Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

……

Sunlight pierces through the darkness.

Dawn breaks across the horizon.

Echo Academy.

Early in the morning, the classroom door of Class 8 was surrounded by girls in three or four circles.

They all came to see Saki.

Even though Saki has not appeared at the academy for almost a month.

All because of that one sentence Bai Lili said back then—

"Compared to Iro, Saki is more handsome."

This story spread by word of mouth among the students of Class 8, causing girls to come every day hoping to catch a glimpse of Qi Ji's true face.

At that moment, a group of girls stood on tiptoe, peering into the classroom through the windows and door cracks.

Their faces were filled with excitement, curiosity, and anticipation, and they chattered incessantly.

"Is Saki-san going to come today?"

"Yes, yes, after all, Su Shi publicly challenged him like that!"

"I can't wait! I wonder what kind of battle it will be!"

"Su Shi is amazing too! A duel between two masked geniuses! So exciting!"

When Saki arrived at the entrance of Class 8, this was the kind of discussion he heard.

and so--

What does it mean that Su Shi challenged him?

And they even made it to today?

When did this happen?

Why didn't he know?

"???"

Saki was filled with question marks.

……

……

Chapter Fifty-Six: Su Shi vs. Qi Ji!

Qi Ji patted the girl with pigtails in front of him on the shoulder, puzzled, and politely asked:

"Excuse me, student, what happened when you said that Su Shi challenged Qi Ji?"

The girl, however, was only focused on peeking inside on tiptoe, and replied without turning her head:

"No way, no way, really? You didn't know about something this big? Any student who's been to the academy these past few days couldn't possibly have missed it, right?"

"Um... I haven't been to the academy for almost a month, so I really don't know. Please tell me."

The girl was quick-witted and kind-hearted; upon hearing this, she immediately began to answer in a rapid-fire manner:

"Here's what happened, it all started last week."

Do you know Su Shi's fiancée?

She's that young lady from Class 8 named Bai Lili.

That day, she made pastries for Su Shi, but something happened between them. Su Shi suddenly became very angry and knocked all the pastries to the ground. He even said those words to Bai Lili in front of everyone.

'Please, can you please stop liking me?'

You have no idea what that scene was like...

While crying and apologizing, Bai Lili squatted on the ground, frantically trying to pick up the pastries.

I was right there, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for Bai Lili.

"Ah, this..."

Qi Ji never expected that such a thing would happen between Bai Lili and Su Shi during the days he was away from the academy.

But what does this have to do with Su Shi challenging him?

Qi Ji was puzzled, but fortunately, the girl in front of him quickly continued talking.

The girl said excitedly:

"Then, weren't there other students from Class 8 present at the time?"

Several people immediately jumped out to defend Bai Lili, saying things like, "What's so great about Su Shi?" and "Is he even a man, being so fierce to a girl?"

Some people couldn't stand it and compared it to Saki Sakuya, saying—

"You all wear masks. Saki-kun is so much more capable than you, but I've never seen him have such a temper!"

The girl with pigtails named Cho-ae even imitated the tone of her classmate's voice perfectly.

"and then?"

Qi Ji had a rough idea of ​​what would happen next, but seeing how engrossed the other person was in the conversation, he took the initiative to join in and support them.

Upon hearing this, Cho-ah spoke with even greater enthusiasm:

"Then, when Su Shi heard others comparing him to Qi Ji, his whole demeanor suddenly became serious!"

He stared at the student who had spoken for a long time, and finally coldly uttered a sentence—

'I will personally defeat Saki in the joint practical training session a week from now!'

Su Shi even threatened to knock the mask off Qi Ji's face!

They even said that Saki's mask was just a clumsy imitation of him! Hahaha…”

Wait, why are you laughing so happily now that we're talking about this...?

After silently muttering a complaint to himself, Qi Ji heard the girl's final concluding remarks—

That's why everyone's been so excited for today!

Whether Saki wins or loses and has her mask knocked off, it will be a great watch!

After all, the face behind Saki's mask is now being talked about in all sorts of ways!

He's supposedly super handsome!!!

Who could resist the urge to see its true form, even if it made them pale and angry?

"I see." Saki nodded, trying hard to suppress the smile that was about to spill from her lips.

"Thank you for telling me."

As for Su Shi challenging him, Sakiji could not help but understand.

After all, it was we who seized the other party's "ecological niche" first.

In the original storyline, at this point in time, Su Shicai should actually be the pinnacle among all the first-year students.

He was the most admired genius, and no one could compare to him.

In the setting, Su Shi is an extremely proud and obsessive person.

He is a high-powered character who never suffers a defeat.

But because of his sudden emergence, Su Shi will likely be frequently compared to him in this new timeline...

And then—

It's inferior in every way...

It's inevitable to feel like you'll live in his shadow.

It's only natural that he would then feel dissatisfied and want to beat himself.

Thinking about it this way, Saki even felt a little sorry for the other person.

However, sympathy aside...

I'm sorry, Su Shi, but for the sake of my popularity, I have to make things difficult for you first.

Consider it a favor I owe you.

If I have the opportunity in the future, I will repay you as appropriate.

But in today's duel, I still...

I need to beat you up first!

Who told you to make my big spender, Boss Bai, cry?

Even though Qi Ji has already squandered the bag of money Bai Lili gave him, it is still putting it to good use.

Saki is a man who respects money a lot.

A flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind, and then, remembering something, Saki asked another question:

"So, who do you think will win today, Qi Ji or An Shi?"

Upon hearing this, the girl named Cho-ae put her finger to her lips, thought carefully for a moment, and replied:

"It's hard to say! Although everyone says that Saki is very strong, after all, apart from Class 8, not many people have seen him fight."

Su Shi and I are in the same class, and I have witnessed his strength firsthand.

He had already awakened the Echo before entering the academy, and he also mastered many techniques passed down through generations of the Thousand Faces family.

In practical classes, I've never seen him lose.

Of course, I've heard a lot of rumors about Saki-chan too! Many of them sound quite exaggerated.

So if I had to say something..."

The girl paused, then suddenly gave a slightly mischievous smile.

"I hope Saki-kun loses!"

Because then I'll be able to see Su Shi take off his mask! Hehehe~~

Qi Ji: "..."

Okay, so it turns out he's just a troll who wants to see his own defeat cutscene.

Saki shook his head, somewhat amused:

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."

As Qi Ji finished speaking, the girl in front of him seemed to realize something from the word "I" in Qi Ji's voice...

The girl suddenly turned around!

A pure white mask came into the girl's view.

"Eh, ehhhhh—?!"

The girl's scream instantly rose in pitch and echoed down the corridor!

"Saki-san, Saki-san?!!!"

Upon hearing the sound, the crowd blocking the entrance to Class 8 turned around in unison.

When the crowd saw the tall, upright boy wearing the iconic mask, they instantly erupted in cheers!

"It's Saki! Saki-kun is here!!"

"Oh my god! After waiting for a month! He finally showed up!!"

"Saki-san! I like you!!!"

After politely declining the love letters offered by several girls, Saki cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me."

The busy crowd parted to create a path.

Amidst the excited, curious, and hopeful gazes of the crowd, Saki entered the classroom.