After Ye Zhizhou's physical upgrade to class A, coping with training became less strenuous for him. After a day of high-intensity exercise, he only felt slightly tired and didn't collapse from exhaustion. Qijita found this astonishing and sympathized with Edie even more, saying, "Instructor Ned seems particularly fierce today. Look at his students; they all look utterly hopeless."
Annot, on the other hand, noticed something off about Ye Zhizhou and asked, "Panxi, did your physical level go up?"
"It seems so, and my psychic level also increased," Ye Zhizhou said, materializing a small ball with his psychic power, then quickly dispersing it. He smiled and continued, "It's probably because yesterday's training pushed my physical limits, which led to an upgrade overnight."
"Oh my goodness," Qijita exclaimed, staring in awe. He reached out to touch Ye Zhizhou's fingertips and sensed his aura. His eyes lit up, "Class A physique, and with more training, you might even reach class S. Plus, a level 3 psychic power. Panxi, it's such a waste for you not to join the Mecha Department!"
Annot patted his shoulder and said sincerely, "Congratulations. Remember to report to the Life Teacher. The upcoming stage of stabilizing your abilities is crucial, so pay close attention."
"Thank you, I will," Ye Zhizhou said, scratching his head awkwardly. Then, he glanced at Edie, who was still training, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Did you guys receive the cake Edie made yesterday?"
"We did. Mine was chocolate flavored, and it was delicious!" Qijita reminisced and grinned. "I'm so lucky to have roommates like you and Edie!"
Annot, however, noticed Ye Zhizhou's discomfort and asked, "Panxi, did you feel something was wrong with your cake?"
"It seemed that way, and I also felt a bit hungry after training this afternoon. So, I took a piece of the cake I didn't finish last night to fill my stomach. But not long after, my limbs started to feel weak again," Ye Zhizhou explained.
Qijita's smile faded, and he exchanged a glance with Annot. His expression turned serious as he asked, "Are you sure, Panxi?"
"I'm sure. And..." Ye Zhizhou opened the cake box from his space and lowered his voice. "I found this. See those yellow particles mixed in the cream? They weren't there before. They appeared suddenly this afternoon. Do your cakes have the same thing?"
"Let's have the remaining cakes tested," Annot said, covering the box and looking concerned. "Qijita and I didn't experience any adverse reactions. Don't tell Edie about this until we have the results."
Qijita hesitated. "Could it be a mistake in your perception, or perhaps an incorrect ingredient was added? Edie seems like such a nice person..."
"Have you forgotten what happened in middle school when we were betrayed by a good friend?" Annot's gaze sharpened as he looked at Qijita. "It's better to suspect and investigate than to let doubts fester. It wouldn't be fair to Edie and Panxi. "
Qijita frowned and fell silent.
Seeing this, Ye Zhizhou quickly tried to lighten the mood, "Maybe it was just my imagination, or Edie accidentally used some expired ingredients. Forget it, everyone, let's relax a bit. I should have kept this to myself."
"No, it's correct to bring it up promptly. There's no reason why your cake would be the only one with issues while ours are fine," Annot said sternly. "In a lasting friendship, suspicion must not be allowed to take root. Since we've identified a problem, it's better to get a clear result."
After dinner, the three of them gathered in the living room, each busy with their own tasks. Qijita seemed absent-minded and asked, "Where did Edie go?"
Annot paused while disassembling a model and replied, "I think he went back to the main kitchen."
Ye Zhizhou, who was studying genetic knowledge to catch up with this world, heard this and thought for a moment. He took out a gaming device and handed it to Qijita, saying, "If you don't feel like studying, play some games. There are a few interesting mini-games in there."
Qijita accepted the device with an indifferent "oh," opened it, and casually selected a game. However, as soon as he started playing, his body suddenly shook, and he became engrossed in it. "Wow! The graphics are exquisite! The level design is amazing! The game developer must be a genius!"
In his previous world, Ye Zhizhou indeed excelled in game development. He smiled, squinted his eyes, and continued to immerse himself in studying. Most of the knowledge in this world was identical to his original world, but there were significant differences in gender identity. Before the supplementary exams began, he needed to restructure his knowledge base.
An hour and a half later, Edie entered the dormitory with three bags of cookies and handed one to each of them, saying with a smile, "A little surprise for everyone. Good luck with training tomorrow."
