[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-four-of-a-kind":3,"chapter-four-of-a-kind-four-of-a-kind-chapter-126":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Four Of A Kind",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1529820,1985,"Chapter 126: [3.28] Letters of the Alphabet","four-of-a-kind-chapter-126",126,"\u003Cp>We walked in silence toward the parking lot. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the asphalt, and a cool breeze carried the promise of autumn. Cassidy kept her eyes fixed firmly ahead, but I could see the tension in her jaw, the way she chewed on her bottom lip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know,\" I said as we reached the Lexus, \"a there’s always time to turn a D into a B.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought we weren’t talking about my grades,\" she said sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re not. We’re talking about letters of the alphabet. D is just a letter. It can change to a C or a B or even an A.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rolled her eyes. \"Now you sound like one of those motivational posters in the guidance office.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fair,\" I admitted, unlocking the car. \"But I mean it. We’ve made progress. You’re understanding the concepts better. The grade just hasn’t caught up yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slid into the passenger seat, immediately fiddling with the radio. \"Whatever.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I started the car, letting her channel-surf until she settled on something with heavy bass and angry lyrics. It suited her mood perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know,\" I said as we pulled out of the parking lot, \"I meant what I said the other day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You say a lot of things.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"About you being smart. That wasn’t just to make you feel better. You are smart, Cassidy. You just learn differently.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to look out the window, but not before I caught the slight softening of her expression. \"If I was smart, I wouldn’t have a D in math.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s not how intelligence works.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell that to my mother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, choosing my words carefully. \"Your mother isn’t always right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That got her attention. She whipped her head around, eyes wide with surprise. \"Excuse me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You heard me. She’s not always right. Especially about you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ve met her like, twice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And that was enough to see that she has very specific expectations that might not align with who you actually are.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassidy fell silent, processing this small rebellion against the Valentine matriarch. After a moment, she said quietly, \"She’s going to kill me when she sees this report card.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe,\" I conceded. \"Or maybe she’ll see that you’ve gone from an F to a D, which is actually improvement.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A Valentine doesn’t get Ds,\" she said, mimicking what I assumed was her mother’s tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I guess we’ll just have to make sure you don’t have a D by the time final grades come out... unless you really did want to wear that collar.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassidy’s head whipped toward me so fast I worried she might get whiplash. Her purple eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously. The temperature in the car seemed to drop ten degrees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did you just say?\" Her voice came out quiet, which was way scarier than her usual shouting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was just reminding you about our bet,\" I said casually, keeping my eyes on the road while fighting a smile. \"You know, the one where if you don’t get at least a B, you become my pet for a day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face went through about five different emotions in three seconds. Shock, anger, embarrassment, more anger, then something else entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As if I’d forget,\" she scoffed, crossing her arms. \"I still have plenty of time to pull my grade up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"True,\" I nodded. \"But I’m just thinking ahead. Planning, you know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Planning what exactly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shrugged, making a turn. \"Accessories, mostly. Iris has been showing me some isekai anime lately. I think rabbit ears would look cute with your red hair.\" I risked a glance her way. \"Maybe a little tail too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face turned the exact shade of her wine-red hair, and she made a strangled noise somewhere between a gasp and a screech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You... you... absolute pervert!\" She punched my arm, hard enough that I had to correct the steering wheel. \"I can’t believe you just said that!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, I’m not the one who suggested a collar,\" I reminded her. \"That was all you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That was a joke!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Was it though?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She punched my arm again, harder this time. \"You’re the worst tutor ever.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And yet your grade went from an F to a D in three weeks. Imagine what could happen in another month.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassidy slumped back in her seat, her face still bright red but her eyes now carrying a spark that had been missing since she got her progress report. Mission accomplished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine,\" she muttered. \"But when I win this bet, you’re the one who’ll be wearing the rabbit ears. And I’ll make you hop around the whole damn house.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bold of you to assume I wouldn’t rock that look.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She snorted, then covered her mouth like she was annoyed at herself for finding me funny. \"You’re so weird.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Says the girl who suggested the pet bet in the first place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t think you’d actually take me up on it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you were just... what? Testing me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to look out the window, but not before I caught her smirk. \"Maybe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And how did I do on that test, Valentine?\" I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She poked my side, her finger sharp through my school shirt. \"Eyes on the road, scholarship boy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I obediently focused back on driving, but my smile remained. The old Cassidy was returning—the fiery, challenging girl who’d rather die than back down from a fight. It was a vast improvement over the defeated version I’d witnessed in the classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyway,\" she continued, \"when I win, I’m going to make you do all sorts of humiliating things. Carry my books. Fetch my drinks. Address me as ’Master Cassidy’ all day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your confidence is admirable, considering your current grade.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My grade is going to change,\" she insisted, poking me again. This time her finger lingered against my ribs. \"I’ve got four weeks and a genius tutor, don’t I?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So now I’m a genius? Five minutes ago I was the worst tutor ever.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re both,\" she said simply. \"A genius at being the worst.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your logic is unassailable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Obviously,\" she huffed, but there was no real heat behind it. She was playing our game again, falling back into the comfortable pattern of challenge and counter-challenge that characterized our tutoring sessions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We pulled into the parking lot of Bubble Dreams, and I killed the engine. Before I could open my door, Cassidy grabbed my wrist. Her touch was lighter than her earlier pokes, almost hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey,\" she said, suddenly serious. \"What if... what if I can’t do it? What if I can’t get my grade up in time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned to face her fully. This close, I could see the flecks of darker purple near the center of her eyes, the small beauty mark just below her left eyebrow that distinguished her from her sisters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can,\" I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do you know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because I know you, Cassidy Valentine. You’re stubborn and competitive and too proud to lose a bet to someone like me.\" I smiled. \"Plus, you’d rather die than let me see you in rabbit tail, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dropped my wrist like it had burned her, but her lips curled upward. \"Damn straight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you’ll win. Problem solved.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No buts. If you start doubting yourself, I win. Is that what you want?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes flashed. \"Never.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let’s get some bubble tea and talk strategy. You can’t win a war without a plan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. \"Fine. But you’re paying.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Naturally. What kind of gentleman would I be otherwise?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1260,"2026-06-06T06:03:59.990Z",1,"novelbin.me","eff167103b551b97eaad0e08376912224538ec179fa3bf0cf2ae252a8b231321","four-of-a-kind-chapter-127","four-of-a-kind-chapter-125",251,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffour-of-a-kind-cover.jpg"]