Li Wu's mouth twitched. I'll probably be ranked dead last in the next monthly exam. After all, I just transmigrated here, and I don't know a single thing they test at Chiba Academy...
The commotion died down, and the students returned to the classroom, continuing to chat and goof off. Without Kiana to attract their attention, the others quickly zeroed in on Li Wu and Raiden Mei, who was standing next to him wearing men's clothes.
"Isn't that Raiden Mei? She didn't show up for two periods. I thought she ran home crying. I didn't expect she went home with another guy..."
"Pathetic. I thought she was so high-and-mighty, but in the end, she still reeled in a sugar daddy and threw herself at him. Why'd she act so pure before..."
"Haha, don't talk about her like that. Look how long it took them to get back. Who knows what they did~ She even changed into someone else's clothes."
All sorts of gossip and mockery surged over them like a tidal wave once again.
In this inescapable classroom, Li Wu could only passively endure it.
Honestly, even though he had mentally prepared himself beforehand, treating these foul words as mere NPC dialogue, actually hearing them directed at him felt entirely different.
It definitely caused psychological pressure, and not just a little bit.
School bullying wasn't as light and simple as he had imagined. At least for the victim, the pressure was immense...
Raiden Mei continued to feign the pitiful, fragile victim persona from earlier. She clung tightly to Li Wu, refusing to let go, like a koala bear.
The once noble and beautiful young lady had now been reduced to this lowly, pitiful state. Not only did this fail to elicit any sympathy, but it actually made her bullies even more arrogant, emboldening them to hurl even more twisted and perverse insults at Li Wu and Raiden Mei.
Li Wu's brain was practically turning to mush from all the sarcastic remarks. He decided to fight back.
Just as Li Wu was about to stand up and retort, a familiar figure enveloped in the most dazzling orange midday light appeared before him.
Li Wu's gaze slowly traveled up her school uniform, eventually landing on a beautiful, delicate face. A pair of eyes, cold as frost, stared fixedly at him.
The noisy chirping of cicadas drifted in through the window on the hot summer breeze, whipping Kiana's snow-white hair around wildly.
"Why are you two together?"
Her pink lips parted slightly, her voice exceptionally icy.
A classmate nearby suddenly chimed in with a slanderous remark: "How else could they be together? They obviously just hooked up somewhere! Haha!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Kiana's blade-like gaze instantly locked onto him. With a questioning tone, she demanded, "Was I asking you?"
The person's face instantly stiffened, and he was left speechless for a long time.
As the most authoritative genius in the entire grade, even the principal had to be polite when dealing with Kiana. He was just the child of a minor noble; he had absolutely no confidence to talk back to her.
It wasn't just her grades. What was even more terrifying was Kiana's background. To put it bluntly, even if all the students in the class banded together, they might not be able to match her. This was a fact everyone was well aware of.
"Did you see it with your own eyes? Or do you have evidence to prove it? If you have nothing, what's the difference between that and spreading rumors and slander? Do you think that just because you're a student, you can maliciously defame others as you please?"
"I don't want to see this kind of thing happen again—at least not in my line of sight. If anyone still wants to do it, try replacing the subject of those rumors with me. Stand in front of me and say it to my face."
Instantly, everyone in Li Wu's class was terrified into silence. You could hear a pin drop in the classroom; there wasn't a single sound.
After a long while, faint murmurs of apology drifted over, but they quickly vanished.
Without the interference, Kiana looked back at Li Wu and repeated her question: "Why are you two together?"
For some reason, Li Wu felt an immense sense of pressure.
This pressure was even more terrifying than when Raiden Mei had tried to kill him.
But Li Wu stubbornly withstood the pressure. He let out a long breath and replied in a natural tone, "Is there a problem with that?"
"I want to know."
"I don't have to answer you, do I? You're not anyone special to me. This is my private matter."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wu regretted it.
The Kiana before him clearly wasn't someone to mess with. She had silenced the noble kids bullying Raiden Mei with a single sentence. Even though he had the status of the protagonist, he had absolutely no background to speak of.
Li Wu could only pray she wouldn't try to ruin him over a single sentence.
However, the exact opposite happened. Kiana maintained her quiet demeanor. Not a trace of anger appeared on her face. Her gaze lingered on Li Wu for a moment, her ice-blue eyes hiding inexhaustible secrets.
The classroom was dead silent; every eye darted between the three of them.
"You're right. You have no reason to be obligated to answer me. I was being too presumptuous."
This completely unexpected response made the surrounding students' eyes widen, especially the one who had just been scolded. His face burned fiercely, and he wished he could dig a hole in the ground and hide in it.
Talk about double standards!
Kiana Kaslana actually apologized to an ordinary student with no background, who had gotten himself into massive trouble and was standing against everyone else?
But Kiana's next actions allowed everyone to regain their composure.
Kiana shifted her gaze to Mei, who was trembling slightly and clinging tightly to Li Wu's arm.
Her eyes paused for a moment on the obvious men's jacket Mei was wearing, then quickly swept over the fragile expression on her pale face.
"T-This is because Li Wu was afraid I would be cold, so he prepared it for me..." Raiden Mei explained in a small voice.
"Raiden-san. Student Handbook, Chapter 4, Article 14: Students must keep their attire neat, clean, and appropriate while at school. Furthermore, your clothing does not comply with regulations."
Kiana's address was very polite, maintaining a perfectly measured sense of distance.
A fleeting glint of coldness flashed through Mei's eyes, and then she hugged Li Wu's arm even tighter.
[Kiana expresses understanding toward your actions to protect the weak. Affection has increased.]
[Kiana feels disappointed by your inability to distinguish truth from falsehood. Affection has decreased.]
[Raiden Mei feels physiological disgust toward Kiana's habit of absolute impartiality.]
"..."
Li Wu felt like his brain was turning to sludge, his head spinning.
Her affection was going up and down like a rollercoaster. And Raiden Mei was a ticking time bomb—one that was stuck to his side and couldn't be thrown away.
The two of them didn't seem to get along; their relationship was terrible.
Kiana continued in that fact-stating tone, "The student counseling room has spare clothes for emergencies, available for special circumstances. You can go there to change."
"It's between classes right now; the teacher on duty at the counseling room should be there."
Her words sounded cold and unfeeling, as if she were reprimanding Mei for breaking the rules while subtly hinting that she should respect herself.
But Li Wu's brow twitched slightly, faintly catching on to Kiana's true intentions.
Is she taking a stand against bullying?
From a standpoint of neutrality and order, she was persuading Raiden Mei to get rid of the conspicuous jacket so she wouldn't be a target anymore. At the same time, this would relieve the awkward situation Li Wu found himself in, being guilty by association for helping her.
"Also, according to school rules, maliciously slandering or spreading false statements to disrupt others' learning environment is a punishable offense. In severe cases, it can be submitted to the Disciplinary Committee for review. Although gathering evidence is usually difficult, and no one really puts effort into reviewing and handling it..."
Kiana's ice-blue eyes shifted toward the students who had been speaking the loudest just moments ago. Her gaze lingered for only half a second before she pulled it back.
"But if there is clear audio recording or written evidence, the process will be greatly simplified. And the resulting punishment will absolutely not vary from person to person."
With that, without waiting for anyone to react, she turned and walked toward her seat.
Her silver hair swished through the air, and she maintained that iceberg-like expression.