The moment this mission was issued.
Chu Xin nearly cried out in shock. Hasegawa Ten’i turned her head, whispering a reminder, “Chu Xin… don’t let the teacher catch you…”
Chu Xin clasped his hands together in apology. “My apologies, Hasegawa. I’ll be careful, but… I might need to ask you for a little cover later.”
Hasegawa Ten’i’s cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded.
‘Was this a signal from Chu Xin? So many romance anime she’d watched began with… this sort of dynamic.’
‘In that case… she needed to work even harder.’
However, her furtive glance at Chu Xin shattered her burgeoning fantasy.
Chu Xin was once again lost in thought, staring intently at his phone’s home screen… What exactly was he doing?
She secretly noted this odd behavior. After another quick peek, seeing Chu Xin still absorbed, she reluctantly turned back to listen to the lecture.
****
Chu Xin paid no mind to Hasegawa Ten’i’s gaze; he was deep in contemplation.
‘What does this mean… stay away from Shimizuma?’
‘Why, exactly? The description of “A daily romance with a zero-experience blonde miss” seemed more like… panic?’
‘From my experience reading novels in my past life, when a system-type golden finger suddenly panics, it signifies that the current event is extremely important to the protagonist. So important, in fact, that the transmigrator’s “cover” might be blown.’
He recalled the sentence that had been forcefully inserted into his mind just moments ago.
‘Shimizuma might be able to perceive my inner thoughts.’
Only fragmented memories like this remained. Initially, he hadn’t considered this direction, but this sudden thought… perhaps it pointed him toward a truth.
If it could be trusted.
But could Chu Xin truly believe such an absurdly appearing thought?
Moreover, he had never encountered a special mission like this, not even in the original visual novel simulator. Such a situation had never arisen among the missions published in the simulator.
Suspicious… too suspicious.
Not only the “outside” hinted at in Shimizuma’s words, but also the app itself, were overly suspicious.
It was as if everything was unfolding according to someone’s plan…
But who… was that person? Was it Shimizuma?
If Shimizuma truly possessed the ability to “read minds,” then it was highly probable that her power could… insert her own thoughts or simply a “message” into others’ minds.
If his conjecture was correct, and given her mind-reading ability, how could he possibly succeed in the ‘stay away’ condition of the [Special Mission]?
Even the success criteria were garbled. Yet, Chu Xin couldn’t fathom her motive for doing this; it seemed utterly meaningless. Even if this thought had steered his mind in a different direction… what purpose did it serve?
What could it possibly verify?
Damn it, his mind felt overwhelmed. He had no choice but to review the mission again, hoping to find any clues.
Just as Chu Xin was about to look at his phone under the desk, Hasegawa Ten’i, seated in front, turned around again and whispered, “Chu Xin… Chu Xin.”
Chu Xin replied perfunctorily, “What is it?”
“Teacher Yan… seems to be calling you.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Xin immediately placed his phone into the desk’s compartment and lifted his head.
At this moment, the gazes of those around him converged, and Yan Ping’s voice echoed in his ears.
“Experiment student! What were you doing just now?” Yan Ping frowned.
Chu Xin noticed everyone’s eyes on him, realizing he had been too deeply lost in thought.
‘Is this a problem with [Mental Focus]?’
Chu Xin had discovered a pattern: before completing each mission, he could use a “skill” once in advance. However, the ability itself required him to develop it.
For example, this [Mental Focus] skill’s description was derived from Master Yi’s lines in the game League of Legends from his previous life.
Seeing Yan Ping’s subtly angry expression, Chu Xin stood up. “My apologies… Teacher, I was a little too engrossed in my novel just now.”
Yan Ping chose not to expose him, instead nodding and tapping the desk. “Don’t let it happen again! If you repeat this, I’ll have no choice but to confiscate it.”
She did not specify what she would confiscate.
“Thank you, Teacher,” Chu Xin responded immediately, his attitude sincere.
Yan Ping sighed, said “Sit down,” and then ignored him, continuing with her lecture.
Before sitting, Chu Xin glanced at Shimizuma in the front row, whose vacant expression made one feel an urge to tease her.
He paused, a thought suddenly blossoming in his mind… perhaps he was simply overthinking things. He sighed as well, then sat down.
‘It seems I can’t think during class.’
The teacher for the next class was even stricter. If his phone were confiscated, his afternoon visit to the office would likely be even more arduous.
There was no telling what other “terrible” things Tina might make him do.
