Cute, I Think

"Ye Yuqing? Ye Zimei?"

Asaka Akie looked bewildered. "No, I'm an only child. Did you forget, Fang-kun?"

Fang Cheng pushed aside his wild speculation and replied, "Then I must have gotten it wrong."

Asaka Akie added, "Fang-kun, your new hairstyle really suits you."

Fang Cheng ran a hand through his short hair and said without modesty, "I think so too. I was just trying to get along with you all as a shut-in, but that only made you keep your distance. So I came clean and showed you my true face as a handsome guy."

Asaka Akie covered her mouth, her eyes narrowing with laughter. At the same time, she was surprised by the change in Fang Cheng's personality.

He never would have said something so narcissistic before.

After all, he was sitting down, while Asaka Akie stood right in front of him, filling most of his view.

It might sound a little lecherous, but Fang Cheng was a shameless pervert, so he unabashedly took a couple more looks.

The weak, submissive boy in the protagonist's seat heard Fang Cheng bragging about himself and curled his lip in disdain, then shot him a furtive, envious glance.

He seemed to envy Fang Cheng for being able to openly admire the view.

Asaka Akie had of course noticed Fang Cheng's undisguised gaze. Her cheeks warmed slightly, and she instinctively edged away.

Just then, the bell rang. Asaka Akie quietly said to Fang Cheng, "Fang-kun, let's have lunch together later. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Sure."

Fang Cheng nodded. Eating with a beautiful girl was always a pleasure, and it might even help his digestion.

After Asaka Akie returned to her seat, Fang Cheng turned to the weak, submissive boy in the protagonist's seat. "Sato, do you like Asaka Akie?"

Sato Hayato was still surprised that Fang Cheng had spoken to him first. When he understood the question, he immediately panicked. "N-no, that's not it, Fang. Don't say weird things."

Fang Cheng smiled. "Then I'll tell her you don't like her?"

"Don't!"

Sato Hayato stopped him instinctively. At Fang Cheng's meaningful "Oh," his face visibly flushed red.

"I'm not the one who likes Asaka. It's a friend of mine."

"Is that friend you?"

Sato Hayato fumbled for words. He could only clasp his hands together and bow his head to Fang Cheng. "Fang, please don't mention me in front of Asaka. I'm begging you."

"What a shame. I was going to help set you and Asaka Akie up."

"Really?"

Sato Hayato lifted his head excitedly.

"I'm kidding."

"I knew it!"

He lowered his head in disappointment.

"But I recorded our conversation. I'll show it to her later."

"Don't!!"

"I'm kidding."

"Ah!!"

Sato Hayato clutched his hair and let out a cry of despair, then scooted to the side and trembled as if trying to escape Fang Cheng, the demon.

Fang Cheng was in a good mood. If only Kanzaki Rin were as naive as he was.

The teacher soon arrived. Unfortunately, it wasn't a beautiful, unmarried older woman, but a greasy, overweight middle-aged man.

The greasy teacher taught math, and Fang Cheng couldn't keep up with the lessons at all, so he had to start from the beginning. Luckily, he had graduated from a proper university before transmigrating, and he hadn't completely forgotten what he'd learned in high school. Studying on his own should be fine.

School wasn't very high on his list of priorities, but he couldn't give it up entirely.

If conditions allowed, Fang Cheng would like to earn a university degree. At the very least, he didn't want to be illiterate.

A degree could also serve as a fallback. If anything went wrong in the future, he could find a job and support himself.

Besides, being a student was a kind of shield for Fang Cheng. Without evidence, official agents like Kanzaki Rin couldn't openly do whatever they wanted to a student like him.

The remaining three morning classes passed quickly as Fang Cheng studied on his own. During the lunch break, most of the students took out the lunches they'd brought from home.

Fang Cheng had brought nothing, so he had to buy food in the cafeteria. He couldn't get used to cold meals anyway.

Asaka Akie seemed to have something urgent to discuss with Fang Cheng. Afraid he might slip away, she followed close behind him as soon as class ended.

The two found an empty spot on campus and sat down. Fang Cheng turned to her. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

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

"Sure."

They ate and chatted, talking about ordinary school topics and a little gossip.

Fang Cheng noticed that Asaka Akie's lunch was very plain. Her only meat was an egg, and even that was a small portion.

Together with the way she usually dressed, it suggested that her family wasn't well-off.

The memories buried deep in the original owner's mind finally surfaced: Asaka Akie had once been from a middle-class family, but things had become difficult after her father died.

How much of the extra care she showed Fang Cheng came from a sense of shared hardship?

After they finished lunch, they finally got down to business.

Asaka Akie pinched the hem of her skirt, staring at the ground as if she expected to find flowers there.

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

Fang Cheng thought it over before he realized what she meant.

That incident had indeed driven the original owner to skip school.

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

Asaka Akie instinctively turned to look at him, trying to tell whether he meant it or was putting on a brave face.

She saw no tension or reluctance in Fang Cheng's expression. He looked completely at ease.

"I see. Then I was overthinking it. Sorry for making a fool of myself."

Asaka Akie couldn't tell whether she felt disappointed or relieved.

They chatted for a little longer, then Asaka Akie stood and left.

Fang Cheng was about to leave too when a familiar figure suddenly emerged from behind the flowerbed.

Kanzaki Rin.

She wore her school uniform and had barely dressed up, yet she was dazzling all the same.

Her sleek, straight black hair, flawless skin, exquisite features, and curvaceous figure gave her the air of a true goddess. No wonder countless boys fawned over her.

But seeing her made Fang Cheng feel as disgusted as if he'd spotted a fly. Why were you everywhere?

Kanzaki Rin ignored Fang Cheng's hostile look and instead watched Asaka Akie leave. "Fang, do you like her?"

After arriving at school that day, Kanzaki Rin had looked up Fang Cheng's file and learned about his usual conduct and reputation.

His file contained plenty of information, but between the lines, it conveyed just two words: ordinary.

So ordinary he went unnoticed, ordinary enough to blend into the crowd.

But the more ordinary Fang Cheng's past was, the more convinced Kanzaki Rin became that there had to be some secret he was hiding.

She refused to believe an ordinary person could gain such incredible drive and perseverance in such a short time.

Fang Cheng's showing up at school that day had surprised Kanzaki Rin. Seeing him active in broad daylight had also made her question his identity as a Vampire once again, so she couldn't help coming over for a closer look.

Kanzaki Rin's question sounded familiar to Fang Cheng, as if he'd heard it somewhere not long ago.

He too watched Asaka Akie disappear around the corner, then replied, "A beautiful woman is a joy to behold. Give me one reason not to like her."

Kanzaki Rin sounded gloating. "But things don't seem to be going very well between you."

She'd been hiding behind the flowerbed and heard everything clearly.

Fang Cheng didn't look embarrassed at all. He shrugged and admitted, "That's right. I wrote her a love letter, and she turned me down."

Asaka Akie was a kind and gentle girl who liked helping people. That made it easy to get the wrong idea: "Does she like me?"

The original owner had fallen for it. He'd launched his attack with a love letter, only to be sunk in an instant. He'd lost heart and started skipping school.

He hadn't realized that Asaka Akie was the sort who was kind to everyone. She'd been especially considerate toward Fang Cheng for particular reasons, but it had nothing to do with romance.

Seeing Fang Cheng reveal his embarrassing past, Kanzaki Rin was about to mock him when she suddenly remembered something else. Her expression stiffened.

"Fang... Didn't you write me a love letter too?"