I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 78 Are You a Waste? (Third Update, 6000 words!)

"What is this?"

Gen Tsukino hung up the phone.

He looked at the unfamiliar caller ID on his phone, but his expression didn't exactly show shock.

He was certain that Shinichiro Kawakami would contact him, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon, only a day had passed.
Was it because Bai Feng's superiors reacted too quickly, putting him under immense pressure, or was it simply that he had figured things out on his own?

Never underestimate human nature, so no matter your position or abilities, never blindly trust others. However, the other person's behavior aligns with Tsukino Gen's judgment.

Shinichiro Kawakami is a smart man, more valuable than a seemingly ambitious but actually brainless delinquent like Anan.

The fact that I didn't harm him or make any promises was, in effect, a test. It was to see if he could withstand the pressure from above as I expected. If he could, his value would rise even higher.

He wouldn't be a necessary breakthrough point for dealing with Bai Fengfeng in the future. It can only be said that this phone call improved Tsukino Gen's opinion of him slightly. As for how far he can actually go, that depends on fate.

Why think about things that seem so far away? Hasn't Sato Yuta's problem been solved?
Gen Tsukino wouldn't be so naive as to think that way. He was no longer uninvolved, unless he turned a blind eye to Mizuki Kiyono's plight.

However, once things get complicated, it's not so easy to resolve. This is a necessary precaution, and that's also the purpose of making that 'verbal agreement' with Chinatsu Morita.

"What are you daydreaming about? It's PE class, aren't you going to change your shoes?"

Having changed into his sportswear, Akihiko Miura stood beside Gen Tsukino and urged him on.

Gen Tsukino put his phone away and calmly changed his shoes.

"Why are you in such a hurry? I've never seen you pay so much attention in class before."

"Of course! If we're any slower, we'll miss the warm-up run with the girls! What do you think makes me look forward to PE class every day?!"

Miura Akihiko lowered his voice, his expression unusually serious. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was relaying some kind of undercover information.

Tsukino Gen rolled her eyes at him. "You're really looking forward to running laps?"

"Of course, it's not just our class; there are girls from the neighboring Class 4 too. And let me tell you, while the girls in Class 4 aren't as pretty as Kazama, they're definitely well-developed. When they run together, do you know what dynamic 3D motion sickness is?"

"Your every time you go down, you really don't disappoint."

"Don't give me that. We're all men, so who's to judge whom?"

Gen Tsukino didn't pay much attention to the girls in other classes, not even Rin Asagiri from before; he didn't deliberately pay attention to her existence.

As for physical education classes, he did the same as always.

I was jogging lazily, watching the girls running laps in their sweatpants and sportswear. The air smelled nice, but what was so interesting about it? Was it just the rolling waves?

Then I looked at Miura Akihiko next to me.

Good heavens, he's running so slowly, yet his face is so red, and he looks like he can barely breathe. That furtive, sidelong glance—calling him a lecher wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Gen Tsukino silently distanced himself from the other person.

Then, out of nowhere, an unfamiliar girl staggered toward him.

"Ugh, I feel so dizzy~"

The girl had clearly calculated the distance and the right angle before she was about to fall onto Tsukino Gen.

Before the other person even uttered those words, Tsukino Gen had already sensed something. He immediately turned his waist and dodged without any mercy.

But at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood between the two of them.

He helped the girl who was pretending to faint.

The girl who was being helped up looked up, but before she could even smile, she froze in place in shock.

"Tsukino. Huh? You."

Kazama Sakura gave a gentle and kind smile. "If you're not feeling well, take a rest. You don't need to push yourself so hard."

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome~"

The girl, her cheeks flushed red, took off running as soon as Kazama Sakura let go of her hand.

"Huh? You don't look dizzy at all."

Kazama Sakura said with emotion as she stood beside Tsukino Gen.

Tsukino Gen glanced at her. "Where did you come from?"

The girl scoffed, "Luckily I was there, otherwise that girl would have really fallen. Honestly, why were you the first to dodge when someone else was falling over?"

Gen Tsukino smiled and said, "If it were you who fainted, I might consider taking you in, but I won't consider anyone else."

Before Kazama Sakura could even smile, she heard the boy's next words.

Is this the answer you wanted to hear?

In the blink of an eye, there was this boy's mischievous grin.

His wicked grin was overwhelmingly familiar, and always made people grit their teeth in annoyance. But every moment of his black hair dancing in the youthful sunlight was unforgettable.

She's really not someone I can hate.

Even knowing that he was deliberately being malicious.

She couldn't help but mutter, "You know perfectly well what sounds good, but you just can't say anything that makes people like you."

