Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 2: Their First Encounter at Kindergarten

Time flows like water, rushing through the world. In the blink of an eye, Ming is already three years old, and it's time for him to go to kindergarten.

Although he was a teenager, Ming had already reached a height of 1.05 meters. His short, jet-black hair highlighted his youthful vigor, but his eyes seemed to have inherited his father's, unusually empty and lifeless. His face was sickly pale, which was chilling to behold.

(For an example of his appearance, you can refer to Ryunosuke Akutagawa in Bungo Stray Dogs, who dyed his hair completely black.)

Two years have passed slowly, and Ming still doesn't know which world he is in or where he is going. But he finds happiness in this world and can feel a sense of reality that he can hardly believe.

My father was a man who was sometimes strict and sometimes gentle. He always liked to teach me some so-called aristocratic etiquette. He appeared cold, but he always paid attention to his health and cared about his family.

My mother was a very caring person. She would always stand up for me when I made mistakes while learning aristocratic etiquette and was scolded by my father. She gave me a kind of affection that I had never experienced before.

This morning was also the day Ming went to kindergarten for the first time.

After breakfast, Ming went into his room alone, took off his kindergarten uniform from the small clothes rack, put it on, put on his yellow hat, and then left the house.

"Mother, I'm leaving!"

Before leaving, Ming called out to Orihime inside the house, and then went to school.

As Orihime watched Ming's small figure gradually disappear into the distance, a feeling of emotion and pride welled up in her heart. As a child, Ming was able to complete the most elite education of the Okamine family in just one week after he learned to walk.

At just three and a half years old, she was proficient in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division within the range of 1 to 1000, could recite English fluently, and had learned manners quite well. She was simply impeccably perfect.

Normally, children of the Okamine family at this age would not go to an ordinary place like kindergarten. However, after Mei had finished learning what he was supposed to learn over the next few years, he told Takeichiro that there was nothing left to learn, so he was sent to kindergarten.

Originally, Takeichiro had considered secretly reducing the amount of study time so that his child could have a wonderful childhood. However, Ming not only accomplished a task that even his father, Takeichiro, couldn't complete, but also fluently recited all the answers shortly after they started learning. It was simply unbelievable.

Recalling all this, Orihime, as a mother, could usually burst out laughing, but this time she didn't. Instead, she glanced sideways at Takeichiro, who was being neglected by Ming, and softly comforted him:

"Hehe...cough cough...it's alright, Wu Yilang. The child just left in a hurry and forgot to say good morning to you. It's okay. They say children like their mothers before the age of ten and their fathers after the age of ten. Don't worry."

"........."

Hearing the words of comfort, Wu Yilang lowered his head and remained silent, but the sound of him grinding his teeth in a hint of jealousy could still be heard.

As the chief patriarch of the Gangfeng family, he has always been second only to the emperor. It is extremely difficult for ordinary company bosses to even get a glimpse of him. However, this time, he was turned away for the first time because of his child, which was very upsetting. He even considered creating a new account.

While his parents were still discussing him at home, Gangfeng Ming, who had already arrived at school, was sitting in the classroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Inside the classroom, Ming was like an oddball, the only one sitting in the last row, sticking out from the crowd. He casually crossed his legs, crossed his arms, and quietly watched the teacher introduce himself on stage, feeling utterly bored.

Q: Why does Ming have this personality? A: Because in his past life, he wanted to make friends, but was repeatedly betrayed and harmed. This led to his personality. After experiencing these betrayals, Ming developed an individualistic principle: he doesn't expect others to like him, and he won't act unless it affects his own interests. This is Ming's only life motto.

"Hello, kids! I'm Erii Hino, and I'm your homeroom teacher. You can also call me Erii-nee or Hino-nee affectionately~"

The teacher, whose hair shone like flames, introduced herself on stage, but Ming barely listened. Just then, a classmate next to him asked with concern:

"Um...excuse me...are you alright? You haven't been paying attention in class, are you feeling unwell?"

