Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"Ahem, good morning everyone~" Her sweet voice instantly melted the hearts of half the boys in the class. The girl blinked her purple eyes. "My name is Tokiwa Sou Mai~ I'm an exchange student from Japan. Please take care of me from today onwards~"

Silver hair, Japanese, high school student (JK), cute.

The girls were instantly charmed by the girl, and they all stood up like gentlemen, practically offering their seats to her.

"...But you know~ I've already picked my seat, okay?" This sentence, far from extinguishing the boys' enthusiasm, actually propelled them even further.

Zhuang Wu stretched out his slender finger and pointed in Nian Zhuo's direction.

"Teacher, I'll sit next to that student~" Cute winked at Nianzhuo, although Nianzhuo had no idea what was going on.

However, this did not mean that Nianzhuo was alright. On the contrary, Nianzhuo's expression of not understanding the situation aroused the hostility of the boys and some other people.

"...Teacher, I don't think so!" Nilu was the first to stand up and point at Zhuang Wu. "I don't agree to you sitting next to Nian Zhuo!"

"Oh my~ So his name is Nianzhuo, that's a nice name~" Zhuang Wu said, supporting her face with an indifferent expression. "But~ it's still up to the teacher to decide, isn't it?"

"Ugh!" After being secretly choked, Nilu could only cross her arms and sit down in the chair, feeling sullen.

"T-Teacher, I don't agree either." The usually timid class monitor quietly raised his hand. "That...that's too dangerous. Besides, Miss Zhuang Wu should sit next to a girl, right? After all, you've only just arrived and aren't familiar with the campus yet."

"Oh dear, class monitor, you don't need to worry about that~" With her planned smile, Zhuang Wu's smile grew even brighter as she touched her cheek. "After all—"

"We won't be staying at this school for long, neither will he nor I."

“…?” Nian Zhuo’s attention was completely drawn to Ms. Tokiwa-sou Mai at this moment, so he was only slightly puzzled by her words.

"Alright, Miss Zhuang Wu, please sit next to Nian Zhuo as you wish." The teacher touched her sparse hair and nodded urgingly. "Class is about to start."

"Thank you, teacher~" The girl bowed to the teacher and quickly walked towards Nianzhuo.

No matter what, this development is just too outrageous.

Since even the teacher agreed, Nilu and the class monitor didn't say anything more.

However, both of them looked rather sullen, and even while the teacher was lecturing, they would occasionally glance at Nianzhuo out of the corner of their eyes.

"...Well then, nice to meet you, Nianzhuo." Extending her hand, Zhuang Wu smiled radiantly. "Perhaps we'll have a wonderful time together on campus~"

"Ah... um. I hope you have a good class experience." Seeing Zhuang Wu's outstretched hand, Nian Zhuo had no choice but to grasp it. "...But, haven't we met somewhere before?"

This is no exaggeration. From the moment Nianzhuo first saw her until the handshake just now, his heart had been pounding nonstop.

Nianzhuo had never believed in love at first sight, but the fine sweat on his forehead and his increasingly rapid heartbeat told him that he was in a bad state.

"...Hmm? Never seen you before." His words, even his eyebrows, involuntarily twitched. Then, as if nothing had happened, Zhuang Wu tapped his head. "Also, Nian Zhuo, that's such an old-fashioned way to strike up a conversation!"

"..." Nian Zhuo didn't speak, but just touched the spot on his head where Zhuang Wu had hit him earlier. "No matter what, hitting someone on the head right off the bat... that's just too strange, isn't it?"

Suspiciously, every time Nianzhuo tried to continue thinking, it seemed as if some force was blocking his train of thought.

—For example, right now.

"Knock knock—" The teacher tapped the blackboard on the podium, interrupting Nianzhuo's thoughts. "Snap out of it! Snap out of it! Now is the decisive moment for the exam! Don't fall behind! Not a single one of you can!"

"Yeah..." Nian Zhuo belatedly focused his attention on the blackboard. "That's strange, what was I thinking about just now—"

"--The upcoming exam is the most important thing."

Aside from Nel and the class president's constantly shifting gazes, having a very cute girl sitting behind you is still a great bonus.

At least you can tell from the envious and jealous looks in the eyes of the boys around you.

"...Hmm." The first class passed in a daze. The bell had just rung when Nianzhuo's vision was filled with the figure of the boy.

Just as Nianzhuo was about to stand up and stretch, he was instantly pressed firmly back into the chair and unable to move. At the same time, a cacophony of male voices flooded into Nianzhuo's ears.

