Happy Evil Heartbreaker [Modern LitRPG]

In the early days, when Xanthia was still a nameless presence in the class—a mere shadow—she became friends with Luciel.

Luciel, as the "class belle" of Class 1-3, was no stranger to receiving love letters and gifts. It was a routine she had grown accustomed to, these tokens of affection often coming not from her own classmates but from boys in other classes.

The boys in her own class, however, knew her well enough to understand that she was intensely focused on her studies. Though her looks were undeniable, her demeanor was far from that of a delicate flower. With a spirit as unyielding as steel, she carried herself with the imposing air of an "Iron Lady," which intimidated her male peers. They believed that pursuing her would be a fruitless endeavor, so most chose not to waste their time.

But boys from other classes, who knew her only by her striking appearance, were captivated by her. They found her phoenix-like eyes mesmerizing, her sharp eyebrows adding to her allure. Combined with her athletic figure and sun-kissed skin, she embodied the vibrant spirit of a sportswoman. It was no wonder that she became the object of their fascination.

Luciel, however, had long since become desensitized to such attention. To her, it was an inevitable part of life for a girl of her looks during school days. While some girls might revel in the attention, perhaps to the detriment of their studies, Luciel was not one to be swayed by such trivialities. She believed that until university, one's focus should remain solely on academics. Even when she did reach university, she had no intention of settling for anything less than someone who truly met her high standards.

Thus, Xanthia, as Luciel's close friend and a day student, often found herself serving as unofficial "gift return service." After all, most boys, once they had given a gift, were too prideful to take it back, even if the girl didn't want it. Boys at that age were far from the shamelessness of someone like Dematero, a "reincarnator" with the mindset of an old man who, after being rejected by Elena La Loannou, shamelessly accepted her insulting monetary compensation without a second thought.

He didn't even try to get to know Elena, and he already branded her as "scum" and a "whore".

Dematero’s audacity was a spectacle, even among the boys. It was only through his decisive confrontation with the despicable Kenny that he managed to somewhat restore his tarnished reputation.

Xanthia had grown accustomed to helping Luciel manage these unwanted gifts. It was no surprise that some girls eagerly sought to befriend beauties like Luciel and Elena, attracted by the hidden perks of such friendships.

Take Chica, who sat diagonally behind Luciel. Despite her attempts to worm her way into Luciel’s inner circle, she made the fatal error of also cozying up to Hera, Luciel’s much-disliked deskmate. As the saying goes, loyalty must be absolute; Chica’s divided loyalties ultimately cost her Luciel’s trust.

Only Xanthia, however, held a place in Luciel’s heart as her true confidante. Their friendship was born from an initial misunderstanding, where Luciel’s heroic instincts were stirred by what she thought was a damsel in distress. Though it turned out to be a false alarm, it marked the beginning of their deep bond. The more time Luciel spent with Xanthia, the more she discovered her friend’s hidden charm and the joy she brought into her life. Naturally, their friendship grew stronger with time.

What Xanthia didn’t expect was that one day, she too would find herself the recipient of gifts and attention, much like Luciel. But upon reflection, it wasn’t all that surprising. She was no longer the invisible girl she once was, especially after the school sports festival, where she made quite the splash in her white stockings, cosplaying as Rem.

Her performance in the 3000-meter race had also left a lasting impression on her classmates.

Xanthia had always been pretty, even before the system’s wardrobe enhanced her beauty to a solid 7.2 out of 10. Without makeup, she was already nearing a 7, a score that could easily be bumped up with a little cosmetic help. A photo of her, touched up and posted online, would undoubtedly attract droves of admirers calling her a "greek goddess."

Her naturally pale skin, almost as if she had a perpetual beauty filter on in real life, added to her appeal. And she was only a freshman; her youth hinted at immense potential. Some boys, eager to invest early, likely thought they could win her over before she fully bloomed—a classic case of trying to catch a rising star.

