Dongshan Breaks Through His Bottleneck, Uchiha Takes on a New Mission

Bonus chapter for [Wise Teresa]. Thanks for the update token, sweetheart.

(๑•́ ₃ •̀๑) Love you, mwah~

"..."

The Class C students in the distance were completely dumbfounded.

They could not say a single word.

Ryuuen's face had gone pale as one thought raced frantically through his mind.

Did I not sleep well last night? Am I hallucinating?!!

That had to be it!

I had to be hallucinating!!

Teacher Dongshan, the supposedly invincible king of stamina, had been run into the ground by a college student?!

He was vomiting while spouting nonsense about how he would not seek revenge anymore?!!

This scene...

Could anyone even imagine a scene like this?!

"W-Where did that genius even come from?!"

Ibuki's mind was a mess. She had believed what others said—that Uchiha had gotten into the school through connections—and had secretly looked down on him.

But what she had just witnessed...

Erased every last bit of that petty thought from her mind.

Did someone like this, an unsolvable bug, need anyone to pull strings for him?!

This was Lord Uchiha gracing Advanced Nurturing with his presence. They should be saying, 'Your arrival brings glory to our humble school'!!!

Beside the Maybach.

Uchiha discreetly snapped his fingers.

The dark clouds immediately dispersed, and the rain ceased.

He had finished testing his new ability. There was no need for the downpour to continue.

When he heard the chairman call him into the car, he nodded.

"Okay."

As he walked to the door, he did not forget to turn and glance at Dongshan.

"Teacher Dongshan, you're really such a nice guy. You put so much effort into coaching me on long-distance running."

"Thanks for looking after me."

"????"

Dongshan knelt on the ground and vomited even harder.

I fucking looked after you?!

You were the one looking after me the whole time, weren't you?!!

But he could not say it. The moment he opened his mouth, he wanted to vomit. He simply could not hold it back.

"..."

Uchiha opened the car door and stepped inside gracefully.

Seeing that, Tachibana Akane slipped into the car after him.

Ichinose was highly socially aware. Naturally, she would not fight the chairman for the front passenger seat, so she got in through the door on the other side.

The two girls happened to sandwich Uchiha like the filling in a cookie, making him somewhat uncomfortable.

The car did not feel spacious at all. It felt cramped and confined.

For some reason, he did not like sitting in the middle. He preferred a window seat.

The crowd on the track gradually dispersed.

Only the chairman, Dongshan, and Ryuuen's group remained.

Sakayanagi walked over, crouched down, and helped Dongshan to his feet.

Dongshan was still coughing. After spitting out a mouthful of foul water, he spoke with difficulty. "Chairman... y-you came?"

"How do you feel? Can you still get back on your feet?"

"I'm fine. I'll be okay once I catch my breath. It's just that I got completely crushed by a young man, so it's a little hard to save face."

Still shaken, Dongshan rubbed his chest. "Chairman, did you really pull strings to get that kid in?!"

"Your eye for talent is as sharp as ever. This student is utterly ashamed of himself!!"

"But let's try not to do illegal things like that, okay? No next time!!"

Now that he thought about it, breaking the rules was not so bad. Geniuses always had special privileges, after all!!

If you did not value him, he could turn around and join another school. By then, it would be too late for regret!!

The chairman: "..."

"Uchiha did not get in through the back door. He took the entrance exam..."

Dongshan froze, then shook his head in frustration.

I had jumped to conclusions!!!

It had made him go head-to-head with that kid, only for the guy not to have relied on connections at all!!!

It had all been a complete misunderstanding!!

What had he said before?

Something about Jiahao relying on connections, something about getting into the school without taking the assessment...

Looking back now, every single sentence felt like a slap across his own face!!

Damn it, who had misled me?!!!

May the whole family of whoever spread that rumor die out!!!

Still.

He was happy inside.

At least the chairman had not disregarded the law and accepted bribes...

And there was something else—his whole body actually felt much lighter.

It seemed...

That impenetrable bottleneck had really been broken through when Uchiha accidentally dragged him past it!!

Dongshan broke into a bright, sunny grin.

Heh, who would have thought that kid was a lucky star!!

"..."

From Ryuuen's perspective, after the PE teacher got thrashed, he suddenly started laughing in a creepy, unhinged way!!

What...???

Did running give him epilepsy?!

Ibuki suddenly remembered her inappropriate behavior. For some reason, she had charged forward earlier and gone after Jiahao.

He was just a normal student. He had not cheated while running, yet her brainless behavior had made her look even more like Jiahao than Jiahao himself. How embarrassing...

Kaneda and Ishizaki looked ashamed. They had even accused Uchiha of using stimulants, only for him to be completely clean...

Dongshan was silent for a long while.

Then he suddenly asked:

"So when he said he carried two stray dogs and ran several marathons, that was true too?"

The chairman: "??"

One dared to say it, and the other dared to believe it?!