"Hey, Ms. Zhuang Wu, are you really from Japan who studied abroad?" "Ms. Zhuang Wu, how long will you be staying here...?" All sorts of bizarre questions kept popping up, some even going so far as to ask, "Does Ms. Zhuang Wu have a boyfriend?" This left Nian Zhuo rubbing his forehead, looking utterly embarrassed.

"...How embarrassing." Indeed, although he had zero emotional intelligence and no one liked him (in his own opinion), Nian Zhuo, who just drifted through each day, never imagined that the girl would turn her attention to him.

"...Um, everyone, please don't rush." ​​The girl behind him handled the situation with ease, not like a high school student, but rather like a seasoned professional.

"Because I've just arrived here, there are many things I don't understand, such as the situation of this school—" Just hearing the first half of her sentence, the boys who surrounded her saw a renewed glimmer of hope. After all, the girl saying she didn't understand meant she wanted them to accompany her on what she called a 'tour'.

They kept pushing forward, the boys wishing they were in front of the girl, and they were almost within centimeters of her.

"So—could you please show me around, Nianzhuo?" It was a very common tactic, a very normal question, but Zhuang Wu didn't choose the boy in front of her. Instead, she chose Nianzhuo, who was watching the show from the sidelines.

"...Pfft!" Unable to hold it in, Nianzhuo subconsciously turned his head and spat the water in his mouth out the window.

Instantly, the surrounding temperature seemed to rise a few degrees.

A few drops of sweat dripped from Nian Zhuo's forehead, and he stiffly turned his neck like a robot.

Yes, just as I expected! The boys' eyes seemed to be burning with passion—they're all such enthusiastic people!

Fire is turbid fire.

"...Ah, everyone in the class is so warm and welcoming." She wanted to pick up her cup again, but Nianzhuo's sleeve was pulled back.

"...Is that not okay?" Zhuang Wu blinked her purple eyes. (--No! Mom's imagination is running wild!)

"--Hiss." It has to be said that it is very effective for a cute girl to talk to you like that, but Nian Zhuo did not gasp because he could not stand it.

He clearly saw it! A devil's tail was sticking out from behind the girl!

Cunning, so incredibly cunning. That was the only description Nian Zhuo could think of.

"Alright then, Zhuang Wu, please guide me." Hmph, Nian Zhuo was a little angry inside. How could he lose to a girl's momentum! Nian Zhuo took the initiative to extend his hand.

Although the boys around him were giving him even more dangerous looks, Nianzhuo had a look of resolute determination on his face.

"Classmates, I'm saving you!" Just as he was lost in thought, he felt something soft on his hand.

Yes, Zhuang Wu simply held his hand back; the blush on her face was all an act! It was a lie!

Nian Zhuo shouted in his heart, but as soon as he raised his head, he met the boys' eyes, which were practically turning into the sun.

"Silly children! Run!" He couldn't remember which book it was from, but at that moment, Nianzhuo just wanted to escape from here as quickly as possible.

Looking up at the clock, Nianzhuo realized there was still plenty of time left, so he immediately grabbed Zhuang Wu's hand and ran out.

"Thump-thump-thump" Nilu and the class monitor quickly stood up from their seats. The two, who were usually enemies, nodded to each other and quietly followed each other out.

Of course, those boys with fiery eyes shed seaweed-like tears.

Quietly making his way around to the playground, Nian Zhuo released Zhuang Wu's hand, which he had been holding tightly.

Looking at the red mark on the other person's hand, Nianzhuo scratched his head sheepishly.

"Sorry... I might have been too anxious." Just as she was about to take a deep breath to relieve the pressure, Nianzhuo realized that according to the past, she should have been out of breath by now, but now she even felt that she still had plenty of energy.

"Have you noticed something's wrong?" The voice in front of her was completely different from the cute tone she used in front of everyone before. Zhuang Wu's tone was more like that of an empress.

As Nian Zhuo raised his head, lifting his silver hair, he met Zhuang Wu's purple eyes.

"...Almost there, you should remember by now, right?"

Those purple eyes seemed to have a fleeting golden glint in them.

Gradually opening cracks, a world on the verge of splitting apart.

"..." Zhuang Wu blinked her luminous purple eyes and stared intently at Nian Zhuo in front of her.

"...Huh?" For a moment, Nian Zhuo was a little confused and just let out a puzzled "Huh?" Then he could only stare silently into Zhuang Wu's eyes. "What...does this mean?"

