Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

……

Saki got up, ignoring the corpse on the ground.

He looked at Liuli as she approached, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I think... I went a little too far... I'm sorry, I killed your brother."

Liuli did not speak.

She simply bent down silently, picked up the longsword from the ground, and walked to the body of Shinjiro Seigen.

The girl gripped the hilt of the sword and raised it high.

Then, he stabbed down hard!

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced into flesh and blood.

Pull it out.

Stab again!

"Pfft!"

again and again.

There were no screams, no cries, only the dull sound of a sharp blade repeatedly cutting through flesh.

Blood splattered, staining Liuli's uniform, her misty purple hair, and her pale cheeks.

She seemed tireless and tireless, mechanically and frantically repeating the stabbing motions.

Until the corpse was completely disfigured and could no longer be recognized.

Clang.

The longsword slipped from his hand and fell into a pool of blood.

Liuli stopped, exhausted, her chest heaving violently.

His blood-stained face was expressionless, except for his misty purple eyes, which shone like burning icy blue flames.

She slowly turned her head to look at Qi Ji beside her, her blood-stained lips moving slightly.

It seemed as if he was trying to explain his madness, or perhaps it was just a simple muttering to himself:

“He killed my mother…and sent me pieces of flesh that he had cut off from her body.”

She lowered her head, looking at her blood-stained hands, and her shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly.

"I'm sorry... Saki-san, did I scare you?"

Her voice was very soft, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

"Do not."

Saki stepped forward, ignoring the bloodstains covering her body.

"I think... you're very beautiful, at least..."

Saki paused, then said with a hint of certainty,

"Now you are like a real, living person."

Qi Ji handed Liu Li a bottle of water, gesturing for her to clean up.

……

When Qi Ji brought Liu Li back, the latter still had a lot of bloodstains on her body.

Everyone stepped forward to inquire with concern.

Liuli skillfully switched to another personality, using her signature top student smile to hide her true self once again.

"I'm so sorry to have worried everyone..."

The subsequent sweep went even more smoothly than in the original storyline.

Because Saki had dealt with that guy before Shindai Seigen caused the Void Beasts to rampage.

So, after encountering two more small groups of Void Beasts, Class 8 arrived safely at the rendezvous point agreed upon with Class 1.

Because of the delay caused by Liuli's matter, when I arrived, everyone had been waiting for quite some time.

Su Shi stood in front of Class 1 and saw Qi Ji leading Class 8 to arrive late. Underneath his mask, he revealed a victor's smile.

She stepped out from the crowd and walked up to Qi Ji: "Does a mere D-level rift take this long?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting. As an apology, I'll treat you to dinner tonight." Qi Ji walked up to Su Shi as if they were old friends and made a move to put his arm around Su Shi's shoulder.

Su Shi was startled, as if afraid of being touched by something dirty, and took a step back.

She dodged Saki's outstretched hand and coldly remarked, "I never dine with losers."

Feeling satisfied that she had outshone her opponent, she was about to return to her class's line.

However, Bai Lili saw this and enthusiastically ran after him again: "Su Shi, Su Shi! Remember to wait for me when we get back to school, okay? Let's go home together!"

"..."

The aloofness that he could maintain in front of Qi Ji was completely gone when facing his nominal fiancée, Su Shi became visibly stiff and helpless, like a punctured balloon.

He stammered, sweating profusely, completely unable to cope.

……

It was already evening when they emerged from the crevice.

Ms. Huang Lu, the teacher of Class One, came forward and carefully counted the number of students.

After confirming that all the students in his class were present, a smile appeared on his serious face, and he offered a few brief words of praise.

The students in Class 8 looked left and right, but couldn't find their teacher.

Huang Lu told them that Ms. Yuejian had already left because it was time to get off work.

Upon hearing this, the students of Class 8 fell silent, exchanged glances, and had a bad feeling.

At Echo Academy, the instructors are not only responsible for daily teaching, but also the students' greatest support when they go on missions.

It's important to know that these missions are not without danger.

But considering Tsukimi-sensei's completely unreliable personality, I always feel...

