In an instant, the Femme Fatale trio had surrounded Ethan, armed with their haircutting and shaving tools.
But strangely enough…
As a human bearing the Bloodbound mark, Ethan should have been trembling with fear in front of the intentions of bloodthirsty Vampires like Ruby and her accomplices.
Yet right now, Ethan looked completely calm and composed. He didn't resist or call for help like the boys before him. He also didn't seem excited about being "pampered" by the most beautiful girls in Harmony High, unlike that Chow Chow guy from Class 12C earlier.
Even so, Autumn was deeply worried about Ethan. She leaned forward over the row in front to get a better look. But the curtains of the Grand Theater were pulled shut immediately, blocking Ethan and the Femme Fatale trio from her sight.
"Tsk! Sit down, Autumn! You're being shameless. Do you even realize you're wearing a short skirt?"
Kai clicked his tongue and grabbed the hem of Autumn's shirt.
Even without that poodle-haired boy reminding her, Autumn wouldn't have dared jump down to the stage like that. No human would. Anyone at Harmony High would notice instantly if she did something so unusual.
"Hehehe. Relax, Autumn. We're not doing anything too outrageous on school grounds. We're just… giving your boy a new haircut."
Kai chuckled wickedly, drawing out each word.
"That Ethan kid studies hard, right? Then a receding professor-style hairline would suit him best, yeah? But… if he resists - even a little - he won't have any hair left to style. That's the plan Ruby and I agreed on."
"That's outrageous! What did Ethan ever do to you?"
Cherry shouted in fury. Amy nodded beside her.
"Shut up, you ugly girls! Keep yapping and I'll tell Yara to shave off Ethan's eyebrows too!"
Kai's response to Cherry was pure aggression. Every girl around him - Autumn, Cherry, Amy, and even the seven Dancing Stars girls - froze at his attitude.
With his dance skills and his circle filled with the prettiest girls in Harmony High, Kai always acted cold and even a bit disdainful toward girls whose looks were merely "cute," like Cherry and Amy.
However, insulting the looks of young girls right to their faces, and in the middle of a crowd, was truly going too far. If Harmony High didn't forbid fighting on campus, Autumn would definitely make Kai learn some manners about how to treat women.
"Autumn, Cherry! Look… look down at the stage!"
Amy suddenly tugged at her two friends. Her arm, which was pointing toward the stage, was slightly trembling. It seemed the Femme Fatale trio had finished their makeover on Ethan.
Autumn still didn't dare look down. She couldn't imagine what Ethan would look like without hair.
Ethan had never bothered styling his thick, jet-black hair with any industrial products like gel or hair spray. Because of that, his hair always carried a natural scent of wood and the warm, gentle smell of the late-afternoon sun. To Autumn, Ethan's hair was one of the most charming things about him.
And yet… they dared to…
Autumn slowly closed her eyes. She turned away and pressed her face into the back of her seat, ignoring the growing noise from the crowd.
She didn't want to see the result of the makeover at all.
And she couldn't stand the fact that she was too weak and useless to protect her own Bloodbound.
After today… how was she supposed to face an Ethan who might be… bald?
Would he resent her? Hate her?
Autumn pressed both hands tightly over her ears. She didn't want to hear the laughter and excited chatter of the Harmony students around her. But a Vampire's hearing didn't allow her that luxury.
"I told you two that Ethan had hidden charm! He normally looks simple like that, sure, but just fixing his hair and boosting his aura a bit… wow, he's seriously attractive now."
Amy practically screamed into Autumn's ear. Her voice was almost drowned out by the roaring crowd.
"I have to admit, Anya and Yara's aesthetic sense is insane. When I saw Anya's giant scissors and Yara's weird shaving knives, I thought they'd only manage to injure him. I didn't expect them to actually be skilled."
Cherry replied to Amy. She didn't like the Femme Fatale trio at all, but this time she had no choice but to acknowledge the twins' technique.
"Oh! Look at the Let's Dance boys… Tall, broad-shouldered, and now handsome. Best part is - they even have brains! Delicious, aren't they, sisters?"
Iris and the girls from Dancing Stars all shouted along to the rhythm of "Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!", causing chaos across a whole corner of the stands.
And Autumn still had no idea what they were talking about.
"AAAAA… damn it! No way! This wasn't the original plan! What is Ruby thinking? Why is she making that mediocre bunch look handsome!?"
