While Dematero was lost in the dream world he had created, Xanthia's retionship with Luciel, a strong, ambitious, and righteous girl, progressed rapidly.

  She didn’t deliberately try to please Luciel as she did with Dematero. In her efforts to complete the "Battle of the Queen of Hearts" task, her clumsy attempts at being charming were as ineffective as winking at a blind person.

  Xanthia gradually found it dull. The task progress bar wasn’t moving, and she felt it was a waste of time she could have spent accumuting happiness points.

  In contrast, simply eating together in the cafeteria and strolling hand-in-hand across the campus with Luciel felt fulfilling, joyful, and satisfying.

  On Sunday afternoons, they would go shopping, py, and hang out, becoming inseparable best friends.

  Now, even during breaks to the restroom, Luciel would invite Xanthia to join her.

  In their genuine friendship, Luciel was the more proactive one. She found Xanthia comfortable and pleasant to be around, pouring more enthusiasm into their bond.

  For Xanthia, it was her first experience of such closeness between girls. The most significant aspect was that everyone viewed this as typical best-friend behavior. Unlike with boys, if they were seen hugging or holding hands, it would attract strange looks.

  Xanthia, enjoying Luciel’s warmth passively, was genuinely happy.

  After all, Luciel was the acknowledged beauty of Css 3 in the first year, the top girl in the eyes of the boys. Now, Xanthia had the privilege of being so close to this css beauty—what more could she ask for?

  In her past life, Xanthia had been pitifully single and had no female friends, never imagining that a girl could be so warm and kind to her.

  After becoming inseparable friends with Luciel, Xanthia's presence in Css 3 of the first year became more noticeable. This was clearly due to Luciel’s popurity and good reputation in the css, and Xanthia naturally benefited from it.

  Some boys who liked Luciel hadn’t taken action yet. However, if they ever did, the smarter ones might try to win her over by getting close to Xanthia first, using the "best friend route" to achieve their goal.

  Some boys, who had been secretly observing Luciel, noticed her growing closeness to Xanthia. To their surprise, they discovered that Luciel had excellent taste in friends—her new companion was also a beautiful girl with delicate features and fair skin.

  People often say that a beautiful flower needs green leaves for contrast. Many pretty girls prefer to be friends with ordinary-looking ones to highlight their own beauty. For instance, Elena was best friends with a girl named Yannis La Alexandros, who looked quite average. This made Elena’s beauty stand out even more when they were together.

  However, there was no such dynamic with Luciel and Xanthia. They were two completely different types of beauties—one strong and radiant, the other gentle and elegant. They complemented each other perfectly, enhancing each other’s charm.

  Some "wishful thinkers" couldn’t help but fantasize. If they were the protagonist of a harem story, they would undoubtedly want to be with both of these beauties, creating a perfect trio. Letting either of them go would feel like a missed opportunity.

  In short, Xanthia’s high school life became more vibrant after becoming friends with Luciel. Her "charisma" attribute naturally increased from 34 to 40 without her having to spend happy points to boost it.

  This rise in charisma was likely a result of her growing fame, attention, and presence. Being best friends with Luciel, the css beauty, made people view Xanthia in a new light.

  With her charisma now at 40, Xanthia realized she could finally equip the schoolgirl uniform and over-the-knee socks from the starter pack. She decided to wear them the next time she and Luciel went out on a weekend, hoping to both please herself and impress Luciel.

  Luciel wasn’t particurly concerned about her appearance. She had big ambitions and was focused on her studies. Her parents also discouraged her from wasting time on looks, prioritizing academics during high school.

  Because of this, some boys in the css thought she was quite "boyish." At least she had shoulder-length hair; otherwise, she might have earned the nickname "tomboy." She was indeed a bit careless, even walking with slightly outward-pointing feet, which wasn’t very graceful.

  Even though her looks surpassed Elena La Loannou's, she didn’t have that "ethereal beauty" aura. She didn’t know how to present herself and was too grounded in her demeanor.

  Xanthia thought that once they became closer friends, she could buy Luciel some outfits that suited traditional male preferences, like pying a real-life version of a dress-up game. She was thrilled by the idea.

  Those outfits might not appeal to other girls, but they would definitely attract boys, perfectly aligning with their preferences. Xanthia was confident about this.

  As time went on, the first monthly exam since the start of the school year approached, scheduled for after the National Day holiday.

  Major exams like these, right after a holiday, usually stressed out students aiming for good grades. They couldn’t fully rex during the break.

  However, Xanthia didn’t share their worries. She felt very confident about the upcoming exam.

  The reasons were clear: she had the "Wisdom Root" attribute and a solid understanding of high school materials from her past life as an experienced exam taker, which she had mastered thoroughly.

  Another advantage was that her friendship with Luciel motivated and encouraged them both in their studies. Luciel increasingly felt that Xanthia shared her passion for learning and had a high level of comprehension.

  In truth, Xanthia didn’t love studying that much. She simply had a strong foundation to rely on, and studying with a beautiful friend added to her happiness points.

  As Xanthia immersed herself in practice questions alongside Luciel, she couldn’t help but feel regret for her past self. If she had had a beautiful cssmate like Luciel as a friend back then, she wouldn’t have ended up in an ordinary university. With proper motivation, she could have easily secured a pce at a top university.

  Having a beautiful friend to study with was such a great incentive!

  However, there was now a challenge. Xanthia’s biggest competitor for the top spot in the css might very well be Luciel.

  Both of them were working hard in private, aiming to surprise everyone when the results were announced!