Qijita's hand slipped, and he failed the game. He glanced at the cookies placed in front of him and suddenly snatched the bag designated for Ye Zhizhou. Turning to Edie with a mischievous grin, he said, "Panxi's bag seems tastier. I'll have his!"
Annot frowned, and Edie's expression stiffened. Annot quickly stepped in to take the bag from Qijita and gave it to Ye Zhizhou. Then, he smiled at Edie and said, "Thank you for the cookies. It's thoughtful."
Edie sighed in relief and said, "You're welcome."
In a place unnoticed by them, Qijita, with a mouthful of cookies, cast a deep glance at Edie and discreetly covered the sadness in his eyes.
"The probability of Qijita falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 50%. Keep up the effort, Host."
Ye Zhizhou was momentarily stunned by the sudden system notification and glanced at Qijita. He had thought Annot, the more rational one, would be the first to have his affection reduced, but it turned out differently.
The next day, Qijita seemed a bit out of sorts. Ye Zhizhou quietly patted him on the back and handed him a pill, motioning for him to take it. Qijita hesitated but eventually took it. His eyes brightened, and he reached out for more pills.
Life Teacher arrived quickly, and Edie returned promptly, holding a pizza. He said, "Panxi, what's the matter? I just baked a pizza... Oh, Teacher Louis, what brings you here? Do you have something to inform us?"
Louis frowned at him, then took the pizza from Edie's hand. With a serious expression, he said, "Edie, someone reported that you drugged your classmates. Come with me to the administration office. I need to have this pizza tested, along with those snacks on the coffee table." He pointed at a pile of snacks behind him.
Edie's smile froze upon hearing this. He glanced at the heap of snacks on the coffee table and the three people, including Ye Zhizhou and the twins, standing behind Louis. His expression disappeared.
"Edie, do you have an explanation?" Louis had a favorable impression of this talented student who excelled in two fields. Initially, he thought the report might be a prank, but now there was substantial evidence laid out before him, making it difficult not to believe it.
Edie suddenly gave a bitter smile, his lips curling up sarcastically. He withdrew his gaze from Ye Zhizhou, the twins, and the others. Then he shook his head and said, "What's there to explain... I considered them as friends, but they slandered me behind my back, driven by jealousy. Envy is truly terrifying." With a lowered head, he feigned an appearance of disappointment and anger, as if deeply wounded.
Louis hesitated again upon seeing this and gestured for Qijita, who wanted to speak, to hold back. With a stern expression, he said, "All of you, come with me to the administration office. Your training for tomorrow is canceled. This matter must be resolved before you can attend classes again."
The military academy's testing equipment was more advanced, and two hours later, a freshly printed test report was placed on the director's desk.
"Edie," the director said in a stern tone as he put down the test results, "why did you drug Panxi?"
Edie hung his head and remained silent, showing passive resistance.
The director furrowed his brows and then looked at Ye Zhizhou, who stood nearby. "The school will provide an explanation for this matter. You can go back to your dormitory for now."
Ye Zhizhou frowned slightly, glanced at Edie, who had not looked at him or spoken since the incident was exposed, and then left the office. The protagonist's reaction was completely unexpected, and everything had gone too smoothly, making him feel something was off.
Three days later, Edie's punishment was announced—expulsion, followed by six months of labor education, and a lifelong ban from working in military and government departments.
Qijita sat on the couch, staring at Edie's now-empty room, looking bewildered. "How did things suddenly turn out like this... He quietly left while we were away, without any explanation or defense. Why..."
Annot patted his head without saying a word.
"The probability of Qijita, Annot, Ned, Chris, and Dale falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 0%. The first, second, third, fourth, and fifth soul flags have all been removed. Congratulations, Host. Please keep up the effort."
"Detected a plot change. Host, please accept the new plot."
"The fourth and fifth soul flags have been restored, with no transfer targets. Host, please be cautious! Host, please be cautious!"
Ye Zhizhou's initial joy at removing the flags was instantly shattered. He couldn't help but widen his eyes and repeatedly scrutinize the screen in front of him. The restoration of the soul flags he understood, but what did it mean by "no transfer targets"? Did this imply that Chris and Dale, whose flags had been removed, had regrown their flags on their own?! Then, his actions had been in vain!