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"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me anytime. I can answer any questions you have." Qi Yue spoke calmly, discreetly glancing at Beixing's figure out of the corner of his eye through the antique-looking mirror in front of him.

He knew every book he gave Beixing to read by heart.

He would never make a mistake.

Yes, even when spending time with Beixing, Qi Yue never forgot to maintain his persona.

At present, he didn't even have a forum account, and he couldn't freely check the forum posts discussing him. Still less could he see how far the manga had progressed. He had no way of knowing what he looked like in the manga.

Based on the discussions he had seen the last time he spent manga popularity points to check the forum, Qi Yue had determined that he wouldn't be drawn into the manga and shown to readers when he was alone. Under those circumstances, he could only attend to every little detail whenever he wasn't alone and might appear in a manga scene.

Details also made a "persona" more convincing, didn't they?

In this strange and dangerous world, Qi Yue was forced to etch "strong" into his very bones.

Seventh Hunter Academy, dean's office.

Precisely when Zong Qizheng and Atas had parted on bad terms, Li Qin called Zong Qizheng's phone.

"Teacher." Zong Qizheng's tone was less than pleasant. He could think of no reason for this call other than provocation.

"A week has passed. Why haven't you given your teacher an Esper Detection Crystal Ball?" Li Qin went straight to the point. "Is something troubling you?"

"Tell me. Perhaps your teacher can help put your mind at ease."

"..."

He was spoiling for a fight. This was provocation, all right. Apparently, he was still angry about Beixing nearly being killed last time. The veins on Zong Qizheng's forehead throbbed with anger. His teacher must have been pleased with himself for setting a trap for the student Zong Qizheng had sent over and keeping him from finding anything out, and was now eager to show off. His teacher had one foot in the grave, yet he was still so childish.

Originally, he had planned to have Atas obtain the fragments in the photo and test them to prove that Seventh Hunter Academy had fabricated the story and slandered them. He had also planned to put Seventh Hunter Academy in its place by refusing to give them another Esper Detection Crystal Ball. Now, that plan was no longer viable.

With the other side on guard, sending someone else over would be no different from sending a sheep into a tiger's den. They would be fooled just the same. Besides, old Li's patience had run out. Without evidence that the Esper Detection Crystal Ball's shattering was a lie, Li Qin would use his status as Zong Qizheng's teacher to spread the story everywhere.

After all, when he had supplied the other six major hunter academies with Esper Detection Crystal Balls, he had publicly claimed they were free, but each of the six academies had paid a price. For example, the rights to use certain mining areas.

"Teacher," Zong Qizheng said deliberately, "we can give you another Esper Detection Crystal Ball. However..."

Li Qin had expected Zong Qizheng to add a condition.

"Go on. Whatever the condition, your teacher will agree." Although the academy still had six, who would complain about having too many good things like Esper Detection Crystal Balls? With seven classes, it was naturally best for each to have one.

"The Esper Detection Crystal Ball never shattered. Teacher, you understand what I mean, don't you?" Without evidence, he would swallow this grievance for now. The quality of the Esper Detection Crystal Ball absolutely could not be called into question. It was one of the foundations of their authority.

"Deal." Having achieved his goal, Li Qin hung up.

Given Zong Qizheng's pride, Li Qin was certain that, at least until he met Qi Yue, he would believe that everything Atas had suffered at Seventh Hunter Academy had been deliberately arranged by Li Qin himself. Although the person who had thoroughly "taken care of" Atas was Qi Yue.

"Everyone who has met Qi Yue knows he's no ordinary person."

Li Qin stroked his beard twice and murmured gleefully, "I really look forward to seeing what a wonderful expression Zong Qizheng will have on his face when the truth comes out, after being proud for half his life." Zong Qizheng was surely still arrogantly and stubbornly convinced that the crystal ball had never exploded at all.

Whatever. It wasn't as though Zong Qizheng had only just become set in his ways. Before then, he needed to introduce Qi Yue to some friends who shared his hostility toward First Hunter Academy and knew about its internal affairs.

In any case, Qi Yue could be considered Seventh Hunter Academy's current "financial backer." Though he kept a low profile and hadn't made a big deal of it. Perhaps, to Qi Yue, untold riches were nothing more than strings of boring numbers. Li Qin, who had been poor all his life, couldn't help feeling envious.

Knock, knock, knock—

Someone knocked on the office door.

Hearing the knock, Li Qin showed no intention of inviting the person in. He got up and walked out.

When the office door opened, a black-haired, black-eyed youth with a gloomy expression lowered his head and said respectfully, "Dean Li, I'm here."

He was Lu Zhaobei, a failed test subject from First Hunter Academy and an Artificial Esper. He was one of the children Li Qin had "picked up."

"Let's go."

Li Qin walked ahead, gesturing for Lu Zhaobei to follow him.

"Okay." Lu Zhaobei was used to obeying. He didn't ask where they were going or why he had been called over. Looking calmly ahead, he silently followed Li Qin like a shadow that was a tool. It didn't matter what happened; the dean wouldn't harm him.

