"Um, if you're looking for Gao Fu Shuai, he's not here. He was escorting Shen Ai Qing to the infirmary."
One of my male classmates – I recalled seeing him as part of the Singles Solidarity Society – spoke up nervously, in awe of being in the presence of one of the four campus flowers. Shu Hong Qiu tilted her head curiously.
"Who said I was looking for Gao Fu Shuai?"
"Eh? Then…?"
The students of class 2-4 exchanged confused glances. Shu Hong Qiu looked around and sighed heavily.
"I know Gao Fu Shuai has left. I saw what occurred earlier. I just waited for everything to end before I came in. Sorry for the inopportune timing."
"N…not at all!" The male student spluttered. I honestly, for the life of me, couldn't remember his name. "You're welcome to our class at any time!"
"Thank you."
When Shu Hong Qiu stepped inside the classroom, she drew quite a few stares. Normally, she would attract hostility from the girls, particularly Shen Ai Qing and her entourage, but because that specific group was absent, the aggression that simmered was noticeably a lot less than usual.
"Who is she looking for?"
"No idea. I thought she was here to give chocolates to Gao Fu Shuai, but she just said she isn't looking for him."
"Who do you think those chocolates are for?"
That question was answered shortly when Shu Hong Qiu headed straight for me. Stopping next to my desk, she presented the beautifully packaged chocolate to me.
"Huh? Me?" I pointed at myself in astonishment. I was so caught off guard that I even forgot to rhyme. Shu Hong Qiu smiled and nodded.
"As thanks for last week," she said with a wink. I nodded dumbly, realizing that she was referring to the encounter with the ghost.
"Um, thanks."
Standing up, I accepted the chocolate and bowed gratefully. Shu Hong Qiu turned away with a wave and departed the classroom.
I stared at the box of chocolates in my hands for a moment, not sure what to make of it. Then I sensed killing intent. Raising my head, I caught sight of the guys in class, including Tong Xue, glaring at me.
The Singles Solidarity Society, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity. I didn't know where they got the black hoods and weird costumes from, but they suddenly resembled a certain racist cult. Or that silly gang from that one anime about idiots, tests and summoned beasts.
"I judge thee…guilty!" One of them, his face hidden under the hood, proclaimed as he pointed at me dramatically. "I sentence thou to…"
"EXECUTION!" The rest of the hooded SSS members bellowed in unison. Producing ropes and twigs out of nowhere, they charged at me, scythes and flaming torches in their hands. Eyes glowed red in the shadows of their cowls.
Clearly, they intended to burn me at stake. I had no choice but to fight, oh, for God's sake.
"Hand over the chocolate!"
"That's mine!"
"Handmade chocolate from the goddess herself! I must have it!"
"How dare you betray us?! We were supposed to be comrades! We're supposed to suffer the curse of being single together!"
"You turned your back on your brothers! Now you shall pay!"
How melodramatic. Envy was ugly, indeed. Even so, I had no intention of handing over the chocolate. I had a sweet tooth, and I was hungry. This would save me some money during lunchbreak.
Hoisting up the chocolate over my head, I jumped onto my desk to dodge the first lunge. Spinning around, I kicked the nearest hooded guy in the face, sending him sprawling into the arms of his comrades. Ducking under a rake, I deflected a torch with a kick and then rammed my knee into my assailant's face, causing him to drop the flaming stick with a howl.
Flipping over another sickle, I sailed over their heads and landed behind them. One of them threw a coil of rope around me, but I seized it, yanked him over and introduced his face to my knee. He didn't take to the new acquaintance too well.
My defiance only stirred the fury of the mob to greater heights. Shrieking like demons, they charged with their stakes, torches and ropes, their desire to lynch me growing with each passing second.
Such a sight might have paralyzed any normal school life comedy protagonist with dread, but I had been to hell and back. I had stared down the faces of real demons and fought hand-to-hand combat with a ghost.
If these jokers thought they could scare me just because they cosplayed as lynchers from a racial supremacist cult or an anime about idiots, tests and summoned beasts, they were sadly mistaken.
