Swimming Class, Hehehe

"Wow, Xia Mu, I didn't know you had abs!"

A group of girls crowded around Xia Mu. They weren't as bulky as bodybuilders, but their muscles looked firm and strong.

The girl at the front even reached out and poked him with a finger. Afterward, she blushed and clutched that finger, her body trembling as if she'd been jolted by electricity. "So hard."

Xia Mu's forehead was covered in black lines. It really wasn't comfortable being treated like a monkey on display.

But the girls only watched him curiously for a little while before going off to play in the water.

Xia Mu sat to the side and admired the bouncing white globes, the long legs kicking up, and the deep cleavage.

This was youth, wasn't it?

He'd been at this school for quite a while, and this was the only class he liked.

"Xia Mu."

Just then, a gentle voice rang out.

He turned to see Kikyo Kushida wearing a red bra and red V-cut swimsuit bottoms. With her hands behind her back, she smiled at him.

So sexy.

Xia Mu grumbled inwardly, but kept a perfectly serious expression. "What is it?"

"It's just... you haven't really come to see me lately."

Kushida lowered her head slightly. A faint white haze clouded her eyes, and she touched her rosy lips with a finger. "Did I do something to make you dislike me?"

As she spoke, she stepped closer and took Xia Mu's hand, looking utterly pitiful. "If I did something wrong, Xia Mu, you have to tell me. I still want us to be good friends!"

Facing Kushida's fake innocence, Xia Mu couldn't be bothered to play along. He simply pulled his hand away. "Sorry, I've been on my period lately."

"?" Kikyo Kushida.

Her expression stiffened. "Huh?"

"I mean, I've been really busy lately. You understand, right?"

Xia Mu realized he'd just answered with something completely irrelevant, so he changed his tune.

The truth was, there were no more Skill Points to squeeze out of Kushida.

Ever since her Correction value reached forty percent, it had been stuck there.

He couldn't make any more progress, and Chabashira-sensei had also told him he couldn't keep ordering Kushida to bring him meals and wash his clothes.

That meant she was no longer useful to him.

"But lately, I've seen you spending a lot of time with Sakura."

Kushida slowly lowered her hand, pressing her fingers into her palm. Her expression grew increasingly frightening.

Xia Mu looked toward Sakura, who was sneaking glances at him in the distance. When she noticed his gaze, she immediately blushed and looked away, then plunged into the pool with a splash.

"Ah, there's something I wanted her to help me with, so..." Xia Mu couldn't exactly say she was useful to him, could he?

"So you don't need me anymore?" The sweet smile had vanished from Kushida's face.

She lowered her head and turned toward the changing room.

Bright red blood kept dripping from her palm.

A female student came over to check on her, but Kushida swatted her hand away. Everyone was stunned by the sight.

"What did you do to her?"

Horikita Suzune couldn't understand why Kushida, who was usually so gentle, had changed like that after only a few words with Xia Mu.

Xia Mu shrugged. "Nothing. We just had a normal conversation."

"A normal conversation would make her act like that?" Suzune's brows slanted. "Xia Mu, what did you come to this school for, anyway?"

Do you think I can tell you that?

That was what Xia Mu thought, while his gaze fixed squarely on Suzune's chest. "To see a flat-chested girl."

"Whoosh!"

The next second, a fist flew straight at Xia Mu's face. He easily dodged it by tilting his head, but then a roundhouse kick came at him. He blocked it with one hand, then lightly struck a pressure point on Suzune's lower leg, instantly numbing the whole thing.

"Ugh..."

She sucked in a sharp breath from the pain and braced her pale, delicate hand against her numb leg, barely managing to stay upright.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Xia Mu acted as if he'd been terrified. "Why'd you suddenly attack me?"

"Xia Mu!"

Suzune was furious. She'd wanted to teach this rude guy a lesson, but she hadn't even managed to touch a hair on his head—and he'd turned the tables on her.

Still, this made her realize just how impressive Xia Mu's fighting and athletic abilities were.

"You clearly have the ability to contribute to the class, so why do you spend all your time lazing around?" Suzune rubbed her knee. After waiting a moment for the pain to ease, she demanded an answer.

Xia Mu had controlled his strength well. He hadn't injured her leg.

His fighting ability was good enough that he must have trained for at least two and a half years.

"Then let me ask you something."

Xia Mu took two steps forward and looked down at Suzune. "Why should I help you?"

"Because you're flat-chested? Or because you're so petite?"

"I won't deny that some people like petite girls like you, but sorry—I still prefer big breasts."

Xia Mu's offensive, rude words made Suzune grit her teeth. She raised her hand, then lowered it again.

She couldn't beat him.

"You're already affecting my chances of making it to Class A. If you fail the next exam, you could very well be expelled."

"We can't always find the answers for you and let you pass with a perfect score."

Suzune warned him, "Do you understand?"

Hearing that, Xia Mu laughed. "Who told you I got perfect scores by copying answers?"

Before Suzune could speak, Xia Mu had already turned to leave. He waved a hand. "Don't worry. I don't want to be expelled, and I won't get in the way of you making it to Class A. If I'm in a good mood, I might even help you."

"But don't bother me unless there's a reason."

Suzune automatically ignored everything else he'd said and remembered only the part about not bothering him unless there was a reason.

In other words, she could bother Xia Mu when there was a reason.

At that moment, in the girls' changing room.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Disgusting bug! You filthy bug!"

Kikyo Kushida kicked the metal lockers again and again, venting her frustration.

She'd worked so hard and tried so earnestly to be friends with that damn bastard Xia Mu.

For his sake, she'd even fallen out with some of the other girls.

And now he was treating her like this?

On top of that, he was getting closer to another girl. It made her sick.

Her face was dark and malicious. She no longer looked the least bit cute.

After a long bout of venting, she finally calmed down.

"I'll make you feel like you'd be better off dead."

She opened her phone and searched for information about Xia Mu.

Her face was full of hatred.

"I won't let you get expelled."

"I'll make you kneel and beg me."

She smiled sinisterly, her expression like that of a lovesick psychopath.

"Good. Let's put the plan into action!"

In an instant, her face brightened with a warm, springlike smile. She skipped out of the girls' changing room.

Xia Mu had no idea what had just happened. He was simply sitting by the pool, admiring the girls playing happily in the water like little sprites.

"Why don't you go join them?"

Ayanokoji, passing by, sat down beside Xia Mu and asked in a calm voice.

Xia Mu seemed quite interested in the girls' bodies.