Chapter 60: Interlude of Monday at 59

Chapter 60: Interlude of Monday at 59

As Yan Huan shifted his curious gaze toward certain words of the illusionary text, those words shimmered with golden light and burst forth with more explanations.

【When the efficiency of exercise is significantly enhanced, the speed at which muscle fibers tear and reassemble will also increase greatly. This will result in more intense pain, higher nutritional demands, etc.】

Looking at the words above, Yan Huan roughly understood what this effect meant.

Usually, the principle of muscle growth from working out is actually about tearing muscle fibers, and during their reassembly, they become tougher and stronger, thereby promoting muscle growth.

Now, with the efficiency of this process accelerated, the pain from being torn was already harsher than usual.

And on top of that, there was a curse that doubled the pain.

Yan Huan swallowed nervously, a drop of cold sweat running down his cheek.

This might be a bit painful, huh.jpg

Moreover, this combination was actually interlinked—the rapid tearing and reassembly of muscle fibers could easily lead to insufficient fiber strength being severely impacted.

However, the “Bare Clothes” skill perfectly compensated for this.

As long as he worked out without clothing, his physical attributes would gain a comforting 100% boost that kept pace with the efficiency.

“Meow?”

Nearby, Meow-chan looked at Yan Huan with confusion, seemingly sensing his hesitation.

But soon, Yan Huan steeled his resolve.

“This curse will weaken more as the muscles grow. After all, muscles can’t expand infinitely; there will always be a limit. It’s just a bit tough at the beginning, but it’ll be fine later.”

He stood up, took off his shirt, and approached the bathroom mirror.

His body wasn’t exactly skinny; after all, he often worked part-time jobs and exercised, with no bad habits to speak of.

Of course, he wouldn’t be described as muscular either.

Yan Huan squeezed his softish muscles, almost as if he could hear their eager anticipation of “getting bigger and stronger.”

“.”

So, he pulled down his pajama pants and returned to the bed.

Choosing this not only helped his body become healthier, but it also enhanced strength and endurance.

Can’t say it would definitely help with the Modifier issue, but making himself stronger and more robust wasn’t a bad thing.

And speaking of solving the Modifier, there were still two remaining skills.

【Flexible Finger Technique】【Demon Chef】.

The former was purely for laughs, and he had no idea what benefit it was supposed to provide.

Aside from unlocking more defeat CGs, Yan Huan couldn’t think of any other uses for it.

As for the Demon Chef, he was somewhat interested. He wasn’t an expert in cooking, but in life, who didn’t need to prepare food?

If he could cook better, why not?

Except for that slight curse.

Three meals a day—if he made each one himself, that would pile up three curses a day, nine in three days.

And if he kept eating and stacking up, the curses could persist endlessly within him.

With that thought, Yan Huan ultimately chose the third reward.

“Vroom!”

As that black orb of light shattered and surged into Yan Huan’s body, he first felt a sudden soreness in his legs, which he had barely noticed before.

He frowned, quickly recalling the reason,

“Could it be because I walked all day today, so my legs got a workout?”

Makes sense.

But soon after, he vaguely felt that not only was his body slightly lighter, but his fingers also felt filled with strength as they stretched out.

“.”

Ah, that’s how it is.

Looking at his short-sleeved pajama top and shorts, Yan Huan quickly realized something.

As long as the uncovered areas of his body exceeded a certain ratio, the effect of “Bare Clothes” would trigger.

But what if he took off more?

With that thought in mind, Yan Huan immediately began experimenting, loosening his pajama shirt and tossing it aside.

The shirt landed on the bed, covering the decorous Meow-chan sitting on the edge, causing it to struggle and let out a “Meow.”

“Sorry, Meow-chan, I’m just testing the effect of ‘Bare Clothes.’”

He stretched out his palm, but feeling unsatisfied, began to remove the remaining parts.

“Meow~”

As Meow-chan clumsily crawled out from under its shirt, it chanced upon something it shouldn’t have seen, immediately straightening its tail and retreating a bit.

“Wow, this feels ridiculously intense.”

Yan Huan excitedly swung his fists around; as they cut through the air, they made whooshing sounds.

And not just strength; attributes like endurance and vitality also received enhancements.

Yan Huan now felt an impulse akin to Sun Wukong crazily frolicking on the beach.

He couldn’t imagine how great the enhanced effect would be after some time of working out when his muscles became bigger and stronger.

Yan Huan swallowed nervously and, after some experimentation, put on his underwear.

The moment he donned that clothing, much of his lightness sharply diminished.

“?”

Yan Huan opened his mouth and meticulously felt that he had lost about 30% of his boost.

The problem was, he favored briefs, not boxers.

How much fabric does that have, and how much can it cover?

Losing that much?

This thing isn’t calculated based on the amount of fabric, is it!?

“.”

In disbelief, Yan Huan took off the shorts, and instantaneously, the terrifying boost was reinstated.

His brain, enhanced by intellect fragments, rapidly worked, soon mimicking Tong Yingying’s bright idea.

