Rumors

The clamor of the Sports Festival had died down, and the distribution of medals and slight changes in Class Points became topics of casual conversation among the students.

But for Yuefeng, the true impact of the Sports Festival had only just begun to ferment.

His left arm was far more than simply bruised.

After examining him, the infirmary teacher diagnosed a severe muscle strain with a slight risk of bone fracture and advised strict rest.

He was to avoid strenuous activity for at least a week. He was prescribed a pile of topical and oral medicine, along with a rather conspicuous elastic bandage securing his left forearm.

Thus, Yuefeng became a "unique" sight in Class C, even among the first-years—walking around with his arm in a sling.

His complexion was slightly pale from the pain and medication, but his eyes were calmer than ever, carrying even a trace of barely perceptible sharpness.

Ishizaki and his group had quieted down considerably. The "accident" during the competition and their subsequent loss had cost them points in Ryuen's eyes.

Ishizaki himself was especially dejected. During training, he stayed far away from Yuefeng. The resentment in his eyes had not diminished, but it was now mixed with a measure of wariness.

Yuefeng's ghostlike reactions and his ruthlessness in enduring the pain to finish the race had clearly exceeded their expectations.

Ryuen's attitude toward Yuefeng became subtle.

He no longer looked at him with pure scrutiny or indifference. The occasional glance he cast Yuefeng's way now contained more appraisal and... a faint trace of interest.

He never mentioned the loss in the Sports Festival relay race again, nor did he show any "concern" for Yuefeng's injury.

But once, when Yuefeng went to submit a group report, Ryuen did not tell him to get lost immediately for once.

Instead, he tapped a certain figure in the report with his fingertip and said flatly, "Here. There's a leap in the logical deduction. Redo it."

There was no scolding, no threat—just an error pointed out.

But by Ryuen's standards, that already counted as "special treatment"—at the very least, he regarded Yuefeng as a tool that needed "correction," rather than one he could simply ignore or discard.

Yuefeng silently took the report back. He understood that he had temporarily risen from an "optional variable" to a "component requiring calibration."

Was that progress? He gave a bitter smile. At least he was safe for now.

Yet peace on campus was always superficial. Undercurrents often moved in unexpected ways.

A few days later, during lunch break, Yuefeng ate something simple in the cafeteria because his arm was inconvenient to use, then returned to the classroom early to rest his head on his desk for a while.

Just as he reached the back door, he heard several girls inside speaking in hushed voices. What they were discussing made him stop in his tracks.

"...Really? Yuefeng got hurt because he was protecting Shiina?"

"I heard it from someone in the next class. They said that before the Sports Festival, someone saw Ishizaki and the others trying to cause trouble for Shiina, and Yuefeng happened to see it..."

"And then? What happened?"

"Then Yuefeng got into a conflict with Ishizaki and the others. I heard they even fought! That's why Ishizaki deliberately crashed into him during the Sports Festival!"

"Oh my god... That's so scary... But Yuefeng was so brave..."

"Shh! Keep it down! But... do you think there's something going on between those two? Shiina has seemed to be secretly looking at Yuefeng a lot lately..."

The discussion abruptly stopped because the girls noticed Yuefeng standing at the door. Their faces instantly reddened, and they lowered their heads, pretending to organize their things.

The other girls also scattered away awkwardly.

Yuefeng entered the classroom expressionlessly and returned to his seat. The pain in his arm seemed to grow more distinct.

Rumors. More rumors.

They had twisted the reason for his injury from Ishizaki's simple malicious retaliation into a conflict caused by a "hero saving a beauty." They had even dragged Hiyori Shiina into it.

Who had spread it? And for what purpose?

Ishizaki's group? To further slander him, or muddy the waters? Or someone else who disliked him?

Yuefeng's gaze instinctively shifted toward Hiyori Shiina's seat.

She was not there. She had probably gone to the library or somewhere else.

What would she think if she heard these rumors? With her shy and introverted personality, she would probably only feel troubled and frightened.

Sure enough, Hiyori Shiina seemed distracted during Logic and Game Theory that afternoon.

She kept her head lowered, her cheeks flushing now and then. Even when answering the professor's questions, she stumbled over her words, completely lacking her usual sharpness.

Yuefeng could sense that the looks their classmates gave the two of them now carried a few extra hints of investigation and ambiguity.

