Leansei felt less like a human being and more like a ragdoll caught in a bitter tug-of-war between two spoiled, competitive boys. A sharp prickle of annoyance flared beneath his skin as the truth of the situation dawned on him: they weren't actually fighting over him. This spectacle wasn't about affection; it was a clash of bruised egos, a petty battle fueled entirely by their own stubborn pride.
Xerchin and Rell maintained a vice-like grip on his arms, their fingers digging in hard enough to leave angry, blooming streaks of red against his pale skin. Neither boy showed any sign of backing down. They remained locked in an unyielding stare-down, their eyes burning with a silent, explosive hostility. Leansei clenched his jaw, the dull ache in his joints rapidly giving way to a throbbing numbness.
"Let him go." Rell said and pulled the wrist of Leansei.
"You Let it go. " Xerchin said as he drew it closer to him.
The sudden friction in the middle of the hallway didn't go unnoticed. Nearby students slowed their pace, whispering frantically as a crowd began to form. Dozens of curious eyes locked onto the them, the sound of low murmurs and rising gossip echoing off the lockers.
Leansei's patience snapped. Turning a slow, lethal glare toward Rell, his eyes darkened with a quiet fury that promised a fist to the jaw if this continued for even a second longer. "Hey," he muttered, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper. "Let me go."
Rell glanced down at him, intending to snap back, but the words died in his throat. A violent chill shot straight down his spine. He had never, in all the years he had known this body's owner, seen a look so utterly terrifying. Jolted by a sudden instinctual fear, Rell instantly recoiled, releasing Leansei's wrist as if he had been burned.
Without a word, Leansei pivoted, leveling the exact same murderous glare at Xerchin. A wave of unease washed over the him; the sheer intensity of the gaze felt entirely wrong, completely alien. Xerchin's fingers loosened, and his hand dropped away.
Free at last, Leansei stepped back, cradling his throbbing wrists. A few paces away, Beidhen stood leaning against a locker, a thoroughly entertained smirk plastered across his face. He looked like an audience member watching a high-stakes television drama, completely unapologetic about how much he was enjoying the chaos.
"You bastards," Leansei hissed, his eyes cutting between the two of them. "If you have a problem with each other, keep me out of your pathetic drama."
He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving a heavy, stunned silence in his wake. Xerchin and Rell stood frozen, entirely dumbfounded. For Xerchin, the shock ran deep—no one had ever dared speak to him with such blatant disrespect, let alone strike a sudden chord of fear in his chest. For Rell, the bewilderment was deeply personal; he had grown up alongside Kean, and in all those years of friendship, he had never heard a single profanity or venomous word slip past those lips.
Beidhen looked back and forth between the two paralyzed boys, then shifted his gaze down the hallway where Leansei was quickly disappearing. He couldn't hold it in any longer. A loud, boisterous laugh erupted from his chest, echoing off the walls.
"That is too hilarious! Your faces look so incredibly stupid right now—" Beidhen's mockery was cut short as Xerchin's hand flew out, smacking him hard across the back of the head. Beidhen hissed, stumbling forward and immediately rubbing the sore spot in pain.
"I've never seen Kean act like that before," Beidhen muttered, a dangerous, intrigued glint in his eyes as he looked toward the end of the hall. "How fascinating. Well, big brother, I'm going to go dote on him now!" Without waiting for a response, Beidhen took off into a sprint, trailing after the retreating figure.
"Kean! Wait up!" he called out, his voice whining like a five-year-old left behind on a playground.
Leansei wasn't furious, but a deep, simmering irritation weighed on his chest. He was sick of their childish antics, and he was even more exhausted by the fact that they thought they could use him as a prop to vent their mutual frustration. Suddenly, a familiar, heavy weight draped itself over his shoulders, a stray arm hooking tightly around his neck.
"My, my. Aren't you becoming a feisty one?" Beidhen's cheerful voice rang right in his ear.Leansei winced, rolling his eyes as he forcefully peeled Beidhen's arm off his skin. He stepped away, continuing to massage the dark red imprints left behind by the other two.
"They deserved it," he stated coldly, his expression entirely blank.
"You know what? I like you even more now," Beidhen murmured, his gaze drifting sideways to study Beidhen.