The classmate next to him asked with a slightly shy tone, but still with concern. When he heard Guan Xinming's name, he didn't answer much, but just shook his head slightly, perhaps because he didn't understand. He asked with concern.

After being annoyed by the repeated calls, Ming finally turned his head slightly to look at the owner of the voice.

Then she saw a girl, half a head shorter than her, with chestnut hair styled in three braids and light brown eyes, looking at her with pity or concern.

Ming glanced at her expressionlessly, then coldly replied:

“I’m fine, but you’re annoying right now. Can you shut up?”

For Ming, who was often deceived in his past life, relationships with others, unless they are family members, are likely to be tainted by ulterior motives. Therefore, when faced with relationships with others, he usually just nods and doesn't continue the conversation.

Upon hearing Ming's cold reply, the students next to him dared not say anything more and could only turn back to listen quietly to the homeroom teacher's speech.

Then, the teacher started taking attendance, and after that, began announcing the day's schedule.

From 9:30 to 10:30, put the things you brought into the kindergarten's special cabinet, and then you can have free time.

We need to do morning exercises in the classroom at 10:30.

At 11:00, the teacher will lead the students in playing some small games.

Lunch is eaten from 12:00 to 12:40, followed by a nap.

12:40~13:10 is a free time.

From 13:10 to 14:10, we will start some fun mini-games.

Parents will pick up their children at 14:05 PM. Of course, they can walk home, but it's still better to go home with their parents if possible.

It's roughly similar to kindergartens in China, but they let out much earlier.

Ming managed to come up with a conclusion in his mind, and then after Hino-sensei finished speaking, he started to move around freely.

After the free time began, Ming wandered around the classroom until he found a bookshelf. He picked up a book titled "A Collection of Beautiful Cat Pictures" and leaned against it, flipping through it.

Ming was engrossed in reading when a sweet voice rang in his ear.

"So you like cats! Actually... I like them too!"

Upon hearing the voice, Ming looked up and saw that it was the girl with braided pigtails from that morning, her face still calm and cold.

"Stay away from me."

Ming's tone was indifferent. He glanced at the girl casually, then turned his gaze back to the book and said calmly.

The girl didn't leave; instead, she smiled and squatted down beside Ming, looking at the cute cat pictures in the book.

"Look at this one, its paws are so cute! And this one, it's chubby like a ball."

The girl continued talking to herself, while Ming frowned and coldly asked her:

"What do you need me for? Or... is there some purpose? If not, please leave."

At this point, Ming stood up, picked up the book, and prepared to leave.

"Uh... wait... I... I don't think I have any ulterior motive, it's just... your eyes seem very sad, that's why it bothers me."

The girl spoke, and Ming's expression changed slightly, but he still didn't answer. He left and went to another corner before continuing to squat down and read his book.

As soon as he squatted down, Mingxin was thinking, 'Was I... pitied? Or... sympathized with...?'

Ming thought for a long time but still couldn't find an answer, so he simply stopped thinking about it and continued to immerse himself in the ocean of cute kittens.

He exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, causing others who wanted to befriend him because of his good looks to back away.

Time passed little by little, and gradually it reached 9:05. For Ming at this point, time had hardly changed.

"Ah! It hurts!"

A familiar scream rang out, and upon hearing it, Ming instinctively put down his book and looked towards the source of the sound.

Just moments ago, the girl who had been pitying herself was now being grabbed by the braid by a dark-skinned, blond-haired boy who was about 1.05 meters tall, holding a cat-shaped backpack charm in his hand, crying and screaming.

"Waaah...no! No! That's a gift Mom...bought for me! Waaah..."

The girl cried and pleaded, but the bullies wouldn't let go just because the victim pleaded.

"Heh! If it's something that my Tianheng Gang leader, Tianheng Yangjie, has his eye on, it's mine. I don't care if you give it to me or not! Oh, and your really tacky hairstyle makes me angry just looking at it. I just want to bully you, so what!"