“Eh, I have an idea!”

He hurried to the bedside and opened the nightstand, pulling out a mask to put over his face.

This covered most of his face, making it nearly unrecognizable.

“Slap!”

That took another 30% boost away.

“.”

Yan Huan silently removed the mask, his expression completely darkened.

Alright, alright.

Is this how we’re playing it?

Yan Huan sighed and began putting his clothes and shorts back on.

All things considered, the effect of “Bare Clothes” wasn’t any good for someone alone, losing quite a bit.

Outside, unless in unique situations like a pool or amusement park, he could only reveal his upper body, and it would be quite undignified before he had any muscle.

Going shirtless with just knee-length sports shorts would probably give him around a 55% increase to his physical attributes.

Having tried all of this, Yan Huan finally picked up the pajama shirt from the bed, revealing Meow-chan beneath it.

“Meow?”

“.”

Looking at the utterly adorable Meow-chan, just as Yan Huan was about to explode, he suddenly remembered that it was Meow-chan who had plugged the USB drive for him today, giving the earphones to Bai Yi…

Wait, where are my earphones?

Hasn’t Bai Yi returned them yet?

Yan Huan slapped his forehead, finally realizing that his Bluetooth earphones from the small club were still missing.

Last weekend, he had lent his school uniform to Ye Shiyu, who only returned it on Friday with creepy “You have been marked” symbols all over.

Now his earphones were gone again; who knows when Bai Yi would give them back?

“Forget it… After all, I invited her to join the study group next week. If it comes down to it, I will just ask her.”

With a heavy heart, Yan Huan lay back down on his bed and turned off the light.

In his arms, the warm little fluffball snuggled closer, gazing at him with clear azure eyes.

Yan Huan looked back at it and gently rubbed its head, saying,

“Goodnight, Meow-chan.”

Meow-chan tilted its head, revealing a cute expression.

“Meow~”

And thus, this week passed by once again.

“Good morning, President.”

On Monday morning, on the bus from the South District to school.

Yan Huan glanced at Ya Qiao Mu next to him, who had developed a circle of dark circles under his eyes, asking,

“Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Ya Qiao Mu lethargically nodded, replying,

“After I got home last night, I looked up some exorcism rituals and ways to accumulate merit online, and then I played the new galgame I bought at the last comic convention, ‘Loli Foster Sister Moe Love.’ Hehe, the female lead is super cute, just my type.”

“.”

Ya Qiao, it feels like that little merit you’ve just gathered will all vanish into thin air once you play that game.

Yet, Ya Qiao Mu was utterly oblivious to Yan Huan’s advice-laden gaze.

Just as he intended to put on his Bluetooth earphones to tend to his electronic bonsai, he turned and noticed Yan Huan watching fitness tutorials from some web video.

He glanced at Yan Huan, who wasn’t wearing any earphones, just quietly reading subtitles, curiously asking,

“President, why are you suddenly starting to work out? Aren’t you busy recently?”

“Ah, I might be a bit less busy with part-time jobs these days, just thought I would find something to do.”

“I see.”

Hearing this, Ya Qiao Mu hurriedly shut down the just-opened dating simulation game and turned to Yan Huan, saying,

“Speaking of which, if you’re going to work out, I could recommend Teacher Jiao Tan’s profile to you; he’s somewhat well-known in the fitness community. Let him guide you, and it might be easier.”

“Oh right, I forgot you mentioned yesterday that he seems to be a fitness influencer too.”

Yan Huan recalled the image of Teacher Jiao Tan with his bulging muscles, a clear result of years of workout.

With the Modifier as his cheat, while it might not be possible to reach his level in a short time, it was definitely feasible to lose fat and gain a bit of lean muscle.

“Go ahead and recommend him to me; I’ll chat with him later.”

“OK, I’ll let him know first.”

Before long, Ya Qiao Mu had sent over a user with an avatar of a piece of charcoal.

The profile name matched his stage name: Jiao Tan.

Yan Huan added him, but his request wasn’t approved yet. It was still early, so the other party probably hadn’t woken up.

Because Yan Huan was awake today, no girls had sent him gifts; they arrived shakily at school.

The school entrance was bustling, and the adjacent newly constructed Teaching Building was nearing completion, likely to be finished within a week or two.

“Ah, it’s finally going to be done! It’s been so noisy. Especially when heading to the club in the afternoon, since the Club Activity Building is nearby, I could hardly hear my game over the sound of drills.”

Ya Qiao Mu looked at that building, speaking with deep resentment.

Though he seemed to have a strong anime vibe, Ya Qiao Mu was actually a member of the Computer Science Club.

The atmosphere at Far Moon Academy was peculiar; the anime clubs were filled with very active students, while the real otaku tended to be hidden away in the Computer and Math Clubs.

Ya Qiao Mu gazed sinfully at the building and adjusted his glasses,

“If our Computer Science Club wins the Club Battle this time, I’m going to have the principal tear that building down.”

“Does that mean you already know the Computer Science Club can’t win?”

