July sunlight filtered through the dark-tinted windows, casting somewhat gloomy patches of light across the bus.
Fūki Ran sat by the window, calmly watching the cityscape rush past. The original owner of this body had harbored vague hopes and unease about the school they were about to reach, Kōtō Ikusei High School, which claimed to offer "100% College and Career Placement." But the consciousness occupying this body now came from Another Dimension: Feng Qi, a being who had once reached the pinnacle in countless fields and earned the title of "Perfect Genius."
With both parents dead, he was entirely alone. That saved him a lot of unnecessary trouble. Feng Qi thought absently. This body had a good foundation: handsome features and a well-proportioned build. The gloom that had once lingered between his brows had been replaced by the composure and detachment forged deep within his soul through countless trials.
His memories of his previous life were like a vast database. Knowledge, skills, and insight that researchers in any field might spend their entire lives trying to attain now lay dormant in the depths of his mind.
He turned his gaze from the window and casually swept it across the bus.
Something was wrong.
That was his first conclusion.
The school bus picking up the new students was luxuriously decorated, with comfortable seats and air conditioning set to a pleasant temperature. Yet the cabin was filled with a silence that seemed utterly at odds with its lavish surroundings—a silence that was almost stagnant.
There was none of the excited chatter common among students starting school, no discussions of hopes for the future, and hardly even any whispers. Most students sat quietly in their seats. Some looked down at their phones (though the signal seemed to have been blocked once they entered the school grounds), while others stared out the window, lost in thought. They all kept a clear distance from one another.
This silence wasn't simple shyness or awkwardness. It felt more like a state imposed—or perhaps suppressed—by some invisible rule.
Feng Qi's gaze swept over the young faces like a precision scanner, catching subtle expressions, body language, and details of their clothes. Information automatically gathered and sorted itself in his mind.
Most were mediocre. Their eyes held confusion, obedience, or bewilderment at their circumstances.
His gaze lingered briefly on a few figures.
An orange-haired girl with a short bob wore an impeccably bright smile—Kushida Kikyo. Her smile was infectious, and she seemed to be trying hard to strike up a conversation with the student beside her, but most of the responses she got were brief and reserved. Beneath her perfect smile, Feng Qi caught the faintest hint of scrutiny, at odds with her outward warmth. An interesting disguise.
A tall boy with short black hair and a somewhat fierce look, who didn't seem easy to mess with—Ken Sudō. He crossed his arms, clearly impatient with the silence around him, but made no effort to break it. A typical impulsive type, probably stronger physically than mentally.
A petite boy wearing glasses kept his head down, as if trying to hide himself—Yukimura Teruhiko. Every so often, he pushed up his glasses, his eyes showing unease and detachment from his surroundings. He was probably good at studying, but his social skills were questionable.
And then...
Feng Qi's gaze finally settled on a seat diagonally ahead, beside the aisle.
There was a girl sitting there.
Her long black hair fell straight as a waterfall, framing the graceful, cool lines of her profile. She sat upright, looking straight ahead, her Purple Eyes devoid of any unnecessary emotion. They were like a frozen lake, keeping everyone at a distance. Even amid the oppressive atmosphere, her haughty air stood out.
Horikita Suzune.
Her name and the relevant information immediately surfaced in Feng Qi's mind. A proud individualist who strongly believed in her own abilities and rejected pointless socializing.
As Feng Qi watched Horikita Suzune, he seemed to sense another gaze from farther behind, from a seat by the window that barely registered anyone's presence. That gaze was calm and emotionless, as if observing an insignificant object.
Feng Qi didn't turn around, but the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Just as he'd expected, he was here too. A "creation" deprived of normal emotions and raised in an inhuman environment. An incomplete "genius" lacking independence.
The school bus slowly entered the campus and finally stopped in front of the imposing gates.
The silence finally broke. The students got up one after another and took their luggage off the bus. The atmosphere was still somewhat subdued, but at least there were a few signs of life.
Feng Qi followed the crowd off the bus. The fresh air washed over him, easing the oppression of the cabin a little. Standing beside the bus, he scanned the crowd again, taking in the confusion and curiosity on the faces of his soon-to-be classmates.
This school's opening act was indeed no simple affair. The school bus was probably the first warning—or perhaps the first subtle hint—that some rules here were different.
Feng Qi pulled his suitcase along but didn't hurry off to find the class assignments. Instead, he stood where he was, as if waiting for something.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before a gentle male voice, tinged with a certain mechanical quality, came over the school's PA system:
"Welcome, new students. Please follow the directions to the gymnasium for the entrance ceremony."
The directions were clear, and the students began to move.
Feng Qi followed behind the crowd at an unhurried pace. His gaze fell once more on the willowy figure walking alone, her black hair flowing behind her—Horikita Suzune. She, too, had separated from the crowd and was walking by herself, her steps firm, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.
Feng Qi smiled slightly.
A good place to start. In this seemingly peaceful campus, where Undercurrents ran deep, this proud girl would undoubtedly make a highly challenging—and highly valuable—target.
His path to conquest had officially begun, starting with this strangely silent school bus and this mysterious campus.
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