There had been one incident that caused The Boy to leave Edgewood Academy recently.

However, rather than go down in despair after once more falling into the schemes of Ernestine, this time, she has no clue that he intentionally do so to get himself 'home-schooled' by his abusive mother.

And there was one major reason for doing so: To dig further into one of the major biographies future Ernestine had sold that catapulted her to the top of the criminal journalism world. The Boy had learned that there was one biography in particular, a groundbreaking piece on a once-high-ranking aristocrat who had fallen into disgrace, that had become the foundation for Ernestine's rise to fame. This biography was the first to gain international attention and made her millions in pounds.

The identity of the person at the heart of that biography...is none other than Kudo Ranran.

The Boy's heart skipped a beat as he heard the name. Kudo Ranran—the illegitimate grand-child of the Kudo family in Japan had been the catalyst for Ernestine's meteoric rise.

..............................................................................

Kudo Ranran's origins were marked by a heavy shadow of misfortune and secrecy.

Her father is the son of one of the wealthiest families in Japan. Even so, he was constantly overshadowed by his more favored siblings. The Kudo family had a history of rigid expectations, where only the strongest would rise to power, and Ranran's father had never quite fit into their mold. Despite being educated at prestigious schools and gaining some influence, he was always seen as the "outsider," never fully accepted by the family he had been taken into.

Ranran's mother on the other hand is a woman with rumored connections to the red light district, was a figure of scandal. She was raised by a single mother as there were whispers of her mother's past, that her biological father who is Ranran's biological maternal grandfather, is a influential rich business man who discarded both mother and daughter, after allegedly drugging him to sleep one's way into wealth while still engaged to another girl of high society which ultimately backfired in the process.

With such questionable background, it ain't strange why any family there, from the average to the highest tier in society ever acknowledge mother and daughter. She had been the type of woman who lived on the fringes of society, yet she found a way into the upper echelons of Japan's elite, even if her position was tenuous and fraught with societal contempt.

The union between these two individuals, born from scandal and disparity, was considered by many as a disgrace. Yet, despite the whispers and the shame surrounding their relationship, Kudo Ranran was born into it— to a family who both loved her.

Even so, her family's background brought a stir of concern onto her upbringings before she was born. With both parents' at the spectrum of society, Ranran's existence would ultimately be surrounded by suspicion and judgment from the moment she was conceived.

With that in mind, her parents made the decision to move to her mother's home country: The U.K.

But having their daughter before reaching adulthood, money was tight.

Which is why as difficult and as sad as it may sound, she was often left alone in their townhouse while the adults of the family set out to work to keep a roof above their heads. As it was in a slum neighbourhood, back then, there was no social expectations, no judgements, and above all: no pressure to live up to any standards other than their own.

This was a freedom that the family, despite their struggles, cherished for their daughter. In the slum neighborhoods of London, away from the scrutinizing eyes of Japan's high society, they hoped to build a life where their daughter could grow without the heavy burden of the Kudo family's expectations or the social stigma surrounding her family's past.

In this unassuming corner of London, Ranran's formative years were marked by solitude. If she had any envy that she wasn't allowed to play outside with the other kids her age, all of that is replaced by her father's computer, which she uses to play video games in order to keep herself entertain.

A portal to a world far removed from the grim reality of her life. The game worlds were full of excitement and challenge, where she could take on new identities, be someone else, and for a moment, forget about the uncertainty of her situation. It was on this computer that Ranran spent most of her time—she learned to strategize, to build, to fight, and to win. In these games, she found a form of control she had never felt in her own life.

And yet, all of that was cut short when her parents decided to try sending their daughter to a prestigious school, whether she liked it or not.

Perhaps it was then, her 'villainy journey' began.

..............................................................................

As The Boy quietly listens to the projector's narration in the form of his future delusional arrange Fiance's mouth, he was able to put together as to why the criminal biography she wrote about Ranran made her tons of money.

The Kudo Ranran in the projector....was quite the eccentric character.

When she was 3 during the student teacher interview, she feign as if she was born mentally disabled.

