Adorable, I want

"Ye Yuqing? Yezimei?"

Asaka Akie looked blank. "I've never heard of them. I'm an only child. Have you forgotten, Fang-kun?"

Fang Cheng reined in his wandering thoughts and replied, "I must have remembered wrong, then."

Asaka Akie offered another compliment: "Fang-kun, your current hairstyle really suits you."

Fang Cheng ran a hand through his short hair and said bluntly, "I think so too. I originally wanted to get along with you all as a shut-in, but that only earned me distance. So, I've laid my cards on the table and revealed my true face as a handsome guy."

Asaka Akie covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she laughed, though she was secretly surprised by the change in Fang Cheng's personality.

In the past, he would never have been able to say something so narcissistic.

After all, he was sitting while Asaka Akie stood right in front of him, occupying most of his field of vision.

It might sound a bit lewd, but Fang Cheng was a dirty old man at heart, so he honestly took a few extra looks.

The timid male student in the protagonist's seat heard Fang Cheng's self-aggrandizing remarks, curled his lip in disdain, and then cast a secret, envious glance his way.

He seemed to be jealous that Fang Cheng could appreciate the scenery so openly.

Asaka Akie, of course, noticed Fang Cheng's unmasked gaze. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously stepped back.

Just then, the bell rang for class. Asaka Akie whispered to Fang Cheng, "Fang-kun, let's have lunch together later. I have something to tell you."

"Sure."

Fang Cheng nodded. Eating with a beautiful girl was always a treat for the eyes; it might even aid his digestion.

After Asaka Akie returned to her seat, Fang Cheng turned to the timid male student in the protagonist's seat and asked, "Sato, do you like Asaka Akie?"

Sato Hayato was still surprised that Fang Cheng had taken the initiative to speak to him. Once he processed the question, he was instantly horrified. "N-no, that's not it! Fang-kun, don't say such strange things."

Fang Cheng chuckled. "Then should I tell her you don't like her?"

"Don't!"

Sato Hayato instinctively tried to stop him, and as Fang Cheng let out a meaningful "Oh," his face turned bright red at a visible speed.

"The one who likes Asaka-san isn't me, but a friend of mine."

"Is this 'friend' you're talking about actually you?"

Sato Hayato was at a loss. He could only press his palms together and bow his head toward Fang Cheng. "Fang-kun, please don't mention me in front of Asaka-san. I'm begging you."

"That's a real pity. I was actually planning to play matchmaker between you and Asaka Akie."

"Really?"

Sato Hayato looked up, excited.

"I lied."

"I knew it!"

He hung his head in disappointment.

"But I did record our conversation. I'll show it to her in a bit."

"No, please don't!!"

"I lied."

"Ah!!"

Sato Hayato grabbed his hair and let out a mournful cry, shrinking into the corner and shivering as if trying to escape Fang Cheng, the devil incarnate.

Fang Cheng felt quite pleased. If only that woman Kanzaki Rin were this naive.

The teacher soon appeared. Unfortunately, it wasn't an unmarried, beautiful career woman, but an oily, obese middle-aged man.

The greasy teacher taught mathematics. Fang Cheng couldn't keep up with the pace at all and had to start from the basics. Fortunately, he had graduated from a proper university before transmigrating, so he hadn't completely forgotten his high school knowledge; self-study should be fine.

School was low on his list of priorities, but he couldn't abandon it entirely.

If circumstances allowed, Fang Cheng wanted to at least get a university degree so he wouldn't be illiterate.

A diploma was a safety net; if something unexpected happened, he could at least find a job to support himself.

Furthermore, his status as a student served as a shield. Without evidence, official personnel like Kanzaki Rin couldn't openly do anything to a mere student.

The remaining three morning classes passed quickly while Fang Cheng studied on his own. During the lunch break, most students pulled out their packed lunches.

Fang Cheng had nothing, so he had to go to the cafeteria to buy food; he wasn't used to eating cold leftovers anyway.

Asaka Akie seemed to have something urgent to discuss, and fearing he might slip away, she followed him closely after class.

