His plan completely fell apart the moment that boy showed up!!

Aiyuan Dahe glared at Lin Cun'an with a vicious look, as if he wanted to tear him limb from limb.

Everything had changed so suddenly that Siyuan Liangxiang still hadn't figured out what was going on. She looked a little lost. “Um… Mr. Aiyuan?”

Aiyuan Dahe's fists creaked.

He might not be capable of taking out all those delinquents in one go, but the muscles on his body were real. Beating up the scrawny guy in front of him would be a piece of cake!!

But—

“Huh?”

Lin Cun'an scratched the back of his head with a smile. “Aren't you leaving? The police will be here any minute. It'll be a lot harder to get away then.”

Aiyuan Dahe understood at once.

Judging by this guy's tone, he'd seen through the plan. That was why he'd called the police… If Aiyuan really got invited down to the station for a little chat, then even if Siyuan Liangxiang still considered him her savior, the police would probably investigate his connection to those delinquents!

“You'd better remember this!!” Aiyuan Dahe pointed at Lin Cun'an.

Then he turned and ran.

Aiyuan Dahe would burn this failure into his memory—and next time, he'd get his revenge on that brat!!

Siyuan Liangxiang stared at Aiyuan Dahe's hurried retreat, stunned.

Then her emerald eyes turned to Lin Cun'an, who was visibly relieved.

“Um… when are the police coming?” Siyuan Liangxiang asked.

“Praise the Light. I just pulled off one hell of a bluff. If that guy had waited a little longer, I would've been busted…” Lin Cun'an muttered to himself before answering Siyuan Liangxiang's question. “They're not coming. I didn't call them…”

More accurately, he hadn't been able to call them in the first place.

He'd searched all over himself and couldn't find his phone.

“…What exactly happened?” Siyuan Liangxiang's mind hadn't quite caught up, but she'd more or less guessed there was something fishy going on.

“Basically…” Lin Cun'an had just started to explain when Songyuan Bu asked, “Xiao Lin, what are you doing here?”

“Xiao Lin”…?

Who was Xiao Lin?… Was she talking to me? Was my name “Xiao Lin”?

Oh, right. My name was “Kobayashi Muran”… or something like that.

Memories that didn't belong to him began flooding into Lin Cun'an's mind. For a moment, he felt dazed, and then his consciousness started to blur.

“Xiao Lin!?”

Lin Cun'an's body suddenly went limp. He looked like he was about to pass out, and Songyuan Bu hurriedly tried to call him back to his senses.

But Lin Cun'an didn't wake up. Just as he was about to fall, Siyuan Liangxiang quickly caught him in her arms.

“Xiao Lin? Bu, is he in your class?”

“Yeah…”

“Call an ambulance! He seems to have passed out!”

“…………Oh, right!”

Actually, Lin Cun'an's consciousness was blurry, but he hadn't completely passed out.

He could still feel his cheek sinking into something big and soft, and the scent of shampoo lingering beneath his nose. He just couldn't think clearly or make out what those things were.

At the same time, by his ear…

No—in his mind, a voice rang out.

【Successfully completed the mission “Save the Karate Girl!” System startup in progress.】

【Checking host status…】

【Host “Lin Cun'an”… binding…】

【99%…100%… Binding successful.】

【Congratulations, host. You have received a “Beginner's Gift Pack”…】

【Opening “Beginner's Gift Pack.”】

【Skill acquired…】

【“Swordsmanship Mastery EX”】

【…2060-brand “Pure Love” system at your service…】

『My name is Kobayashi Muran.』

『I'm seventeen years old, and I'm a student.』

『A second-year student at White Hill High School.』

『My parents died when I was young. I have no other immediate family, and my guardian is my aunt, who's working in Hawaii.』

『I don't have many friends, and I don't have a harem.』

『I'm just an ordinary high school student.』

…………

“Whoa!!”

Lin Cun'an jolted awake in bed. The first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

And…

the clean white surroundings, along with the familiar yet slightly unfamiliar smell of disinfectant.

“…Am I in a hospital?” Lin Cun'an's head was throbbing.

“Yeah. You suddenly passed out, so we brought you to a nearby hospital.”

The voice came from beside the bed. Lin Cun'an turned to look, then sat up.

“Siyuan… Liangxiang?”

Siyuan Liangxiang poured him a glass of water and handed it over. “You… know me?”

“…………Ah, yeah. You're famous, Siyuan. Is there anyone at our school who doesn't know you?” Lin Cun'an hurriedly said. The inexplicable memories that had flooded his mind while he was unconscious had convinced him: he'd definitely transmigrated… In this world, he was “Kobayashi Muran,” a student at White Hill High School, just like Siyuan Liangxiang.

Siyuan Liangxiang smiled softly.

They'd been too far apart before, and just now he'd been “acting” with Aiyuan Dahe. This was the first time Lin Cun'an had gotten a close look at Siyuan Liangxiang in person… though in his old world, he'd once had a perfectly clear view of her armpits.

He had to admit, Siyuan Liangxiang was an incredibly pretty girl. She was slender, too—you'd never guess she had the strength to overpower three delinquents.

And her face was so small. If she let her ponytail down, her black hair would completely swallow it up.

Her skin was as white as cream, and even the faintest blush on her face was easy to see.

“…Ah, sorry.” Lin Cun'an realized he'd been staring at Siyuan Liangxiang for a little too long.

“No, it's fine…” Siyuan Liangxiang lowered her eyes shyly. “…Um, the doctor said you should take good care of yourself.”

“Yeah, got it…” Lin Cun'an said.

“Also, you're in the same class as Bu, right?” Siyuan Liangxiang said. “Kobayashi Muran… can I call you ‘Xiao Lin’?”

“Sure. ‘Muran’ is fine too,” Lin Cun'an said. I'm Chinese through and through; I don't really get you Japanese people's customs.

Siyuan Liangxiang's cheeks turned a little redder. “I… think I'll call you ‘Xiao Lin’ for now. Anyway, thank you for what you did.”

“Huh?”

“While you were unconscious, I thought through everything that happened from beginning to end. I've figured out what's really going on.”

“I see.” Lin Cun'an smiled. “No big deal. I can absolutely wreck the bull-headed mutt—cough, no. Anyway, be careful from now on, Siyuan.”

He pressed the button and adjusted the angle of the bed's backrest. Lying down wasn't very comfortable, so he wanted to sit up.

“But how did you know, Xiao Lin?”

“I was passing by and happened to hear them talking.” Lin Cun'an gave the complicated question a reliable all-purpose answer. “I don't have to stay in the hospital, do I?”

Siyuan Liangxiang raised a hand and waved it in front of her chest.

“No. The doctor said you passed out from heatstroke. You just need to rest a little now that you're awake, and then you can be discharged.”

“Pfft—”

Lin Cun'an had just taken a sip of water, and he sprayed it all over the blanket on his chest.

Heatstroke?

He looked at the “thermometer” hanging on the wall. It read…

“15°C indoors”

It couldn't be more than twenty degrees outside.

…

…