In Edgewood Academy, the school had recently banned children who are classified as 'mentally challenged' from studying here, after multiple incidents involving disruptive behaviors from students with such conditions. Also, they are not equipped in providing the necessary support for students with such needs. Even though they have the budget and resources to do so, perhaps it was due to the fact that the management thinks it was too much of a hassle to look after students of such problematic nature, plus the fact that it will be too mentally straining to deal with them, further cemented their decision to reject students with such conditions. Edgewood Academy prided itself on being an elite institution—one that catered only to the "best and brightest."

From his so-called fiance's story telling session, biography Ranran knew of this, hence, she was dismissed on the spot.

And that scheme itself was only the beginning.

By the time her parents found out about it, they were a month too late as they were working outstation while she weaved a lie to her grandparents that the interview was a bust, and that it was already paid by other 'aristocrat families' to reserve their kids a spot there.

As The Boy processed this sequence of events, the more he began to see the trajectory of Ranran's rise to infamy.

Since she failed to get a spot in Edgewood, she headed to a public school. So far, she had a very normal upbringings with friends of her own. Nothing stood out of the ordinary.

The tipping point was when the family decided to move back to their old neighbourhood in Japan which altered Ranran's way of life when she turned 8-years-old.

The Kudo family had gotten old, and times had changed. The once-hostile attitude toward Ranran's parents' marriage had mellowed. Her two homesick parents, yearning for a sense of closure and belonging, were eager to move back to Japan. For them, it was an opportunity to reconnect with their roots, secure a more comfortable life, and perhaps finally claim some measure of acceptance from the family that had once disowned them.

For Ranran, however, this decision sparked nothing but anger.

From a child's perspective, the move represented yet another instance of her being forced into situations beyond her control. Though her parents promised a luxurious life and the warm embrace of their now-accepting relatives, Ranran was far from pleased. She viewed their eagerness as misplaced, even pathetic.

In her mind, if her parents had not been treasured by the family in the past, why bother going back? To her, their return felt like a surrender—a betrayal of the freedom and individuality they had once fought for in London.

Making matters worst though, was the realization that she was no longer the only child in the family.

No, her parents weren't expecting another child. Instead, Ranran found herself facing a rival: Kudo Shinichi, a boy her age who belonged to the same family. Ranran would be seeing him often, far more often than she wanted.

To the 8-year-old Ranran, this was devastating. It wasn't just that she'd have to share the family's attention; it was the symbolic weight of Shinichi's existence. He embodied everything she was not—and everything she feared she would never be.

Shinichi's life stood in stark contrast to her own. While Ranran had grown up in the slums of London, Shinichi had been raised in affluent luxury. His mother was a renowned silver-screen actress, celebrated for her beauty and poise, and his father was a famous, well-established mystery writer whose works were loved both in Japan and abroad.

His upbringing had been steeped in privilege, refinement, and opportunity. He had grown up surrounded by admiration and high expectations, effortlessly embodying the Kudo family's ideals. In stark contrast, Ranran's own life—marked by struggle, solitude, and quiet defiance—was, in her eyes, a blemish in the eyes of the family.

For Ranran, this dynamic was clear from the outset. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she would always be seen as "lesser." A "lowly thing," as she bitterly thought to herself—the same reasoning that had led her to intentionally fail her Edgewood Academy interview back in London. Why play a game where the outcome was already determined?

To Ranran, he was the golden boy, the living embodiment of the life she could never have. Every glance, every word, every comparison felt like a reminder of her supposed inferiority.

No matter what, she won't allow this! She won't!

.....................................................................................

But like all of the projected futures shown in the projector, a child can do very little when the adults are in-charge.

Withdrawing herself from the family to immerse herself in video gaming for several hours didn't help, as her parents would often interrupt her solitude, insisting that she join family dinners or accompany them to social gatherings hosted by the Kudo family. These occasions were a nightmare for Ranran. Sitting at the same table as Shinichi and the other well-mannered, perfectly-groomed children of high society felt like torture. Every polite smile, every casual remark about accomplishments or future aspirations, was a silent comparison that cut her to the core.

Ranran's resentment began to fester, fueled by the many things she could not change: Her parents, her life she has no control of, as well as the neighbourhood made forming such relationships impossible. Including the children of the neighbourhood she would live in Japan, they were not kind to her one bit.

Given that her mother has Caucasian blood in her, it wasn't difficult to see why Ranran was utterly different from them despite having a Japanese father.