Leansei raised an eyebrow, "Why? Are you implying you didn't like me before?"
"Well, yes. Frankly, I didn't," Beidhen replied smoothly, cutting himself off before he could dig up old grievances. "Especially when you did—anyway, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I like how you've changed."
"Changed?" Leansei echoed the word internally, a sudden wave of confusion washing over him.
The realization hit him like a physical blow. He had grown so fond of Kean's life, adapting to the rhythms of this world so seamlessly that he had momentarily forgotten the truth: he was a transmigrator. He was an interloper occupying a borrowed body, and sooner or later, the clock would run out. He would have to leave them all behind.
Beidhen, entirely oblivious to the existential crisis brewing beside him, strolled forward with his arms locked casually behind his head. "Well, you used to be so fragile and entirely too kind. Not a single foul word could ever escape your mouth. But now? Look at you. You've gotten remarkably stronger. Feistier, too."
Leansei stared at him, the words fading into the background as he truly looked at his companion. For the first time, it clicked just how exceptionally attractive and good-looking this human actually was. The sharp jawline, the effortless posture—it was undeniable.
"Don't stare at me so intensely," Beidhen teased, casting a playful glance sideways. "You might just fall in love with me, and I'm really not looking to get my ass kicked today."
Leansei vigorously shook his head, breaking the spell. He had momentarily forgotten how utterly ridiculous and incredibly annoying Beidhen could be.
A nagging question surfaced in his mind, one he couldn't quite shake: ' Why on earth does he keep following me around? Did he actually mean it that day when he said we were friends? ' Leansei mused, watching the other youth. ' I honestly thought he was just playing a joke on me and who could possibly kick his ass?'
"Oh, right! What exactly is your grand plan for the end of the month?" Beidhen asked, suddenly shifting gears.
Leansei glanced at him again, his brow furrowed in genuine bewilderment. Beidhen let out a dramatic sigh, clicking his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. What a fool. You are the Vice President of the student council, yet you remain completely in the dark?"
Leansei quickly looked away, a pang of guilt striking his chest. He truly had no inkling of what event or occasion was fast approaching by the end of the month. A sinking feeling told him he was being far too irresponsible, utterly failing to uphold his duties within the Supreme Student Council.
"It is an annual tradition held for all senior high school and college students like us," Beidhen explained, dropping his hands and pressing the tips of his index fingers together. He pouted, widening his eyes into a pathetic, pleading puppy face. "It's the acquaintance party. Come on, can't you just spoil the surprise for me? What is the council planning?"
Leansei scoffed, entirely unimpressed by the display. "You look absolutely ridiculous. And even if you beg, I couldn't tell you. I have amnesia, remember? The slate is entirely blank."
Beidhen paused, sheepishly scratching his scalp as the reminder hit him. "Tch. You really are terribly naive," he grumbled, his lips still twisted into a pout.
Leansei leveled a sharp, warning glare at him. But instead of backing down, Beidhen merely burst into a hearty laugh. With easy, practiced familiarity, he threw his arm back around Leansei's neck again, pulling him close as they continued down the path together.
---
An hour later, the sharp ring of the final bell signaled the end of classes—a sound that usually brought Leansei an immense sense of relief. He swung his bag over his shoulder, eager to leave the stifling classroom behind and finally head home. But just as his fingers wrapped around the strap, the door was thrown open with a violent, resounding bang.
Leansei paused, his gaze tracking the intruders.
A small faction of disheveled, slovenly students spilled into the room. They were a notorious collective within the school, widely recognized for their lack of academic merit and their propensity for intimidation. Shielded by familial wealth and systemic influence, they operated with absolute impunity; no ordinary student ever dared to stand up or confront them.
"Are you Kean?" the boy at the front demanded. He carried himself with the bloated arrogance of a self-appointed leader. Leansei calmly evaluated the four figures blocking his exit before giving a slow, deliberate nod of confirmation.
"Come with us," the leader ordered curtly. Without waiting for a response, he spun on his heel and marched out into the corridor. Leansei let out a profound, weary sigh. The disappointing realization that his quiet evening at home had just been derailed weighed heavily on him, but he adjusted his bag and followed them nonetheless.
