Happy Evil Heartbreaker [Modern LitRPG]

In fact, before the official class rankings were released, Xanthia remained largely unnoticed.

Apart from the homeroom teacher and Foreign Languages And Linguistics teacher, Emmanuel El Alcantara, who liked to play the old-fashioned method of distributing papers from the podium, announcing scores from highest to lowest, and letting students come up to collect their papers, other subject teachers simply handed over the graded papers to the class representatives for distribution.

Obviously, this practice of not publicly announcing scores in front of the whole class was a way to preserve the dignity of the weaker students. Most teachers didn't want unnecessary animosity. After all, they were only paid so much; was it worth risking everything?

Ironically, Xanthia's Foreign Languages And Lingusitics grades were only average, not particularly outstanding. However, when Emmanuel handed out the papers, he showed a rare smile and encouraged Xanthia, "You did well in this Foreign Languages And Lingusitics test, showing significant improvement. Keep it up."

In Emmanuel's view, pairing Xanthia with Dematero as desk mates was perfect. Dematero, a quiet boy with few words, was a natural nemesis to the talkative boys. Plus, with his excellent Foreign Languages And Lingusitics scores, he could naturally help Xanthia improve.

Dematero's top ranking in Foreign Languages And Lingusitics this time earned his lavish praise from Emmanuel. His essay, which lost only 2 points from a perfect score, was even used as a model and shared with the whole class, making Dematero momentarily famous.

However, as the papers from other subjects were graded and returned, Dematero's demeanor changed completely, like a pair of testicles hit by frost.

Meanwhile, individuals like Henry, who enjoyed unofficially collecting information about the top students before the official rankings were out, completely ignored Xanthia in his calculations...

Luciel was included in his list because she ranked second in Foreign Languages And Lingusitics, and Emmanuel had announced scores from highest to lowest.

Henry diligently asked every top student who posed a threat to him and finally compiled an "informal ranking." Unexpectedly, he was dethroned by Luciel, with Sunny, the soccer enthusiast, not even considered as a top student.

Falling from the former class top spot to seventh place was a bitter pill for Henry to swallow. However, it was undeniable that in a top-tier high school like this, once you achieved first place in one exam, it didn't guarantee you could maintain it unless you were exceptionally consistent.

Henry's misguidance also affected other top students. After all, this "informal ranking" was often quite accurate. In a class where the top performers were few, a quick inquiry could reveal their relative standings.

Then, about three days after the monthly exams, during evening self-study, Emmanuel arrived in Class 3 of Grade 10 with the printed "official ranking list."

When he saw that the student at the top of the class was someone he had consistently overlooked—Xanthia, whose background he had never paid much attention to—he was stunned!

What the heavens?!

Who was this unexpected hidden genius?

His emotions were mixed with surprise and disbelief.

Considering Xanthia's previous performance and her usual attitude towards studies, doubts naturally arose in his mind.

However, he didn't jump to accusations of cheating. After all, Xanthia was a day student with a strong family background. What if she had private tutoring every day after returning home?

Emmanuel's approach was clever and cunning: he asked the science teachers to deliberately call Xanthia to answer questions during the explanation of the exam questions that followed. After all, if she could solve all sorts of difficult problems, sharing her problem-solving approach shouldn't be an issue, right?

Emmanuel would discreetly observe and, if he confirmed Xanthia hadn't cheated, that would be wonderful—another top student under his wing. As a homeroom teacher, who wouldn't want more top students in their class?

Arriving at the classroom, Emmanuel pinned the ranking list on the right wall just inside the front door. It was the class honor wall, where awards like "Civilized Class" certificates would also be displayed in the future. Duty schedules and other notices were also included, making this area the class bulletin board.

After pinning it up, he turned and deeply scrutinized Xanthia, seated in the middle of the first row by the window. He couldn't shake off his incredulity.

He admitted he had completely misjudged her. It was a humbling realization, but he didn't mind it at all. As a homeroom teacher, who would complain about having too many top students in their class?

As for Dematero sitting next to Xanthia, Emmanuel was irritated by his nonchalant demeanor. What good did it do to top Foreign Languages And Lingusitics? Science was where the grades mattered!

Dematero, oh Dematero, you've disappointed me so much!

From class 7th to a miserable 35th, what on hell were you thinking?

