MAYONNAISE MAKES A BULL-BERRY BUSH

[TO-DO: "Robotics HW" X]

└ Description: Finish reading C1-3. 

└ Status: [_] 

Steven sighed as he looked at the reminder. 

Now, to Dieze, he gestured with his hands so that the AI could read what he wanted to say: <You'll do my homework for me right?>

"You can't cheat on tests," It said, "so don't cheat yourself :D" 

<What. > 

"You're not allowed to have your AR contacts on during a test," Dieze told him, "or any non-medical device on your body." 

Great. 

Steven trudged out of the room, watching the other students pool out. With dejected expressions, his classmates quickly formed a buzzing crowd.

"Did anyone actually finish the design?" Jackal asked, whose group had failed to build anything. "Nope's" and "No's" gushed through the crowd. 

"The only reason I didn't fail was..." Calum shouted out, "...was because I had TASNIM in my group. GIVE IT UP FOR HER!" He whooped loudly.

"She built an entire car!" A girl on their team shouted, shocked, but a bit giddy.

'Huh.' Steven looked over at the girl they were talking about. Tasnim (he assumed that was her) had darker, umber colored skin and a huge bundle of hair that was now tied in a red bandana.

"Oh, yeah," Tasnim answered as she pushed away a bronze coil of hair at the tip of her forehead. "It's nothing impressive. We all specialize in something, doesn't mean anything."

With her fingers pressed together, humming and cracking filled the air, and she pulled her hands apart to reveal dancing tendrils of golden electricity. A couple of seconds later, the electric lines were gone.

As Steven drew his attention back to his surroundings, a familiar voice called out his name:

"Hey, I wanted to ask something," The white-haired boy probed, leaning forward. 

"What?" 

"Who…" The white-haired boy creased his brow. Finally, he managed to get the question out, "...who gave you that necklace?" 

"Oh," Steven said. His necklace? From the 99-cents store, or something. He couldn't remember. "I got it from someone a long time ago," he answered. 

"...By the way, where's Mayo?" 

Zero pointed to the bathroom, but only a short second later, the bl_e-haired girl stepped out. Her wA\/y hair looked l!ke it was pu|ling itself together in a gorgeously knitted braid, before hovering down, complete.

Cool. "How'd you do that?"

"Magic," Mayo told him, shrugging, "Did you guys wait long?"

"Nope," Steven replied as they walked out of the school's exit doors.

Steven had kinda lost the plot of what life was about, but outside, it turned around for the better. The netted basket of sunlight greeted him with gentle warmth. The bird's melodies formed a symphony of nature's sounds. 

And the breeze? 

He… was finally free.

------------------------------

NOTIFICATION [X]

------------------------------

Subject: Class Points

From: Mr. Nygeil 

Forgot to inform you this, but all of the classes will gain contribution points for their work in the project. 

- Failed: -10 points 

- Succeeded: +10 points 

- Exceptional Contributions: +30 points 

Class points: Calculating… 

Total Academic Merits: -70 points 

------------------------------

"We have 70 points," Steven read on his phone.

"No… that's -70," Mayo looked at him. "If you look at class rankings… we're last place."

[Dieze: "Analyzing RECENT performance: 70 - 30 = 40. Your incompetence has accumulated a net loss of 40 Academic Merits." X]

Mayo continued: "Because our class points or 'Academic Merits' are like a scoreboard for our class, the more points we have, the more perks we get. We're talking about first dibs on elective courses, extra money for our projects, and some other 'special perks'. Which means…" 

"...The rest of the class might not like you." Mayo pinched the air with her hand as she looked at Steven. "Just a tad bit."

Steven frowned, his brain processing what she had just said. People… not liking him? 

Zero, in the meantime, crouched down near the grass. There, a cute worm danced like it was glad to be alive. Gently, the boy with white hair picked up the worm.

He then turned to Steven, telling him to look out.

"Huh…?" Steven asked. "What do you-" 

Maybe that wasn't the best question, because as soon as those words came out, he saw a fist flying towards him - into his cheek - and he flew. Away, into the grass.

"Remember me?" roared the sophomore, puffing up like a bull who'd just spotted a red cape. His legs were doing this wild, rage-fueled dance, and his nose might as well have been shooting out cartoonish smoke. The trio racked their brains trying to place him - Pig E., was it?

"Not really," Zero answered, taking his eyes off the worm. His eyebrows raised at Steven, who was groaning.