Only when she heard Kai screaming in fury did Autumn snap her eyes open.
The curtains on the stage had been drawn back, revealing the Let's Dance boys - alive and perfectly fine.
No one had been half-shaved or turned bald. Their eyebrows were intact. Even Nathaniel's thick, unruly brows had been trimmed neatly, making his already good-looking face even more striking.
The glue-stuck chairs and the old outfits had been discarded behind them. Now Let's Dance stood clad in crisp white Victorian-style shirts with loose sleeves and ruffled collars.
Paired with slim black leather trousers - tailored as if custom-made - and tall boots, the boys looked genuinely impressive. Exactly as Ruby had promised when introducing Round 3 of the Purge.
"And here is the official lineup of Let's Dance, including: Chris Vu, Chow Chow from Class 12C, Nathaniel Nguyen, Andrew Vo from Class 11B and… Ethannnn Duong from Class 11D!"
Ruby's eyes curved into delighted crescents. It had been a long time since Autumn saw her this cheerful.
"We'll have four more practice sessions to create the most captivating performance for our upcoming Vietnam Women's Day Event on October 20th. We hope all Harmony students will support us with all your hearts! The Let's Dance audition ends here. Good night, my loves!"
Ruby wrapped up her speech to a roaring wave of applause.
And the bandwagon crowd immediately switched to chanting "Let's Dance! Let's Dance! Let's Dance!" in rhythm.
"What is happening? They were supposed to be purged - humiliated, every single one of them…"
Kai clutched his head and muttered endlessly, still unable to believe his scheme had been ruined by his teammate's whim.
"Hey, Cherry! After that Let's Dance audition, I bet Kai might actually grow taller!"
Amy shot Kai a sharp sideways glare and yelled loudly at Cherry. Very unusual - because the Harmony students were already leaving, and the auditorium wasn't nearly loud enough to justify Amy shouting like that.
"What do you mean? What does height have to do with any of this?"
Cherry shouted back at the exact same volume.
"Here, Cherry! According to the newest post on Andrew the Detective's Harmony Daily Discord - all official members of Let's Dance will be invited to Ruby's end-of-October party. Which means Kai's probably going to get cheated on - or, as we say at Harmony High… grow five more horns. So I'm guessing Kai will 'grow taller' once those extra horns sprout on his head."
"No, Amy, the one who gets the horns is Ruby's actual boyfriend. Kai the Poodle-Friend will never have the honor of becoming the 'Lord of the Horns.' Trust me - at Harmony High, I know every couple, every flirtation, and every one-sided crush."
Just as Cherry predicted - Autumn didn't know who Ruby's official boyfriend was, but she was certain it wasn't Kai. Poor guy… the perfect living definition of friendzoned.
"Ugh. Lame. So Kai still won't grow any taller?"
"I don't know, Amy. Boys in Grade 11 are pretty much done growing. I don't see any hope for his height. Best case, he might grow a few centimeters - maybe reach Autumn's height someday. But small girls like Autumn are cute. Small boys - especially ones who are mean like Kai - are…"
"…are destined to be friendzoned for life. Muahaha!"
Cherry and Amy burst into laughter while Kai's face turned beet red. Autumn finally understood why the two girls kept shouting loudly even though the auditorium was almost empty by now.
"Rosa, Azalea, Iris, Midori, Myo, Daisy, and Saraca! What are you waiting for? Teach those ugly, loud ducklings a lesson!"
Kai shot up from his seat and ordered the Dancing Stars girls. His limit had finally snapped.
But this time, the seven dancers didn't budge. They only exchanged glances for a few seconds then Iris stepped forward and showed Kai the time on her phone.
"Boss, it's already past 8 PM! We don't work overtime. Not even for extra pay. It's Friday night - our blood flows back to the heart, you know? We've got dates and youth to enjoy. Hehehe."
Rejected by his own team, Kai could only stand there with his mouth hanging open. Then the entire group of Dancing Stars simply left, abandoning their leader with his boiling rage. Iris was the last to leave. Before going, she looked at Cherry and Amy:
"About earlier… sorry, okay? Just work."
She hesitated for a moment, her cheeks flushing pink. Then she inhaled sharply - and blurted out very fast:
"You're not ugly at all. Actually… you're really cute. Both of you are beautiful in your own way. You should know that."