Soon after, Mei Gui returned to me, my phone in hand.

"Master, I captured everything.

"

"Did he really try to pull a stunt like that…?

" Feng Mian asked in surprise.

I chuckled.

"Humans are greedy, desperate, and foolish creatures. When they come across something or someone they really want, they'll do anything they need to obtain it.

"

"He purposely chose a place where the security cameras couldn't reach too,

" Mei Gui added.

"It seems he familiarized himself with this place beforehand.

"

"So… they were planning this since… yesterday,

" Yu An Xue said, gritting her teeth.

"Despicable.

"

"How did they even get their hands on the drug in the first place…?

" Lin Luo asked, utterly perplexed.

"The school doesn't sell them, obviously. So…

"

"Drug?

" Mei Gui snorted.

"It wasn't a drug. It was poison. More specifically, Poison Magic.

"

"N-Nya… then isn't Lan Xiao Su in grave dyanger?!

" Amane whispered sharply.

"Nah.

" I smiled.

"She knows.

"

*****

Seconds later, the boy returned with three drinks in a carton. It appeared to be coffee. After arriving at the table, he set down the drinks, one for each person. Naturally, Lan Xiao Su's was the one that he made 'adjustments' to.

She accepted it awkwardly, but didn't take a sip. She knew better than to drink something given to her by people she didn't know well, especially after the foreshadowing I gave her while eating together earlier this morning. The two boys sipped on their drinks in the hopes of getting her to do the same, but it clearly wasn't working.

"Okay… so, tell me which subjects you are worst at,

" Lan Xiao Su said, still trying to keep this study session going despite already knowing these two guys weren't up to any good.

"Mm, this coffee is pretty good!

" One of the boys said, completely ignoring her statement.

"Yeah, yeah,

" the other added.

"Hey, Xiao Su, you should try it out!

"

Lan Xiao Su stared at them awkwardly, at a loss for what to do next. She never was one who could speak up for herself, so faced with pressure like this, how would she react?

"X-Xuan Kai,

" Feng Mian murmured.

"Shouldn't we step in now…?

"

But to all the girls' surprise, I shook my head.

"Nah. Just watch. This is Xiao Su's moment.

"

"C'mon, Xiao Su! I handpicked this coffee myself, I won't be able to study properly if you don't tell me whether or not it fits your tastes.

"

"Yeah, he worked sooo hard for it. I'm pretty sure that's the expensive one too, right?

"

"Yep, it was almost sold out when I got there… I had to go into a bit of an auction to finally get it, haha!

"

Lan Xiao Su trembled a bit from the pressure, but then, she looked at me and met my reassuring gaze.

You got this.

Slowly, she smiled faintly, having made her decision.

"… That's enough.

"

Slamming the table loudly, she stood up from her chair and glared at the two boys, catching them by surprise and silencing them immediately.

"H-Huh?

"

"Do you think I'm stupid? You never joined this study group to study in the first place… you just wanted to trick me into drinking this poisoned drink of yours, no?

" Lan Xiao Su lifted the cup of coffee up and splashed it all over the face of the boy who had purchased it.

"GYAHHH! HOT HOT HOT!

"

"Hey! What the ** are you doing?!

" The other boy yelled, hurriedly rushing to his friend's side.

"I tried to let it slip… hoping you two would take the hint and actually change your mind to actually study… but some people are just beyond saving, I think.

"

"What are you on about?! We didn't poison you, we didn't do **! Yet you just poured a whole cup of boiling coffee on my friend, who bought it for you out of respect and gratitude!

"

"You… BITCH…

" The boy who got burned spat, gritting his teeth.

Lan Xiao Su, however, was unaffected.

"A whole cup, you say? Hmph. Don't worry, I left a little behind.

"

Saying this, she tilted the cup in her hands to show the two that there was still indeed about 10% of coffee inside.

"Now… you claim that you didn't poison this, but if that's the case, then… surely you won't mind drinking it to prove your point?

"

"Ngh…

" The boys fell silent, having been hit right where it hurts.

