Ying Wants to Raise His Cool Factor (2)

After leaving the library, Baiye Ying decided to dress himself up to make himself look very high-class.

He first bought a pair of polished leather shoes, then a small notebook to tuck into his pocket, followed by a fountain pen to clip onto his chest, and finally a monocle to wear over his left eye. Although these items cost quite a few points, points were the one thing he had in abundance; all told, he still had over 15 million points left.

After checking his reflection in the mirror, Baiye Ying couldn't help but smile. He felt that, as he was now, he was truly high-class.

Baiye Ying strictly followed the methods described in that book: stopping to admire beautiful scenery and offering help to those in need. When walking, he had to be neither hurried nor slow, with a stride that was neither too large nor too small—exactly 70cm was just right.

"Baiye, what are you doing?" Kanzaki ran into Baiye Ying on the way back to the dorms and couldn't help but ask in surprise upon seeing his completely unusual appearance.

"Good day, Kanzaki. The weather today is truly magnificent. The sunlight has washed the sky clean, making it look like a freshly polished sapphire, and the breeze carries the fresh scent of grass and trees. Even my footsteps feel lighter as I walk along the road."

Hearing Baiye Ying's affected way of speaking, Kanzaki's eyelid twitched twice. He hurriedly put some distance between them and made his escape: "Then I won't disturb your refined mood. I'll be heading off first."

"Ah! Is this the wind that overflows with youth?" Baiye Ying spread his arms, striking a pose as if to embrace himself.

The surrounding students saw Baiye Ying in this state and one after another, they widened the distance and walked away quickly.

"Hey, which class is that student from? He's so gross."

"I know, right? I don't want to get involved with him. Let's go, let's go."

A trio of girls not far away whispered to each other and hurried off.

Hearing the commotion, Baiye Ying looked back and saw the trio of girls leaving in a hurry, and he couldn't help but grin.

"Ara ara, having too much charm is also quite a troublesome thing."

Baiye Ying walked along the lakeside to a park, where the crowd had gradually thinned out. Feeling a bit tired, he sat down on a bench.

"The air in the park is truly fresh, filled with the scent of grass and trees. It feels as if my internal organs have been cleansed. Subarashii!" Baiye Ying closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"What the h... no, that's not it. It should be... I feel as if I have heard the whispers of the wind brushing against the tips of the leaves, and the half-muttered murmurs leaking from the wind chimes under the eaves."

While resting, Baiye Ying seemed to hear faint voices not far away.

"Hirata-kun, please, help me. If you don't, I'm afraid I won't have the courage to continue staying at this school."

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

"It's fine, Hirata-kun. We'll just be a fake boyfriend and girlfriend. If you find a girl you like in the future, we can break up then, okay? I've been bullied for nine years..." As she spoke, tears spilled from Karuizawa's eyes before she could stop them.

"Sigh... alright then. But only as a fake couple. We shouldn't have any overly intimate displays."

"Yes, we only need to act intimate in front of others; we can live normally otherwise. With Hirata-kun as my backing, no one should come to bully me anymore. Thank you, Hirata-kun."

"As classmates, this is only right, but this matter must not be known to anyone else."

Baiye Ying: Uh...

Realizing he had learned something he shouldn't have, Baiye Ying prepared to pretend he knew nothing and began to slowly walk away.

"Snap." Baiye Ying stepped on a branch.

"Who! Who's there!" Hirata shouted, while Karuizawa followed fearfully behind him. The two of them approached Baiye Ying's direction together.

Then, the two noticed Baiye Ying, who was recording something in his notebook.

"Hmm, Japanese cedar, Cupressaceae family, Cryptomeria genus, evergreen conifer. This cedar is about 44m tall, with a diameter at breast height of nearly 1.5 meters. The bark is reddish-brown, fibrous, and peels off in long strips. The leaves are spirally arranged, awl-shaped on both sides, slightly curved inward, about 1.1cm long..."

"Excuse me, student." Hirata interrupted Baiye Ying, who was in the middle of his chant.

"Oh my, are you interested in botany too? I was just taking in the scenery in the park; I didn't hear anything about what you were talking about at all. Oh dear, I must hurry back to finish my thesis report. You two carry on, I'll be going now." After saying this, Baiye Ying wanted to run away, but clearly, Hirata wouldn't give him the chance.

"Student, just be direct. How much did you hear?" Hirata asked seriously.

"Uh... I don't know anything. I don't know about Karuizawa-san being bullied, nor do I know about you two pretending to be a couple." Baiye Ying turned his head away, not daring to meet Hirata's eyes.

Hirata's expression darkened upon hearing this. Karuizawa also moved closer to Hirata nervously, her right hand gripping the corner of his shirt.

"Look, student, I am Hirata Yosuke from Class D, and the person beside me is also from Class D, named Karuizawa Kei. Could you please not tell anyone about today? You know Karuizawa-san's difficult situation. If you tell others about this, it will be very hard for us." Hirata said to Baiye Ying in a pleading tone.

Baiye Ying sighed inwardly; had he been found out after all? Kuso! (Damn it!)

"Sigh... I am Baiye Ying from Class B. I won't tell anyone about today. If you don't believe me, we can go find a teacher to sign a contract."

"Really!? Baiye-kun, thank you so much for your understanding. I can transfer some personal points to you later as hush money." Hirata's tone brightened upon hearing this.

"Good... no need." Baiye Ying had wanted to agree when he heard there were points to be had, but remembering what the book said, he quickly changed his mind.

'A high-class person would never kick someone while they are down; instead, they would offer help when it is most needed.' -- 100 Ways to Improve B-Grade

"However, I have one condition." Baiye Ying said sternly.

"W-what?" Hirata became a bit nervous, and Karuizawa behind him gripped his shirt even tighter.

"I want you not to avoid the problem, but to solve it."

"What do you mean?" Hirata had expected Baiye Ying to make an exorbitant demand, but instead, he said something incomprehensible.

"It means I need you to help Karuizawa-san step out of her shadow, not to avoid the problem by pretending to be a couple. You should help her become self-reliant so she can face problems independently. In doing so, she can use her own strength to leverage the strength of others. But she cannot rely solely on others without using her own power. That won't solve the problem at all; it will only make it drag on and grow larger." Baiye Ying pointed at Hirata and said.

Hirata looked shocked after hearing this, and Karuizawa behind him turned pale.

"Alright, I won't speak of today's events. You two should think carefully about what to do. I'm leaving now."

With that, Baiye Ying left directly, thinking to himself that his B-grade must have exploded just now.

The next day, Baiye Ying felt that yesterday's outfit still didn't quite show off his B-grade, so he planned to follow the book's advice again and give himself a complete makeover.

He first dyed his hair a fluffy silver, then put on a pair of pale blue contact lenses, and finally strapped on a black eyepatch before walking out onto the street with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Ouch!"

Before he had even taken two steps, Ying tumbled to the ground, nearly being cut in half by the curb in front of him.

"Wait, how am I supposed to see where I'm going with this eyepatch on?" Ying scratched his head in confusion.

"Step right up, don't miss out! We have belts here that can double as walking sticks!"

!!!

Personal points reduced by 10,000.