Chapter 111: The Fastest Ride and a Fateful Question

This was likely the fastest Zhong Tian had ever ridden a bicycle.

Upon arriving at school, they still had five minutes before morning self-study began.

Zhong Tian quickly locked her bicycle, then jogged into the school alongside Su Linxi.

In that moment, Zhong Tian began inwardly cursing Taisugi High School’s uniform: ‘This skirt is absolutely impossible to move in!’

A sudden urge to lift her skirt and sprint faster surged through Zhong Tian, but her sense of shame ultimately reined her in, compelling her to continue jogging with Su Linxi toward the second-year teaching building.

In front of the second-year teaching building, the Director of Moral Education, a man as burly as a sports instructor, was loudly shouting at the students rushing inside,

“Hurry up! You have one minute left!”

This is it!

“Oh, oh, oh! I’m soaring to the sky!”

Huh?

A young man streaked past Zhong Tian.

With that familiar line and his exaggerated running posture, Zhong Tian knew exactly who it was, even without seeing his face.

“Oh wow! As expected of Taisugi High School’s top meal-racer among second-year students, Li Jianren!” exclaimed a student who recognized him, narrating as they ran and looked back. “He’s almost at the teaching building entrance! He’s starting his final sprint! What incredible speed!”

Hey, why has he turned into an athletics commentator?

The unnamed “commentator” dashed into the teaching building, with Li Jianren hot on his heels, just about to step inside as well…

“Alright, time’s up.”

“Eh?”

Mid-sprint, Li Jianren was abruptly grabbed by the collar by the Director of Moral Education, who held him aloft like a kitten, effectively halting him just outside the door.

“All students behind this point are late!”

“Aaaahhhhh—”

Had Li Jianren not been held by the Director, he might well have performed a dramatic collapse, feigning a grievous injury.

Catching up, Zhong Tian leaned over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

‘If only I’d known I’d be late even after running, I wouldn’t have bothered…’

“Director! You’re tricking us! There’s still a minute left, isn’t there?”

Li Jianren pulled out his phone and thrust it toward the Director’s face. “We clearly aren’t late!”

“Oh, you’ve just handed it over to me,” the Director remarked, raising a hand to snatch Li Jianren’s phone away. “Using a phone during morning self-study is prohibited. It’s confiscated. Come retrieve it from me after school tonight.”

“Wha—what?”

“Furthermore, let me reiterate: my emphasis has always been on arriving in class five minutes early,” the Director declared, releasing Li Jianren and addressing all the late students loudly. “Stopping you only in the final minute counts as my benevolence.”

A deflated Li Jianren slumped against a pillar by the teaching building entrance, emitting his unique, peculiar cry that sounded utterly inhuman.

This sight amused several of the late students, including Zhong Tian, and much of the ill humor caused by their tardiness dissipated.

“All late students, stand over here,” the Director commanded, gesturing toward the teaching building wall. “Form a neat line.”

There were seven or eight late students. The Director took a group photo of them all and sent it into the teachers’ WeChat group, instructing each homeroom teacher to identify their students.

Homeroom Teacher Wang Changgeng of Class 3, Year 2: [The boy making a peace sign, and the two girls beside him, are from my Class 3, Year 2.]

Youth is Good: [These ones are from our Class 4.]

Director of Moral Education Hu Guowei: [@Youth is Good Please change your nickname.]

Youth is Good: [Understood.]

Homeroom Teacher of Class 12, Year 2: [This one is from our class.]

“…Alright, I won’t waste any more of your time. Return to your morning self-study now.”

Several students, still unsure of exactly what had transpired, breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to their respective classes.

“Zhong, what happened to you today?” Li Jianren asked, walking beside Zhong Tian on the way back to class. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen you late.”

“Something came up this morning and delayed me,” Zhong Tian replied, turning the question back to him. “What about you?”

“Oh, I simply overslept,” Li Jianren said with a shrug. “Even three alarm clocks couldn’t wake me up.”

“Pulled another all-nighter?”

“Nah, not at all. I went to bed quite early last night,” Li Jianren corrected. “I’ve noticed that when I stay up late, I can wake up on time, but if I go to bed early, I always oversleep. It’s so damn strange!”

“…You’ll get used to it. Early to bed, early to rise is good for your health.”

“Yeah, I plan to go to bed early tomorrow too,” Li Jianren declared, clenching his fist. “Then, on Saturday night, I’ll have a blast!”

“…So, you’re essentially saving up energy for Saturday night…”

“Heh heh, as the saying goes, ‘Train soldiers for a thousand days to use them for one battle.'”

“……”

As they chatted, the three of them returned to their classroom.

By then, the class was already reciting in unison.

Glancing at the podium, they saw that Homeroom Teacher Wang Changgeng was indeed waiting for them.

The three students consciously walked to Homeroom Teacher Wang Changgeng’s side and stood still.

Homeroom Teacher Wang Changgeng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, observing the three of them for a long while amidst the sounds of recitation, uttering not a single word.

Zhong Tian already detested standing in such a conspicuous spot as the podium, and Homeroom Teacher Wang Changgeng’s continuous gaze made her discomfort even more acute.

“Alright, return to your seats.”

“Huh? That’s it?” Li Jianren scratched his head. “I thought you were going to lecture us thoroughly.”

“Being late is not a grave mistake warranting a lengthy discourse, and we mustn’t disrupt morning self-study. Now, go back to your seats.”

Zhong Tian was the first to step down from the podium, quickly returning to her seat.

As usual, Wu Rui made way for Zhong Tian to get to her seat.

Zhong Tian sat down, adjusted herself, and took out her morning self-study book…

****

Morning classes concluded as usual, and the teaching building buzzed with activity, filled with the thudding of footsteps everywhere.

Zhong Tian stretched, then went to find Su Linxi.

“Let’s go, time to eat.”

“Mm-hm.”

On the way to the cafeteria, Zhong Tian deliberately steered Su Linxi away from the bustling crowd, slowing their pace.

“Linxi, there were a few questions I didn’t get a chance to ask this morning, and I’d like to ask you now, as a fellow ability user…”

“…I’ll answer what I can…”

“First question,” Zhong Tian whispered, “are blue eyes a symbol of an ability user? Or rather, does the transformation of eye color to blue signify gaining an ability?”

“Yes.”

“…That certain?”

“Yes,” Su Linxi affirmed. “Furthermore, when an ability changes, the eye color also shifts, progressing from deep blue to lake blue, and finally to sky blue.”

“So, has your ability already undergone a transformation?”

“…I was lake blue from the very beginning…” Su Linxi averted her gaze. “As for why, I cannot say…”

“Alright.” Zhong Tian nodded. “Then I have two more questions: why do abilities have side effects, and how can one avoid them?”

“That’s because of the ‘rules’ of this world…” Su Linxi paused. “There is always a give and take; it is unavoidable.”

“There’s also one more thing… If an ability is used against another ability user, it will incur even stronger side effects.”

“Potentially, even fatal.”

Those two brief sentences brought Zhong Tian’s steps to a complete halt.

“You said… fatal?”

“Yes,” Su Linxi confirmed, walking slightly ahead of Zhong Tian and speaking slowly. “Someone once died right before my eyes due to an ability’s side effects…”

The word “death” struck Zhong Tian speechless. Only now did she realize that she had twice brushed shoulders with mortality.

“So… that’s why you were so flustered this morning…”

“Mm-hm.”

Su Linxi lowered her gaze.

“There’s always a give and take, so it’s best to use abilities sparingly…”

****