As she spoke of this, the girl whose braid was being pulled pleaded, but the hand pulling on her braid only tightened its grip.

Some clever students were already preparing to sneak over to the teacher to call for help, which is the most normal practice in kindergarten right now. However, those who were about to tattle were only given a casual glare by Tengen Yosuke and dared not leave the classroom, lest they get into trouble.

Seeing this, Ming, who was sitting to the side watching, sighed, closed the book, and muttered to himself:

'It's really true... No matter where you go, you can't escape this cruel reality... The Dark Forest Law, the survival of the fittest, the strong bully the weak using such despicable methods to prove their strength, while the weak are powerless to resist and can only silently endure it all... This world has always been like this, it has never changed...'

Ming casually put the book in his hand aside, then half-squatted down and quietly watched the drama unfolding before him.

'After all, this has nothing to do with me; it's just something that someone else is the victim in... After all, you need the power to uphold justice first...'

Thinking this, Ming squinted and looked at the captured girl. Because of the angle, the girl also noticed Ming looking at her. She looked at the expressionless Ming with pleading eyes.

Ming could understand the meaning in his eyes, and after hesitating for a moment, he sighed.

The perspective shifts back to the girl who was captured by Tensei Yosuke. The man is holding her by the hair, holding her up in the kindergarten classroom and showing off as if he is proclaiming how powerful he is.

"Watch closely, this is what happens when you don't give me my toys!"

As Tianheng spoke, he raised his hand and slapped the girl's delicate face.

"Watch out! This is what happens when you provoke me!"

Tianheng's wrist slammed down heavily.

"No!"

The girl shouted loudly, already closing her eyes, waiting for the pain to come.

Just as the slap was about to hit the girl's face, a hand grabbed the wrist that was swinging towards her.

"who!"

Tianheng shouted angrily, then turned his head to check on the person who had come, and just then, he met Ming's extremely cold eyes.

"But then again... although those without power cannot carry out justice, I do. Let me experience the pleasure you just felt."

Ming continued coldly, a slight smirk playing on his lips, before kicking down.

With a muffled thud, Tianheng lost his balance and crashed heavily onto the cold, hard ground.

"Ah! How dare you! How dare you! Do you even know who my brother is?!" Tian Hengyang shouted angrily the moment he hit the ground.

"I don't care who your brother is! Since you can bully the weak, let me test you! Stand up!"

Ming then stomped heavily on Tian Hengyang's foot, causing him excruciating pain. He then took the cat pendant from Tian Hengyang's other hand and examined it closely for a while.

Ming didn't know why he did it; perhaps it was out of pity... or sympathy. He had experienced similar harm himself and didn't want others to go through it.

Thinking of the reason for helping, Ming suddenly understood. Turning around, he no longer regarded Tian Hengyangjie as one of his own, and asked the girl behind him expressionlessly:

"Are you okay?"

Upon hearing the voice, the girl opened her eyes and saw the boy who had spoken to her not long ago. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Oh, what's wrong? You seem to be terrified. Here, take this back."

Ming placed the cat keychain in the girl's palm, and only then did he see the name on the back of the keychain clearly.

"Shan Da Sa Wa? It's a bit rustic, but it's still a nice name."

Ming wasn't good at praising people, which is why he said those words. But the girl didn't mind. She looked up at the boy in front of her, feeling grateful.

Upon seeing this, the students around them, who were still in a daze, began to applaud.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Hearing the applause, Ming glanced sideways and saw the same cold gaze. He casually remarked:

"Ahem, I suggest you go to the teacher now and report Ten Heng Youjie, thank you."

Upon hearing Gang Fengming's reminder, the students who had been watching the drama unfold finally sprang into action and rushed to the office.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by Gangfeng Ming, a girl was looking up at him from behind, her heart filled with admiration.

Ming didn't pay any attention to that and went straight back to where it seemed to be, taking out his book and continuing to look at the kitten photos.

Little did they know that this act of heroism in saving the damsel in distress would subtly alter their destinies.