Her appearance set her apart. With her mother's Caucasian features and lighter complexion, Ranran didn't fit in. While her father was Japanese, her mother's foreign heritage made her visibly "different," an easy target for ridicule. Her presence disrupted the homogeneity of the tightly-knit community, and the other children took notice immediately.

It didn't help that Ranran's sharp tongue and aloof demeanor only seemed to confirm the assumptions of those around her. She was labeled as arrogant, difficult, and "other." To the children in the neighborhood, she wasn't just an outsider—she was an oddity.

And in the most irking circumstances was the rumours that spread that she could've been the daughter of one of the sons within the Kudo family, though her parents insist that wasn't the case.

The very notion enraged her parents, who insisted vehemently that such claims were false. But in the eyes of the local community, the truth mattered far less than the salaciousness of the story. The rumor fed into their prejudice, casting further doubt on Ranran's legitimacy and positioning her as an unwelcome stain on the Kudo family's name.

For Ranran, these whispers were a source of profound humiliation and rage. Even at her young age, she understood the implications of what was being said. It wasn't just an attack on her lineage—it was an attack on her very existence, a way of reducing her to nothing more than a shameful secret better left hidden.

Adding salt to the wound, were the unnecessary tuitions she is force to go after school.

Generally she hated studying and homework. Which isn't surprising to The Boy who is watching it, since he know of some rich noble children in the academy who hate doing such a chore. But being force to do extra work by sending her to tuitions after school felt like a special kind of punishment to Ranran. It wasn't just the workload—though that was grueling enough—it was the clear message it sent: behave and be obedient.

Every day, after school, she was ushered into yet another class where she was forced to sit through endless hours of study, her mind drifting away into a haze of frustration and defiance. The work wasn't particularly challenging, but the sheer pointlessness of it all gnawed at her. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to do any of it.

And her root of resentment—that Shinichi—was glaringly evident in the unfolding circumstances.

The rumors whispered that Shinichi's father, the renowned mystery writer, might also be Ranran's biological father. While these speculations were baseless, they spread like wildfire, casting a shadow over Ranran's family and creating an unbearable tension in the Kudo household.

For Shinichi, these rumors were a nuisance, an irritation that he had no patience for. To him, Ranran was nothing more than a pest—a troublemaker who disrupted the otherwise harmonious image of his life. He had no interest in her, no curiosity about the whispers that tied their fates together. Instead, he treated her with cold indifference, his dismissive attitude cutting deeper than any insult.

Ranran, already suffocating under the weight of her alienation, could feel her anger solidifying into something more potent. Shinichi, with his effortless charm, his undeniable talent, and the adoration of everyone around him, embodied everything she hated about the Kudo family and her situation.

He was the golden boy, the rightful heir, the epitome of everything she was not. To the adults in the family, Shinichi was the pride of the Kudō name—a child to be admired and nurtured. To the neighborhood children, he was a figure of awe and respect.

And to Ranran, he was the ultimate reminder of her perceived inferiority.

And despite the signs that showed she is a prodigy, she was barely praised by her mother due to her 'abnormal behaviour' she was born with, mostly due to 'that incident' at the hospital where she was delivered years ago.

The part that her head hit a huge 'thud' when the nurse accidentally delivered and dropped her, probably became one of the reasons as to why she eventually grew up to be cold, detached and cunning in the process.

Such 'abnormal behaviour' itself is also one of the reasons as to why she eventually snapped.

With multiple cold gazes directed at her, seemingly devoid of much emotion and affection, as well as being constantly pushed away by their icy gazes, plus with the refusal to improve herself for the better as in her shallow mind, it would mean erasing her 'existence', she prayed to be overnight rich so can she could seek revenge onto everyone who had 'wronged' her.

If Shinichi saw her as a pest, then she would become one—a thorn in his side, a shadow he couldn't ignore. She refused to let him look down on her, to dismiss her as irrelevant. If the world insisted on casting her as the outsider, the troublemaker, the oddity, then she would embrace the role with a vengeance.

After all, if the world wanted a villain, she would give them one worth remembering.

.....................................................................................

It wasn't difficult to simply torment Kudo Shinichi. At least in Ranran's shoes, emotionally.

He always had a soft spot for yet another child whose name The Boy would come to remember: Mouri Ran.

From the projector, Mouri Ran and Kudo Shinichi: They are destined to be together. Having known each other since kindergarten, it ain't strange why they would actually grow up as childhood sweethearts, thanks to their common ground against injustice.

