A Promise to Ayanokoji

After bidding farewell to Ichinose Honami, Wu Qiao strolled back toward the dorms alone. With a flicker of thought, he sank his consciousness inward and summoned the mysterious panel that only he could see.

His gaze swept over it, and the first thing that caught his eye was the [Path of Gluttony], which had shockingly reached level four.

"Ugh..." Wu Qiao looked at the number, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. He recalled the events of just a moment ago; it seemed that because he had unceremoniously swindled a massive amount of points from Hoshinomiya Chie, this path's level had skyrocketed.

Although the words "Gluttony" sounded like they belonged to a glutton who only knew how to gorge themselves, Wu Qiao knew very well that the essence of this path was actually "desire."

Endless acquisition and the satisfaction of one's own desires were the core tenets practiced by the Path of Gluttony. That bottomless-pit-like buffet earlier, along with the influx of three hundred thousand points, were essentially manifestations of his desires being satisfied.

Of course, this frantic craving for food could be controlled through his consciousness; it wouldn't actually turn him into a monster that only knew how to eat.

Aside from Gluttony, his [Path of Erudition] remained steadily at level two. However, Wu Qiao was well aware that the buffs from the Path of Erudition were all in the brain, allowing for sharper thinking and more precise calculations, but they provided no direct bonuses to his physical fitness.

"Let's see where my physical limits are now."

Wu Qiao took a turn and headed straight for the school track. It was afternoon, and students were scattered here and there, exercising. He found a relatively secluded corner, took a deep breath, and then suddenly exerted force, sprinting around the four-hundred-meter track at top speed.

The wind whistled in his ears. His lungs didn't burn with that tearing sensation he was used to, and his legs were filled with explosive power. When he stopped after one lap, he was only slightly out of breath, and his heart rate quickly returned to a steady rhythm.

Following that, he began trying various running and jumping movements, eventually arriving at the pull-up bar area.

"In the past, I would have wanted to take a detour the moment I saw a place like this," Wu Qiao laughed at himself, gripping the cold bar and letting his body hang in the air.

He took a deep breath, engaged his back muscles, and pulled his body up with ease. His chin cleared the bar effortlessly, and he lowered himself slowly. One, two, three...

Previously, his arms would have been sore and trembling after just three pull-ups, but now, that strength seemed to flow endlessly from deep within his muscles.

Wu Qiao gritted his teeth and pushed through to the tenth rep before he felt a distinct soreness in his arms and had to stop.

He let go and dropped to the ground, shaking out his aching arms, a satisfied glint flashing in his eyes.

Although he hadn't turned into a superman capable of punching through walls, his physical fitness had solidly reached above-average levels, perhaps even bordering on quite excellent.

Before Wu Qiao could leave the track, a slender figure walked toward him. Ayanokoji Kiyoha, who had followed him at some point, held an unopened sports drink and held it out to him with an expressionless face.

Wu Qiao paused, took the cool bottle, and raised an eyebrow with amusement: "Who did you learn that from? The 'central air conditioner' routine of Hirata Yosuke?"

Ayanokoji Kiyoha tilted her head slightly. There were no ripples in those deep brown eyes, and her tone was as flat as if she were reading an instruction manual: "The internet. Big data shows that one should give water to someone who has finished exercising. That's what it said."

Wu Qiao twisted off the cap and took a gulp. The cool liquid slid down his throat, effectively soothing the heat from his intense workout. He looked at the girl with her clumsy acting and offered a casual pointer: "Hmm, thoughtful. By the way, since you want to pretend to be ordinary, you'd better check the grade distributions and physical test data of the others. For grades, use the range with the most people, and it's best not to use round numbers; being too deliberate makes it easier to arouse suspicion."

Ayanokoji Kiyoha nodded thoughtfully: "I understand."

Watching her obedient, teachable, yet unfathomable demeanor, Wu Qiao suddenly had a whim. He put down the water bottle, reached out toward Ayanokoji Kiyoha, and his expression turned serious: "Ayanokoji, let's make a deal. I'll ensure your disguise at this school isn't exposed and that you have a stable life behind the scenes. In exchange, you'll occasionally help me handle some minor troubles."

