Two New Correction Tasks

The next day, the sun shone brightly beneath a clear, cloudless sky.

With the swimsuit the chubby guy had bought for him, Xia Mu headed out.

He went to wait for the bus downstairs, where Shiina was already waiting.

He had told Shiina about it yesterday, and she was coming too.

Today, she wore a pair of practical shorts and a simple white top, her beautiful hair tied back. Even without makeup, her skin looked incredibly soft and dewy.

As far as Xia Mu knew, Shiina took great care of her precious skin and never stayed up late, which was why it was so soft and springy.

Compared to Xia Mu, whose skin had turned slightly yellow from spending so much time under the sun, well...

It was like she was a bright lightbulb, while Xia Mu was a wall of yellow mud.

"Is it really okay for a Class C student like me to go have fun with you?" Shiina asked softly, sounding a little unsure.

The divisions between classes at this school were far too strict. The slightest slip could get you branded a traitor.

"It's fine. Besides..."

Xia Mu shook his head and looked into the distance, where the chubby guy was walking toward them, holding his girlfriend's hand and looking blissfully happy. "It's not just the two of us."

Zhu Xincheng's girlfriend was from Class B. You could say they had a real hodgepodge of classes.

Only Class A was missing.

Once everyone had gathered, they boarded the bus.

There were already plenty of students from other classes on board. People Xia Mu knew well, like Ayanokoji and Suzune, were there too.

There were several student dormitory buildings, so the bus made a few more stops before finally heading for its destination.

After all, on a sweltering summer day, getting into the water and cooling off was a wonderful way to spend the time.

The girls wanted to show off their charms, and the boys wanted to feast their eyes. You could say each side got what they wanted.

They arrived at the school's large swimming complex. It had not only an outdoor pool but also a beach volleyball area.

It was many times larger than some private pools, easily big enough for students from the entire grade to use at once.

The school really did have money.

After changing into his swimsuit, the chubby guy couldn't wait to run outside barefoot. "Woohoo! The girls, here I come!!"

Xia Mu focused himself, then walked into the pool area.

Shiina hadn't come out after changing yet. In the swimming area, plenty of female students were wearing revealing swimsuits and playing around in the water. Their still-developing figures bounced up and down with their movements.

And since they were in the bloom of youth, their faces were bright with lively, innocent smiles.

It was quite a feast for the boys' eyes.

With nothing else to do, Xia Mu wandered around. Just then, he noticed a girl with twin ponytails sitting by one of the pools, hugging her knees as she stared blankly at the crowd.

She had no friends around her. Three other girls from Class D were playing happily in front of her.

After being alone for so long, Xia Mu could tell she didn't fit in with the group.

If he remembered correctly, she was a girl from his class named Wang Meiyu.

Most importantly, she was Chinese and extremely good at English. Her grades were among the best, far surpassing those of the other students. You could say she was the class's biggest overachiever.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you playing with them?" Xia Mu went over and sat beside her.

Wang Meiyu froze for a moment, then looked up at Xia Mu. A sudden sense of warmth and familiarity welled up inside her.

She knew who Xia Mu was too. He'd become quite famous in their class lately.

He'd just spoken in Chinese. No wonder his voice sounded so familiar.

"I... I'm not good at sports, and I don't really have any friends." Wang Meiyu lowered her head, looking a little lonely.

Besides, she felt completely out of place among the other students. Their lifestyles and attitudes toward studying were practically worlds apart.

Because she was from Huaxia.

At that, Xia Mu narrowed his eyes.

If he remembered correctly, Kushida had once been friends with Wang Meiyu.

But then again, she was "friends" with almost everyone.

However, after Xia Mu corrected Kushida, her relationships with the people around her had deteriorated.

As a result, Wang Meiyu, who wasn't good at winning people over, had naturally lost her friends too.

"Aren't I your friend?" Xia Mu looked toward the distant east. "We're from the same land and speak the same language."

"We're just in a foreign country now, aren't we?"

"Yeah!!" Wang Meiyu's eyes trembled, and warmth rippled through her heart.

It was true. Meeting someone from home in a foreign country was a wonderful thing.

"If you ever need anything, you can come to me." Xia Mu stood up.

Shiina was already walking over.

She wore a relatively modest swimsuit. Under the sunlight, her skin looked so soft and dewy it seemed to glow, reflecting shimmering rays.

"Is this your friend?" She noticed Wang Meiyu.

Xia Mu nodded slightly to confirm it, leaving Wang Meiyu at a loss.

Her little face turned red. The sudden, unexpected happiness left her unsure how to react.

So even someone as withdrawn as her could have a day when people paid attention to her.

"Oh? Then come play with us!"

Shiina was easygoing. Smiling, she took Wang Meiyu with her to play by the pool.

At first, Wang Meiyu was a little reserved, but she gradually loosened up.

Xia Mu glanced at the Correction progress displayed on the System Panel and narrowed his eyes.

[Wang Meiyu Correction progress: 50%, reward: five Skill Points]

It was better than nothing, at least. Wang Meiyu didn't really have any major problems to begin with.

She just didn't talk to people much. She wasn't completely unable to communicate like Sakura.

Speaking of Sakura...

Xia Mu raised his eyes and scanned the crowd. He quickly spotted Sakura.

It was only because of her ample assets. Among her peers, she could be said to tower over the competition; few could compare.

She was having a great time with Hasebe and the others. The rest of the Class D students were nearby, playing beach volleyball.

As for the chubby guy, he was having a blast with his girlfriend.

Xia Mu looked away. He hadn't forgotten the reason he'd come here, and he wasn't about to let himself get distracted by having fun.

[Correct Suzune Horikita, progress: 0%]

This was the task that had appeared when Suzune talked with Xia Mu on the rooftop last time.

He just hadn't had time to try completing it then.

After the midterm exams, Xia Mu had tried plenty of different methods, but he still hadn't managed to raise Suzune Horikita's Correction progress by even a single point.

So he thought the problem still lay with Manabu Horikita.

In other words, the older brother Suzune called "Onii-chan."

So he lifted his leg and headed toward the most conspicuous person in the crowd: Manabu Horikita.

The students around them noticed Xia Mu's movement too.

He was walking almost in a straight line, making his destination far too obvious.

The students from Class A of the Third Year also noticed Xia Mu approaching. At once, several of them surged forward and blocked his way.

"Stop right there, kid. What do you think you're doing?" A girl with long blond hair and a revealing, sultry outfit shouted at Xia Mu.

The other students also went on alert. If Xia Mu made any suspicious move, they would swarm him immediately.

Was this the unity of a class that had spent three years at this school?

Xia Mu focused himself and looked toward Manabu Horikita in the middle of the crowd. "I'm here to see the Student Council President. There's something I'd like to discuss with him."