"Hmm..."

The sleeping youth stirred awake, thinking it was almost time for school to end. But strange sensations on his skin jolted his brain awake. Slowly shaking off drowsiness, he froze at the sight before him.

A mature, alluring woman lay beside him. He was completely naked.

Wait, what? He’d been napping in class—how’d he end up here? And who was this sexy woman? Questions flooded his mind like an endless river.

This had to be a dream. It was the only explanation he could accept. He slapped his own face hard. A red mark bloomed, but the scene stayed unchanged.

The slap caught the woman’s attention.

"Darling, you’re awake," she purred.

He didn’t know what’d happened, but having a girl nearby felt... nice. She called him "darling"—was she a close friend? Yet he couldn’t recall her at all.

"I need to use the restroom."

Overwhelmed, he needed space to calm down.

"Hey, you can’t just go out like that," she called after him.

Only then did he realize he was still naked. Panicked, he scanned the room for clothes.

"Heh heh..." The woman chuckled. "Look at you, can’t even find your clothes."

Her teasing deepened his embarrassment. Ignoring her, he kept searching. She sighed and pointed a slender finger at a dressing table. "Your clothes are there."

He grabbed them. They weren’t his, but similar enough to wear. He dressed quickly and bolted out the door.

"Where... is this?"

Stepping out of the inn, he stared in disbelief. The street was straight out of a medieval Western fantasy.

A lonely midnight breeze brushed the empty road. He tried to steady his nerves, but the shock was too much.

"What’s going on? Where am I?"

Crouching down, he clutched his head, muttering the same lines over and over.

Footsteps broke his spiral—fast, running toward him. He stood up, squinting in the moonlight. A red-haired girl approached.

"Hey, can you help me with something?"

"Huh? Ah—"

"Thanks so much!"

Before he could finish, she grabbed his hand and sprinted down a dark alley.

"Uh... miss, I—"

Her soft lips crashed onto his. Stunned, he tried to push her away—but his limbs locked. His vision blurred. The last thing he saw was her crimson hair and emerald eyes.

"Hmm..."

Sunlight warmed his face as he woke again. Not his classroom. Not the alley. Back in that inn room.

He was alone.

Was yesterday’s "female thug" a dream? Confused, he dressed and left.

The inn’s first floor doubled as a bar by day.

"Master, you’re finally out!"

A silver-haired fox spirit girl greeted him just outside.

"F-fox spirit?!"

He’d never seen anything beyond his world’s logic.

"Master, that’s rude! You promised to call me by name—you said you’d never say ‘fox spirit’ again!"

Her pout showed clear displeasure.

"Uh... ‘Master’? You mean me?" he ventured.

"Huh? Of course! I only have one master. Silver foxes are fiercely loyal."

She beamed with pride.

"So... what’s your name?"

"Huh? I’m Silver, Master. Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird since earlier."

"Silver?"

"M-Master... are you abandoning me? Can’t find a reason, so you’re faking amnesia?" Tears welled in her eyes.

"N-no! I didn’t mean that!"

Silver had misunderstood.

"All these years—who distracted the guards when you flirted with noble ladies? Who lured girls away while you stole their underwear? Have you forgotten everything?"

Her voice rose with each word. A crowd gathered, whispering and pointing.

Seriously, what a mess his past self was. He wasn’t a saint, but this was next-level creepy.

"Okay, okay! I won’t abandon you."

Only then did Silver stop sobbing. "Really?"

"Really."

"Heehee... I knew Master would never leave me!"

"Let’s go somewhere quiet first."

He grabbed her hand and pushed through the crowd.

In a secluded corner, Silver grinned eagerly. "Master, bringing me here... is this punishment? Go ahead."

"Huh? No, I didn’t plan that."

"Eh? No punishment? But I said such awful things..." Her face fell in disappointment.

Total masochist, he thought dryly. But that wasn’t the point—he needed answers.

"Who... am I?"

"Huh? Master, are you alright? You’ve seemed off since we met." Genuine worry filled her eyes.

"Ahem. I’m fine. Just tell me."

"Wenwu."

Same name as his old self.

"And what do I do?"

"A jobless rogue skilled in drinking, gambling, whoring, and hustling."

What? He hadn’t even done those things yet!

"Where... are we?" Wenwu pressed when Silver hesitated. "Spit it out."

"Master, you really need a doctor—"

If a doctor could send him back to class, he’d go. But magic was more likely.

"Talk, or I’ll hang you up and spank you."

Oops—old habit slipped out.

"Hang me up... and spank..." Silver’s eyes glazed over with longing.

Crap. He’d triggered her.

"Ahem. I meant ‘abandon’," he corrected fast.

That word hit hard. Silver wilted instantly.

"No, no! I’ll talk! We’re in the Bansfaser Empire’s capital. It’s the strongest nation on the Baye Continent. Humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin—all live here."

So he’d transmigrated. Simple as that.

*Gurgle...*

Hunger struck—he’d woken late, and it was noon.

"Silver, I’m starving. Let’s grab food."

"Okay!"

They ate at a restaurant. Honestly, this world’s food was amazing.

"Done, Master?"

"Yeah."

"Then run!"