People from Class C?

"Sure, thank you, Mu Tianchen. You're such a good person." Kushida put on a moved expression.

Even if it might be an act, she still looked cute, especially with those lively eyes of hers. Was this the privilege of all beautiful girls?

But hey, why did he get hit with a "good person" card right off the bat?

"Mm, I've got something to take care of, so I'll head back first. Once it's done, I'll message you directly."

Mu Tianchen didn't want to linger here too long. Though secluded, this place was still a public area, and there was always a chance someone from another class might come by to talk.

Better safe than sorry!

"Okay~ Bye-bye."

"Bye."

As for why he agreed to this request, aside from not wanting to make Kushida angry, Mu Tianchen also wanted to use this chance to test Beauty Bro.

Even without testing, it was obvious he wasn't simple, but to be safe, it was better to check personally.

And even if he got misunderstood, he could just use helping Kushida as an excuse—why not?

After leaving the rooftop, Mu Tianchen headed straight to the library, as was his habit.

Once there, he grabbed a few new books and sat down in his usual spot.

The books he picked this time were all novels by Keigo Higashino. Aside from light novels, Mu Tianchen also enjoyed reading mystery novels.

This place was still as quiet and sparsely populated as a few days ago.

"Ah!" Just as he was about to start reading, a girl's scream came from somewhere in the distance.

It sounded like she was hurt. Mu Tianchen picked up his book and stood to check it out.

Following the sound to a bookshelf, he saw a silver-haired, purple-eyed girl with a cute face sitting on the floor, clutching a book. She was holding her forehead with her right hand.

Hit by a book? Mu Tianchen spotted several books scattered on the ground beside her and quickly reached that conclusion.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Mu Tianchen crouched down and asked.

"I'm fine. I was just reaching for a book, but it was a bit high, and I accidentally hit my forehead when I pulled it down. It hurts a little, but luckily the book didn't fall from too high up, so it's not a big deal."

The girl noticed the male classmate crouching in front of her with concern. She gently moved her hand away and pointed to a few gaps on the shelf above to show him.

"I see." Mu Tianchen said this but still leaned in closer.

The girl was a bit startled and stepped back slightly, but when she realized he was just checking her injury, she stopped moving away—and even blushed a little.

Because it was way too close. She could faintly feel his breath!

Mu Tianchen looked carefully. Her forehead was only slightly red, with no visible wound.

So he stood up, picked up the scattered books from the floor, and put them back in their places.

He had to admit, when he leaned in earlier, the faint fragrance coming from the girl was quite pleasant. Now that he was farther away and couldn't smell it anymore, his nose almost felt... reluctant?

"Um... thank you. I haven't even introduced myself yet—how rude of me."

"I'm Hiyori Shiina from Class 1-C. Nice... to meet you." The girl still seemed a bit shy, her eyes darting around as she spoke.

"Class C?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm Mu Tianchen from Class 1-D. I transferred here to study. Nice to meet you too."

"A transfer student? That's impressive. Huh? Is that book in your hand The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino?"

The girl's eyes lit up when she saw the title of the book in Mu Tianchen's hand.

"Yeah, and I borrowed a few more too." Mu Tianchen pointed to his seat.

"Looks like we have the same taste in books. Let me tell you, I really admire Mr. Ishigami in that book—the way he came up with that crime method, and how he went that far for Ms. Yasuko Hanaoka..."

The girl started talking nonstop, and Mu Tianchen did his best to keep up with her words.

He felt like she had already forgotten the pain on her forehead.

What could he say? This was quite a contrast from her shy image earlier.

Guess that's a literary girl for you—once she meets a like-minded book buddy, she's like someone who's chewed a certain brand of gum: she just can't stop!

After a while, Shiina seemed to have talked herself out. They went together to the library's free water station, drank some water, and then she sat reading at Mu Tianchen's previous spot until the library's closing bell rang...

"Mu Tianchen, can we read together like this again next time?" Shiina seemed a bit reluctant to part.

"Of course. I'd be happy to exchange thoughts on books with you too."

"Thank you."

After saying goodbye to Shiina, Mu Tianchen planned to head to the cafeteria to grab something to eat.

As for this Class C girl he'd met by chance in the library today, Mu Tianchen had initially wondered if she was a plant sent by Class C to get close to him.

But he quickly dismissed that thought. After all, when he'd asked Ryuuen for points earlier, he hadn't slipped up at all. There was no way Ryuuen could pinpoint him that fast.

Besides, during their book discussion, it was clear she genuinely loved reading. As for whether Ryuuen might discover and exploit this later—

He'd deal with that when it came. This chance friendship was hard to come by, and he wanted to cherish it. He didn't want to be like before. At least this time, over these three years, he would learn to change himself.

As for the purpose behind his father sending him here, he believed Uncle Sakura would tell him eventually, right?

"One serving of mapo tofu and one serving of sweet and sour pork."

"Coming right up."

Seeing dishes from his homeland even on this island nation truly stirred a sense of nostalgia in Mu Tianchen.

He wondered if his mother missed him from across the sea—she must be so lonely over there all by herself.

"This damn school!" Thinking of this, Mu Tianchen couldn't help but complain inwardly.

No contact with the outside world for three years—who came up with this ridiculous rule? Was it because he had no family himself?

Forget it, complaining was useless. This school was built on meritocracy, and as far as he could see, merit was largely reflected in points.

Maybe once he gained enough power, he could change these rules...

Teacher Chazhu had said before that there was nothing in this school that points couldn't buy!

"Your order is ready, sir." The waiter's reminder snapped Mu Tianchen out of his thoughts.

"Okay."

Mu Tianchen picked up his tray and chose a quiet seat in the corner.

He picked up his utensils and took a bite of the mapo tofu and the sweet and sour pork.

Sure enough, while the dishes looked similar, the taste was far inferior to his mother's cooking back home.

Mu Tianchen looked down at the point balance on his phone:

370000 points

Although this amount was already considerable for an ordinary student, it was still far from enough for him.

Moreover, next month, Class D would most likely receive very few points.

Once he finished handling the matter Kushida had entrusted to him, it was time to start moving.