Chapter 9: The First Day of School
Why?
The question came out quickly.
As though it had slipped from her before she could arrange it.
But in the very next moment, her eyes returned to him once again.
And this time, the look was shorter.
Yet clearer.
She saw enough.
And she saw more than she wanted.
So the redness on her face deepened again.
As for Ji Lin, he only gave a simple smile.
Calm.
Light.
Then turned toward the bathroom.
You are my younger brother now.
What did you say when you lost to me five days ago?
Wang Dong'er remained where she was.
Stunned for a moment.
Caught between irritation.
Embarrassment.
And that tension she did not know how to hide completely.
Then Ji Lin entered the bathroom.
And before long, the place filled with the warmth of water.
A faint steam began to drift into the room.
So the atmosphere grew warmer on the surface.
But for Wang Dong'er, that did not make things easier.
It only made them more unsettling.
Because the silence was no longer ordinary.
And the sound of water made Ji Lin's presence clearer than necessary.
And for her, even sitting in her place became a strange burden.
Especially after that first glance.
And those details that had clung to her mind against her will.
Damn it!
Wang Dong'er frowned.
And his cheeks puffed up with anger and embarrassment at the same time.
He was no longer responsible only for cleaning the dormitory.
Now he also had to wash Ji Lin's clothes.
And his thoughts stopped at one point.
Did that mean he would have to wash every piece of clothing Ji Lin wore?
Even his underwear?
A sharp wave of embarrassment and irritation swept over him at once.
Embarrassment that made his ears grow hot.
And irritation that made his brows draw together even more.
After that, he dropped onto the bed with obvious heaviness.
As though he had thrown all his frustration onto the mattress.
And he kept staring upward.
While his thoughts turned restlessly inside his head.
The task had already been annoying to begin with.
But what Ji Lin had just added made the whole matter even more embarrassing than he wanted to admit.
As for Ji Lin, he was calm in an infuriating way.
Without concern.
And without any visible interest in Wang Dong'er's reaction.
He gathered all the clothes he had taken off.
And threw them into the laundry basket beside the bathroom door.
Then went straight out to the cafeteria.
With natural steps.
And without looking back even once.
Leaving Wang Dong'er behind with an indignant look.
And clear impatience in his eyes.
But that changed nothing.
He had left the matter exactly as it was.
And walked away.
The next day,
the morning began early.
And the academy recovered its usual bustle.
Students were moving through the corridors.
Footsteps crossed from every direction.
And voices quickly blended together with the beginning of a new school day.
Today is a school day.
Hurry up.
Do not be late.
Wang Dong'er's face turned red as he shouted.
Then he grabbed Ji Lin's hand.
And dragged him along while running quickly.
Since that fight, a strange feeling had settled inside him.
A feeling he could not explain easily.
And could not ignore either.
During the past few days,while Ji Lin had been away from the dormitory, he had tried to ignore it.
But he could not.
Then what happened yesterday came.
And made everything even more complicated.
The way Ji Lin had stood there.
His natural calm.
And the body Wang Dong'er had seen far more clearly than he should have.
All of that stirred an irritating curiosity inside him.
And an even more irritating embarrassment.
Last week, after the fighting incident, and with Ji Lin absent from the dormitory for that entire period, Wang Dong'er kept a cold expression on his face.
Calm on the outside.
As though nothing mattered to him.
But in truth, he was working hard.
He cleaned the dormitory.
Washed his clothes.
And prepared meals for himself.
As though he were trying, through those repeated tasks, to bury his confusion beneath routine.
And forget it in his own way.
Without revealing any weakness in his feelings.
After running for a while, he arrived while dragging Ji Lin by the hand into Class One.
And the moment they entered, beautiful girls surrounded them from every direction.
Curious looks appeared.
Quick whispers rose.
And the place filled with light commotion.
But it did not last long.
Because the teacher entered in the very next moment.
And the entire atmosphere was cut off all at once.
She stood before the class.
Her gaze was cold.