Both their parents knew each other growing up, so it wasn't strange how the two eventually got together. Which is why the biography Kudo Ranran took pleasure in scheming against Mouri Ran.

This knowledge filled Ranran with bitterness and envy. It was as if the universe had conspired to keep her away from the one thing she desperately wanted: acceptance, belonging, and the love that Mouri Ran seemed to receive without effort.

And in a way, The Boy who is listening to such tragic story-telling could understand that feeling.

He always dislike characters who are merely born with everything but merely loses it all for a incompetent idiots. Having that desire to seize control of one's destiny when everything around suddenly seemed to be out of one's reach to be favoured over the other, The Boy has been there.

Parents monopolizing everything their child against their will, the pressure to conform to a mold that wasn't your own, the sense of being a puppet in someone else's hands, was a terrible sickening feeling, you would wish to pray for the worst onto the people who did this to you.

Mouri Ran had everything that Ranran didn't—acceptance, love, belonging. All just by being a lovable idiot.

Also, what the heck? That Shinichi boy too, who the hell is he to go upon after Ranran? It's one thing since she could be a product of his father's infidelity, fair enough, but did he had to go as far as to stand such a far distance from her during every single high society function their family is attending while showing a look of disgust?

If Shinichi knew doing this was enough to have those insecure morons bully Ranran who has no one to turn to, how is he a good golden child in the Boy's opinion?

To him, it is still a form of bullying.

The Boy may not be able to see the specifics since again, the projector is programmed merely to show his future arrange fiance narrating Ranran's future in the criminal biography which she probably over-exaggerated, but he can sense the subtle cruelty in Shinichi's actions.

It was the small things, the tiny moments of rejection, that can sometimes do more damage than overt acts of aggression. Shinichi's coldness wasn't just a neutral action—it actively made Ranran feel isolated, humiliated, and invisible. For someone like Ranran, who was already struggling with her sense of identity and place in the world, those subtle gestures of contempt were like poison. The Boy could feel the weight of them, how they compounded with all of the other injustices Ranran had faced, until it became too much to bear.

He could understand why Ranran's resentment toward Shinichi, and even Mouri Ran, had festered into something more dangerous. When you're told time and again that you don't belong, that you're different, and you're surrounded by people who seem to have everything you don't, it creates a thirst for retribution.

After all, who could blame her for wanting to strike back when the world seemed so eager to break her down?

Also, that damn Mouri Ran. Who knew....a detective's girlfriend? Her? Isn't this like striking lottery in life!?

Kudo Shinichi's family is rich given their occupation, while she herself wasn't completely poor herself either, considering her mother make tons of money as a lawyer. Just that when her parents split up, she decided to live with her father who makes an average income. 

Of course, she had that option to live with her mother, just that her crush for Shinichi lead her to make this decision.

Ah right, when Shinichi turns 17, he became a famous teenage detective. Talk about real life Sherlock Holmes to be exact.

He wasn't your ordinary detective. No, if anything, he was the detective, the one people looked up to. His sharp mind, unmatched intellect, and impeccable reputation made him a golden boy in every sense of the word.

Meanwhile, Ranran made her name as well as an idol. She has a good voice, even though it was just described in texts.

Even so, Japan's idol world as The Boy would later learn was shockingly....far from the glamorous, sparkling dream that people imagined. It wasn't a stage lit with golden spotlights and a sea of adoring fans—it was a dark, gritty world filled with unspoken rules and cutthroat competition. The industry she entered was rife with exploitation, rumors, and betrayals, and Ranran had to claw her way up every step of the way.

Her voice, described only in texts, was haunting and filled with raw emotion, the kind that lingered in the minds of those who heard it. But even with that natural talent, success didn't come easily. Ranran wasn't the type to play by the unspoken rules of idol culture—smile, bow, and conform. She didn't exude the saccharine sweetness people expected from idols. Instead, she radiated a cold, almost rebellious aura that set her apart but also made her a lightning rod for criticism.

At a even shockingly yet frightening pace, she thrive so well...she became maliciously cunning.

Behind the scenes, Ranran was a force to be reckoned with. She studied people—producers, managers, even her fellow idols—with a calculated gaze, always searching for leverage. She became a master of manipulation, using her intelligence and charm to outmaneuver those who stood in her way.

