Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

There was no echo or fluctuation, so no one noticed.

The moonlight pouring down through the crack shifted slightly.

It happened to shine on the compound eyes of the poisonous flies that were about to succeed.

"Zizi-"

The flies froze for a moment, then their bodies tilted slightly as if they were drunk.

"boom!"

It was this extremely slight deviation that helped Huomu narrowly avoid danger!

On the other side, a bullet fired by a trainee in a panic, which was originally destined to miss, "extremely luckily" struck the most vulnerable part of the fly's chest and abdomen.

The poisonous fly was shot and blown to bits!

Similar incidents occurred one after another.

It was a coincidence, one might say, born out of desperation.

These two instances can perhaps be attributed to the students' unleashed potential under pressure.

But three times, four times, five times...

Whenever a trainee is about to suffer a fatal attack, whenever a breach appears in the defenses—

The omnipresent, seemingly illusory moonlight always appears quietly in some inconspicuous yet perfectly timed way, changing the course of the battle.

Keep a low profile and remain unassuming.

Silently.

Like a fleeting, casual glance from the god of fate, bringing seemingly insignificant yet life-or-death "luck."

……

The roars of the virtual beasts, the shouts of the students, the roar of gunfire...

Amidst the hellish cacophony of surrounding sounds, only Tsukimi lay quietly on the mule cart, turning the pages of her romance novel, one after another.

It was as if the bloody battles and screams around him had nothing to do with him.

His fingertips brushed against the edge of the book pages.

Above it, a long passage of text came into view:

Humans are pathetically greedy creatures.

"Once someone has been given even a glimmer of hope called 'salvation,' and tasted the sweetness of dependence, it's like becoming addicted to the deepest kind of addiction."

From then on, you became their obligatory and natural "hope" in every moment of despair.

"You did it, it's only natural."

If you can't do it...

The hands that once elevated you to a divine position will, without hesitation, push you to the altar.

"Crucified on the cross of 'sinners'."

"—Use the hope you once gave them."

Tsukimi calmly finished reading and was about to turn to the next page—

Sensing something, he suddenly put down his novel and looked up.

In the pitch-black night sky, he gazed at the moon.

Then, Tsukimi sighed softly and suddenly disappeared.

When he reappeared, he was standing on a distant mountaintop, gazing at another man from afar.

……

At the summit of a solitary cliff.

Tsukimi's figure, as if emerging from the moonlight, quietly appeared at the edge of the cliff.

The night breeze ruffled his long, ink-black hair as he held a romance novel in his hands, the pages rustling softly.

Not far from him, another figure stood quietly, as if waiting for a long time.

Wearing a dark blue outfit and a sword at his waist.

He looked to be around thirty years old, with a stern face and sharp eyes.

——Shendai Qingyan.

Among the "Kiyoshi" generation of the Kamishiro family, he is a ruthless character whose talent and strength are enough to rank him among the top three.

"Yo."

When Shinjiro Seien saw Tsukimi suddenly appear, a somewhat complicated smile, tinged with reminiscence, slowly appeared on his usually cold and aloof face.

His voice was deep and had a unique magnetic quality.

"So it really was you...senpai."

……

……

Chapter Thirty-Two: Don't Force Me

“Qingxian told me before that you were a teacher at Echo Academy in Xinzhi City… At first, I couldn’t believe it at all.”

Suppressing his excitement, Shindai Kiyoshi tried his best to keep his tone calm.

Tsukimi's reaction was merely to glance at him out of the corner of her eye before turning her gaze back to the novel in her hands.

Clearly, the man before him, the "Moon Chaser" of the Kamishiro family, who could strike fear into the hearts of countless people, was not as interesting to him as the love stories in the books.

He replied casually, his voice languid: "You've mistaken me for someone else."

Upon hearing this, Shindai Seien's feigned composure immediately crumbled: "Hey, hey, hey, no way, Senior Fuyue, it's me! Shindai Seien!"

“I don’t know you, and there’s no one here named Fuyue.”

The usually aloof and stern face of Shindai Seien revealed, in that instant, a look of almost unbearable frustration, like someone who had failed to meet their idol.

