Kikyo Kushida Has Been Broken

"Huh?"

Kikyo Kushida froze for a moment, but quickly came around and sat down.

From Hirata's description, Xia Mu seemed to have autism, so she'd already prepared herself for him to turn her down.

But she hadn't expected it to be this easy.

Or maybe she just had extraordinary charm and was much better than that bitch, Horikita Suzune.

Kushida secretly rejoiced, but put on a cute, charming smile. "Wow, Xia Mu, you can really eat!"

She gazed at the towering pile of food on Xia Mu's tray and clapped softly.

"..." Xia Mu.

You can force a compliment out of even that?

What a dark-hearted white lotus.

"Ah, thanks..."

After Kushida praised him, Xia Mu instantly 'blushed.' "I'm on the sports team, so I do eat a bit much."

When you were sleepy, someone brought you a pillow.

There were Skill Points for the taking!

"Mm-hmm~"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Isn't there a saying in Huaxia?"

"Eating well is a blessing~"

She'd specifically looked up information about him so she could get closer to Xia Mu. "You're so tall, Xia Mu. You must be a very lucky person!"

That was what she said on the surface. In her heart, she was thinking, What a big dummy.

He'd fallen for her tricks so easily.

"Ah, thanks. You're like green tea, too—you always know just what to say." Xia Mu was deeply grateful.

His mind raced.

What was Kushida Kikyo's problem?

She seemed to have a dark side, and once someone discovered her secret, she'd do whatever it took to shut them up, right?

It didn't seem all that serious.

Basically, he just had to make her less gloomy and more positive, right?

"Um..."

Kushida's words left her sweating, but though she kept smiling, she'd already cursed Xia Mu's ancestors for eighteen generations in her heart.

Who complimented someone like that?

"Mm-hmm!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Xia Mu."

Kushida looked delighted. "Actually, I wanted to be friends with you. I've noticed you spend the whole day going to class and coming back from class by yourself. You must be lonely, right?"

"Most of all, I want to be your very first good friend!"

Xia Mu put a piece of fried chicken in his mouth and answered indistinctly, "Sure, but there are conditions for being my friend."

Conditions?

The smile on Kushida's face instantly froze.

I'm a sweet, cute girl who went out of my way to befriend an autistic kid, and you're making demands?

Still, to fulfill Hirata's request and bask in the glow of other people's attention, Kushida forced herself to hold it in.

"Um..."

"Go ahead, Xia Mu. If it's something I can do, I'll agree to it!"

As soon as Kushida finished speaking, Xia Mu's gaze drifted to her ample chest.

That openly heated stare left Kushida speechless.

At least he was honest.

"Mm, I'll tell you this afternoon."

Xia Mu focused on eating. "Because (smack, smack) there are (smack, smack) way too many people here (smack, smack), I'm embarrassed. Hoo."

Xia Mu swallowed his last mouthful, then stood up. "Let's meet at the café this afternoon."

He needed to think carefully about how to complete the task.

"Huh?"

Kushida blinked. She hadn't even touched her food, and he was already done?

She silently added another label to Xia Mu: big eater.

Then she looked down at her chest.

Mm...

She'd have to add lecher, too.

Back in the classroom, Xia Mu propped his head up with one hand and thought.

Kushida Kikyo's problem seemed to be that she liked attracting attention—or, more precisely, wanted to be popular.

As soon as she noticed someone in class shining brighter than her, she wanted to destroy them.

And this skill only worked on girls.

She probably wanted to be the most popular girl in the world. There was nothing wrong with that idea itself.

But she took it too far, and her heart was too dark.

So all he had to do was make her more positive? There was no need to correct her desire to be popular.

Right?

Xia Mu had no idea how the system defined it.

He'd just have to try this afternoon.

"Bzz, bzz~"

Just then, his phone buzzed.

He picked it up and saw a message from Zhu Xincheng. Zhu said he'd been busy lately, so they should hold off on meeting for now.

Xia Mu's eyes flickered as he read it.

In a foreign country, how could a fat guy who couldn't even speak proper Japanese have made friends so quickly?

Being busy was probably just an excuse.

"Haah..."

Xia Mu sighed softly. Fatty, oh, Fatty. It was time to grow up.

Otherwise, he might get eliminated in the class competition later on.

He put away his phone and looked around the classroom. He barely knew anyone.

Come to think of it, he was in a bit of danger himself.

He remembered there was an exam later where they voted for the least popular person and made them drop out, right?

Honestly, that exam made no sense at all.

But reality was just that absurd. Fairness simply didn't exist.

"Ring, ring~"

Lost in thought, he watched the afternoon pass in no time.

The sun sank in the west. Bathed in the evening glow, Xia Mu walked toward the café, draped in his golden Sunset Holy Garment.

Then he stopped outside and waited for Kushida to arrive.

Before long, Kushida came running up.

