The Value of Intelligence

The next morning, Yuefeng crawled out of bed, his face twisted in a grimace.

The bruise on his back had fermented overnight, successfully evolving from "shocking to the eye" to the realm of "gasping in pain at the slightest movement."

He sighed that his body's recovery rate didn't seem to come with a built-in protagonist halo, then carefully pulled on his uniform, his movements as stiff as a robot that had just been wound up.

"This damn Slow Motion ability—doesn't it come with a 'rapid recovery' package?"

Yuefeng faced the mirror, struggling to tie his tie properly while badmouthing this unreliable transmigrator welfare. "Or should I have squandered my Personal Points on a high-end massage service last night?"

There was a math quiz this morning. For Yuefeng, a former "average high school student" who had just escaped the sea of bitterness that was high school, math wasn't too difficult.

However, the teaching pace and depth at Advanced Nurturing High School were clearly beyond the standard level.

Coupled with the fact that he hadn't slept well due to his aching back and racing thoughts, he felt as if his brain were stuffed with paste.

Walking into the Class C classroom, he could feel several gazes landing on him.

There were the malicious stares from Ishizaki and his lackeys, the curious glances from ordinary classmates, and... Yuefeng calmly swept his peripheral vision across the seats at the back of the room by the window—Ryuen hadn't arrived yet.

He let out a sigh of relief and walked quickly toward his seat, trying his best not to strain the muscles in his back.

Not long after he sat down, Hiyori Shiina also walked into the classroom. She was quiet as always, her head lowered, her fine bangs obscuring part of her brow and eyes.

As she passed by Yuefeng's seat, her footsteps faltered almost imperceptibly. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only lifted her eyes to glance at Yuefeng for a fleeting second.

That look held a hint of concern and unspoken words, before she pulled away like a startled fawn and quickly returned to her own seat.

Yuefeng noticed that glance and felt a bit strange.

Was it because of what happened yesterday? She seemed... even shyer?

He subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to greet her, but the movement was too large and tugged at the injury on his back, causing him to hiss and gasp, his expression distorting.

Hiyori Shiina seemed to hear his gasp, her shoulders twitching slightly, but she didn't look back.

Yuefeng: "..." Alright, maybe she was just purely introverted.

The morning bell rang, and the math teacher walked in clutching a stack of test papers. Yuefeng immediately composed himself, focusing his attention on the problems before him.

Fortunately, although the questions were difficult, they were still within his range of ability. It was just that halfway through, his back began to throb again, causing him to lose focus.

Just as he was rubbing his neck, trying to alleviate the soreness caused by his stiff posture, his peripheral vision caught a male student in Class C sitting diagonally in front of him. Taking advantage of the teacher turning to write on the blackboard, the boy flicked a small paper ball to the person sitting next to him.

Cheating?

A thought stirred in Yuefeng's mind.

At Advanced Nurturing High School, the punishment for cheating on exams was quite severe; it would directly result in the deduction of a large number of Class Points and Personal Points.

It seemed there was a similar plot in the original work...

Almost the moment this thought arose, Yuefeng felt the scenery at the edge of his vision... subtly "lag."

It wasn't the intense Slow Motion from the life-or-death situation before, but rather a slight, targeted Perception Enhancement.

He could clearly "see" the parabola the paper ball traced in the air, as well as the flash of nervousness on the face of the classmate next to him as he scrambled to catch it.

Did the ability trigger again? Was it because of a potential "crisis" or "violation" like discovering cheating? Yuefeng wasn't sure.

But this slight, seemingly controllable change in perception made him feel that it was more manageable than the passive, violent Slow Motion from before.

He didn't make a scene, simply noting the appearance of the two boys before continuing to lower his head and work on the test.

When the exam ended and he handed in his paper, Yuefeng felt as if he had fought a war.

He was just packing his things, preparing to head to the cafeteria to soothe his tortured body and stomach, when Ishizaki's unpleasant, coarse voice rang out nearby.

"Yo, Ayanokoji, how was the test? You looked pretty 'serious' while doing it." Ishizaki sauntered over with two lackeys, his tone dripping with undisguised mockery.

He was clearly still holding a grudge because he hadn't managed to make Yuefeng look bad in gym class yesterday.

Yuefeng rolled his eyes internally, but his face remained expressionless. "It was fine. Does Ishizaki-kun need something?"

"Nothing major," Ishizaki grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Just wanted to ask, you and Shiina were chatting quite happily yesterday, weren't you? At the library... playing the hero saving the beauty?" He dragged out the last four words, full of ridicule.

Sure enough, yesterday's incident had been seen, and it had reached Ishizaki's ears.

Yuefeng felt a chill in his heart and subconsciously glanced at Ryuen's empty seat—the "Tyrant" hadn't arrived yet, but who knew if Ishizaki was acting on his orders to test him.

"Shiina-san almost fell, and I just happened to be passing by," Yuefeng said in a flat tone, downplaying the event. "We're classmates, helping is only natural."

"Classmates? Helping?" Ishizaki sneered, stepping forward until he was almost pressed against Yuefeng, lowering his voice with a threat. "Kid, I'm warning you, stay away from Shiina."

"Class C has its own rules. Don't go coveting people you shouldn't touch. Otherwise..." He deliberately clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking with a crisp sound.

If it had been a few days ago, being threatened at such close range by Ishizaki might have made Yuefeng nervous.

But now, perhaps having been baptized by Slow Motion, or perhaps because the pain in his back made him somewhat irritable, he was surprisingly calm.

He could even "see" the tension in the muscles of Ishizaki's shoulders and the pleasure of bullying the weak in his eyes.