Hasegawa Ten’i turned around. “I’m sorry, Chu Xin… I didn’t warn you earlier…”
Chu Xin shook his head. “There’s no need. It was entirely my own fault. Besides… you don’t need to be so reserved around me…”
Hasegawa Ten’i’s face flushed slightly, and she softly hummed in agreement.
****
Two classes passed quickly. Chu Xin listened attentively throughout, and while he couldn’t avoid being called upon to answer questions, everything proceeded relatively smoothly.
Chu Xin now needed a quiet place to organize his thoughts.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, he grabbed his lunch bag and stood up, ready to be the first to leave.
Hasegawa Ten’i also rose, taking her lunch from her backpack. “Chu Xin, do you want to… eat lunch together in the classroom today?”
Shimizuma also strolled over leisurely, greeting Chu Xin. “Chu Xin-kun~ Good afternoon… would you like to eat together?”
Chu Xin paused, trying to clear his mind. “Ah? I have some things to do right now, so… let’s talk about it when I have time.”
“Oh… okay, then. We’ll wait until you have time.” Hasegawa Ten’i’s mood immediately plummeted.
Shimizuma simply stood to the side, maintaining her healing smile.
Watching Chu Xin’s retreating figure, she clasped her hands together and said, “Ah… he’s gone. Then, Ten’i-chan… shall we go eat?”
Walking into the corridor, Chu Xin observed the throng of Maria Academy students and remarked, ‘No matter the era, high school students always cherish their lunch break…’
After exchanging routine greetings, Chu Xin began walking towards Ji Yue Xuan’s classroom door. He instinctively pulled out his phone.
He saw the words [Special Mission Delayed].
He felt no surprise at this point. Perhaps the system had realized the mission’s futility, or perhaps it had compromised. However… surprisingly, it hadn’t been canceled; it had simply been replaced by a different mission.
It had now changed to: [Mission: Go to school with Ji Yue Xuan.]
[Success Condition: Go to school together for seven days (1/7)]
[Success Reward: Meditation.]
[Failure Penalty: None.]
Below was still the skill description: [Meditation: Focus of mind.]
It was still an abstruse skill description, originating from Xunzi’s “Exhortation to Learning.” This system was quite scholarly, incorporating elements from both Eastern and Western games from his previous life.
After a brief internal complaint, Chu Xin focused on the mission content.
‘Go to school together for seven days? That should be achievable, right?’
Thinking this, he prepared to head towards Ji Yue Xuan’s classroom door. However, before he could reach it, he was embraced from behind.
That familiar touch… it had to be her.
“Yue Xuan, stop messing around. Let’s go eat.”
But the voice from behind him was not Ji Yue Xuan’s.
“Eh~ But I’m not Yue Xuan~” Simultaneously, the arms wrapped around him tightened, and the voice took on a somewhat hollow quality.
Chu Xin recognized this as one of Ji Yue Xuan’s special abilities: voice mimicry. If… she could also disguise herself, wouldn’t he possess…
After a moment of thought, his face flushed slightly, and he cleared his throat. “Stop teasing, Yue Xuan.”
“Tch, darling is so boring.” Ji Yue Xuan’s figure appeared before him. Though she said this, the expression on her face seemed quite pleased, her golden hair trembling slightly with her movements.
Chu Xin affectionately ruffled her hair, not asking how she had appeared behind him. “Let’s go, Yue Xuan, time for lunch.”
“Yay! I get to eat darling’s homemade food again.”
****
“Wow, darling’s cooking is as good as ever. I wish I could eat it for my whole life~” Ji Yue Xuan said, leaning against Chu Xin.
Chu Xin responded dotingly, “If you want to eat it, I’ll keep making it for you.”
He wasn’t sure why one portion of the meal was missing, and he hadn’t found it in his bag. Perhaps it had spilled on the subway. He’d wash the bag when he got home.
This time, it was Ji Yue Xuan’s turn to blush, and she stammered in response, “Okay~”
The two, as always, made their way to a shaded spot on the rooftop. Only a few people were still there.
It seemed a certain rumor, combined with the strong sunlight, naturally reduced the crowd. This allowed them to find a good spot.
Even in the shade, the midday sun was still scorching. Chu Xin unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, his mind still preoccupied with earlier events.
This, however, allowed Ji Yue Xuan to vaguely glimpse a faint red mark on his collarbone. Her previously cheerful face immediately turned cold, and she spoke with a chilling voice, “Darling… where did that ‘hickey’ on your collarbone come from?”