The outlook for the future is not very optimistic.

……

The results of the practical assessment came out very quickly.

When everyone returned to the academy, detailed scores and rankings for the assessment of Class 1 and Class 8 had already been posted in the corridor of the teaching building.

When the students from both classes saw it, they immediately swarmed around it, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks.

Outside the crowd, only Qi Ji and Su Shi remained motionless.

Qi Ji glanced at Su Shi, who was still standing straight beside him, seemingly indifferent to the outcome, and casually asked, "Aren't you going to go see?"

He arrogantly declared, "I am number one; there is no need to look at the already known results."

Upon hearing this, Qi Ji nodded in deep agreement: "Great minds think alike, I think so too."

Hearing Qi Ji so frankly acknowledge his status as "number one," Su Shi was stunned for a moment, and then, the corners of his mouth under the mask could hardly be suppressed.

As a character who also wears a mask, she lived in the shadow of Saki for many years.

I dream of beating my opponent!

Unexpectedly, the victory they had hoped for came so easily.

Although she was so happy she felt like she was floating on air, she still tried her best to maintain a calm, even slightly reserved tone as she spoke:

"Your willingness to acknowledge my first place so readily has changed my impression of you considerably."

From what others have told me, you seem to be the type who thinks he's the best in the world and is arrogant.

But now it seems you do know how to accept reality and face the gap.

She paused, seemingly feeling she should display the demeanor of a victor, and then added:

"Of course, it's not your fault that you didn't get first place in this assessment."

Since you're in the same year as me, you're destined to compete for second place. Don't worry too much about it; there's nothing shameful about it..."

"...?"

Saki was a little confused.

He was stunned for a moment before realizing that the other person seemed to have misunderstood him.

When he said "I think so too," he clearly meant that he also thought he would be the first to be chosen...

As it turned out, this guy not only didn't understand at all, but he also launched into a long, eloquent speech about his victory.

what can i say?

……

……

Chapter Eighteen: The Face Behind the Mask

Her little mouth kept chattering away, never stopping.

Saki didn't even have a chance to interject.

Fortunately, Bai Lili appeared in time, which cured Qi Ji's habit of occasionally feeling embarrassed for others.

"Su Shi! Su Shi! You're amazing! You got second place!"

Bai Lili jogged over, her face showing genuine happiness for Su Shi.

Su Shi waved his hand, about to say a few words of modesty, when he suddenly realized something: "Wait! What number? What number did you say I am?"

“Secondly!” Bai Lili thought this was a matter of course.

After all, the first place winner is Saki!

That's a monster that belongs to a different category now.

"Second?! Then who is first...?"

"Of course it's Qi Ji! Su Shi, you have no idea how powerful Qi Ji is! Let me tell you, we encountered a group of Void Beasts in the rift, and their leader was a second-tier upper-level..."

Bai Lili, bursting with a desire to share, pulled Su Shi aside and began to recount, like spilling beans, how Qi Ji displayed his divine power, how he easily defeated the Scorpion King, and how he guided Huo Mu and Shan Na to break through their own limitations...

Su Shi stood frozen in place, her face beneath the mask alternating between red and white.

His earlier remarks, "I'm number one" and "You can only compete for second place," now seemed to transform into countless invisible slaps, relentlessly striking her own face.

Viewers in the live chat couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between his appearance before and after the lawsuit.

"Hahahaha! Public execution!"

Even masked characters have differences!

"The smile doesn't disappear, it just moves on!"

At that moment, standing on the outskirts of the crowd, she saw her name at the top of the list.

A+, tied for third place with Wuma Ling from Class 1.

She subconsciously looked at Wu Ma Ling, only to find that he was also looking at her.

"Aya." The girl gave her a somewhat awkward smile.

She quickly averted her gaze and coldly tossed out, "Don't call me by that name."

Then, as if fleeing, they quickly left.

The next moment, I saw Saki.

Thinking of something, she quickly stepped forward and expressed her gratitude to Qi Ji.

Along with it, there is also fire and wood.