Gold Card: Sword Mastery

An abandoned school building.

There were many students around Ryuen.

He was reprimanding Albert and the others.

Yamazaki and the others were kneeling on the ground. Ryuen stepped forward and kicked Yamazaki in the stomach.

Ryuen shouted angrily:

"Looks like the lesson I taught you last time wasn't enough!"

"You damn idiots! Didn't you say the three of you could definitely take care of Angela Yi Chen this time?"

"What the hell are you good for? You even cost me 300,000 points."

Yamazaki coughed and wheezed:

"Sorry, Ryuen. He wasn't nearly this strong before."

"He didn't beat the two of us this easily last time."

Hearing this, Ryuen stepped forward and punched Yamazaki hard again.

Yamazaki spat blood and fell silent.

Ryuen leaned in toward Yamazaki and yelled:

"Your whole class will cover the loss of those 300,000 points."

Ryuen kicked Albert in the back of the stomach, then grabbed Ibuki Mio by the bangs and yanked her head up.

Ibuki was in great pain. She gritted her teeth, inwardly seething with resentment.

Ryuen sneered:

"What, you got a problem with that?"

The others hurriedly replied that they didn't.

Ryuen yelled at them to get lost.

After they left,

Ryuen punched a nearby student hard in the stomach.

The student passed out on the spot.

Ryuen's face darkened as he snarled:

"Angela Yi Chen."

"I'll remember this lesson, Ryuen."

"Just you wait. I'll make you suffer a hundred times more humiliation than this."

Back on campus,

the sun still hung on the horizon, and Airi reluctantly parted from Yi Chen.

After they separated,

Angel:

Mission complete:

Gold Card: Sword Mastery

Description:

"Upon use, your swordsmanship reaches mastery."

After Yi Chen used the card, a vast amount of knowledge flooded into his mind once again.

A short while later, Yi Chen took a deep breath and picked up a pointed stick from the grass planter by the roadside.

With a clear gaze, Yi Chen imagined the stick in his hand as a sword.

Yi Chen held the sword in reverse, gripping it tightly as he thrust forward.

He slashed, chopped, and cut diagonally with the sword.

He drew the sword back to his chest, then performed Phoenix Nod and Dragon Sword.

Yi Chen crouched and leaped, finishing with one last Phoenix Nod.

He landed and ended with a sword-finger salute.

Looking at the stick in his hand, Yi Chen felt secretly thrilled:

"So cool! Is this what having a system is like? I'd never learned swordsmanship before, but wielding a sword is so satisfying now."

"What man could resist the appeal of playing with a sword?"

After practicing, Yi Chen happily stroked the stick in his hand. Right now, he really wanted to wield a real sword.

Just then, someone about Yi Chen's height slowly emerged from behind the grass planter in the distance.

Yi Chen calmly looked over, gripping the stick tightly.

The newcomer slowly approached.

It was the Student Council President, Manabu Horikita.

Yi Chen looked at him calmly, his expression turning a little uneasy as embarrassment washed over him.

He kept his face expressionless, but inside, he was dying of embarrassment.

Yi Chen thought:

I must've gotten way too absorbed in practicing. He definitely saw me, right?

He's not going to try to chat with me now, is he? Man, this is so awkward.

Manabu Horikita stepped forward, looking cool and aloof:

"Angela Yi Chen, your swordsmanship is pretty impressive."

Yi Chen looked utterly dead inside:

"..."

Yi Chen smiled awkwardly at Manabu Horikita.

When Manabu Horikita saw that Yi Chen didn't respond, he spoke up directly:

"Angela Yi Chen, join the Student Council."

Yi Chen's eyes widened as he stared at Manabu Horikita in confusion.

Manabu Horikita saw the look on Yi Chen's face and, unable to hold back, turned away and clenched his teeth.

A moment later, he turned back around and looked at Yi Chen, keeping himself in check.

Yi Chen said calmly:

"Why?"

Manabu Horikita replied:

"There's an opening for the head of the External Affairs Department on the Student Council. You're taking it."

Yi Chen looked at him as if to say, "And then?"

"Hm?"

Manabu Horikita said:

"You're the leader of Class D, right? Whether it was preventing expulsions or getting the case from last time dropped..."

"You were the one behind it, weren't you?"

Yi Chen thought about it. That was true. Since he knew the story, all it had taken was a little nudge from him to get things done.

Yi Chen said:

"I guess so. What else do you want to say?"

