Suzune Horikita's Inner Turmoil

Looking at the System Panel before him, Xia Mu knew his hypothesis was correct.

It seemed that any student with issues could be subjected to his Correction.

Including Ayanokoji.

Everything he had done during this period was intentionally displayed for Ayanokoji to see.

It was all to conduct an experiment, and now it appeared he was right.

Only when there were intense emotional fluctuations could the system scan them and issue a mission.

Even though it was only one percent, perhaps for Ayanokoji, the degree of emotional fluctuation was considered quite significant.

The harder the Correction, the more Skill Points he would receive; it seemed Ayanokoji's problems were not small at all.

Looking at Long Yuan, who was drooling like an idiot, Xia Mu simply knocked him unconscious with a punch.

Afterward, he turned around and walked toward the bushes where Ayanokoji was hiding.

Ayanokoji had thought Xia Mu hadn't discovered him and silently turned to leave.

But after Xia Mu arrived at the bushes, he did not walk away.

Instead, he waited until Long Yuan woke up.

"Hiss, uh..."

Long Yuan gasped, clutching his splitting head as he stood up from the ground. "Why am I here? It feels like someone hit my head with a hammer."

He could no longer remember what Xia Mu had done to him.

Of course, he hadn't completely forgotten; it had simply been buried in his subconscious by Xia Mu.

Once he could completely shatter Long Yuan's psychological defenses later, he would release the accumulated despair all at once.

As for what would happen to Long Yuan then, Xia Mu didn't care.

In any case, it was highly unlikely to end well.

Confirming that Long Yuan had truly been affected by his Hypnosis, Xia Mu slowly took his leave.

He had a rough plan for his next moves.

First, he would correct Karuizawa Kei, and in the meantime, see if he could incidentally correct Suzune Horikita and Ayanokoji.

There were quite a few students with issues in this school, but that was exactly what Xia Mu wanted.

He wouldn't spare either gender; the Skill Points he would farm by then would be massive.

Lost in thought, Xia Mu returned to the campsite.

Seeing Ayanokoji lying there pretending to be asleep, Xia Mu didn't expose him and lay down to sleep as well.

Xia Mu was very clear about Ayanokoji's problem.

He was nearly perfect in every aspect, yet he lacked emotions and would use any means necessary to achieve victory.

It was somewhat similar to the way he himself sought to obtain Skill Points.

Xia Mu had emotions; he just knew when to hold them back and when to let them out.

One should not have emotions that shouldn't exist, but the emotions that should be kept must not be extinguished.

The next day, Xia Mu slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.

It was as if he were truly here for a vacation, rather than for anything else.

The campsite was in total chaos; someone had stolen Karuizawa Kei's underwear, leading the girls to demand an inspection of the boys' luggage.

Meanwhile, Suzune Horikita's expression grew increasingly ugly.

Her Key Card was missing, which was a major incident that could affect the entire class. She was already in a very poor state, and with this, she became even weaker, almost losing the strength to stand.

When a person is sick, they are at their most vulnerable and helpless; if someone offers a helping hand at such a time, the return will be the greatest.

While everyone's attention was focused on the underwear search, Xia Mu signaled for Suzune Horikita to follow him.

Though she was somewhat suspicious, Suzune Horikita did as he asked.

She had known Xia Mu for half a year, and he wouldn't ask her to follow him into the woods for no reason.

Seeing Xia Mu leave the group, the girls assumed he was the one who had stolen the underwear and began to condemn him.

But Hirata and the others stepped forward to calm things down, saying that Xia Mu had already been cleared.

Karuizawa Kei also took the lead in saying that Xia Mu was definitely not the problem, which caused Hirata's gaze to linger on her, though he didn't say anything more.

Since the person involved had said so, the other girls didn't pursue it further.

They just mentally labeled Xia Mu with a negative tag.

Most people simply followed the crowd.

"What is it?"

Suzune Horikita followed Xia Mu to the Slope Back.

She kept rubbing her forearms with her palms, trying to bring a little warmth to her body.

But this was nothing more than a psychological comfort to herself.

A fever meant feeling hot when covered by a quilt and cold when uncovered; it was uncomfortable no matter what.

Moreover, Suzune Horikita was likely suffering from a high fever, as it had already been six days without improvement, and the lack of timely treatment was causing it to gradually worsen.

However, she was truly exceptionally strong; an average girl would have long since been crying and making a scene to quit.

"Your card, I stole it."

Xia Mu pinched a card between his fingers and pulled it from his pocket; this was the reason why he hadn't let Hirata check him earlier.

One touch of his pocket would have revealed that he had stolen the Key Card.

"Wh-what?"

Suzune Horikita was a bit stunned. "Why would you..."

She had calculated everything and thought it over a thousand times, yet she had never suspected Xia Mu.

Because there was no reason to!

He wasn't a mole for Class C, and in fact, he had a terrible relationship with them. Could it be that it was all just an act for her to see?

No, that wasn't right...

As Suzune Horikita thought frantically, she only felt her brain becoming more and more muddled; she was simply too exhausted.

"Haa, haa, r-regardless..."

Suzune Horikita panted heavily and reached her pale, delicate hand toward Xia Mu. "G-give the card back to me."

"Come and get it yourself." Xia Mu toyed with the card between his fingers, his face brimming with a provocative smile.

"Haa..."

Seeing this, Suzune Horikita took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, and forced herself to muster some energy.

It was one thing to be provoked by her brother, but she hadn't expected Xia Mu to dare be so arrogant with her as well.

"Hah!"

With a sharp cry, she lunged forward, reaching toward Xia Mu's hand.

Seeing this, Xia Mu shifted his body slightly, instead using the momentum of her strike to push her wrist and gently lay her down onto the grass.

She was mortified and tried to resist, but as soon as Xia Mu's fingers pressed near her temple, her delicate body went limp.

Xia Mu supported Suzune Horikita, his right hand moving toward her face.

Seeing this, Suzune Horikita couldn't help but close her eyes and instinctively turn her face away.

But Xia Mu only used his warm palm to gently stroke her forehead.

"It's fine, it's a small problem."

Xia Mu whispered softly, then pulled his hand back.

Suzune Horikita opened her eyes to see Xia Mu holding a wooden mallet and a bowl, crushing some medicinal herbs.

After a while, he walked over, placed the herbs onto a piece of gauze, and wrapped it around her head.

A cooling sensation washed over her instantly, making Suzune Horikita feel very comfortable, as if her high fever had receded a little.

Only then did she realize that Xia Mu was trying to help her.

"Horikita-san."

Xia Mu said softly while cleaning up the residue. "Sometimes a person's strength is limited; it's better to trust your partners a bit more."

Even if you only treat them as tools.

But what of it? Isn't mutual benefit enough?

Suzune Horikita carefully pondered Xia Mu's words, and as the medicine took effect, her consciousness became a little clearer. "Xia Mu-kun, what about you?"

"Haven't you always been all alone?"