And her presence carried a pressure that made the voices die down on their own.
My name is Zhou Yi.
I will be in charge of your class.
Then her gaze swept across everyone.
And her eyes settled on them with clear sternness.
Remember this well.
In my class, the weak will fail.
My goal is to create monsters.
Not trash.
And the moment her words ended, the students' voices rose immediately.
What?
Did she just call us weak?
That is too much!
There is no way I count as weak!
Did she get hit on the head?
This is good!
She looks ridiculous!
But Zhou Yi's gaze remained cold.
So cold that their anger seemed childish and pitiful.
Then she opened her mouth.
The ones who fought that day.
Stand up.
At once, both Ji Lin and Wang Dong'er stood up.
And in that same moment, the girls' voices rose again.
What?
Why them?
But they look cute.
And timid?
Zhou Yi's eyes settled on the two of them.
So it was you two?
Then she turned her gaze toward the rest of the class.
As for the rest of you…
is it really so hard for you to realize that those who do not dare to cross their limits are nothing but trash?
Aside from these two,
all the rest of you will run around the school one hundred times.
Those who fail…
will be expelled.
The whole class nearly exploded in the very next moment.
Angry shouts rose.
And stunned objections appeared.
Eh!
Impossible!
Are we being punished just because we did not get into a fight?
Expelled?
This has gone too far!
That is right!
What kind of decision is this?
Isn't this the first day of school?
Why—
But Zhou Yi did not give them the chance to finish.
The anger in her eyes intensified.
And in the next moment, her spirit rings appeared.
Why?
Because I said so.
Anyone who refuses…
can disappear from my sight.
As class leader
I have the right to dismiss and expel anyone.
Then she added in a tone that allowed no argument:
I will give you one minute.
If you do not start running…
then the entire class will fail.
And all of you will be expelled.
The moment the spirit rings appeared, anger turned into shock.
Faces froze.
Eyes widened.
Then the cries came again, this time mixed with fear.
Two rings…
ten… ten-thousand-year ones!
A Spirit Empress!
How terrifying!
Is she trying to kill us?
She has two ten-thousand-year spirit rings!
But Zhou Yi paid no attention to their astonishment.
She looked at them as though they were merely a group that needed one violent push before they started moving.
And after she saw them finally begin to run, she spoke again.
Allow me to tell you something.
You are expected to complete one hundred laps around the school field within one hour from now.
Those who fail to clear this obstacle…
will be expelled from the school.
Then she slowly turned her head.
And looked at Ji Lin and Wang Dong'er.
You two.
Come forward.
The two of them stepped forward.
And her gaze on them was sharp.
From what I can see…
your blood runs hot.
Tell me.
Why did you fight?
Wang Dong'er looked at her in clear surprise.
As though he had not expected her to actually ask for the reason.
As for Ji Lin, he sighed quietly.
Then spoke directly.
We are dorm roommates.
There was a disagreement.
Then it developed into a fight to determine who would be in charge.
Zhou Yi kept looking at him coldly.
Then she said:
Although fighting is allowed,
I detest fighting between students of the same class.
Remember this well.
The next time you get into a fight,
do it with students from other classes.
Then she added with a blank face:
Just avoid killing them.
Silence fell for a moment.
Some students could not even tell whether what they had heard was a reprimand or encouragement.
After that, Zhou Yi began explaining the school's combat rules.
And the explanation went quickly.
Firmly.
And without any softening.
Thus, a few minutes passed.
Then she finally ended her speech.
That is enough.
You may begin running now.
The moment Wang Dong'er heard that, his eyes widened.
What?
Why did you not say that earlier?!
But time left him no room to object any further.
Without wasting another moment, Ji Lin grabbed Wang Dong'er's hand.
And pulled him directly toward the school field.
As for Ji Lin, none of this surprised him in the least.
He had known from the start that Zhou Yi was this kind of person.
That was why no shock appeared on his face at her behavior.
Instead, he rushed into the run as though he had been ready for it from the very first moment.