Chapter 20

"Huh? Are you talking about what I'm wearing?"

Du Zhengxuan didn't quite catch his meaning. She pulled up the sleeve of her school uniform to show him the string of colorful little stones on her wrist.

"I wouldn't really call these 'gemstones'; maybe 'crystals' is better? If you like them, I can string some more for you," she said, tilting her head to look at him. "These aren't expensive. You can buy several large bags online for ten yuan. There are others if you want to take a look."

On the nights she went home during the weekend, Du Zhengxuan usually didn't do her homework. She carried a medium-sized backpack filled entirely with things unrelated to her studies.

She took out all sorts of gaudy beads—strawberry quartz, moonstone, sunstone, and more—and lined them up on the tabletop.

They were all sealed in small, transparent plastic bags. Even the bags were tiny, looking crystal clear in the morning sun after the third period, almost like a child's trinkets.

Chuya Nakahara looked at the beads, their mottled, colorful light reflecting in his eyes.

After a moment, he smiled and said, "That's not what I meant. Thank you."

"Alright, just let me know if you want anything else."

Du Zhengxuan put the little bags away and took Chuya Nakahara to the playground for physical education.

Strictly speaking, it had been nearly two months since Chuya Nakahara transferred, and this was his first time attending a PE class.

Du Zhengxuan explained, "Our school's PE classes don't usually involve much. After attendance is taken and we run two laps, it's free time. You can borrow equipment, find a place to sit, or just head back to the classroom."

Since PE was the last period of the morning this semester, many students would sneak off halfway through.

Du Zhengxuan shared a tip with him: "See that side gate by the playground? When we're running and pass by it, you can just slip out under the cover of the crowd."

Chuya Nakahara politely declined the suggestion.

Du Zhengxuan didn't push the matter, just smiled and let it go.

She understood that mindset. When she first started elementary school, she was just as excited and full of heart, determined to listen carefully in every class, complete every worksheet, and become a model student excelling in all areas—only to eventually turn into a seasoned slacker.

One could only say that when people get too tired, they learn to cut corners. It’s a survival strategy.

The class gathered on the playground. Du Zhengxuan and Chuya Nakahara were the last ones to leave the classroom, and since students from other classes had already returned to prepare for their next lessons, the path was deserted.

Du Zhengxuan had intended to lead Chuya straight to the meeting point, but they were blocked by someone at the edge of the field.

Long Wan was facing the assembly area, frowning and resting her chin in her hand like a detective, muttering, "That's not right..."

"What's not right?" Du Zhengxuan leaned in from behind, peering curiously in the direction Long Wan was looking. "What are you watching?"

"Our foreign PE teacher. Look, do you see that handsome blonde guy?"

Long Wan gestured vaguely, and Du Zhengxuan had no trouble identifying the target in the distance.

Actually, there was no need to point him out; he was far too striking. His figure was tall and elegant, and his blonde hair caught the sunlight so brilliantly that it seemed to draw all the surrounding light toward him, making one involuntarily think of Apollo, the sun god from mythology.

...It was one thing to be handsome, but he was also that tall.

Du Zhengxuan sighed inwardly.

She had never seen such a handsome man before; he brought a whole new level of visual shock. She knew that after seeing him for a while, the shock would surely fade, so she made the most of the moment to stare while asking her friend, "He's so handsome! Your intel is spot-on this time; I'll give you credit for that. What's wrong with him?"

Chuya Nakahara: "..."

Long Wan almost rolled her eyes. "When have my tips ever been wrong? Didn't I tell you in advance when the school heartthrob was coming? You were the one who wouldn't listen and just kept clutching that pile of paper cutouts—who's to blame for that?"

"I'm unrefined, I'm unrefined," Du Zhengxuan quickly confessed with sincerity. "So, what's the problem?"

"...It's his outfit." Long Wan pondered for a moment before concluding, gesturing for Du Zhengxuan not to just look at his face. "He wasn't wearing this last time he came. That suit he wore was so handsome, I can't even describe it."

A suit?