The two found an empty spot on campus to sit down. Fang Cheng turned to her. "What did you want to tell me?"

Asaka Akie smiled faintly. "Let's eat first, Fang-kun, then we'll talk."

"Sure."

They chatted while they ate, covering common campus topics and a bit of gossip.

Fang Cheng noticed that Asaka Akie's bento was very simple; the only meat was an egg, and even that was a small portion.

Combined with her usual attire, he could infer that her family's financial situation was quite modest.

The original owner's deeply buried memories arrived fashionably late; Asaka Akie had once come from a middle-class family, only falling into straitened circumstances after her father passed away.

How much of her extra care for Fang Cheng stemmed from a sense of shared misfortune?

After finishing lunch, the two finally began to discuss serious matters.

Asaka Akie's fingers twisted the hem of her skirt, her gaze fixed on the ground as if she were trying to find a flower blooming there.

"Fang-kun, the reason you haven't been coming to school lately... is it because of me?"

Fang Cheng thought carefully before he realized which incident Asaka Akie was referring to.

That incident had indeed caused the original owner to play truant.

He shook his head and said, "No, I've been dealing with my parents' medical insurance lately, so I haven't had time to come to school."

Asaka Akie turned her head instinctively, wanting to see if Fang Cheng was being serious or just putting on a brave face.

She didn't see any tension or strain on Fang Cheng's face; his expression was completely natural.

"So that's how it is. I was overthinking it. I'm sorry, I've made a fool of myself."

Asaka Akie didn't know whether she felt disappointed or relieved.

After chatting for a few more moments, Asaka Akie stood up and left.

Fang Cheng was just preparing to leave as well when a familiar figure suddenly stepped out from behind the flower bed nearby.

Kanzaki Rin.

She was wearing her school uniform, with little to no makeup, yet she radiated a dazzling beauty.

With her smooth, long black hair, skin that looked like it would break at a touch, a perfectly exquisite face, and a curvaceous figure, she was the definition of a goddess—it was no wonder she had countless boys fawning over her.

Fang Cheng, however, felt as disgusted as if he had seen a fly; why were you everywhere?

Ignoring Fang Cheng's unfriendly glare, Kanzaki Rin looked toward the departing Asaka Akie: "Student Fang, do you like her?"

After arriving at school today, Kanzaki Rin had reviewed Fang Cheng's files and learned about his usual behavior and character at school.

Although the file was quite lengthy, the lines between the words revealed only two things—ordinary.

So ordinary as to be unremarkable, so ordinary as to be lost in the crowd.

But the more ordinary Fang Cheng's past was, the more Kanzaki Rin became convinced that there must be some unspeakable secret hidden within.

She didn't believe for a second that an ordinary person could acquire such astonishing mobility and willpower in such a short amount of time.

Fang Cheng showing up at school today had caught Kanzaki Rin by surprise, and seeing him active in broad daylight had once again made her doubt his identity as a vampire, so she couldn't help but come over to take a look.

Kanzaki Rin's words made Fang Cheng feel a sense of déjà vu, as if he had heard them somewhere not long ago.

He also looked at Asaka Akie's back as she disappeared around the corner and replied, "A fair lady is a gentleman's desire; please give me a reason why I shouldn't like her."

Kanzaki Rin expressed her schadenfreude: "But it seems your progress isn't going very smoothly."

She had been hiding behind the flower bed and had heard everything clearly.

Fang Cheng didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed, shrugging as he admitted, "Yeah, I wrote her a love letter, and then I got rejected."

Asaka Akie was a very gentle and kind girl who loved to help others, which easily led people to the misconception of "Does she like me?"

The original owner had fallen for it, using a love letter to sound the horn of attack, only to be instantly sunk and fall into such depression that he started skipping school.

He hadn't realized that Asaka Akie was the "central air conditioning" type—kind to everyone—and that her extra care for Fang Cheng had specific reasons behind it, none of which involved romantic feelings.

Seeing Fang Cheng expose his own dark history, Kanzaki Rin was about to mock him, but she suddenly remembered something else, and her expression stiffened.

"Student Fang? It seems you wrote me a love letter too, didn't you?"