The rooftop of the school building—
This was not a private space. During lunchtime, many students came here to eat their lunchboxes, and some sat on the benches to read. It looked quite lively.
However, when Alex appeared, the students' conversations lowered considerably, and they all nervously put more distance between themselves and him.
"Am I really that scary?"
It was the middle of the day. He hadn't brought a lunchbox and couldn't be bothered to go to the school cafeteria or buy bread from the store. Only the cigarette dangling from his mouth was conspicuous. He took a drag through the smoky haze.
"Huu—"
Leaning against the railing, he squinted, then looked down at his attire. "I don't look like a delinquent, do I?"
He paused, then chuckled dismissively. In the eyes of those students, he probably was a delinquent. Although his uniform looked the same, still—
Phew.
Even actual delinquents wouldn't dare smoke openly in a public area like this. Alex, however, didn't care, and his demeanor was worse than any true delinquent.
He turned away, no longer paying attention to the others. He leaned on the railing and felt the wind, his bangs swaying slightly as his gaze fell upon the students gathered in small groups below.
"Hmm?"
Spotting someone interesting, a strange smile curved on the boy's otherwise expressionless face. He turned and headed downstairs.
"Alex—"
As soon as he stepped out of the school building, he was called. The tight-fitting gym uniform highlighted the woman's graceful, curvy figure. Her curves were stunningly pronounced, but in contrast to her incredibly sexy body, the woman's face held a pure, earnest expression.
Her green hair reached her waist. She looked like a gentle woman, but she approached Alex with a severe frown.
"Alex! You're smoking on school grounds?!"
Facing her accusation, Alex lazily lifted his eyelids. "Ms. Green, you're not my homeroom teacher, are you?"
Ms. Green was the P.E. teacher for his class. Although she taught sports, she had a very gentle nature and cared deeply about her students. She had kept an eye on Alex, seeing him as an uncooperative student.
Alex, however, simply found her troublesome.
Like now—
"Even if I'm not your homeroom teacher, you can't violate school rules like this," Ms. Green walked up to Alex, her hands on her hips. Her sizable chest swayed with the movement, a breathtaking sight.
Alex turned his head, the cigarette still in his mouth, meeting her determined gaze. When he saw Ms. Green reaching for the cigarette at the corner of his mouth, he tilted his head, dodging her hand.
"Alex!"
The beautiful P.E. teacher was annoyed that he dared to dodge. She reached out and grabbed Alex's arm to prevent him from running away. The pulling and tugging inevitably resulted in contact, and Alex could clearly feel the woman's softness and presence.
An intimate contact.
Snatch.
The cigarette was pulled from his mouth. Alex looked at her helplessly. He considered using his Absolute Control to utterly dominate the meddling teacher, but unfortunately, despite her big chest—
As a P.E. teacher, Ms. Green had excellent athletic abilities. Purely in terms of attributes, she was stronger than him. [Absolute Control] would have only a very limited effect on her.
Thinking of this, he felt an urgent need to speed up the acquisition and efficiency of Affection Points.
"Alex, smoking is a bad habit, especially when you're so young," Ms. Green extinguished the cigarette with the tip of her shoe and tossed it into the trash. "The teachers don't want you to become a delinquent."
"But, I know you have no parents and are a poor child. If you have any difficulties, you can talk to me. I will help you," Ms. Green said, giving him a gentle smile.
"Don't let Ms. Miyu fool you; she's actually a very kind teacher, too."
Ms. Miyu was the homeroom teacher for Year D.
"I don't care about kindness," Alex smiled, saying sweetly, "but both Ms. Miyu and Ms. Green are very beautiful."
Huh?
What does he mean by that?
Ms. Green didn't understand the meaning of Alex's words. She watched him turn and walk away, leaving her standing bewildered by the flower garden, her head tilted in confusion.
Having left Ms. Green, Alex spat and fumbled in his pocket. "She thought she got the only one? Ms. Green is so naive."
Click.
He lit another one.
He didn't actually have a nicotine addiction. He only smoked when he was in a bad mood, and unfortunately, Alex, having transmigrated into this world, was not exactly in a good mood.
He reached the track field and immediately spotted a couple under the cherry blossom tree: the beautiful girl with long red hair and a strange upperclassman. Alex narrowed his eyes, a smile forming on his face.
He walked toward them.
"Jake—"
Staring at the LINE message he sent, an invitation from the person she loved, Chloe's face showed little happiness; instead, she was preoccupied with worry.
Alex's existence felt like a mountain pressing down on her heart—inescapable, unavoidable, and impossible to resist.
At the very least, she couldn't involve Jake. The man's warning this morning was still vivid in her mind. But how could she tell Jake?
Should she just tell him to stop looking for her?
Chloe was lost in complicated thoughts. Unconsciously, she arrived at the edge of the track field, where Jake was waving nearby, holding a lunchbox.
