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Bang!!!!
Beichuan Si set down the lectern with an unwavering expression, the thud sending a jolt through the classroom.
"Since Shuishu thinks it's not quite right for me to go out now, I'll trouble you, Shuishu, to hand in my assignment."
Beichuan Si placed a hand on Shuishu Yui's shoulder,
"I do hope to hear nothing about the assignment being lost, misplaced, or accidentally not submitted—rest assured, I'm a kind person, and I won't do anything to a girl—"
Kind, you?
Shuishu Yui gulped and glanced at the lectern Beichuan Si had returned to its position, nodding vigorously, not daring to voice any opposition.
Everyone present understood Beichuan Si's implication, but they merely watched, noses towards the floor, hearts disengaged; none dared to speak for justice.
As mentioned before, Beichuan Si did not oppose using violence, for while it couldn't solve problems, it could solve the people causing them.
And since Beichuan Si wasn't in the wrong, he saw no reason to yield to anyone.
The way Beichuan Si carried himself caught the eye of the pale-faced girl who had just raised her voice; she had a moment of concern.
But soon, she lowered her head again, her eyes flickering as if lost in thought.
Beichuan Si paid no mind to this; as he returned to his seat and considered sitting down, a small head peered from the doorway—it was Shen Gu Mirai.
"Mr. Temple! Mr. Temple! Mr. Temple!"
She waved at Beichuan Si while blinking, hoping to catch his attention.
Some classmates were surprised.
Wasn't this Shen Gu Mirai from Class 3?
She was quite the big name.
Not only adept in both academics and sports, but her grades also topped the charts; she was poised and courteous in dealing with others.
With such sweet looks and well-mannered demeanor—like a girl out of a two-dimensional world—who wouldn't like her?
Aside from her overzealous interest in ghost stories and her blunt speech that tends to unsettle people, Shen Gu Mirai's superior qualities are matched by few.
It's said that a couple of seniors fought over her in their second year.
"Is it true? Shen Gu from Class 3 actually knows Beichuan?"
"Impossible. Isn't that guy's reputation in tatters?"
Whispers of speculation left Shen Gu Mirai scowling disdainfully; her high school peers had no idea of the formidable person they were mocking.
Yet, this wasn't necessarily bad news for her since these people dismissing Beichuan Si simply didn't see his potential.
But Shen Gu Mirai knew! In which case, let her become a good friend of Beichuan Si's!
Her thoughts spun rapidly, contemplating various options, but with the morning assembly starting soon, she could only call out to Beichuan Si,
"Mr. Temple! I'll come find you at noon. I hope you'll spare a moment for us to talk."
Leaving this message, Shen Gu Mirai quickly left Class 1 and returned to her own class.
Whoosh—
Her last words inevitably caused a stir.
Shen Gu Mirai actually took the initiative to meet with Beichuan Si, this irritable and gloomy guy?
None present had anticipated such juicy news following the winter break.
Beichuan Si ignored the charged atmosphere in the class, turning back,
"Thanks for earlier, Magong."
Previously, when Beichuan Si stood up, he inadvertently caught sight of a name written in a textbook—
Magong Tong.
Magong Tong never expected Beichuan Si to thank her once more, and a bright red blush spread across her paper-like complexion.
Her voice, already soft, became nearly inaudible as she lowered it further,
"Um... I'm sorry... Beichuan, could you not talk to me?"
His tone didn't indicate dislike, so Beichuan Si pondered that perhaps Magong Tong was also a victim of bullying, and speaking to her might worsen the situation.
It was indeed careless of Beichuan Si; he showed an understanding expression, turned toward the blackboard, and mouthed,
"Sorry for the trouble."
"N-no, that's not it." Magong Tong's face turned even redder.
She realized Beichuan Si misunderstood and awkwardly said,
"Talking to someone as weird as me will make you disliked."
Her voice soft and thin, Beichuan Si couldn't help but cast an amused sidelong glance at Magong Tong.
He said with a chuckle, "Magong, you don't think I'm popular, do you?"
Speaking of being disliked, he was the one who was consistently despised.
"N-no, that's not it... It's because of my own issues; I've always been rather unlucky—"
Magong Tong grew noticeably agitated, waving her hands fervently.
"All the classmates I've interacted with ended up in accidents and landed in the hospital..."
As she spoke, Magong Tong felt a bit strange.
She remembered having told her deskmate such stories before, yet today he seemed to be hearing them for the first time.
"Isn't that kind of bad luck?"
"...It has been since childhood. I rarely interact with my family at home. My luck has always been poor. Cough, cough, cough—" Magong Tong broke into a severe coughing fit.
She rarely spoke at school, and now, having said so much at once, she coughed as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Water." A newly opened bottle of mineral water was handed over.
"Thank you." Magong Tong instinctively took the bottle, took a sip, only to realize belatedly and exclaimed,
"S-sorry, Beichuan, I'll reimburse you. You should buy a new one..."
"It's just a bottle of water; I'm more interested in the topic of 'bad luck' that Magong mentioned..." Beichuan Si pondered briefly, glancing toward where Magong Tong had been coughing.
There, threads of black energy lingered, winding tirelessly...
Unlike grievance, the black threads resembled pure malice, rising and falling with Magong Tong's breathing.
An icy message arrived—
Discovered a peculiar anomaly "curse," unlocking the task "Darkness Buried Within the Heart."
System prompt: Your friend at school is shrouded in a curse, enveloping everyone near her in misfortune. Unluckiness falls repeatedly on this poor little girl, and her flame of life flickers in the curse's grasp. Your task is to uncover the past hidden in darkness—either dispel the darkness or be consumed by it.
Task completion condition: Remove the curse.
Task completion reward: Voodoo Doll (X3).
A task triggered?
Beichuan Si was somewhat astonished.
He had only interacted with Magong Tong briefly and had such a harvest?
However, under Beichuan Si's watchful eye, the black thread seemed to crawl onto his own body like a living thing.
It made direct contact with him, its icy chill spreading.
Such a strong corrosive force?
Beichuan Si gathered death energy into his eyes.
Under the magnification of the death energy, the details of the black thread were revealed.
The writhing black thread attempted to merge with his body.
Perhaps this was why Magong Tong said interacting with her too long would result in declining luck.
Beichuan Si covered the black thread with a layer of death energy undetectable to the naked eye.
Under its squirming and struggling as if it were alive, the black thread finally disintegrated into nothingness.
"Hint: You absorbed the curse (remnant), and your total death energy slightly increased."
Hmm?!
Beichuan Si looked mildly surprised.
Could there be such a benefit?
When he turned his gaze back to Magong Tong, his black pupils showed keen interest.
And feeling Beichuan Si's burning gaze, Magong Tong instinctively shrank back.
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