Chapter 34: Partners of Justice
Reida stepped through the classroom’s back door just in time to see Dongfang Cheng pummeling Lin Feng, pinning him to a desk.
The other students barely batted an eye. Some chatted in small groups, others scrolled on their phones, and a few glanced over with mild disinterest before looking away. It was a routine performance—boys roughhousing was par for the course at the free-spirited Saint Flower Saint Love Academy. Dongfang Cheng and Lin Feng, with their daily squabbles and thrice-weekly brawls, were old news.
And honestly, Lin Feng, despite wailing “It hurts, it hurts!” while pinned, was grinning ear to ear. Taller than Dongfang Cheng, he was clearly enjoying the “beating.”
“Stop it!”
As Dongfang Cheng’s half-hearted fist was about to land on the smirking Lin Feng, a slender, well-defined hand grabbed his wrist, locking it in place.
Reida stood before him, her golden eyes blazing with intensity.
“Bullying is forbidden on campus! Cease this inappropriate behavior immediately!”
The class fell silent.
Lin Feng (the “victim”), Dongfang Cheng (the “bully”), and the surrounding students all turned to the justice-oozing, golden-haired transfer student.
Dongfang Cheng snapped out of it first, trying to shake off her grip, but her strength was surprising. He squinted, irked. “New girl, if this is a joke, work on your humor.”
Reida’s unfairly handsome face stayed stern. “I’m not joking. You were engaging in one-sided violence. As a descendant of a knightly family, I cannot ignore such injustice.”
Dongfang Cheng nearly laughed but looked ready to grab her collar instead. “Knight? You watch too many cartoons. There’s a limit to chuunibyou, you know.”
The tension between them crackled, but Lin Feng, still pinned, couldn’t take it anymore. He scrambled up, smoothing his messy hair and flashing a desperate grin. “No fighting, no fighting! Total misunderstanding!”
“I started it, really! I’m the jerk who pissed off A-Cheng, so he’s just correcting me with fists! Pure friendly love-taps, not campus violence!”
He frantically winked at Dongfang Cheng, who rolled his eyes but didn’t contradict him, tacitly agreeing.
Reida’s grip on Dongfang Cheng’s fist loosened skeptically, but her serious expression didn’t budge. Turning to Lin Feng, she pressed, “Lin Feng, what did you do to warrant such violence? If it’s serious, you should report to a teacher or the student council, not handle it privately…”
“Uh, well… just a small thing! Not worth mentioning! Haha…” Lin Feng, sweating under Reida’s relentless scrutiny, racked his brain for a believable dodge.
A gentle voice cut in, music to Lin Feng’s ears. “Reida, the student council needs you to review a document.” Third-year Lin Yao Yao stood at the classroom door, smiling softly.
“Senpai, I’m coming!” Reida answered promptly, glancing warily at Lin Feng and Dongfang Cheng before hurrying off under Lin Yao Yao’s urging.
As the overly righteous transfer student left, Dongfang Cheng spoke, his tone mixed. “Is this new girl missing a screw? Way too rigid.”
“No kidding,” Lin Feng said, patting his chest in relief, feeling like he’d just been grilled by a cop. “Knight family, strict upbringing, maybe? So full of… justice? But man, she’s only been here a few days and already joined the student council and became a disciplinary officer?”
“Prez says she’s got ‘team spirit’ and a strong sense of duty, like her,” Dongfang Cheng snorted. “Translation: she’s a meddler. The disciplinary committee was short-staffed, so they nabbed her. Didn’t know what ‘team spirit’ or ‘duty’ meant before, but today I got a front-row seat.”
Ironically, Saint Flower Saint Love’s disciplinary committee was notorious for breaking rules—smoking, drinking, dating were small fries. Rumor had it the last committee head led their team in some wild after-school antics…
Maybe that’s why guys kept signing up for the committee.
“She saw me throw a few punches and acted like I needed a public shaming. If she knew what I’ve done before, she’d probably drag me to a gallows and burn me.”
“Look on the bright side, A-Cheng. Modern society’s not that barbaric—probably an electric chair or lethal injection.”
Dongfang Cheng flung an eraser without looking, nailing Lin Feng’s nose.
Rubbing his stinging nose, Lin Feng’s eyes glinted with mischief. He leaned closer, whispering, “By the way, A-Cheng, you’ve been cozying up to our class prez lately. What’s the deal?”
“We’ve gotten a bit closer. Jealous?” Dongfang Cheng shot back, unfazed.
“Damn right I’m jealous! It’s twisting me up!” Lin Feng played along dramatically. “Guess I’ll push Prez down the stairs and yell, ‘Don’t steal my Xiao-Cheng!’”
“Watch less girl-band anime,” Dongfang Cheng sighed, facepalming.
Their usual banter on the topic fizzled out, but both hid secrets the other knew.
A shadow passed through Lin Feng’s eyes.
Since the campus festival chaos, Dongfang Cheng had changed. He was actively engaging with the magical girls—whether it was the overly earnest Class Prez Huang Yu Tong or the prickly knight Reida—trying to understand their bizarre world, no longer staying behind the scenes.
It should’ve been good, but it meant the invisible line between him and Zero was nearing a breaking point. One day, they’d face each other as enemies—only a matter of time.
Dongfang Cheng’s thoughts were on Hoshino Kirara’s sudden disappearance. Best not let big-mouth Lin Feng know he was quietly investigating, to avoid complications.
Don’t get it twisted—he wasn’t crushing on the hot-blooded Huang Yu Tong or suddenly fond of the flashy Hoshino.
Huang’s “helpful” vibe, practically tattooed on her face, rubbed him wrong. Hoshino’s spoiled antics? Not a shred of appeal.
But Dongfang Cheng didn’t think Hoshino deserved death. If anyone should judge her, it was Tao Gong Qi, nearly killed by her “betrayal,” not some mysterious replacement erasing her existence.
Stubborn and willful, Dongfang Cheng found the timing too perfect: Hoshino’s disappearance, the Hoshino Group’s collapse, Reida’s arrival.
It felt like a scripted drama. The Hoshino downfall was a calculated plot, and Reida was a pawn placed to fill Kirara’s void.
Dongfang Cheng hated puppeteers who thought they controlled everything. If such a mastermind existed, he’d tear their perfect plan to shreds with his own hands.