He sat in his seat, his eyes vacant, his mind replaying the bloody images on the Fraxinus screen and Kotori's stern warning.

(Chika...and that "she"...what should I do?)

(And then there's Chiin... Even though he doesn't remember anything, how am I supposed to face him after seeing Chika like that...?)

He was engrossed in his own troubles when a slight commotion suddenly came from the classroom doorway.

Shido subconsciously looked up, his pupils instantly contracting.

It's Origami Tobiichi.

But her appearance at that moment made everyone who saw her gasp in shock.

Her forehead, arms, knees and other parts were wrapped in clean white bandages, and in some places there was even a faint trace of crimson.

Her gait was slightly unnatural, with a somewhat unsteady gait.

Shido held his breath. He clearly saw that the device possessed powerful healing abilities.

The fact that she was still wrapped in so many bandages after several days of rest could only mean that her injury was extremely serious.

—It is very likely that he was affected by the spiritual energy wave that went berserk when he was sniping Tohka last time, or even the wound left by the brief confrontation with "Tenjudgment" afterward.

Under the watchful eyes of her classmates, some surprised, some curious, and some worried, Origami walked straight to Shido's seat.

"Good morning... Good morning, Tobiichi."

Shido felt embarrassed and pressured, and forced himself to speak.

"Seeing that you're alright..."

Before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened.

Origami suddenly lowered her body and disappeared below Shido's line of sight.

Shido paused for a second before realizing what was happening—Origami was bowing deeply to him!

Her waist was bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle, and her bandaged forehead almost touched her knees!

"Tobi...Tobiichi...?!" Shido was completely dumbfounded.

The classroom instantly erupted in whispers and commotion, with everyone's eyes focused on the two individuals.

But Origami seemed completely unconcerned about the reactions around her. In her still calm yet incredibly solemn voice, she said:

"—I'm sorry, although my apology is of no use at all."

Shido immediately understood. She was apologizing for sniping Tohka earlier, which indirectly led to his "death." Although it was AST's order, she was the one who pulled the trigger.

(It really was her...) Shido's feelings were complicated.

"What... Itsuka, what exactly did you do to Tobiichi...?" Hiroto Tonomachi, who was sitting next to her, leaned over and asked in a low voice with a shocked expression.

"I didn't! If I had, I should be the one apologizing!"

Shido quickly lowered his voice to retort, as he couldn't possibly explain in detail under these circumstances.

He turned around and faced the origami, still bowing, feeling utterly helpless:

"Okay... alright, anyway, just lift your head up first..."

Unexpectedly, the origami obediently straightened up as instructed.

However, just as Shido breathed a sigh of relief—

Origami's right hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbed the base of Shido's school uniform tie, and pulled him sharply towards her!

"Eek?!" Shido was caught off guard and his body was forced to lean forward, almost bumping into Origami's face.

Origami maintained her signature indifferent expression, bringing her face extremely close, staring intently at Shido with her emotionless eyes, and uttered four words clearly and firmly:

"You're not allowed to be... unfaithful!"

"……………………ah?"

Led by Shido, the entire class, including those who had been closely watching Origami's every move, were now all dumbfounded and their minds went blank.

The apology was immediately followed by... a declaration of sovereignty?!

The sudden turn of events, packed with information, plunged the entire classroom into an eerie silence.

Shido could clearly feel Origami's breath, see her unwavering gaze beneath the bandages, and sense the curious and inquisitive stares of his classmates that seemed to pierce him.

(What... what's going on here?!)

Shido felt his brain was completely overloaded. He had just been thinking about the critical issues of the survival of the spirits and the world, and the next second he was dragged into such a melodramatic (?) campus romance (?) drama.

Faced with this unexpected yet incredibly serious "warning" from the origami, he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word, frozen in place, feeling the undeniable force emanating from the tie.

The air in the classroom seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

------

Just as Shido's brain went blank after Origami's sudden declaration of "no flirting," and the entire class fell into an eerie silence, the air thick with an indescribable awkwardness and gossip—

Good morning, everyone! Please return to your seats.

A cheerful yet slightly nervous voice came from the classroom doorway, breaking the tense atmosphere like a savior (to Shido). The homeroom teacher, Ms. Tamae Okamine, walked in somewhat timidly, carrying the attendance sheet.

The classroom, as if it had been paused, instantly resumed its flow. Although the students still glanced back and forth between Shido and Origami with curious eyes, they all obediently returned to their seats.

Origami slowly loosened Shido's tie and returned to her seat expressionlessly, as if nothing had happened. However, her bandages and cold gaze still drew attention.

Shido let out a long sigh of relief, feeling his back soaked with cold sweat. He glanced gratefully at Ms. Kozuki, but noticed a slightly troubled expression on her face.

"Um... before we begin the morning assembly, I have two things to tell you all." Ms. Xiaozhu adjusted her glasses and raised her voice slightly, "First of all, Qianyuan from Phoenix Academy is taking the day off today due to illness."

(Is Chiin on leave again?)

Shido's heart skipped a beat.

(Is it because of...Chinatsu? No, Chiin doesn't remember anything now, so could it be...?)

He couldn't help but connect Qianyuan's leave request with the tragedy at the night market last night, casting an even deeper shadow over his heart.

"And then, the second thing is—" Ms. Zhu smiled, trying to lighten the mood, "Our class has a transfer student today! Please give them a warm welcome!"

"Transfer student?"

"Transfer schools now?"

A quiet murmur arose in the classroom.

Under the curious gazes of everyone, the classroom door was opened again.

A figure walked in with light and energetic steps.