Gen Tsukino nodded without any shame, "Of course, because I don't need to be someone everyone likes. Don't think of me as something as wonderful as sunshine, Kazama-kun."

This made Kazama Sakura burst out laughing.

"You're still all sunshine? Catch up with me first!"

The girl quickened her pace and ran ahead.

It was as if the distance between them had suddenly increased. At first glance, Tsukino Gen's speed did not seem to have increased at all, but it was clear that the distance between the two had not actually increased.

She didn't know what her figure meant to Tsukino Gen.

They would never know that, for him, this girl was also a symbol of youth.

Life cannot always be beautiful, but the preservation of memories at least helps us understand what beauty should look like.

After a short run, the boys and girls from the two classes were divided into two teams. One team of teachers took the girls to the gymnasium to play volleyball, while the remaining boys played soccer on the playground.

Gen Tsukino didn't care about this arrangement. Anyway, he didn't look at girls, nor did he particularly like sports; he was just killing time.

As for Akihiko Miura, he's practically become a bitter, resentful woman.

"I want to play volleyball too!"

The boy, who was pretending to juggle the ball, looked at the sea of ​​boys on the playground and felt utterly devastated.

"If you didn't know better, you'd think this was a prison exercise area, it's all men!"

"That's enough. So what if you have a girl? Don't you understand what your problem is?"

Tsukino Gen said.

"What's wrong with me? I'm just not as handsome as you."

Miura Akihiko reluctantly acknowledged this fact.

The boy shook his head. "You're always talking about this girl and that girl. But I've never seen you actually do anything or show any sincerity for any of them. With your qualifications, you're not exactly a freak. But you seem to treat girls like some kind of monster, talking about challenges while secretly being terrified."

"W-what are you talking about? A flood or a monster? No way! And why would I be afraid of girls? I don't know what you're talking about, acting all high and mighty. You still haven't established a relationship with Kazama-kun, have you?"

Akihiko Miura attempted to retort.

However, the flaws were still too obvious. In Tsukino Gen's eyes, the strangest thing about Miura Akihiko was that a normal person with his background would have already made a mess of things.

Besides, given his height and appearance, he's not exactly an oddball, and he keeps talking about it every day, yet there's been no progress. The problem must lie with him.

As for what exactly it was, Tsukino Gen had no idea.

However, he didn't intend to force anything. After all, interfering in someone else's life without reason is an extremely arrogant act, even if the other person is your friend, you still have to consider their wishes.

He still quite liked Miura Akihiko, this harmless rich kid.

"Keep being stubborn. The rosy youth you're talking about isn't something you can achieve just by talking."

Gen Tsukino smiled.

Looking at Tsukino Gen's nonchalant smile, Miura Akihiko felt envious. He often wondered why he, despite having so much, couldn't be as carefree as this young man.

He hesitated for a moment, then kicked the ball away from his feet.

Then sighed.

"I'm not as confident as you think, but..."

The words are not finished yet.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a soccer ball flew at high speed and hit Miura Akihiko squarely on the head.

The boy almost stumbled and fell to the ground, but fortunately, Tsukino Gen stepped forward and caught him.

"be careful!"

A hurried and worried voice came from not far away.

Before he could recover from the slight dizziness, Akihiko Miura opened his eyes to see the next soccer ball flying straight toward him!

At that moment, he even forgot to close his eyes, his heart seemingly hanging in his throat.

But then a hand appeared before his eyes.

"boom."

The heavy sound seemed to freeze time.

Gen Tsukino's large hand easily caught the second soccer ball that flew towards him.

Actually, before that 'reminder' arrived, Tsukino Gen had already sensed something was wrong; it seemed to be an instinctive premonition, something that had never happened before.

What followed was quite mysterious.

The moment he saw the incredibly fast football flying towards him, the moment he focused on the football, everything around him seemed to slow down.

He could clearly hear Miura Akihiko's breathing slow down despite his obvious nervousness, and he could even hear his heartbeat slowing down.

Everything seemed to slow down dramatically in his eyes.

This moment feels like bullet time in The Matrix.

Is this also an effect of the third level of the Ultimate Formless Skill? It seems that in addition to the external release of internal energy, there is also a passive effect, provided that one must first notice it?

In a brief moment of thought, he had already pressed the button on the football.

At the same time, I looked up and saw that it wasn't a boy from my class, but someone from the neighboring fourth class who was having PE together.

He is quite tall and has obvious signs of fitness or training, with defined biceps on his exposed arms.

She had an exaggerated, center-parted short haircut and looked at herself with some surprise.

Gen Tsukino clearly saw the regret in the other person's eyes.

