Page 24

"Goodbye..." Beixing looked as though all his energy had been drained away. He slumped beneath his gray hooded coat, turned the handle, and opened the door to Qi Yue's dorm room.

Through the door Beixing had opened, Qi Yue pretended to watch him leave, but he was actually observing the two people standing more than a meter to Beixing's side.

Their faces still had the mosaicked features Qi Yue had grown numb to seeing. He could only tell them apart by their hair and clothes.

Clearly, the gray-haired person who had just spoken to Beixing was Dean Li.

The other person had the ordinary black hair seen everywhere in the academy, a slender build, and stood silently. Judging by the way he dressed, he didn't look like an assistant teacher or anything of the sort. He was probably... a student from one of the classes?

Qi Yue swiftly swept his gaze over the two of them, the movement of his eyes barely perceptible.

The dean had brought someone else who was very likely a student, and the first thing he had done was send Beixing away...

Under the circumstances, did the dean want to introduce the other person to him?

Qi Yue: "..."

If that was true, it was completely baffling.

In any case, since he wasn't sure how strong the other person's Esper Ability was, he needed to find a way to keep him from coming closer.

Qi Yue saw the dean breathe a sigh of relief as he watched Beixing leave. Was he feeling guilty?

That concluded his analysis. Now... it was time to test it.

"Dean." Qi Yue's eyes darkened slightly. Working on the assumption that this was an "introduction," he spoke the moment the dean looked away from Beixing, beginning to test his deduction. "Why did Beixing have to leave?"

As he spoke, Qi Yue deliberately let the dean see him look at the black-haired boy beside him. Then he smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. He stopped a meter away from the two of them, right in the doorway, giving an appropriate indication of his "displeasure."

Giving a student who wasn't part of the Manga Protagonist Group the "cold shoulder" wouldn't make the manga's fans hate him. It wouldn't affect his popularity points, nor would it draw the protagonist group's "aggro."

Aside from his unlucky encounter with the red-haired twins at the very beginning, the other high-level members of the protagonist group and the like had nothing to do with him, a Class F student.

Li Qin: "..."

Clearly, Qi Yue had already seen why he had come and was sarcastically calling him out for "backstabbing" Beixing. Moreover, Qi Yue was standing neither too close nor too far away, blocking the doorway and refusing to let them in. He was using both actions and words to show his resistance to the reason for Li Qin's visit.

"Haha... Qi Yue, I'm doing this for your own good." Li Qin looked at Qi Yue helplessly.

"Thank you for your concern, Dean," Qi Yue said, going along with him. Though he didn't understand why the dean had said that.

"I think I'm fine with Beixing." So hurry up and tell him why this was "for my own good."

Powerful people all had their own fixed ways of thinking. They never easily changed their minds about things they had settled on, and the same went for the friends they had chosen. Qi Yue's coldness was just what Li Qin had expected.

Li Qin sighed. "Qi Yue, you know, don't you? Beixing can never leave Class F."

Qi Yue: "...I know."

Before, he had only speculated about it. Now he was certain. That counted as "knowing," didn't it?

The weight lifted from Li Qin's heart. "I don't think you'll be content to stay in Class F."

Qi Yue smiled. "That's right."

For the sake of his forum account, he wanted to get into Class E now.

Li Qin: "..."

Sure enough, it was just as he had thought. Because their Esper Abilities were similar, Qi Yue had taken an interest in Beixing, entered Class F for him, and stood up for him. But for someone like Qi Yue, reason would ultimately prevail. He would never stay for Beixing, but he would lay the groundwork for his own departure.

The best proof was how Qi Yue had continually helped Beixing grow stronger in every respect during this time. Surely it couldn't have been because of himself? How could it be? He was strong enough to make the Esper Detection Crystal Ball explode in an instant, after all.

Clearheaded and rational, Qi Yue moved forward with cold indifference, and nothing could hold him back. Yet that didn't prevent tenderness from emerging beneath his cold exterior.

In that case, things would be easy.

In other words, when emotion was set aside, no one was better at weighing the pros and cons than people like Qi Yue.

A person wasn't limited to having only one friend. Qi Yue should understand that very well. He had looked down on the others in Class F before because they all had "flaws" he couldn't tolerate. But Lu Zhaobei was from Class A, and he had an excellent character.

"He..." The dean stepped forward, gesturing with his eyes toward the black-haired boy beside him. "He's an outstanding student in Class A." He was qualified to be Qi Yue's friend.

Because of Qi Yue's initial resistance, Lu Zhaobei feared Qi Yue would think he had come to "steal" Beixing's friend. He didn't step forward, remaining where he was.

The dean knew Lu Zhaobei's personality and didn't force him to come forward, either.

