After-School Guidance from the Young Lady

Since the last high school sports league, Chen Shang’s Collapse Points had risen by another thirty. Although such a small increase no longer caught his interest, he’d genuinely enjoyed himself that day.

Nayuta had fulfilled her wish and brought home a gold trophy; the athletics club of Uptown High School became the talk of the city, Suzuki High was banned from competition for a year due to irrefutable evidence, and Xu Qing experienced for the first time the sting of not being the center of attention… Everyone seemed to be heading toward a bright future.

It’s worth noting that Nayuta had also become a minor celebrity. Since her victory, several media outlets sought her out for interviews. To be honest, if not for the farce with Suzuki High, her championship wouldn’t have garnered nearly as much buzz.

As her popularity grew, a number of companies were drawn to Nayuta’s looks and wanted her to represent their brands. Wanting to earn some money for her family and repay the kindness of her brother and adoptive parents, Nayuta accepted every offer without hesitation.

So, throughout the past month, Chen Shang rarely went home with Nayuta, and dinners were his own responsibility. Yet he didn’t feel disappointed—he even considered whether it was time to lower her affection level a bit.

After the high school league, Nayuta’s affection for him had surged by ten points, catching Chen Shang completely off-guard. Had this been before, he likely would have tried to reduce her affection with harsh words and the crudest methods. But after living with her for so many months, his feelings had changed. This little sister cooked for him every day and always thought of her brother first in everything.

With such a flawless sister, Chen Shang simply couldn’t bring himself to be mean…

Damn it, why did I design her to be so perfect?

He scratched his head, brooding in frustration.

…

The sky was edging toward dusk. The members of the boxing club had already finished training and gone home; only Chen Shang remained, pushing himself further.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your skill “Boxing” to LV5 and acquired the skill “Combat Boxing.”

A system notification flashed before his eyes. Seeing the message, he pulled off his gloves and wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel.

There was about a month left before the grand tournament’s preliminaries. Chen Shang needed to push his combat abilities further if he didn’t want to get knocked out in the first round.

Now that I think about it, I still have a lot of points left to use.

He opened the Collapse Core panel. Around seven thousand points remained. If he spent them all on “Unstable Amplifiers,” his physical stats would surely reach five.

To test this, he’d bought five boosters a few days ago, but the results surprised him.

You have used “Unstable Amplifier.” Strength +0.1, Dexterity +0.1, Inspiration +0.2, Charisma +0.1.

Your current stats: Strength 2.4, Constitution 2.1, Dexterity 1.7, Intelligence 1.4, Inspiration 2.5, Charisma 1.2.

Because your Inspiration has reached 2.5, it can no longer be enhanced by “Unstable Amplifiers.” Future purchases of this item will not randomly enhance that attribute.

Reading these lines, Chen Shang sucked in a breath so sharply it could have triggered global warming.

So this thing can only boost my stats up to 2.5?

On reflection, it made sense. If these amplifiers could turn him straight into a Xu Qing-level overpowered protagonist, it’d be too much.

Resigned to getting as strong as he could, Chen Shang spent the past weeks raising all his abilities to 2.5. Still, even at this level, his raw power didn’t match the average competitor in the grand tournament.

I still need to find a couple of useful skills… he sighed, browsing the Collapse Core shop.

The shop’s inventory refreshed randomly. Apart from a few fixed items, the offerings differed each time. There were all sorts of bizarre skills, weapon exchanges, and even direct cash trades.

None of it interested Chen Shang. Ordinary items he could buy on the black market, and most of the skills for sale were impractical.

“Sphincter Control Enhancement, Skunk Gene Implant, Upright Hair Technique…”

His disappointment grew with every line. “Why are they all joke skills?”

Since buying “Final Healing,” he hadn’t seen anything reliable.

Wait a minute… “Special Item Pack,” 80% off, only thirty points?

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to a newly refreshed item. Like the “Mysterious Weapon Pack” he’d bought before, this one cost virtually nothing and was completely random.

