It's Him

That day, Mu Tianchen deliberately woke up early.

Good habits need to be cultivated slowly, so he decided to first run a few laps around the track before heading back to the classroom. As for Kushida's matter, he would leave it for after lunch.

It was strange, though—through his observations of the school these past few days, he always felt like the school was deliberately imitating society.

In this school, almost every place where activities or entertainment took place had cameras, but they also intentionally left out some corners.

He didn't think the school was skimping on the money needed to install those cameras.

Moreover, the same thing happened when Sudo was at the convenience store. The spot where they had their conflict was in a conspicuous location, so naturally there were cameras. But later, when he taught the senior a lesson, that place had none—it was a relatively secluded spot.

The same applied to society. In most public places, there were cameras, and once a crime was committed, the culprit would be caught red-handed.

But if it happened in a more remote area, even if a crime occurred, without evidence, it would be hard to deal with.

Thinking this far, he suddenly understood the school's intention:

They probably deliberately recruited people who liked to cause trouble and stir up conflict into this school. There were many ways to achieve success—not all of them had to be aboveboard. Taking advantage of loopholes was also a form of wisdom.

In other words, as long as their actions weren't discovered or there was no evidence, the school would just turn a blind eye.

No wonder Ryuen used violent methods to rule his class.

This school really couldn't be judged by common sense. He'd better be careful from now on. Although Mu Tianchen wasn't afraid of violence, if someone came to provoke him, he might even be able to use it to his advantage.

"I should buy a few voice recorders and carry them with me," Mu Tianchen silently decided in his heart.

By the time he returned to the classroom, it was almost time for class. Mu Tianchen rested his head on the desk for a while, and then the teacher walked in and began the lesson.

Most of the students were as "attentive" as ever, completely focused on their own affairs, striving for their dreams of becoming manga artists, novelists, or even gourmets.

"Doesn't anyone remind these idiots?"

Mu Tianchen couldn't help but complain inwardly. He didn't believe everyone in the class was stupid, that no one could notice anything.

Besides, wasn't listening attentively in class and not messing around a basic rule for students? Even elementary school kids knew that.

Did they really think the school would keep giving them 100,000 points every month while they fooled around like this?

Did they think their dad was Li Gang? That the school would indulge them like that?

It was hopeless. The more Mu Tianchen thought about it, the more exasperated he became. But once he calmed down, he also figured out why no one reminded them.

Some capable people, like him, probably preferred to stay hidden. Who wanted to be the one to stick their neck out?

It was also possible that, although they knew there were penalties, they didn't know the exact form of punishment. They were betting that the school would only punish the individual at fault and not implicate them, so there was no need to speak up.

By common sense, that was indeed the case.

But this school loved to defy common sense!

Hirata and Kushida were a special case. Even if they noticed, they wouldn't point it out openly. As the leaders of the class, without absolute certainty, they naturally didn't want to create conflict within the group.

And some people simply couldn't be bothered to care—like his deskmate, this "Beauty Bro."

"Sigh, the road is hard!" Mu Tianchen decided not to dwell on it. Why make things difficult for himself?

So, he started listening to the lecture.

Although this school was very unusual, the content the teacher taught was still fairly ordinary. Mu Tianchen didn't find it particularly difficult.

After grasping the main points of the knowledge, he also began to rest his head on the desk and sleep.

Maybe it would cost the class some points, but it didn't matter. When most people were slacking off, standing out would only draw unwanted attention.

It was almost time for the appointment with Kushida, so Mu Tianchen planned to head to the rooftop to meet her.

This Kushida was pretty smart. The rooftop was a secluded place, unnoticed by others, and perfect for a conversation—ideal for him.

Maybe she had also considered his feelings.

If Mu Tianchen hadn't known she was faking it, he might have actually been moved by her thoughtfulness.

He climbed to the top floor, pushed open the door, and found Kushida already waiting there ahead of time.

"You're here, Mu Tianchen-kun. Good afternoon," Kushida greeted him first as she saw him enter.

"Yeah. Please, tell me what you need."

"It's just... I was hoping Mu Tianchen-kun could help me arrange a meeting with Takagahara-kun, or at least get me his contact info."

Kushida pretended to be a little shy and continued, "You know, I want to be friends with everyone, but Takagodera-kun seems to really dislike me."

"...Takagahara? Who's that?"

Mu Tianchen felt the name was familiar—he thought he'd heard it during the self-introductions—but he couldn't remember who it was for a moment.

"He's your deskmate, the blond-haired guy. Don't you know his name?"

Kushida was a bit speechless inside, but on the surface, she still put on a pitiful, charming expression.

"Oh, you mean Beauty Bro! Of course I know him."

"Beauty... Bro? Who's that?" Kushida was puzzled by this unexpected answer.

"N-nothing... I mean, I know Taka... Takagodera." First impressions really were hard to shake once they set in.

He still remembered Takagodera introducing himself as the son of a financial conglomerate—that had left quite an impression.

But Mu Tianchen hadn't remembered his name. The nickname "Beauty Bro" had left too deep a mark; he'd unconsciously carried it over.

"I can help you with this favor, but why come to me?"

"Because Takagahara is the only one who's ever voluntarily struck up a conversation with Mu Tianchen." Kushida put on an innocent expression.

"..."

Does that even count? Though Mu Tianchen wanted to argue, he held his tongue.

Still, how did Kushida know about that?

Was her observational skill that sharp?

Or had she heard it from someone who saw it? Mu Tianchen had no way of knowing.

"Then it's settled?" Kushida tilted her head, pleading.

"Fine, but I'll just help you get his contact info. Setting up a meeting is way too hard."

From Mu Tianchen's observations, Beauty Bro was almost never around after school.

Even if he happened to spot him on the road, Beauty Bro was always flanked by a few upperclassman beauties, arms draped around them left and right.

Well, what else would you expect from the young master of a financial dynasty?

Even at school, he was so unrestrained... ahem...

Mu Tianchen didn't think Beauty Bro would sacrifice his "precious time" to meet Kushida and play along with her cheap little friendship game.