Chapter 23: This School Is Strange (Please Follow!)

On Nohara's shoulder crouched a cat with a hunched skeleton, as if violently torn apart, its eyes blood-red and fixed on Niino Li with intense malice.

Threads of black resentment drifted out like smoke, then vanished into the air.

Two blurred black shadows were hidden behind his body; Niino Li could not see what animals they were.

Several students at the back of the line suddenly felt a cold wind sweep over them, sending chills from head to toe.

"Weird, why did I suddenly get goosebumps?"

"Me too. The auditorium wasn't even on AC—must be the principal's speech was that lame!"

"Hey, keep it down, a teacher's coming!"

The commotion quickly drew the attention of other teachers; the students speaking soon fell silent under their stern glares and quickly adjusted their postures.

Seeing Nohara's expression unchanged and showing no signs of physical discomfort or mental disturbance, Niino Li paid it no further mind.

He was no superhero; he didn't have enough energy to solve every strange tale he encountered.

Fortunately, the opening ceremony wasn't as long as the enrollment ceremony, giving this group of perpetually restless students a sigh of relief.

Next came class time.

The original's usual habit was to lay out a notebook on the desk, pretending to take notes while calculating daily expenses or mentally sketching ideas for his next artwork.

Out of curiosity and with no sense of drowsiness, Niino Li actually managed to pay attention.

If his performance continued to decline, the teachers who had long tolerated him would surely take turns retaliating.

Irreversible matters.

Japan is precisely such a country that prioritizes academic credentials and grades above all, a tradition of using limited resources to cultivate the most outstanding individuals—only elite education grants social status and others' respect.

"Niino-kun, looks like you've finally pissed off Teacher Nohara—why are you actually paying attention in class?" The girl with the earring spread a magazine beneath her textbook and tilted her head toward him.

Her expression was gleeful.

Niino Li ignored her; arguing with someone whose name he didn't even know was pointless.

"How boring." Seeing he remained unmoved, she muttered and returned to her magazine.

Niino Li had originally had no confidence he could maintain the original's academic level.

Though he'd endured the torrent of practice problems, those memories were like used draft paper—rarely revisited.

Yet the obscure, difficult formulas, grammar, and classical readings flowed through him effortlessly, without a single hesitation.

The system's intelligence broadly refers to one's ability to perceive, comprehend objective things, and apply knowledge and experience to solve problems; with its enhancement to 20 points, Niino Li could confidently declare:

"That's it?"

Niino Li's gaze shifted to the blackboard, a faint, barely noticeable smile tugging at his lips.

The lessons weren't very hard; on the first day, teachers often focused on livening up the classroom atmosphere and introducing basic concepts to spark student engagement.

Someone always vows at the start of the term to become the man who conquers some subject, only to announce spectacular failure by finals.

Tokyo Sakura-Ran High School's lunch break lasted an hour and a half, giving students time to eat and rest briefly.

When the bell rang, students rushed en masse to the cafeteria and convenience stores to buy their coveted limited-edition bento boxes.

"Miscalculation—I forgot to bring money." Niino Li patted down his entire body and found only a few cards.

Following the crowd would prevent him from getting lost on campus—that was his earlier plan.

But he'd ultimately been defeated by money.

Watching pairs of boys and girls walk down the halls with bread and drinks, the scent of food constantly drifting toward him, Niino Li decided to wander the campus alone.

As his physical condition improved, Niino Li's appetite gradually increased; feelings of hunger became common.

Yet he noticed one thing: though his upper limit for food intake had risen, his lower limit remained unchanged. He could consume the equivalent of three normal adults' meals, yet still satisfy his needs with a standard bento.

"Why's it getting dark?" Standing by the window on the third-floor corridor of the library, Niino Li squinted at the sky.

The distant classroom buildings and students appeared like monochrome silhouettes from a silent film, oddly comical.

Within thick, ink-wash-style clouds, a pale, ghostly sun was barely visible.

Suddenly, a deep black humanoid silhouette near the flowerbed with benches below waved toward Niino Li.

Its arm span was grotesquely exaggerated, like a giant bird flapping its wings.

When Niino Li rubbed his eyes to see who it was and opened them again, the figure had vanished.

"Niino-kun?"

A hand lightly tapped his left shoulder; when he instinctively turned his head, there was no figure at all.

"Here."

A neat sailor uniform hugged the girl's slender frame; black knee-high socks wrapped her glossy calves, and on her delicate face was a sly smile.

It was Minazawa Yuu.

"I didn't expect it to really be you—I thought I'd mistaken someone." Minazawa Yuu, holding a ham sandwich, walked beside Niino Li and handed it to him: "It's only the first day of school—have you already locked in first place in the grade?"

In the two days after resolving the Bug Grudge, she'd habitually compiled her strange tale research reports, but unconsciously, one term began appearing frequently—"Niino Li."

The image of that figure standing before the spider's corpse kept flashing before her eyes.

As if pleading for something.

"Of course. First place in the grade is the name at the top of the rankings—everyone looks up to it." Niino Li didn't refuse the sandwich; he tore open the wrapper and ate it immediately.

He hadn't imagined he'd run into Minazawa Yuu here—was this fate?

"You're not being sincere. If fame in this school is what you mean, Niino-kun, you've already achieved it." Minazawa Yuu pulled out her phone from her pleated skirt pocket and quickly pulled up an image.

It was news of Niino Li winning first prize in a certain high school art competition.

Sunflowers and the ocean—an odd combination.

"Let's not talk about that—why are you in the library?" Seeing she'd directly pulled up a promotional webpage of the original's award, Niino Li skipped the topic.

She already knew his identity; further argument would invite unnecessary risks.

Researchers are always dangerous—especially those studying strange tales.

"Don't forget I'm Sawa Sonoko, adored by countless teenagers online—I'm here to eliminate Ghost Spirits."

Minazawa Yuu shook the red-beaded bracelet on her pale wrist, then turned and walked toward the iron door of the left emergency exit.

Watching her back in confusion, Niino Li quickly swallowed the sandwich in two bites and followed after her.