A Meeting on the Rooftop

The evening breeze was cool on the rooftop.

Kushida Kikyo closed the rooftop door and turned around. The angelic smile that usually defined her had vanished completely, replaced by undisguised irritation and coldness, with even a hint of malice.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka," she said, dropping the honorifics and addressing him by name. "Your behavior today caused me a lot of trouble. Do you know that?"

"I just followed what I felt like doing," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) replied calmly, imitating the original character's way of speaking while saying something completely out of character.

"What you felt like doing?" Kushida Kikyo scoffed, folding her arms and closing in step by step. "You like my legs? You think I'd believe such a pathetic excuse? What are you really after? Who sent you to approach me and make me sick on purpose?"

Her suspicion was reasonable. Someone who usually had no contact with her and barely spoke had suddenly made such an outrageous confession. There had to be a reason behind it.

She suspected someone had put him up to it, either to expose the side of herself she kept hidden or simply to humiliate her.

Just then, the system's notification rang out again:

[ Ding! The host has been confronted and potentially threatened by a key plot character, "Kushida Kikyo." Side quest triggered: Intimidation.]

[Quest requirement: Without revealing the system's existence, demonstrate enough strength to make the target wary of the host and discourage her from viewing him as someone she can "manipulate at will."]

[Quest reward: Insight (Beginner)]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye)'s eyes flickered. Demonstrate his strength? Perfect. He could try out "Combat Mastery (Master Level)."

He didn't answer Kushida Kikyo's questions directly. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the shadows by the rooftop entrance and said calmly, "You can come out now. There's no point hiding."

Kushida Kikyo's expression shifted.

Two tall boys in uniforms from another class (disguises) emerged from the shadows, fixing Ayanokoji with unfriendly stares.

It seemed Kushida Kikyo hadn't come unprepared. Out of habit, she had arranged herself a little "insurance."

"Miss Kushida, should we 'invite' this student to have a little talk?" one of the boys asked, cracking his knuckles.

Kushida Kikyo said nothing. She simply watched Ayanokoji coldly, tacitly approving their actions.

Seeing this, the two boys immediately moved in on either side of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and reached out to grab his arms.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) moved.

His movements were as swift as a phantom: he dodged, blocked, seized, and struck, all in one fluid motion! He barely made any exaggerated movements. Two muffled thuds sounded, and the boys, who looked considerably stronger than him, were already sprawled on the ground, clutching their joints and groaning in pain. For a moment, neither could get back up.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The cold composure on Kushida Kikyo's face shattered, replaced by overwhelming shock. Her eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who still wore an expressionless face.

How... How could he be so skilled?! That was far beyond the fighting ability of an ordinary high school student!

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) didn't even glance at the two boys on the ground. His gaze returned to Kushida Kikyo's pale face, and he spoke in the same calm, even tone:

"Kushida, I confessed because I wanted to."

"Also, I have no interest in exposing your secrets, as long as... you don't come looking for trouble with me."

"Let's leave what happened today here. All right?"

Kushida Kikyo looked into his unfathomable eyes, then at the two pieces of "insurance" lying temporarily incapacitated on the ground. For the first time in this seemingly ordinary class, she felt a real threat—one that came from an unknown source of power.

She drew a deep breath, forcing down her shock, and looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with a complicated expression. Slowly, she nodded.

[ Ding! Side quest "Intimidation" complete! Reward, Insight (Beginner), has been issued!]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) said no more. He turned and left the rooftop.

Watching him go, Kushida Kikyo bit her lip. This Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was completely different from the one she knew!

He'd hidden himself far too well! Who was he, really?

As Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) left the rooftop, he felt the new ability he had acquired and looked at the plot of this world, which had once seemed so clear, with a meaningful expression.

The story seemed to be getting interesting.