Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

Bai Ze blew away the eraser shavings on the table and put the test paper, which he had already checked several times, aside. The watermark of "[Dongming International Middle School Final Exam]" was still faintly visible at the beginning of the paper.

It wasn't time to hand in the exam yet, and he idly glanced at his deskmate.

She puffed out one cheek as if she had a toothache, and lightly kicked her fair calf under the table, looking like she had been beaten into a defeated state by the increasingly difficult test questions.

The pale green number [99] above her head swayed back and forth with her small movements.

He can see how much others like him.

However, not just anyone can be a candidate. Over the past decade or so, he has only encountered this in a few specific individuals, and he has yet to clarify the criteria for judgment.

I discovered that this number represents affection thanks to my childhood friend, with whom I grew up. She has a very easy-going personality, and even feeding her a little snack makes the number jump up.

Although it's very impolite, it feels like the guaranteed character given as a starting bonus in some games, to prevent players who don't want to grind for affinity points from quitting.

Because they lived close by, they attended the same school district, but the fact that they were even assigned seats together can only be described as a tragic fate.

As the bell rang, the classroom was filled with a noisy commotion, as if a great weight had been lifted from it. Bai Ze got up, handed in his exam paper, and went outside to breathe in some fresh air.

The cirrus clouds on the horizon melted into a gentle, rosy hue, and the afterglow of the setting sun made the railings shine with a golden glow.

He stood on the platform by the corridor railing and gazed at the cotton candy-like clouds in the distance.

After being reborn on a planet with a social environment quite different from his previous life, he initially thought that the ability to see affection was some kind of system that added points based on love.

But now it seems I was overthinking it, since there was someone who was almost at the maximum level and he didn't hear a ding either.

Although he didn't have such ulterior motives in trying to build a good relationship with the other party, he still felt a little regretful.

After all, the ability to see the favorability of a few specific people is quite different from the supernatural power he yearns for.

"Didn't you say you'd wait for me?"

A clear, complaining voice rang out from behind, and the ensuing shock interrupted Bai Ze's train of thought.

That's right, the superpower he longed for was at least the kind of superhuman strength that his childhood friend and classmate possessed.

Looking back, the girl was holding the backpack she had just used to ambush him in one hand.

This force was already quite restrained; Bai Ze had personally witnessed her crushing an apple when he was a child.

Including the fruit pit.

This scene once made him suspect that there were extraordinary elements hidden beneath the surface of this world's daily life, otherwise, how could this be reasonable?

"You promised to give me the code for the last question, you traitorous liar!"

She lifted a strand of her dark, glossy hair that fell to her ear, and her petite face, which looked reproachful, was tinged with the orange hue of twilight.

It was September, and a bead of sweat could be vaguely seen running down the girl's snow-white neck and rolling into her slightly loose neckline.

Bai Ze sighed: "I said, putting aside the hardest questions, how much of the rest do you know?"

"I can't do any of them!"

She reported with great enthusiasm, as if raising her hand to answer a question.

"Then what's the point of me revealing the answers to you, Lin Tingwan?"

Bai Ze posed a fatal question to his childhood sweetheart.

The girl thought for a moment: "...Maybe the teacher will think I'm a genius who disdains solving simple problems and will recommend me for a math competition?"

"You really are a genius when it comes to confidence."

Bai Ze patted her shoulder and said sympathetically.

"Forget it, the exams I've taken are as useless as used tissues anyway, only the holidays are real."

Lin Tingwan made a wonderful analogy and followed Bai Ze, who was taking steps to go home.

Dongming Middle School is located on the edge of the city's university town, only about ten minutes away from the subway station.

As Bai Ze passed through the bustling intersection, he looked up at the LED display screen standing in the commercial plaza on the street corner.

The video was playing of a girl playing guitar and singing. She was standing to the side with her long, shapely legs, wearing a white dress and black leather shoes. Beneath her neat bangs were a pair of clear eyes that still showed signs of childishness, and she covered the lower half of her face with a cartoon-style mask.

More importantly, there is a number displayed as [0] above their heads.

He could see the people he liked, including those who were already in his social circle like Lin Tingwan, as well as complete strangers with whom he had no connection. He couldn't understand the pattern at all.

Could it be that I've transmigrated into the body of the protagonist in some obscure novel, and the one I'm showing affection for is the female lead?

But that's not how you should arrange things for Gata to meet Muli. You should arrange for a mundane encounter, a playful daily life, and a dramatic love story before moving on to individual routes!

Someone like him has already locked in the childhood sweetheart route, right?

Bai Ze looked at the girl whose favorability rating was almost maxed out, only to find that she was showing a subtle expression.

"Isn't that a very famous online music blogger? You like that type?"

He probably stared at the "like" rating on the girl's head in the video for too long, which caused the misunderstanding.

Bai Ze thought for a moment and said, "I would like someone who is socially awkward and has big breasts."

"People with social anxiety usually don't show up online."

Lin Tingwan retorted, "You just like big breasts!"

"..."

Bai Ze looked at her chest, which was as calm as the surface of the Dead Sea. "Indeed."

"...Can't you stop being so honest about your desires?"

She gave her a look of disdain.

As the traffic light was about to turn green, the girl hesitated for a moment, then suddenly grabbed his sleeve, leaving the two of them behind the crowd crossing the street.

She took a few deep breaths, her heels scraping against the ground unconsciously, and nervously twisted the straps of her backpack with her fingers.

"Bai Ze, we've known each other for a long time, haven't we?"

"I have no money left."

"I'm not asking you for money for food!"

Lin Tingwan's face froze for a moment, but she quickly composed herself after remembering her purpose.

"Having known each other for so long, I'm curious... about... what you think of me."

"What is this? A life-changing discussion unfolding on the street?"

After making a sarcastic remark, Bai Ze still answered seriously, "I think you are my best friend of the opposite sex. You are also cute, although you are sometimes a bit slow on the uptake."

"The second half of the sentence is redundant."

Lin Tingwan hardened her fist.

But... friends? I knew it.

A shoujo manga she had read once said that the advantage of childhood friends in a relationship is that they share a deep connection in life, but that is also their disadvantage.

Because they know each other too well, it is sometimes difficult to take the final step, and they may even be interrupted by a treacherous stranger.

...Yes, just like it happened before.

Although she successfully got rid of the pests that time, there's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days.

She had originally planned to muster up the courage to confess her feelings to the person she liked today.

The emotions accumulating in my heart, like a torrent about to overflow a dam, gushed out as words that flowed naturally from my lips.

"—I'm here to end our friendship!"

【100】

In that instant, Bai Ze saw the number above her head jump one level.

Then, the original pale green color gradually turned into a terrifying bright red.

[Witch Factor Detected]

[Soul Echoes is loading]

The number [100], now completely blood red, floated above the girl's head, looking extremely ferocious.

It's like in Call of Duty 6, where General Sheffield, who is an ally, suddenly betrays you and your name changes from green to red... Does anyone really understand such an old joke?

Bai Ze blurted it out because he was reminded of this plot.

"Do you want to be my enemy?!"