An Illusion?

"Huh? I didn't. We've played so many rounds, you should have a pretty good idea of how skilled I am by now."

Seeing that the yellow-haired senior still looked a little doubtful, Mu Tianchen continued:

"Maybe I'm just lucky."

"But..." The yellow-haired senior was about to say something else when a few of the seniors beside him patted him on the arm.

"It's fine. A loss is a loss. We just watched your match, and maybe this kid really is just lucky. We'll teach him a lesson for you."

"Exactly. You don't trust my skills, bro?" The muscular senior with dark skin confidently thumped his chest.

"You guys..." The yellow-haired senior was so moved he nearly cried. Choking back tears, he said, "You have to teach him a good lesson for me."

"No problem."

"Don't worry."

They might not have been very good at table tennis, but they'd already won on sheer bravado, hadn't they?

Mu Tianchen simply watched them. He looked calm, but inside, he was already laughing.

Then the matches continued.

Using the same method, Mu Tianchen knocked them off the table one by one.

It was pretty funny, actually. Mu Tianchen had thought the muscular senior with dark skin would be good, but—

A few times, when he tried to return the ball, he actually flung his paddle away. It nearly hit Mu Tianchen, too...

Where had he gotten the idea that he was "good"?

Could it be that the people he practiced with were afraid of getting hurt, so they deliberately went easy on him, giving him the illusion that he was skilled?

Very likely!

But this was a match, not practice. Mu Tianchen barely had to try to beat him, and he didn't even need to deliberately go easy.

The main problem was that the senior just wasn't any good. The people watching nearby saw it too: once he threw his paddle, he'd basically lost the point.

The rules didn't forbid hitting the ball with your hand, but a hand didn't have the same spring as a paddle.

Even if you managed to return the ball, it was hard to control the force.

After that, Mu Tianchen kept using the same approach he'd used against the yellow-haired senior, defeating each of the seniors who came to challenge him.

The more fired up the seniors had been at first, the more dejected they looked when they left.

The yellow-haired senior watching from the side was no different. At first, he'd looked hopeful. After several of his friends lost, that turned to disappointment, and when they'd all been beaten, it became despair.

Still, those seniors weren't as foolish as the yellow-haired one. After losing a round, they immediately sent the next person up. At least they knew when to cut their losses.

Just as Mu Tianchen was about to leave, a tall, slender senior with a handsome face walked over to him.

"Hello. I'm Miyamoto Subaru, a second-year student in Class A and vice president of the Table Tennis Club. I noticed your match just now. Would you be interested in joining our club?"

"Didn't you say you'd already filled all the spots?" Mu Tianchen asked.

"We can make an exception for skilled players. And if you perform well, you can be promoted quickly. Of course, we'll make sure you're well compensated with points, too."

Miyamoto Subaru finished with a proud look on his face. Perhaps he thought being personally selected by him was an honor.

Mu Tianchen thought the vice president was making quite an offer. Besides, joining the club wasn't why he'd come here in the first place.

"My skill? I'm just lucky. You're too kind, Vice President. Sorry, but I'm not planning to join any clubs right now."

As soon as Mu Tianchen turned him down, Miyamoto Subaru's expression changed. He probably wanted to say, You think you're too good for me?

"You're making me lose face here. How about this: let's make a bet. Another table tennis match." Miyamoto Subaru glanced around as he spoke.

The vice president had picked quite a convenient moment. After the seniors' succession of matches, Mu Tianchen was already nearly out of energy. It was obvious that Miyamoto Subaru was taking advantage of him.

"What, is he afraid? What a loser."

"Exactly. We may be lousy, but our vice president isn't. He's way better than us."

"Our vice president's inviting you because he's giving you face. Don't be ungrateful!"

When Mu Tianchen didn't answer, the seniors around them immediately began to jeer.

Most of them were the ones Mu Tianchen had deliberately gone easy on earlier. They clearly weren't satisfied, and had seized the chance to vent their frustration.

Mu Tianchen had politely refused because he wanted to leave and spare their club a little embarrassment. But if they were going to act like this, there was no point.

"Fine, I accept. What are we betting?"

After Mu Tianchen agreed, Miyabi Nagumo gestured for the crowd to quiet down. Once it was silent, he spoke slowly:

"Simple. Another one-on-one match, with points on the line. If I win, you join our club unconditionally. You won't receive any club points while you're with us, and you'll have to obey any orders the club gives you."

"And if I win?"

"If you win? Ha! What do you want?" Miyabi Nagumo seemed convinced there was no way he could lose to this kid.

"I'm not asking for anything too unreasonable. If I win, you give me 500,000 points and let me leave in peace. How's that?" Seeing Miyabi Nagumo's attitude, and knowing he was in Class A, Mu Tianchen figured he could use this chance to take him for a lot.

"500,000? You've got some nerve, kid!"

"Damn, you win a few matches and get cocky? Vice President, teach him a lesson for us!"

"Vice President, accept! We've all seen how good you are. There's no way you'll lose to this kid!"

The crowd immediately erupted again.

But as far as Mu Tianchen was concerned, their comments worked in his favor. With a proud man like the vice president, he'd have to accept even if he didn't want to.

With the crowd egging him on, Miyabi Nagumo was in a difficult spot. As a second-year student in Class A, he received a lot of points each month.

But most of them went to Nagumo Miyabi, so he didn't have much left over each month. He'd been saving since his first year, and only had a little over 500,000 points now.

He didn't think he'd lose, but if he did, he'd have to live off the school's free supplies every day. On the other hand, if he refused here, his reputation would probably...

After thinking briefly, Miyabi Nagumo finally spoke. "Fine. I accept! If I lose, I'll give you 500,000 points and let you leave in peace. That work for you?"

"As expected of the vice president! What a big spender!"

"You're our god!"

"Beat that kid's ass!"

When the group heard Miyabi Nagumo accept, they began cheering him on again.

For some reason, Miyabi Nagumo suddenly felt a little uneasy.

When he looked at Mu Tianchen, the other boy seemed a little too calm.

Was it just an illusion? Or was...