The moment Anna finished speaking, Raiden Mei's "kind" expression shifted instantly. Her eyes narrowed with scrutiny, darting back and forth between Kiana and Anna.
Kiana couldn't help but put down her book and turn slightly, her peripheral vision locked onto Anna and Li Wu.
The rest of the class was even more gobsmacked. They stared at Li Wu in disbelief, mentally scrolling through every noble surname in Nagazora City, but "Li" was nowhere to be found.
"First Raiden Mei, now a Schariac? Is Li Wu some top-tier noble from another country living incognito?"
"Could be. That would explain why Raiden Mei suddenly has the backbone to stand up for herself—she must have landed a sugar daddy!"
A few students who had bullied Mei before gulped, feeling lucky they hadn't done anything worse.
In an instant, several dozen versions of Li Wu's backstory were fabricated in their minds. No one realized he was actually just an ordinary guy still drowning in debt... wait, no, Raiden Mei had cleared his debts yesterday. Now, he was just an ordinary guy with less than four digits in his savings account.
"Right! I'll move my stuff immediately!"
The boy sitting next to him scrambled to pack his bags. Within minutes, the seat next to Li Wu was vacant. Anna sat down naturally. She didn't look at the blackboard; instead, she faced Li Wu directly, staring at him without so much as a blink, as if trying to see through him completely.
Okay, this is getting a bit creepy.
Li Wu felt incredibly uneasy. He had only ever seen this kind of gaze from one type of person: a sniper holding an angle in an FPS game.
This Anna person didn't come to Chiba Academy just to headshot me, did she?
To the side, Raiden Mei had her thumb in her mouth, chewing her nail until it bled without stopping. Her pupils had lost their luster; she was staring at Anna like a vengeful ghost, letting out unintelligible, muffled grunts.
Kiana, on the other hand, didn't look over again, seemingly immersed in her book.
However, the sunlight on her face felt annoying, making it hard to see the words on the page. And when she could see them, the letters seemed to jump around—one here, one there—forming a jumbled mess of her own foul mood.
So annoying...
So annoying...
So annoying...
"Hello. My name is Anna Schariac. You may call me Anna. I do not care how you address me. I have heard that you are from Shenzhou. I believe the etiquette for Shenzhou people meeting is a handshake. I trust I haven't learned this incorrectly."
Anna reached out her hand. Her expression was friendly as she took the initiative to greet Li Wu.
Li Wu blinked, then hesitantly reached out to shake her hand. The moment their hands met, he heard the faint sound of a fingernail snapping nearby.
Li Wu looked up into Anna's eyes, only to find a pool of pink, stagnant water—devoid of the life and charm the color usually implied.
It's very soft.
Wait, no.
Li Wu adjusted his breathing, keeping his gaze clear. His mood quickly shifted from surprise to caution.
She's here for me.
The Kaslanas, the Schariacs, and the Apocalypses were the three top families in the world. This was true in the games, the manga, and this current reality.
Why would someone of such high status go through the trouble of pulling my files and then go as far as learning Shenzhou etiquette just to get close to me?
Li Wu immediately deduced that Anna was here on a mission. The "Transfer Student Crisis" from the manga had likely shifted from an Anti-Entropy cyborg to a Schicksal Valkyrie.
She was acting like a common-sense-deficient Valkyrie who only knew how to fight—but who knew if it was an act?
Time for a basic attack to test the waters!
Li Wu teased in a joking tone, "Actually, the proper etiquette for a Shenzhou greeting is a kiss. Handshakes are just a rumor."
It was an obvious joke.
If Anna was faking her ignorance, she would either fail to answer, skillfully change the subject, or show a lack of surprise—any of which would prove the "clumsy girl" act was a front.
A second later.
"I see."
Anna nodded slightly. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she stood up. She tucked a stray lock of auburn hair behind her ear and cupped Li Wu's head with both hands.
Her fingers were cool, but her palms were burning.
She tilted her head to find the right angle, leaned forward, and closed her eyes. Softness and warmth reached their destination without reservation.
Yes—she just went for it. No warning, no hesitation, no teasing, and zero technique. She did it as if she were completing a mission, devoid of emotion, focused only on finishing the task quickly.
But things quickly turned strange.
Soft. Sweet.
It was like a butterfly landing on a petal for the first time. It was supposed to be a calm landing, but she hadn't accounted for the instincts buried in her body for sixteen years. The unprecedented sensation caused a "bug" in Anna's mechanical behavior. A surge of heat and impulse began to race through her body like a wild beast in heat.
Her grip on Li Wu's cheeks tightened. A hum of longing was suppressed in the back of her throat. Realizing her state was wrong, she immediately let go, leaped back, and dropped into a combat stance.
"You certainly are a problem! What did you just do to me?!"
Ignoring the stunned gazes of her classmates and teacher, Anna crouched low, hissing like an agitated kitten.
"I was just joking with you! You're the one who kissed me! I didn't even have time to react, okay?!" Li Wu was floored. What on earth was Anna playing at?
Is this a Schariac honey trap?
I threw out a basic attack and she countered with her ultimate?
Is she trying to frame me for assault and use legal procedures to get me locked up?
Is there even a point to that? With the power of the Schariacs, she could put me away with a single phone call...
A strange flush crept across Anna's face. She glared at Li Wu, her voice strained with effort: "What are you talking about? Whether or not kissing is a Shenzhou greeting is irrelevant! I am asking what you did to me while we were kissing! Don't try to change the subject! Why is my body starting to feel so hot and flushed?!"
Li Wu: "???"
Raiden Mei: "???"
Kiana: "???"
Students and Teacher: "???"
Hearing Anna's words, Li Wu's brain stalled. Every logical thought in his head was smoothed over.
The bad news: She had fully inherited the "fine" Schariac genes and was approaching him with an ulterior motive.
The good news: She had fully inherited the "fine" Schariac genes—she was an airhead beauty who was a total "freebie."
It wasn't just Li Wu; everyone present was stunned.
An unrealistic but seemingly plausible thought gradually began to surface in everyone's minds—
Could it be that the prestigious, beautiful, and powerful Anna Schariac was actually just a common-sense-deprived, naive girl experiencing the first flutters of a crush?