Won't This Backfire?

"Then let's wait and see."

After dealing Horikita Suzune a harsh blow, Shi Cheng put away the smile on his face.

"Hmph." Horikita Suzune returned to her seat with a cold, sour expression, with only one thought in her mind.

If what he did afterward showed no obvious results,

she would definitely be the first one to go up and mock him properly.

No one else could compete with her for it.

Still simmering with anger, Horikita Suzune lowered her head to look at the notes she had organized earlier.

Her little face reddened slightly.

Then, as if she had a guilty conscience, she secretly glanced at Shi Cheng.

When she noticed that his attention was elsewhere,

Horikita Suzune let out a relieved breath.

She quickly tore the page off, crumpled it into a ball, and prepared to find a chance to throw it away.

Having watched everything from start to finish, Kato Megumi took advantage of the pause in their truce and asked worriedly, "Shi Cheng, isn't this a little inappropriate?"

Thinking that she might need Horikita Suzune's help later,

Kato Megumi tried to persuade him in a soft voice.

After all, there was not much she could do.

Shi Cheng would most likely still have to rely on Horikita Suzune.

Though she would also do everything she could to help.

Shi Cheng waved a hand. He knew this was the way he had to talk to Horikita Suzune. "It's fine. She has a strong psychological tolerance. I know what I'm doing."

Though her doubts had been answered, Kato Megumi was still not reassured. Instead, she pursed her lips in slight dissatisfaction.

"Shi Cheng seems to understand Horikita quite well." Even though the two of them clearly had barely interacted, it was so strange.

Was this kind of tsundere really that hard to understand? Shi Cheng could not imagine it.

Compared to the easy-to-handle Horikita Suzune, Shi Cheng felt that Kato Megumi was the truly troublesome one.

Because there was absolutely nothing to be read from her face.

There was no way to start.

As the sudden turmoil called truth passed,

the class returned to calm once more.

As expected of a class rated the worst.

They really were carefree and thoughtless.

But on second thought,

there did not seem to be anything wrong with that.

They were people with glaring shortcomings in every aspect to begin with.

What kind of huge reaction could anyone expect from them?

Rather,

giving up was the proper path.

And as the weather left behind its coolness and gradually became hot,

their behavior became even more genuine.

Because swimming classes had been added.

Unlike those wolfish stares, Shi Cheng looked with appreciation.

Even so,

he still received an extremely contemptuous look from Horikita Suzune.

He made it sound nice, but he was still just a vulgar man.

Shi Cheng put on a profound expression. "You'll understand when you grow up."

Horikita Suzune did not understand what he meant, but she felt certain it was not anything nice. With a cold face, she said, "I hope you're not all talk."

Horikita Suzune believed that she could rise to Class A through her own efforts.

But if she could make things easier,

what was wrong with that?

So, Horikita Suzune reluctantly placed Shi Cheng on the somewhat useful side.

"Alright, I'm done chatting with you. I have something to do." After bidding farewell to Horikita Suzune, who was wearing a swimsuit and radiating temptation, Shi Cheng left the edge of the pool without lingering.

With so many wet and tempting sights here, did a mere Horikita Suzune think she could keep him?

Who was she looking down on?

"What do you need from me?" Arriving at a secluded corner, Shi Cheng looked curiously at the figure hiding in the shadows.

Sakura Airi bravely stepped forward and left her disguise behind.

Since she had not changed into a swimsuit, she had nothing to fear.

"Shi Cheng, please stop your unreasonable behavior!" Looking at the tall Shi Cheng, Sakura Airi gathered her courage.

"What did I do?" Shi Cheng raised a hand and pointed at himself, his face full of confusion.

He had been quite disciplined lately.

Getting up, attending class, keeping Shiina Hiyori company.

It was a simple three-point routine.

He had absolutely no time to bother Sakura Airi, so where did this accusation of harassment come from?

He had not expected Shi Cheng to keep stubbornly denying it even now.

A glimmer of tears appeared in the corners of Sakura Airi's eyes.

"I trusted you so much. Why would you do this to me?" Her last illusion shattered, Sakura Airi covered her face and began to cry.

This was completely baffling.

Shi Cheng felt utterly confused.

Staring at Sakura Airi, who did not seem to be faking her tears,

Shi Cheng quickly reached a conclusion.

It seemed a beautiful misunderstanding was happening between them, though he had no idea what it was.

But this was a good opportunity.

Shi Cheng chose his words carefully and softened his tone. "Sakura, perhaps you've misunderstood something. Why don't you think it over properly?"

Shi Cheng quietly changed Airi to Sakura, hinting that it was not as though he did not care about her.

Unfortunately, it was wasted effort.

Sakura Airi could not take in a single word.

She had already decided it was Shi Cheng.

After all, Shi Cheng was the only one who knew her secret.

Sakura Airi's eyes were red, and slow, delicate tears still flowed down her face.

She looked pitiful beyond measure.

Sakura Airi trembled all over, trying to solve the problem once and for all.

"I can give you money. Please stop pestering me from now on!"

Sakura Airi had originally been muddling through life day by day.

But then, one day,

she suddenly felt as if the sky had brightened.

Because everyone's living expenses had been cut off,

she noticed despair on the faces of many people in the class.

Though she did not know what Shi Cheng's situation was like,

it certainly could not be much better.

At that moment, an idea flashed through Sakura Airi's mind.

Since Shi Cheng lacked money, she could settle him with money.

With a clear plan in mind,

Sakura Airi decisively took action.

Because of her personality,

she feared that if she delayed too long, she would not be able to gather the courage again.

Faced with terms that no one else could refuse, Shi Cheng blinked in confusion.

What was going on?

Looking at Sakura Airi's resolute expression and unwavering gaze,

Shi Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, had she imagined things too far?

He had considered the possibility of failure.

But he had never expected to stumble because of Sakura Airi. For a moment, Shi Cheng felt disheartened.

With someone like her,

no matter who it was, it should have been an easy win.

Shi Cheng looked despondent and lowered his head in dejection, but he still wanted to struggle once more.

What if there was still a chance to salvage things?

"I don't understand what you're saying."

Seeing that her words had worked, a flash of excitement appeared in Sakura Airi's anxious eyes.

She could finally break free.

What Sakura Airi did not notice, however, was that

amid her delight, a faint trace of regret also flashed deep in her eyes.

Shi Cheng was still stubbornly refusing to admit it, so Sakura Airi decided not to spare his pride any longer.

"Since Shi Cheng refuses to admit it, come with me and look at the evidence."

At the mention of evidence, Sakura Airi's heartbeat quickened slightly.

For some time now,

Shi Cheng had no longer been satisfied with merely leaving messages online.

He had even kept sending her letters.

Such utterly vile behavior had seriously affected her life.

"Oh." It seemed the matter had already been settled. Shi Cheng only wanted to understand before he died.

He wanted to see for himself.

What exactly this was about.

Hearing Shi Cheng agree,

Sakura Airi's heart could not help but tremble.

But she still did not become more vigilant.

After all, in her eyes,

Shi Cheng was only one final blow away from defeat.

What waves could he possibly stir up now?

When swimming class ended,

without attracting anyone's attention,

the two quickly slipped away from the group and headed straight for the dormitory building.