Ying Wants to Improve His B-Grade (2)

After leaving the library, Ying decided to spruce himself up so he would look more B-Grade.

First, he bought a pair of gleaming leather shoes. Then he picked up a small notebook and casually tucked it into his pocket. Next, he prepared a fountain pen to clip to his chest, and finally, a monocle to wear over his left eye. These accessories had cost him quite a few points, but points were what he had the most of right now. All told, he still had over fifteen million.

After checking his reflection in the mirror, Ying couldn't help but smile. He thought he looked very B-Grade now.

Ying followed the book's instructions to the letter: he paused to admire beautiful scenery and stepped in to help anyone in need. When walking, he had to move at a leisurely pace—not too fast or too slow—and keep his stride just right at seventy centimeters.

"Byakuya, what are you doing?" Kanzaki ran into Ying on his way back to the dorms. Seeing how completely different he looked from usual, he couldn't help asking in surprise.

"Good day, Kanzaki. Isn't the weather lovely? The sunlight has washed the sky until it shines like a freshly polished sapphire. The breeze carries the sweet scent of grass and trees, and even my steps feel lighter as I walk."

Hearing Ying speak so affectedly, Kanzaki's eyelids twitched. He hurriedly put some distance between them and made his escape. "I'll leave you to enjoy yourself, then. I'll be going."

"Ah! Is this the wind of youth, brimming with vitality?" Ying spread his arms and struck a pose as if embracing himself.

The students around him saw Ying and quickly put distance between themselves before hurrying away.

"Hey, what class is that student in? He's so creepy."

"Yeah, I don't want to get mixed up with him. Let's go, let's go."

A trio of girls nearby whispered among themselves and hurried off.

Hearing a sound, Ying turned around and spotted the three girls rushing away. He couldn't help grinning.

"My, my. Being charming sure can be a burden."

Ying followed the lakeside until he reached a park by the water. There were fewer and fewer people around. Feeling a little tired, he sat down on a bench.

"The air in this park is so fresh, filled with the sweet scent of grass and trees. It feels like my insides have all been cleansed. Superb!" Ying closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"What the B-grade was that... No, I mean... I could almost hear the wind whispering through the leaves, and the half-finished murmur of a wind chime beneath the eaves."

As he rested, Ying thought he heard faint voices nearby.

"Hirata, please, you have to help me. If you don't, I don't think I'll have the courage to stay at this school much longer."

"Karuizawa, it's not that I don't want to help you. It's just that your request is..."

"It's okay, Hirata. We'll only pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend. If you meet a girl you like someday, we can break up, okay? I've been bullied for nine years..." As she spoke, tears welled in Karuizawa's eyes.

"Sigh... All right, then. We'll just pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Let's not act too intimate."

"Yeah, we only need to act a little closer in front of people. We can go about our lives as usual otherwise. If you're there to back me up, Hirata, no one should bully me anymore. Thank you, Hirata."

"It's only right to help out a classmate, but we can't let anyone else find out about this."

Ying: Uh...

Realizing he might have learned something he wasn't supposed to know, Ying decided to pretend he hadn't heard a thing and began to slip away quietly.

Crack. Ying stepped on a branch.

"Who's there? Who is it?" Hirata shouted. Karuizawa followed close behind him, frightened. The two of them approached Ying together.

Then they noticed Ying, who was writing something in his notebook.

"Hmm. Japanese cedar, genus Cryptomeria, family Cupressaceae, evergreen tree. This Japanese cedar is about forty-four meters tall, with a breast-height diameter of nearly one and a half meters. Its reddish-brown bark splits into long, fibrous strips that peel off. Its leaves are spirally arranged, awl-shaped, flattened on both sides and slightly curved inward, about 1.1 centimeters long..."

"Um, excuse me," Hirata interrupted Ying's chant.

"Oh, are you interested in botany, too? I was just taking in the scenery here in the park. I didn't hear anything you were saying. Oh, I need to hurry back and finish writing my report. You two carry on. I'll be off." Ying tried to make his escape, but Hirata clearly wasn't going to let him.

"Just tell us: how much did you hear?" Hirata asked sternly.

"Uh... I don't know anything. I don't know that Karuizawa is being bullied, and I don't know that you two are going to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend." Ying turned his head aside, not daring to meet Hirata's gaze.

Hirata's expression darkened at Ying's words. Karuizawa also edged closer to him nervously, gripping the hem of his shirt with her right hand.

"Um, I'm Hirata Yosuke from Class D, and the girl beside me is also in Class D. Her name is Karuizawa Kei. Could you please not tell anyone about what happened today? You know how difficult things are for Karuizawa. If you tell anyone, it'll make things very difficult for us." Hirata spoke to Ying in a pleading tone.

Ying sighed inwardly. So I got caught after all? Damn!

"Sigh... I'm Baiye Ying from Class B. I won't tell anyone about what happened today. If you don't believe me, we can go find a teacher and sign an agreement."

"Really? Thank you so much for understanding, Baiye. I can transfer some of my personal points to you later as hush money." Hearing Ying say this, Hirata's tone brightened.

"Okay... No, thanks." Ying had been about to accept when he heard that he could get points, but then he remembered what the book said and quickly changed his mind.

"People with B-Grade don't take advantage of others when they're in trouble. Instead, they lend a helping hand." —100 Ways to Improve B-Grade

"But I have one condition." Ying's expression turned serious.

"W-what is it?" Hirata tensed, and Karuizawa's grip on his shirt tightened behind him.

"I want you to stop avoiding the problem and solve it instead."

"What do you mean?" Hirata had thought Ying was going to make an outrageous demand, but instead he'd said something cryptic.

"I want you to help Karuizawa move past her trauma. You can't avoid the problem by pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend. You should help her become stronger and face her problems on her own. She can use her own strength to seek help from others, but she can't just rely on other people without making any effort herself. That won't solve the problem at all. It'll only make it grow worse the longer it's left alone." Ying pointed at Hirata.

Hirata looked shocked when he heard this, while Karuizawa's face turned pale behind him.

"All right. I won't tell anyone what happened today. Think carefully about what you should do. I'm leaving."

With that, Ying left, thinking to himself that he must have absolutely nailed the B-Grade just then.

The next day, Ying decided yesterday's outfit hadn't been B-Grade enough, so he planned to give himself another makeover according to the book.

First, he dyed his hair a fluffy silver. Then he put in a pair of deep-blue contact lenses and finished with a black eyepatch. With both hands in his pockets, he strolled out onto the street.

"Oof!"

He hadn't taken more than a couple of steps before he fell to the ground, nearly getting himself split in half by the step in front of him.

"Wait, how am I supposed to see where I'm going with an eyepatch on?" Ying asked, scratching his head.

"Don't miss out! We've got belts that can double as canes!"

!!!

Personal Points -10,000