The morning mist had yet to clear. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka—or rather, Lin Yuan, a Chinese otaku wearing this body like a shell—stood on the top floor of Advanced Nurturing High School's library. One hand rested on the railing, his fingertips absently rubbing the cold metal.
It had been three weeks since he'd crossed over, but whenever he looked down at the campus bathed in morning light, he still found himself momentarily dazed. The sharply angled classroom buildings, the winding tree-lined paths, even the artificial lake glittering in the distance—all of them seemed like illusions copied straight out of a two-dimensional world and pasted into reality.
"System, oh system..." he murmured, a wry smile in his voice. Yes, he had a system—or rather, a defective "legacy." When he'd crossed over, he'd faintly heard a mechanical voice mention that the "potential-unlocking module had failed to load," and then it had fallen silent.
Now he could rely only on his original body's near-cold rationality and his own memories of the Classroom of the Elite storyline, built up over years as a devoted otaku—even though those memories were gradually falling apart as he intervened.
"Ayanokoji, President Horikita from the tea ceremony club is looking for you." A bright female voice came from behind him.
Lin Yuan turned and met Kushida Kikyo's signature sweet smile. She had her hands behind her back, her uniform skirt fluttering slightly in the morning breeze, making her look like an innocent white lily. But Lin Yuan knew how much scheming lay beneath that smile.
"Thanks." He nodded, but his gaze slipped past Kushida's shoulder and settled on a figure in the courtyard below. Ichinose Honami hurried past, clutching a stack of papers, her caramel-colored hair tracing an arc in the wind.
In the original story, she should have belonged to Class B. But the school crest on her chest was now an unmistakable red. Class D? Lin Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. The butterfly effect had started sooner than he'd expected.
Inside the tea ceremony club's tatami room, Horikita Manabu knelt before a low table. The sound of boiling water being poured into a teacup rang out like a bell.
"I heard you turned down the Student Council's invitation to join." He adjusted his glasses, the rising steam fogging the lenses. "Can you tell me why?"
Lin Yuan took the teacup, feeling the rough texture of the ceramic against his fingertips. How would the real Ayanokoji answer? Perhaps he'd brush the question off with "I'm not interested."
But Lin Yuan wasn't that perfect human weapon. He was Lin Yuan, a soul forced to piece himself together in another world. "President Horikita needs pawns," he said, taking a sip of matcha. Bitterness spread across his tongue. "I want to play the game."
The air suddenly froze. Horikita Manabu paused for half a beat, and the hot water nearly spilled over the teacup.
"Interesting." He let out a soft laugh and pulled a gilded invitation from his sleeve. "Then, as a player, you must be interested in the 'Special Exam,' right?"
At dusk, Lin Yuan pushed open the heavy oak door to Room 404 in the Special Instruction Building. The classroom was empty, and the setting sun stretched the window frames' shadows into bars like those of a cage.
He unfolded the invitation. Horikita Manabu's handwriting was as sharp as a blade:
"Tomorrow at eight p.m. The basement of the Old School Building. The wager: 'special privileges from the Chairman.'"
A rustle sounded behind him. Lin Yuan spun around to see Karuizawa Kei peeking out from behind a locker, a few dead leaves clinging to her chestnut hair.
"D-don't get the wrong idea! I was just looking for the Sports Festival schedule..." She waved her hands in a panic, the bow at her uniform collar crooked to one side.
But Lin Yuan noticed the mud on her heel. It was the distinctive red soil found on the hill behind the Old School Building.
"Want to work together?" he asked without warning.
Karuizawa jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Huh? Who'd want to work with a gloomy guy like you..."
"You secretly met with Ryuen from Class C last week, didn't you?" Lin Yuan cut her off, pulling a photo from his pocket. In it, Karuizawa was handing a USB drive to Ryuen, with the grand piano in the Third Music Room in the background.
"By the way, that USB drive had the predicted questions for Class D's midterm exam on it. But Katsuragi had already replaced the actual file with a guide to caring for a sow after it gives birth."
Karuizawa's face went deathly pale. Lin Yuan stepped closer, his shadow falling over her trembling shoulders. "Now tell me what's hidden in the basement of the Old School Building. Or..."
He held up his phone. The screen showed Karuizawa with a third-year boy in a karaoke booth. "Would you rather let the whole school enjoy the special 'Forbidden Love' episode?"
The Old School Building's basement reeked of mildew. The instant his flashlight beam cut through the darkness, Lin Yuan saw them: filing cabinets spanning three entire walls, labeled "Expelled Students," "Accident Records," and even "Human Experiment Applications."
The safe at the very back stood open, with a stack of yellowed papers scattered across the floor.
<Advanced Nurturing High School Social Experiment Plan: Adaptation Observation Report for the 47th Cohort>
His fingertips brushed the page, and cold sweat soaked through his shirt. The Class D roster clearly listed Horikita Suzune, Hirata Yosuke... and Ichinose Honami, who should have belonged to Class A.
In the remarks column, someone had scrawled in red ink:
"Sample E-047 abnormal. Suspected awakening of 'Primal Personality.' Recommend prioritizing for disposal."
Suddenly, a wooden board cracked overhead. Lin Yuan quickly switched off his flashlight, but it was already too late—a slender figure climbed down the ladder into the basement.
Moonlight seeped through the gaps, illuminating the figure's long silver-white hair.
"What a shame." Shiina Hiyori raised a stun gun, her pupils glowing an eerie blue in the darkness. "You've seen something you shouldn't have, Ayanokoji... or should I say, Mr. Transmigrator?"
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