Qiao Sang looked at Dai Shushu for two seconds, then smiled. "Yes. Do you have anything else?"
Dai Shushu's eyes lowered slightly. She shook her head. "No."
Qiao Sang turned and went back into the classroom.
As soon as she sat down, Fang Sisi leaned over. "What did Dai Shushu say to you? Your expression looks awful."
"Does it really?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Yeah. You had such a stiff face—it scared me," Fang Sisi joked.
If there were a mirror, Qiao Sang felt like checking for herself.
Fang Sisi pressed on. "So what did Dai Shushu actually want with you?"
"Nothing." Qiao Sang picked her book back up.
Fang Sisi wanted to ask more, but seeing Qiao Sang's clear reluctance to talk, she wisely shut her mouth.
When the morning classes ended, Qiao Sang packed up and went to the Grade Three office.
"Teacher, I need to take leave," Qiao Sang said, staring at the homeroom teacher's thick hair.
The homeroom teacher jumped to his feet.
There was also a female teacher in the office; her gaze immediately locked onto them.
The homeroom teacher restrained himself. "Do you know what you're saying? There are only a few days left until the high school entrance exam and you're asking for leave? I haven't even had you write a self-criticism for skipping class last time."
Qiao Sang said seriously, "Teacher, if you don't approve my leave, then I'll have no choice but to skip class. I'll make up the self-criticism."
A vein popped at the homeroom teacher's temple. "Does your family know about this leave?"
Qiao Sang didn't answer.
The homeroom teacher took a deep breath and sat back down, speaking earnestly. "If you don't want your mom coming to school again, then go back to class properly. I wronged you last time, but even if you awakened independently, you can't neglect your studies. The entrance exam is just days away."
Qiao Sang smiled. "Teacher, you were there last Friday when my mom came to school, weren't you?"
The homeroom teacher paused, then replied, "I asked your mom to come explain the skipping-class issue."
Qiao Sang tilted her head slightly. "Then why was my mom driven out?"
The homeroom teacher froze. His expression turned complicated. Thinking that Qiao Sang's mother had told her, he didn't know how to answer for a moment.
He shared an office with Class Nine's homeroom teacher.
That day, Dai Shushu and her mother had come to school at the same time as Qiao Sang's mother.
Dai Shushu had just been recommended to Shengshui High School, and the Director of Studies had come by to congratulate her.
Naturally, all the attention in the office had been focused on Class Nine.
At that point, Qiao Sang's mother explained that her daughter had awakened independently and gone to contract a pet beast in her excitement, forgetting to request leave.
Kids might lie, but adults wouldn't foolishly go along with it—at least, that's what he thought. So he believed her.
It should've been a happy matter. But unexpectedly, everyone in the office paid attention. With a few questions back and forth, all of Qiao Sang's shortcomings were laid bare.
Dai Shushu's mother made a few sarcastic remarks. Qiao Sang's mother argued back.
Dai Shushu cried at the side.
As the school's precious treasure, Dai Shushu couldn't be allowed to feel wronged. The Director of Studies spoke up and told Qiao Sang's mother to leave.
The homeroom teacher considered himself a qualified teacher.
He wasn't good at social maneuvering. He worked diligently and conscientiously, spending over twenty years to finally become a homeroom teacher.
By the time he got there, his youthful vigor was long gone. Even when the parent of one of his students was treated unfairly, he didn't dare stand up and say anything.
Yet he also felt he wasn't really at fault. He had merely been a bystander, and there was no need to explain the whole process to a child.
After a pause, the homeroom teacher said, "It wasn't driving her out—it was asking her to leave, to calm down."
Qiao Sang smiled faintly. "I understand. But that 'request' made my mom fall ill. Teacher, you also know my family situation—only I can take care of her."
Hearing this, the homeroom teacher's momentum deflated. "How long do you want to take leave for?"
Qiao Sang replied, "Until my mom gets better."
The homeroom teacher hesitated, then said, "You should come back as early as possible. There aren't many days left before the exam."
Qiao Sang nodded and turned to leave.
Watching her back, the homeroom teacher added worriedly, "Study well at home too. There's not much time left. Once your mom's condition improves, come back quickly."
Qiao Sang turned her head and glanced at him, smiling. "Teacher, your wig is crooked."
Homeroom teacher: "..."
Female teacher: "..."
...
...
Hangang Xiangzhen Beast Battle Club
"How much do you charge per day for a beginner sparring partner?"
"Hello, our sparring partners are charged by the hour. Beginner sparring partners cost 1,000 Alliance Credits per hour. If you book a full day, we can give you a 2% discount," the receptionist said with a smile.
Beast battle clubs could provide different sparring partners according to customers' needs. As one of the more popular industries in modern society, they had spread across large and small districts alike.
Some publicly listed beast battle clubs could even find S-rank beast tamer sparring partners—if you could afford it, of course. But there were only a handful of such clubs.
Xiangzhen Beast Battle Club was already the fifth club Qiao Sang had visited.
There was only one reason she had gone to so many.
She didn't have enough money…
Qiao Sang touched all the cash she had on her, hugged Fire Fang Dog, and silently walked out.
She felt a bit lost, unsure where to go.
Originally, she'd approached Shengshui High School with a "whatever happens" mindset. If she passed the special recruitment, great. If not, she still had Hangang No. 6 Beast Taming High School as a fallback—it wasn't a big deal.
But now, she wanted to get into this school.
Ten days from now was Shengshui High School's special recruitment exam. With her current level, it wasn't even certain she could reach the city's minimum cutoff score in the entrance exam.
Students ranked second to fifth had to score 50 points above the cutoff to be admitted. Qiao Sang had no confidence in that.
In that case, she could only aim to take first place in the special recruitment exam and secure the privilege of only needing the minimum cutoff score.
Once she made that decision, Fire Fang Dog's training had to be advanced.
Fire Fang Dog was a fire-type pet beast with strong offensive power, but it was still a cub with little battle experience. The reason it had won so decisively last time was entirely due to a 2v1 situation and the opponent's slow reaction.
If she went into the special recruitment exam like this, first place would be nothing more than a pipe dream.
With only ten days, staying in school would be a waste of time. She could self-study while training Fire Fang Dog at the same time.
She had a cheat. Through battles, she could rapidly improve Fire Fang Dog's combat strength in a short period.
Her plan was solid—but once she stepped out, she was stumped.
There were plenty of beast battles, competitions, and venues in Hangang City, but the requirements were strict. Some competitions required a certain beast tamer rank.
Organizers needed viewership and ticket sales. Rookie beast tamers usually only had one beginner pet beast. Back and forth with a few basic moves—what was there to watch?
If audiences didn't enjoy it, no organizer would lose money hosting such events.
Qiao Sang checked. The nearest competition in Hangang City that allowed F-rank beast tamers to participate was on June 30.
The organizers had timed it perfectly. By then, third-year students would have finished the entrance exam, and those who were going to contract pet beasts would've done so.
There would be a huge wave of brand-new rookie beast tamers—no shortage of participants at all.
Plus their parents, teachers, and all kinds of relatives and friends as a built-in audience. With that kind of base, the viewership would naturally be high.
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