They navigated the labyrinthine hallways, eventually stopping behind an abandoned building situated on the fringes of the school grounds. The air here was foul, reeking of stagnant dampness and decades of neglect, punctuated only by the rhythmic, echoing ping of water dripping from exposed, rusted pipes.
The leader turned around, a smug grin plastered across his face as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket. He struck a flame, inhaled deeply, and deliberately exhaled a thick cloud of acrid smoke directly into Leansei's face.
Leansei's eyes narrowed in immediate annoyance. He was acutely aware that Kean's borrowed body was frail, highly susceptible to illness, and lacked resilience. More than anything, he simply wanted to go home. He had no intention of letting these amateurs waste any more of his precious time.
"Do you want to see stars?" Leansei inquired, his voice dangerously calm as he unbuttoned his school blazer and slipped it off his shoulders. The leader and his sycophants erupted into mocking laughter, entirely misinterpreting the gesture as a pathetic bluff.
"Oh, I want to see plenty of stars—" the leader began, his voice dripping with condescension. He never got to finish the sentence.
Leansei cut him off with a fluid, explosive movement. Pivoting on his heel, he launched a devastating upward kick that connected squarely with the underside of the leader's jaw. The force of the impact lifted the boy slightly off his feet before sending him crashing heavily to the dirt.
Instantly, the collective laughter evaporated. The remaining three bullies froze, the smug smirks vanishing from their faces as they stared in horrified disbelief at their unconscious leader.
"I merely granted him exactly what he requested," Leansei remarked smoothly.
Without breaking his composure, he slipped his blazer back on, meticulously smoothing out the fabric and straightening his uniform. He cast one final, unimpressed glance at the perplexed, trembling boys before turning his back on them and walking away, leaving them frozen in the damp shadows of the alley.
As he made his way toward the school gates, Leansei's thoughts drifted exclusively to the sanctuary of his apartment. He wished for nothing more than to spend the remainder of the day buried beneath the blankets of his precious bed. He was entirely spent, his stamina depleted by the sheer volume of chaotic events that had unfolded in a single afternoon. Lately, peaceful sleep had become a rare luxury, and his exhausted mind was finally demanding its dues.
--
The past three days had been an absolute nightmare for Leansei. Coming home to Kean's condo, he felt as though each individual day had dragged on for an entire year.
Rumors about the fight behind the abandoned building had spread like wildfire. Everyone had a different version of the story, each one more unbelievable than the last. Because of this, the school environment grew worse by the day. People started treating him even more terribly than usual. He was called unpleasant names in the hallways, got judged with nasty stares everywhere he walked, and had to deal with constant trouble every single time he crossed paths with Xerchin. Through it all, Beidhen still stubbornly followed him around like a shadow.
Meanwhile, Tyvan had been trying to pick him up after school and drive him to classes every morning. Leansei, however, wanted nothing to do with him and had successfully avoided Tyvan for days. On a brighter note, he had actually grown a bit closer to Revin, since the two of them were partnered up for a major school project.
Leansei had also decided it was best to stay hidden away in Kean's condo instead of visiting the family mansion, which always had a suffocating and uncomfortable atmosphere. He wanted to travel to Levous City to find answers about his situation, but he couldn't make a move yet. His schedule was completely packed. He had to attend Supreme Student Council meetings every single day because the big acquaintance party was just around the corner.
Fresh out of the shower, Leansei collapsed heavily onto his bed. His hair was still wet and cold against his neck. As he lay there dazed, a sudden realization hit him: he was getting entirely too comfortable living as Kean. He was genuinely starting to like the people he interacted with. More than that, he was deeply enjoying the financial freedom and stability of Kean's wealthy life. For the first time, he didn't have to stress about running to a grueling part-time job immediately after his classes ended.
He was also incredibly relieved that he had managed to fix one of Kean's biggest problems. No one dared to bully him anymore. Over the course of those three hectic days, Leansei had repeatedly tracked down that group of delinquents. He beat them soundly each time, giving them a taste of their own medicine as payback for all the pain and trauma they had inflicted on the original Kean.
Ever since the moment he transmigrated into Kean's body, Leansei had not let a single moment go to waste. Every single night, and during every scrap of free time he could manage, he pushed himself through a strict routine. He would jog for miles, run until his lungs burned, and complete intense physical exercises in the quiet of his condo.
