Smile, Nervous Breakdown, Defective?

 After the professor forwarded Ruth's evaluation to the administrative pagoda, where necessary measures and observations would be assigned regarding the girl's development, he continued assessing the present students and released Ciona for the break.

"Student Shen and Student Kizaer, approach and step onto the platform. Put your methods for achieving flow attunement into practice and perform your breathing exercises to absorb the Flow from the atmosphere," the professor mechanically instructed. Surprisingly, even after repeating the same command multiple times, there were still students who asked what they should do after stepping onto the apparatus.

Shen closed his eyes, and within four seconds, he had already entered the state of flow attunement. The apparatus began measuring Shen's synchronization rate.

Meanwhile, next to Shen, Kizaer stood with his eyes wide open, looking almost bored as he observed the professor. "Any problem, Student Kizaer?" the professor asked, noticing that Kizaer didn't seem focused.

"No problem at all, professor. It's just that I think this apparatus is defective," explained the boy nonchalantly. "Look, it's not making any noise, glowing, or displaying those strange letters." Kizaer pointed to each part of the apparatus, as if that situation were really unexpected.

The professor furrowed his brow, interpreting it as some form of offense. After all, it wasn't the Flow Synchronization Measurement apparatus functioning with some defectiveness, it was the student that clearly wasn't even attempting to concentrate! How absurd!

Despite feeling affronted, the professor took a deep breath, in and out slowly, maintaining composure, and said to Kizaer, "Yes, the apparatus isn't working, but you forgot to mention one more detail that might be the reason it's not taking proper measurements, dear student." The professor wore a cynical smile. It was the best he could manage without resorting to rudeness toward the audacious student.

Kizaer merely raised his eyebrows in shock and curiously asked, "Really? And what would that be, professor? Damn, did I fail to notice what was missing? Tsk, I need to try harder and be more observant."

Seeing Kizaer genuinely confused and self-critical, the corners of the professor's eyes twitched as he struggled not to lose his temper in the face of the student's theatrics and audacity. "Yes, dear student," he replied through gritted teeth. "If you haven't noticed, Student Kizaer, what's missing is that you need to stop fooling around and concentrate to enter the state of Flow Attunement." The last words came out louder than the professor intended.

Still, Kizaer simply looked at the professor with innocent eyes, tilting his head to the side, puzzled by what the professor had said.

"But professor," he said, "I am in Flow Attunement at this very moment." Kizaer genuinely responded, and, as usual, he gave an open smile while nodding to the professor, as if to reassure him and reaffirm that the problem wasn't with him.

"…"

"…"

The professor slowly raised one hand and extended it toward Kizaer, then gently rested it on his shoulder. But Kizaer could swear that the professor's hand was heading for his neck… Or was he just mistaken?

"Alright, little friend, pay attention." The professor looked into Kizaer's eyes and spoke slowly. "You step onto the platform, concentrate to achieve Flow Attunement, and then absorb some Flow from the atmosphere. Easy to understand, right?" Kizaer felt a bit confused and apprehensive due to the professor's trembling voice. It was as if someone were driving a nail into the professor's foot, and he was doing his best not to show the pain.

Kizaer nodded, "Yes, professor, it's easy. That's why I'm saying that I am already in flow attunement. But since the apparatus isn't working, I think it's defective. Could it be malfunctioning due to its age?" The boy innocently responded once more.

The professor was petrified. In that moment, the three decades of work within the Free Feather Martial Arts School flashed before his eyes, and no one had ever dared to pull such a stunt.

Actually, the reason the professor didn't react or strike Kizaer was that, without a well-founded reason, a teacher could never lay a hand on a student. Only administrative measures such as PC deduction, suspension, and the like could be applied.

The reactions of the students and supervisors witnessing the scene were quite diverse. Some students chuckled quietly, others whispered among themselves, and some supervisors found the whole situation peculiar.

Ciona, who was standing near Kizaer's apparatus, waiting for the members of Team 6 in silence, couldn't do anything but hide her face as much as possible due to the embarrassment. Joane, who would be one of the next students called, already had her hand over her mouth, contorting as she tried to suppress her laughter, while Shen observed the interaction with a furrowed brow.