Yan Huan smiled lightly, just about to say something when several voices suddenly chimed in from behind,

“President Yan~”

“President~”

Yan Huan turned around to see several beautiful girls approaching him with smiles.

The leader, though still in high school, bore a maturity and charm that belied her age.

Her long black hair flowed down, enveloping her voluptuous figure with an alluring fragrance.

Seeing her, Yan Huan quickly greeted,

“Good morning, Miyuki-senpai.”

“Oh? Why didn’t President Yan reply to our messages last week?”

Eagle Clan Miyuki, president of the Mahjong Club at Far Moon Academy.

“Yeah, yeah, you didn’t come to play mahjong with us last week, making our hands itchy.”

Following Eagle Clan Miyuki were two vice-presidents of the Mahjong Club, Long Ting and Yasaki Inori.

“I had something going on last week, so…”

Before Yan Huan could finish, Eagle Clan Miyuki grinned and said,

“Then today you should come to the club to play; we’re one short, one short!”

“Just need you, President! You must come today~”

It seemed the remaining vice-president was about to say more, but her gaze suddenly caught sight of something.

Her and the several older Mahjong Club girls’ expressions subtly shifted, and without waiting for Yan Huan to decline, they waved their hands and walked toward the Teaching Building.

“Then it’s settled, President!”

Mahjong, huh…

Hmm, I actually feel a bit tempted after not playing for a holiday.

Nothing much to do with older girls; I’m just a bit eager to play that upright rods.

Ya Qiao Mu watched the older girls leave with a grin, nudging Yan Huan with his shoulder,

“President, are you going to play mahjong this afternoon?”

“Uh, I’ll think about it.”

“Eh, it wouldn’t be because of Sakura’s vice-president, would it?”

“What do you mean?”

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, glancing at Ya Qiao Mu.

“Hey, everyone knows that President Eagle Clan Miyuki and Vice President Sakura don’t get along! They’re both from Sakura Nation, and I hear they’re old acquaintances. Everyone’s been spreading rumors that it’s a power struggle between the Sakuraguchi Family and the Eagle Clan abroad. But, President, I have insider info.”

“Insider info?”

“Yeah, actually, the Eagle Clan can’t stand up to the Sakuraguchi Family. Their feud has nothing to do with these family struggles. The real reason is only one…”

Yan Huan felt a bit curious; after all, Sakura Kyoko rarely mentioned her family matters. He only knew vaguely what her family did and their influence level.

“Uh-huh?”

So, at that moment, when Ya Qiao Mu brought it up with all seriousness, Yan Huan naturally felt intrigued.

But just as he turned to look at Ya Qiao Mu with great curiosity, he suddenly caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye.

His expression changed, and he was about to remind Ya Qiao Mu, but it was too late.

“Ya-”

“It’s all about the figure, President! The figure! Eagle Clan-senpai’s figure is top-notch, while our Vice President Sakura is—tch, that’s just… I heard at one banquet in Sakura Nation, there was…”

Ya Qiao Mu, excitedly sharing gossip he had no idea where it came from, felt the thin merit he gathered begin to waver like a candle in the wind.

All because behind him, an icy chill wafted in.

“Ya Qiao-kun.”

“.”

Ya Qiao Mu’s excited expression froze bit by bit, and he turned around slowly.

Right behind him was Ai Xili, clad in the uniform of a disciplinary committee member, a red armband on her arm.

Beside her stood Sakura Kyoko, dressed in a black dress with a smile.

Just as Ya Qiao Mu had said, Sakura Kyoko had a petite build, visibly undernourished.

“Oh dear, who would have thought such a rumor-mongering student would come from our Student Council? What a troubling case. I guess I have no choice but to guide Ya Qiao-kun to the disciplinary committee office for a proper reflection of your actions.”

At that moment, the tiny physique cast a daunting shadow, making Ya Qiao Mu increasingly certain.

It must be a devil!

It has to be a devil hiding in Vice President Sakura’s body!

Ai Xili rubbed her forehead and turned to the disciplinary committee members behind her, gesturing for them to “take him away.”

Ya Qiao Mu hurriedly turned to Yan Huan, seeking help,

“Pre-”

But when he turned his head, he discovered that Yan Huan had already distanced himself considerably, watching him sympathetically.

Good luck, Ya Qiao.

“Whew!”

In the next second, tearful Ya Qiao Mu was clasped on the shoulders by two disciplinary members and dragged away by Ai Xili.

And so, that Monday morning at the Teaching Building was conspicuously left with only the usual handsome boys and beautiful girls.

Sakura Kyoko kindly brushed her long black hair and walked to Yan Huan’s side, saying,

“Good morning, President.”

“Ah, good morning, Sakura.”

At that moment, another melodious female voice came from beside Yan Huan.

“Morning, Yan Huan.”

Both Yan Huan and Sakura Kyoko paused in surprise and turned to see a beautiful girl with a mask, sparkling eyes that resembled starlight.

It was Bai Yi.