This Won't Work

Ron looked at the girl in front of him, who seemed inexplicably hostile toward him, and understood at once. She had taken him for "that kind of friend."

Throughout Moen Ideal City, anyone who made it into the Three Great Academies from a place like District D every year had basically dealt with harassment from "that kind of friend."

After all, the college entrance exam was the greatest dividing line between classes in Ideal City, and getting into one of the Three Great Academies meant an immediate leap in status.

To many people, a high school classmate who got into one of the Three Great Academies was the highest social circle they would ever be able to reach in their lives.

Under those circumstances, before that person completely entered a world they could no longer imagine, rushing to fleece them for whatever they could get was an extremely common thing.

They would say things like, "We're friends, what's wrong with lending me a few thousand credit points?" or "You got into one of the Three Great Academies. Are you really going to be short on this little bit of money later?" Then, after a round of moral blackmail, they would treat their friend like a payday loan service...

After all, normal socializing was pointless. There was no such thing as building a good relationship. Barring an accident, once the other person entered one of the Three Great Academies, they would never meet again for the rest of their lives.

That sort of seemingly stupid behavior might instead be their only chance to gain something and lessen the pressure of their own loans.

—So things like this had practically become a stereotype of Ideal City.

An Hui had probably run into plenty of such incidents recently, which was why she showed up at high school less often and spent most of her time at Moen University.

But even so.

Being warned for no reason because someone had mistaken him for some freeloading pretty boy left even Ron somewhat annoyed.

"Senior..."

Ron spoke in an unfriendly tone, just about to say something.

At that moment, the private room door was pushed open.

A girl in sportswear entered carrying two huge bottles of iced cola, her short brown hair gleaming like honey under the lights.

Pale silver arcs of electricity flickered between her strands of hair, making the tips curl upward in tiny arcs.

She looked at Ron and the others, whose atmosphere had become somewhat awkward because of her arrival, then scratched her cheek in confusion.

"Why does the atmosphere feel weird? Is it too hot? Should I lower the air conditioner?"

Perfect at creating a reading atmosphere, hopeless at easing an awkward one.

Just like you, Huihui.

Ron grumbled inwardly. Rather than continue the subject, he took the cola from An Hui's hands.

He placed it on the table and saw the red-and-blue logo on the bottle—

His brows immediately furrowed.

"Why is it Pepsi?"

"What's wrong with that?" An Hui adjusted the temperature, sat beside Ron, unwrapped a piece of gum and tossed it into her mouth. "Can't Pepsi be drunk?"

"?"

Ron frowned as he watched An Hui deliberately turn her head away from him and blow bubbles by herself. He immediately realized something.

He looked over the bottle and, sure enough, discovered that the red-and-blue logo was not properly aligned...

Peeling off the label revealed the red logo hidden beneath it.

"How did you even come up with putting toilet cleaner packaging around Coca-Cola?"

Ron was too exhausted to complain. "You're unbeatable, Haki Hui."

"I just wanted to tease you."

An Hui giggled, but her expression quickly turned serious as she introduced someone to Ron.

"Alright, back to business. The food won't be here for a while, so let me introduce you first...

"This is Senior Lin Shuyao, a third-year student in the Physics Department at Moen University."

As she spoke, she turned to Lin Shuyao.

"Senior, this is Ron."

"Mm." Lin Shuyao's tone was indifferent.

Ron remained expressionless as well.

He had no habit of indulging others.

Feeling somewhat awkward, An Hui hurriedly changed the subject—

"Senior, when is Senior Know-It-All coming?"

"I already urged him." Lin Shuyao frowned slightly. "We told him we needed his help, yet this brat still made everyone wait for him..."

A senior?

Someone else was coming?

"What exactly is this supposed to be today... a banquet to assassinate me?"

Ron looked at An Hui in confusion and teased her.

"Did you find me annoying and decide this child is terrifying and must not be allowed to live, so you invited two powerful Moen University seniors to assassinate me?"

"Do we need them?" An Hui rolled up her sleeves speechlessly and clenched her fists. "With one punch, I'd be begging you not to die, okay?"

As she spoke, she sighed.

"Why do you think we went through all this? We were afraid you, you little bastard, would get carved up by some giant corporation over your student loans..."

"But fortunately, heaven never seals off every path!"

An Hui proudly raised her head.

"You won't need to worry about loans anymore. I told Senior about your situation. She deeply sympathized with you, and after hearing about your talent for computational power beyond ordinary people, she recommended a job as a 'model fine-tuner.'"

"The work is a little tiring, but it pays over ten thousand credit points a month, and it allows part-time work. It's perfect for your situation."

Deeply sympathized?

Recommended a job?

Seriously?

Ron looked at Lin Shuyao in surprise.

Lin Shuyao coldly turned her face away.

...Alright, he could not tell at all.

"Senior is a good person. She fought her way up from the slums herself, so she understands the pressure ordinary students face when taking out loans for school.

"If she didn't happen to have the right connections and could pull some strings for you, ordinary people wouldn't be able to apply for this job."

"...It's mainly for Huihui's sake." Lin Shuyao finally spoke. She felt she could not let An Hui keep talking.

She gave Ron a long look and sighed. "You have a good 'friend.'"

An Hui really was a very, very good person.

Especially to Ron.

He had to admit that this hard-won job was indeed tempting. To someone drowning in debt with nowhere left to turn, it was an opportunity that had fallen straight from the sky.

—Unfortunately, that had been before.

Although Ron was deeply moved by An Hui's kindness,

he was no longer a powerless Lv.0 person.

"Mm... Actually, you don't need to worry too much."

Ron considered his words for a moment, then said seriously, "You may not believe this, but I..."

—At that moment, a boisterous voice suddenly came from outside the private room.

To Ron, it even sounded somewhat familiar.

"Whoa there! Boss lady, I'm late!"

Kevin strode into the private room. Just as he was about to greet Lin Shuyao and An Hui, he saw Ron looking at him with slight shock—

"Huh?"

"—Ron?"

"Why are you here?"

As soon as he said that,

everyone froze.

Kevin included.

In the dead silence of the room, Kevin stared at Ron in astonishment, then at Lin Shuyao's serious face, scratching his head in confusion.

"I... I came today to pull strings and interview someone for a part-time job, right?"

As he spoke, he pointed at Ron and asked tentatively.

"Senior... is the person you mentioned, the one who can't repay his student loans and needs a part-time job to earn money, him?"

"..." Lin Shuyao fell silent for a moment. "Who else would it be?"

Who else would it be?

Hearing Lin Shuyao say that, Kevin suddenly recalled Ron mentioning earlier that he had only recently awakened his ability.

He understood the general course of events almost instantly.

So... Ron had not had time to tell them that he had already awakened the ability of Raw Stone, which was why Kevin had been called over to pull strings for him?

Then he really needed to share the information with them properly.

Thinking that, Kevin burst out laughing.

"If the person you're talking about is him."

With a creak, Kevin pulled out a chair, dropped heavily into the seat beside Ron, and sighed softly.

"—Then I have to say, I'm afraid this won't work today."