Not only was the price practically a giveaway, but Chen Shang also relished the thrill of a lucky draw. Most importantly, his sister had been earning plenty of money for the family lately. Even if the Collapse Core sent the package with some outrageously expensive courier, he could afford the postage.

Calculating in his mind, Chen Shang tapped to buy the “Special Item Pack.”

This time, there was no spinning prize wheel—just a system notification:

Congratulations! You have obtained the item “Pheromone Inhibitor.”

Almost immediately, a message popped up on his phone:

“Ant Express: Your order has been picked up by Courier No. 411 and will soon be on its way. The package will arrive within ten days. Download the app to track your shipment >>>”

“Huh???” Chen Shang frowned.

He’d complained before about the cost of “Kamikaze Express,” but did the Collapse Core really have to choose “Ant Express,” the exact opposite? It was the cheapest courier in all of Night Axis City, but with a 50% package loss rate and the slowest delivery speed imaginable!

Was the Collapse Core some kind of idiot?!

Chen Shang nearly choked on his own breath and could only pack his things to head home.

As he stepped out, he collided headlong with a female classmate, accidentally kicking her right ankle in the process.

“You…” Chiyo Asougi's usually aloof face contorted in surprise, and then…

…

Five minutes later, Chen Shang fetched a ladder and helped Senior Chiyo down from the ceiling.

After jumping down from his arms, Chiyo turned away awkwardly, gritting her teeth. “Just pretend nothing happened.”

“It’s not like this is the first time,” Chen Shang scratched his head, flashing his trademark smile. “Miss Heiress, did you need something?”

Chiyo asked with a hint of grievance, “You haven’t come to see me since last time.”

Since autumn break, Chen Shang and Chiyo had become almost like strangers again. Their relationship was a secret, and they had few chances to interact at school. Over the past two months, they’d barely exchanged a word.

Ultimately, though, it was Chiyo’s tsundere nature—she simply wasn’t proactive enough. If Nayuta’s affection had hit eighty-three, she’d probably be sneaking into Chen Shang’s room every night to sleep…

Ahem, Amitabha… That kind of stray thought must wait, at least until she’s eighteen.

“Don’t make me out to be some heartless scoundrel.” Chen Shang shot her a nonchalant glance. “I’m busy. You can’t expect people to revolve around you all the time.”

“Your so-called ‘busy’ is just you staying after school, pointlessly punching sandbags?” Chiyo’s disdain was obvious—she didn’t buy his excuse for a second.

At that, Chen Shang quickly explained, “I’m staying to train for something important next month!”

“Something important?”

“I’m entering the grand tournament,” Chen Shang replied solemnly.

“What?” Chiyo instinctively took a step back.

After the last Kunlun District incident, nothing this man did could surprise her anymore.

“Are you insane? With your skills, entering that competition is suicide!” Chiyo’s brow furrowed, her expression growing severe.

“Wanna wager on whether I’ll survive?” Chen Shang’s eyes curved into a confident smile.

Suddenly, Chiyo stepped forward, lightning-quick, seizing his shoulder and arm, then threw him to the ground in a practiced motion.

“What the—Aikido?” Chen Shang’s vision spun as his back slammed into the floor.

Chiyo didn’t let up; she planted a foot on his shoulder, twisted his arm behind him, and locked him in an agonizing submission hold.

Pain shot through his shoulder, his arm feeling as if it might be ripped off. He quickly activated his calming hormones and said in a deadpan, “Ah, it hurts. Just what are you trying to do?”

“You’re too weak,” Chiyo shook her head. “Your physique barely meets Tokugawa Society standards, but you have no combat technique whatsoever.”

“So what do you want?” Chen Shang kept his monotone, hoping to wear her down.

“If I said I wanted to stop you from entering the tournament, you’d probably just laugh,” Chiyo kept her frosty demeanor. “Even if I locked you in the Tokugawa Society’s basement, you’d find a way to escape.”

“Just get to the point!” Chen Shang was losing patience with her roundabout way of speaking.

Chiyo released the hold, her gaze burning as she gave her command:

“For the next month, I’ll be the one training you. At the very least, I’ll make sure you’re not killed off the moment you step into the ring!”