go, bring me some stuff.”

When she saw him nod blankly, she finally left.

________________________________________

Sang Yu didn’t sleep well that night. The next morning, she arrived at her Class One room with dark circles under her eyes, only to see a crowd of students swarming around the podium.

A quick glance told her there were far more people than just her class.

She frowned at the scene and stopped a student heading out. “What’s going on? Why are there so many students from other classes?”

The student, who had attended the same prep school as Sang Yu and recognized her, explained, “There’s a new student in Class One—an impressive dual-S grade alpha. He’s teaming up with the Bai family’s young master, and they’re recruiting members to form a squad.”

“They’re taking anyone, regardless of rank or class. As long as you have some skill, you can apply. After screening, you might get selected.”

The student didn’t wait for Sang Yu’s follow-up and rushed off, seemingly eager to grab some credentials from the dorm.

Sang Yu remained standing, deep in thought.

A dual-S grade alpha?

In an era where even single-S alphas were rare, someone with dual-S was already considered a prodigy. She tried to recall if such a character had appeared in the original novel—but came up blank.

Maybe this was just some background genius unrelated to the main plot?

She shelved that question for now and considered the implications of this “team-building.”

At Imperial Military Academy, all freshmen were required to participate in the field training program. The goal was to simulate real combat conditions against insectoids.

During this event, students could freely form teams regardless of rank or class. Teams usually consisted of 10–20 members. These small squads would then be divided into three factions for the main combat scenario.

This system hadn’t changed in years, which led more students to begin forming elite teams even before official enrollment.

She wasn’t surprised to hear Bai Ren’s name involved—he was exactly the type to plan ahead—but this mysterious newcomer was someone she had never heard of.

Suddenly, she recalled what Gu Amo had said when she first arrived a few days ago. Could this be that “dark horse” who suddenly emerged?

But wasn’t she herself the one who had undergone second differentiation?

Frowning slightly, Sang Yu reined in her thoughts, picked a window seat, and slumped into it to catch up on sleep.

When the bell rang and the teacher entered with their lesson plans to introduce themselves, she finally rubbed her eyes and looked up.

Imperial Military Academy’s lecture halls weren’t much different from university classrooms in her previous world—two or three rows, each with four or five seats, all packed full.

Perhaps the excitement was still running high, because even after the teacher’s introduction, students continued whispering among themselves.

Sang Yu, still half-asleep, only caught fragmented phrases like “Bai Ren,” “new student,” and “forming a team.”

The nonstop murmuring was irritating.

Tapping her fingers on the desk in silence, she tried to drown out the teacher’s explanation of course objectives and the background chatter, but it only made her drowsier. She eventually closed her eyes again.

“…Students, barring any surprises, this year’s training will begin next week. I hope everyone uses this week to get familiar with each other and form teams early to prepare.”

The teacher closed their book, knocked the bottom of it lightly on the podium, smiled in satisfaction, and left.

The classroom erupted into excited conversation.

Sang Yu, now fully awake, didn’t leave since the next class was in the same room. She leaned on her elbow, listening to the discussions around her.

“In the past, team formation was always done discreetly. Why are they making it so public this year?”

“Maybe because of the reform?”

“I know! It is because of the reform. My family has a contact at the school. I heard that not only are they making team-building public this time, but the military drills might also be moved up!”

“Seriously?!”

“…”

Their chatter filled the room—and Sang Yu’s ears.

So, who exactly was this dual-S?

She nudged the student beside her—someone she knew named Hu Sijia, a solid, responsible type from the same social circle. He looked blankly at first, but upon recognizing her, his face lit up.

Before she could even ask her question, he spoke first, curious:

“Hey, Sang Yu, are you planning to team up with Bai Ren and the others?”

“…No,” she replied flatly. She didn’t need to.

Hu Sijia sighed dramatically. “I thought you’d let bygones be bygones and join up.”

“Join up?”

Sang Yu frowned. Was someone who disliked Bai Ren now working with him?

“Yup,” Hu Sijia nodded, counting off on his fingers. “All those people who used to chase Kong Tan with you? They’ve all joined up with Bai Ren. I heard Bai Ren personally invited them to form a team with that dual-S alpha.”

“By the way, have you seen him yet?”

Sang Yu shook her head.

Hu Sijia waved it off. “No worries. He’s from another star system. Just underwent second differentiation. His uncle works here at Imperial Academy, and the school poached him right away—gave quite a few resources to his old school too.”

“He’s not in our class yet, but he probably will be soon.”

Sang Yu nodded and dropped the topic.

________________________________________

During the second class, she dozed off again.

As the Sang family heir, even if she was still young and impulsive, she had already mastered everything that mattered—especially the core subjects taught in these basic classes.

Most of the curriculum was theoretical: tactical simulations, Empire military history, political science foundations. Sang Yu had never liked those. She found them dull the second time around, with only a few hands-on classes—like sparring, close-combat techniques, and formation work—able to stir her interest.

Such classes were typically led not by regular teachers, but by seasoned coaches—retired veterans who had fought in real battles against the insectoids.

She shifted positions lazily, half-thinking that maybe her mentor, Teacher Shen Shuming, would give her a more interesting custom schedule soon.

________________________________________

After class, she headed to the cafeteria with Gu Amo but spotted someone familiar while passing the training grounds.

Cheng Yunan.

Their class was in a practical session, but something must’ve gone wrong. The coach was furious, pacing and scolding them relentlessly. The students stood in formation, heads bowed, too afraid to even breathe.

Sang Yu slowed her pace and eventually leapt down to the field, standing behind the chattering coach.

No one noticed her.

Listening for a while, she gathered that the coach was angry because they hadn’t focused during training.

Which made sense. In a combat-based class, if you couldn’t get in the right mindset, you’d absorb nothing. And if you didn’t pay attention during the lecture, you’d just flail when sparring with classmates.

No wonder the coach was furious.

Finally, as the crowd on the field thinned, the coach’s rage cooled. In classic “carrot and stick” fashion, he offered some encouragement, praised a few standout students—and one of them was Cheng Yunan.

Afterward, the coach waved them off to reflect for a few minutes before heading to dinner.

No one replied, still standing quietly with lowered heads.

Sang Yu turned to leave.

But just then, as if sensing something, Cheng Yunan lifted his gaze and spotted her.

Meeting his eyes, Sang Yu didn’t flinch. Instead, she gave a cheeky whistle and sauntered away.

Cheng Yunan stood frozen in place, watching her back disappear, unable to move.