"What a joke!" Zhuang Wu seemed to suddenly lose her composure, instantly closing the distance between them. Nian Zhuo could even feel Zhuang Wu's breath on his face. "You, how could you not remember? How could you forget? Nian Zhuo, the subject who possesses a part of my power?"

“…Huh?” Because of the other party’s words, Nian Zhuo just scratched his head and still looked like he didn’t remember anything. “Your subject… and so on, I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything important. At least I think my memory has been intact until now.”

"...How could this be?" Zhuang Wu seemed genuinely surprised by Nian Zhuo's reaction. She suddenly gripped Nian Zhuo's shoulders tightly with both hands, and the purple light in her eyes gradually turned golden. "This shouldn't be happening. You shouldn't have forgotten. What on earth is going on?"

"...Hiss." Feeling the immense strength that didn't belong to the girl on his shoulder, Nian Zhuo couldn't help but gasp, though a hint of displeasure crossed his face. "Please let me go, Zhuang Wu. It's our first meeting, and I don't want anything unpleasant to happen." Even a clay figure has some temper, and for some reason, the girl's nonsensical words were indeed irritating to Nian Zhuo. His dark pupils met the girl's flickering gaze.

In the girl's eyes, there was seven parts doubt, two parts sadness, and one part anger hidden deep in her heart.

"...Phew." Finally, Zhuang Wu sighed, took her hand off Nian Zhuo's shoulder, and turned her back.

"--" Nian Zhuo rubbed his shoulder, which was a little sore from the girl's strange strength, but did not continue to speak.

"Sorry, Nianzhuo-senpai." A familiar, playful voice rang out. Zhuang Wu turned to face Nianzhuo, lightly tapping her temple with her right fist and sticking out her tongue. "Please forgive me for saying something ambiguous~"

“…Sigh, I just can’t do anything with you.” With a sigh, Nian Zhuo glanced at his watch. “Class is about to resume, I’ll take you on a tour during the next break. Now come with me back to the classroom.” Without waiting for Zhuang Wu’s reaction, Nian Zhuo started walking back.

Actually, it wasn't that he hadn't calmed down; on the contrary, Nianzhuo found that his anger from earlier seemed to have completely dissipated.

"...I shouldn't be the kind of person who can't resist cute girls, right?" Even Nian Zhuo himself couldn't understand it. He was the one who was at a disadvantage, but after seeing Zhuang Wu's expression, Nian Zhuo was surprised to find that he couldn't seem to get angry. Even the anger he felt at the beginning seemed to have vanished without a trace.

"...What exactly happened?" With some doubt, Nian Zhuo remained immersed in his own thoughts.

In contrast, Zhuang Wu behind him seemed to be completely different.

Silently watching Nianzhuo's figure walk away, the girl bit her lower lip so hard it seemed to bleed.

"Who on earth...?" Zhuang Wu said through gritted teeth, "How dare they touch his memories... How dare they dabble in his memories...!"

The silver clock hand ornament on its head seemed to have a glimmer of hope, turning golden.

Of course, Zhuang Wu finally took a deep breath and, having already memorized the way she came, calmly walked towards the teaching building.

However, her hand seemed to be clenching something tightly.

That was half gold-plated and half bright silver—Zi-O II. It belonged only to Tokiwa Sou Mai's Zi-O II.

Originally, upon sensing that Nencho had finally obtained the power of Zi-O II, our Oma Zi-O was still happy and didn't even bother to clean the statue before crossing the world to arrive in the mirror world that Nencho called Zi-O II, wanting to see how he gained the recognition of his other self.

However, things seem to be going badly now.

"No matter who you are, if you dare to touch my people, I will find you." The girl's eyes turned somewhat murderous.

Perhaps even Nian Zhuo forgot that he was serving Oma Zi-O, the true Demon King who had single-handedly fought against everyone in the Time Administration Bureau for over fifty years.

As her power seemed to weaken slightly, the sound of shattering glass echoed from somewhere in this world.

“…Phew.” As soon as Nian Zhuo entered the classroom, he saw that the boys’ eyes were once again focused on him, and the fire in their eyes had not diminished at all.

However, having just experienced Miss Zhuang Wu's gaze, which was 1000% more terrifying than theirs, Nian Zhuo now felt that theirs were nothing compared to what they had just witnessed.

Returning to his seat, Nianzhuo let out a long sigh of relief and slumped onto the table.

"I'm so tired—" Nianzhuo's eyelids seemed to be drooping again as his whole body relaxed. "Lately, I don't know why I always feel so sleepy...?"

Before he could blink a few more times, Nianzhuo fell asleep again, slumped over the table.