What made her rise even more unnerving was how deliberate it all seemed. Ranran didn't just thrive in the cutthroat idol world; she dominated it, reshaping herself into a figure who was as feared as she was admired. She forged alliances where it suited her, dismantled competitors with devastating precision, and always stayed two steps ahead of the rumors and scandals that could have destroyed her. To those who crossed her, she wasn't just a rival—she was an unstoppable force.

And yet, her cunning wasn't born out of malice for its own sake. It was born from necessity. The idol world, and perhaps much to The Boy's shock, even Japan's society demanded unreasonable perfection, submission, and conformity—qualities that Ranran refused to embody. Instead, she weaponized her cold, detached nature, turning her perceived flaws into tools of survival. She became the idol who couldn't be ignored, not because she played by the rules, but because she rewrote them.

Still, there was a dark undercurrent to her success, one that The Boy watching from the projector couldn't ignore. Ranran's relentless drive to succeed seemed fueled by something deeper than ambition—something closer to vengeance. Every calculated move she made, every victory she claimed, felt like a silent rebuke to the world that had tried to cast her aside.

To The Boy, her transformation was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. He could see the brilliance in her cunning, the way she had turned her pain into power. But he also saw the toll it had taken on her—the loneliness that came with being feared rather than loved, the bitterness that tainted even her greatest triumphs.

And as Ranran continued to rise, outshining even the most established idols, The Boy couldn't help but wonder: How far would she go? Would she ever find satisfaction in her victories, or would her thirst for validation and revenge consume her entirely?

Because while the world saw Ranran as an idol, a rising star who seemed untouchable, The Boy saw something else—someone who was still fighting, still clawing for something that no amount of fame or cunning could ever truly give her. Acceptance. Belonging. Love.

Yes, probably because of this....the schemes became dangerous to an extend that it made that Shinichi and Ran miserable to the core. To a point that it was borderline illegal.

Driven by her ever-growing resentment and insatiable desire to strike, what might have started as petty acts of revenge escalated into something far darker, pushing the boundaries of morality and legality.

At first, her moves were subtle: anonymous tips to tabloids, strategically leaked rumors, and orchestrated misunderstandings that sowed discord between Shinichi and Mouri Ran. But as time went on, her tactics grew bolder and more ruthless. She manipulated circumstances to place Shinichi in compromising situations, tarnishing his image as the golden boy detective. Meanwhile, Mouri Ran found herself the subject of scathing headlines and whispers on the news, painted as a manipulative schemer who had latched onto Shinichi for fame.

And all of this took place when they are 17-year-old teenagers.

But Ranran didn't stop there. The line between cunning strategy and outright criminality blurred as she began to employ methods that were, in no uncertain terms, illegal. Blackmail, sabotage, and even falsifying evidence became tools in her arsenal. She justified her actions as necessary to achieve her goals, but deep down, there was a part of her that reveled in the chaos she was creating. It was a twisted form of satisfaction—a way to force the world to acknowledge her power, even if it came at a terrible cost.

The Boy couldn't help but wonder: Was there a point of no return for Ranran? Or was there still a chance, however slim, for her to break free from the cycle of bitterness and pain she had created—not just for others, but for herself? Because as much as she had hurt Shinichi and Ran, it was clear to him that the person Ranran had hurt the most was herself.

Eventually, similar to The Boy's friends, she too suffered her own villainous fate.

It was one miscalculation—a rare moment of overconfidence—that brought her down. Ranran had grown so accustomed to winning, to always staying one step ahead, that she failed to see the trap closing around her. Perhaps it was Shinichi's determination to uncover the truth or Mouri Ran's quiet resilience that pushed them to fight back. Or maybe it was simply the weight of Ranran's own actions finally catching up to her.

Whatever the case, her downfall was swift and devastating. The truth of her schemes was exposed, piece by piece, and the carefully constructed facade she had built crumbled under the harsh light of scrutiny. The public, once entranced by her idol persona, turned on her with the same fervor they had once adored her.

Kudo Ranran's story came to a tragic and abrupt end at the age of 17 during a shootout—things got messy, chaotic, and violent. The circumstances that lead to it were shrouded in ambiguity. Some said it was an act of desperation, that she had been cornered by those she had wronged, her cunning finally failing her at the most critical moment. Others claimed she had chosen to face her fate head-on, knowing there was no redemption for her and no way out.

