Yi Chen returned to the dorm and lay on his bed, feeling dazed and unsure what to do.
When he checked his phone, he found a barrage of messages from Ichinose.
Yi Chen happily replied.
Although he didn't really understand what love was, Yi Chen thought:
It's just two people being together and relying on each other, right?
Yi Chen touched his lips. It was his first time.
Thinking about everything that had just happened, his face immediately flushed again.
His heart was pounding faster, too.
Yi Chen felt wonderful.
He tried to go to sleep, but tossed and turned for a long time.
He thought about many things.
From Ichinose to Class C, how to get into Class A, and what he might do in the future.
Unable to sleep, Yi Chen got up and started practicing the Primordial Flower Hand again.
His mind gradually settled.
"Ichinose?"
"Getting into Class A?"
"I think Ichinose's class ends up being the worst one."
"Class C? If all three of them come at me together, can I beat them?"
"Besides, Ryuen hasn't even shown up yet."
"There are all kinds of exams coming up. Will I graduate from Class A?"
"Forget it. I'll take things as they come."
He didn't know how long he practiced. Yi Chen was drenched in sweat, but his muscles felt even firmer.
After taking a shower, Yi Chen made a rough plan for the future.
Night passed.
Time moved on, and the days went by.
Kushida had gone from being cold at first to acting like her old self again.
Yi Chen wondered:
"Is it because of Ichinose?"
Airi and Yi Chen were friends, but they didn't talk much in their everyday lives.
Airi's presence was fading more and more.
Yi Chen wondered:
"?"
Before long, a month had passed, and a new month began.
Yi Chen spent the month peacefully on campus.
He kept up his daily practice of the Primordial Flower Hand.
Yi Chen felt lighter than ever.
In his spare time, he and Ichinose were practically inseparable. Sometimes they were warm with each other, and sometimes distant.
But their feelings for each other continued to grow.
The new month had begun, and although the class didn't have many Class Points,
they hadn't received much this month, but at least they'd gotten something.
With the new allowance, Yi Chen's personal points reached 27,000.
That day, Airi found Yi Chen and asked him to accompany her to get her camera repaired.
Yi Chen gladly agreed. Ichinose had club activities that afternoon.
At school, Yi Chen found all sorts of things troublesome and had turned down every club invitation, so he had plenty of free time.
After class, Yi Chen went with Airi to get her camera repaired. They didn't say much to each other.
Airi made small talk, asking Yi Chen how things had been going with Ichinose lately.
Yi Chen gave her a casual answer.
Angel: "Quest issued" Save Airi Sakura Rewards: One Gold Card Failure: One Bronze Card
Hearing this, Yi Chen remembered an important part of the story.
But the rewards left him puzzled.
"I remember there was only one stalker. Why would dealing with him get such a good reward?"
"Even failing would still get me a Bronze Card."
Although Yi Chen was confused, a quest was a quest.
The two soon got the camera repaired.
They quickly went their separate ways.
Yi Chen went to eat with Ichinose, chatting with her about all sorts of things.
But then a message suddenly came through on Yi Chen's phone.
Airi had sent him a location pin.
After seeing the message, Yi Chen paused for a moment to think.
Afraid something might happen to Ichinose, he made up an excuse, saying he'd spend the evening with her.
Then he hurried off, following the location pin.
Before long, it led him to a school building.
Yi Chen went inside.
He didn't know which floor Airi was on, so he searched quickly.
Soon, he reached the rooftop.
"Ryuen?!"
"Ibuki Mio?"
Yi Chen stared at everyone around him in disbelief.
Albert, Yamazaki, Ibuki Mio, and Ryuen.
After their last fight, Yi Chen had analyzed the key members of Class C.
He hadn't expected Airi to be there too, held by Yamazaki off to the side.
Seeing Yi Chen arrive, Ryuen said disdainfully:
"Finally. Took you long enough."
"So you're the one pulling the strings in Class D."
"Angela Yi Chen."
"You're pretty impressive, considering you dealt with those three before."
Yi Chen was confused. This scene was at least ninety percent wrong.
Yi Chen asked coolly:
"Why are you following and threatening Airi?"
Ryuen chuckled.
"We're not some perverts who stalk people."
"That piece of trash you're talking about has already been dealt with. We handed him over to the police."
"To be honest, he sure couldn't take a beating."
At that moment, someone quietly emerged from behind the rooftop entrance.
"Kushida!"
Yi Chen was completely baffled.
Kushida spoke slowly:
"Airi told me today that someone seemed to be following her, so I stepped in to help."
"Ryuen already dealt with that person. We're just asking Airi for a favor now."
Yi Chen glanced at Airi, trying to ask if this was true.
Airi looked at Yi Chen and nodded.
Yamazaki let go of Airi. She came over and explained everything to Yi Chen.
She also told him that Ryuen and the others wouldn't hurt them.
Ryuen stepped forward and taunted him:
"Yi Chen, you two sure are close."
"I thought you were with Ichinose from Class B."
"Why'd you come running just because she sent you a location pin?"
Yi Chen replied coolly:
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Ryuen gave Kushida a malicious look.
Kushida came over and told Airi to leave first. Airi had initially planned to take Yi Chen with her, but he told her not to worry.
After Airi left alone,
Yamazaki and Albert moved behind Yi Chen.
Yi Chen grew wary.
Kushida's face twisted into a dark, ugly expression.
"Angela Yi Chen."
"How come a loser like you is more popular than me?"
"How come you could make such an arrogant speech at the start of the year and still have classmates like you?"
"Why are you so popular?"
"I was so nice to you, and this is how you treat me?"
"Someone like you doesn't deserve Ichinose, let alone Class D."
Yamazaki and Albert stepped forward and grabbed Yi Chen by the arms.
Kushida came at him with a front kick, striking him in the stomach.
Yi Chen coughed softly and staggered back two steps.
Yamazaki and Albert released him.
Yi Chen stared at Kushida in disappointment.
"Kushida, so this is who you really are."
"Everything you did for me before was an act."
Kushida looked at Yi Chen with disgust.
"Angela Yi Chen, if you'd just kept your head down and quietly enjoyed your school life..."
"If you'd let me have the spotlight and stopped stealing my popularity, that would've been fine."
"But what gave you the right to help that loser, Yamauchi Haruki?"
"And Ken Sudō too. It's all you. Everything is because of you."
"You sure know how to draw attention."
Hearing her, Yi Chen understood something:
"It's hard for people to change. I don't understand Kushida."
"I haven't walked in her shoes or lived the same life as her."
"I don't know why she's so determined to get everyone's attention."
"But apart from just now, Kushida really had treated me well."
After thinking this, Yi Chen said calmly:
"Kushida, we're even."
"I won't have anything to do with you from now on."
Kushida gave a disdainful laugh and moved to the side, intending to enjoy the show.
But Airi hadn't actually gone far.
Through a crack in the rooftop door, a camera was quietly recording everything.
Ryuen also moved to the back and called out loudly:
"Yi Chen, let me see what you can do with my own eyes."
Yi Chen looked around. Ibuki Mio was standing right in front of him now, too.
Yi Chen was surrounded by three people.
The breeze swept across the rooftop, and the sun slowly sank toward the horizon.
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