Du Zhengxuan’s eyes lit up. She quickly tore her gaze away from the blonde man's face and looked down.

One look was a major disappointment.

His attire... well, how should she put it? If one insisted on calling it a suit, it wasn't impossible, as it did consist of leather shoes, formal trousers, a belt, and a dress shirt.

Director Yan—the grade level head—dressed exactly like that every day.

This blonde teacher even had a set of keys hanging from his belt; Du Zhengxuan could already imagine the clanking sound they would make as he walked.

"...He looks like he was given a makeover by Director Yan. His head looks like it was just attached to someone else's body," Du Zhengxuan said weakly. "Is it really necessary to replicate details like tying keys to a belt?"

At first, without noticing his clothing and just looking at his face, it was a real treat. But once she realized he was wearing the "Grade Level Director Starter Pack," Du Zhengxuan couldn't take it.

Objectively speaking, the foreign teacher had an excellent aura; he would look good even in an old man’s cardigan.

But as a fan of 2D culture, Du Zhengxuan had a bit of a uniform fetish; she liked that slightly stiff, formal style. However, the new teacher was so earth-shatteringly handsome, carrying the vibe of a manga heartthrob, that seeing him in an outfit that reminded her of the grade level director created a kind of surreal, dimension-crossing aesthetic.

Long Wan accepted it just fine. "Don't be so picky. Isn't it nice just looking at his face?"

Du Zhengxuan shook her head in devastation. "You don't understand. It’s that feeling of a character setting falling apart—hm?"

Mid-sentence, Chuya, who had been silent all along, suddenly pulled her behind him and turned to say to both of them, very seriously: "Don't get close to that blonde man..."

Chuya Nakahara's brows were furrowed tightly, his expression grave, and the atmosphere around him had suddenly shifted.

It was a side of him she had never seen.

In the blink of an eye, he seemed completely out of place in the school environment, radiating a sharp, piercing intensity.

Anyone with a sensitive combat instinct would have immediately sensed something was wrong and become vigilant.

But clearly, one couldn't talk about combat instincts with high school students who studied until they were oblivious to the world.

Long Wan and Du Zhengxuan stared at each other, and then Long Wan asked, "Why?"

"..." Chuya Nakahara answered briefly, "He is not a good person."

"That can't be right," Du Zhengxuan replied. She looked at the new PE teacher from afar, and Chuya immediately stepped to the side to block her view.

Du Zhengxuan: "...Fine, fine, I won't look."

Chuya Nakahara gritted his teeth and asked, "Why do you think he... is not a bad person?"

Du Zhengxuan said, "Mostly because of his face."

Long Wan immediately handed an invisible microphone to her mouth, encouraging, "Please share your thoughts, Teacher Du."

"Right, thank you, host," Du Zhengxuan nodded with a mock-serious expression, cleared her throat, and said, "Generally speaking, whether in manga or anime, characters who are this handsome usually have more screen time. Even if he is a villain, he usually gets redeemed in the finale. Otherwise, why would the author go to the trouble of drawing him so handsome?"

"Makes sense, thank you, Teacher Du." Long Wan handed the invisible microphone to Chuya Nakahara. "And you, Teacher Chuya, what's your opinion?"

"..."

Chuya Nakahara felt a wave of helplessness.

He felt he hadn't been this powerless even when he was running around cleaning up messes for the "Sheep" in the past.

But his time spent with them had taught him that if he couldn't provide a logical "one, two, three" argument, Du Zhengxuan might indulge him, but it would be hard to say for the others.

So, after holding back for a moment, he offered his own point of view: "...You cannot... judge a book by its cover."

"Huh?" Long Wan turned back in disbelief. "He doesn't look like a bad person, does he? Even if he did something bad, he probably had his reasons."

"He's telling you not to judge by appearances," Du Zhengxuan said, rubbing her forehead. She caught a glimpse of the assembly area and froze. "...Wait, is the foreign teacher looking our way?"

Long Wan looked and realized he really was.

"..." By this point, Chuya Nakahara didn't want to say anything else.

If they didn't want to leave, then so be it. At least they'd know to run if a fight broke out.

