Reflecting on these past five tiring days, during which he had to work hard—something that went against his goal of taking it easy and seeking comfort—Christian couldn't feel too celebratory.
But all of that had finally come to an end.
Fortunately, nothing remained that required much effort from him. Now, he just needed to wait for the right moment to execute his plan.
In the meantime, he could also get back to reading his novels and watching anime.
So, it couldn't get any better for him.
Throwing himself onto his bed, Christian closed his eyes, ready for some well-deserved rest.
He was going to rest for a bit and then figure out what he could do, as it was still evening. But perhaps he had exerted more effort than he thought, with fatigue building up inside him.
Exhausted, Christian fell into a deep sleep within just a minute.
On Tuesday morning, waking up to his sister's voice, Christian still felt like he hadn't slept enough and refused to open his eyes.
So half asleep, half awake, he mumbled.
"Just five more minutes."
As the silence lingered, Christian suddenly felt a hand gently run through his hair, caressing his cheek.
The bit of consciousness he regained felt like it was slipping away just as quickly, thanks to the comfort it brought.
Because of the warmth and affection he felt from those delicate fingers.
But just as he was drifting back to sleep, he suddenly felt his cheek being pinched.
It started gently but quickly became stronger, bringing with it a bit of pain.
Christian opened his eyes and looked at his sister after shouting. He couldn't help but feel a bit of a grudge, but seeing her smile and the affection in her eyes, he couldn't hold onto his annoyance for long, and it faded away just as quickly.
Hearing her warm voice, Christian responded calmly and then got up from his bed, emerging from under his blanket to welcome the cool air of the morning.
While shivering a little and feeling some discomfort, he still got up, exchanged a few words with his sister, and then went to freshen up.
After shaking off his grogginess and waking up completely, Christian finally remembered how he had first been lying there yesterday for just a short rest before drifting off to sleep completely.
Seeing how he was covered with a blanket when he woke up, it was clear that his sister had done it.
And knowing this, he was filled with warmth again. However, being reminded that he had slept nearly twelve hours, he also realized he needed to take better care of his health.
And what he had done these past five days should remain a one-time thing.
He couldn't just start working very hard like any other typical protagonist. After all, the little bit of originality in his personality would be lost by then, making him just another common character.
Shivering a little just from imagining this situation, he realized it was truly something to fear.
After finishing up with these silly thoughts, Christian had his now very big breakfast, received the accumulation from his Idle Practicing slots, washed up, and then put on his school uniform.
Ready at last, he finally went out.
As he walked toward his school, enjoying the breeze from the nearby river, Christian couldn't help but feel excitement and anticipation for his school days starting now, which promised to be filled with action and thrilling moments.
He was really looking forward to his next exam, which, once taken, would clearly show that he hadn't cheated. Then he could start implementing his plans.
Arriving at the school, he didn't see Olivia's expensive car and felt a tiny bit of regret. As it had been a while since he'd last seen it. But shrugging, he continued on his way.
Now, in his classroom, Christian sat alone in his chair, spacing out as usual.
While he stayed silent, his classmates were not, and he was about to brush off what he heard from them as usual, but this time he felt a little intrigued.
"Have you studied for the math exam today?"
"You know, how the teacher suddenly came yesterday and just informed us about the exam, so I didn't have much time to study. Now I'm really not that confident."
Hearing the talk around him about the math exam, Christian was sure the math teacher did things for him. As if he had any interest in him, he would know by now that Christian didn't have a friend to inform him about the exam, which meant he couldn't prepare as well.
'He really is trying every method now to make sure I don't get a good mark,' Christian thought to himself. Still, he knew that even if he had been aware, he wouldn't have prepared any differently.
Now he was even happier, as after this exam, it would become even harder for anyone to accuse him of cheating.
While Christian was grinning, imagining all kind of scenarios of what would happen after he exposed the math teacher, he suddenly heard conversations about things other than the exam and the usual class chatter.
A group of three, two boys and one girl, stood together, staring at him.
"It seems Christian's suspension ended, seeing as he's attending today."
"Did he have any friend who would tell him we had an exam today?"
"You know, he doesn't."
While the two male students were talking, one started snickering after saying the last sentence, and the other continued with him.
"He'll cheat anyway, so why does he need to be informed and study?"
"Actually, I found it strange since he started getting perfect marks."
"Someone just barely above average with his studies, suddenly becomes like a top student overnight?"
"How could that be possible anyway?"
While the two were speaking continuously, the girl, looking at him intently, finally said,
"Look at how stupidly he's grinning. It's really such a waste having that handsome face."