Ryuzaki Shin looked at the three options that appeared before his eyes and quickly made a decision.
Option one: tackle the landlady?
Good heavens, I'm literally saying good heavens!
That's way too much.
Besides, I like fully automatic!
Pass!
Option two: tell the truth?
It's not that I wouldn't dare.
But what's with the 'Good Boy Stamp'?
Is he teasing a child?
If word got out, wouldn't his brothers on the street laugh their heads off?
Though his brothers on the street might be feeding the fish at the bottom of the bay right now... he couldn't lose his style!
So, only one option remained.
"System, I choose three!"
"Ding! Selection successful! Reward: [Special Healing Ointment] x 1, Uehara Asuka's favorability +20!"
As soon as the words fell, Ryuzaki Shin felt an invisible, intangible storage space appear in his mind, with a small, exquisite bottle of ointment resting quietly inside.
With a thought, the ointment bottle materialized in his hand, cool to the touch.
"System space? Can be retrieved at any time? Interesting."
He slipped the ointment into his pocket, then looked up, his gaze falling on the beautiful woman opposite him, who was still clutching her chest, her face flushed.
Uehara Asuka felt the young man's aura suddenly change.
If before he was fierce and cold, like a drawn blade.
Now, a softness she couldn't understand had entered his eyes, but the sense of authority from his long-held position of power increased rather than diminished, making her feel an inexplicable panic.
She instinctively took half a step back, her slender arm quietly moving behind her to grip a ceramic vase placed on the entrance cabinet.
There was no other way; as a divorced, beautiful woman, she knew how good her figure was.
Facing an eighteen-year-old boy full of vigor, especially one who had just displayed an astonishingly violent side, she couldn't help but be cautious.
Just as Uehara Asuka was feeling uneasy and ready to counterattack immediately if things went wrong, Ryuzaki Shin did not approach.
He merely shifted his deep gaze from her chest to her smooth forehead, to that glaring bruise.
"I see you have an injury on your forehead; let me put some medicine on it for you."
His voice was calm, without the slightest hint of frivolity.
Uehara Asuka was slightly stunned, and the grip in her hand unconsciously loosened.
Only then did Ryuzaki Shin take a step, slowly walking towards her.
He didn't reach out directly but stopped a step away from her, took out the special healing ointment from his pocket, opened the cap, and dipped a little emerald green ointment with his fingertip.
A fresh herbal scent instantly permeated the air.
"It might be a little cold."
He said softly, then reached out and gently brushed aside the scattered hair from her forehead.
His fingertips were cool, lightly touching her skin.
Uehara Asuka's body stiffened instinctively, but feeling the carefulness in his actions, she finally let go of all her defenses, allowing him to apply the medicine for her.
Ryuzaki Shin, like she had just done, leaned down and gently blew on the bruise.
The warm airflow brushed across her forehead, bringing a tingling sensation, and also blew into Uehara Asuka's heart.
She couldn't help but look up, watching the young man before her at close range.
Sunlight streamed through the corridor window onto his profile, outlining his distinct features.
His eyelashes were long, casting a shallow shadow beneath his eyelids, his nose bridge was high, and the lines of his lips were clear and sensual.
Only then did Uehara Asuka suddenly realize that Ryuzaki Shin before her was completely different from the shy, always-looking-down boy she remembered.
Before, he always wore thick black-rimmed glasses, covering most of his face, and his hair was always messy; his whole person exuded a gloomy aura.
But now, he wasn't wearing glasses, and his exposed eyes were as deep as the starry sky, as if they could draw one's soul in.
His facial features, combined, were indescribably handsome.
Most importantly, his focused and serious expression at that moment, that feeling as if the whole world contained only her, made her heart skip a beat.
It was still the same face, but his entire demeanor had undergone a drastic transformation.
He was no longer the small tenant she needed to pity and take care of, but a truly dependable presence, full of mature masculine charm.
Ever since she married that man, she had not experienced a single bit of care.
Additionally, Uehara Asuka's parents died young, leaving her without support.
This feeling gave her an unparalleled sense of security.
It was midsummer, and the weather was a bit muggy.