Suddenly, however, another person intervened — the librarian.

"What's going over here?

" She asked — an old lady who appeared to be in her sixties.

"This early in the morning… and I already have to deal with such drama?

"

"I apologize for the ruckus,

" Lan Xiao Su replied politely with a bow.

"But as for exactly what happened… do you two want to explain it, or do you want me to do it?

"

"M-Ma'am!

" The boy's friend struck first.

"This girl here, she splashed hot coffee all over my friend. Look, his face is completely burnt!

"

"… This girl here is a frequent visitor here, and I know her quite well. I find it hard to believe she would splash coffee on your friend like this without any reason, given how peaceful and quiet she usually is,

" the library said wisely, then turned to Lan Xiao Su.

"Tell me, girl. What's the other side of this story?

"

Lan Xiao Su bowed politely out of respect.

"Yes, ma'am. You see, our class is hosting study sessions to help those in need in preparation for the exams coming up next week. These two here joined my study group, but I'm afraid it wasn't to study.

"

"That's bull**!

" The boys yelled.

"Why would we join a study group if not to study?

"

"That's what I would like to ask you,

" Lan Xiao Su shot back, narrowing her eyes.

"Why would you try and poison me if you came here to study?

"

"Who are you accusing?

" The boy grit his teeth, covering his burnt face.

"I didn't poison you whatsoever.

"

"Then go ahead. Drink what's left of this coffee you gave me to prove your point.

"

Lan Xiao Su slid the coffee cup over the table to the boys, then crossed her arms in triumph.

"Tch…

"

The librarian, sensing the two boys' hesitance, closed her eyes and sighed.

"There is no need to argue any longer. The truth is clear. Lan Xiao Su, was it? I apologize for not interfering sooner. As for you two…

"

She narrowed her eyes in disgust at the two boys.

"… You're coming with me.

"

"E-Eek!

"

"Listen carefully,

" Lan Xiao Su said as the two were dragged away.

"I may seem frail and weak on the surface, but even I have a bottom line. Cross it, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life. There's already someone I like, so don't even think about getting close to me.

"

"Ara~ that last part was a bit unexpected, fufu~

" Qing Yue giggled, nudging my elbow.

"… Actually, this whole outburst from her was unexpected,

" Feng Mian corrected.

"I never thought she had it in her to do something like this.

"

"True,

" Yu An Yan agreed.

"Though I suppose she's right. Even she has a bottom line, huh?

"

"Nya, bwut she turned into a completely diffurent person!

" Amane exclaimed.

"I… used to be a completely different… person as well,

" Yu An Xue added quietly.

I chuckled.

"That much is true. Can confirm.

"

After the two boys were dragged away by the librarian, Lan Xiao Su spotted us looking at her and smiled faintly before walking over.

"You were really cool back there, Xiao Su!

" Yu An Yan cheered, patting her back.

"You impressed all of us.

"

"Well, I expected her to fight back on her own, since it was about time she grew,

" I replied.

"But still, it was impressive.

"

"Ahh, but I bet you didn't expect that last part, hm?

" Feng Mian giggled mischievously.

At this, Lan Xiao Su blushed deeply and looked away.

"U-Um… about that… d-don't think too much about it!

"

"Annnnd there she goes, back to her usual personality,

" Qing Yue remarked.

"Hey, Xiao Su, if you don't act soon, Big Brother Xuan Kai will end up getting taken~

"

I mean… I've already had sex with two girls here, but I do care about all of them. It's just a matter of time… and I don't want to make the first move because I want to be absolutely certain they are ready for it first. Though with people like Lan Xiao Su and Yu An Xue… asking them to be proactive about something like this is hardly sensible.

After that incident, we ended up spending the majority of the day at the library, studying together. It was quite enjoyable, and we had more fun than actual studying.

But in the end, those two boys from this morning were still part of our class. I doubt they would get expelled for this, but… well, at least I certainly hope they didn't. As much scum as they were, they were still an addition to the total power level of our class, no matter how tiny that addition was.

I could only hope that what happened today didn't effect future special exams.