The Charm of a Straight-Laced Guy

Fang Cheng had thought life was getting dull and monotonous, but before long, he found himself busier than ever.

During the day, he worked out at home and practiced Steel Blood. At night, he went to the Training Ground to be put through the wringer by two women.

Kanzaki Rin wore the Individual Combat System and beat the tar out of him, while Takeda Masumi taught him all kinds of special operations techniques.

She wasn't just a skilled fighter. She was also an outstanding special operations expert and a master of jungle survival.

During training, all sorts of prompts popped up: [Firearms +1], [Swordsmanship +1], [Stealth +1], [Intelligence Gathering +1], [Remove Head and Eat +1], and so on.

Fang Cheng had figured out by now that as long as he was training, it didn't matter what he practiced—he could gain proficiency.

Once he had enough proficiency, he could acquire a skill, but its level couldn't exceed that of the subject he was learning.

For instance, while learning hand-to-hand combat from Takeda Masumi, his skill level couldn't surpass hers. At best, he could reach the same level, unless he found someone even better to teach him.

For the time being, Takeda Masumi was the best choice. Of course, the main reason was that he couldn't find another expert to teach him.

Maybe it was his imagination, but Fang Cheng felt that Takeda Masumi had become a lot warmer toward him. Physical contact during training had become more frequent, too.

This woman... Could she be trying to get her hands on this fresh little cabbage of mine?

Takeda Masumi thought Fang Cheng was young, innocent, and clueless. She had no idea that beneath his youthful exterior lurked the soul of an LSP.

The moment Takeda Masumi wiggled her butt, Fang Cheng saw right through her schemes.

But he didn't call her out. Takeda Masumi was a beautiful woman, after all. While she smugly thought she was taking advantage of a handsome young guy, she had no idea that Fang Cheng was taking advantage of her, too.

They both got what they wanted, and everyone was happy. With a man and a woman working together, the work never felt tiring. Even the same old daily training had become lively and fun.

Because of that, Fang Cheng had changed his school schedule to every other day. Kanzaki Rin's fishing strategy still hadn't worked.

Although she'd hooked a gullible fish who'd practically given herself away—Ugou Mirai—she hadn't managed to find out anything useful.

"Her records have been deliberately concealed. They're classified even within the Countermeasure Department."

After investigating for two days, Kanzaki Rin handed Fang Cheng a brief file.

It listed Ugou Mirai's age, her middle and high school attendance, and the fact that she lived in a certain well-known wealthy neighborhood.

Most importantly, there was nothing about her family background or social connections.

After reading it, Fang Cheng complained, "I could've asked her all this in two minutes, but it took you two days. Is this what the Countermeasure Department's rising star, Kanzaki Rin, is capable of? I'm disgusted."

"You think an intern like me has high clearance within the Countermeasure Department?"

Kanzaki Rin glared at him irritably. "I still don't know who she really is, but at least I can confirm she isn't the person we're looking for."

"But she's clinging to me every day now. Hurry up and think of something."

Every day Fang Cheng went to school, he ran into one of the "chance meetings" Ugou Mirai had arranged.

I'm not your mother. Why should I have to think about this for you?

That was what Kanzaki Rin thought, but what she said was a sarcastic jab. "She's so young and already blind. How could she fall for a straight-laced guy like you?"

Fang Cheng laughed. "Only an inexperienced little girl like you could fail to understand the charm of a straight-laced guy."

Kanzaki Rin folded her arms and sneered. "Oh? Straight-laced guys have charm? Let's hear it."

Fang Cheng raised a finger at her. "Steel means hard. Straight-laced means long. Tell me, what girl wouldn't like that?"

Kanzaki Rin was speechless for a moment. After a good while, she asked, "Then what about a steel-hearted woman?"

Fang Cheng grinned and patted her chest. "Don't you know flat-chested girls are always called ironing boards? You're not exactly in that category."

Kanzaki Rin glanced down at herself, turned around, and went to put on the Individual Combat System. Then she unleashed a barrage on Fang Cheng.

"Don't run, you bastard! Only one of us is making it out alive today!"

Fang Cheng wasn't exaggerating. Ugou Mirai's persistence really was a headache.

The problem was, the girl wasn't shameless about it. She just arranged one chance encounter every day, chatted with Fang Cheng for a bit, and ran off as soon as things looked bad.

That left Fang Cheng with no excuse to make her go away.

"Senior, fancy seeing you here again!"

Sure enough, speak of the devil and she appeared. Ugou Mirai popped out in front of him with a grin.

This time, though, she kept her distance from Fang Cheng, lest he knock her flat with another punch.

"Yeah, what a coincidence. What are you doing here?"

Fang Cheng asked casually, wondering what excuse Ugou Mirai would come up with for this "chance encounter" now.

Ugou Mirai had clearly prepared an answer in advance. She replied at once, "I got lost after school. I never expected to run into you, Senior. What a coincidence!"

Fang Cheng didn't bother sparing her feelings. He called her out directly. "The Aichi Private High School you attend is a whole subway stop away from mine, and you still managed to get lost? Are you a subway train that grew a mind of its own?"

"Oh, don't call me out like that!"

Ugou Mirai held her flushed cheeks in both hands. She'd met Fang Cheng several times over the past few days, and she was starting to get bolder. "Senior, I finally have some money! Let me treat you to dinner today, as a thank-you."

She'd also bought tickets to an amusement park and a movie theater. Today, she was determined to become friends with Fang Cheng.

When Fang Cheng heard that Ugou Mirai had money, his eyes lit up. He held out a hand to her. "Dinner's too much trouble. Just give me the cost of the meal in cash."

"Huh?!"

Ugou Mirai was completely dumbfounded. This was nothing like what she'd expected.

What was she supposed to do now?

At Fang Cheng's urging, Ugou Mirai reluctantly took out her little pink wallet and handed him half the money inside.

She thought Fang Cheng was joking. What kind of guy would ask a pretty girl like her for money?

That would be so embarrassing.

Then Fang Cheng showed her just how little embarrassment was worth. He took the money, turned around, and walked away without a care. "All right, we're even. Don't come looking for me again."

Even Kanzaki Rin couldn't dig up any information about Ugou Mirai's identity or family background. Fang Cheng didn't want to get involved with her and risk being dragged into some kind of rich-family feud.

After Fang Cheng had walked off, Ugou Mirai remained rooted to the spot, utterly bewildered.

Only when a maid emerged from the shadows did Ugou Mirai throw herself at her and wail, "Qingxue, I failed again!"

After another intense night of training, Fang Cheng rode his motorcycle home alone.

He parked in a spot beneath his apartment building, locked the bike, and hummed a tune as he walked inside.

At first, the lights around him were still on, but they gradually went out.

By the time Fang Cheng noticed something was wrong, he was already surrounded by darkness and couldn't make out his surroundings.

A handsome young man suddenly appeared a short distance in front of him.

He wore a flashy pink suit, and his face was adorned with delicate makeup and an earring.

Smiling, he said to Fang Cheng, "The middle finger on your left hand is going to break."

With a snap, Fang Cheng's left middle finger fell off and landed at his feet.