He hadn't immediately told Qi Yue Lu Zhaobei's name, either. Qi Yue even knew Beixing, so how could he not know what the "famous" Artificial Esper Lu Zhaobei looked like? Was there any need for an introduction?

"I believe," Li Qin said, shifting his gaze from Lu Zhaobei back to Qi Yue, the boy whose smile by the door didn't reach his eyes, "that you two should have a lot to talk about regarding First Hunter Academy."

Having the same points of "resistance" could often provide common topics when making friends.

Qi Yue: "..."

His deduction had been right. This really was an introduction.

But... what was First Hunter Academy? He knew nothing about it.

He would deal with the awkward situation in front of him first.

"Well..." Qi Yue continued laying a suitable foundation for his "cold and sharp" behavior. "We'll have to talk first to find out." After all, they hadn't even spoken yet, so how could they know whether they had anything in common? He couldn't go wrong with that answer. Even now, Qi Yue still didn't quite understand why the dean had suddenly introduced a "friend" to him.

Still...

Class A?

He couldn't keep going on like this. He had already tested the teachers' strength, and the Class F students' Esper Abilities were too weak for him to casually use them in "experiments."

A Class A student... would make a pretty good test subject.

Qi Yue became interested in the quiet boy with a mosaicked face before him.

Li Qin said, "Haha... that's true. You really do have to talk first to find out."

Although Qi Yue had shown a little interest, he wouldn't show that he accepted Lu Zhaobei before they had talked. That was indeed very much in character for him. Beneath his gentle exterior lay caution and indifference. He was gentle only toward people who interested him.

Qi Yue turned his gaze to the black-haired boy, the smile on his lips deepening. He nodded slightly and went along with the dean. "You're right. We should talk alone."

The dean believed that Qi Yue, who had been displeased enough by his apparent "backstabbing" of Beixing to block him, the dean, from entering the dorm room, would not compromise out of respect for his position. There was only one conclusion: reason had prevailed, and Qi Yue was willing to get to know Lu Zhaobei. The weight lifted from Li Qin's heart. This might be a win-win situation for both of them.

Having successfully brought them together, Li Qin intended to leave with his work done.

"Then this old man can rest easy. All right, you two talk. I won't disturb you young people while you make friends... Ah, I nearly forgot."

At that point, Li Qin seemed to remember something. He slapped his forehead and looked at Qi Yue. "Are you ready for the Monthly Assessment?"

After the way he had treated Atas, the students of First Hunter Academy must have noticed Qi Yue. This Monthly Assessment would probably be anything but peaceful.

"Of course," Qi Yue replied confidently.

He would never gamble with his life. All the intensive studying and training he had done recently had been for the Monthly Assessment.

Li Qin touched his chest, looking gratified. "Then I can rest easy." Just as he had thought, Qi Yue had made thorough preparations to deal with everything before he acted against Atas.

Qi Yue: "..."

Still... he didn't know what the dean was thinking. He was taking the assessment and wanted to enter Class E. What did that have to do with the dean? They didn't seem... to have anything to do with each other, did they?

After watching the dean, whose intentions he couldn't fathom, leave, Qi Yue turned his gaze to the quiet, black-haired mosaic, who was still standing where he had been and had not approached him.

He was... a somewhat taciturn person who was highly wary. Someone like that wouldn't casually enter another person's dorm room.

Qi Yue looked at the black-haired mosaic, the corners of his mouth lifting, and spoke first. "Hello."

He quickly added, "Do you mind if I come over?"

The potentially dangerous "one-meter range" needed to be handled with caution, and it was best kept under his own control. If the silent, black-haired mosaic boy's body language seemed off, he could stop and react immediately.

The dean wanted to introduce him to this person who, though he was in Class F, was famous throughout Seventh Hunter... no, there were probably rumors about Qi Yue at First Hunter Academy now, too. In any case, Qi Yue was very famous. Lu Zhaobei knew very well why the dean wanted them to become friends.

He wanted Qi Yue to protect him in the future, just as he protected Beixing. But... what had he done to deserve that?

Lu Zhaobei sighed softly to himself and shook his head. "I don't mind."

Qi Yue must have noticed how ill at ease he was. And he had no intention of letting him near the dorm room, let alone becoming friends with him. Not everyone was like Beixing, someone who could interest Qi Yue. Qi Yue was only still standing here smiling at him out of respect for the dean.

The smile on Qi Yue's lips deepened as he stepped toward the silent, black-haired boy—

One meter.

0.7 meters.

0.4 meters.

An unfamiliar boy stood opposite him, in a familiar scene. Nothing happened.

Qi Yue's eyes darkened. Resisting the urge to frown, he held out his hand, maintaining a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Qi Yue. Nice to meet you."

If there was still no response when their skin touched, then he...

"Hello." The black-haired boy held out his hand to Qi Yue.

Their hands clasped for an instant, then quickly separated.

Qi Yue: "..."