Though Yun Lan had lived two lives, and the system that had given him the peak Kiyotaka Ayanokoji template had gone dormant, none of that changed the fact that he was still just a young man.
Under Yukino Yukinoshita's teasing, Yun Lan's ears turned red before he knew it.
"Hehe, my fiancé really is adorable, isn't he? It's getting late. Let's exchange contact information."
Yukino had worn a smile from beginning to end, as if it were a mask.
After exchanging contact information, Yukino left the office. Only then did Chie Hoshinomiya, who had been frozen in place, come to her senses.
A polished smile rested on her face, the curve of her lips as precise as if measured with a ruler. Her eyes calmly focused ahead. To anyone looking at her, she was simply an elegant, composed young woman without a single flaw. Only she knew that beneath her ribs, her heart was pounding harder than ever before. Each beat was like a muffled thunderclap exploding deep in her ears.
"The Yun Family?"
The name rolled over her tongue, carrying the weight of a thousand tons. Wasn't it the colossal family whose roots supposedly ran deep through the world's veins, controlling nearly half the global economy? Its reach extended into energy, technology, finance, and even more secretive fields, like an invisible, omnipresent web. And now, the heir to such a family had appeared here, at an elite school that nonetheless lay outside the Yun Family's traditional sphere of influence?
What shook her even more was the class assignment—Class B. It was no coincidence. The chairman was an old fox; every move he made concealed some deeper purpose. Given the Yun Family's power and the heir's abilities, entering the top of the pyramid in Class A would have been only natural. Deliberately placing him in Class B... Was it to maintain balance? To conceal something? Or was she putting the class she taught on a far more complicated chessboard?
"He should have been in Class A..."
The realization made her fingertips turn cold, only for a fiercer emotion to take its place. In the midst of a chaotic game, a piece beyond anyone's expectations had suddenly appeared. It was the greatest variable—and perhaps the key to turning the tide.
The tempest gradually settled, becoming a surging undercurrent deep beneath the sea. Chie Hoshinomiya clearly felt something long dormant stirring within her: the instincts of a hunter and a player of games.
A flash of light passed through her eyes behind her glasses, so swift that no one could catch it.
"Looks like," she silently pronounced, to herself and to the suddenly altered situation before her, "he's my trump card. I'll be able to keep Sae in check for another three years."
The instant the thought surfaced, her smile didn't change in the slightest. If anything, it grew more gracious, as if she had merely thought of some trivial amusement. Only the fingers hanging at her side, concealed by her elegant sleeve, curled almost imperceptibly before slowly relaxing, as if silently grasping something unseen—something powerful enough to overturn everything.
The office fell into a delicate silence. The invisible ripples left behind by the previous visitor—the ever-disruptive Yukino Yukinoshita—seemed to linger in the air. Beyond the enormous windows, the meticulously trimmed campus gardens looked quiet and orderly in the afternoon light, sharply contrasting with the tension quietly gathering inside.
At Hoshinomiya's words, Yun Lan paused in the act of turning to leave. His expression remained unchanged, but a flicker of appraisal passed through his calm eyes. Meet someone in advance? At this academy, who would Uncle Sakayanagi take such care to introduce—and at this particular moment? Several names and possibilities flashed through his mind, but his expression didn't change. He simply nodded and stood still again, waiting for her to continue.
Chairman Sakayanagi's voice was unhurried, carrying his habitual air of having everything under control. The moment he finished speaking, as if he had timed it perfectly, a measured knock sounded at the door. "Knock, knock, knock."
"Come in," Chairman Sakayanagi replied warmly, though his gaze swept over Yun Lan as if casually observing his reaction.
The heavy wooden door swung open smoothly, brushing against the carpet with a faint swish. The light spilling in from outside outlined a figure standing tall and straight. He walked with steady steps, his uniform immaculate and his tie neatly knotted. Every button was fastened exactly as it should be. His expression was stern, his gaze as sharp as a precision-calibrated instrument. He carried the settled authority and discipline unique to the leader of Class 3-A—and the holder of the highest office in the academy's Student Council. It was Manabu Horikita.
He entered and first gave Chairman Sakayanagi a slight bow, his manners impeccable. "Chairman, you wanted to see me?"
"Ah, you're here, Manabu." Chairman Sakayanagi's smile deepened with the approval of someone admiring a prized work. He gestured toward Yun Lan, his tone casual yet unmistakably weighty. "Perfect timing. Let me introduce you. This is Yun Lan, more or less my nephew. He'll be studying and living at the academy from now on. He's very talented, and I have high hopes for him. Manabu, you're a model student here. I hope you young people will talk more and learn from each other."
The affectionate yet vague label "nephew" had been used again. Coming from Chairman Sakayanagi here, in front of someone like Manabu Horikita, it carried a deeper meaning.
Manabu Horikita's gaze shifted to Yun Lan. It wasn't so much a scrutiny as a swift, efficient scan and processing of information: calm, objective, and free of unnecessary emotion, yet seemingly capable of piercing through appearances to reach the core. He saw a composed, somewhat aloof peer. But from the chairman's deliberate introduction, and his meaningful remarks that Yun Lan was "very talented" and that they should "talk more," he immediately picked up on a signal that went far beyond the surface. This wasn't an ordinary introduction.
"Manabu Horikita, Class 3-A, current Student Council President." He stepped forward and held out his right hand. His voice was steady and clear, just like his manner: concise and direct, yet carrying undeniable weight. There was no unnecessary small talk; he simply stated his identity and offered his hand.
Yun Lan met his gaze without looking away. He clearly sensed the elite aura forged through strict rules and fierce competition—a kind of pressure entirely different from the sort of "rules" he himself was accustomed to, yet just as imposing. These were two people who had climbed to a certain height along different paths, now facing each other across the same platform for the first time.
He reached out as well and clasped Manabu Horikita's hand. The palm was dry, the grip moderate. Yet in their brief contact, it felt as though some invisible current passed between them through the quiet air.
"Yun Lan, Class 1-B. I look forward to working with you, President Horikita." Yun Lan spoke in a low but steady, clear voice. He added no titles or background, only his name. Yet thanks to the chairman's introduction and his calm, self-assured manner toward Manabu Horikita, those words carried particular weight.
Their hands touched and parted. Polite and restrained, the gesture completed the ritual of their first encounter.
Seated behind his broad desk, Chairman Sakayanagi watched the scene with satisfaction. Two equally exceptional young men stood together, their temperaments entirely different. One represented the pinnacle of the academy's visible order and glory; the other was the "variable" he had personally brought into these deep waters, a man who might disrupt every established rule. Arranging for them to meet early was no simple hope that they would "get along." It was a move on the board, made well in advance. Beneath the surface, the undercurrents seemed to stir anew at the touch of their hands. Sunlight filled the office, yet unseen lines seemed to be quietly weaving their fates ever more tightly into the academy's unfathomable future.
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