Rendezvous on the Rooftop

The evening breeze was cool atop the rooftop.

Kushida Kikyo closed the rooftop door and turned around. The signature angelic smile that usually graced her face had vanished completely, replaced by an undisguised sense of annoyance and coldness, even carrying a hint of malice.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka," she said, skipping even the honorifics to address him by name, "do you have any idea how much trouble your behavior today has caused me?"

"I was merely following my inner desires," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) replied calmly, mimicking the speech patterns of the original character while saying things that were entirely out of character.

"Inner desires?" Kushida Kikyo scoffed, crossing her arms and stepping closer. "You like my legs? Do you really think I'd believe such a clumsy excuse? What is your actual goal? Who sent you to deliberately approach me and disgust me?"

Her suspicion was reasonable. For someone who was usually silent and kept to himself to suddenly make such an outrageous confession, there had to be a reason behind it.

She suspected someone was pulling the strings, aiming to expose her hidden side or simply to humiliate her.

Just then, the system notification sounded again:

[Ding! Detected that the host is facing questioning and potential threats from the key plot character "Kushida Kikyo." Triggering side quest: Deterrence.]

[Quest Requirements: Without exposing the existence of the system, demonstrate sufficient strength to make the target wary of the host and dispel any notion of viewing the host as someone who can be "easily manipulated."]

[Quest Reward: Insight (Beginner)]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye)'s eyes flickered. Demonstrate strength? Perfect, this was a chance to test out that "Combat Mastery (Master Level)."

He did not answer Kushida Kikyo's question directly, instead casting his gaze toward the shadows at the rooftop entrance and speaking faintly: "Tell your friends to come out; hiding is pointless."

Kushida Kikyo's expression shifted slightly.

From the shadows, two tall boys wearing the uniforms of other classes (in disguise) stepped out, staring at Ayanokoji with hostile eyes.

It seemed Kushida Kikyo was not unprepared; she had habitually arranged "insurance" for herself.

"Kushida-san, do you need us to 'invite' this classmate to have a proper talk?" one of the boys asked, cracking his knuckles with a sharp sound.

Kushida Kikyo said nothing, merely looking at Ayanokoji coldly, tacitly approving of their actions.

Seeing this, the two boys immediately flanked Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from left and right, reaching out to grab his arms.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) moved.

His movements were as swift as a ghost—side-stepping, blocking, grappling, and exerting force, all in one fluid motion! There wasn't even any dramatic exertion; with two dull thuds, the two boys, who appeared significantly stronger than him, were thrown to the ground by his leverage. They groaned in pain while clutching their joints, unable to get back up.

The entire process occurred in the blink of an eye.

The coldness and composure on Kushida Kikyo's face shattered instantly, replaced by profound shock. She widened her eyes, looking in disbelief at the still-expressionless Ayanokoji Kiyotaka before her.

How... how could he have such formidable skills?! This was not combat ability that an ordinary high school student should possess!

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) didn't even glance at the two men on the ground. He fixed his gaze back on Kushida Kikyo's pale face and said in that flat, emotionless tone:

"Kushida-san, I confessed simply because I wanted to."

"Furthermore, I have no interest in exposing your secrets, provided that... you do not provoke me."

"Let's end today's business here. Is that acceptable?"

Kushida Kikyo looked into his bottomless eyes, then at the two "insurance" men who had temporarily lost their ability to fight. For the first time in this seemingly ordinary class, she felt a genuine, tangible threat stemming from an unknown power.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the horror in her heart, and looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with complex eyes before slowly nodding.

[Ding! Side quest "Deterrence" completed! Reward: Insight (Beginner) has been issued!]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye) said no more and turned to leave the rooftop.

Watching his retreating back, Kushida Kikyo bit her lip tightly. This Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was completely different from the one she knew!

He was hiding too much! Who exactly was he?

As for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Yang Ye), who had left the rooftop, he felt the newly acquired ability and wore a meaningful expression regarding the originally clear plot trajectory of this world.

The story, it seemed, was becoming interesting.