"Ho…" I pushed my glasses up my nose with one hand while shielding my precious lunch behind my back with the other. Raising a foot, I adopted a combative stance. "If you want my chocolate that badly, come and try to take it from me. I will welcome your challenges, sadly, and beat you up for all to see."
Blinded by their rage, and overestimating their strength, the members of the SSS charged with a roar and swung their weapons. Pivoting on one foot, I kicked out and sent the first of them flying.
…needless to say, the battle ended in a one-sided massacre.
Unfortunately, no matter how many of them I defeated, there were always more of them spawning out from nowhere, almost as if this was some shitty game. After kicking what felt like the hundredth opponent in the jaw, I decided that I had enough. Ducking under a slash from a rake, I swept the attacker's feet out from under him and stomped on him before propelling myself to the side. Evading a rope that tried to entangle me, I headed for the window.
Diving out of the classroom, I cartwheeled in the air before landing on a tree. Jumping from branch to branch, I leaped to a window ledge on the higher levels before launching myself toward the rooftop.
All this while I had one hand still holding onto the box of chocolates that Shu Hong Qiu gave me.
Finding myself mercifully alone after all that drama and violence, I sat down against the ledge and unwrapped the package. Inside were several soft-looking chocolates that were a bit too basic and lumpy to resemble anything bought from a store.
Well, it was the thought that counted. I didn't really hold any real expectations for the taste, but as long as it was edible, they would fill my stomach. Fortunately, they tasted better than they looked. A bit too heaty for my liking, but nothing that couldn't be solved with a drink of water.
"Phew…"
Before I knew it, I had consumed all of them. I crumpled up the packaging, feeling a little sad that I had to throw it away.
I dropped it in the trash can on my way back down to my classroom, while making a mental note to thank Shu Hong Qiu later. I didn't need lunch now that I had a good substitute.
Unfortunately, I found someone blocking my way to the classroom. Since lunchtime was nearly over, most of the students had returned to their classes, and the members of SSS had their numbers greatly reduced. If I only had to deal with the SSS members belonging solely to my class, it shouldn't be a problem. Most of them should be in the infirmary, though, given how hard I kicked their asses. Even if they were fellow classmates, as long as they attacked me, they were getting no passes.
That was why I was completely taken aback by the giant standing at the doorway to class 2-4. He turned to glare at me and I realized that, despite his size, he was also a second-year student like me, especially because he was wearing the same school uniform and red colored tie as I did. His clothing barely fitted his muscular frame, and he towered over two meters. I wondered if he was a repeat student.
He lumbered toward me, cracking his knuckles loudly. The sound rumbled like thunder, and each of his stomps sent tremors quaking throughout the floor. I wanted to dart into my classroom to seek refuge (and hopefully wait until Teacher Jiao Shi arrived), but he was effectively barring any route inside. In essence, I felt like Minamoto no Yoshitsune standing before Saito Musashibo Benkei at Gojo Bridge.
Fortunately, that fantasy-like scene faded away immediately. Allow me to remind you once more: this is a school life story. Not a battle school story. The guy in front of me was a bully, not some renowned warrior from ancient history. And Valentine's Day was far from over.
Personally, I felt as if this was one of the bloodiest Valentine's Day I had ever experienced. Don't worry, it was only this day. I don't remember this many fights breaking out in any of the normal school days. Hell, I had a peaceful week between today and the ghostly encounter.
Hopefully, this dude would turn out to be reasonable, though my gut instinct told me that was improbable.
"How can I help you?" I asked, unfazed. Pushing my glasses up my nose, I calmly stared at him. For someone who had experienced death, this giant was nothing. "If not, then make way. I want to pass through. I don't have all day."
"Your rapping is as terrible as rumors say it is," the massive second-year student growled. I was somehow reminded of a bear. His hair was cropped close to his head, and he grew a beard for some reason. I did say I suspected he was a repeat student. The guy didn't look like he was the same age as me, despite being in the same year.
