Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

After school, Ethan had plans to meet up with Vanessa, so he was waiting for her to finish work. In the meantime, he decided to kill some time at The Pulse café.

And once again, he ran into Sophia.

"Well, fancy seeing you here," Ethan greeted her as she sat alone, sipping on her tea.

"What are you doing here?" Sophia asked, clearly not thrilled by his presence.

"I'm waiting for Nessa to get off work," Ethan replied with a shrug, unfazed.

The mention of Vanessa's name caught Sophia's attention. Her ears perked up slightly, though she tried to act casual. "Oh? You've got plans with Nessa? What are you two doing afterward?"

Ethan didn't answer directly, instead giving her a nonchalant look. "Does that really concern you?"

Sophia's face stiffened, and just as she was about to snap at him, Ethan added, "But if you buy me a drink, I wouldn't mind telling you."

It was as if Sophia had been stopped in her tracks. She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and called for the waiter. "Order whatever you want."

"I'll have a cup of tea," Ethan said, glancing at the tea in front of her.

Sophia waved over the server with a dramatic flair, pointing at Ethan like a queen giving orders. "Get him a cup of tea."

The server who approached was Zara, and she looked down at Sophia, who was acting a bit over the top. Zara raised an eyebrow, curious and confused. "Why are you sitting with him?"

Given how Sophia had been acting just yesterday, Zara found it hard to believe that, in just one day, she'd be sitting down for tea with Ethan.

Ethan answered for her. "Well, after a night of friendly conversation, we're friends now."

"No, we're just acquaintances," Sophia coldly corrected him.

"Wait, you two spent the night together?" Zara asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Uh…" Sophia realized she hadn't denied it fast enough and quickly clarified, "We're neighbors, and he's my friend's brother."

"Uh-huh…" Zara's expression was a mix of confusion and amusement as she walked away, thinking to herself how strange the world could be.

Once Zara was out of earshot, Sophia shot a sharp glare at Ethan. That was close—her reputation had almost been ruined.

"Alright, spill it. What are you and Nessa doing later?" Sophia demanded.

"Nessa invited me to her place," Ethan said, keeping his word.

Sophia's eyes widened in shock. "You're going to Nessa's house? For what?"

Ethan's face lit up with a mischievous grin, which only made Sophia more anxious. "Didn't you say you and Nessa were just friends?"

"We are. So what's the problem with visiting a friend's house?" Ethan tilted his head, genuinely confused. "I went to Elise's house for dinner just last night, too."

"What?" Zara's voice cut in as she returned with Ethan's tea. She had overheard the conversation and looked at him in disbelief. "You had dinner at Elise's place? Why didn't you invite me?"

"You were working, weren't you?" Ethan replied, looking puzzled.

"Ugh…" Zara's face fell. It was clear she would've loved to go to Elise's house. Then she asked, "So, what did you do at Elise's place?"

"Not much, really. We just watched Naruto all night," Ethan explained, then added, "Oh, and Elise mentioned she's thinking about getting the band, VibraMyst, back together."

"Huh?" Sophia's eyes lit up at the mention of the band. "Elise wants to reform VibraMyst?"

Her gaze immediately shifted to Zara. "If Elise is serious about this, I'm definitely on board. What about you, Zara?"

"I…" Zara hesitated, still processing the news.

Ethan chimed in again. "Elise is really determined. She told me she's going to be like Naruto—she'll drag everyone back, even if she has to break their legs, to get VibraMyst back together!"

"Elise is sounding a bit extreme, don't you think?" Zara said, looking even more shocked.

Sophia, on the other hand, was deeply moved by Elise's determination. Her eyes even welled up a little—Elise had really grown!

Zara, meanwhile, turned her head away with a bit of a tsundere attitude under Sophia's questioning. "If that's really what Elise wants, then fine, I'm in too."

This news clearly lifted Sophia's spirits, and she even seemed less hostile toward Ethan. She leaned back comfortably on the sofa, but then her eyes suddenly widened.

"Wait a second—what exactly are you going to do at Nessa's house?!"

"I'm just picking something up," Ethan replied, giving her a disdainful look. "Sophia, your mind's a little too dirty, don't you think?"

"I'm coming with you!" Sophia declared without hesitation.

"Well…" Ethan hesitated, then said, "I don't think Nessa would want to see you."

"That's impossible," Sophia said, completely oblivious to the reality of the situation, though deep down, she had some self-awareness.

Ethan explained, "The main issue is that if you find out where Nessa lives, you'll probably camp outside her place nonstop, right?"

"No way!" Sophia denied it immediately, though her tone lacked confidence.

"If you promise to behave and do exactly as I say, without acting on your own whims, I guess I could take you along," Ethan said.

"When have I ever been impulsive?" Sophia flicked her hair, exuding the refined air of a proper young lady.

"I'm just worried you'll drop to your knees the moment you see Nessa and make things super awkward," Ethan teased.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?!" Sophia's eyes widened in disbelief, and she had the sudden urge to strangle Ethan.

After some back-and-forth, Ethan eventually agreed to take Sophia along to meet Vanessa. He figured it was about time the two of them resolved their issues. To be honest, Vanessa had acted a bit like a jerk back then—she had been the one to pursue Sophia, only to later dump her without a proper explanation. It was pretty messed up.

However, when they arrived at the building where Vanessa worked, they saw her being harassed by a young man. He was grabbing her arm, seemingly trying to stop her from leaving.

Before Ethan could even react, he felt a gust of wind beside him.

Sophia had already sprinted forward at full speed and, with a flying kick, sent the guy flying.

"Vanessa, are you okay?" Sophia asked, her face full of concern as she looked at Vanessa.

"…" Vanessa, on the other hand, seemed a bit stunned, standing there in a daze.