Then he took two homemade lemon tarts, carefully wrapped in plastic wrap, from the side pocket of his backpack.
He'd made them yesterday while he was at it. They were light and refreshing, not too sweet, perfect as backup treats.
He carefully placed them in the mini-fridge's refrigerated compartment.
Once he was done, he locked the door and headed downstairs.
Kikyo Kushida was already waiting beneath a tree's shade downstairs, holding two unopened bottles of mineral water. The moment she saw him, she jogged over and handed him one.
"The opening ceremony's about to start. We should hurry to the auditorium so we aren't late!" Her voice was as lively as ever.
As she spoke, she reached out with effortless ease and gently took Lin Mu by the wrist. Then the two of them walked toward the imposing auditorium in the distance as naturally as could be.
Her hand was soft and slender, but her grip was light.
Lin Mu's muscles tensed instinctively. He felt the urge to pull away, but then reconsidered: avoiding her would only make him look awkward and might draw more needless attention and questions.
What a hassle. He let her lead him, keeping up his unhurried pace as the lollipop in his mouth clicked softly against his teeth.
A faint "crack" sounded, and the sweet-and-sour grape flavor spread through his mouth again, easing the last trace of resistance.
(Poor Lin, furious but powerless)
The auditorium was already packed, bustling with people.
The first-year students had been assigned areas according to their classes. The four sections for Classes A, B, C, and D were clearly separated by aisles, with conspicuous signs at the front of each.
The two of them followed the sign for "Class D" and took their place in the designated area.
Quite a few of their classmates had already gathered. Lin Mu habitually swept his gaze over them, and a faint, curious premonition arose in his mind.
Compared with the freshmen in Sections A, B, and C, who generally looked alert and stood relatively straight, their quiet conversations orderly, the atmosphere in Class D seemed distinctly... lax.
Most of the students looked like they were simply nervous or curious, but a few boys were standing crookedly and yawning, looking as if they hadn't gotten enough sleep.
Two or three others had gathered together, laughing a little too loudly and drawing glances from students in the nearby classes.
Overall, they gave off a feeling of being "not quite so tense." But in some circumstances, that lack of tension wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Lin Mu grumbled to himself: Had he really been "lucky" enough to end up in the legendary "bottom-tier" class?
With his supernatural abilities, even if he were in the worst class, graduating and even getting good grades would be effortless.
He could use psychokinesis to get a teacher to tweak his test papers, use X-ray vision to look at the questions, or simply influence a teacher's grading with hypnotic suggestion... There were plenty of ways.
But the thought of spending the next three years around a bunch of classmates who already looked like they'd be "trouble" or "couldn't be bothered" gave him a headache.
His peaceful life of slacking off might be disrupted by all kinds of class drama. He wasn't thrilled about that.
The less trouble, the better.
Kikyo Kushida, standing beside him, seemed to notice the brief, subtle shift in his mood. She gently nudged his arm and asked in a quiet, concerned voice:
"Lin Mu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You look a little..."
Lin Mu came back to himself. The lollipop stick shifted in his mouth as he mumbled an excuse. "It's nothing. I just got up too early and I'm a little sleepy."
He couldn't exactly tell her the truth: "I'm worried our classmates look unreliable, and I'm afraid they'll get in the way of me taking it easy."
After all, it was just a guess based on first impressions. Maybe there was a hidden powerhouse among them, like the legendary sweeping monk from martial arts novels.
As for using telepathy to eavesdrop on his classmates' true thoughts and verify his impression?
The idea only crossed his mind before he discarded it. Snooping on other people's privacy right after school started would be crossing a line and downright rude.
More importantly, what if he heard something unpleasant—full of negativity or stupidity? It might sour his own mood.
It wasn't worth it. What he didn't see wouldn't bother him, and it was even better not to hear it.
Besides, as far as he was concerned, most of his classmates would just be people sharing the same space with him for the next three years. Keeping a reasonable distance was enough.
Just then, the lights over the stage at the front of the auditorium suddenly dimmed, then quickly converged on the podium at its center.
The noisy hall quickly fell silent, and everyone turned their attention to the side of the stage.
The first person to walk out was Akane Tachibana, the Student Council Secretary.
She wore an immaculate dark red girls' uniform, with a dark red armband bearing the Student Council insignia. Her demeanor was gentle yet capable.
She walked to the microphone at the center of the podium, bowed slightly to the audience, then picked up the microphone and spoke in a clear, gentle voice that carried throughout the auditorium:
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Akane Tachibana, the Student Council Secretary.
"First of all, on behalf of the Advanced Nurturing High School Student Council and all the students currently enrolled here, I'd like to extend our most sincere welcome to you."
After a few concise, gracious opening remarks, she turned toward the side of the stage and made an elegant gesture of invitation.
"Next, please welcome the Student Council President, Manabu Horikita, to give a speech to our new students."
As she finished speaking, a boy with a posture straight as a pine tree walked slowly to the front of the stage.
He was also dressed in a crisp uniform and wore thin-framed glasses. His expression was stern, and his lips were pressed into a straight line.
Simply standing there, he exuded a calm yet powerful pressure, as though even the air had grown heavier.
The auditorium, which had still been slightly restless, fell completely silent.
Manabu Horikita took the wireless microphone from Akane Tachibana, but didn't speak right away.
His gaze swept slowly across the sea of freshmen below. Everyone it passed instinctively straightened their backs.
A few seconds later, he raised the microphone to his lips. His voice was steady and powerful, carrying exceptionally well. Though it held little emotion, every word was clear.
"I'm Manabu Horikita, the Student Council President."
"On behalf of all the students currently enrolled here, I'd like to welcome all the new students entering the school this year."
After the brief introduction, he paused before continuing. "Our school is dedicated to providing a comprehensive elite education.
"You have likely heard before enrolling of our graduation and employment rate of over ninety-nine percent, as well as the outstanding achievements our graduates have made in various fields over the years."
Lin Mu remained standing straight, but his posture was relaxed, unlike the many freshmen around him who had instinctively stiffened up.
He listened absentmindedly. The grape lollipop in his mouth had melted down to a tiny piece, its sweetness fading.
Without drawing attention to himself, he slipped another one from his pocket, this time a milk-flavored lollipop, and quickly swapped them.
The rich, milky sweetness melted over his tongue again, bringing a familiar sense of satisfaction.
His energy—or, more accurately, his psychological comfort—was replenished.
(Active from May 1 to May 5)
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