During the break, Yuefeng wanted to buy a bottle of water from the vending machine. As soon as he reached the corner of the hallway, he heard Ishizaki's rough voice up ahead.

He seemed to be bragging to several lackeys about something. Yuefeng could vaguely make out mentions of "that transfer student" and "meddling."

Yuefeng stopped and leaned against the wall without stepping out immediately.

His arm was injured, and he did not want a direct confrontation with Ishizaki. But he also did not intend to let the rumors continue to spread.

At that moment, a cold female voice cut in, carrying undisguised mockery.

"After losing a match, all you can do is hide behind people's backs and gossip? Ishizaki, you really are something."

It was Ibuki Mio.

Ishizaki's voice cut off abruptly, followed by an angry growl. "Ibuki! What's it got to do with you?"

"You're hurting my ears." Ibuki Mio's voice remained icy. "If you have the guts, go win properly on the field next time. Or..." She paused, and a dangerous edge entered her tone. "You can come talk to me directly."

A suffocating silence followed. Ishizaki was clearly extremely wary of Ibuki Mio's fighting ability.

"...Hmph! Let's go!" Ishizaki finally threw out a harsh line before leaving in frustration with his lackeys.

Yuefeng waited a while before walking out.

Ibuki Mio was still standing there with her arms crossed, looking in the direction Ishizaki and the others had left. Her expression was blank.

"Thanks," Yuefeng said quietly as he walked up beside her.

Ibuki Mio turned her head and glanced at him. Her gaze lingered briefly on his arm in its sling before shifting away.

"You don't need to thank me. They were just too noisy." Her tone was stiff, but after a pause, she added, "And Hiyori is very troubled."

So Hiyori Shiina had been affected too.

"They're only rumors. They'll fade in a few days," Yuefeng said, as though comforting Ibuki Mio, and also as though trying to convince himself.

Ibuki Mio looked at him with an expression that seemed to say, You're too naive, but she said nothing else and turned to leave.

Watching her retreating figure, Yuefeng understood that Ibuki Mio was right.

In a closed, fiercely competitive environment like Advanced Nurturing High School, rumors would not fade easily. Instead, they might grow more outrageous with every retelling and become weapons in certain people's hands.

He had to do something.

After school, Yuefeng did not return directly to the dormitory. He took a detour to the quiet path near the old school building where he had once "found" Hiyori Shiina's pendant.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long, and the bandage on his arm was especially conspicuous in the lingering light.

Just as expected, he saw that familiar figure on the bench beside the hydrangeas.

Hiyori Shiina sat there alone with her head lowered, clutching the cloth pouch containing the Cherry Blossom Crystal Pendant tightly in both hands. Her shoulders trembled slightly.

Even from a distance, Yuefeng could tell that she was crying in suppressed sobs.

Yuefeng sighed inwardly and approached quietly.

"Shiina."

Hiyori Shiina trembled and abruptly looked up. When she saw Yuefeng, panic, embarrassment, and a trace of... grievance flashed across her face.

She hurriedly wiped away her tears and tried to stand, but Yuefeng stopped her with a gesture.

"Stay seated." Yuefeng sat beside her, leaving a little distance between them. He did not look at her, instead gazing at the clouds on the horizon as they gradually darkened. "My arm's injured. Standing is tiring."

Hiyori Shiina stopped moving. With her head lowered, she softly apologized again and again. "I'm sorry... Yuefeng, I'm sorry... It's all because of me... Those rumors... I caused you trouble..."

Her voice choked with sobs, full of self-blame.

"It's not your fault, Shiina," Yuefeng interrupted calmly. "The rumors are aimed at me—or rather, at anyone they might see as a target.

Whether you were involved or not, they would have found another excuse."

He turned and looked at Hiyori Shiina's tear-reddened eyes, his tone earnest. "You don't need to apologize. The people who should apologize are the ones who created and spread the rumors."

Hiyori Shiina stared at him blankly. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but this time they were not purely from sadness or guilt. They seemed mixed with something else.

"But... but they said... said you only fought with Ishizaki and the others because of me..."

"That's because they're stupid, or evil, or both," Yuefeng said without the slightest politeness. "You and I both know what caused this.

What matters is that we know what we did and did not do."

He paused, softening his tone. "Besides, even if I really was injured protecting a classmate, there would be nothing wrong with that.

Helping each other is normal between classmates, isn't it? Should we be like certain people instead—only capable of bullying the weak and spreading rumors behind others' backs?"