"Gaocheng.?"

Miura Akihiko uttered the name. The boy with the somewhat flamboyant style, who immediately put on an apologetic smile, and the two boys beside him walked over unhurriedly; their pace seemed completely mismatched with the apology on their faces.

It could even be described as blatant arrogance.

Gen Tsukino also clearly saw Miura Akihiko's increasingly clear gaze; he clenched his fists and even gritted his teeth.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was playing soccer and didn't notice you. Are you alright?"

Miura Akihiko gritted his teeth, broke free from Tsukino Gen's support, and looked at the other man.

"One accidental kick can be considered an accident, but you guys kicked two balls at me in a row. Wasn't that intentional?"

Gao Cheng didn't answer immediately, but a dark-skinned boy with a buzz cut next to him laughed.

"Well, how should I put it? Maybe it's because the wind direction was wrong? Everyone's on the football field, it's normal for accidents like this to happen. Besides, you weren't paying attention yourself, so you can't blame it all on us, can you? We weren't in good shape either, it was completely an accident."

Another boy, who appeared thinner, nodded repeatedly.

"Yeah, yeah, why are you still as serious as you were when you were little? You're not really going to get angry over something like this, are you? We've been friends since we were kids."

"What kind of friend?"

Gen Tsukino could clearly see that Akihiko Miura's anger was palpable as he faced the three men. His body was trembling slightly, and his legs seemed to be shaking uncontrollably.

But his anger seemed to have no outlet. The three people looked at him with mockery, even arrogance, and their apologies and expressions of embarrassment were completely insincere.

Miura Akihiko simply stared at them, but in the end, his anger and furious gaze receded as Takashiro took a step forward. Like a tide that dissipates at the slightest touch, it was all show and no substance.

Takashiro reached out and patted Miura Akihiko on the shoulder.

With a smile, she said, "Isn't everything alright? Okay, I know you still remember those little jokes from when we were kids. It's been so long, there's no need to hold onto them. Besides, didn't I apologize? I didn't even remember apologizing when we were kids, but you still forgave us, didn't you? I'll treat you to a meal sometime, okay?"

"."

Miura Akihiko was speechless when he was patted on the shoulder, and he seemed unable to meet Takagi's gaze, his eyes involuntarily turning away.

But his body was still trembling, and Tsukino Gen could clearly feel it. Takashiro knew very well what Miura Akihiko was feeling at that moment; he seemed to be enjoying it.

Gao Cheng let go and smiled.

"Okay, it's alright now. Let's go."

He turned around and, with his arms around his two companions, prepared to leave.

Miura Akihiko lowered his head; he could clearly hear the laughter emanating from the three people as they walked.

"It's the same as before, so boring."

"That's enough. They just don't want to argue with us. They're very magnanimous, just like their father."

"Hahaha, don't say that. What if he really makes a big deal out of nothing in front of his dad? They see each other all the time, he can't possibly not give his dad face, can he?"

"Then let's sit down and have a meal together. Isn't that what all the adults do?"

"That's true. Hahahaha."

Their laughter and chatter stung the eyes more than the sunlight and vibrated the eardrums more than the sound of helicopter propellers.

But Miura Akihiko's clenched hand simply wouldn't lift.

Rather than being clueless, he knew exactly why, and he even knew how the boy next to him would perceive him.

It was as if all his pretenses and facades had been torn away, and he was no match for anyone else.

So he lowered his head, wanting to turn around and leave the football field, not even wanting to look at his expression.

but
"Hey, Akihiko Miura."

"."

He even wanted to speed up his pace.

but.

"Are you a piece of trash?"

He had considered what Tsukino Gen might say, such as asking him with confusion why he was doing this, or asking him who those people were, and so on.
I never expected his words to be so sharp, so blunt and straightforward, as if he had seen through everything in an instant, directly shattering my already dwindling self-esteem.

He was so weak that he couldn't even take a step; his legs were trembling so much that it was difficult for him to stand still and even expose himself to the sunlight.

These harsh words left him rooted to the spot. He wanted to roar at Tsukino Gen, for he was no trash.

But he saw everything clearly. How can this be explained?

The intense shame turned into utter inferiority; he couldn't even lift his head, and at that moment he even felt unworthy to be his friend.

"It's okay, even if you're a piece of trash, you're still my friend."

He suddenly raised his head.

To my astonishment, I saw the boy in the sunlight calmly toss away the soccer ball, which didn't even have time to hit the ground.

Gen Tsukino unleashed a beautiful outside-of-the-foot shot from the spot.

"Shh!"