"Chloe—!"
"Jake—"
The boy, full of youthful vitality, was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a sunny smile. He was handsome—the quintessential popular guy.
Chloe, who would usually be delighted to see him, was now only filled with conflict and sadness.
Her eyes darted away.
"Chloe, I feel like you've changed a bit today," Jake looked at the girl. Her clothes and appearance were the same, but he felt something was different about Chloe.
"Changed?"
"Yeah, Chloe, you seem even prettier than before." He couldn't quite place it, but she was definitely more beautiful.
Her uniform outlined the girl's alluring curves, the legs beneath her skirt shimmered in the sunlight, and her rosy cheeks emitted a sweet scent. Fine beads of sweat glistened on her slender neck.
It made him want to reach out and taste her.
The unconsciously seductive aura Chloe gave off made the upperclassman repeatedly glance at her, his throat dry.
Today's Chloe is incredibly charming...
Prettier? I should be happy that Senpai complimented me, Chloe thought, lowering her head, a bitter smile on her delicate face beneath her bangs. Her silent distress confused Jake.
"Chloe? What's wrong? You don't seem to be in a good mood."
"N-No, I'm not," she quickly shook her head, forcing a smile to cover up. "I'm not in a bad mood. Jake, what did you want to see me about?"
"I wanted to eat lunch with you," Jake shook his lunchbox, noticing Chloe wasn't holding anything. "Chloe, you didn't bring your lunchbox?"
"I... I didn't make one today."
The girl mumbled softly.
"Ah, how about I share mine with you? Or we can go to the cafeteria together."
"No, no, thank you," Chloe waved her hands. Although she had a lot to tell Jake, she could only refuse him with a heavy heart, even contemplating cutting off contact with him entirely. "I'll just buy some bread later."
"Then—"
Chloe is acting strange today, Jake buried his question, about to say something else, but was suddenly interrupted.
"Well, well, if it isn't Chloe?"
An arm reached out from behind, draping around Chloe's slender neck in a familiar gesture, startling Jake. "What are you doing here?"
W-Who is this guy?
Jake was stunned when he saw Alex, only snapping out of it after a long moment. He stared intensely at Alex's posture, standing so close to Chloe, his eyebrows knitted together.
"Chloe, who—who is he?" Jake asked, his eyes wide. His hands, clutching his lunchbox, turned white and stiff. His expression was a little grim, but he managed a forced smile. "Is he someone you know?"
"He—"
The moment Alex's arm hooked around her neck, Chloe's nerves and muscles immediately tensed. Her eyes subtly widened. The familiar presence and scent made her body tremble slightly.
After the reckless night, she couldn't possibly forget Alex's smell.
The marks he left on her body, and inside her, hadn't faded. It was like PTSD; the moment he touched her, her body reacted.
And it was happening right in front of Jake.
Chloe bit her lip fiercely, looking down in silence.
She wanted desperately to break free, to push Alex away, but she knew she couldn't.
"Chloe, are—are you two dating?"
Jake asked, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Not at all," Alex said before Chloe could speak. He pulled the girl's neck closer into his embrace, their heads intimate and close. He inhaled the scent of her hair. "Chloe and I are just ordinary friends."
Ordinary friends?
If you're just ordinary friends, why are you being so intimate?!
Jake clenched his fists.
"Chloe," Alex breathed a whisper near her ear, their heads still pressed together. "What do you say?"
"I… Alex is my friend," Chloe managed, her voice barely audible. The hand on her neck and his body pressed against her shoulder made Chloe's body rigid, like a statue.
All accompanied by the faint scent of tobacco.
"Just friends? Chloe, he doesn't look like—"
He didn't finish the sentence, but his suspicious gaze remained locked on Alex. The way he hooked his arm around the girl's shoulders had a vulgar, thuggish feel, and the cigarette in his mouth only made it worse. If his hair were dyed blonde, the atmosphere would be thicker.
Even so, Jake felt there was something very wrong with this man.
And something was wrong with Chloe, too.
"Speaking of which, I haven't had lunch yet. Chloe, you don't mind eating with me, do you?" Alex's arm wrapped around her, his hand moving to caress her smooth, delicate cheek, but his eyes were fixed on Jake.
He watched Jake's visibly frustrated expression and smiled.
"Mmm..."
"Chloe? Chl—Cough, cough!"
Phew.
The puff of smoke Alex blew landed on Jake's face. Watching him cough in discomfort, Alex smirked and led the girl away intimately, her arm wrapped around his. Chloe didn't struggle or say a word.
"Chloe… what exactly is your relationship with him?"
Watching the back of the girl he liked, being led away by the strange boy, Jake's chest heaved, and his face was pale.
Why?
Doesn't Chloe know how I feel about her?