Ayanokouji stood in front of the school building, watching her. The school where the former owner of his body studied was called the "Tokyo Hokushin Academy", and it was one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Tokyo.

The building looked impressive - three floors lined with light bricks with large windows, through which you could see students walking along the corridors. The entrance arch was decorated with a sign with the name of the school, and next to the main entrance towered tall trees, creating shade and some privacy. The sports ground, surrounded by a high fence, was a little far away, and Ayanokouji saw several students playing basketball there.

The school territory was well-groomed and spacious, with green lawns and flower beds, which could create an atmosphere of comfort and tranquility in any other place.

"What an unusual school," Kiyotaka thought, looking at the building. But his thoughts were interrupted by an energetic voice:

"Kiyotaka-kun!"

Ayanokouji stopped when he heard his name. He turned around and saw a girl with long light pink hair running to him, which cascaded almost to her waist. She looked joyful, energetic and relaxed, waving her hand to attract his attention. Her figure was gifted, and despite her average height, she stood out among other students with her bright appearance and charm.

"Kiyotaka-kun!" she shouted cheerfully, almost catching up with him. Her voice was full of sincere hospitality, which made Ayanokouji froze for a moment.

It was Ichinose Honami, the only person the former owner of the body could call his friend. Memories of her surfaced in Ayanokouji's head: she was kind, caring and always supported him. She was the one trusted by the guy who used to own this body.

Ayanokouji nodded to her in greeting.

"Good morning, Ichinose," he said calmly.

She stopped in front of him, slightly out of breath from running, but the smile on her face did not go away.

"I'm so glad to see you! I was so worried when you were in the hospital. How do you feel? Is everything okay?" - there was genuine care in her voice.

Ayanokouji thought for a moment, remembering how this guy was in love with her, although her heart belonged to another. But now, at this moment, the feelings of the former owner of the body had nothing for him.

"I'm fine," he answered briefly, not wanting to go into details. "Thank you for worrying."

Ichinose Honami slowed down when her eyes met Ayanokouji. She couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was wrong. Usually Kiyotaka greeted her with a joyful smile, was always friendly and benevolent. But now he looked at her with a completely dispassionate expression. Even his voice seemed cold and monotonous, devoid of the warmth she remembered.

Honami frowned, noticing one more detail: he changed his hairstyle. His hair was now styled differently, which added a certain detached, even strict expression to him. In addition, she immediately noticed that Ayanokoji had become noticeably taller. During his three months of absence, his physical development became obvious, which only emphasized his changed appearance.

"Kiyotaka-kun..." - her voice was full of uncertainty. "You've changed somehow... Are you sure you're okay?"

She continued to stare at him, expecting at least some hint of the former Kiyotaka, but found nothing. The one standing in front of her seemed to be a completely different person.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," Ayanokouji calmly replied, his voice remained even and dispassionate. He did not show the slightest sign of excitement or emotions that could calm Ichinose down.

Honami nodded, but her anxiety did not disappear. She still felt that something had changed in her friend, but she didn't know how to put it into words. Too much in him seemed alien, from his voice to the way he now looked at her - without the soft light in her eyes that she was used to.

"Well... okay, if you say so," she said uncertainly, trying to smile. "It doesn't matter... if something is wrong, I'm always there."

Ayanokouji just nodded in response, not planning to go into explanations. Ayanokouji understood that his behavior was suspicious for those who knew the former Kiyotaka. But he wasn't going to pretend or portray an old version of himself.

They continued to walk side by side, but there was a grave silence between them, and this silence felt strange and awkward. Kiyotaka used to be always talkative, easily supported the conversation, joked, and sometimes even teased her. But now he seemed closed, as if there was something inside him that kept him from normal communication.

Honami sneakly glanced at him, trying to find something familiar in his behavior. But this Kiyotaka was not what she used to see him. The girl could not imagine that not her best friend was walking next to her, but a 24-year-old mercenary who survived battles and dangers that no ordinary school life could compare with.

She didn't know that this man in front of her was a stranger in her friend's body, that his thoughts were now far from school worries and youthful unrest. For him, all this - school, relationships, previous emotions - seemed small and insignificant. Ayanokouji was busy with plans for the future, preparing for the actions he was going to take to correct the mistakes of the past owner of this body.

But for Honami, all this remained a secret, and despite her anxiety, she could not break this strange silence.

