Chapter Forty-Nine: My Sister Once Said

This thought forged a sixteen-year conditioned scenario for Lin Nian. Within this setting, he had to fret over school grades, worry about rent at the end of the month, and figure out how to evade child labor laws to bring in extra income for his household. He had to become a normal person, a completely ordinary individual.

Yet now, the acceptance letter from Cassel College shattered that conditioned scenario, liberating him from that mindset.

What could possibly break free from the conditioned scenario of an ordinary person?
And who was the entity crawling out from beneath the skin?

Inside the Amber Pavilion, Miyashiro Isshin lowered his gaze to look at Lin Nian. Although it was their first meeting, this man's words were like a blade, accelerating the process of slicing open that layer of skin.

He did not care what lay beneath the skin, nor how terrifying and bone-chilling its roar might be. He only wanted to witness the beauty of that entity breaking through the earth the very moment it emerged, and to relish the anticipation of drawing his blade against it.

Right from the start, when he had exclaimed with pleasant surprise, "You are the person I've been looking for," he had not been lying.

Lin Nian did not understand what kind of place the Japan Branch was. Had he known, he should have turned around and left the moment Miyashiro Isshin introduced himself.

The person Miyashiro Isshin wanted to find was never a piece of uncarved jade, nor someone merely qualified to join the Kendo Club. During the boring interlude while the Student Union President and the Lionheart Society President were away on internships, the only thing he wanted to find was a rival who could become his true enemy.

Therefore, after his initial conversation with Lin Nian confirmed that the young man before him was indeed worthy, everything he did was solely aimed at provoking this seemingly peaceful and courteous young man.

Now, he was close to succeeding.

"How about we play a game?" Miyashiro Isshin suddenly flashed an easygoing smile, puncturing the heavy atmosphere instantly. He turned, walked over to the dining table, and picked up a butter knife. Pressing his right thumb firmly against the middle of the blade, he snapped it in half with a crisp crack.

Distracted by the sound, Lin Nian interrupted his deep thoughts and looked over. Miyashiro Isshin retrieved several paper cups of identical shape and color from beside the table and explained, "This is a very popular game in our Japan Branch. You must have seen magicians on TV performing the trick of slamming their hands down on nails?"

Lin Nian did not reply. Miyashiro Isshin selected a paper cup free of creases and stains, and continued, "That trick is commonly known as Russian roulette. But compared to a revolver loaded with real bullets, the price of failure in the magician's version of Russian roulette is much lighter."

"Ten paper bags, with a long nail standing upright inside one of them. The paper bags are shuffled randomly, and the magician must slam their hand down on them one by one until only the last one remains." Miyashiro Isshin tossed the broken half-blade in his hand. "At that point, the magician uncovers the final paper bag, which turns out to be the one with the nail inside."

Silently, Lin Nian watched as Miyashiro Isshin placed the blade on the table, walked right up to him, and smiled. "Lin Nian-san, this could be the first 'event' you encounter at Cassel College. You said you couldn't even understand yourself, so allow me to create an opportunity for you—and everyone else—to clearly recognize what kind of person you truly are: a hero or a coward, the awakened or the obsessed."

"In our Japan Branch, this game is played almost every day. The young men in the Execution Bureau are always proud and arrogant, and whenever arguments arise, they resort to this game." Miyashiro Isshin gazed at his own palm, where a dark scar lingered. Clearly, this man was one of those "obsessed young men" he spoke of.

"I'm now terribly curious about just how terrible the school culture is at the Japan Branch. Is everyone there like you?" Lin Nian had finally seen through it; the polite Japanese man standing before him was an absolute lunatic. Making the initial decision to answer his greeting had been a grave mistake.

"Not all branches exist in the campus format like Cassel College. It seems Lin Nian-san still knows very little about the Secret Party. I'm also quite looking forward to the day Lin Nian-san goes on a mission to the Japan Branch. I'm curious to see what kind of changes someone like you would undergo in that environment." Miyashiro Isshin stroked the smooth, sharp edge of the blade on the table, the reflections from the silver cutlery flashing across his eyes.

Looking at the smile that perpetually hung on the corners of Miyashiro Isshin's mouth, Lin Nian finally understood the significance of this conversation and the other's true purpose in approaching him.

How absurd. Before tonight, Lin Nian hadn't even known this guy existed. Could the title of 'S-grade' really attract this much malice?