After he and Verlaine stared at each other in silence for who knows how long, Verlaine suddenly gave an enigmatic smile and began walking toward them.

Chuya had already given up on making the two girls seek shelter, but as Verlaine approached, their postures visibly stiffened.

Long Wan: "Why is he coming over here? He wouldn't randomly pick a lucky audience member for a chat, would he..."

Du Zhengxuan: "He can't see me, he can't see me, he can't see me. I'm too scared to talk to a 3D handsome guy."

Long Wan: "Me too."

Du Zhengxuan: "Then how about... should we go to the bathroom again?"

Long Wan: "I think that's a good idea."

The two of them slipped away very quickly, and before leaving, they even pointed out the nearest men's restroom to Chuya.

"You can go hide in there for a while and wait until the bell rings to run out just in time," Du Zhengxuan said. "But you're the same gender, so I'm not sure if he'll chase you into the men's room. Good luck."

Chuya Nakahara couldn't take it anymore and said, "Just go."

Although Du Zhengxuan and Long Wan had run off, the slightly scattered, nerve-free atmosphere lingered. During the time Verlaine was approaching, Chuya Nakahara adjusted his state of mind several times, only to find that he couldn't summon the same tension he felt in Yokohama.

In the end, Chuya could only give up; he'd deal with it if a fight really broke out.

He watched the blonde man walk over, his peripheral vision scanning the surroundings again.

They were currently standing near the playground entrance, where there were almost no students, but two or three workers in uniforms were pushing a line-marking machine, painting white lines on the red plastic track. It looked like they might pass by here.

Should he make the call he received upon entering the country... or lure Verlaine further away?

Chuya quickly thought it over.

He leaned toward the latter, which meant there would be a moment for the two of them to talk alone. They might not get many words in, but it would be a chance to verify information about his own origins.

To this day, Chuya Nakahara still cared deeply about that.

His memories of life began at age eight; he had no impression of anything before that, just a blank void.

Eight years ago, an unexplained explosion occurred in Yokohama's Suribachi City, destroying the terrain and buildings in the surrounding area and leaving a terrifyingly large crater.

The eight-year-old Chuya Nakahara was found by wandering children on the edge of that crater and later joined the organization they formed, the "Sheep." It was only a year or so ago that he became a member of the Port Mafia.

Where was his hometown? What kind of people were his parents?

These were things many people knew from birth, but Chuya Nakahara still remained in the dark.

He hoped to understand his past, and a large part of the reason he joined the Port Mafia was for the chance to access the relevant files.

Therefore, his feelings toward the dangerous man named Verlaine, who had suddenly appeared claiming to be his "brother," were complicated.

...And the more he looked, the more he felt Verlaine's hairstyle was very similar to his own. Was he doing it on purpose to mock him?

The first two times they met were on tense, exciting battlefields, so Chuya didn't have the spare energy to focus on Verlaine's grooming and clothing.

But perhaps because the two high school girls had just critiqued Verlaine from head to toe, Chuya's focus had subconsciously shifted.

Why was he allowed to wear a braid so openly?

Chuya fell into thought.

Did no one tell him not to come to school if he didn't cut his hair short? Did no one make him go to the hospital to get a certificate proving his hair wasn't permed or dyed?

Verlaine walked up to Chuya.

An invisible, dangerous atmosphere began to form, as if the air were being slowly sucked away. Chuya's body tensed, entering a state of high alert.

This reaction seemed to be exactly what Verlaine expected.

He smiled slightly and said, "Long time no see, I—"

"Teacher, could you move to the side a bit?"

His words were interrupted. A middle-aged woman dressed as a school worker walked over from somewhere, looked up, and offered a simple, sincere smile. "The boss says this white line needs to be painted in one continuous stroke. With you two standing here, I'm going to paint it crooked."

Verlaine: "...Of course, madam."

Verlaine nodded politely with a smile, signaling to Chuya that they should move to a more secluded spot to talk.

Seeing that his daily life didn't seem much different from his own, Chuya felt a sense of relief.