Little did they know, Xanthia was the epitome of unattainable. The odds of winning her heart were zero. Why? Because every day she enjoyed the benefits of her "Wisdom Root" trait, leveling up her skills at an astonishing pace. With such an advantage, there was no way she would risk losing it for the sake of romance.

Let’s be clear—wise people don’t fall in love.

As a player with an unyielding focus on strength, Xanthia knew that improving her own power was the only thing that truly mattered.

...

Xanthia calmly placed the plush toy and the classic-looking love letter—its indigo envelope giving off an air of timeless elegance—on her desk.

But wait, why did this envelope feel so heavy?

“Lucy, these things suddenly appeared in my desk. What should I do with them?”

Xanthia didn’t rush to open the letter. After all, whenever Luciel received similar gifts in the past, they would always go through them together. It was more about the fun than anything else.

Luciel turned around, her eyes catching sight of the fluffy "Hello Kitty" plush toy paired with the love letter. A smile immediately graced her lips. “My dear Xanthia, it seems your charm has grown irresistible, and someone simply couldn’t contain themselves any longer.”

At that moment, Elena had just returned to her seat from outside the classroom. Upon seeing the familiar scene, she couldn’t resist joining in, teasing, “Congratulations, Xanthia! You’d better get used to this. Soon enough, you’ll be receiving many more tokens of affection.”

Elena La Loannou, Xanthia’s deskmate, had far more experience with receiving gifts than Luciel could ever hope to match. After all, Luciel was famously cold-hearted and indifferent towards boys, never giving them even the slightest chance to pursue her.

On the other hand, Elena was a master of the art of making others's hope to despair. She was adept at sending mixed signals, playing with ambiguity, and subtly hinting at gifts—always stringing them along just enough, yet never letting them get further than holding her hand. Although she won't do anything beyond what she considered "red line boundary", Elena plays a bit for fun.

After all, boys planning to confess should readied themselves emotionally.

“How do you usually handle the gifts you receive?” Xanthia asked casually.

Elena, never one to shy away from honesty with Xanthia, responded with a hint of mischief, “Well, it depends on who’s sending it. But most of the time, they’re anonymous. If it’s something cheap, I just throw it away or give it to someone else. If it’s expensive, I sell it online. As for love letters, I usually keep them. It’s someone’s heartfelt sentiment, after all.”

Of course, the truth was, she didn’t keep the love letters out of any deep sentimentality. To her, they were a collection—a testament to her beautiful youth. Once she got old, she would read them for fun before moving on to the next life. In her eyes, boys were nothing more than immature, brutish, and incapable of being responsible or taking care of themselves.

Having sat next to Elena for so long, Xanthia understood exactly what kind of person she was: a pragmatist, a meticulously self-serving realist, far more mature than your average high school girl.

If Elena were to choose whose life should be saved, hers or a million others, Xanthia already knew the answer.

Of course, such a personality wasn't inherently bad. It was just that Elena viewed the world through a lens of cold logic, where emotions and ideals had little place. She valued efficiency, saw vulnerability as a weakness, and approached relationships carefully.

But despite her aloof demeanor, there was something compelling about Elena, something that drew people to her, even if they couldn’t fully understand her. For example, people always referred to her by her full name. It was this paradox that fascinated Xanthia—a girl who could be so detached and yet so captivating, someone who seemed to care about nothing but was, in reality, fiercely protective of her own carefully constructed personal life.

Xanthia couldn’t help but wonder if, beneath that armor of pragmatism, there was a softer side to Elena, a side she kept hidden.

Yet, like the person herself, Xanthia wouldn’t care to know. There were simply many similar traits between them.

Xanthia felt that if she confronted Elena La Loannou without any deep reason, it would make her feel hypocritical. Besides, Elena was a good and fun friend, and Xanthia valued fun above all else.

For the boys who liked her, Elena was nothing short of a disaster in their lives. Dematero only managed to escape unscathed because of the wisdom he had gained from his "previous life".

But fortunately, Xanthia was a girl, well outside Elena’s hunting grounds.

