The Transmigrated Author

265  Ponder

Night had fallen over the Montclair mansion, and the girls settled into their luxurious rooms.

 Despite having comfortable beds all to themselves, they couldn't shake the restless energy of the night. Neither of the girls were going to sit and wait for the next day.

Camila in particular felt restless, she wasn't one to sit still for long and whispered an idea into Jae's ear.

As the two watched the news on the tv.

pssst...pssst...pssst...

"Oooo... that does sound nice."

A mischievous grin spread across Jae's face, and the two nodded in agreement.

Camila turned off the tv and Jae stood up alongside her catching all the girls attention.

"We should go to the hot springs!"

Jae and Camila announced in unison.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Lyra cheered them on bouncing on the balls of her feet. "A relaxing soak sounds like the perfect way to unwind after that long trip."

"Indeed," Alice agreed with a gentle smile. "A bit of pampering would be nice."

Though Valencia, still brooding over her earlier encounter with Rel and the maid, hesitated for a moment.

"Fine by me..." she finally conceded.

With a unanimous decision made, the girls headed towards the female spa located on the second floor. As they dressed appropriately for the spring they slipped into the soothing waters, their conversations flowed as freely as the steam rising from the pool.

Camila brought up the upcoming exams where there were rumors of teaming up being allowed to happen.

"We should team up if things go south, haha!"

"Sounds like a plan,"

Jae agreed with a shrug. The others nodded casually while their minds were more focused on enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.

Valencia however couldn't fully shake off her worries.

As she was the last one to enter the spa, Jae's jaw dropped. "Whoa, Valencia!" she exclaimed. "Not only are you gifted with the sword, but you're also gifted with such a figure! If I were a guy, I'd be all over you."

Valencia blushed at Jae's enthusiastic compliment. "Don't be silly," she mumbled, flustered.

But Camila couldn't resist teasing.

"Well, the guy who has the best chance right now is probably in our grade," she said, winking at Valencia.

The heat in Valencia's cheeks intensified and she could think of was a certain person.

As his face flashed through her mind, she quickly pushed the thought away thinking this isn't something like what she would do.

bubble...bubble...bubble...

Alice on the other hand floated across the spa blowing bubbles going back and forth.

**

KCHAK!

"CA25B, you've finished your shift, right? We should meet up with Axel at this spot here." Vanessa sent the coordinates of the location, but Christian remained stubbornly unresponsive.

"This place has a really good blind spot, so in the meantime, we could meet here for exchanges throughout the day."

Christian, perched precariously on the rooftop with a clear view of the women's spa, was far too distracted to respond. He ogled the scene below, a smirk plastered across his face as he cackled to himself. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Hold on, Vanessa," he finally replied with a low whisper.

"I'm seeing some potential information we could use for the Montclairs... hehaha..."

Christian giggled to himself more as his eyes were on the spa.

Suddenly, he heard Vanessa's voice in his earpiece say, "Oh really?"

KCHAK...

The communication channel abruptly cut off, and a voice spoke from behind him.

"I didn't know you were at the location already."

EEEK!!!

Christian flinched at her words and he slowly turned his head to see Vanessa with her fist imbued with aura. Gulp...

"Don't think you're getting away with this one, dumbass," she said, her voice low and menacing.

"Bang!"

"Ackkk!!!!"

Vanessa slammed her fist down on Christian's head, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!..." he repeated, scrambling away from the furious Vanessa.

"Just get up already," she said, her voice still sharp. "Axel will be here soon."

...

...

...

As they met up at the blind spot on the rooftop, Axel cast a concerned glance at Christian.

 "What happened to CA25B?" he asked, eyeing the rather large bulge protruding from Christian's head.

"Oh, it's nothing," Vanessa replied dismissively.

"Right, CA?" She grabbed Christian's ear, twisting it slightly.

"Ah! Yes, yes! Nothing wrong!" Christian yelped. "Please let go!"

Axel took a step back, unnerved by Vanessa's conflicting emotions towards her teammate.

"So," Vanessa continued, turning her attention to Axel, "what have you been up to inside?"

"I've been disguised as a bodyguard within the building," Axel explained. "My shift started not too long ago."

Vanessa nodded. "That makes sense." But a flicker of suspicion crossed her eyes. Axel's mission details were different from theirs, and it made her uneasy.

Moreover, something about Axel's scent seemed familiar. She couldn't quite place it, but it definitely reminded her of someone she'd met before.

As she observed him more closely, she noticed his hair was tied back, and he was wearing a different mask than usual. I wonder what he looks like behind that mask... She wasn't usually interested in people's appearances, but Axel's personality and actions were so unusual that she couldn't help but be curious. There's no way to tell if he's handsome or not...

Hopefully, he's better looking than Christian It's hard enough having to look at him every day.

-My hair!!

-Get back here Lyra!

-Ah!!!

As sounds of the spa echoed from below Vanessa, couldn't help but envy the girls enjoying their lives as cadets at a renowned academy. Those girls got to live the life she had been yearning for – going to school, making friends, experiencing the highschool life.

BAM...

Just then, their leader appeared, interrupting Vanessa's thoughts.

"Listen up," Yang said briskly.

"I'll keep this briefing short. You'll need to spread out as much as possible tonight and gather information about the Montclair staff and family members' whereabouts every hour. Be cautious, as the guards are on high alert around the artifact library during this time."

"Okay..." the others replied, nodding in understanding.

Yang nodded in return and disappeared.