: Lab Explosion
3
Raina Ashwood extended a long nail and poked my arm. "They love everything about me, just like they dislike you—for no reason at all."
I laughed. "Alright then, shall we wait and see?"
'I'd like to see just how long this bond between the three of you will last.'
After leaving the lab, I saw a reporter from the school's publicity team taking pictures all over campus.
I proactively led them over to our lab. "We happen to have a student conducting an experiment right now. You can film her."
The reporter glanced inside and said with a sigh, "It would be a shame if we couldn't get a shot of the experiment in progress. This is slated for national publication."
Raina Ashwood, who had been listening in the whole time, immediately made a show of grabbing two nearby test tubes and began mixing the liquids inside.
'That was the formula I'd so carefully prepared just for her. She wouldn't even have a chance to escape.'
'The moment the two liquids touched, the test tube in her hand would explode, and the entire lab would be obliterated.'
I even started a livestream and a screen recording. 'See, everyone?'
'Raina Ashwood did this to herself.'
In my past life, this same reporter was bought off by my brother and my fiancé. He took the money and disappeared.
This life, I wasn't about to give him that chance.
Raina Ashwood angled her face for the camera, meticulously crafting the perfect, graceful curve with her lips. She even deliberately loosened a few strands of her bangs.
Then, she squeezed the dropper.
After squeezing the dropper, she even lifted her head to flash a smile directly at the camera.
At that exact moment, the lab exploded with a deafening BANG! The terrified reporter immediately turned and ran.
I feigned terror and fled as well, suppressing a smile as I heard the lab door rattle in its frame.
As I ran, I called to notify the school's professors and administrators. I even made a point to thoughtfully call my brother and my fiancé.
'Your precious little princess is in trouble. Better go rescue her!'
Half an hour later, I returned to the lab entrance, accompanied by a professor and visibly trembling.
"Professor, I was so scared. My legs gave out on me as I was running downstairs."
"I was yelling for everyone to get away while I ran, worried there might be a bigger explosion."
"It doesn't matter if the research belonging to the professors and seniors was destroyed. The most important thing is that everyone is safe."
The professor comforted me, handing me a piece of dark chocolate.
Turning to the principal with a pained expression, the professor said, "Juliana Valerius is my star student. Look how frightened she is—it's turned her into a chatterbox."
Seniors kept rushing over, wanting to charge into the blast site to check on their own research projects.
The professor stopped all of them.
"The site is still under investigation. You can't go in. What if there's another explosion?"
One senior's face flushed with anger. "Professor, if we lose our projects, we won't be able to graduate!"