What the hell was that? A human Shinkansen?! You actually believed that kid's bullshit?!

Sakayanagi shook his head. His gaze lingered on Dongshan for a moment, complicated.

"Read more in the future, and you'll learn to tell lies from truth."

Dongshan scratched his head awkwardly. "Yes, Chairman. Your lesson is well taken."

As he spoke, he opened the car door for Sakayanagi. "Take care."

Before the chairman returned to the driver's seat...

Uchiha leaned back comfortably, completely letting himself go as he luxuriated in the moment.

The atmosphere in the car was not exactly awkward, but it was not warm either.

He began reviewing what had happened.

Running had been exhausting, but it was nowhere near as tiring as activating his superpower.

He had only played around with [Rainwater Manipulation] for a little while, yet his energy was already almost depleted.

So superpowers could not be used recklessly. He might drain his body dry.

Then.

His nose suddenly twitched.

"There's a strange smell."

Tachibana Akane: "??"

"You're the one who just finished running. You're covered in stinky sweat, aren't you?!"

Ichinose sniffed herself. She had not sweated either...

Meanwhile, Jiahao beside her, who had just been soaked by the rain, gave off a faint scent of fresh grass.

Could this guy... possess that one-in-a-million natural body fragrance?!

Horikita, in the front passenger seat, looked puzzled. "What strange smell?"

An inexplicable tension began spreading wildly through the air.

Uchiha closed his eyes and searched with all his focus for that trace of odd scent.

Just then.

Bang—

The chairman got into the car.

Huh?!

Uchiha felt the car shake and opened his eyes.

Outside the window, Dongshan was smiling as he waved goodbye to Uchiha.

"Looking forward to seeing you next time. I still want to improve."

After saying that, he began running laps again.

Uchiha: "?"

You got off on me beating you up, didn't you?!

Something was off!!

His asshole suddenly clenched...

You've never married... could you be gay???

The chairman twisted the car key, glanced at Uchiha, and sighed.

"You really caused quite a commotion today, kid."

"Not worth mentioning."

Uchiha remained perfectly composed.

Everyone: "..."

Why did this kid seem so world-weary?!

His demeanor did not match his age at all!!

Suddenly.

Uchiha turned into a patrol hound, sniffing here and there.

He sniffed the men until goosebumps rose all over their skin and they wanted to grab his head and beat him senseless.

He sniffed the two girls until their faces turned red and their mouths went dry... and they wanted to drink mineral water.

Three seconds later.

The masked boy's gaze sharpened. Pointing at Sakayanagi, he declared with absolute certainty:

"There's something wrong under your butt."

The chairman: "???"

His hand froze as he turned off the engine.

Sakayanagi turned around awkwardly, his expression crumbling as he stared blankly at the masked boy.

You... didn't need to announce my hemorrhoids in public, did you?!

The next second.

Uchiha reached down to dig around...

Of course, he was reaching beneath the driver's seat for the floor mat!!!

Huh?!

He abruptly pulled his arm back, and everyone's eyes focused on Uchiha's palm.

Black, hard, and small.

A-a listening device?!!

Why was there something like that in the car???

At the sight of it.

Sakayanagi's expression became extremely ugly.

If commercial secrets had been eavesdropped on, he would definitely take the blame!!

Who had done it?

A competitor?

Someone coveting the chairman's position?

A familiar face suddenly surfaced in his mind, but he wasn't certain.

This could only be investigated later.

Sakayanagi gave Uchiha a grateful look. The kid had inadvertently saved his "life."

He slipped the listening device into his pocket and said solemnly:

"Yesterday, I received an anonymous report from a student. She claimed that an outsider had infiltrated the campus and stalked, harassed, and mentally manipulated her."

"Investigating the stalker, stopping his criminal behavior, and protecting the victimized student are duties the student council cannot shirk."

"So, Horikita, make the arrangements."

"I think those three young people in the back would be good. They can form a team."

Horikita turned around—

Tachibana Akane was a third-year student. With her experience mentoring newcomers, she was more than qualified to serve as the team's brains.

Ichinose was a first-year newcomer. She could handle miscellaneous tasks and logistics for the time being; there shouldn't be much of a problem.

It was just Uchiha...

He had a headache.

Horikita was afraid that this foolish kid would get into a conflict with the outsider and start fighting at the slightest disagreement...

He turned to Sakayanagi.

"Chairman, I don't think Uchiha is particularly suited for this kind of mission..."

Sakayanagi raised a hand.

"No, he's perfectly suited."

"Everyone has to stand on their own eventually. While he's young, it's fine for him to make more mistakes."

Horikita: "...??"

Last time you said it was fine, and Uchiha ended up making the PE teacher puke from being dragged around!

Is this really fine?!

What am I supposed to do? I'm panicking a little.

Uchiha looked utterly serious.

"Yes, sir!"

"Leave it to me. I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

"..."