"Why me?" Steven moaned. His eyes cleared from the pain as he sat up. "Wait, isn't he Bull E.? The guy who was pummeling you at lunch?"

For a split second, Zero's right eye did a little dance of their own. 

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-hah!" Bull E. laughed, looking down at Zero. "Your friend is right. Maybe you should have thought twice about offending me!"

"He was not pummeling me." Zero corrected Steven. 

At this point, Bull E. noticed Mayo, who had been standing there for a while now. 

"Why do I see a pretty girl like you hanging out with losers like them?" He smirked as he kicked Zero to the side.

- 'Whee.'

Zero rolled like a tumbleweed before stopping on a patch of grass. He lay on the grassy bed quietly with the lil' worm still on his finger. 

"Oh no," Steven said. 

"They're ugly, skinny twigs," Bull E. declared, flexing his bulging muscles. His eyes narrowed, and he moved closer to Steven, invading his personal space.

"But me?" Bull E. continued, his voice dripping with arrogance. He suddenly grabbed Steven by the scruff of his collar, lifting him off the ground with ease. His eyes bore into Steven's, full of disdain and mockery.

"You see these muscles? You see this power? That's why pretty girls should hang out with me and not with weaklings like you!" He spat the words out, and a glob of saliva landed on Steven's face.

Gross. 

Bull E.'s eyes flicked to Mayo, and his voice turned sickeningly sweet. "With a bod-"

Mayo looked at him, bͬeͥˢaͤmeͣᶰdͩ ˢʰᶤᶰᵉ, and walked forward to Bull E. with a tender smile on her face. 

With one quick motion, she uppercut the bull's chin to the sky, jabbed his ribs to the left side, and kicked his loppy, pumpkin head back into the ground. The dirt cleared, and Bull E. stuck up from the cracked ground upside down like a blueberry… no, bull-berry bush. 

"Um." Steven poked Bull E's legs with a stick. "Is he okay?"

"Yes," Mayo briskly said, "Okay, can we go now? I think we should go."

"Ah." Zero got up from the patches of grass. He shook his head, causing a rain of twigs and other grassy bits and pieces to fall down. He rubbed his eyes, stifled a yawn, and blinked, causing his silky eyelashes to flicker.

"Okay, let's go," Zero nonchalantly murmured, brushing the dirt off his red shirt and setting the worm down.

"No one will know," Mayo muttered to herself. 

Zero stared as Steven gave Bull E. another poke. 

"Yeah, he's alive," Steven cͩoͤnͣcͩluded. his eyes catching something gleaming in the grass. 

He bent down to pick it up, his face lighting up with curiosity. "Hey, what's this?" 

It looked like a toothpick—

'Description: This is the Heavenly Bull's Plow Toothpick. Crafted by a legendary artisan during the illustrious Xia Dynasty,' His contacts indicated. 

Steven continued reading: 

'It embodies the essence of the Earth realm. When Qi is applied, it metamorphoses into the Heavenly Bull's Gilded Plow, a celestial tool coveted by…" He skipped some of the lines. 'Its ability to till the spiritual soil of the soul and guide the growth of vital energies has been a secret passed down through generations.'

'Stat Bonuses:

Strength +5: Increases physical power, aiding in farming and beating people up.

Wisdom +3: Enhances understanding of earthly and spiritual matters.

Vitality +4: Boosts endurance.

Speed +2: Slightly enhances reaction time, movement and tilling speed. 

Intelligence +0: Due to once being in Bull E's possession, the intelligence stat has been worn out.'

'Perks: Alchemy and Herbalism +20%. Hits fast-forward on the growth of plants: an invaluable asset for herbalists and alchemists.'

'Bonus ability: Spiritual Sensing +10%. Possesses a mystical resonance that can detect lost, restless souls. The plow's connection to the Earth realm grants its user insight into buried secrets.'

'Warning: This item is recognized as Bull E's treasured heirloom. Possession of it without rightful ownership may severely strain relations with Bull E., resulting in a decrease in likeability by 10 points.' Blah, he didn't care about… 'A death flag warning will be raised. 'Involvement-With-More-Troublesome-Families' % will also increase.'

[Press E to store in pocket]

Shrugging, Steven put it in his pocket. What could possibly go wrong? 

'Acquired: Heavenly Bull's Plow Toothpick!'

The trio walked away. Soon, the thought of the bull roasting on the sidewalk all but left their minds…