## Chapter 135: Conan: Chen Mu Cao!!

"A grand prize?"

Fujino's ears perked up at the mention, but after a moment of thought, he lost interest.

He wasn't a student at Ekoda High School, so even if there was a grand prize, it wouldn't be for him. Besides, the mixed-gender participation wouldn't be appropriate.

Early romantic relationships are a uniquely Chinese concept. In Japan, there's no such thing. Girls can marry at sixteen and boys at eighteen, so early dating is practically a license to marry.

"Hey, teacher, can students from other schools join?" A girl suddenly shouted from the crowd.

"Students from other schools?" Konno Erika rubbed her chin. Honestly, if it was just her class, there wouldn't be enough participants. 

After some thought, she answered, "Students from other schools or other classes can participate, but at least one person must be from our class!"

As soon as she finished speaking, several girls from Ekoda High rushed towards Fujino. Fujino frowned and quickly retreated behind Konno Erika. Seeing this, the girls had no choice but to step back and wait for another opportunity to invite him.

"By the way, Konno-san, what is the grand prize for this event?" Fujino asked curiously.

"Oh, are you interested too, Fujino-kun?" Konno Erika looked Fujino up and down. His black hair and eyes, combined with a mature and cool demeanor, made him quite appealing. Was he planning to invite her? Although her intentions for organizing the skiing event were a bit selfish, he wasn't her student, so it might be okay.

With a hint of infatuation, Konno Erika revealed, "The event is co-hosted by our school and this ski resort. The champion will receive a hospitality voucher and a cash prize of about 50,000 yen."

"Is that so?" Fujino's eyes narrowed. "Thank you, Konno-san." He then turned and walked away.

Konno Erika watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit disappointed. He had only been asking about the prize, not inviting her. This strange sense of loss was unsettling. She thought she had gotten used to such feelings by now.

Meanwhile, having learned about the reward, Fujino started to ponder. "50,000 yen, plus a hospitality voucher. It could sell for over 100,000 yen." He thought, "This would perfectly cover the financial gap from my recent equipment purchases. But participating means finding a girl to team up with... that's a bit troublesome. Maybe Ran or Sonoko..."

Fujino shook his head. "It seems impossible. One of the participants must be from Ekoda High School's class 2B."

"Ran, Sonoko, are you interested in joining tonight's event?" Aoko asked Ran's group after the announcement.

"I can't," Ran replied, waving her hand. "I need to find a boy I know to participate with, and I don't know any of Aoko's classmates."

"Me neither," Sonoko agreed, then glanced at Fujino. If he could participate with her, she might be interested, but since one participant must be from Aoko's class, it was pointless.

"Aoko, do you have a partner for tonight's event?" Fujino asked, looking at her.

"A partner?" Aoko was stunned. "Not yet."

Sonoko was surprised. "Aoko, aren't you participating with your childhood friend Kuroba Kaito?"

"Kaito already has a better partner," Aoko chuckled. "Even if I invited him, he wouldn't agree. He'd say something like, 'You're so clumsy, I won't team up with you.'"

"That guy is really awful," Sonoko remarked. "I thought Shinichi was bad enough, but he's even worse."

"Don't say that. We're just childhood friends," Aoko explained, showing no resentment. "I'm new to skiing. If I teamed up with him, I'd just hold him back."

"By the way, Aoko, are you not good at skiing?" Sonoko recalled Aoko's earlier fall and asked.

"Yeah," Aoko laughed awkwardly. "This is my first time skiing."

"In that case, why don't Ran and I teach you?" Sonoko suggested.

"Really?" Aoko was surprised.

"Of course!" Sonoko smiled.

"Thank you, Sonoko, Ran!" Aoko said gratefully, and the three girls started skiing down the mountain while teaching Aoko.

Meanwhile, Fujino and Conan were left on the sidelines, both with somewhat bewildered expressions.

"Hey, Fujino, how about we go skiing too?" Conan, unable to join in the girls' conversation, suggested.

"I'll pass," Fujino said, looking at the snowy scenery. "I'll just watch the snow here."

"What? Are you afraid you can't ski?" Conan teased with a playful smile.

Fujino: "..."

Just as Fujino was about to prank Conan, he heard the voices of several girls approaching from behind. They were likely coming to invite him to join the evening event.

"Since that's the case, I'll take you skiing..." Fujino said, grabbing Conan. "Hold on tight. My driving skills are top-notch. Bear with it."

Conan: "?"

Hold on tight? Bear with it? What does that mean...

Before he could react, Fujino picked him up, tucked him under his arm, and started skiing down the slope on a black snowboard.

[System has activated overclocking. Currently overclocking item: single snowboard.]

With the system's voice, Fujino's snowboard suddenly accelerated. In the white snow, his black figure shot out like a shadow, moving at an incredible speed.

When the speed reached a certain point, Fujino crouched slightly and then jumped high, performing an aerial spin that carved a beautiful white arc in the air.

"Chen Mu Cao!!" Conan screamed in terror, sounding like a pig being slaughtered.

The snowboard spun rapidly in midair, drawing a beautiful white circle. Then, with a loud 'bang,' it landed smoothly on the snow, sliding down the slope at high speed. Before reaching the end of the track, Fujino performed a sideslip, kicking up a huge spray of snow before coming to a stop.

Fujino put Conan down. Conan, still in shock from the experience, stood there dazed, looking like a frightened child. If it weren't for his strong resilience, he might have wet himself.

The surrounding people noticed Fujino's impressive skills and were amazed, ignoring Conan entirely.

For ordinary people, such stunts would be challenging and dangerous, but for Fujino, with his enhanced sensory and physical abilities, it was a piece of cake. Even if he fell, he probably wouldn't get seriously injured. As for Conan, that's another story. But this kid has survived explosions, so a fall shouldn't be too bad.

Conan, recovering from his shock, looked at Fujino with a mix of admiration and annoyance. Fujino had definitely been pretending not to know how to ski just to get back at him!

A few girls who had just come down the mountain surrounded Fujino, chattering excitedly.

"Where did you learn to ski like that, Fujino-senpai? It's amazing!"

"I learned from my dad," Fujino replied with a smile, using his father as an excuse.

Then he turned to Aoko. "Aoko, would you like to join me for the evening event?"

"What?!" The others were surprised, exchanging glances.

Aoko waved her hand. "It wouldn't be right... You saw my skiing skills."

"It doesn't matter. As long as one person leads, it's fine," Fujino explained. "I'm interested in the grand prize of 50,000 yen and the hospitality voucher. Plus, the only person I know from Ekoda High is you."

His interest was purely in the prize. To participate, he needed a partner, and Aoko was the only one available.

Ran and Sonoko understood Fujino's intentions. He wanted to participate for the money. They didn't have to worry about money, but Fujino did. This ski trip had cost over 100,000 yen, depleting most of his funds. Participating in the event was his way of earning back some money.

"But..." Aoko hesitated.

"What's the big deal!" Sonoko encouraged. "You should join Fujino-senpai. If it's him, he'll definitely show that 'Kuroba Kaito' a thing or two!"

Ran nodded. "With Fujino-senpai's skills, you'll surely win, Aoko."

(End of chapter)