Ten Moves, Yet Firm Refusal

(1/3)

Since it was already autumn, the weather was not particularly hot. Although Kyoto was considered one of the hotter regions in Japan during the summer, today’s outing had been met with a refreshingly cool day. As a result, everyone felt only mildly tired after playing for half the day, so the teacher decided they would eat first and bathe afterward.

The kneeling posture was quite uncomfortable, and Qi Xi was not used to it. However, seeing everyone else sitting this way, he could only silently curse the absurdity and resign himself to eating in the same manner.

Oh, and according to the Japanese, this wasn’t kneeling—it was the formal “seiza.”

The meal consisted of several pieces of sushi, some mackerel, a bowl of soup, and a dessert.

Qi Xi finished quickly, left the group early, and returned alone to his room.

Maruyama Kotaro, Nomura Ran, and the other boys whom Qi Xi had scolded, exchanged glances as they watched him leave.

Nearby, Kojima Muramasa seemed to sense what was about to happen. He wanted to call Mizukami Jiro to go with him to Qi Xi’s room, at least to have a helper and prevent them from beating up Qi Xi—who, in their eyes, was Chikada Hakutaku.

But reality rarely matches our plans. Before they could act, several other students held them back.

“Hmph! Today we’re going to teach him a lesson and show him what it means to respect the strong,” said a tall, muscular boy named Ishimatsu Akira, who stood nearly a meter eighty-nine.

“That’s right! Let this bastard know what it means to fear the strong!” Maruyama Kotaro nodded. He was the leader of this group. Though not as muscular as Ishimatsu Akira, he had practiced taekwondo and karate; when it came to fighting, he was far more formidable.

The surrounding students shouted their agreement. Most of them lacked any independent thought—minions, lackeys, hardly any different from the timid, lowly lickspittle that Chikada Hakutaku was. It was merely the pot calling the kettle black.

“Let’s go!”

There were about ten or so of them—not a small number, but not overwhelming. If they all attacked at once, unless Qi Xi fought ruthlessly, he probably didn’t stand a chance. And if they managed to pin him down, his lack of raw strength was not something skill could make up for. Qi Xi would have no way to defend himself.

At this moment, Qi Xi was unaware of the impending crisis.

He took out his clothes and sipped from a nearby drink. Though the soup tasted fine, it didn’t quite suit him, so he hadn’t finished it and now felt a bit thirsty.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then reopened them as he activated his personal “golden finger”—the [Random Skill].

Last time, when he’d traveled to the post-apocalyptic world, he’d gotten some benefit from this skill, which was called [Thirty Years of Single-Minded Focus].

(2/3)

Though the name was a bit ridiculous, it was an incredibly powerful skill. No matter the circumstances, it could boost one’s strength by fifty percent. It was thanks to this skill that Qi Xi had overcome many difficult situations.

He hadn’t used the skill yet because he wanted to bring it to the Uyunrou Inn. Since this was a place connected to the world’s origins, he hoped that using it here might yield a skill perfectly suited for the situation.

There was no scientific basis for this, but many travelers did it anyway. It was probably just a kind of psychological suggestion.

Qi Xi began the skill draw.

[Random skill drawing in progress...]

[Skill drawn.]

Because he hadn’t accessed the world’s data system for this, Qi Xi could not see the exact details of the skill and could only try to sense it.

It was a mental-type skill, one that could resist all invitations and force the other party to leave.

The more carefully Qi Xi sensed it, the more delighted he became. The cooldown time wasn’t too long, and it was perfectly suited for this world.

After all, with a mental skill like this, he could easily drive away any spirits that tried to lure him or entangle him.

It couldn’t be more appropriate!

Qi Xi considered for a moment, then decided to activate the world’s data system, which he hadn’t used yet.

With a hum, the system activated.

He cast the data scan on the newly drawn skill.

Lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Ten Moves, Still Rejected]

(3/3)

[Category: Skill]

[Effect: Rejects all invitations and inflicts severe mental damage on the other party. Cooldown time: one hour.]

[Note: She was deeply moved, but still rejected him.]

“So it really is ‘Ten Moves, Still Rejected’!” Qi Xi shouted, somewhat speechless. This world’s data system really knew how to rub salt in the wound, always merciless and leaving him at a loss for words.

Still, at least he now knew the skill’s cooldown time.

“What are you yelling about?” Just as Qi Xi shouted, the door was yanked open. Several male students stood outside, looking at him with ill intent.

Qi Xi turned and looked at them. Seeing their expressions and the number of people, he immediately understood their purpose.

Physically, Qi Xi was at the bottom among these boys. So even if his skills were superior, he would be severely limited. One careless move, and he could suffer a major loss. If he got seriously hurt—broken bones, dislocated joints—at the Uyunrou Inn, he’d be helpless against ghosts.

With that in mind, Qi Xi decided that he couldn’t confront so many people head-on.

“What do you want?” Qi Xi turned to face them.

“What do you think we want?” Maruyama Kotaro, standing at the center, looked at Qi Xi with his head held high and a disdainful sneer. “What else would we want?”

“You want to beat me up?” Qi Xi sneered.

The words had barely left his mouth when Maruyama Kotaro shouted, “Exactly! Get him! Knock him down!”

The group was a bit confused by Chikada Hakutaku’s sudden change in attitude, but they all rushed in instinctively, ready to pin Qi Xi to the ground and give him a thorough beating.

At that moment, Qi Xi shouted, “Wait!” His voice was so loud that everyone in the room winced and clutched their ears.

Rubbing his ears, Maruyama Kotaro signaled everyone to stop and looked at Qi Xi in confusion. “What do you want to say? Either way, we’re beating you up today! For the simple reason that you, you idiotic fool, dared to call us maggots. How could you even say something like that? You really don’t know your place, you wretched thing.”