Ayanokoji Kiyoha didn't reach out immediately. She remained silent for a moment, staring quietly at Wu Qiao as if re-evaluating the danger level of the boy before her. After a long while, she didn't rush to agree, but instead asked slowly: "Just how much do you know?"

Wu Qiao looked into those eyes that seemed capable of piercing through a person's heart, shrugged indifferently, and flashed a playful smile: "Everything. Not just your father, but also Horikita Suzune's obsession with chasing her brother, and even the fangs Ryuen Kakeru keeps hidden in the shadows... I know every interesting person in the first year."

Ayanokoji Kiyoha's pupils contracted slightly. She had originally thought Wu Qiao had merely seen through her disguise, but she hadn't expected him to be fully aware of the massive, heavy shadow behind her.

"You don't need to be so surprised." Wu Qiao withdrew his hand and shoved it into his pocket, his tone as casual as if they were chatting about a previous meal: "In this school where merit is everything, information is the greatest weapon. And I happen to be an information broker. So, are you taking this deal or not?"

Ayanokoji Kiyoha lowered her eyes, masking the emotions surging beneath them. A moment later, she looked up again, her delicate face returning to its usual indifference: "Deal. As long as you don't interfere with my freedom, I can cooperate with your actions."

"A wise choice." Wu Qiao smiled, picked up his book, and turned toward the dormitory building: "Then it's settled, partner."

Watching Wu Qiao's retreating back, Ayanokoji Kiyoha stood where she was. She suddenly felt that this seemingly lazy and casual boy might become the greatest variable in this Advanced Nurturing High School.

After parting ways with Ayanokoji Kiyoha, Wu Qiao didn't head straight back to the dorms, but instead ducked into a deserted corner. As soon as he was out of the "Road Sister's" line of sight, he felt as if his strength had been drained away, and he leaned against the cold wall, gasping for air.

He was still clutching the copy of Game Theory and Macro Strategic Deduction that Ichinose Honami had given him; the spine of the book was nearly soaked through with the cold sweat from his palms.

"Hoo... hoo..." Wu Qiao wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. His heart was still pounding violently in his chest, nearly jumping out of his throat.

Back on the track, he had actually dared to take the initiative to show his cards to Ayanokoji Kiyoha and even proposed a deal! Looking back on it now, Wu Qiao felt a chill run down his spine; he was nearly frightened by his own bold, near-suicidal move.

One had to realize that the current Ayanokoji Kiyoha was a genuine ceiling of combat power.

Although she always pretended to be unremarkable, Wu Qiao knew better than anyone that this person was the masterpiece created through the devilish training of "that place."

If it really came to a fight, his current physical fitness—which had only just reached above-average levels—would be nothing in front of her.

If Ayanokoji Kiyoha had felt even a hint of murderous intent, or if she had decided he was a major liability, she could have found any excuse to have him "expelled" or even "physically disappear" on the spot.

"I can't believe she actually agreed..." Wu Qiao steadied his breathing, a bitter smile of survival tugging at the corner of his mouth: "It seems that while this 'Road Sister' has off-the-charts combat power, she really does have a personality that extremely detests trouble."

He looked down at the heavy, hardcore book in his hand and recalled the innocent yet intuitively sharp demeanor of Ichinose Honami earlier. He couldn't help but sigh: in just one day, he had walked the tightrope in front of the two most dangerous women, miraculously survived both, and even reached a preliminary alliance.

"I'm truly insane..." Wu Qiao shook his head, cradling the book in his arms, and took a deep breath of the cool evening air: "But since I've taken this step, there's no turning back. Next, I'll just have to make good use of this intelligence and these connections to have a proper game in this damn school."

After adjusting his mindset, Wu Qiao straightened up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and walked toward the dorms with a pace that looked relaxed but was actually still a bit shaky.