She had long, dark hair tied in a ponytail with a white ribbon, and her amethyst-like eyes curiously surveyed everything in the classroom. She wore a well-fitting Raizen High School girls' uniform, and she was—

"I am Yatogami Tohka! Nice to meet you!"

Tohka stood on the podium and introduced herself in a clear voice, with a pure and bright smile on her face.

Her outstanding appearance and unique temperament instantly attracted the attention of the whole class.

"Oh my! What a cute girl!"

"The name sounds nice too!"

"She seems like a very energetic person!"

However, Tohka's gaze swept quickly across the classroom, soon settling on the figure she knew best—

She let out a cheerful shout, completely ignoring the ongoing introduction of the transfer student and forgetting that she had just said "Nice to meet you."

Like a happy puppy seeing its owner, it ran straight down from the podium and, under the stunned gazes of the whole class, trotted all the way to Shido's seat, its face beaming with unbridled joy.

"Shido! Look! I'm going to school too! That way I can stay with you all the time!" Tohka said happily, grabbing Shido's arm.

"Toh...Tohka?! Wait! Class is still in session..."

Shido was flustered and his face turned bright red instantly. He could feel the "you're something else" look in the eyes of all his classmates, especially Hiroto Tonomachi.

And... a gaze that suddenly turned incredibly cold from a certain direction.

Following Shido's awkward gaze, Tohka noticed Origami Tobiichi sitting not far away, along with the bandages wrapped around her body.

Tohka's smile vanished instantly, a hint of wariness and barely perceptible...guilt flashing in her purple eyes. After all, Origami's injuries were largely caused by her last rampage.

“It’s you…” Tohka frowned slightly.

But when he thought about how the other party had hurt Shido, he became tough again.

Origami looked back at Tohka with her unwavering eyes and said coldly, "This is a place for learning, not for you to pester Shido."

"What did you say?! What's wrong with me being with Shido?!" Tohka's temper flared up instantly.

"Disrupting discipline and affecting others."

"You're the one who looks like that! Covered in so much cloth, you're hideous!"

"This is proof of love, unlike some fool who only knows how to rage impotently."

"Who are you calling incompetent and furious?!"

"Whoever admits it is the one we're talking about."

As the tension between the two intensified and their verbal exchange escalated, it felt as if sparks were crackling in the air.

The whole class watched with bated breath as this sudden "battle between the transfer student and the unattainable beauty (?)" took place. Even Teacher Xiaozhu was so shocked that she stood frozen on the podium, not knowing what to do.

"Wait, wait a minute! Tohka! Tobiichi! Calm down, both of you!" Shido was caught in the middle, trying to mediate, but he felt like he had a splitting headache.

Chapter 182 Missing

After carefully bringing A-Quan home and settling him on her relatively clean bed, Qianyuan suddenly slapped her forehead, realizing something.

(Wait! Am I stupid?! This body was constructed by her using the Law of Reason Core! If I just reclaim this construct, her consciousness will naturally return to her inner world, right? Why bother bringing it back like this?)

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, realizing he had been incredibly anxious.

However, seeing Ah Quan's furrowed brows even in his sleep, as well as the undried tear stains on his face and the dirt on his skirt, he hesitated for a moment.

(Never mind... this silly child isn't in a good state right now, and I don't know if there will be any side effects from forcibly taking her back. Besides... she looks very sad, so let her rest like this for now.)

He sighed, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently pulled A-Quan into his arms, letting her lean against his chest. Like comforting a real younger sister, he patted her back lightly.

Perhaps sensing the familiar atmosphere and soothing rhythm, A-Quan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and his breathing became steady and long.

Chiin looked down at the peaceful sleeping face of the girl in his arms, but his doubts grew deeper and deeper.

(Something's not right...something's really not right.)

(My impression of A-Quan is that she's a spoiled, somewhat domineering but not inherently bad kid. She likes delicious food and novel things, and although she can be sharp-tongued, she's actually very innocent at heart.)

(Even if there were gangsters causing trouble, given her personality, she would at most scare them away or beat them up. How could she... how could she use such extreme and cruel methods? She crushed people to pieces? This doesn't make any sense in her behavior!)

He felt he must have overlooked some crucial detail. There must have been a more direct trigger for A-Quan's outburst, something that touched a sensitive spot in her heart.

(She just bought some food at the night market and had some contact with the vendors... Could it be...?)

He suddenly thought of a possibility, and immediately grabbed his phone from the bedside table with his free hand, quickly typing keywords about last night's night market incident into the search bar.

Soon, more news reports and scattered information on social media came into view.

Besides repeatedly describing the gang disturbances and the bloody outcome of being "cleaned out" by the mysterious silver-haired girl, some earlier photos and videos circulating in the night market before the incident caught his attention.

Those are the photos and short videos of Ah Quan sitting in front of a barbecue stall, holding a sign that says "Payment Area," secretly eating meat skewers while helping to collect money.

In the photo, she smiles like a child who has received a favorite toy, and the tourists and stall owners around her also wear kind smiles.

There were also images of her curiously wandering around the various stalls, with the stall owners enthusiastically offering her all sorts of snacks...

(So...she also helped the stall owners...and so many people were kind to her...)

As Chiin looked at these photos, she could almost picture the first half of the night at the night market that Izumi had experienced, a time completely different from the horrors she later created.

Those were times filled with kindness, curiosity, and simple joy.

I see……

A clear logical chain formed in his mind:

At the night market, A-Quan felt the unsolicited kindness and warmth from strangers.

For her, a newborn girl yearning for recognition and belonging, this was an extremely precious and beautiful experience. She even reciprocated with her own labor, immersing herself in the joy of being "accepted."

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