They approached the school gate, and Honami, feeling that the tension between them was only increasing, finally decided to break the silence.

"You know, Kiyotaka-kun... I'm still glad you're back. Even if you seem different, I still want you to know - if something is wrong, I'm always there," she said, trying to sound fun, although her voice gave out a slight uncertainty.

Ayanokouji glanced at her. For him, her words sounded like a polite sentence, which he was not ready for and did not need. Caring for other people's feelings was no longer of the same importance to him. But he needed to maintain a certain image until he finally figured out his new situation.

"Thank you," he answered briefly. "I'm fine. It just takes time to get used to everything."

Honami nodded, but couldn't hide her doubt. Her intuition told her that something had changed dramatically in her friend, but she didn't know how to explain it. They entered the school building, where other students were already starting to gather. The noise of voices, lively conversations and fuss around created a contrast with their silent couple.

The students laughed, loudly discussed their affairs, some threw teasing phrases at each other. The noise of voices was reflected from the walls, filling all the space around. Ayanokouji was not used to such an environment - in his previous life, the noise of the crowd was always associated with something else, with danger and tension. Here it was an ordinary school life, which he no longer belonged to.

Honami, usually full of energy, was now walking a little behind, not quite understanding how to behave with this new, silent Kiyotaka. But she wanted to at least try to get something back from their old friendship.

"Well, I'll go to my class," she said quietly, stopping at the stairs. "See you later, Kiyotaka-kun."

Ayanokouji nodded, briefly glanced at her, and continued on his way. Her voice sounded somehow too soft for him, and all this seemed meaningless to him. Now he cared about something else - what was waiting for him in class. From the memories of the former owner, he knew that this place was a source of pain and humiliation for him. But for the new Ayanokouji, it was just another test for which he was ready.

He walked along the corridor and stopped in front of the door of his classroom. Everything looked normal inside: the students were sitting in their seats, some were talking, someone was already stuck in the phone. No one paid much attention to him, as if he were just a shadow that happened to be among them.

Ayanokouji glanced over his faces - he did not know any of them personally, but the memories of the former owner of the body were quite clear. He knew which of them was the one who humiliated and abused this guy. And he was going to deal with it.

"Everything will change soon," Ayanokouji thought, entering the classroom and heading to his desk.

***

As soon as the first lesson was over and the students began to gather, a group of guys entered the class and attracted Ayanokouji's attention. He recognized them - these were the very people who made the life of the former owner of the body unbearable. Memories of their faces, their behavior and their aggressive attitude towards him were clear and fresh in his memory.

The guys entered the classroom with smug smiles, discussing something among themselves. Their presence immediately became noticeable: they filled the space with their noise and hostile behavior. Several of them loudly discussed what they did on the weekend, who saw whom where, and who swore at whom.

Ayanokouji watched them without showing any emotions. Now that he was back in this place, he felt that it was the perfect time to start acting. He knew that these guys were the source of numerous problems of the former owner of his body, and now he was going to do everything possible to change this situation.

One of the guys, tall with a disgruntled expression, noticed Ayanokouji and went to him. His voice was pompous, and his manners were provocative.

"Hey, Kiyotaka! Where have you been for three whole months?" - The guy started with a mockery, coming close.

Ayanokouji looked at him with the same dispassionate expression as before. He wasn't going to react to provocations, but he already knew how he would act.

"I don't know what you mean," he answered calmly, without changing his intonation. "I was busy."

The guy just grinned and seemed to want to continue, but Ayanokouji was no longer going to waste time on meaningless conversations.

Ayanokouji, without losing his calmness, said with icy calmness:

"Let's go to the roof, we need to talk."

The guys looked at each other in surprise. They clearly did not expect such an offer and were a little stunned by the confidence and determination emanating from Ayanokouji.

"What, are you crazy?" - one of the guys snorted mockingly. "Why on earth should we go to the roof with you?"

"Just do as I said," Ayanokouji replied coldly. His voice did not allow objections.

The group of guys froze for a moment, then, seeing that Ayanokouji was serious and would not retreat, they slowly agreed. They followed him with curiosity and distrust.

When they reached the roof, the situation changed. It was quiet on the roof, only the wind moved my hair and clothes. The city around was far away, and there were no prying eyes here, which provided privacy.

