Chapter 4: She’s Not the Same Girl

Elira didn’t say a word.

“You solved it again?” Frank stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief. He quickly copied another hard math question and slid it in front of her.

“Try this one.”

Elira looked at it. She didn’t pick up the pen. She didn’t move at all.

Frank folded his arms and sneered. He thought she was stumped. In his mind, she had probably seen his rough notes and checked the answers online before. There was no way she could do this again.

But right before he spoke, Elira said calmly, “The surface equation is z equals x squared plus y squared.”

Frank blinked. “What did you say?”

“That’s the answer,” she said again.

Frank didn’t believe her. He turned on his phone and searched for the solution online.

And there it was.

Exactly the same.

He opened the full explanation. It was more than two pages long—filled with steps, formulas, and complex math. Everything matched Elira’s answer.

Frank stared at the screen, then looked up at the sister everyone thought was stupid. The same sister who had been insulted by their mom and Delilah for years.

She didn’t even use a pen.

She solved it in her head.

What kind of person is she…?

Elira noticed his stunned face and smiled lightly. “Got any other questions you can’t solve?”

For once, she didn’t mind looking at him. Out of everyone in the family, this little brother was the only one who wasn’t completely awful.

Frank was still frozen. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen.

“You can do this… So why do you always fail your exams?” he asked softly.

Elira shrugged. “I was just too lazy.”

Frank frowned. “You’re not going to be lazy during the college exams, right?”

“Of course not,” she said without thinking.

But inside her mind, she remembered her past. She had been Phantom V—famous, feared, and powerful. No one ever dared talk down to her.

Even if she was in a weak and mocked body now, she would never let anyone step on her again.

She had always been above them all.

And she would rise again.

Frank stared at her. He didn’t know what to say.

Elira noticed him thinking too much and asked, “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Frank shook his head and looked away. Then, from his pocket, he pulled out a small candy and handed it to her.

“You didn’t eat much at dinner. You might get hungry later.”

Elira stared at the candy for a moment. It was such a small thing… but it felt strange to receive it.

She took it after a short pause.

“You should lose some weight,” Frank mumbled, not trying to be mean. “People talk badly about you… Don’t you feel bad when you hear it?”

Elira looked at the candy in her hand, and for the first time, she felt something soft inside. This brother… wasn’t so bad.

“I didn’t bother before,” she said calmly. “But since they’ve been bold enough to mock me, I won’t stay quiet. I’ll deal with every single one of them.”

Frank blinked. Was she being serious? Or had she really hit her head that hard?

“I’m going back to my room,” Elira said. As she turned, her eyes glanced down at Frank’s injured left foot.

She could heal that, too—someday.

That night, she lay on the old creaky bed, chewing on the candy he gave her. Her eyes stared up at the cobwebs on the ceiling. The dust in the air made her frown.

Phantom V had only lived in luxury. Mansions, clean sheets, five-star hotels.

Now she was stuck in a tiny, dusty room… broke, ignored, and powerless.

But she didn’t care.

She’d get it all back.

After two days of rest, Elira was ready.

When the sun rose, she got up early and went out for a morning run. Her body was heavy with fat, and it slowed her down. It was more than annoying—it was dangerous.

She couldn’t stand it.

She needed to move fast again. She needed her strength back.

By the time she returned home, she was covered in sweat. But she felt better.

She took a quick shower, put on her school uniform, and stepped outside.

To her surprise, Frank was waiting with his backpack on.

In her memories, he had never waited for her like this.

Frank looked a little shy. “Let’s go,” he said, then turned and walked ahead.

In the past two days, Frank had brought math problems to her room again and again. He had watched her solve them all with ease.

She wasn’t lying.

She was just lazy.

Frank still found it hard to believe. Was it possible to turn into a genius after falling down stairs?

Maybe not.

But then again, he once read about a man who pretended to be mute for years just to avoid his annoying wife.

Maybe his sister was like that.

As they walked, Elira asked, “What’s for breakfast? I have no money.”

“Mom gave me—uh—us… seventy-five cents,” Frank replied, taking the coins from his pocket. “We can buy buns.”

Elira knew those coins weren’t meant for her. But she didn’t complain.

“Let’s get buns,” she said.

“You ran this morning?” Frank asked.

“Yeah. I want to lose weight.”

“You’ll look pretty if you do,” he said quietly. His ears turned red, and he looked away.

Elira smiled. This little brother really wasn’t so bad.

At school, they split up.

Elira walked into her class, and suddenly the room went quiet.

Everyone looked at her.

Then, the whispers started.

“Look who’s back. The chubby girl.”

“She doesn’t even look hurt.”

“She fell trying to impress that guy, remember? I thought the whole building was shaking!”

“If it were me, I’d stay home forever.”

“She’s… looking at us?”

“She lifted her bangs.”

“She has a pretty face under all that fat...”

“Gross.”

Elira scanned the classroom slowly.

She remembered every face.

These were the people who had bullied the original Elira.

She took her seat quietly. The desk was covered in ugly graffiti.

She looked around again. Anyone who met her eyes quickly looked away. Her gaze was cold—too cold.

Everyone felt it. She didn’t look like the weak girl they used to tease.

No… this girl was different.

The teacher began morning reading.

Elira pulled out her textbook. The cover was ripped, but she didn’t say a word.

She read quietly, eyes calm, until the reading ended.

Then she stood up and walked to the restroom.

Inside the stall, she heard giggles and quiet rustling outside the door.

When she tried to open the door, it didn’t budge.

It was blocked.

“She really dared to use the school restroom again?” someone whispered.

“She must want to be locked in again,” another voice said.

“Quick—get the bucket!”

“Water’s ready!”

Two girls grabbed a bucket and raised it high, laughing.

They were ready to pour it over the door.

But they weren’t ready for what came next.

The door was suddenly kicked open from the inside with a powerful kick.