Shangguan Che sighed over the skill he'd drawn, rubbing his chin with his fingertips as he muttered, "My luck is awful. I guess this skill is pretty average..." Once he'd finished complaining, his stomach rumbled at the worst possible time.
Whatever. No point thinking about that now. He'd get something to eat in the cafeteria first.
He grabbed his jacket and stepped out of the dorm. After only a few steps, he spotted a group of people up ahead.
As he got closer, he saw a red-haired boy clenching his fists, the veins at his temples throbbing. Wasn't that the "Explosive Classmate" he'd heard about this morning?
Standing nearby were Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, his face expressionless, and the long-haired black-haired girl who'd sat to his left and quietly read a book since the first day of school.
Shangguan Che edged quietly to the side, planning to watch the drama unfold. Then he heard the red-haired boy mutter through gritted teeth, "She's only a woman..."
Oh man! Shangguan Che almost burst out laughing. What a painfully old-fashioned way of thinking.
He ranted inwardly, Isn't youth for breaking these stupid rules? So what if I'm shameless? I'm going to set him straight today!
He cleared his throat and suddenly spoke up, deliberately drawing out his words:
"She's only a little kid, just a student who hasn't grown up, just an immature brat who loves arguing.
In a few years, he'll be a wage slave, worn down by life until all his edges are gone.
Then he'll be a potbellied middle-aged man, an old man with a cane, and finally a dead man whose family can't even afford a proper gravestone.
He'll haunt a neglected grave that no one bothers to tend, a lonely ghost who can't even get in line to be reborn.
—Is that what my life is going to be like? I'm so sad."
After he finished, he dramatically raised a hand to cover his face and struck a pose that said, "I'm so sad." In truth, he'd just gotten so carried away that his cheeks were burning.
The red-haired boy whipped around, eyes wide. "Who are you? What the hell are you babbling about?"
Shangguan Che lowered his hand and grinned at him. "No need to get so worked up. Everyone has their own quirks. I'm Shangguan Che. What's your name?"
"Sudo. Ken Sudō." The red-haired boy frowned, but his tone had softened a little.
"Sure, Sudo. See you, Ayanokoji." Shangguan Che waved.
After sharing his thoughts, Shangguan Che realized that the black-haired girl had slipped away at some point. She probably wasn't interested in watching the drama.
He rubbed his stomach. He could practically smell the food from the cafeteria, so he quickened his pace.
But he'd barely gone ten meters when a roar came from behind him. "Stop!"
Shangguan Che paused and looked back. Well, what do you know—three upperclassmen were surrounding Sudo and Ayanokoji. They were all swaggering around, and none of them looked like they meant well.
"Ganging up on someone isn't fair!" Shangguan Che called out, then rushed back without a second thought.
One of the tall upperclassmen glanced at him. "Kid, what's it to you?"
"I'm here now, so it's three against three. That's fair!"
Shangguan Che rubbed his hands together, but inwardly he was scheming. I've only ever argued with people at school. I've never fought more than two at once. This is a rare experience. So youthful!
He was reminded of the fiery scenes in Tokyo Revengers, but he was also afraid it would really hurt if they started fighting. He silently decided to stick to over-the-top tough-guy talk.
Suddenly, he smacked his forehead as he remembered the rules about juniors and seniors in Japan, and quickly added:
"Wait, it wouldn't look good if we hit our seniors first. That'd make us look bad.
You guys hit me first, then we'll start our 'delinquent-style free-for-all.'
Don't worry. Afterward, we'll just say the upperclassmen were mentoring the underclassmen. We'll definitely get away with it!"
As he spoke, he extended his right hand, palm up, and wiggled his fingers in a deliberately provocative gesture.
"Shangguan, what's a delinquent-style free-for-all?" Ayanokoji suddenly asked, his voice as flat as ever.
Shangguan Che's mouth twitched. Was this really the time to get hung up on that? Still, he patiently explained, "It just means no crippling people and no dirty tricks, like kicking someone in the crotch. Got it?"
"I see." Ayanokoji nodded and said no more.
The scene fell quiet for a moment, but Shangguan Che was delighted inside.
Our side has Ayanokoji, who looks like he'd be trouble to deal with, and Sudo's strong. If they make the first move, I can pretend to run away and draw one of them off. Then it'll be two against two. We've got this!
Just then, another upperclassman fixed his eyes on Shangguan Che. "You're from Class D, right?"
"So what?!" Sudo shouted before anyone else could answer.
Shangguan Che's heart skipped a beat. Damn, he stole my line!
To his surprise, the upperclassmen burst out laughing. One of them slapped his thigh. "Did you hear that? Class D! No wonder they're such defective products. They can't even mind their own business!"
"What did you say?!" Sudo instantly flew into a rage and started to charge.
The upperclassmen stepped back, wearing mocking smiles. "We'll let you poor losers off for today. Just wait—next time, you won't be so lucky!" With that, they swaggered away.
"Hey! Don't run!" Sudo started after them, but Shangguan Che grabbed him. "Forget it. They're not worth the trouble. I'm so hungry I'm about to collapse. Let's go eat!"
After saying goodbye to Ayanokoji and Sudo, Shangguan Che finally hurried into the cafeteria.
He looked along the rows of food counters, then checked the points on his device. He decided to take a lap before choosing.
He needed both good prices and good taste!
As he wandered, he stopped at the free-meal counter.
Most of the students in line were upperclassmen. Their uniforms showed signs of wear and washing, unlike the brand-new ones worn by the first-years.
As he waited, he wondered, Does everyone get a different number of points? Otherwise, why are some upperclassmen eating expensive set meals while others can only get the free food?
Were points tied to academics and contributions, or to the strength and physical fitness the student council president had mentioned?
When it was his turn, he took a tray and saw that it was full of vegetables with a sprinkle of minced meat. There were barely any drops of oil.
Shangguan Che put a forkful in his mouth, and his brows immediately furrowed. It was far too bland, tasting just like the ingredients themselves. He could hardly taste any salt. They'd probably cooked it all together in a huge metal pot.
He forced himself to eat more than half, but he couldn't swallow another bite. He carried his tray to the return station, then headed straight for the convenience store.
As soon as he walked in, he made a beeline for the cheapest shelves, his eyes wide like a starving wolf's.
While browsing, he suddenly noticed a free-goods section in the corner. A sign above it read, "Each person may take up to three items per month."
"They even have free goods?" Shangguan Che blurted out. His heart sank. Are the bottom-ranked students only allowed to survive? No, no. I'd better study hard and earn some points!
He carefully chose the three items he needed most, then spent 5,000 personal points on some daily necessities before heading back to the dorm with his bags.
As for dinner? He'd go hungry for now. Figuring out how to earn points was more important than eating.
Back in his dorm, Shangguan Che flopped onto his bed. Then he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have the ability called God's Eye.
He tried to focus, and the scene before him changed in an instant. First, he saw the scenic area near his hometown, rated 4A.
Farther away, he saw the rolling Tibetan Plateau, its snow-capped mountains gleaming in the sunlight.
When he looked farther still, all he could see was darkness.
Before you continue