Happy Evil Heartbreaker [Modern LitRPG]

The clock rewinds to earlier events.

On this particular day, Oliver faced a crushing defeat in the realm of table tennis, leaving her deeply frustrated.

Once the activities class ended, she skipped dinner entirely and headed straight back to her dormitory. Not that it mattered much—dinner at the canteen was dreadful, even worse than lunch. The lack of appetite wasn’t just due to the poor quality of the food; her foul mood only made things worse.

There was a reason why Principal Herculano was so unpopular among the students. Rumor had it that the canteen was run by his brother-in-law, and the campus convenience store was supposedly managed by one of his close associates. While the store’s prices were comparable to those outside, the canteen was a disaster. Without competition, the monopoly had turned it into a culinary wasteland. High school wasn’t like university, where multiple canteens and food stalls kept things competitive, forcing improvements.

It’s little wonder that the students often chanted in private, “Down with principal’s shop!”

The video of Xanthia tormenting Principal Herculano at the ping pong table had spread like wildfire. Every student who watched it felt a surge of satisfaction. It was a true reflection of the public sentiment.

---

 

As Oliver returned to her dormitory without dinner, she found a small solace: her old friend from middle school, the ever-kind Noemi, had also skipped dinner and accompanied her back to the dorm. Along the way, Noemi offered words of comfort.

“I’ve said it before, Xanthia is a table tennis prodigy. Losing to her is no disgrace. At least she switched to playing left-handed and used her full strength against you. When she played me, she only used her right hand,” Noemi consoled her sincerely.

For a moment, Oliver found comfort in this. It almost felt like forcing Xanthia to switch hands was a testament to her own strength. Perhaps Xanthia’s right-handed defensive style wouldn’t have worked against her anyway—after all, Oliver was a power player.

Clearly, Noemi’s words had an immediate effect. Oliver’s mood lifted slightly, and she began to see her friend in a more favourable light.

“Noemi, though your table tennis tactics are a bit shady, with all that sneaky serve-blocking, you’re actually a decent person. No wonder you’re the head of your dormitory. I suppose you must be quite popular in your class,” Oliver remarked.

Noemi smiled mysteriously. Surely no one actually believed she was genuinely comforting Oliver, the uninvited guest who had disrupted her practice with Xanthia. Surely not?

What was meant to be a golden hour of practice was ruined by Oliver’s intrusion. This unwanted guest was on a path to self-destruction!

Noemi was well-versed in the art of strategy—"To take, one must first give." She also understood the power of deception, the principle that "the most dangerous place is often the safest."

Coincidentally, Oliver’s dormitory was on the same floor as Noemi’s. Although several rooms apart, it was convenient enough for a quick visit.

“My popularity is alright, but in our class, Xanthia is the real star. The girls all love hanging out with her because she always brings joy to everyone... By the way, would you like to visit our dormitory for a while? I’ve got some snacks to share,” Noemi invited warmly.

She always appeared more generous than the other girls, never nitpicking over trivial things. But if anyone took advantage of her, she would invoke her "Law of Balance," using her own methods to settle the score. Some even called her the "Empress of Tactics."

Chica, the "Empress of Freebies," had suffered greatly at the hands of this "Empress of Tactics," or "Thief." She had no idea that the shampoo, shower gel, tissues, hot water cards, and snacks she had swiped from Noemi would all come back to her in another form, promoting a healthy economic cycle within the dormitory.

“Sure, let me grab some of my stuff from my dorm, and we can swap snacks!” Oliver agreed.

Though sturdy and prone to anger, Oliver wasn’t the type to take advantage of others.

As she packed her things, she noticed the treasured gold medal in her locker. A satisfied smile spread across her face. That solid shot put gold medal was her most prized possession recently.

Oliver was an athletic girl. While she hadn’t made a name for herself in her beloved table tennis, winning a gold medal in another event at the school sports day still filled her with immense pride and joy!

She could still remember the thrill of standing on the podium, the gold medal draped around her neck. It had been a moment of pure excitement.

The girl who won the silver medal, Sequanni from Class Three, was even bigger than Oliver—a formidable opponent on her path to victory!

It was only thanks to an extraordinary final throw that Oliver narrowly defeated Sequanni. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Sequanni hadn’t given her all, as if she’d just thrown the shot casually.