Perhaps, in the end, she sought to leave her mark on the world in a final blaze of infamy, rather than fade into obscurity.

Under the contrast with Kudo Shinichi, she is reduce to a pathetic one-dimensional villainess by the press while everybody cheered for her death.

That is the life trajectory set for Kudo Ranran. Meanwhile, his friends and himself are forever portrayed as kind and virtuous.

While she....there is no room for her. Just like a pathetic idiot who has no idea how to feed herself with a diamond spoon.

.....................................................................................

"No wonder Ranran's criminal biography earned Ernestine millions in pounds." The Boy murmured, his voice carrying a mix of disdain and bitter amusement.

The 5-year-old boy spoke to no one in particular after listening the complete life tale- or rather, future tale of Kudo Ranran, one that Ernestine would ultimately exploit. His small hands rested on his lap as he stared at the now-empty projection screen, his mind reeling from the story he had just witnessed.

The tale of Kudo Ranran's rise and fall had been a brutal one, layered with injustice, desperation, and ultimately, tragedy. A life filled with potential, squandered by forces both external and internal, twisted into a sensationalized narrative to feed the public's appetite for drama.

The boy, though only four years old, grasped the cruelty of it all. To exploit the pain and downfall of a girl who had struggled for everything she had, only to lose it all.

"And not one mention that they are sorry?" he thought to himself, the bitterness in his chest intensifying. "I mean....Ernestine even personally interviewed the two about her, all had nasty things to say about her. While it's true, Ranran is a victim of her own wrongdoing, but even so.....all of this were merely instigated acts from their part, is it not? That pushed her to despair?"

He stared at the empty projection screen, its blankness almost mocking. "Ernestine, you won't even spare a girl of a similar kind like yourself, huh?" he muttered under his breath, his distaste for the woman growing with every passing moment.

To capitalize on one person's pain, to shape it into a narrative devoid of compassion or nuance—it was revolting. And yet, she had made millions doing just that, spinning Ranran's suffering into a tale of caution and schadenfreude for the masses to devour.

The Boy's hands clenched into fists on his lap. "Ranran may have done terrible things," he whispered, as though trying to reason with himself, "but aren't they all guilty of something? Shinichi, Ran, everyone else—what did they do for her? Did they ever try to reach out? To help her? Or was she simply a convenient scapegoat for all their problems?"

The bitterness in his chest felt like a weight pressing down on him.

As much as Ranran was not completely innocent for what she had done, deep down, he saw a part of himself in her—someone who had been shaped, for better or worse, by the hands of others.

But now, as sad as it is, he can't do much to change her future now.

For in the present timeline, she is still around 2-3 years away from attending Edgewood and intentionally failing the interview as she was just brought into this world.

The Boy's gaze lingered on the empty screen, as though he were trying to will it to come back to life, to give him some kind of answer—some way to fix the wrongs he had just witnessed. But the silence only mocked him, reminding him of the cruel realities that had unfolded before him, and the crushing weight of helplessness that pressed down on his small shoulders.

It wasn't just Ranran's fate that needs to be corrected, his own friends too needed fixing.

Then, a thought flickered in his mind.

"Wait a minute, technically, Ranran is Ernestine's golden goose. Supposedly.....she gets straightened out, Ernestine won't be able to do a thing to influence her."

Of course, this wasn't a pretty straight-forward solution. Ranran's family at the moment currently lives in the slum. Bringing the family over to Montgrave Ridge was something he could've done anonymously without his mother knowing, since at that time his father and soon-to-be stepmother was around.

But unfortunately, they were fabricated with those ridiculous charges by The Boy's mother and Ernestine, so by this point, he is certain he is being observed 24/7 to ensure his engagement with his arranged fiance will remain intact as it is.

Also, he didn't want anybody to know as to who has stolen the projector. Judging from his intel, it seems like no one from Ernestine's inner circle, not even Ernestine herself has reported it missing to the cops, as they themselves didn't want anyone to know of its existence. After all, this projector is designed to give them their 'happy endings' after all. If anyone were to find out about its theft, it would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention.

The Boy had to stay low, hidden in the shadows, carefully orchestrating everything from behind the scenes. The stakes were too high, and every move had to be calculated with precision.

