Chapter 2: Temporary Peace

The university corridor was filled with the low hum of students. My steps cut through the crowd, ignoring every gaze and whisper. My goal was singular: to find the classroom for the fourth semester of law. The peace I craved felt real. I was a shadow, walking without a trace, without a desire to be known.

But that peace was instantly shattered.

From around a corner, a woman with bright red hair like a blazing fire crashed into my shoulder. The books in her hands scattered, tumbling across the floor.

"Uhm... I'm sorry!" she cried out, her voice panicked. Her sharp brown eyes looked at me with alarm.

I just watched her, without expression. My hand didn't move to help. I didn't care. That was a rule I held firm.

"I... I'm in a hurry!" she said again, out of breath. Without waiting for my response, she quickly picked up her books and ran off.

I simply let her go. Forgiving her wouldn't cost me anything.

After finding the classroom, I walked in. The sight inside was exactly what I had feared. Dozens of new students chattering and making introductions. The moment I entered, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, Ayaka Shirogane. She was the girl from my high school class. She was looking for an empty seat, but when her eyes fell on me, she flinched—or rather, at the memory of the person I used to be.

It's him... the fat pig from high school. It would be so embarrassing if people knew I used to be in the same class as him. I have to pretend I don't know him.

I heard her faint thoughts in my mind, but I didn't care. I just kept walking, searching for an empty seat, hoping she wouldn't notice my presence.

In the class, I felt strange gazes. Women were whispering, men were giving me cold stares, as if I were some kind of celebrity. The attention I had once desperately wanted now felt annoying. However, Ayaka suddenly called out to me.

"Hey! You, from the corridor! Come here, sit next to me!" she called.

I gave her a flat look and walked over. She gave a small smile as I sat down, as if pleased to have successfully chased off others so she could be alone.

"I don't want to sit with strange people," she said with a cold tone. "Besides, I definitely didn't want to sit with someone from my high school class, especially the one they called the fat pig."

I felt my gaze turn cold. She has no idea that the person she's talking about is sitting right beside her.

Not long after, the lecturer came in. The noisy class fell silent. The lecturer started the introductions, one student at a time.

"My name is Ayaka Shirogane, majoring in Law and Literature," she said proudly.

One by one, the turns passed. Each introduction felt like waiting for a time bomb. Until finally, my name was called. I stood up. My eyes scanned the room, and Ayaka's gaze was fixed on me again.

"My name is Akira Motoyashu," I said in a flat voice, without a hint of emotion.

Ayaka's face went pale. She stared at me with a shocked expression, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. She looked at me, then at the rest of the class, and then back at me. It was as if she had just seen a ghost.

Ayaka was frozen, as if she had just realized that all along, the "fat pig" she was talking about had been sitting right beside her.