Yarin's POV:
Lily should be twenty years old this year, and her older brother was two years her senior, making him twenty-two.
The Balotte Family was just a small local clan and didn't have connections in the military. For Gapes to hold the rank of a second lieutenant at his age, he must be exceptionally talented.
He inevitably reminded me of Lily. Lily could have been an outstanding female warrior, but the rejection from her family left her with no place among the Lycans. She had to seek her path among outsiders.
When we returned to our room, Autumn was still waiting for us. When she learned that we had met Gapes, she seemed somewhat surprised. "Fate is truly strange."
Eden didn't particularly like this class. Strong and imposing men made him very nervous, and I suspected it was because of the abuse he suffered as a child.
He chose this class purely for the physical education credits, so he didn't pay much attention to Gapes. Autumn, on the other hand, was different. She and her girlfriends had analyzed Gapes from top to bottom.
"No doubt about it, he's very handsome. I don't know why those male celebrities on TV now look like elementary school kids, but for me, a handsome and robust man like a sun god is the pinnacle of aesthetics, just like Instructor Gapes."
"Goddess, I don't mean to insult a warrior, but his looks and physique are truly drool-worthy — I'm not implying anything, dear, you're always the best in my eyes."
Autumn had to put on the brakes urgently because Eden was giving her a look filled with grievances, on the verge of tears.
"He's strict but convincing. It's the kind of thing where he's reprimanding you, but you know everything he says is right, and you can't help but follow his orders. Even though it's just a combat class at school, his attitude is very serious, as if he's training soldiers, not playing with many high school students.
"I've never been to such a tiring class. I think my thigh muscles will be sore like mashed chicken meat for the next week. But now I can't wait for the next class- Hey, don't look at me like that; I admit I drooled a little for Instructor Gapes, but the combat class is really useful, isn't it? Much better than those self-defense courses for women you find online."
From Autumn's words, it was clear that Gapes was a very approachable person. You didn't have to be all smiles to make people feel comfortable. The right amount of strictness and a responsible attitude could also easily earn people's favor.
These two brothers were really interesting. Alfred served in the north, and Gapes served in the west. Did they choose to join the military as some kind of telepathic connection between siblings?
Given their parents' strained relationship, I didn't believe this was a coincidence.
This couple really competed in every aspect.
I paid attention to Gapes only because of Lily; he was Lily's brother, that's all.
I thought I wouldn't interact much with him, but after just one day, I met him.
Mmom summoned Gapes to the palace for an audience.
"Your uncle asked me to care for this child; Daniel is always worried about him," my mom said.
"They're both in their twenties, they've been through military training, what do they need taking care of?" I felt a bit speechless. "It's not like they're little kids in kindergarten."
Mom chided me with a smile and patted my shoulder, saying, "Don't say that. What reason do parents need to worry about their children? Gapes is going to the goddess's courtyard now; Daniel won't be able to sleep at ease."
"If that's the case, then he really should worry, living people don't go there..."
"Hey, kid, you're quite harsh today." Mom looked at me, puzzled. "Don't you want to meet Gapes? Why are you so opposed?"
It was hard to say what my psychology was like. Just thinking about Lily still being out there, wandering, made it difficult for me to have any positive feelings toward her family—except for Francis and Alfred; they were genuinely good people.
"I don't know," I said, feeling gloomy. "In fact, I don't know him at all; I shouldn't dislike him baselessly. Eden and the others all say Gapes is good, so I guess he really is a decent person-at least he looks good."
I felt that my demeanor was too childish, I was no longer a primary school student, I shouldn't be so emotional! I didn't like this!
But the fact was that my mindset was still childish, and my body had grown, that was true, but my thoughts were still stuck four years ago. This 'outage' didn't change anything for me. The four years felt like a mountain blocking my way!
On the one hand, I knew I should mature a bit, but on the other hand, I also knew that I couldn't do it so quickly. This torn mentality left me confused.