Regardless, that hard-earned gold medal was Oliver’s treasure, and she loved showing it off in the dorm. She was just waiting for someone to challenge her so she could proudly display her medal and taunt them with, "What champion are you?"

With that thought, she hung the medal around her neck and happily trotted off to Noemi’s dorm, eager to share the tale of her glorious triumph.

But the moment she stepped into Noemi’s dormitory, she was hit by an overpowering stench—a mixture of foot odour and other indescribable smells assaulted her senses.

“For the love of God, Noemi! What on earth is going on in here? I thought I had a high tolerance, but your dorm smells like it could knock someone out!” Oliver exclaimed in disgust.

Noemi’s expression didn’t change. “You’ll get used to it. After a while, it’s not so bad. But you don’t know the half of it—my deskmate’s farts are the real biohazard. I’ve nearly died from them.”

Hera, the "Queen of Farts," had indeed left a deep psychological scar on Noemi. She felt that nothing could make up for the mental anguish, not even a countless acts of revenge!

For Noemi, it felt she was forced to smell rotten eggs for hours! So frustrating! Unforgivable!

Oliver shivered at the thought, not daring to imagine the terror that was Noemi’s deskmate…

But soon, Oliver redirected the conversation to the gold medal around her neck. She began recounting the story behind it, boasting with a passion that left no doubt about how much she cherished it.

“This gold medal means that much to you, does it?” Noemi’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Of course, it’s my lifeline!” Oliver said without hesitation.

“Excellent. Then you’d better cherish this lifeline,” Noemi said with a beaming smile, her eyes narrowing in amusement.

“Absolutely! I take great care of it. Sometimes I even feel uneasy leaving it in the dorm, so it’s better to keep it with me.”

“I agree. Such a precious item should be kept close. If you were to lose it, you’d be extremely anxious and distressed, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, yes, Noemi, you really understand me!” Oliver replied with delight.

After understanding the significant value of the gold medal to Oliver, Noemi decided to give it to Xanthia. After all, Xanthia had crushed Oliver in the competition, so Oliver needed to pay a price, didn’t she?

Xanthia was the true, deserving champion, deserving of both gold medals. No doubt about it.

Noemi resolved to steal Oliver’s championship medal, seeking revenge as the “Thief”!

As for giving it to Xanthia, it wasn’t to frame her. Noemi had no ill will toward Xanthia. Otherwise, even with her “Thief” skills, if her actions were recorded in the “Malice Notebook,” nothing would escape scrutiny.

Indeed, this was a minor flaw in the “Malice Notebook” rule-based artifact. Noemi had no malicious intent towards Xanthia and even sympathized with her, wishing to “redistribute wealth.” But sometimes, good intentions can have unintended consequences.

So, under Noemi’s encouragement, Oliver strutted back to the classroom with her gold medal securely on her person, probably planning to continue her inquiries during the evening self-study session.

Having skipped dinner in the cafeteria and not staying long in the dorm, primarily because Oliver couldn’t endure the poor conditions there, they both arrived at the classroom early. Along the way, Oliver continued flaunting her gold medal.

Once in the classroom, she carefully placed the medal in her desk compartment. Noemi then suggested they use the restroom, and after returning, they went their separate ways—one to Class Three, the other to Class Four.

“My medal? Where’s my medal?”

In the brief time it took to use the restroom, Oliver discovered that her gold medal had vanished!

She certainly did not suspect Noemi of stealing it, as they had been together almost the entire time. The medal had been left in the classroom, in her desk compartment, which meant Noemi had a solid “alibi.”

After discovering the loss, Noemi helped Oliver search for the medal with earnest concern. No one would suspect her as the thief with such a kind-hearted demeanor.

Before aiding Oliver in the search, Noemi had returned to Class Three’s classroom and noticed someone stealthily slipping something into Xanthia’s desk compartment.

With a subtle smile, she added a bit of her own “touch” and then awaited further developments.

Her speed and dexterity were remarkable, fitting her well for magic tricks.

Noemi’s earlier negative emotions, triggered by Oliver’s presence, vanished instantly as she watched Oliver’s frantic search for the missing medal. This was her idea of balance!

Of course, she maintained a facade of genuine concern, suggesting various possibilities like the medal being left in the dorm. Oliver, frequently carrying the medal, had likely experienced the illusion of misplacing it, like a campus card or keys.

Oliver, believing in the possibility of leaving the medal behind, hurried back to the dorm to search, with Noemi in tow.