Manabu Horikita said coldly:

"Join the Student Council and help me."

Yi Chen said:

"What if I refuse?"

Manabu Horikita stepped forward and raised his fists, swaying them from side to side:

"Try it."

Yi Chen gave an awkward, helpless laugh:

"Student Council President? Are you kidding me? You could beat me to a pulp, and I'd still refuse if I didn't want to join."

Hearing this, Manabu Horikita relaxed his stance:

"I just think you're interesting and want to spar with you."

Yi Chen:

"..."

Manabu Horikita sighed:

"Forget it. Why don't you want to join the Student Council?"

Yi Chen replied casually:

"I'm just too lazy to join. Besides, I'm not good at navigating all that social stuff."

"It's too much trouble."

Manabu Horikita said arrogantly:

"Suit yourself. Take good care of Horikita Suzune in Class D."

With that, Manabu Horikita left.

Yi Chen looked at him in confusion.

"?"

Soon, Yi Chen found Ichinose again. The sun was about to set.

The sky was gradually turning dark.

Ichinose asked Yi Chen where he'd gone. Yi Chen made up an excuse and gave her a brief answer.

Ichinose clung to Yi Chen and wrapped her arms around his, asking him to tell her what had really happened.

Yi Chen told Ichinose everything, from beginning to end.

Ichinose leaned against Yi Chen, looking surprised.

Ichinose said worriedly:

"So please don't do anything dangerous like that again, okay?"

"Ryuen from Class C really isn't a good person."

Yi Chen laughed:

"Then what should I do? Tell a teacher?"

Ichinose said gently:

"If something like this happens again, let me handle it. I can help you."

"I know a lot of people at school."

Yi Chen smiled warmly at Ichinose and patted her head.

Yi Chen teased:

"Really? You must be very popular, then~"

Ichinose pinched Yi Chen's cheek and said crossly:

"You're teasing me again, aren't you?"

"I told you, you're different from everyone else to me."

Yi Chen pinched Ichinose's cheek and said gently:

"Got it."

As it grew dark, Ichinose invited Yi Chen to the theater to see a play.

The two chatted as they walked.

Ichinose said softly:

"Yi Chen, do you want to join my club? It seems like you don't have much to do every afternoon."

Yi Chen said calmly:

"Your club has to deal with every little thing that comes up. No way am I joining. But..."

"Speaking of clubs, isn't there a Kendo Club? I think I remember there being one."

Ichinose looked at Yi Chen admiringly:

"Yi Chen, you know kendo too? That's amazing."

Yi Chen smiled:

"I actually only mastered it just now."

Ichinose said:

"That's still amazing. Do you want me to help you get in?"

Yi Chen pinched Ichinose's cheek and said casually:

"Sure, whatever you want."

Ichinose said bashfully:

"Great! Almost all the girls in the Kendo Club have boyfriends, so I'll feel a lot more at ease about you."

Yi Chen looked helpless.

Soon, the two arrived at the theater entrance.

Ayanokoji had just come out of the theater. His expression was as blank as ever.

Yi Chen and Ichinose greeted him.

After that, they each went their own way.

Yi Chen thought for a moment, then asked coolly:

"Ichinose, what's your relationship with Ayanokoji like?"

Ichinose said softly:

"We know each other. Our teacher, Chie, even told me to keep an eye on him."

Yi Chen's heart tightened. He said flatly,

"Then what do you think of Ayanokoji?"

Ichinose answered seriously,

"Hm? He doesn't talk much. He seems like a good student. He even came to me before to ask for help with a classmate."

Yi Chen sighed.

"Then do you like him?"

Ichinose looked at Yi Chen in confusion.

"What? Yi Chen, we're just acquaintances. How could I possibly like him?"

"Why are you always like this? Why would I like him? We're just acquaintances."

"Are you jealous?"

Yi Chen gazed at the moon in the distance, his heart heavy.

"If this were the world of an anime, Ichinose would be supposed to like Ayanokoji."

"Ichinose, you don't understand the pain of someone like me, who knows the script."

"But if this is a real world, where will I go after I clear it?"

Ichinose's voice brought Yi Chen back to the present.

"Yi Chen, why do you get jealous so easily?"

"Just say what's on your mind. Don't worry—as long as you don't bring up breaking up, I'll stay with you forever."

Yi Chen looked at Ichinose calmly.

"I know."

Ichinose looked at Yi Chen, rose onto her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek.

Both of them blushed instantly.