First Hunter Academy.

Zong Qizheng looked at the disconnected call and sneered. "Heh. Just as I thought."

Just as he had initially guessed, old Li had staged the whole thing himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't have prepared countermeasures and arranged for someone to deal with a covert investigation in advance. Nor would he have agreed without any hesitation when Zong Qizheng proposed his condition just now.

Greedy, shameless, conservative, stubbornly resistant to change, brazen...

The labels attached to his teacher were entirely accurate.

Hearing two unfamiliar sets of footsteps in the corridor outside, Qi Yue's ears twitched slightly. The footsteps eventually stopped outside his dorm room. Qi Yue kept his eyes on his textbook, his expression unchanged.

Knock, knock, knock...

"Qi Yue, are you in there? Open the door. It's Dean Li." Li Qin's aged voice carried into Qi Yue's dorm room.

Beixing had finally found a chance to slack off. Looking delighted, he turned to Qi Yue, who rose with a calm expression. "Qi Yue, the dean's looking for you!"

He hoped they would talk longer so he could secretly slack off a little more.

Beixing's little scheme was written all over his face. But his face was currently a mosaic to Qi Yue, so Qi Yue couldn't see it. Even so, he could guess from Beixing's cheerful tone and the body language that betrayed his thoughts.

Qi Yue, who had just stood up, was speechless.

Why is the dean, someone I have nothing to do with, looking for me? I really can't figure it out.

Come to think of it, have I been too hard on Beixing? He's far too excited about not having to read.

But... sorry, Beixing. Even so, I won't go easy on you. If nothing unexpected happened, he would leave Class F for Class E after the monthly assessment. Judging by Beixing's ability and the teachers' attitudes when they tested it, Beixing probably wouldn't be allowed to leave Class F.

No one would stay by another person's side and protect them forever. Hope was always in one's own hands. When he wasn't around, he hoped everything Beixing was learning now could become a weapon to protect himself in the future. As long as someone was determined, he refused to believe an old human couldn't get into Seventh Hunter Academy.

"W-why are you looking at me?" Beixing swallowed nervously.

When Qi Yue looked down at him without expression, he felt very nervous.

"Nothing." Qi Yue gave him a reassuring smile. He tilted his head, looking toward the dorm room door, and his voice rose slightly. "Sorry, Dean Li, I think I need to remind you of something."

The two sets of footsteps had stopped one after the other, indicating that the two people were standing almost together. Qi Yue had only confirmed that his ability wouldn't harm teachers whose esper strength surpassed that of Class F's students. Since Dean Li was the dean, his esper strength naturally couldn't be underestimated.

But as for the owner of the other unfamiliar footsteps, he wasn't sure whether that person's esper strength was on par with the teachers'.

In any case, it was better to be cautious.

"Beixing is here too."

With Beixing as an excuse, he wouldn't arouse suspicion by failing to open the door immediately. After all, according to the information he had deliberately "spread," he was the one who could freely control the harm his ability caused, not Beixing. What if he got up and opened the door rashly, and the people outside rushed in?

To others, this would look as though he was worried Beixing might harm the espers outside the door.

Lately, Beixing's route had been: his dorm room—the classroom—Qi Yue's dorm room—his dorm room. Li Qin wasn't the least bit surprised to hear what Qi Yue said.

Beixing's dependence on Qi Yue was plain for all to see. In the long run, Qi Yue couldn't possibly have only one friend forever. Yet for Beixing's sake, Qi Yue had coldly rebuffed the Class F students' attempts to approach him during this time. In truth, Qi Yue had refused to interact with the people in Class F because of certain things its students had done. But Lu Zhaobei was different.

Compared with Beixing, Lu Zhaobei might be of greater help to Qi Yue.

Li Qin, who had brought Lu Zhaobei specifically to make friends with Qi Yue, said to Beixing through the door, "Beixing, there's something I'd like to discuss with Qi Yue in private. We'll move away from the door now. Could you go back to your dorm first?"

"Okay!" Beixing had been brought back by Li Qin, and he trusted the dean completely.

"Then..." Feeling guilty, Beixing gradually shifted his gaze to the unfinished book on the desk and said softly, "Qi Yue, I'll go back to my dorm first."

Forcing Beixing to stay would arouse others' suspicions, given his persona. Qi Yue didn't stop him, but nodded slightly. "Mm."

Beixing breathed a sigh of relief.

Before he could finish that breath, Qi Yue's low, cool voice sounded again.

"Beixing." Qi Yue reached out, scooped up the textbook from the desk, and held it out to Beixing with one hand. Smiling, he said, "Didn't you leave something behind? A book, for instance."

His little scheme exposed, Beixing murmured awkwardly, "...Yes, that's right, that's it..." He had to admit that Qi Yue's well-defined fingers were beautiful. But the textbook he casually held between them and offered to Beixing was considerably less beautiful.

"Goodbye."

Looking at Beixing's stiff limbs, Qi Yue felt like a devil.