This was the moment Noemi enjoyed the most—not the theft itself but the amusing reactions of the victims!

The more frantic the victims were, the more pleasure she derived!

The “Freeloader” Chica, who often lost things and ranted about a “Thief” in the dorm, was particularly amusing to Noemi. The ongoing drama was a source of joy for her—an opportunity to further disrupt the dorm’s economic cycle!

This also provided Noemi with a sense of revenge—if you like to bully me, then watch out. The more desperate you are after the theft, the more pleasure I derive!

In the dorm, Oliver found nothing.

Despairing, she returned to the classroom and stumbled upon Elena returning a love letter and gifts to Xanthia in the corridor, just as the first class of the evening self-study session was about to start.

When Elena mentioned the gold medal, Oliver, already obsessed with the search, became excited: “Gold medal? It must be my lost medal!”

Seizing the medal, Oliver didn’t need to scrutinize it closely. She recognized it immediately—it was her lifeline!

“Oliver, it’s truly remarkable you’ve found your gold medal!” Noemi congratulated as Oliver clutched Lucio’s collar, accusing him of stealing.

Elena, baffled by the scene, quickly asked her well-meaning dorm leader what had happened.

As an observer, Noemi recounted the events with great detail. She had previously described the situation between Sequanni and Yannis to Luciel.

Meanwhile, Lucio, upset by being grabbed by the collar, retorted angrily: “I didn’t steal your medal! Who cares about your lousy medal? You’re obsessed with it, asking everyone ‘What championship did you win?’ You’re slandering the champions! The value of the school sports championship is no better than a performance award!”

“What? You wretched creep dare to insult the value of my championship medal? How dare you!”

Fuming, Oliver, with her sturdy build, unleashed her inner tigress, swinging her powerful arms and delivering two resounding slaps to Lucio.

The sharp slaps echoed through the classroom corridor!

Although Oliver wasn’t the strongest, her strength was genuine, unlike the less earnest efforts of Sequanni from Class Three. Her blows were certainly effective.

Lucio, stunned by the unexpected reaction to his comments on the medal’s worth, found himself bewildered. The harsh reality of being slapped left him with clear handprints on his cheeks.

His temper flared as he faced Elena and Xanthia’s tablemate, feeling a fierce urge to defend his honor. He was determined not to be seen as someone who couldn’t stand up to a “tigress.”

As a so-called “lickspittle,” Lucio’s servile behavior was reserved for girls he liked. He wasn’t hesitant to strike out at others, especially those he deemed less attractive.

The reality of this double standard was stark—people often sympathized with attractive figures even when they were in the wrong, a phenomenon Lucio knew all too well.

Enraged, Lucio retaliated, throwing a punch at Oliver’s slightly plump face.

Oliver was shocked by the audacity of a boy hitting a girl, feeling it was entirely unacceptable—a blatant affront deserving of severe retribution!

Thus began a fierce fight in the corridor, with Oliver and Lucio battling each other in an evenly matched confrontation.

Noemi, thrilled by the unexpected spectacle, almost applauded, encouraging them to fight more fiercely. No one would know she was the mastermind behind the scene.

Elena stood stupefied by this dramatic turn of events—a bloody dispute ignited by a gold medal?

Students from Class Three who had been keeping an eye on their crush, Elena, quickly gathered to witness the commotion:

“Whoa, a boy and a girl from the next class are fighting! Hurry up and check it out, it’s too exciting!”

“Isn’t that guy who wrote a love letter to Elena getting his comeuppance from his girlfriend?”

“Having a girlfriend and still doing this? Serves him right! Never mind, watching this is more important.”

“Let’s go, let’s go! Watching such intense fighting between a boy and a girl is a rare sight. Missing this would be a real shame.”

Lhoraine had just returned from outside the classroom and naturally witnessed the captivating scene unfolding—women slapping and men punching, each blow landing with force. Both parties seemed tough and resilient, their endurance evident.

Lhoraine rushed over to Xanthia’s side. “Xanthia, Xanthia, come quickly! We’ve got to go watch this spectacle! Missing out on this would be such a shame!”

Xanthia looked up and realized that the commotion was happening in the corridor outside the classroom, where Elena had gone to return items.

Oh dear... Such a “bloodbath” of a fight was not something she could afford to miss!

The joy of witnessing such drama was always worthwhile!

So, Xanthia followed Lhoraine, hurrying to the scene to join in the crowd of spectators.