A drop of sweat trickled down Ryuzaki Shin's focused cheek, passed his slightly bobbing Adam's apple, and finally disappeared into the collar of his school uniform.
Uehara Asuka watched this scene, feeling her cheeks flush.
"All done."
Ryuzaki Shin straightened up and withdrew his hand.
He looked at the bruise on Uehara Asuka's forehead, which was fading at a visible rate, and nodded with satisfaction.
System products are always top-notch!
He gave her a brilliant smile; the sunlight happened to fall on his face, making him look especially warm and dazzling.
Then he said the last sentence seriously.
"From now on, I will protect you."
Boom!
Uehara Asuka felt as if her heart had been violently struck by a heavy bomb, instantly crumbling.
She lowered her head in a panic, not daring to look at those eyes that seemed to penetrate everything.
Her hands nervously clasped together, and she smoothed her hair by her ear to hide her inner turmoil.
A young man making such a promise to a twenty-eight-year-old divorced woman.
If it were anyone else, she would only find it ridiculous.
But coming from Ryuzaki Shin, she inexplicably chose to believe him.
"Thank you, Ryuzaki-kun."
She said in a low voice, almost inaudible.
Just then, an abrupt ringing broke the ambiguous atmosphere.
Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!
Ryuzaki Shin looked at the digital watch in his hand, and the time displayed on the screen made him raise an eyebrow.
"Damn it, it's almost time for school?"
Whether he would attend school or not was another matter, but he had to go check the situation first.
Moreover, ever since he had transmigrated, he had felt a persistent sense of frustration brewing in this body, which he couldn't shake off.
Presumably, it was due to long-term bullying at school.
If that was the case, then he had even more reason to go.
A cold arc formed at the corner of Ryuzaki Shin's mouth.
Heh heh, Suzuran?
A nest of crows?
That's good too.
Little brother, those grievances you suffered in your former life, I'll avenge them all for you today!
It's not certain who will bully whom!
He said to Uehara Asuka, "Uehara-san, I'm going to school."
"Ah? Oh, okay…"
Uehara Asuka only then recovered from her shyness. She remembered Ryuzaki Shin mentioning transferring schools a few days ago, but the name of that school... Suzuran?
She heard that place was very chaotic, a gathering spot for delinquent youths in Tokyo.
She had been worried that Ryuzaki Shin would be bullied if he went there, but looking at him today, she felt her worries were unnecessary.
Someone who could beat an adult strong man into fleeing in disarray should... be able to protect himself, right?
"Wait!"
Uehara Asuka seemed to remember something, turned, and scurried into the kitchen.
A moment later, she came out with a bento box wrapped in an exquisite cloth napkin and handed it to Ryuzaki Shin.
"Take this with you and eat it at school for lunch."
Ryuzaki Shin thought about his pocket, which was cleaner than his face. Indeed, without money, he wouldn't know how to solve lunch.
He didn't stand on ceremony and reached out to take the bento box.
The warm bento box carried a trace of her body temperature.
As he took it, his fingertips inadvertently brushed against Uehara Asuka's soft hand.
Uehara Asuka's body trembled slightly, but she didn't flinch as she had before; instead, she let his fingers brush past, and a blush again crept onto her pretty face.
Ryuzaki Shin, however, didn't pay attention to these details. His mind was now entirely focused on how to "friendly" greet his new classmates at Suzuran.
He turned and waved his hand, then walked downstairs.
"Ryuzaki-kun!"
Just as he reached the staircase on the first floor, Uehara Asuka's worried call came from the second floor again.
"Suzuran is very chaotic, you... you must be careful!"
Ryuzaki Shin stopped and looked up.
The sunlight poured down from the end of the corridor, coating Uehara Asuka's shapely figure with a soft golden edge.
A gentle breeze ruffled her hair and skirt; that moment of tenderness and concern seemed to freeze into a beautiful painting.
In his previous life, he had no parents, walked alone in the darkness, surrounded by jackals and tigers who used each other. When had he ever experienced such pure concern?
Ryuzaki Shin's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
However, it was only one beat.
He turned his back to Uehara Asuka upstairs, not looking back, just casually raising his hand and waving it backward as a response.
What a cunning woman, daring to disturb his Dao heart.
Then, he strode away from the small building...