"Senior Fuyue, don't you remember me? Thirteen years ago, at the Echo Exchange Conference jointly held by Deep Blue City and Night City..."

I won second place that year, and therefore received personal guidance from you!

A glint of reminiscence flashed in his eyes, and his tone carried an obvious hint of excitement:

"I have always admired you, senior, and I am your staunch supporter..."

It's worth mentioning that although Shindai Seien has a face that makes people want to stay away, he is surprisingly a chatterbox.

He completely ignored Tsukimi's attitude and continued on his own:

"Senior Fuyue, because I like you very much, I have been inquiring about you all these years."

Despite all the tragedies that have happened, I feel you should never abandon the name 'Fu Yue'.

As he spoke, he suddenly opened his arms, looked up at the moon overhead, and, in an almost reciting tone, chanted aloud:

"Negative Moon"

These two words are truly remarkable!

He was neither arrogant enough to pluck the stars from the sky, nor aloof enough to drink alone under the moon.

Rather, it is the burden of carrying the bright moon on one's shoulders, illuminating the path ahead!

Kamishiro Seian's voice echoed on the solitary cliff, carrying a resounding force:

"Senior Fuyue, you were once the person I, and countless others like me, who trusted you, followed you, and looked up to you—"

Oh, bright moon!

It rises eternally in the endless night, spreading its gentle light.

To guide the lost! To share the darkness with those burdened by burdens!

You are strong, wise, gentle, and never refuse!

No matter how difficult the task, no matter how desperate the situation, as long as you appear, you will surely be able to live up to everyone's expectations!

Upon hearing this, Shindai Seien looked at the lazy man in front of him, whose face was still vaguely the same as before, and his expression suddenly changed.

The worship and longing faded, replaced by a grim disappointment and anger after the filter was shattered.

"You are a hero, a leader, and the perfect moon in everyone's heart!"

and so--

How could you become like this?!

How could you... tarnish the flawless idol in my heart?!

If you no longer become the Moon Goddess of Negative Moon... no longer become the Moon Goddess of Radiant Light...

Shinjiro Seien's hand slowly gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, and a chilling killing intent began to emanate from him.

"Then what right do you have to live in this world with the face of 'Senior Fuyue'?!"

Upon hearing this, Tsukimi was not impressed by Shindai Seien's eloquent speech.

He simply turned another page of his romance novel, his tone as languid as ever:

"Oh dear, that's really difficult..."

The thing about looking like someone you have in mind—

I didn't want to either.

Alright, after saying all that, if you're not going to take any action, let's just call it a day.

How about we all go back to our own homes?

It's getting late; in fact, this is already my off-get off work time.

Working overtime makes me feel extremely irritable.

"Senior Fuyue!" Shendai Qingyan roared, the veins on his hand gripping the sword hilt bulging. He seemed to be struggling to restrain something, his voice trembling slightly from the suppressed emotion.

Honestly, I really don't want to lay a hand on you!

This mission was originally assigned to my older brother, and I only got this opportunity after repeatedly pleading with him!

I heard... the palace in your mind has been destroyed...

If it were your elder brother who came, he would definitely kill you!

So…why don’t we just sit here and chat like old friends?”

"To be honest, it's not good." Tsukimi rubbed her temples, looking somewhat troubled.

"Since I'm leading the team for today's mission, if anything goes wrong, I'll have to write a report, which is super troublesome."

And I don't want to waste too much time.

As he spoke, he looked up at the night sky and estimated the time.

"I have to be home before nine o'clock tonight, take a hot shower, pour a glass of red wine, and then be sitting on the sofa at nine-thirty sharp... Dorothy's new show premieres today, you didn't know?"

Shindai Seiyan lowered his head, a final struggle flashing across his face:

"Does it really have to be this way, senior...?"

If the two of us really started fighting...

If I find that you have truly weakened, and are no longer the shining presence you were to me...

I'm afraid I really won't be able to control myself...

I'll kill you here.

So please don't pressure me, you really shouldn't pressure me... okay?

Looking at him like this, Tsukimi finally let out a soft sigh.

This sigh was completely different from the previous perfunctory and impatient sigh.