But there was one thing that he was certain of: Ernestine needs Ranran.

Knowing her real personality, The Boy is 100 percent certain Ernestine's greed lies onto Ranran among the rest, since her future criminal biography sold her the most income in general. If he were his fiance, first thing she would do is groom her then simply manipulate her accordingly to the projected events before selling off her story after her death.

Even so....if Ernestine wants to do that, she would need to bring Ranran over to Edgewood Academy.

The events of the projector revealed that Ranran barely even became a Edgewoodian (a term used to refer to a Edgewood student), because when she was around 3-years-old, she faked acting as if she was a mentally challenged child.

Now, when The Boy was a student, he recalled that the requirement to enter Edgewood is a bit strict onto 3-year-olds. For Edgewood Academy to accept a child, especially one at such a young age, the standards were unforgiving. This was no ordinary school—it was a prestigious institution, known for molding the brightest minds but also a breeding ground for the most cunning and ambitious. Every child who attended there was carefully vetted and meticulously groomed for greatness.

For 3-year-olds, the criteria below states:

One: They are properly potty trained.

Two: They must probably comprehend complicated wordings.

Three: They must demonstrate an ability to engage in basic social interaction, showing at least a rudimentary understanding of emotions and how to respond appropriately to others.

He also remembered the whispers of a few select families who had managed to manipulate the system, but these were exceptions, rare and highly scrutinized cases. For any attempt at manipulation—whether through bribery, hidden donations, or deceit—the academy had an elaborate network of checks and balances. If one managed to bypass the system, it would quickly unravel under the watchful eyes of the institution.

But then, there was another route Ernestine could do to bring Ranran over.

The Boy's gaze sharpened at the thought. The exams.

Edgewood's entrance process also involved a series of intense exams that could evaluate a child's intellectual and emotional capabilities in ways that weren't immediately visible through simple behavioral assessments. The exams weren't just tests—they were designed to unveil potential. They dug deep, analyzing a child's capacity to think critically, solve problems, and engage with complex scenarios.

For those who couldn't meet the age requirements through traditional methods or behavioral standards, the exams allowed the academy to test them on a different level, bypassing the usual entry barriers. If a child was particularly gifted, the academy could make exceptions. The questions were carefully designed to push the limits of the child's cognitive and emotional abilities. Also, the pressure of such an intense process often left students either drained or broken by the experience.

But, as The Boy recalled, this route is going to have certain issues for one main reason: Ranran hates studying.

So even the exam route is out of the question.

The Boy's mind continued to race as he try to figure out the potential pathways Ernestine might use to get Ranran to enter Edgewood.

The Boy's fingers tightened on his lap, frustration building. If he can't figure out how Ernestine is going to get Ranran trapped into her own hellish life, then how is he going to interfere?

After a long moment of silence, the Boy's mind landed on something subtle but dangerous.

Wait a minute, she can actually bypass through recommendation.

If The Boy recalled in one of Ernestine's future criminal biographies she had wrote, he know of one of the 'villain' children in the future managed to enter the prestigious academy through unconventional means— private tutors.

Now, these were not just any other highly paid tutor with qualifications to brag upon. In a way, one could describe that they are the ones with connections—someone who could influence the school board, or at the very least, make the child seem worthy of the academy's highly selective standards.

Or in The Boy's mind, they are often referred to as the 'Edgewood Consultants'.

Basically, think of it as a early leaker that is so well-verse with the rules of Edgewood, they can supply families who are eager to register their children through these special "consultants" to circumvent the typical academic scrutiny.

In other words, their children are basically "build" into the perfect Edgewoodian, using a tailored entrance that bypassed traditional assessments. It's not illegal or against the rules in many ways, as long as the tutors don't show a present working relationship with Edgewood, which is often a grey area to be exact.

Even so, this didn't ease the 5-year-old boy's worry.

Ranran hates studying, but Ernestine is capable of doing all sorts of evil crap to ensure she will obediently become her puppet whether she likes it or not. Mainly, since both her parents had a bad relationship with their respective families, adding salt to the wound is that they had no link of aristocracy, her family is doomed from the start.

I must bring the family over before Ernestine can do a thing towards them.

The Boy has a couple of ideas in mind, a way to take Ranran's family over without people realizing he was behind it.