The moment the instep contacts the football, the football undergoes a noticeable deformation, and then it becomes like a cannonball.

It shot accurately towards the three people who had not yet gone far.

Someone seemed to sense something, but there wasn't enough time to turn around.

The ball didn't hit the arrogant crew-cut man on the head, but struck him in the back.

but
"boom!"

"what!"

The crew-cut man dramatically lunged forward, landing face-first on the ground and getting a mouthful of artificial turf from the stadium.

Miura Akihiko stood there stunned, unable to believe what the boy had done, and hadn't even realized what the consequences would be.

Gao Cheng and the remaining thin boy then realized what was happening.

"Kimura!"

"Holy shit."

Kimura looked as if he had been hit by a cannonball and couldn't get up for a long time.

Takagi turned around and glared at Miura Akihiko and Tsukino Gen. He hadn't seen who had kicked him, but judging from the direction, it could only have been those two.

He didn't think much of Tsukino Genji. Although the boy was famous, he was nothing more than a pretty face in his eyes. He only appeared by Miura Akihiko's side because he valued the boy's family background, wanting to be a sycophantic follower and gain some benefits.

"Miura! You fucking want to die, don't you?!"

He roared mercilessly, tearing away all the polite pretense he had just maintained. Teenagers of that age are naturally naive, and besides, they weren't exactly well-intentioned.

Miura Akihiko saw Takashiro's angry and ferocious expression, but he couldn't say a word.

However, his last remaining judgment told him that he could not tell Tsukino Gen.

Just when he didn't know how to deal with this unexpected situation.

"Hey, don't get it wrong. I kicked the ball."

Gen Tsukino spoke again, one hand in his pocket, and then used his toe to dribble the second ball, which was the first ball that Takashiro kicked towards Akihiko Miura.

His juggling is effortless, with consistent height and angle, allowing him to juggle the ball even in place without needing to adjust his position.

"you?!"

Takagi looked at Tsukino Gen in disbelief.

"Is that not allowed? It's none of my business if you guys kick him, but the second ball almost hit me, right?"

"So what if I kicked you?!"

Takashiro doesn't even respect Miura Akihiko; the only respect he shows him is for his family. But why should he be polite to Tsukino Gen?
"I"

At this moment, Miura Akihiko wanted to say something. He knew how wicked these people were, and he also clearly remembered how he had spent his childhood. Therefore, he didn't want Tsukino Gen to get into trouble because of him.

But the boy's gaze turned to him.

“I don’t know what they mean by ‘the past,’ nor do I know why you loosened your fist just now. But I can tell you that if you endured it yesterday and you endure it today, the future won’t get better. Some difficulties are simpler than you think; it’s about whether you can take that first step.”

"What.?"

Miura Akihiko didn't seem to understand.

Gen Tsukino smiled at him.

"Don't understand? No problem, just watch carefully, I'll only teach you once."

A slight bounce on the instep.

The ball soared high, even higher than before.

In that instant, Akihiko Miura's gaze was drawn to the leaping soccer ball, and even Takashiro, who was not far away, stared at the ball.

He didn't know what the boy was going to do.

He could never
Bathed in the sunlight, the ball slowly descended, as if the setting sun were about to sink below the horizon.

However, one foot appeared precisely at the side.

"boom!!"

That was a huge commotion that the people on the football field, who were unaware of what had happened, had never heard before.

Like a heavy explosion beneath the surface of the sea.

Gao Cheng saw the football flying towards him; he clearly saw its trajectory and angle.

But he had no time to dodge, or rather, he was unable to move his legs in the face of such an aura, and could only instinctively raise his hands to shield his face.

"Snapped!!"

The ball struck his hands accurately as he covered his face.

But the impact was unimaginable; his hands went numb almost instantly, and his arms trembled as if they were about to break.

Unable to withstand the impact, Gao Cheng fell backward, landing awkwardly on the grass.

She even raised her legs high, almost exposing her buttocks, looking like she was about to do a somersault.

Miura Akihiko stood there, completely forgetting who he was, where he was, and what had just happened.

He just stared blankly at Takashiro's direction, then looked at Tsukino Gen, who had put his foot down.

Gen Tsukino was smiling at him.

"See clearly?"

Miura Akihiko was completely exhausted. He didn't know how Tsukino Gen had done it, or how he had the audacity to do it.

Is it to stand up for himself?

He only knew that the anger that had been building up in his chest seemed to have eased a lot now.

Especially the disheveled appearance of Gao Cheng and his group.
So, they're really this rubbish?
……

I'm too lazy to cut it short, so there's a bit more here; it should be around 12,000 words today.
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(End of this chapter)