His dedication had certainly paid off in terms of definition—running his hands over his torso, he could feel that his muscles had become remarkably firm, toned, and tightly packed.
Yet, looking into the full-length mirror, Leansei couldn't help but furrow his brows in sheer bewilderment. Despite all his exhausting workouts, Kean's overall frame remained stubbornly small and petite. No matter how much weight he lifted or how hard he trained, his shoulders wouldn't broaden past a certain point, and his bone structure stayed completely delicate unlike his original body.
' Why on earth is this body still so tiny? ' Leansei thought, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He was building stamina and functional strength, but genetically, Kean was simply built like a fragile porcelain doll. He looked lean and dangerously fit if someone looked closely, but under his loose school uniform, he still appeared just as small and defenseless as before.
Leansei made a firm mental plan. As soon as the school party was over, he would travel to Levous City himself to investigate the mysteries bothering his mind.
He stretched out on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling. To his surprise, he noticed glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the surface. It brought a soft smile to his face; it felt like being in a cozy child's room.
Suddenly, Leansei flinched violently as a massive crack of thunder boomed outside the condo. The noise was so loud that it left a ringing echo in his ears. Outside on the balcony, fierce winds began violently whipping against the glass sliding door. The heavy, downpouring rain paired with the deafening thunder made Leansei instantly gasp for air.
Panic seized him. He quickly clapped his hands over his ears and curled his body into a tight ball on the bed. Leansei started quivering uncontrollably as the storm raged on outside, and a terrifyingly familiar scene from his past began flashing through his mind.
-----
The dark memory played like a broken projector in his head.
Under a raging storm just like this one, a younger Leansei had been running desperately through the pouring rain, soaking wet and clutching a piece of damp paper in his hands. He had been running as fast as his legs could carry him, whispering a single word over and over: "Mama." Even when he accidentally collided with someone and crashed onto the slippery ground—bruising his hands and scraping his toes—he hadn't cared about the pain. He had simply forced himself back up and kept running through the freezing, relentless downpour.
A sudden, aggressive knock on the condo door broke the trance. Leansei flinched violently, slammed back into reality. He was still trembling with pure terror. He could handle ordinary rain, but violent thunderstorms completely paralyzed him. That horrific, unforgettable memory from his past just kept looping in his mind.
Another knock echoed through the apartment, forcing Leansei to move toward the front door. He crossed his arms tightly, rubbing his own shoulders to try and comfort himself. It was a bitter reminder that there was no one left to hold him anymore.
As he walked, he had to press his hand against the wall for support. The sheer exhaustion of his fear combined with a sudden, suffocating tightness in his chest made the pain almost unbearable. He closed his eyes and gripped his head as a rush of fragmented, unfamiliar memories suddenly flooded his brain.
"Argh..." Leansei groaned aloud. He stumbled forward, nearly collapsing to the floor before his fingers desperately caught the edge of a nearby shelf to steady himself.
The knocking came again, louder this time. He glanced toward the entryway, a wave of intense nausea hitting him. It felt as though his fear, the physical pain, and these unexplained headaches had all conspired to wreck his mind and body all at once.
He forced himself to amble forward. He was only a few meters away from the door when he had to freeze and grip the back of the sofa. Yet another memory flashed in his mind—this time accompanied by a chorus of unfamiliar voices and a crushing ache in his heart that felt like it was tearing his very soul apart. The sensory overload made him move even slower, his limbs shaking uncontrollably.
Step by agonizing step, Leansei pushed through the cold and the terror of the booming thunder outside, finally reaching the entryway.
Gasping heavily for air, his entire body freezing and completely drained of strength, he reached out a trembling hand and grabbed the doorknob. His fingers fumbled with the multiple security locks, turning them one by one. He was on the absolute verge of passing out, his muscles giving out on him.
He finally swung the door open and slowly tilted his head up. Standing in the hallway was a familiar figure, completely drenched from head to toe. The visitor was dressed in a blazer and a cap, with wet hair clinging to his face and rainwater dripping down his cheeks. Leansei found himself staring directly into a pair of familiar, striking blue eyes that were looking right back at him.