The guys, feeling a change in mood, began to relax, starting to joke and whisper among themselves. Ayanokoji watched the guys begin to relax and realized that it was time to act decisively.

"Now that you've relaxed," he began, "let's figure it out. You knew what you were doing, and now you will have to answer for it."

The guys, feeling the seriousness in his voice, stopped laughing. One of them, a red-haired guy with a hard expression, grinned and came closer to Ayanokouji.

"Listen, Kiyotaka," he said mockingly. "Do you think you can just come and fix everything? We know you're an ordinary weakling."

Ayanokouji did not react to the provocation. He kept looking straight into the guys' eyes.

"You don't understand that you're on the verge now," he said. "I'll make you answer for everything you've done"

The guys began to exchange aggressive glances. Feeling that they were being called into conflict, they began to whisper discuss the action plan. They were obviously going to show that they are not afraid and answer the challenge.

"Do you know what we think about people like you?" the red-haired guy continued, already approaching Ayanokouji. "You're just a joker, and we'll show you what it means to go against us"

The tone of his voice became threatening, and the guys began to surround Ayanokoji, their steps became more and more confident and threatening. One of them, large and muscular, stood in front of Ayanokouji, intending to hit him, demonstrating his strength.

Ayanokouji felt the impending threat and immediately concentrated. His instincts, supported by experience, demanded to act quickly and without hesitation. As soon as the first guy approached, Ayanokouji struck with lightning speed, hitting the enemy's face and knocking him off his feet.

The rest of the guys, noticing that their friend had fallen, immediately rushed into battle. The fight unfolded rapidly - blows, jolts and screams filled the air, creating chaos. Ayanokouji, using his excellent physical fitness and skills honed in his former life, cleverly coped with the attackers. He struck with accuracy and efficiency, one by one neutralizing the attackers.

The guys tried to resist, but their efforts were in vain. They couldn't resist his fast and strong blows. Ayanokouji didn't just fight back - he was in a state of full control, directing his blows with enormous force and accuracy. His movements were confident and calculating, he used every mistake of his opponents to his advantage.

Ayanokouji continued to act with a cold calculation. His strikes were lightning fast and accurate, each of them accurately hit the target, leaving the attackers not the slightest chance of successful resistance. He did not waste time on unnecessary movements, each of his actions was thought out and aimed at quickly and effectively neutralizing the threat.

One by one, the opponents fell to the ground, exhausted and beaten. Their attempts to counterattack were helpless in the face of Ayanokouji's technique and strength. Each blow was well thought out, every movement was the result of many years of training and experience. Even when several guys tried to attack at the same time, Ayanokouji easily maneuvered between them, effectively defending and counterattacking.

Soon the space on the roof was filled only with the sounds of heavy breathing and the quiet moan of the defeated. Those who could still move lay on the floor, trying to recover from pain and fatigue. Ayanokouji remained standing in the midst of this mess, his expression on his face was impenetrable. His eyes, focused and cold, examined the surrounding situation.

The guy, who was lying on the ground, barely got up on his elbows and, with a look of rage on his face, said:

"Do you think you'll get away with it?"

Ayanokouji, without showing excitement, replied:

"It will do, especially since you have no evidence. What evidence do you have that I beat you up?"

The guy who was lying on the ground tried to get up on his elbows, but his strength was clearly exhausted. He turned to Ayanokouji again, trying to maintain confidence in his voice:

"We'll tell the principal anyway! You can't just get away from responsibility!"

Ayanokouji looked at him with an unperturbed expression on his face:

"Seriously? Do you think he will believe that one student was able to cope with a group of eight people without help? This explanation looks too far-fetched and implausible."

He paused, allowing his words to penetrate the minds of opponents:

"Besids, do you have evidence? Cameras? Witnesses? Or are they all just words?"

Ayanokouji continued with a slight mockery:

"Do you really think that the principal will deal with such a case if there is no concrete evidence and evidence? I assure you, it won't be his priority."

He behaved with confidence and calmness, emphasizing that for him it was not just a random skirmish, but part of a larger picture. His words, full of conviction, seemed inexorable. Then he turned around and headed for the exit, not paying any more attention to his opponents.

Leaving them in a state of confusion and despair, Ayanokouji continued on his way, knowing that his confidence and control over the situation had done their job.

Ayanokouji left the roof, mentally saying:

"Now I've avenged this guy."