"Ishizaki-kun," Yuefeng raised his head, looking directly into Ishizaki's eyes. His voice wasn't loud, but it reached the other boy's ears clearly. "I heard that if you get caught cheating on an exam, the consequences are very severe. Not only will your Personal Points be wiped out, but it will also implicate the entire class."

The threatening expression on Ishizaki's face froze instantly, his pupils slightly contracting.

Yuefeng's gaze swept pointedly toward the two boys who had been passing notes during the exam—they were looking over guiltily, and upon meeting his eyes, they immediately lowered their heads in a panic.

"W-what did you say?" Ishizaki's tone was less certain now, though he was still putting up a front. "Stop spouting nonsense!"

"Whether it's nonsense or not, checking the surveillance footage or having the teacher re-examine the handwriting on certain exam papers should make it clear."

"I'm just curious, if the class loses points because of something like this, what would Ryuen think when he finds out?" Yuefeng's tone remained calm, even carrying a hint of well-timed confusion.

Ishizaki's expression shifted completely.

He knew full well how much Ryuen valued Class Points and Personal Points, and he was well aware of the methods Ryuen used to punish those who didn't follow the rules.

If Ryuen found out about such a trivial matter and it ended up dragging the class down, he would definitely be in for a world of hurt.

He glared viciously at Yuefeng, seemingly trying to discern if he was just bluffing.

But Yuefeng simply looked back calmly, his eyes devoid of even the slightest ripple.

A few seconds later, Ishizaki clicked his tongue, took a step back, and the aggressive aura he had been projecting deflated. "Fine, you little brat... just you wait."

He threw out a cliché threat, turned around, and slunk away with his lackeys, casting a warning glare at the two cheating boys before he left.

The other students in the classroom who had noticed the scene now looked at Yuefeng with changed expressions.

It was no longer simple curiosity or disdain, but a mix of surprise and scrutiny.

This new transfer student wasn't just quick-witted; he also seemed... a bit dangerous to provoke.

Hiyori Shiina sat at her desk with her head slightly bowed, but she had clearly heard the conversation.

Her hands, resting on her lap, tightened slightly against her skirt, and the look she gave Yuefeng's back was even more complex.

Yuefeng let out a breath, only then feeling a sharp pain in his back from the tension he had been holding.

He rubbed his shoulder, though he felt little sense of triumph. Using "intelligence" to threaten others wasn't his preference, but in this environment, self-preservation sometimes required extreme measures.

It seems the "Observation Enhancement" that comes with "Slow Motion" can be useful even outside of combat, Yuefeng mused to himself. However, I doubt the trouble will end here.

Sure enough, Ryuen appeared in the classroom that afternoon.

He didn't approach Yuefeng immediately, nor did he give him more than a passing glance, but Yuefeng could feel those viper-like eyes occasionally sweeping over him, filled with assessment and calculation.

After school, Yuefeng decided to head to the library to return some books and find a quiet corner to continue studying his "Survival Notes."

Just as he reached the garden path near the library, a voice called out to him.

"Ayanokoji-san."

Yuefeng turned to see Hiyori Shiina standing beside a blooming hydrangea, holding two books in her arms.

The setting sun cast a soft glow over her, making her appear less timid and more serene than usual.

"Shiina-san? Is something the matter?" Yuefeng stopped in his tracks.

Hiyori Shiina walked over a few steps, keeping a respectful distance, her voice still soft but with a hint of newfound firmness.

"Today... thank you," she said, her gaze meeting his before quickly darting away. "Ishizaki-kun... he can be quite troublesome at times."

"It's nothing, just a small favor." Yuefeng waved his hand, not wanting to dwell on the topic.

Hiyori Shiina hesitated for a moment, then pulled a tube of ointment from her bag and held it out. "This... it's very effective for bruises."

"Yesterday, when you bumped into the bookshelf... it must have hurt, right?" Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she held her hand steady as she offered the ointment.

Yuefeng was stunned.

He hadn't expected Hiyori Shiina to notice that, let alone prepare ointment for him.

A warmth welled up in his heart; in a school where everyone was constantly maneuvering against one another, even the smallest gesture of kindness felt precious.

"Ah, thank you..." He took the ointment, the tube feeling cool to the touch. "You're very observant, Shiina-san."

"You're welcome." Hiyori Shiina shook her head slightly, looking relieved, as if she had completed an important task.

She looked at Yuefeng as if she wanted to say more, but ultimately pressed her lips together. "I'll be going now. Goodbye, Ayanokoji-san."

"Goodbye."

Watching Hiyori Shiina's slender figure hurry away, Yuefeng gripped the ointment, which still held a trace of her body heat, his mood complex.

This girl was more attentive than he had imagined, and also more... kind? In an environment like Class C, maintaining such kindness was no easy feat.

He held the ointment and turned to continue toward the library.

However, just as he passed a dense thicket of evergreen shrubs, a figure stepped out from behind them, blocking his path.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

He wore the same expressionless face, his dark brown eyes like two ancient wells that reflected no emotion.

He stood in the middle of the path as if he had just happened to be passing by, or perhaps as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Yuefeng's heart skipped a beat, and his hand tightened around the ointment.

The brothers had finally arrived at their first formal, face-to-face encounter since crossing over, there on the quiet campus path at dusk.

Kiyotaka's gaze swept over Yuefeng's face with extreme indifference, then landed on the unopened tube of ointment in his hand.

"Your back," Kiyotaka began, his voice as flat as his expression, "is injured." It was a statement, not a question.

Yuefeng's Adam's apple bobbed. What was meant to come, had finally arrived.