At the same time, somewhere in Academy City.
On the second floor of a palace-like villa surrounded by greenery, a girl opened her eyes.
She removed the full-dive helmet and sat up.
Smooth black hair poured down like a waterfall.
She possessed a naturally flawless face.
The arrogant confidence between her brows refused to disappear.
The reddish corners of her eyes gave her an almost seductive air.
Remaining seated, her expression shifting unpredictably, she thought for a moment before picking up her phone.
“Little Shuang.”
“Find someone for me.”
“His name is Cheng Fei.”
“He’s probably in Academy City…”
“I met him inside Corridor.”
“He knew my real name, so those people must have arranged him.”
“They seriously never stop…”
“Once you find him, bring him directly to me.”
“I’ve been too polite.”
“They really think I, Lin Xuanqi, am easy to bully…”
The girl ended the call.
Her narrowed eyes contained coldness.
…
By the second weekend after Cheng Fei joined the Corridor Research Club, he remained completely unaware that certain events were quietly developing.
The boy simply became even more focused on studying.
Apart from his afternoon shift at the convenience store, he spent nearly every remaining minute reading or completing exercises.
He even turned off his phone to eliminate distractions.
Ordinary people would never imagine that Cheng Fei had gone so far as to predict the likely scope of the next monthly exam and target his practice accordingly.
His bet with Shen Xi allowed only victory.
Failure was not an option.
He absolutely needed to hear Shen Xi call him “husband” inside the clubroom.
Naturally, this wasn’t about taking advantage of her.
It was about protecting his personal freedom.
Cheng Fei had no intention of becoming a sacrifice to her chuunibyou.
And perhaps it would also teach her some humility.
Monday’s final afternoon period was their weekly home economics class.
Cheng Fei, Chen Hao, and Du Xinhua walked toward the cooking classroom.
Chen Hao clasped both hands behind his head.
“Man, home economics still feels weird.”
“We actually have to learn cooking.”
“Feels like something out of Japanese anime.”
“That’s Academy City’s holistic education.”
Du Xinhua raised one finger.
“It prevents students from entering high school without knowing how to make egg fried rice, then burning their house down the first time they enter a kitchen.”
“People like that actually exist?” Chen Hao asked in surprise.
Du Xinhua pointed at himself.
“Yeah.”
“Me.”
“You bastard.”
“I remember you’re a local, right?”
“You’ve been living way too comfortably if food just appears whenever you open your mouth.”
“It wasn’t my choice.”
“My parents taught me from childhood not to waste time cooking.”
“They said I should spend that time studying, earn more money in the future, then pay someone else to cook.”
“What kind of capitalist doctrine is that?”
“Damn you Academy City people!”
“I cannot tolerate this!”
“Aren’t you studying every day precisely so you can do the same thing someday…
Urk—”
Cheng Fei looked at Chen Hao, who had Du Xinhua in a headlock.
“Try not to kill anyone.”
Chen Hao released him.
“Hmph.
You study that hard and your grades still aren’t much better than mine.”
“I’ll spare you this time.”
“That’s because I usually spend the time I save playing visual novels.”
Du Xinhua straightened his disordered collar.
“You truly disgrace your parents’ efforts.”
Chen Hao curled his lip.
Then suddenly became excited.
“I heard today’s cooking class allows free grouping.”
“Boys and girls can team up.”
“And there’s a tasting section.”
“What if some girl asks me to team up, cooks something delicious, then goes ‘Aaah~’ and feeds me herself?”
“I’m getting excited just imagining it…”
Other people were walking through the hallway.
Cheng Fei and Du Xinhua simultaneously moved one step sideways, distancing themselves from the beaming Chen Hao.
Du Xinhua shook his head.
“You’d be lucky if a real girl didn’t dump all the chores on you while she chats nearby.”
“You should just play visual novels with me.”
“That’s more realistic.”
The three entered the cooking classroom.
Many students were already inside.
The atmosphere was lively.
Chen Hao whistled.
“We have class with Class Three today.”
“You even know that?” Du Xinhua raised a brow.
“I saw my basketball-club friends.”
“I’m going to say hi.”
After Chen Hao left, Cheng Fei and Du Xinhua randomly chose an empty workstation near the window.
“Looks like we’re partners.”
Du Xinhua shrugged.
Cheng Fei had just nodded when a familiar gentle voice sounded behind him.
“Um, you’re Du…
from the gaming club?”
“DU XINHUA!”
The boy in front of Cheng Fei suddenly stood at military attention.
Cheng Fei turned.
The Japanese exchange student stood behind him wearing a pink apron and her signature gentle smile.
“Na-Nagasaki…
You wouldn’t happen to want…”
Du Xinhua rubbed his trembling hands.
“Sorry.”
“Could you give me your current position?”
Nagasaki Asuna clasped her hands behind her back.
The playful, lovable smile on her face was impossible to refuse.
“Of course…”
Du Xinhua instantly turned gray and trudged away from Cheng Fei.
Once he was gone, Cheng Fei glanced at the girl who casually took his place.
“So you’re in Class Three?”
“Cheng Fei really pays very little attention to me.”
Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head and puffed out one pale cheek.
“Sorry.”
“I basically only care about studying.”
“Then does Cheng Fei know what class Shen Xi is in?”
The girl rose onto her toes and stared at him.
“No idea.”
Cheng Fei met her lively eyes.
The girl touched her chin with one finger.
After one second of thought:
“So you really do only care about studying…”
“See?”
“I wasn’t lying.”
At that moment, Cheng Fei heard shouting behind him.
“What?!
Something like that happened?!”
“I’m going to kill that bastard!”
“Let go of me!”
It sounded like Chen Hao.
“Calm down!”
“At least don’t attack him here!”
“The basketball club can’t afford to lose you, Hao!”
Du Xinhua and someone else were trying to restrain him.
Cheng Fei glanced at the culprit.
Nagasaki Asuna secretly giggled and turned toward the window to admire the scenery.
The preparation bell rang.
A kindly middle-aged woman entered and began speaking slowly.
“Hello, everyone.”
“Today’s theme is fried rice.”
“The history of fried rice in our country can supposedly be traced back to the Warring States period.”
“Legend says that someone surnamed Fan combined cooked rice, vegetables, and meat, creating a new dish considered one of the prototypes of fried rice…”
Even though both counted as lectures, interesting historical anecdotes were infinitely more engaging than sleep-inducing mathematics.
After her introduction, the teacher emphasized safety rules and several fried-rice techniques.
“That’s all.”
“Now you may freely choose from the ingredients in front of you and prepare a bowl of fried rice that goes beyond simple egg fried rice.”
“At the end, everyone will taste and score one another’s dishes.”
Before she even finished speaking, the students eagerly began.
Cheng Fei glanced at Nagasaki Asuna.
“Nana.”
“Mm?”
“Do you know how to make fried rice?”
“Me?”
“Please look forward to it~”
The girl picked up a carrot and held it beside her cheek.
She tilted her head and winked.
“What about Cheng Fei?”
“You don’t exactly look reliable.”
Thank you so much for reading until the end.
[ END 401 Chapter ]
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