"S-sorry, Xia Mu. I'm sorry for the wait..."

She was panting, her face covered in sweat. "A classmate needed me to do something, so I got held up."

As she explained, Kushida pushed open the café door, ready to go inside.

"Wait, this isn't our final destination," Xia Mu said, stopping her.

"Huh?" Kushida tilted her head, looking confused.

Then she followed Xia Mu as he wandered around campus.

What's this big dummy planning?

Kushida Kikyo looked at Xia Mu's profile. Could he be trying to make the whole school think I'm dating him?

Actually, the big dummy was pretty handsome. He didn't stand out during the day, but he was quite good-looking.

The two of them wandered aimlessly until they spotted two girls carrying a stack of books. It was a hot day, and their foreheads were drenched in sweat.

Here was their chance.

Xia Mu's thoughts stirred. He looked at Kushida. "Kushida, I judge people by their character when I make friends. So I'm going to test you."

"See those two girls with long legs? Yes, those two."

"They're having a tough time. Go help them!"

"Huh?"

Kushida's view of the world was shattered once again. Was there something wrong with this guy? Why go looking for trouble?

But to maintain her image, she nodded. "You're right, Xia Mu. We should help our classmates!"

"Then you should help, too, right?"

Hearing that, Xia Mu firmly thrust out his palm. "No. I have to test you. If I join in, I might not be able to observe you."

"What?"

Kushida cursed Xia Mu's entire family. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Okay..."

"Hey, you two! Wait up!"

"Let me help you!"

"Huh? Are you sure?"

"No problem! I love helping people!"

"Helping others makes me happy!"

Kushida spoke gently, in a tone that even made her feel sick.

She deliberately raised her voice so Xia Mu could hear her from a distance.

Then she carried books for the two girls, one trip after another.

After a few trips, her face had gone pale, and she was nearly fainting from exhaustion.

Whatever else you could say about her, she really was out of shape.

"X-Xia Mu, can we be good friends now?" she asked sweetly.

"No! If the test were that easy, it wouldn't deserve to be called a test!"

Xia Mu looked at the system, which hadn't budged at all, and grabbed Kushida's hand. "Come on. Let's keep being Lei Feng!"

Next, he dragged Kushida around everywhere. Whenever someone needed help, he headed straight over.

Of course, he didn't lift a finger himself.

"Kushida, see that student lifting weights? He looks tired. Go help him take the barbell down."

"There's a couple arguing over there. Go slap the guy and shout, 'You scumbag! You got me pregnant and abandoned me, then turned around and found someone new!'"

"See that old lady crossing the street? Go ri—uh, I mean, help her cross."

It wasn't until the sky had gone completely dark that Kushida, utterly worn out, was left panting and gasping for breath. Only then did Xia Mu finally stop.

He rested his chin on one hand and looked at the system task, which hadn't moved at all. He frowned.

Was I going in the wrong direction?

"X-Xia Mu, can we be good friends now?"

Kushida practically gritted the words out. A hint of anger flickered in her eyes.

"Ah, well..."

Xia Mu pondered for a moment, then placed his hands on Kushida's shoulders, his expression serious. "Kushida, this was only the first test. Once you pass the second one, I'll be your good friend. Keep it up!"

"Trash, shut up!" The next second, Kushida couldn't hold back and cursed under her breath.

"Hmm?" Xia Mu turned to look at her. "Were you cursing at me?"

"Ah-hehe, no, not at all." Kushida put her hands behind her back. Her face still wore an adorable smile. "Sure! I'd do anything to become your friend, Xia Mu!"

"Mm, I'm already starting to like you a little, Kushida!"

Xia Mu blinked and smiled.

He knew the principle: after giving someone a beating, offer them a sweet date. He had to make Kushida feel as if she were making progress, like she was conquering a level.

That way, she wouldn't give up halfway through.

Because if she gave up, all her efforts so far would have been for nothing, wouldn't they?

Wait, why does that sound like me?

Maybe I should just give up...

Forget it. For the Skill Points, I'll struggle a little longer.

Xia Mu's shoulders slumped. He opened a video that was popular back in Huaxia and showed it to Kushida.

In the video, a soldier in camouflage punched the air hard. "All evil will be brought to justice!"

A rousing background soundtrack played along with it.

"Kushida, how do you feel after watching that?" Xia Mu asked.

"How do I feel?"

Kushida's expression tightened slightly. She answered uncertainly, "That he... has a problem?"

Hearing her answer, Xia Mu's eyes dimmed.

He felt that Kushida was beyond saving.

"Tsk. Say, Kushida, why do you insist on attracting so much attention? What do you get out of it?" Xia Mu asked without thinking.

But as soon as he said it, his expression changed. Damn it, why did I say that out loud?

He turned to look. Kushida had clenched her fists, and half her face was hidden in shadow.