Kindness deserved repayment

Qin Siyang had originally wanted to speak to the Principal himself.

But the Principal was probably at the school gate, beside the grade director Qin Siyang had knocked unconscious, watching the doctor treat his injuries. He might not have time.

Asking the other teachers in the cafeteria to pass along a message should work just fine.

"I believe that, as the only school on the edge of the Safe Zone, providing all twelve years of primary and secondary education, our Ju'an School's most important task is not to cultivate talent, but to foster good character."

Qin Siyang's opening, dripping with bureaucratic formality, stunned the other teachers.

Was this... really the same student who told people to "get lost" at the slightest disagreement?

How could he say something so mature?

Was he schizophrenic?

But no teacher dared say it aloud. His homeroom teacher was still lying on the floor. Who would risk offending this rising star of the Safe Zone?

"Without good character, once we students leave campus and enter society, society will inevitably teach us a lesson. We might even disgrace our alma mater. That is something neither we students nor you teachers want to see."

The teachers silently grumbled that Qin Siyang was pretty good at this official doublespeak. He reeled it off just like a school administrator.

Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the Principal was addressing a staff meeting.

But what was Qin Siyang saying all this for?

Qin Siyang paused, then asked, "Where is the Director of Moral Education?"

Everyone turned toward a bald, middle-aged man with a brutish face.

The man stood up with a smile. "That would be me, Qin Siyang."

He nearly fell as he rose. Even the smile on his face could not hide his terror.

"You're the Director of Moral Education. Do you think you're doing your job properly?"

"Well..." The moment he met Qin Siyang's cold gaze, he understood his displeasure and hurried to criticize himself. "Not well enough! In all my years as Director of Moral Education, there have been many shortcomings in my work. I'll definitely improve in the future..."

"There's no need for that. I've been at this school for twelve years, and I didn't even know what you, the Director of Moral Education, looked like. My temper is so violent now because the school hasn't done enough to teach good character. Ultimately, you bear some responsibility for that. You should step down and let someone more capable take over as Director of Moral Education. I'm sure you agree."

Qin Siyang sounded as though he were asking for an opinion, but he left no room for argument. As he spoke, he deliberately kicked his homeroom teacher, who lay nearby, twice, as though hinting at something.

The Director of Moral Education's face crumpled. In the end, his attachment to his position could not overcome his fear of death. He nodded. "Yes. I haven't done a good job. I should give up my position as Director of Moral Education."

Qin Siyang nodded. "It's good that you recognize your mistakes and are willing to correct them. As for the position of Director of Moral Education, I believe Auntie Zhang, who serves food in the cafeteria, is an excellent fit. She always encourages students while serving their meals, and she takes special care of students from poor families, like me. By practicing what she preaches, isn't she the best example of good character? That's why I intend to nominate Auntie Zhang as our new Director of Moral Education."

Standing alone, Qin Siyang swept his gaze over all the teachers. Wherever he looked, they averted their eyes.

"I hope you'll all pass this along to the Principal. Otherwise, I'm afraid my bad temper might make me do something I shouldn't again."

The teachers immediately nodded, eager to send this walking calamity on his way. "Of course we will! Of course! And we don't just promise to pass it along-we support your opinion, too."

Only then did the teachers finally understand that all Qin Siyang's preamble had been intended to put Auntie Zhang, the cafeteria server, in that position.

Having become a Sequence Ability User, Qin Siyang was now beyond the law.

His restriction was that he could not kill students or public employees.

But not every schoolteacher was a public employee. At Ju'an School, only the Principal was one. All the other teachers worked under teaching contracts.

That meant Qin Siyang could pick out a teacher or two and kill them at will, receiving only a punishment requiring him to hunt Gods.

Of course, he could not go too far and slaughter every teacher in the school. If he did, the Sequence Ability Management Bureau would still deem him a threat to the Safe Zone's security and sentence him to death.

Protected by those privileges, he naturally faced no opposition from the teachers.

And the Principal had no reason to refuse Qin Siyang's demand for the Director of Moral Education position.

Because Qin Siyang seemed like a madman.

The Principal had seen far too many teenage students commit jaw-dropping crimes out of ignorance and fearlessness.

He dared not gamble on whether Qin Siyang was sane, nor on whether he feared the laws of the Safe Zone.

The Principal would pay any price to keep Qin Siyang happy.

Satisfied with the teachers' response, Qin Siyang turned back and leaned into the serving window, looking at the bewildered Auntie Zhang.

"Auntie Zhang, I've nominated you to the Principal for Director of Moral Education. Unless something unexpected happens, he should agree. I hope you'll keep treating me with the same kindness."

Looking troubled, Auntie Zhang said, "But... my family was poor, and I dropped out before finishing junior high to work. I have no education or learning. How could I hold such an important position...?"

"It's not that complicated. Auntie Zhang, there are only two ironclad rules for becoming an administrator at our rundown school on the edge of the Safe Zone: either you have no conscience, or you have someone backing you."

"Then I..."

"You're someone with a conscience."

With that, Qin Siyang left with three boxed meals.

Only Auntie Zhang remained, ladle in hand, still not quite understanding what had happened.

Qin Siyang brought the boxed meals to the Library, where he found Teacher Zhu organizing the shelves and Wen Shu studying at a desk.

A faint smile lit Wen Shu's face. She seemed to be in a good mood.

Teacher Zhu, however, looked at Qin Siyang with a complicated expression.

Qin Siyang set the meals on the desk. "I picked up breakfast at the cafeteria. Wen Shu, Teacher Zhu, let's eat together."

He had deliberately brought breakfast for Teacher Zhu, too. As a retired teacher rehired by the school, she did not receive the same benefits as regular teachers, so she could not have breakfast in the cafeteria. For lunch and dinner, she could only use the student serving window.

Her pay, however, was the same as that of the regular teachers.

"I've already eaten."

"So have I."

"..."

Qin Siyang had wanted to bring them breakfast and chat for a while, but he hadn't expected both of them to have eaten already.

"All right, then I'll eat mine and take the other two with me. Take a break, Teacher Zhu. I'll tidy up once I'm done eating. At your age, there's no need to work so hard."

Hearing Qin Siyang's familiar way of speaking, Teacher Zhu felt that he seemed unchanged, even after awakening his Sequence Ability.

Puzzled, she asked, "Qin Siyang, why do I feel like you're still just the same as before?"

"I am just the same as before!"

"Then why... did you hit Liu Qiangzhong at the school gate?"

"Oh, I never liked him anyway, and we'd had a bit of friction before. I saw him today, so I gave him a smack while I was there."

"But... you're a good student! How could you hit a teacher?"

Before Qin Siyang could answer, Wen Shu put down her exercise book and said unhurriedly:

"Personally, I think hitting that Liu Qiangzhong was more like something a good student would do."