The Reincarnated OP Protagonist Is Now A 3rd Grade Student (Patreon)

Chapter 3: Those Painful Palms of the Past

Seeing his despondent deskmate, Lu Li thought for a moment before suggesting, "But don't you have friends? Can't you discuss this with them?"

"Friends? Soon, they won't be friends with me anymore," Chen An scoffed, dismissing the idea. "Our relationship is at most just playmates who gather to play card games. It's highly likely they won't want to play with me anymore, considering they'd be tarnishing their reputation by being associated with me.' People will easily gossip about them."

"Friends aren't such cheap things, you're definitely overthinking it," Lu Li said affirmatively.

"Well, how should I put it... Human pups don't have a good understanding of the meaning of friendship," Chen An scratched his cheek. "So if I say someone wants to block the school gate and they'll fight alongside me without hesitation, as they believe it's what friends do, but helping with something as vague as 'stopping name-calling' goes beyond their comprehension."

"Boys are so complicated," Lu Li observed the troubled Chen An and hesitated for a moment before asking uncertainly, "By the way, what game are you playing? Can I join?"

"That's one of the most popular games in the school, a collectible card game. As far as I know, only Fatso and Skinny in the entire third grade know how to play," Chen An casually took out a stack of cards from his pocket and placed them on the desk. He looked at Lu Li with suspicion, "I can teach you if you want, but the rules can be quite complex and boring for human kids like us."

"Wait a minute," Lu Li looked at the cards in Chen An's hand with a strange tone, "Do you know that 'one of the most popular games in the school' and 'only three people in the entire grade know how to play' are contradictory?"

"Not really, the card game has two types of playstyles," Chen An pointed at his temple, "One is the intellectual type, which heavily relies on strategy and luck. The other is the power type, which focuses on brute force."

"There's a power type too? Can you show me?" Lu Li became interested. She had also played card games before but had never heard of a power type playstyle.

"Well, I haven't tried the power type in a long time, but if it's just a demonstration..."

Chen An organized his card deck, then gestured for Lu Li to look at his fist.

"First, I summon my right fist in attack mode."

His five fingers spread wide, maximizing the area of contact between the palm and the air, and then...

Bang!

The desk made a dull sound under the palm strike, and the airflow created lifted several cards, causing them to flip and fall back down.

"This is the power type playstyle—no emotional attachment to the cards, no need for intelligence or skills, just pure physical strength," Chen An explained.

Lu Li looked at the flipped cards in front of her, shaking her head, "Such a foolish playstyle. Doesn't your hand hurt? Why would you abandon the proper playstyle for such an effortful one?"

"In those card game savior anime, power type players can easily crush almost all the protagonists and most of the villains, so it's hard to say which side is correct," Chen An replied with a shrug.

Chen An massaged his slightly sore hand and sighed, "Anyway, here, there's no right or wrong way to play, only the ways that bring you joy. If you want to learn, I can teach you some rules tomorrow."

Lu Li was taken aback for a moment and then hesitated, "Tomorrow? Can't we do it now?"

"Well, you don't have your own card deck, and I need to prepare one for you. Besides, school is almost over today," Chen An gestured toward the classroom clock, "If you're not free tomorrow, the day after tomorrow works too. It's not urgent, so we have a few days."

"But I might be busy the day after tomorrow too... Well, I'll try to make time," Lu Li said earnestly.

Seeing the serious expression on the little girl's face, Chen An nodded happily. After all, it was rare to find a human pup who was not interested in drawing dividing lines and enjoyed puzzle games—she was the ideal friend.

"By the way, isn't the day after tomorrow a weekend? What are you busy with?" Chen An organized his card deck while casually asking.

"I'm selecting a suitable cram school," Lu Li replied absentmindedly.

Chen An subconsciously glanced at the calendar hanging in the classroom, as it was still two weeks away from summer vacation.

"You're starting to pick a cram school so early? Your parents are really anxious."

"No, my parents never involve me in choosing a cram school. They usually decide and then inform me," Lu Li blinked mysteriously, smiling, "I'm going to play hide-and-seek with the kids over at the cram school. I found a place to hide, and then they came to find me."

"Uh... Playing hide-and-seek at the cram school?" Chen An was puzzled for a moment, rubbing his chin, "It's a bit difficult to connect those two terms. Can I witness it?"

"Do you want to join?" Lu Li's eyes widened with excitement. "I was just worrying that there are too many cram schools and I can't handle it all by myself. Let's hide together!"

"Well, it's getting harder and harder to understand. You can't handle it all by yourself?"

Chen An looked at the excited Lu Li, confused, "Can I ask how many people are participating in this game?"

"Originally, it was just me, but if you want to join, there will be two people who are hiding. I can't wait to see how the parents and police will find us!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Whew... you scared me a little just now."

Chen An looked at the overly excited deskmate and said with confusion, "Why would the police and parents come looking for you?"

"Because I plan to blow up those wicked cram schools!" Lu Li clenched her fists excitedly. "But there are too many of them, and I can't handle it all by myself. Thankfully, I have you... huh? What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Chen An rubbed his chin and hesitated as he looked at the ruler on the desk, "I just thought... how about we draw a dividing line here?"