Dubian Che made up his mind: No matter how long the years ahead may be, and regardless of the temptations he might face, he would never compromise his integrity. He wanted to be a light like no other.
"Transform, Ultraman Tiga!"
...Something felt off.
Dubian Che let his wild thoughts run rampant to relieve his gloomy mood and stopped caring whether Ultraman would actually shout "transform" or not.
When the midterm exam results were posted at noon, despite the fact that the two young ladies had started studying as well, Dubian Che once again ranked third.
There had been no progress since the first term; the road to becoming a "Tokyo hottie" seemed long and arduous.
However, the real test would come in the national exams two years later, where he aimed not only to surpass them but also to be the number one in the entire Island Country.
During the lunch break, there was a pause in the Wind Instrument Club’s practice, and Dubian Che walked up to the conductor’s podium, placing his hands on the side of the lectern.
"Kiyono, do you have a minute? I want to ask you something."
"What do you rich folks do at your balls?" Dubian Che watched her scribbling between the lines of an already densely noted music score.
"...Is that your idea of it?"
Kiyono Lin lifted her eyelids and glanced at Dubian Che. "Is Jiutiao going to take you to a ball?"
Dubian Che nodded with a pained expression.
"It seems you two get along well." Kiyono Lin returned her gaze to her score and continued writing notes.
"Get along well? Where did you get that from? She already said if I don’t dance well, she’ll kill me in an extremely cruel way. And you know, I’m just a poor country boy from the sticks, how could I possibly be a good dancer?"
"You could learn from Jack."
"Jack? The ’You jump, I jump’ Jack?"
"’Titanic’. You should at least remember the name of the movie."
"I’ve got it now." Dubian Che tapped the lectern with his index finger, "Even if I looked better and learned faster than Jack, etiquette might be mastered quickly, but dancing is another matter."
"You don’t necessarily have to dance at a ball."
"Is it possible not to dance?"
"I just eat every time I go." Kiyono Lin presented irrefutable evidence.
"But Jiutiao will definitely want to dance with me."
"Um... you know, I’m not very good at refusing her."
"Sorry, I’m not aware. Do you want to explain why you can’t say no to her?"
"Let’s not talk about those things that make me regret so much I’d think about lying on the tracks from Shibuya Station to Ochazuke. Can you help me learn to dance in a short amount of time?"
"Why should I help you?" Kiyono Lin lifted her head, her clear pupils reflecting Dubian Che’s face.
Looking directly at the face of a girl with a charm level of nine was not great for the heart; Dubian Che stood up straight: "Because you’re to blame for this."
"Yes. I accidentally saw your ’something’ yesterday, which kept me up all night. That’s why I overslept today. That led to the whole singing and dancing to ’Sakura Momo’ theme song in class and getting caught."
"Why couldn’t you sleep?"
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Kiyono Lin saw Dubian Che’s ambiguous expression and frowned slightly, leaning back.
"Never mind, I get the feeling you’re going to say something disgusting. It’s true I forgot to put away my... ’something’, but that’s hardly a reason to help you."
"You’re not going to help, even if it means seeing me die? I’m your only friend, Kiyono!"
"After you saw my... ’something’, I decided to break off our friendship temporarily."
"It was beyond my control, you invited me over to your place, remember?" Dubian Che tried to explain, "And when I heard you shout, I was concerned for you, worrying that something had happened to you. That’s why I looked. You know whether I’m lying."
"Who asked for your concern? What a terrible excuse! In my own apartment, anyone with a normal IQ wouldn’t have an accident!"
"Why are you suddenly angry?" Dubian Che wondered, "If you don’t want to help, it’s fine, I never intended to force you to do anything for me."
"Fine, I’ll figure it out myself." Dubian Che turned and walked back to his seat.
"What now?" Dubian Che turned halfway around.
Kiyono Lin was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Just to be clear, I feel no guilt for your insomnia. I’m helping for the Wind Instrument Club, no, for the Human Observation Department."
"Thanks. But why the sudden change of heart?"
Kiyono Lin looked at him with an icy gaze that could rival the Siberian chill.
"Fine, I won’t ask," Dubian Che raised both hands in front of his chest, palms facing her, "So, about this ball..."
"Stay in the clubroom after nine o’clock tonight." Having said that, Kiyono Lin buried her head back in her music score.
It seems Kiyono still cares about me, Dubian Che thought, delighted, when he nearly got the life scared out of him by Hanoka Chaozi, who was just inches away, clenching her fist.
"Hua Tian, what are you doing?!"
Hanoka Chaozi didn’t speak, but her angry expression suggested she was ready to punch at any moment.
If it came to a fight, Dubian Che, strength level six, could easily bully her with various tactics, even if he was only a three-pointer.
But if she sent the photograph to Jiutiao Meijie in a fit of rage, he could forget about preparing for the ball; he might as well stage his own Tokyo Survival Game that very night.
As tension hung thickly between the two, Kiyono Lin spoke up.
"If Hua Tian is worried about us, she can come along too."
"I will keep an eye on you!"
Watching Hua Tian walk away with the air of a Discipline Committee member, Dubian Che touched his tie and asked Kiyono Lin cautiously, "Did she talk to you?"
"I also didn’t expect that people would suspect us to be a couple just because we walk together."
"It must be because we look alike." Dubian Che sensed that Kiyono Lin probably didn’t yet know about him and Mayi Asuka; that was a relief.
"Look alike like you? Get back to your seat!"
"I notice you’re particularly irritable today. Is it that time of the month? Even though it’s summer, remember to drink plenty of warm water."
Kiyono Lin’s gaze turned sharp, instantly freezing.
Dubian Che had no choice but to surrender and obediently returned to his seat.