And once Elena had confirmed that Xanthia was of good character, she dropped her pretenses entirely. With Xanthia, there was no need to maintain the goddess persona. She felt at ease around her, treating her as a genuine friend, someone she could even guide in the ways of the world.

In fact, Elena found Xanthia so innocent and kind-hearted that she often felt the need to teach her a thing or two—how to be strong, how to manipulate, how to gain power without getting hurt, and how to turn boys into a source of entertainment.

“Accepting expensive gifts and then selling them off—isn’t that a bit too much?” Xanthia asked, her voice tinged with doubt.

Elena smiled faintly, relishing in the opportunity to impart her wisdom. After all, while Xanthia excelled in many areas, when it came to the art of relationships, she was leagues behind.

“It’s not excessive at all. What’s truly excessive is those who sell the people they’ve lured into online relationships, turning them into meal-ticket servants. As for gifts, I didn’t force anyone at gunpoint to give them to me—they offered them willingly. If I don’t accept them, they might even feel worse. So, whenever someone gives you a gift, take it without any guilt. It was always meant to be yours…”

Elena seemed to have found her groove, or perhaps she genuinely wanted to guide Xanthia. After all, judging by Xanthia’s modest attire, her family wasn’t particularly well-off. So why not use her natural advantages to earn a bit more money? It could even help ease the burden on her family.

However, Luciel cut Elena off mid-rant. “What you’re doing isn’t right! Don’t fill Xanthia’s head with your twisted views. Accepting gifts, especially expensive ones, can lead to trouble and come with a cost. In some cases, it might even result in serious safety issues. Not every man will quietly walk away after being played.”

The tension between Elena and Luciel was palpable, both unwilling to back down. Yet, they both wanted to influence the "innocent and pure-hearted" Xanthia in their own way.

Xanthia felt like she was caught in a standoff between a "righteous angel" and a "rationalist demoness." As the neutral party in this situation, she quickly decided to break the tension by changing the subject. “Ahem, I’ll open the envelope now and see what’s inside!”

“Wait a moment. It looks like this envelope has already been opened once,” Elena, with her keen eye for detail, pointed out.

“Really? It does seem that way. Could it be that the person who wrote the letter wasn’t satisfied with it and took it out to revise it?” Xanthia speculated.

Ever cautious, Xanthia even checked the system’s item inventory for any anomalies, particularly the “Malicious Notebook.” Seeing that there was nothing out of the ordinary, she concluded that the letter wasn’t laced with poison or anything of the sort. Admittedly, her imagination was running a bit wild—such things only happened in telenovelas, not in her everyday life.

The mystery of the heavy envelope was finally solved!

Inside, she found a gold medal from the school sports day.

Xanthia pulled out the medal, looking utterly bewildered. “Wait… Why would someone include a gold medal with a love letter? What kind of logic is this?”

Elena thought for a moment before a possibility dawned on her. “Only you and Dematero won gold medals at the school sports day. Could this letter and gift be from him?”

Luciel, hearing Elena’s suggestion, found it highly plausible, especially considering Dematero’s history of such behaviour.

She suddenly felt a surge of indignation. “Dematero is insufferable! What does he take you for, Xanthia? Rejected by one, and he immediately moves on to another… I see now, his confrontation with Kenny was probably just a show for your benefit!”

For once, Elena and Luciel found common ground in their opinion of Dematero, a rare moment of agreement between the "rationalist demoness" and the "righteous angel."

Elena wasn’t bothered by Dematero’s "change of heart"—after all, she had long since ignore him totally. The only issue was that his new target was Xanthia, which made her feel a bit awkward, as though she had passed her unwanted burden onto a friend.

“Xanthia, take my advice: stay away from Dematero. He’s not your type,” Elena warned her friend.

However, what Xanthia didn’t say was that Dematero had, in fact, been the target of her affection. The pair had been childhood friends, after all. But she wouldn’t admit that openly. Instead, she kept it to herself, letting her friends assume what they wished.