Uesugi Kazuki had already mastered the skill of climbing walls to skip school in his previous life.
Of course, the main, or rather, the only application scenario, was during the last "otherworldly P.E. class" on Wednesday afternoons.
After attendance was taken and the laps were run, he'd find a hidden corner, and the moment the P.E. teacher wasn't looking, he'd scale the wall at light speed to skip class and go online.
After all, from his second year of high school, the pressure of studying became almost suffocating.
At that time, a little act of rebellion could greatly alleviate that mountain-like pressure.
Although Uesugi Kazuki had never imagined that one day he would need the wall-climbing skills he honed in P.E. class for "reverse truancy."
But based on past experience, Uesugi Kazuki found a spot that was both somewhat hidden and had a lamppost nearby to assist him.
Left hand and left foot on the wall, right hand and right foot on the lamppost.
Uesugi Kazuki employed his "gecko wall-crawling technique," honed in high school, and not only successfully climbed into Aoyama High School's campus,
But he even unlocked two more achievements.
[Life Achievement Triggered: First Wall Climb]
[Your heart is a wall, but I will climb over the wall.]
[Reward: Climbing +1]
[Strength +1]
[Life Achievement Triggered: First Infiltration]
[Remember, the most important thing for stealth is not to let live people see you, and your hood must be cool.]
[Reward: Stealth +1]
[Agility +1]
These two achievements made Uesugi Kazuki wonder if he could earn achievements for this kind of thing, then perhaps he should try out all the school clubs to see if he could unlock any new achievements.
As he pondered, Uesugi Kazuki tiptoed into the school building.
Aoyama High School was quite large, with four buildings including the main school building, the swimming pool, and the gymnasium.
Furthermore, the gatekeeper, Tatsuya, was still patrolling with his flashlight at this hour, so Uesugi Kazuki's search progressed very slowly.
However, although the search was slow, Uesugi Kazuki made many discoveries.
For example, in the equipment room of the gymnasium, Uesugi Kazuki found members of some club engaging in activities that shouldn't be done by high school students.
Even adults shouldn't be engaging in severe violations of public order, decency, and moral standards.
So, his critical observation of such activities happening in the hidden corners of the school campus delayed Uesugi Kazuki significantly.
It also made Uesugi Kazuki realize why smartphones were banned at school.
If they could pull off so many tricks without smartphones, Uesugi Kazuki didn't even dare to imagine what would happen with them.
After entering the school building, Uesugi Kazuki first checked his own classroom.
But he found no trace of Akichi Aya there. After searching the cooking classroom once more,
Uesugi Kazuki finally found Akichi Aya in the chemistry lab.
When Uesugi Kazuki found Akichi Aya, she was meticulously mixing something at the workbench.
So, Uesugi Kazuki didn't rashly disturb Akichi Aya, who was focused on her experiment. After all, if she were holding something corrosive,
His sudden voice could startle Akichi Aya, making her hand slip or tremble.
That would only make an already troublesome situation even more troublesome.
It was only when he saw Akichi Aya finish mixing the substance, pour it into a small bag, and complete the sealing process,
That Uesugi Kazuki pushed open the lab door and walked in.
"Why did you run away?"
Uesugi Kazuki's sudden appearance startled Akichi Aya, and her right hand quickly reached into her skirt pocket, grasping something.
After realizing it was Uesugi Kazuki, although the panic on Akichi Aya's face greatly diminished, her right hand remained in her skirt pocket.
"Uesugi-kun, why did you follow me?"
At this moment, Akichi Aya's face no longer wore the smile she had displayed in the alley earlier.
Instead, her expression was cold, as if she had encountered a stalker. She looked at Uesugi Kazuki, who was still outside the lab door, with a cold gaze.
"Because Grandma used to say, people who make girls cry are the worst."
Uesugi Kazuki said as he walked into the chemistry lab.
"Although I'm just a Masked Bicycle Rider driven by interest, there are some things I see that I just have to do, that I have to get involved in."
"Is that so?"
At this moment, a mocking smile appeared on Akichi Aya's face.
"But even if you want to get involved, can you truly handle it?"
Akichi Aya said as she walked towards Uesugi Kazuki.
"The Future Happiness Cult isn't just about Master Ryudo alone. They have a Leader above them, and for them to have grown to their current size, who do you think is protecting them further up the chain?"
Akichi Aya stopped a step away from Uesugi Kazuki.
"You're strong, but can you contend with an entire Future Happiness Cult? Or with those politicians?"
Akichi Aya reached out and gently tapped Uesugi Kazuki's chest, then looked into his eyes.
"Even if you're willing, I'm already tired. I don't want to fight them anymore, so Uesugi-kun..."
Akichi Aya stood on tiptoptoes, pressing her face close to Uesugi Kazuki's ear, and whispered,
"Forget about me from now on. I don't want to continue like this anymore."
After saying that, Akichi Aya took a step back and gave Uesugi Kazuki a radiant smile.
"Well then, goodbye, Uesugi-kun."
With that, Akichi Aya walked around Uesugi Kazuki and headed out of the chemistry lab.
Akichi Aya had only taken a few steps when Uesugi Kazuki turned and grabbed her hand.
"Wait a moment!"
"Is there something else, Uesugi-kun?"
Akichi Aya, whose hand was held by Uesugi Kazuki, turned and looked at him.
"Are you perhaps wanting to collect the reward you mentioned earlier? If it's for Uesugi-kun, it's okay~"
Akichi Aya said, reaching her hand towards her collar and unbuttoning her shirt.
She had just unbuttoned one button when Uesugi Kazuki again grasped her hand.
"Enough. I want a reason."
"A reason?"
Akichi Aya tilted her head, blinking her watery eyes as she looked at Uesugi Kazuki.
"Didn't I just give you a reason?"
"I'm tired. I don't want to struggle anymore. If I can't beat them, I'll choose to join them."
The smile on Akichi Aya's face gradually twisted.
"Is that so hard to understand, Uesugi-kun?"
Uesugi Kazuki stared intensely into Akichi Aya's eyes, and Akichi Aya met his gaze without flinching. Her eyes held only candor and an undeniable weariness.
"I'm truly very tired, Uesugi-kun. If you don't want to do anything right now, right here, then please let me go, okay?"
---
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