Training

“Phew… class is finally over…”

Beside her, Ning Rou stretched her arms wide. Her graceful curves drew a flurry of stolen glances from the surrounding crowd.

“I heard a new bakery opened in the academy. Their ‘Cloud Cookies’ are incredibly popular—they’re limited edition every day. Yuehua, want to go try some together?”

Xiao Yuehua merely shook her head. Without making a scene, she gently pulled her friend’s raised hands back down to her sides, hiding that stunning silhouette once more.

“No, I have a tutoring session.”

“You’re still going? You don’t have a fever, do you?”

With a look of utter disbelief, Ning Rou reached out to feel Xiao Yuehua’s forehead.

“Didn’t we talk about this? A violent maniac like that can’t possibly be a good person. Yuehua, this is too dangerous.”

Xiao Yuehua’s expression remained resolute.

“Regardless, what I felt yesterday didn’t seem like a hallucination… Nangong Li is a professor, after all; he can’t be truly useless. I still want to try.”

Ignoring her friend’s incomprehending gaze, Xiao Yuehua turned to leave. She didn’t want to waste energy on meaningless explanations.

Ning Rou was a genius; she would never understand the desperate thirst and obsession of someone willing to give everything just for a sliver of improvement. Furthermore, Yuehua couldn’t afford to give up her status as a student-assistant. She needed the scholarship, and even more, she needed the Deduction Method enhancement resources that the position provided.

Ning Rou’s previous suggestion—that they both study under Professor Lin Yu—was far too naive. Setting aside how much weight a joked-about request actually carried, even if Professor Lin Yu did hold his nose and accept her as a “tag-along” for Ning Rou’s sake, would she truly benefit? The person they valued, in the end, would always be the genius Ning Rou, not her.

…

“Yuehua has been… a bit strange lately.”

Watching her friend’s cold, distant back as she walked away, Ning Rou couldn’t help but sigh.

She and Xiao Yuehua were best friends. At their previous school, they were both top-tier geniuses, constantly sweeping first and second place in various competitions; they were closer than sisters. But after the Freshman Tournament, everything changed.

The already introverted Xiao Yuehua had become even more taciturn. Whenever they were alone, the atmosphere was thick with awkwardness. Most importantly, Ning Rou could clearly feel that, because of certain events, Xiao Yuehua was building a wall around her heart.

“I hope Yuehua can move past this soon. I hope she won’t be in any danger with Nangong Li…”

She murmured a few words to herself and turned to leave with a heavy heart. A few minutes later, her mood darkened even further.

“The Cloud Cookies are sold out for today? But… but… aren’t they limited? How is it this early…”

The clerk behind the counter could only offer a bitter smile and a shake of the head. “There’s nothing we can do…”

On the way to the Deduction Room, Xiao Yuehua was preoccupied.

Should I really accept Nangong Li’s tutoring?

If he couldn’t even invest emotion into his own deductions, how could he possibly teach her? Was his supposed “provocation of anger” the truth, or just an excuse? Was it possible he simply wanted to bully her?

Ning Rou’s earlier warning stayed sharp in her mind. Truthfully, fear and unease swirled within her. Nangong Li’s behavior had always been too bizarre; she couldn’t build a shred of trust in him.

But the moment she thought about giving up her dream of becoming a Deductor—the moment she imagined bowing her head under her parents’ “I told you so” stares to walk the path they had prearranged, a path she loathed—the “what if” thoughts would surge back.

What if Professor Nangong is actually sane? What if his method works, even just a little? What if I can just endure this period of tutoring?

With those thoughts, she kept moving.

Crunch, crunch…

Through the window of the Deduction Room, Xiao Yuehua saw Nangong Li inside, reading a script and eating cookies. Perhaps it was because the cookies were particularly to his liking, but the expression with which he savored them was almost… pious.

Looking at him like this, a bystander would never associate him with the legendary “Cold-Faced Professor,” Nangong Li. It had to be said that, setting aside his usual cold and arrogant demeanor, his physical appearance was quite exceptional.

It’s just a pity his personality is exceptionally foul.

Xiao Yuehua shook her head and stepped into the room.

“Professor.”

“Huh?!”

Having been trapped in the basement of the Main World for so long eating nutritional supplements that tasted like rubber, Jiang Li had finally bought some delicacies and was lost in the flavor. The sudden voice from behind startled him.

Turning around with a dazed look, he instinctively hid the bag of cookies behind his back. Before him stood Xiao Yuehua, her face filled with slight confusion.

That was close…

Jiang Li felt a jolt of alarm. He hadn’t heard her footsteps at all. Fortunately, he had the “Poker Face” skill he’d drawn earlier to fall back on; his expression shouldn’t have given him away.

Thinking this, he decided to act as if nothing had happened and tried to steady his emotions.

“You’ve made your decision? You’re continuing my tutoring?”

“Yes.”

Xiao Yuehua glanced at the cookies behind his back. Her answer was curt, perhaps still nursing a grudge over yesterday’s events.

Jiang Li nodded. It seemed everything was still under control.

“Today, we will continue with yesterday’s content. However, before that…”

Jiang Li stopped Xiao Yuehua just as she began to mobilize her Deduction Power. He scanned her from head to toe and added, “I think you should pay attention to your appearance first.”

Xiao Yuehua’s brow furrowed slightly. “Apologies, Professor, but does this have anything to do with today’s lesson?”

“Of course it does. Style is a part of the deduction. If I may be blunt, your current outfit is ridiculously ugly. It makes me question your aesthetic sense as a Deductor.”

“…”

Xiao Yuehua fell silent.

“Go back and change.”

“Apologies, Professor, but may I regard this as a form of sexual harassment?”

Jiang Li merely sneered, pointing at her shoes. “And those. Change them too. Keep changing until I am satisfied.”

Is he joking?

Xiao Yuehua silently clenched her fists. At this moment, looking at Professor Nangong’s arrogant and caustic face, she felt a surge of fury. Every reason she had used to convince herself to come here felt like a farce.

Just as she glared at him, about to snap, Jiang Li’s expression instantly turned solemn. The mockery and arrogance vanished.

“Enough. Right now. Hold onto that emotion and begin the Deduction.”

“Huh?”

As her Deduction Power began to circulate with practiced ease, the images of fire, the high platform, and the phantom of the Witch began to manifest.

Simultaneously, the power within her body began to shift, leaning toward a different form.

Is this the legendary ‘Mana’? Could Professor Nangong’s method actually be working?

However, the moment her focus wavered, the “Mana” vanished like ice under a scorching sun. The surrounding phantoms rapidly became ethereal and fragile. Within a few breaths, she had shifted back from a furious Witch to the talentless Xiao Yuehua.

“…I… I’m sorry, Professor.”

Xiao Yuehua spoke stiffly, her face flushed with shame. She wasn’t a child; she understood now that the Professor had intentionally provoked her misunderstanding to help her channel emotion into the deduction.

And now, she had blown it.

Perhaps I… really am not suited for this…

She couldn’t help but feel a wave of despondency. However—

“There’s no need to apologize. This kind of training is never accomplished in one go.”

Professor Nangong’s reaction caught her off guard. She looked up in startlement. He showed no sign of dissatisfaction; instead, his face held a look of “business as usual.”

“Failure once or twice is normal.”

He was far more lenient than she had imagined.

“Professor…”

“But having said that…”

The next moment, his tone shifted again.

“Has anyone ever told you? Your taste in makeup is also terrible.”

“…”