Of course, viewed from another angle, Xanthia moving from 43rd to 1st and Dematero slipping from 7th to 35th showed a net positive improvement overall... she won!

But obviously, that was just looking for a silver lining. If Xanthia legitimately topped the class without cheating, it meant her academic strength was formidable. Regardless of who she sat next to, such progress would be expected.

So, the question arose: Could Dematero's decline be influenced by Xanthia?

Emmanuel belatedly noticed that Xanthia, with her new hairstyle, was quite attractive.

He typically avoided seating high-value female students with male classmates—like Elena La Loannou, who sat with a girl named Yannis La Alexandros, and Luciel La Lebrador, who was paired with a problematic child, Hera—they were all girls.

To stifle any early romance, Emmanuel went to great lengths. He felt he couldn't assign Xanthia to sit with a boy anymore...

After posting the ranking list, Emmanuel stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. "Ahem, everyone, put aside what you're doing. We'll have a brief class meeting this lesson to discuss the results of this month's exams..."

"To be frank, I'm very disappointed in you all! I've taught experimental classes before, and you might be the weakest bunch I've had! The overall decline in this month's exam results is simply unacceptable!" Emmanuel's face darkened as he scolded without reservation.

His reprimand wasn't entirely unjustified. Since these exams were held after the holidays, many students lacked self-discipline and indulged too much. A prime example was Dematero, whose decline was stark, and there were others like him.

While the class ranking might seem tolerable with a slight drop, the difference was immense when compared to the previous benchmark exams. Grade 10 Class 3 had collectively regressed!

"Of course, I must specially commend three students: Xanthia, Luciel, and Sunny. They've shown remarkable improvement, especially Xanthia! Her total score ranks first in our class and 18th in the grade. Even in Class 1 and Class 2, she would be in the top ten!" Emmanuel announced.

This declaration astonished the entire class, especially the former top student Henry, who had secretly compiled an "informal ranking." He stared at Xanthia in disbelief... His mouth opened and closed simultaneously, like a fish grasping for water.

"She was first in the whole class?"

How was that possible?

Recalling his intention to tutor Xanthia before, he felt his face burn in extreme embarassment!

If her grades were indeed real, he would be a laughingstock!

The 8th-ranked student tutoring the top student?

Then Henry realized he wasn't even 8th; Sunny was 8th, and he had slipped to 9th in the class! So embarassing!

After a stern lecture to the students, Emmanuel concluded the brief class meeting. "In a few days, I'll adjust the seating arrangement based on the exam results. That's all for now, class dismissed."

While other homeroom teachers might let students choose their seats based on their grades—privileged seating for the highest achievers and leftovers for the rest—Emmanuel was a traditionalist. He dictated the seating arrangement and even handpicked the class committee. Democracy? Were these kids even qualified to discuss democracy?

After evening self-study, as soon as students entered the classroom, the bulletin board on the right was already surrounded by students concerned about their ranking.

Everyone first noticed Xanthia's top 1 position, with complex expressions—shock, suspicion, and curiosity...

How could Xanthia possibly rank first in the class? Did she cheat?

Perhaps only a few classmates around Xanthia confirmed she hadn't cheated. After all, once the papers were distributed, they would check their mistakes with those who got it right.

Some, out of suspicion, approached Xanthia. Her answers were fluent and her reasoning clear. Could a cheater be that articulate?

Alright, it was confirmed. She was definitely not a slacker in studies. So what was she?

A textbook overachiever!

She seemed to play nonchalant about studying, claiming no interest in grades, but lo and behold, she aced the class. Was that even fair?

The surrounding classmates instantly conjured up numerous thoughts... Xanthia, as a day student, was definitely more scholarly than anyone else!

Oops! They thought they were all the same—ordinary high school students just coasting through. Now that she had revealed her true self, dropping the mask revealed a face adorned with the noble "top student" label!

How cunning. Xanthia, this textbook overachiever, was too cunning!

Even the usually easy-going Dematero, when he looked at Xanthia, couldn't help but question life and the world. Negative emotions exploded—

Why did you hide so deeply? Your grades are even better than my goddess Elena's! Doesn't this make me a clown?!

Now Dematero was losing a lot of gold coins in his "pain value," and his mentality completely collapsed!