Kahn had always been popular at the academy.
Beyond his striking looks, he was not only a formidable firebender but also carried himself with a level of maturity rare for boys his age, giving others an instinctive sense of trust.
His easygoing yet self-possessed nature only deepened the air of quiet mystery around him.
On top of that, he had once stepped in to protect a girl nad Kori and another classmate, driving off a bully who had been harassing them.
From that day on, the bully would avoid Kahn entirely, which only added to his reputation across the academy.
Given all this, Kahn's popularity was hardly surprising.
Confessions from girls were a regular occurrence, but what he didn't know was that he even had a sizable group of admirers watching him from the sidelines.
What he knew even less was that Ty Lee was one of them—an especially enthusiastic one at that.
To be fair, Ty Lee had once harbored a small crush on him.
After all, in her eyes, Kahn was soone who could stand toe-to-toe with Azula, and in nearly every way, he seed flawless.
But after realizing that Azula herself had feelings for him, Ty Lee struggled for a while before ultimately giving up any thoughts of competing.
She happily settled into the role of being his friend—and one of his biggest fans.
"Sorry, Kahn, but Azula is just too terrifying. I still want to live!"
And just like that, Ty Lee's first little crush faded quietly into nothing.
Returning to the matter at hand, while Ty Lee was open-hearted, that didn't an she was oblivious.
The mont she realized she might have said sothing that could cause trouble for Kahn, she quickly tried to make up for it while recounting his situation at the academy.
"Don't worry, Azula. Kahn has never accepted a single confession. And besides, none of those girls are even close to you, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Not even close to ? That's obvious."
Azula folded her arms, her tone dripping with disdain.
Of course, she wouldn't take those naive little girls seriously.
But what if Kahn made a foolish mistake?
Fortunately, he had already graduated, and they would be spending far more ti together from now on.
That alone made everyone else's chances even slimr.
Still, it served as a reminder.
Kahn was soone she had already claid in her mind.
His excellence was undeniable, and it was only natural that others would be drawn to him.
No matter what, she couldn't afford to lower her guard.
For the first ti, Azula felt a faint sense of urgency creeping in.
Then she turned to the other two and asked,
"Do either of you know what kind of person Kahn actually likes?"
Mai and Ty Lee exchanged a glance before shaking their heads.
Because Kahn had turned down so many confessions at the academy, they had been curious about that question too.
But every ti they asked, he would only brush it off by saying they were too young and that it could wait until later.
In this world, children matured quickly.
Setting aside the younger ones, by the ti they reached eleven or twelve, many had already started forming relationships.
Mai and Zuko were a typical example among those around them, and even Azula's current behavior wasn't unusual.
That was precisely why they couldn't understand Kahn's thinking.
It simply felt like he was deliberately avoiding the topic.
Mai spread her hands helplessly.
"In this area, Kahn might be the most difficult person out of all of us."
If Kahn could hear their thoughts, he would definitely protest.
That was genuinely how he saw things.
If he were sixteen or seventeen, that would be one thing.
But dating a group of kids who hadn't even outgrown their childishness yet?
If he seriously entertained that idea, he'd have to turn himself in.
In any case, after repeated failures to make any progress regarding Kahn, Azula couldn't help but grow irritated.
She clenched her teeth and said,
"I refuse to believe he's that hard to deal with!"
Seeing her expression, Mai and Ty Lee wisely chose not to say much more.
While Kahn was indeed more difficult to read than most, both of them quietly felt that Azula might want to start by looking at herself.
And just like that, the first day without Kahn ca to an end.
Despite a few minor setbacks—mainly involving him—Azula, after a full day of activity, still slept soundly and even had a pleasant dream.
Life without Kahn seed manageable.
Maybe even enjoyable.
However—
On the second day, she continued spending ti with Mai and Ty Lee, but it was noticeably less lively than before, with nothing particularly interesting happening.
On the third day, Mai and Ty Lee returned to the academy, and Azula once again found herself under the relentless scrutiny of her tutors.
On the fourth day, boredom began to set in.
On the fifth day, Ozai casually ntioned Kahn in passing.
Azula dismissed it smoothly.
Still bored.
On the sixth day, she was bored—and found herself missing Kahn a little.
Her hands itched for action, so under the pretense of training, she ended up thoroughly beating her forr firebending instructor.
On the seventh day, still bored.
When she really thought about it, she couldn't rember when she had grown so used to doing everything with Kahn.
It wasn't just because she liked him.
In terms of strength, instinct, and thought, Kahn matched her perfectly—sothing even her brother Zuko, her father Ozai, or her mother Ursa had never been able to do.
Ever since Ursa's disappearance, the bond between them had only grown deeper.
Far deeper than anyone else could possibly understand.
By now, their relationship had long surpassed anything that could be easily defined.
To her, Kahn was undeniably the most special person in the world.
In short, there was no way she would ever let him slip out of her grasp.
On the eighth day, she went to find Mai and Ty Lee again.
Still boring.
On the ninth day, unbearably boring.
On the tenth day, Kahn was supposed to return.
She had even gone out of her way to dress carefully for the occasion.
But she waited the entire day—and he never showed up.
Sothing unexpected had clearly happened, and the situation had slipped out of control.
Her irritation began to rise.
On the eleventh day, Kahn still hadn't returned.
Her frustration boiled over, and she took it out on her sparring partner, giving him a rciless beating.
On the twelfth day, just as dusk settled in, Kahn finally returned.
"I was starting to think soone might end up dead in the streets at this rate."
Azula could barely contain the surge of joy in her chest.
But she refused to let Kahn see even a hint of it.
Instead, she twisted that excitent into sharp words, burying her true feelings beneath a stream of cutting sarcasm.
By the ti she realized what she was doing, it was already too late.
Every step had played out instinctively, and the flood of words had already crashed down on Kahn, leaving him montarily stunned.
"…I'm hopeless."
Looking at Kahn's slightly bewildered expression, Azula felt the urge to slap herself senseless.
But regret ca far too late.
Fortunately, Kahn was long accustod to her volatility.
After a brief pause, he spoke a single sentence—and instantly brought her to a halt.
"There's a new lead on your mother."
The mont those words left his mouth, the atmosphere froze.
Azula's thoughts uncontrollably drifted back to the woman who had haunted her mind for years—her mother, Ursa, whose whereabouts remained unknown.
Her rationality snapped back into place in an instant.
She knew exactly what mattered most.
Everything else could wait.
Taking a steady breath, she said calmly,
"Tell everything."
Got dragged out for drinks again today.
I'll see if I can get another chapter done later.
By the way, all the reviews for our group wrapped up today.
The results should be out tomorrow, right?
Starting to feel nervous.
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