"I, I..."
Sakura's eyes filled with tears, and she was about to cry again.
But she couldn't refuse Xia Mu's command.
Trembling, she had no choice but to take the phone. "I, I understand."
"Please don't share any photos of me."
Only then did Xia Mu give a satisfied nod. He looked toward two students passing by as they horsed around. "Go on. Ask them what they think of the photo I took."
"I, I..." Sakura still couldn't find the courage to take that step.
Showing people online was no big deal; she didn't know them. But showing people around her in real life terrified her so much that her legs went weak.
"Hm?" Xia Mu's gaze, sharp with icy light, continued to pressure Sakura.
"I, I understand!!"
With no other choice, Sakura swung her arms and jogged over. "Excuse me, excuse me, wait!!"
She shouted to the two students as she ran.
The two students horsing around heard her and turned their heads. But when they saw it was a girl in glasses, they immediately lost interest.
Then the two bundles of flesh bouncing on Sakura's chest caught their attention.
"Huff, huff..."
Sakura panted heavily, feeling that the two burdens on her chest were holding her back too much.
"P-please look at this photo and tell me what you think..." She watched Xia Mu out of the corner of her eye.
She was afraid he'd expose her right away if he wasn't satisfied.
"Huh??"
The two students were a little bewildered, but for Sakura's sake, they took the phone.
The instant they saw the person in the photo, their eyes lit up.
"Wow, she's so cute!!"
"You're wrong. She's obviously sexy!!"
"Who is she? From the background, she looks like a student at our school. Can you give me her contact information?"
The two students' sudden excitement startled Sakura. She hurriedly snatched Xia Mu's phone back from them. "I, I don't know."
"I saw it online..."
Was it really that unbelievable?
The moment the two students saw the photo, their eyes had turned lecherous, which made Sakura uncomfortable.
She hurried back to Xia Mu and bent over, panting heavily.
Her sexy breasts swayed in front of Xia Mu, but unfortunately, she was dressed too modestly to show anything.
"You should exercise more." Xia Mu took a sip of his drink. "So, was I right? You're beautiful, aren't you?"
"You can show yourself to others openly. It's fine."
Sakura heard him, and her already-red face grew even warmer. She sat back down beside Xia Mu. "I-It seems like the other students liked it..."
She returned the phone to Xia Mu and looked up into his eyes. His gaze gave her a strange sense of pressure.
But his eyes were so sincere. And surely, she had something he wanted.
Just not anything sexual...
Was that why he was helping her?
What could he possibly want...?
Judging by her classmates' reactions, they'd gotten a little excited, but hadn't done anything inappropriate.
"All right, I was just saying. You don't need to dwell on it."
Xia Mu watched the Correction progress rise by 20% and the ten Skill Points get credited, then stood up.
This would take time. There was no need to rush.
Otherwise, Sakura would only become more afraid.
"X-Xia Mu!"
Watching Xia Mu walk away, Sakura gathered her courage and called after him. "T-Tomorrow's the weekend. Could you come with me to take photos at the school's artificial hill?"
"Sure."
Hearing Xia Mu's answer, Sakura felt a strange flutter in her heart.
He'd agreed! That was wonderful!
As he walked away, Xia Mu looked at the System Panel and fell into thought.
The Skill Points he got from Sakura's Correction progress had been halved.
Did that mean the easier the task, the fewer Correction points he'd get?
Still, that was enough to cover the Skill Points needed to max out photography.
"Hmm..."
"Now that I have enough Skill Points, what new skill should I get?"
Thinking as he walked, Xia Mu arrived at the library.
Shiina had gotten used to Xia Mu always being late.
But today, she felt inexplicably disappointed. He'd been late and hadn't even apologized to her. Was he gradually starting not to care about her?
So annoying, so annoying...
"Were you up all night reading?" Xia Mu stared at Shiina's dark circles, nearly laughing.
Shiina was usually prim and proper, but today her hair was disheveled and her dark circles were heavy. She looked as if someone had beaten her up.
"Ah..."
Shiina touched her neck and sighed softly. "No, I've been worried."
"Worried?"
"Is there something you can't tell me, your book-loving friend of over a month?" Xia Mu asked.
Shiina pursed her red lips. Because it's you, I can't tell you.
"Thud, thud, thud."
"Hey, you kid from Class D. Who said you could sit here reading with someone from Class C?"
Just then, a jumble of heavy footsteps rang out.
Before the person even arrived, his arrogant voice had already carried over.
A red-haired young man with a fierce look and his hands in his pockets strode toward Xia Mu and Shiina.
His gaze held a hint of amusement.
To him, the students of Class D were all just playthings in the palm of his hand.
Beside him walked a Black man even bigger and more muscular than Xia Mu.
"Ryuen?"
Shiina stood and moved in front of Xia Mu. "This is the library. Don't do anything stupid!"
"Xia Mu and I are just discussing books. We haven't talked about class secrets or rivalry at all!!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Ryuen gave her a knowing smile. "That's not for you to decide. I'll have to verify it myself."
"Besides, Shiina, you've got exceptional talent, yet you spend all your time holed up in the library."
"Why not come help me? Together, we'll conquer the other classes and rise to Class A."
His face was always twisted in a cocky grin.
"I told you I'm not interested in that. Please leave!"
The commotion had already drawn the attention of the students nearby.
"Who's that?"
"Ryuen from Class C. He's ruthless and will do anything to achieve his goals. You'd better be careful and not provoke him!"
Ryuen smiled at the pale-faced Shiina, then walked past her without a second glance. "You're still useful to your class, so I won't lay a hand on you."
He came up to Xia Mu and slapped his palm onto the table with a bang.
An ordinary student would probably have been trembling all over by now.
But Xia Mu simply put his book down, calmly meeting Ryuen Kakeru's wolfish, vicious gaze without fear. "What do you want?"
Xia Mu's reaction was a little unexpected. His gaze was far too calm to be an act.
Was he just a fearless young fool, or...
Did he have absolute confidence in himself?
Interesting.
Ryuen had only come to find Shiina today, but he hadn't expected to discover an even more interesting little guy.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?"
"Get away from Shiina. Understand?"
Ryuen leaned closer to Xia Mu, his brows knotting together. His face had the look of a murderer.
The students around them were all frightened.
They had no doubt that Ryuen would dare attack the male student who was standing up to him right here.
"Don't go too far!!"
Anger welled up in Shiina's heart. She tried to pull Ryuen away, but Albert, wearing sunglasses, blocked her.
His build was like a mountain, leaving Shiina no way to get past him.
Before you continue