"You say this is the best game to resolve disputes in your Japan Branch, but right now, I don't seem to have any reason to play such a boring game with you." Lin Nian picked up half a piece of Black Forest chocolate cake from the nearby table and shoved it into his mouth. He felt hungry, so he started eating.

"An opportunity to figure out what kind of person you are—isn't that reason enough?" Miyashiro Isshin tilted his head. "Suppose I put forward a proposition right now: 'An S-grade student is someone who shrinks back in cowardice when faced with a challenge.' If you turn around and walk away directly tonight, won't you find yourself lying in bed repeatedly wondering whether my proposition has been proven true by your own actions?"

"Do you take me for someone who reads critical comments on the internet, gets mad enough to reply with insults, and then stays up all night worrying, losing sleep and crying secretly?" Lin Nian finished the chocolate cake and picked up a plate of spaghetti.

"Judging by our conversation just now, not really," Miyashiro Isshin said.

"When I heard you were a candidate for the Student Union President, I was genuinely relieved," Lin Nian said expressionlessly, slurping his spaghetti. "Because based on the impression I got meeting Caesar Gattuso this morning, there is no way you're going to beat him."

"We'll let reality speak for that. There's still some time before the presidential election. I recall it happens a few days after the freshman combat practice course. That should serve as a test for him; if he can't even survive a course like that, how could he ever become an opponent worthy of competing against me on the same stage?" Miyashiro Isshin shook his head.

"You have a habit of standing too high when you talk. I don't know if everyone in the Japan Branch has this attitude, but if someone like you acted this way at Xilan, you'd get beaten up," Lin Nian said calmly. "At first, I thought you came with goodwill, but now I realize I was wrong. I'm actually a very simple person. At the very least, I have enough self-awareness to know that when I see something wrong, I intervene; when I see a bad person, I beat him up. Your suit looks quite expensive tonight, but I'm wearing my school uniform, and I have a spare one back in the dorm. Right now, I'm going to eat."

His meaning was painfully simple: Get lost.

"What a pity. I thought an 'S-grade' student would have a bit more pride," Miyashiro Isshin said, shaking his head as he stared at Lin Nian's profile.

Lin Nian paused mid-bite of his noodles. "My sister told me something before."

"She said: when you're out, mind your own business, and if you run into bad people, run away immediately. She doesn't want to go to the police station to pick anyone up."

"What?" Perhaps due to a cultural barrier, Miyashiro Isshin didn't understand the word 'police station'.

Lin Nian put down his knife and fork, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "Most people in the Student Union are quite friendly, just a bit overly enthusiastic. At first, I thought everyone harbored goodwill toward me, but it seems there are exceptions. After listening to all your rambling—the foreshadowing, the probing, the provocation, the bullying—your ultimate goal must be to step on the head of an 'S-grade' student so you can prove to yourself that you're the big boss of this school. Your side in Japan seems to have this traditional custom as well: superiors beating down subordinates, seniors putting juniors in their place."

Before Miyashiro Isshin could react, Lin Nian walked right up to him, flipped the paper cups upside down one by one, and lined them up on the table. Seeing Lin Nian's actions, Miyashiro Isshin experienced a flicker of excitement for the first time that night. "You finally understand my point, Lin-san!"

Ignoring him, Lin Nian finished flipping the paper cups over and picked up the broken half-blade. Miyashiro Isshin stepped aside and said, "Lin-san, are you going to hide the blade yourself? That's fine by me; I trust your character."

Instead of placing the blade inside any of the paper cups, Lin Nian stood the razor-sharp piece upright directly on the table.

He turned his head to look at Miyashiro Isshin and said calmly, "My sister also told me: when you're out in the world, endure whatever you can. A peaceful life is what matters most."

With that, he violently slammed his palm down onto the blade!

The next instant, his finger bones struck the tip of the blade. The half-blade on the table seemed crushed by a hydraulic press, emitting a harsh, piercing crack. The metal instantly shattered into countless fragments, scattering into the food across the table. His hand then slammed heavily onto the surface, producing a loud crash that caused numerous people in the dance floor to turn their heads toward them.

"But I've never listened to my sister." He raised his hand, stared straight into Miyashiro Isshin's stunned face, and slowly continued, "The paper cups are still here. You can stay and play with them at your leisure. Now, I'm going somewhere else to continue eating."