Correction in Progress

After Xia Mu rose and left, Ayanokoji's tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, as if trying to pierce through the endless darkness.

After a moment of contemplation, he ultimately chose to follow.

With Xia Mu's current level of perception, he naturally sensed Ayanokoji's presence, but he did not expose him.

He had no intention of hiding it in the first place.

Crossing the stream and climbing over the bushes, Karuizawa Kei was already waiting in the clearing on the other side!

Seeing Xia Mu, her heart felt like it was harboring a little rabbit, anxious and restless; she couldn't understand why Xia Mu had messaged her to meet him here at eleven at night.

He couldn't possibly be into the thrill of doing it in the wild, could he?

Karuizawa Kei had no way of knowing, but she certainly wouldn't engage in such acts with Xia Mu in a place like this.

If this were to be discovered by others, she would undoubtedly be ruined.

The campsite was not far away; if Xia Mu dared to lay a hand on her, she would scream immediately.

As she thought this, Xia Mu stepped across the sand and arrived before her.

Seeing Xia Mu, her fists at her sides tightened slightly, recalling the moment he had pushed her against the railing without a second thought.

He really didn't know the first thing about being gentle with a lady.

"What do you want?"

Perhaps knowing that Xia Mu wouldn't dare do anything to her, her tone returned to its usual strength.

However, what Xia Mu said next left her stunned.

"Hit me."

"Use the move you think is your strongest, and hit me."

?

A question mark appeared on Karuizawa Kei's forehead. "Wh-what? Do you have some kind of mental illness?"

He dragged her out here in the middle of the night, not letting her sleep, just for this?

"Inexplicable." Karuizawa Kei muttered, then tried to walk past Xia Mu to leave.

At that moment, Xia Mu grabbed her wrist with a 'snap,' and then his palm moved toward her buttocks.

Almost as a reflex, she raised her hand to slap Xia Mu's face.

But her wrist was easily caught by Xia Mu, who gave it a slight twist. "Crack."

"Ugh!" Overcome by sharp pain, her body couldn't help but twist in the direction of her wrist's rotation. Subconsciously, she swung her other hand at Xia Mu.

But it was quickly caught by Xia Mu as well, followed by another twist.

Her body couldn't stop itself from turning completely around, shifting from facing him from the side to having her back to him. Because of the intense pain in her wrists, she fell to her knees on the ground, assuming a rather lewd posture.

Xia Mu was behind, Karuizawa Kei was kneeling in front, her hands still held and twisted by Xia Mu.

"What are you doing!?"

Even though it hurt, Karuizawa Kei still didn't dare to scream, fearing that the classmates near the tents might hear, so she just angrily questioned Xia Mu.

However, at this moment, Xia Mu let her go.

Just as she was about to stand up and run away, Xia Mu kicked her hard in the buttocks.

With a "Bang!" she couldn't stop herself from stumbling forward several steps, then immediately braced her hands on the ground, kneeling and sprawling on the earth.

"Did you learn it?"

Before she could berate Xia Mu, his calm voice came from behind her.

"What?" Karuizawa Kei clutched her buttocks, which were pulsing with waves of sharp pain, feeling completely bewildered.

She turned her body around and was met by Xia Mu's eyes, which were shimmering with a silver light under the moonlight.

"Learn what?" The anger on her face vanished in an instant, leaving only fragility.

"Sigh."

Xia Mu sighed slightly. "You're so slow."

He reached out and tapped Karuizawa Kei on the head. "This is the most basic form of grappling. While it won't work against someone with actual combat training, it's enough to bully those guys who only know how to gang up on others."

"Hm-hm?"

Karuizawa Kei blinked her large eyes repeatedly, completely dumbfounded. "You..."

"I told you, I would help you."

Xia Mu felt that Karuizawa Kei was truly too clumsy. "So I am teaching you how to fight back now; I can't be behind you protecting you every single second."

Listening to Xia Mu's words, Karuizawa Kei didn't sense a shred of deception.

She couldn't help but ask the question that every girl who had been through Correction by Xia Mu wanted to ask: "Why... why are you helping me?"

Except for Kushida, of course.

Her way of thinking was different from ordinary people.

"I have my reasons, and you just need to do as you're told." Xia Mu couldn't be bothered to explain himself to her, so he beckoned her over. "Again."

Karuizawa Kei clutched her wrist, which stung as if scorched by fire. She understood now that Xia Mu was no ordinary person; he possessed genuine skill, and she was absolutely no match for him.

Since he was willing to teach her everything he knew, how could Karuizawa Kei possibly let such an opportunity slip by?

She wouldn't lose anything either way, and besides, she had no other choice left.

For the entire night, Karuizawa Kei was like a withered flower swaying in a storm, mercilessly battered by Xia Mu using all sorts of brutal methods. Yet, amidst this inhumane torture, she managed, like a traveler groping through the darkness, to arduously grasp the basics of grappling.

After seven days, she should be more than capable of handling the average student.

Ayanokoji saw all of this.

And Xia Mu had intentionally let him see it.

He wanted to verify a hypothesis.

Early the next morning, Xia Mu got out of bed.

To conserve supplies, they ate simple bread and some wild fruits gathered from outside the previous day.

Xia Mu found the meal bland and tasteless, so he grabbed the makeshift bow and arrows he had crafted yesterday and headed out.

Since he couldn't be left alone, Xia Mu had Sakura follow him.

"Xia Mu, are you... going hunting?" Sakura Airi asked, clutching one of the makeshift arrows Xia Mu had fashioned, her curiosity piqued.

"Yes. Yesterday, I observed that there are some birds on this island, and they aren't protected species." Xia Mu explained softly. "These birds are numerous, and their droppings cause a great deal of pollution to the ocean every year. You could say we're doing the public a service."

"Oh, then..." Sakura Airi wanted to say something more, but seeing Xia Mu make a shushing gesture, she immediately covered her mouth.

She watched as Xia Mu slowly nocked an arrow and drew the bow, not daring to even breathe loudly.

She also noticed the black bird perched on a tree trunk, pecking at insects inside a hollow.

"Whoosh!"

Xia Mu released the arrow, hitting his mark with precision.

The black bird flapped its wings twice before tumbling to the ground, struggling incessantly.

"That's amazing!" Sakura covered her mouth with one hand, turning into a little fan.

It was her first time seeing someone use a bow and arrow in real life.

Xia Mu walked over, picked up the black bird, and tossed it to Sakura.

The latter caught it in a flurry, but seeing the blood-stained bird, she couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

Afterward, Xia Mu hunted several more. The two of them then found an open area to pluck the feathers and remove the innards before roasting them over a fire.

Watching the bird on the campfire as its fat began to turn a golden yellow, Sakura couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

It was pitiful, yes, but it also smelled delicious.