Chapter Twenty-Five: A Familiar Plot

Returning to the classroom, Anhe placed the cup of hot water he had brought from Ms. Ito on Keiko Kitajima’s desk before taking his seat.

“What’s this?”

Keiko Kitajima, who had been lying on her desk, looked up in confusion at the unexpected cup of water before her, gazing at Anhe.

Meeting her gaze, Anhe waved his hand casually and said, “I happened to report something to Ms. Ito, so I brought you a cup of hot water while I was at it.”

There was a brief silence before Keiko Kitajima softly murmured, “Thank you, Yusheng.”

She reached out to take the cup, feeling its warmth, and a faint blush colored her cheeks.

[A little scheme, and you’ve won her heart. You’re inwardly delighted. Surely, if you asked anything of her now, she would agree without hesitation. But remembering you have appointments both afternoon and evening, you set your sights on the break between classes. Conveniently, after the next lesson, Keiko Kitajima will go to the restroom. If you quietly follow, sneak in, lock the door, and then...]

Do you want her to go into battle with blood?

Anhe was utterly shocked, but realizing it was the narrator speaking, everything made sense again.

Soon, the bell rang for class.

Everyone returned to their seats.

Coincidentally, this period was taught by Ms. Ito.

Perhaps intentionally, she did not remove the lollipop from her mouth, but instead came to class with it.

As she approached the classroom, she cast a brief, indifferent glance at Anhe sitting in the corner.

Damn, that’s murderous intent!

Anhe’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

But it was ultimately futile.

“Well, who will solve this question?”

On the podium, Ms. Ito pointed at the English problem written on the blackboard and asked.

Seeing that no one answered, she pretended to be deep in thought, then suddenly pointed at a corner and called out.

“Emmm, fourth row from the back, second seat, the boy with his head down—your turn.”

Caught off guard, Anhe jolted, but quickly stood up.

He glanced at Ms. Ito uneasily, but seeing her unmoved, he turned to the blackboard.

Luckily, Anhe had encountered this problem before, so he answered without difficulty.

After he finished, Ms. Ito nodded, then said,

“Very good answer. Now go stand in the hallway.”

Hmm~

Hmm?

Anhe was calm at first, but when he heard the second half, he froze in disbelief and stared at Ms. Ito.

“Go out. Sleeping during class is not a good habit, you know~”

Ms. Ito smiled, her delicate face made even cuter by her puffed cheeks with the lollipop.

Just wait and see!

Anhe thought vengefully as he rose and walked out of the classroom.

As he passed the podium, he shot Ms. Ito a sidelong glance. She seemed unconcerned, even deliberately turned her back to the students, and stuck out her tongue at Anhe with a sly smile.

Outside, Anhe leaned against the wall in the hallway.

A cold wind blew, making him shiver.

“So cold!” ×2

A voice suddenly came from nearby, startling Anhe. He turned to see another student standing at the doorway of the neighboring classroom.

The figure was somewhat plump, wore shiny gold glasses, seemed about 1.6 meters tall, and was dressed in the uniform of Mokunan High.

“Were you sent out to stand as punishment too?”

Anhe, naturally sociable, moved over and greeted him.

“Huh?”

The sudden voice made the plump student jump and stand straight, but seeing that Anhe was also in school uniform, he relaxed.

“So you were sent out too.”

The plump student looked up at Anhe, studied him for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Are you the new transfer student, Anhe Yusheng from Class B?”

“You know me?”

Anhe was even more surprised. He had barely left his classroom these past few days, even at lunch, preferring to ask classmates to bring him bread and milk.

Of course, he always paid them a runner’s fee.

Yet he was certain he had never seen this guy before.

Perhaps sensing Anhe’s confusion, the plump student waved his hand and explained with a smile, “I don’t know you personally, but I know every student in the school. Since I’ve never seen you before, and there’s a new student in the neighboring class these days, I guessed.”

Knows everyone in the school?

Anhe was even more astonished; Mokunan High had nearly a thousand students, yet this guy claimed he knew them all.

Curious, Anhe decided to test him. “Do you know Reina Serizawa?”

Without hesitation, the plump student replied, “I do. She’s the girl from your class who hasn’t attended school in ages.”

To bolster his claim, he even provided details about Reina Serizawa—her circumstances, social connections, and so on.

Listening, Anhe realized he knew as much as he had heard from Yui Serizawa, perhaps even more.

After a lengthy explanation, seeing that Anhe was convinced, the plump student grinned, “Let me introduce myself. I’m Nagamoto Nanbara, Class C, second year.”

“Anhe Yusheng.”

Though the other already knew his name, Anhe repeated it.

With nothing better to do, Anhe began chatting with Nagamoto Nanbara.

As their conversation continued, Anhe sensed something oddly familiar about Nanbara.

[Indeed, after sixteen years, you’ve finally met a rival equal to your former self. The difference is, you died and he survived. The thought fills you with resentment. Both once kings of the otaku, why should you be the one to perish? A poisonous feeling sprouts in your heart—you decide to teach this guy a lesson. Conveniently, he has a newly released erotic manga in his pocket. After class, you’ll expose him...]

You really deserve to die!

Cursing the narrator for reopening old wounds, Anhe couldn’t help but glance at Nanbara’s pocket.

Come to think of it, it’s been about ten years since I last read an erotic manga.

While Anhe was pondering, Nanbara suddenly edged closer.

“What’s up?”

Anhe looked puzzled.

Nanbara hesitated, then finally asked, “Anhe, are you free this weekend?”

“For what?”

Anhe quickly put some distance between them, eyeing Nanbara warily.

He couldn’t be blamed for overthinking—after all, they had only just met, and already Nanbara was asking about his weekend plans.

If it were a girl, Anhe might entertain the idea; even Ryoji Kihara wouldn’t be out of the question.

But...

Seeing the plump student’s awkward expression, Anhe frowned.

Realizing he hadn’t explained himself well, Nanbara smiled awkwardly, then pulled a small notebook from his pocket and handed it to Anhe.

“You misunderstood. I’m perfectly normal. I just wanted to ask if you’re free this weekend and if you’d accompany me to attend Kuroko-sensei’s autograph session.”

“Kuroko-sensei?”

Anhe repeated, then looked at the small book in his hand.

On the cover was a mature woman, with the title "On the Train" in the center, and the author’s signature, “Kuroko.”

“What is this?”

Though he already knew, Anhe feigned ignorance and flipped through it.

He was genuinely curious what an erotic manga of this era, especially a physical copy, would be like.

Upon inspection, it turned out to be story-driven.

The art was unexpectedly good.

With an unaffected expression, Anhe read it from start to finish, then handed it back.

Art, plot, atmosphere—all top-notch. The secretive theme of two people on a train was particularly stimulating.

The choice of protagonists was interesting, too.

A married woman.

A high school student.

...

Wait, why does this feel oddly familiar?