Study Hard!

The changes led to the eventual outcome: the three of them walked together. It was a very elegant solution.

So what was the benefit of the three of them walking together? Of course, they wouldn't get lost on the way back to the dorm. What it brought, however, was a long silence.

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka didn't say a word, remaining quiet off to one side. Sakura Airisu, on the other hand, was under considerable pressure. She felt like today wasn't a good day to have invited him. She'd asked too soon.

Sakura Airisu's gaze wandered restlessly. She quietly turned her head to look at Beihai. He had thick-rimmed glasses, and his hair was a little long. At first glance, he seemed completely ordinary.

There was none of the imagined scenario where she took one look at him, thought he was so handsome, blushed, and then felt affection bloom in her heart. It was an undeniable fact that people tended to be attracted to good looks.

When working with someone or making a deal, people instinctively judged them by their appearance, assuming that looks reflected character. The most typical example was when someone saved your life and you had no way to repay them: if they were good-looking, you offered yourself in return; if they weren't, you promised to repay them in your next life.

But Sakura Airisu's thoughts were a mess. She was a little relieved. If Beihai really had been extremely handsome, their relationship would never have progressed this quickly.

Sakura Airisu's insecure little heart would have kept her far away from Beihai, afraid to get anywhere near him. After all, kindness was secondary when it came to handsome people. There were always plenty of people drawn to them.

Just look at Yosuke Hirata in their class. Sakura Airisu had barely interacted with him all this time, even deliberately keeping her distance.

If Sakura Airisu had to sit next to a handsome guy and saw how many people surrounded him, she would definitely be like an insecure little hamster, wishing she could burrow into the ground.

Besides, as Sakura Airisu looked at Beihai's profile, she realized he was rather ordinary. Not particularly ugly, and surprisingly easy on the eyes.

Then she thought about how the two of them were both practically invisible in class. They'd happened to meet and become friends, and recently, he'd even helped her once.

Because of her unusual profession, Sakura Airisu had already resigned herself to being all alone at this school.

Her thoughts were always jumbled. Her sudden flights of imagination took her completely off track, but she couldn't help letting her mind wander.

As long as people kept moving forward, they didn't overthink things, because they had no time. They usually had to embrace a new life and make plans for tomorrow. But when they suddenly took a break, it was inevitable that they'd look back on the past.

Sometimes it brought a wave of sadness, prompting someone to grumble, "Is this a NetEase Cloud Music comment section?"

Or maybe they'd go, "Damn," and put on a serious face.

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka didn't have so many thoughts. He was just wondering what to eat later. At most, he might reflect, I'm finally living an authentic school life, too.

But if things kept going like this, why wasn't anyone stopping? They were about to pass the shopping district!

Beihai was just as anxious. They'd reach the dorm after walking a little farther. This was great. He'd soon be reunited with his homework.

I want to dive into a sea of problems right this instant and swim to my heart's content. There's no way to change the plan now, though. Sakura, don't let me down. You're a shy person.

You're too embarrassed to speak up, especially when there's a third person present. It'd be best if you kept your words to yourself.

Who knew whether Beihai's thoughts would have any effect, but everything remained peaceful. The three of them simply walked in silence. Each had different things on their mind, and each had a bright future ahead.

On the surface, Kiyotaka Kiyotaka was composed, but inside, he was restless. Wasn't I supposed to treat them to a meal? I'm really hungry. The school cafeteria's already closed, too. When are we finally going to get there?

Sakura Airisu thought, I should work up the courage. I have enough points to treat both of them without any trouble, but the psychological pressure is about to overwhelm me.

What should I do? This was supposed to be between Beihai and me, but somehow it turned into a three-person affair. And now I have to thank him in front of the third person.

Just imagining how that scene would feel is so cruel. Maybe I should call it off today. But I already agreed.

Beihai's thoughts, however, were very simple. We're almost there. Just keep walking. Nobody say a word. Let's play Red Light, Green Light.

Ding-ding!

Just as the atmosphere was about to become unbearable, a sound suddenly rang out among the three of them.

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka's steps paused, and he spoke first.

"Ah, Beihai, your Terminal rang."

Beihai hadn't expected to be the first one to mess things up at a moment like this. He felt a little awkward, but he still had to take it out and check. Beihai didn't have many contacts, and unless something important was going on, people generally wouldn't message him.

Sure enough, it was his Shared Brain, Honami Ichinose. Beihai's expression grew serious. It seemed she'd run into something quite serious, since she'd transferred him 100,000 points outright.

As they'd discussed, 50,000 points meant he'd offer advice, while 100,000 meant he'd make a personal visit.

Beihai had also mentioned that unless it was a special situation, she should contact him through the Terminal whenever possible. Seeing the points come through on his phone, he unconsciously bit his finger.

What the hell happened? This is my second brain, after all.

[What happened? First, stay calm and try to explain things. Keep it as short as you can.]

Beihai hurriedly sent her a message, hoping to calm her down and get her to keep it brief.

He didn't have to wait long after sending it before a reply came through.

[Beihai, are you busy today? Well, I need to meet with you.

It's not really anything serious. It's just that someone wants to confess to me. When I was leaving class today, I found a love letter in my desk.

This is the first time anything like this has happened to me, so I don't know what to do.]

Honami Ichinose had clearly realized that Beihai had jumped to conclusions, so she'd felt a little embarrassed as she typed it out.

Beihai's mood had been like a roller coaster. When he saw that nothing was wrong, he was just starting to relax, only for it to shoot back up when he saw that she'd received a confession.

What kind of person was Honami Ichinose? From what Beihai had observed, she was kind and a little airheaded. Most importantly, she wasn't good at turning down other people's kindness.

She was bound to feel troubled by a confession. If she rejected the person, she might hurt their feelings.

As an angel, she definitely wouldn't want that. But if she didn't reject them, and she had no feelings for them, wouldn't the two of them end up stuck in this awkward situation?

That was why a third party needed to get involved. But who would dare target Honami Ichinose? It wasn't at all surprising that someone had confessed to her.

The problem was, Beihai's system was bound to her. Who knew what things would be like if she started dating someone?

People said that once a woman fell in love, she'd stop focusing on her studies. Never mind the ones who toyed with men's feelings—what if Honami turned into a lovesick fool?

"Well, you two, something's come up, so I've changed my mind. The two of you will have to wait a while."