"If you find my rapping bad, then I guess I'm very sad."
"Dude, just stop."
"Fine. What do you want? You didn't come here just to tell me to stop rapping, did you?"
"No. The chocolates." He held out a massive paw. I stared at his huge hand dumbly, not comprehending, and he scowled impatiently. "The chocolates that Shu Hong Qiu gave you. Hand them over."
"I already ate them, sorry. If it's about taste, don't worry. The chocolates tasted real good. Eating them all improved my mood."
The bear dude looked thunderstruck, and I swear I saw lightning storm behind him for an instant. I decided to nickname him Hen Xiong for now, because I didn't recognize him. He reared to his full height, engulfing me in his shadow, and looked down in fury.
"You don't deserve her chocolates."
"And you do? I'd say boo."
"Shut the fuck up!" Hen Xiong bellowed and threw a punch. I ducked it deftly, darting to the side. With a growl, Hen Xiong threw his arms forward to wrap me in a bear hug, but I ducked under those muscular limbs. I couldn't bear being hugged by another man. Hen Xiong snarled in frustration and tried to seize my torso once more, seeking to grapple. Wrestling moves, huh? "Stop moving around!"
"And let you grab me? You're dumb as can be."
"Stop that inane rapping already!"
Dropping to my hands, I did a cartwheel, and in a single swift maneuver, ducked under Hen Xiong's next grab and simultaneously kicked his face when he closed in. He grunted and stumbled. Flipping myself over, I swung my leg about and hammered his collarbone with my foot. His knees buckled from the blow, but he endured the pain stoically and reached out to seize my arms.
Fortunately, I was quick to respond, twisting out of his grip and countering with another kick. My foot crunched into his nose, almost breaking it, and he staggered, droplets of blood spilling down his face.
"You're good," he admitted grudgingly. "No wonder Shu Hong Qiu gave you Valentine's Day chocolates. I shall acknowledge you as a worthy rival!"
"It appears you misunderstand. Rest assured, a rival I'm not. All I did was lend her a hand. Between us, no feelings run hot."
"Is it because the one you have a crush on is Shen Ai Qing?"
"Not anymore, I don't," I almost spat. Making use of my superior speed, I weaved through his barrage of strikes and grabs while snaking in to strike at his blind spots, raining kicks on his sturdy body. Despite his durability, my relentless rain of attacks was having an effect, and he grunted. Closing in for the kill, I ducked under another sweep and rammed my knee into his gut. "Forevermore, I won't."
"That's different from what I heard," Hen Xiong mused as he rubbed his midriff, pale from receiving my blows. He tried to evade my next kick, but he was too slow. Grunting, he staggered back and retaliated with a hold, but I slipped out of his fingers before he could secure his grip. He cursed, but returned to the topic. "Regardless, one thing is true. It appears that Shu Hong Qiu has a strong interest in you. Not only are you the object of her attentions recently, you're also the only one she gave chocolate to today. Clearly, you hold a special place in her heart."
"Huh?"
I was almost taken by surprise. That lapse cost me and Hen Xiong managed to catch me. With a deft movement, he yanked me close to lock his forearm over my throat and began suffocating me.
Bloody bastard. What an unfair tactic.
Instead of struggling, I relaxed for a moment. The trick to escape a hold was not to resist at first, but to go with the flow. Counter hard with soft. With his superior strength, Hen Xiong could easily crush me, and there was no way I could break his hold. Let him hold me aloft.
Then I swung my leg as far back as I could when his guard was down and rammed my heel between his legs.
No matter how massive and sturdy Hen Xiong was, there was one particular place that he couldn't possibly strengthen. He howled and immediately released me, clutching his groin and doubling over. Not one to avoid kicking a person when he was down, the moment I slid out of his grip, I whirled about and delivered a roundhouse kick that connected solidly with his skull, and he went down with a thunderous thud.
Lowering my leg, I let out a breath of relief and pushed my glasses up. Unable to resist, I left one last remark.
"The strange mysteries of the heart, can only be answered in part."