The veins in the professor's eyes stood out, turning red. As he opened his mouth to respond to Kizaer, Shen intervened. "Excuse me, professor, if you allow me, I'd like to try something."

The professor raised his eyes from Kizaer and looked deeply at Shen, making sure this student wouldn't create another form of time-wasting. His face reddened with anger observed Shen for a few seconds, and then he said. "What do you want to confirm, Student Shen?"

Understanding the professor's emotional state, Shen quickly turned to Kizaer and said, "Kizaer, you said you're already in flow attunement, correct?" Kizaer nodded. "Alright, then step down from the apparatus for a moment." Kizaer shrugged and simply stepped off the small platform.

Shen observed Kizaer's movements as if scrutinizing something specific, and then, after a brief moment, he said, "Alright, Kizaer, can you exit the flow attunement state?" This time, contrary to his usual friendly response and smile, Kizaer looked into Shen's eyes and asked seriously, "What are your reasons for wanting me to interrupt my attunement?"

The change in Kizaer's expression became evident. Ciona's body tensed; she knew that such a simple question had genuinely irritated Kizaer. Joane and Shen were a bit confused by the sudden shift; it was similar to the change Kizaer had shown when fighting Arthur, but to a lesser degree.

Shen, still wearing a calm expression, didn't show his surprise at seeing his teammate's drastic change. Instead, he continued as if this were a normal interaction. "Kizaer, I need you to interrupt your flow attunement so that the machine can function properly." Shen stared into Kizaer's eyes without flinching. "You see what's happening; our professor is confused because it seems like you don't want to cooperate while blaming the apparatus for being defective. But in reality, the apparatus can't display the Flow Synchronization Rate unless the user initiates attunement on the platform."

"…"

Kizaer didn't respond immediately, and his posture remained tense. Ciona felt a bit apprehensive that something might happen, and Joane subtly stepped closer, ready to intervene if necessary.

Kizaer still maintained eye contact with Shen before lowering his head and relaxing his shoulders, looking down at his own feet as if contemplating something.

Shen calmly awaited his teammate's response. After a few seconds, Kizaer raised his face, and his posture had significantly relaxed. "I apologize, but I can't do that, Shen. My grandfather warned me against interrupting constant attunement, something I achieved with great effort." Kizaer explained calmly. "If I interrupt the attunement, I'll have to go through that special training all over again, and I'll lose a lot of time. I'm sorry, but I can't."

Shen simply nodded and turned to the professor, saying, "Professor, can the apparatus be adjusted to continue constant measurements even without someone on the platform?"

The professor, who had observed the dynamics between the students and Kizaer's dubious claim of being in a constant state of Flow Attunement, merely snorted before responding. "Certainly, it's possible. But I highly doubt this student is serious. Constant attunement isn't something anyone can achieve casually, especially at such a young age."

The professor turned away and made minor adjustments to the inscriptions. Without delay, the Flux Crystals began levitating again, and the apparatus seemed to come to life even without user input.

Shen observed everything calmly and replied, "Thank you, professor. I apologize for the inconvenience, but it seems my teammate practices a rather peculiar art." Without waiting for the professor's response, Shen continued, "Kizaer, it's your turn now. Since you're in constant attunement, I believe all you need to do is step onto the platform and absorb the Flow from the atmosphere. That should be enough for the measurements to appear."

Kizaer simply nodded in response to Shen's words and stepped back onto the platform.

The professor watched incredulously, his cynicism evident. However, less than 2 seconds after Kizaer stepped onto the platform, the Flux Crystals circled around the apparatus before the Rigid Plate could reveal Kizaer's synchronization rate.

The professor was left speechless by the unfolding moment. The apparatus was fully functional, Kizaer still maintained eye contact with Shen, and other less knowledgeable students observed the scene with puzzled expressions. Meanwhile, in the background of the hallway, a figure that seemed invisible to everyone else kept a fixed gaze on Kizaer.