Language Arts class.

Everyone in Class 15 was craning their necks in anticipation.

The prelude to the campus Holy Grail War was drawing to a close. Everyone was waiting for the moment the hammer would fall.

When the class representative, Chen Tingting, walked in with the weekly test papers, all eyes immediately fixed on her.

Especially the participants of the Holy Grail War.

As the papers were handed out, Ah Jie started rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"Yuan, your Assam is about to be eliminated from this Holy Grail War! Prepare to pledge your loyalty to the King of Caffeine!"

Shen Yuan just chuckled. "Believe it or not, I’ll team up with Ah Ze to take you down. The King of Caffeine? Don’t make me laugh! You think my milk tea doesn’t have caffeine?"

"Yeah, that’s right!" Ah Ze chimed in, happily passing the test papers down the row.

Just then, Shen Yuan received his Language Arts paper from Chen Mingyu.

After quickly finding his own paper, Shen Yuan slapped a hand over his score, blocking Ah Jie’s attempt to peek.

"Alright! Time for the big reveal!"

The moment Shen Yuan’s words faded, a voice rang out in the classroom.

"AD Calcium Milk, a throwback to our childhood, strikes first! 115 points!"

"Mineral Water, the Church of Purity, accepts the challenge! 117 points!"

"Yakult, the Lactic Acid Bacteria God of War, 117 points!"

Three great generals had made their move. Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow.

At that moment, Chen Mingyu stood up. "All of you, stand down! 124 points! Iced Red Tea Divine Sect, the polyphenols are eternal!"

"Holy shit?! What the hell have you been eating? How did you score so high?" Ah Jie panicked as he looked at his own score.

Chen Mingyu sneered. "Don’t underestimate the bond between me and Iced Red Tea!"

Ah Jie shuddered, then turned his gaze to Shen Yuan.

In Ah Jie’s mind, Shen Yuan’s score should be about the same as his.

Under Ah Jie’s watchful gaze, Shen Yuan stood up, his Language Arts paper in hand.

"Assam, the Tyrant of Sugar, 119 points!"

Hearing this, all the Assam supporters breathed a sigh of relief.

A score of 119 was clearly in the second-highest tier. No matter what, they definitely wouldn’t be eliminated in the prelude to this Holy Grail War.

But while some rejoiced, others despaired. The AD Calcium Milk faction, the first to announce their score, began to panic.

Right now, their score was the lowest on the board!

"Hurry up, the last two, report your scores! Class is about to start!"

Yang Ze stood up, biting his lower lip. "Coca-Cola!"

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he announced excitedly, "122! Soda Alliance! Justice will prevail!!"

"WOAH!!!"

The entire Soda Alliance erupted in cheers.

Now, only the Americano Coffee, the Monk of Suffering, was left.

In an instant, everyone’s eyes fell on Ah Jie.

Under the collective gaze of the class, Ah Jie stood up, his hands trembling as he clutched his test paper.

With all eyes on him, Ah Jie announced his score.

"Americano Coffee, the Monk of Suffering, 112 points."

After stating his score, Ah Jie’s back instantly slumped.

"I lost."

Li Zhi looked at the boys beside her, still unable to comprehend their logic.

’Looking at my own Language Arts score of 131,’ she thought, ’I really don’t get what they’re even fighting about.’

When Zhou Ruolan arrived at the classroom, she saw a group of students cheering while a few others looked utterly devastated.

And so, the prelude to the campus Holy Grail War concluded with the defeat of Americano Coffee.

As punishment, the Coffee Faction, led by Ah Jie, would have to provide a cup of iced Americano to all the other Holy Grail candidates.

But Ah Jie wasn’t done yet. With a quick change of pace, he announced the next stage of the Holy Grail War.

"With the fall of Americano Coffee, the prelude to the Holy Grail War has ended! Now, the campus Holy Grail War will enter an even more brutal phase of battle!"

Standing at the podium, Ah Jie pointed to the blackboard on the back wall, his voice filled with passion.

"Now, let us turn our attention to the monthly exams!"

"Next, all factions will be judged by their average total score. After this monthly exam, one faction will be eliminated!"

"For the losers, the punishment remains the same!"

After his speech, Ah Jie continued, speaking rapidly.

"Comrades of the Americano Coffee Faction, you are now free to choose your next faction! Or, you can use your scores as bargaining chips, since we still have a punishment to fulfill."

Class 15 had a total of 60 students, with 42 officially registered for the Holy Grail War.

The Americano Faction was weak, with only five members.

Five people providing 30 cups of coffee was obviously a bit much for a high schooler’s wallet.

Soon, someone struck a deal with the Mineral Water Faction.

The Church of Purity exempted the Americano Faction from their punishment.

After Ah Jie’s desperate pleading, Yang Ze, as the leader of the Soda Alliance, also agreed to his request.

The Soda Alliance exempted the Americano Faction from their punishment.

In the end, the Americano Faction only had to carry out the punishment for the Assam Faction.

As for why, it was probably because the Assam Faction didn’t have many members either.

Besides, high school students had absolutely no desire to drink painfully bitter Americano coffee.

Ah Jie prepared to handle this matter by paying for it out of his own pocket.

Before the end of the fourth period, Ah Jie quietly sidled up to Shen Yuan.

"Yuan, want to go get the coffee with me at lunch? My treat."

Shen Yuan couldn’t wait to spend more time with Ah Jie.

’Even though this sounds kinda gay,’ he thought, ’it’s all for my mission.’

Ah Jie had been chattering nonstop all morning, and Shen Yuan was really enjoying the thrill of his mission progress advancing on its own.

After class, the group of four went out to find some food.

Ah Ze and Ai Muyu insisted on tagging along and couldn’t be shaken off.

But more people just meant more fun.

The four of them went to a mixed noodle shop. For high school boys, the offer of free noodle refills was truly tempting.

When it came to choosing a drink, however, Shen Yuan was in a bind.

After all, the mixed noodle shop didn’t have Assam.

"Tsk, what does the campus Holy Grail War have to do with this off-campus noodle shop anyway?"

With that, Shen Yuan grabbed a can of Coke.

"Ze, if I’m defeated, I’ll join you guys."

Hearing this, Yang Ze instantly perked up. ’Is this for real?’

Ah Ze puffed out his chest. "Don’t worry, my man! We’ll exempt you from the punishment when the time comes!"

"OK!"

Chen Mingyu grew anxious. "Hey! Yuan, my man, what’s wrong with my Iced Red Tea Divine Sect?"

"Do you understand the sheer value of a canned Coke in the summer?"

Chen Mingyu raised an eyebrow, then grabbed a can of Coke from the cooler.

"Ah Ze, if I’m defeated, I’ll join you guys too."

Yang Ze was stunned.

’What the hell?’ he thought. ’We just came out for a meal, and I’ve already poached the leaders of two other factions?’

"But to be fair, it would be pretty hard for the Iced Red Tea Divine Sect to lose,"

Ah Jie said. "They have too many people. You know the charm of the school hunk."

At these words, everyone nodded in agreement.

After finishing their noodles, the four of them went to the mall next door to get the iced Americanos.

Shen Yuan also brought a cup for Li Zhi.

"Thanks."

Shen Yuan waved his hand. "No problem. Once you taste it, you won’t be thanking me."

Curious, Li Zhi took out the iced Americano and had a sip. Her brow immediately furrowed.

At the same time, the members of the Assam Faction back in the classroom let out sounds of regret.

In high school, what is more bitter than the life of a third-year student?

Answer: A third-year student drinking an iced Americano.