Chapter 2: A Fox, A Nap and A Genius' Challenge

"Lu Tian, you're late again!"

The words greeted Lu Tian like a brick wall the moment he stepped into the classroom. Elder Wang's cane struck the marble floor with an echoing crack, silencing the low murmurs of the students who had been whispering the second Lu Tian's shadow appeared in the doorway.

Lu Tian scratched his head lazily, the small silver fox still perched on his shoulder like some miniature war general surveying the classroom. He blinked at Elder Wang, completely unfazed. "Technically, I'm not that late. You've only been teaching for what… thirty minutes?"

"You—!" Elder Wang's face flushed crimson, and the cane struck the floor again for emphasis. "Do you think this is a joke, Lu Tian? This is Azure Sky Academy, not a tavern for loafers!"

"I'd probably learn more at the tavern," Lu Tian muttered under his breath as he strolled toward his desk. The students around him erupted into barely-suppressed snickers, some quickly covering their mouths to avoid Elder Wang's wrath.

"Silence!" Elder Wang roared, glaring at the room before turning his fury back on Lu Tian. "Sit down, and for once in your miserable life, pay attention. If you doze off again, I'll make you run laps around the training ground until dawn!"

Lu Tian's face twisted into a half-hearted wince. "Running? That sounds dangerous." He plopped into his seat in the back row with an exaggerated sigh, slouching so far that it looked like he might slide out of the chair entirely.

Elder Wang turned back to the board, muttering under his breath about "ungrateful brats" and "hopeless causes," and the class continued.

From his perch on Lu Tian's shoulder, the fox let out a tiny bark of what could only be amusement. Lu Tian glanced at it, smirking. "You think this is funny? You're supposed to be on my side."

The fox yipped again and flicked its tail across his face, making him swat at the air in annoyance. "Traitor."

"Are you talking to your pet?" A quiet voice broke through the hum of the classroom, and Lu Tian glanced to his right. Li Xin, seated a desk away, was watching him with a curious expression.

"Yeah, and it's not very nice," Lu Tian replied, deadpan. "It's been bullying me since this morning."

Li Xin stared at him for a moment before breaking into a small smile. "I didn't think you were the type to keep pets."

"I didn't think so either," Lu Tian said, scratching the fox's ears absentmindedly. "But then this little guy showed up and decided it likes me. Guess I don't have a choice."

"Maybe it's because you're not as lazy as you pretend to be."

Lu Tian blinked at her, surprised. "Oh no. I'm exactly as lazy as I pretend to be. Probably lazier, if I'm honest."

She shook her head, turning her attention back to the front. "If you say so."

---

By the time class ended, Lu Tian was halfway to falling asleep. His head bobbed forward as Elder Wang's voice finally stopped echoing through the room. Around him, students gathered their things, chattering eagerly about their afternoon training sessions. Lu Tian, meanwhile, stayed exactly where he was, arms folded on the desk, face buried in them.

Unfortunately, peace didn't last long.

"You're hopeless, Lu Tian," Chen Fan's voice rang out, loud enough to carry over the rest of the noise. Lu Tian cracked open one eye to see Chen Fan standing at the front of the room, surrounded by a small group of students who were clearly there for the show.

Lu Tian sighed. "Didn't we do this yesterday?"

Chen Fan ignored the comment and stepped closer, his broad figure casting a shadow over Lu Tian's desk. "I'm tired of watching you act like you don't care about anything. Do you think this is funny? Do you think you're smarter than the rest of us because you refuse to try?"

"I don't refuse to try," Lu Tian replied, yawning. "I'm just allergic to effort. It's a serious condition."

A few snickers rose from the back of the room, but Chen Fan's face darkened. "Tomorrow. After class. You and me. Training yard. We're going to spar, and we'll see just how far that attitude of yours gets you."

Lu Tian tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling as though he were searching for divine intervention. "A sparring match? Do I get to sit down while we fight?"

Chen Fan's fists clenched at his sides. "You'll be there, Lu Tian, or you can admit to the whole academy that you're nothing but a coward."

"I'm fine with that," Lu Tian replied cheerfully, earning a round of laughter from the crowd.

Chen Fan's face turned red. "Tomorrow. Don't forget." With that, he turned and stormed out of the room, followed closely by his entourage of admirers.

Lu Tian slumped further into his chair, groaning. "Why does everyone keep trying to make me work?"

"You didn't have to accept, you know," Li Xin said, walking over to stand beside his desk.

"I didn't accept," Lu Tian muttered. "He just yelled at me until I got tired of listening."

Li Xin raised an eyebrow. "So you're really going to skip it?"

"Of course," Lu Tian said, rubbing the fox's fur as it curled up on his desk. "I don't see the point. Chen Fan can go punch a tree if he wants to feel better about himself."

Li Xin hesitated, then sighed. "You're not as weak as you act, you know."

"People keep saying that," Lu Tian replied, leaning back with a lazy grin. "It's very flattering, but I promise, I'm just as weak as I look."

She shook her head, though her expression softened slightly. "Just… don't embarrass yourself too much. If you change your mind, I'll be in the training yard. I can show you a few techniques."

Lu Tian blinked. "Wait. Are you offering to help me? You know I'm a lost cause, right?"

"Maybe I like hopeless cases," she said with a small smile before turning and walking out of the room.

Lu Tian watched her go, then glanced at the fox still dozing on his desk. "You hear that? She actually thinks I can win. Crazy, right?"

The fox opened one eye and yipped softly, clearly unimpressed.

"Fine, fine," Lu Tian muttered. "We'll think about showing up tomorrow. That's as much effort as I'm willing to give right now."

---

That evening, Lu Tian lay sprawled across his bed, staring at the ceiling while the fox curled up on his chest. He could hear the distant sounds of students training outside, their voices sharp and determined as they practiced techniques long into the night.

He yawned, running a hand over the fox's soft fur. "Why can't they just take a break? All that hard work just makes them tired."

The fox let out a small growl, clearly disagreeing.

"Traitor," Lu Tian muttered, though his voice was soft.

For a long moment, he just lay there, listening to the quiet. The afternoon's events replayed in his mind—the look on Chen Fan's face, the strange confidence in Li Xin's words. He frowned, his brows drawing together slightly.

"I don't need to prove anything," he said quietly, though it felt more like he was trying to convince himself.

The fox nudged his chin with its nose, and he glanced down at it with a sigh. "Alright, fine. Maybe I'll show up. But only because I don't want that idiot knocking on my door tomorrow and ruining my nap."

The fox yipped approvingly.

Lu Tian closed his eyes, letting out one last sigh as he drifted off to sleep.