A few minutes later, at the Arcane Academy in the commoners' district.
In a hallway.
"What? You mean... you took a blow to the head? You... you can't remember anything?"
The girl named Shakira stared at Lin En in shock and confusion, clearly finding his story unbelievable.
Her red dress hugged her curvaceous figure, making almost every passing student glance back again and again, reluctant to leave.
Lin En leaned against the railing with his eyes closed and said,
"That's about it. I'm not too sure exactly what happened, but I figure I was probably attacked by some thug, because everything I had on me is gone too. I'm incredibly lucky just to be alive."
Shakira watched his eyes.
Only when Lin En looked over did she resume her worried expression.
"Are... are you sure? You don't even remember me? I'm Shakira. Have you forgotten? We've been together for three years, ever since we enrolled."
Lin En studied her face carefully for a long while, then shook his head.
Nothing rang a bell.
Aside from [154 Gear Street], he had no memories of anything at all.
"How... how could this happen...?"
Shakira patted her chest, a trace of sadness mingling with her surprise.
"I... I even went to your house to look for you yesterday. I thought you'd gone to work as an apprentice at the Enchanting Point... Then... do you remember this?"
She suddenly pulled a brooch from inside her dress.
It was crystal clear and obviously expensive, though a small piece seemed to be missing from one corner.
Lin En asked uncertainly, "What's this?"
Shakira looked into his eyes.
"You don't remember?"
Lin En said in exasperation, "I already told you I've lost my memory. If it rang a bell, I'd have remembered by now."
"S-sorry."
Her eyes curved like crescent moons, a faint smile settling on her face, with a hint of moisture glimmering at their corners.
"You gave this to me yourself a few days ago. You said it was our third anniversary, and since you'd never bought me anything expensive before, you'd specially saved up to get me this gift... I... I thought..."
Lin En froze, then rubbed his chin.
Damn, was he really that romantic?
From the looks of it...
This body's original owner seemed like a pretty thoughtful guy.
Still, if I had a girlfriend this gorgeous, I'd probably cherish her too. After all, her figure really was amazing, and she was definitely...
[big].
"It doesn't ring any bells, but..." Lin En rubbed his chin.
"But what?"
Shakira immediately raised her head, watching him cautiously.
Lin En sniffed and said,
"Your scent does feel a little familiar."
Lin En wasn't lying about that. Though his mind held no information, his nose was keen, and he felt no aversion to her strong fragrance.
He and this girl probably had shared some intimate contact.
"My scent? My scent is familiar to you?"
Shakira stared intently at his face.
Lin En closed his eyes and said,
"A little."
She watched his expression, then suddenly rose onto her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
"If my scent feels familiar, then... what about this?"
Lin En: "???!"
A few seconds later, Shakira pulled away, her face slightly flushed, and blinked.
"Well? Does that feel familiar?"
Lin En thought for a moment, then said with wide eyes, "Uh, well, I think maybe just a tiny bit..."
Shakira instantly rose onto her tiptoes again.
Everyone: "(ΩДΩ)?!!"
"What about now?"
"A little more than before, I think..."
"And now?"
"Even more, I think..."
"Mmph."
Under the shocked, blushing stares of every student in the hallway, Shakira began kissing him in a full embrace, right there in public.
The entire hallway erupted.
Many of the girls instinctively covered their mouths, standing rooted to the spot with wide eyes, flushed faces, and pounding hearts.
Their academy didn't forbid dating.
But was it really okay to do that in front of so many people?!
"Society's morals are crumbling! Crumbling, I tell you!"
Some of the boys were stiff with anger.
Damn it.
How could he kiss her like that?!
After all, Shakira unquestionably ranked among the most beautiful girls in the entire Arcane Academy. That guy actually dared to kiss her like that-it was an outrage!
Only after a long while...
Did Shakira finally pull away again. Her eyes shimmered like limpid autumn waters as she blinked.
"Well... have you remembered anything now?"
Lin En wiped his mouth and said earnestly, "I have."
"What did you remember?!"
"I remembered that I really don't seem to remember you."
"..."
Shakira froze.
Lin En burst out laughing and said with a (~￣▽￣)~ expression,
"Just kidding. I haven't remembered anything, but it really does feel familiar."
"Really?"
Shakira immediately looked delighted and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Then I'll wait for you at the academy gates after school and take you to my house. We used to do it there all the time. Maybe... maybe doing more familiar things will make all your memories come back at once!"
Lin En froze.
"Do it? Do what?"
Shakira blinked, then immediately bounded away like a little deer.
"Don't stand me up!"
"Hey! Wait! Tell me what you mean!"
Soon, after watching her leave...
Lin En couldn't help rubbing his chin.
Oh, crap. I'd just brought home a wife, and now I've run straight into the original girlfriend. What am I supposed to do?
Still... that felt pretty good just now.
Lin En savored the memory.
If she really was this body's original owner's girlfriend, didn't that make what just happened feel a little like NTR??
Hiss-
That wasn't okay, was it?!
That definitely wasn't okay!
Lin En, you're a civilized man who transmigrated from Earth. You should be rejecting cuckoldry!
(๑＞︶＜)و
But...
He rubbed his nose and glanced in the direction she had left.
"Why were you feeling so many conflicting emotions?"
[Suspicion]
[Shock]
[Fear]
And just a little...
[Malice]
Hehehehe-
But he soon shrugged, clasped his hands behind his neck, and swaggered toward his classroom with a (*￣︶￣) expression under the shocked gazes of the students in the hallway.
Still, since she'd said to go do it after school...
Then he'd go do it!
Was there anything he, Lin En, wouldn't dare do?! What a joke!
[Ding! Your happiness +1]
Meanwhile, around the corner at the end of that hallway...
"Shakira!"
A voice approached from the distance.
Shakira stopped at the turn in the stairs. As she turned around, her face regained its sweet, innocent expression, her radiant smile as warm as the morning sun and a spring breeze.
"Oh! Mr. Loren, what are you...?"
Smack-
The boy planted a hand against the wall, trapping her in the corner. His teeth were clenched, and he was clearly struggling to suppress his anger.
"Didn't... didn't you say so yesterday?! Didn't you say you were already sick of that guy?! Then why did you kiss him in front of all those people just now?! What the hell do you mean by this?!"
Shakira smiled at him, her hands clasped before her chest.
"Because he's still my boyfriend, Mr. Loren."
The boy's anger was plain on his face as he said,
"Have you never even considered breaking up with him? Have you been playing me this whole time?!"
Shakira tilted her head.
"How could you say that, Loren?"
The boy snapped angrily,
"Isn't that-"
In a single instant...
His words stopped.
His pupils dilated slightly. The girl still wore that lovely smile, but a faint red glow appeared in her eyes, as alluring as a poppy.
"And another thing, puppy. How could you question your master like that?"
She gently leaned against his shoulder, her breath sweet as orchids, her voice growing softer and more enchanting.
At the center of her brow, a red Sequence slowly formed.
"You should know, if my last little puppy hasn't died yet... how could I keep a second one...? But... if you're that impatient, then go kill the other one for your master..."
Drip-
The red glow in his pupils slowly spread, deepening.
"After all, if it's done out of [Jealousy], then everything will make perfect sense, won't it?"
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