Behind the Smile

[Ding! Beginner task complete! Distributing reward...]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Combat Mastery (Master level)!]

A warm current, accompanied by countless muscle memories and fighting instincts, surged into Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's (Yang Ye's) limbs.

He could clearly feel that this body, which had already undergone the original owner's brutal training, was now filled with even greater explosive power and exquisite combat skills.

Yet time in the classroom seemed to remain frozen.

Dead silence.

After he said, "Especially your legs. They're perfectly shaped," Class D fell into an unprecedented silence.

Everyone looked as if they'd been frozen in place—astonished, incredulous, and even a little pitying, as though they were looking at a brave warrior. Confessing to Kushida Kikyo was already bold enough, but he'd actually dared to do it in such a... "blunt" way? Was this really the usually expressionless Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the boy who barely stood out?

The smile on Kushida Kikyo's face had completely frozen.

For the first time, a distinct crack appeared in that perfect, angelic mask. Shock, embarrassment, and a deep, icy sense of offense flashed through her eyes. She even instinctively tugged her skirt down.

"A-Ayanokoji..." Her voice trembled slightly, but her powerful instinct for putting on an act let her quickly regain her composure. She forced a smile back onto her face, the sort worn by someone who was startled but still trying to be polite. "Th-that kind of joke isn't funny at all! Please don't make jokes like that again!"

She tried to define the incident as a "cruel joke." It was the most dignified way to smooth things over.

But Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) simply looked at her calmly. His eyes, which had once seemed devoid of light, now held the detached insight into everything that belonged to the transmigrator Yang Ye.

He knew that she was nowhere near as calm inside as she seemed.

"It wasn't a joke," he replied flatly, without the slightest change in his tone.

"You..." Kushida Kikyo was at a loss for words. Her cheeks flushed slightly with anger, but she couldn't let herself lash out in front of everyone.

"Hey, Ayanokoji!" an indignant voice rang out. It belonged to one of Kushida Kikyo's admirers. "How can you say something so rude to Kushida?"

"Exactly! That's way out of line!"

The classroom began to buzz with chatter.

"Has Ayanokoji... gone crazy?"

"He said he likes legs... Is this guy a pervert?"

"Poor Kushida, getting harassed by someone like him..."

Faced with everyone's accusations and strange looks, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) remained unmoved. He even felt a little like laughing.

What were a few accusations compared to having his soul erased? He was more concerned with what task the system would issue next, and... how Kushida Kikyo, with her "angelic" appearance and "demonic" heart, would react in private.

He ignored the commotion around him, gave Kushida Kikyo a slight nod—and then turned and headed straight back to his seat amid a sea of complicated looks, as if he'd merely made an ordinary comment in class.

All afternoon, a strange atmosphere hung over Class D.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka became the unspoken center of attention, but no one dared approach him directly. Kushida Kikyo still smiled and chatted with her classmates, but whenever her gaze happened to pass over Ayanokoji, it carried an indescribable wariness and chill.

At last, the dismissal bell rang.

The students began packing their bags and filing out of the classroom.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) tidied his things at an unhurried pace. He could feel a gaze fixed on him, faint but constant.

Sure enough, when most of the students had left, Kushida Kikyo walked over. A smile still lingered on her face, but it was frighteningly cold.

"Ayanokoji," she said in a low voice, so only the two of them could hear. "Could you stay for a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss with you privately."

Her gaze no longer held its usual friendliness. Instead, it carried a forceful, almost threatening meaning that brooked no refusal.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) looked up at her, understanding. What was coming was inevitable.

"Sure," he answered briefly.

"Then," Kushida Kikyo said, her smile vanishing in an instant and her tone turning cold, "please come with me to the rooftop." ```