The whispers didn't stop.
— "I'm sure… they said he was dead." — "Then who is this?!" — "That's impossible…"
The voices were low,
but my ears caught them with ease.
"The spread of these rumors is significant… This will cause problems if I don't act."
Then—
The classroom door opened.
The teacher walked in.
— "Open your books. Today's lesson is—"
Everyone returned to their seats.
Pens moved.
The board filled with equations.
But…
Some eyes did not return to the lesson.
They were still on me.
Fear. Doubt. Hesitation.
I didn't care.
I looked at the first problem.
Then the second.
Then the third.
"…Primitive."
It wasn't confidence. It was fact.
Last night—
I didn't sleep.
Or rather, I never stopped learning.
University lectures. Scientific papers.
Physical, mathematical, and medical theories.
I compressed knowledge the way an entire file is compressed—
and merged it.
"My level of understanding surpasses this class by several stages."
I lowered my gaze back to the book.
"This lesson… isn't worth focusing on."
So I turned my awareness inward.
"The memories of the incident."
Layers of consciousness opened.
The forest.
The darkness.
Broken breathing.
Fear.
Three people surrounded him,
and one person stood behind them, watching.
But—
"The image… is distorted."
I tried to move closer.
The face—featureless.
The voice—cut off.
The critical moment—fragmented.
Then—
A ringing pierced my head.
Sharp, sudden pain.
I stopped immediately.
I held my head for a moment, then straightened in my seat.
"There was unexpected resistance within the memory."
It wasn't a technical malfunction.
"…This isn't normal."
But I couldn't find an explanation.
Human emotions and psychological trauma—
they were all concepts I hadn't studied yet.
"I must learn human psychology when I return."
The bell rang.
Class ended.
I headed to buy some food.
Students moved around me,
but none came close.
They made way.
Avoided contact.
"I feel… like an outcast."
As if I were—
something that shouldn't be touched.
Then I decided to go up to the rooftop.
The air was colder.
The noise almost nonexistent.
I began eating.
In silence.
Then… I heard footsteps.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
They stopped in front of me.
I slowly raised my head.
Three boys and a girl.
They were staring at me with expressions of shock and unease.
That was natural.
They were looking at someone who was supposed to be dead.
Koichi's memory opened automatically.
"…Identified."
They were the ones who used to bully Koichi.
Mocking him in front of everyone.
Beating and humiliating him—
while no one cared.
I stood calmly.
Looked at them.
"…"
For the first time since arriving on this planet,
I felt something different.
Not anger.
But—interest.
— "How are you still alive, you bastard?!"
The first to speak was the girl.
According to Koichi's memories, her name was Kagami Mizuki.
One of them asked in disbelief,
— "Unbelievable… are you really Koichi?" — "I'm sure he died back then."
They whispered among themselves.
I looked at them one by one.
Not with defiance—
but examination.
"You."
"And you."
"And you."
My gaze stopped on the third.
— "You were the one holding both my arms."
Silence fell.
They froze.
— "W-what…?"
I took one step closer.
— "In the forest." — "You were behind me." — "And you… pushed me."
The memories finally began to connect.
The image sharpened.
— "You were there…" I pointed at the girl standing slightly behind them. — "You're the one who ordered them… aren't you?"
She looked strangely unsettled.
Sweat began to form on her face.
— "Are you joking with me?! Don't you remember what happened that day…?"
Mizuki said, forcing a smile, then continued.
— "That's right… I'm the one who brought these guys to beat you."
She admitted it quickly.
— "Did you spread the rumor that I was dead?" I asked curiously.
— "Are you stupid? Have you ever heard of someone killing another person and then telling everyone about it?"
That made sense.
— "May I know the reason you hated me so much that you tried to kill me in the end…?" I asked her directly.
— "Because you saw me behind the school that day—"
What?
I didn't remember anything.
I hadn't seen all of Koichi's memories yet.
What did Koichi see that made them bully him like this?
— "Unfortunately… I don't remember anything," I replied.
— "Are you mocking me…?"
— "Sorry… but I lost part of my memory after that incident."
It was a lie, of course.
— "I'd be happy if you forgot… what confuses me is that the bruises and scratches on your face are gone."
— "Are you really Koichi?!"
As I said before—
Human intuition is fascinating.
— "Besides… we didn't mean to kill you. It was kind of an accident."
— "What…?"
— "That's right. We only wanted to beat you up more than usual because you harassed her," one of the boys said.
— "Harassment? I don't remember doing that…"
— "Enough talk. We'll keep bullying you like usual… until you completely forget that day,"
Mizuki said with a mocking smile.
If this bullying was going to continue,
then it had to end—quickly.
Humans are truly troublesome creatures.
While I was lost in thought,
the three of them began moving toward me.
This kind of stupid bullying ends once you resist.
I had to show them that I wasn't someone to mess with.
That was the most efficient way.
I clenched my fists.
Since merging with this human body,
its muscular strength had increased significantly.
Equivalent to a professional boxer.
I had also watched several self-defense videos last night.
But—
What I learned was purely theoretical.
The first one rushed in.
The punch was fast.
But I could see it clearly.
I moved as I had learned.
A sidestep.
Arm raised.
A block—
Slightly late.
A hit to the shoulder.
I stepped back half a step.
"Pain registered… not critical."
The second attacked from the side.
A low kick.
My body wasn't fully accustomed yet.
The impact landed on my leg.
My body tilted—
but I didn't fall.
— "Ha! What's wrong, dead man?"
I took a deep breath.
"Adjustment."
I recalled stances, center of gravity, energy flow.
Combat wasn't just about striking—
it was about control.
I moved again—
More precise.
I blocked the punch, grabbed the wrist, and twisted the arm.
A scream.
I shoved him into the other attacker.
They collided and fell to the ground.
When one tried to get up, I rushed forward and kicked him hard under the jaw until he lost consciousness.
Then I punched the second one—
he collapsed as well.
Their leader backed away in terror.
— "Stop! He's not normal!"
But I didn't stop.
A short kick to the stomach.
Not strong—
but precise.
He fell.
He tried to run—
I grabbed him and punched him, sending him crashing into the wall.
Impact.
I grabbed him by the collar and kept punching his face until it swelled and filled with blood.
— "This is impossible… how did he suddenly become this strong?"
Mizuki said as she watched her group collapse.
I stopped.
Silence.
Three bodies on the ground.
Broken breaths.
Pain.
Mizuki collapsed to the ground on her own, overcome by fear.
I stood in front of her.
Grabbed her by the hair and lifted her slowly.
My gaze was cold.
Terrifying.
Emotionless.
The gaze of a true killer.
I felt her trembling as I held her hair.
Tears began to fall.
— "How curious… someone like you can make such an expression."
— "If—if you touch me or do anything to me… I'll tell my boyfriend,"
she tried to sound strong.
It didn't work.
— "Your boyfriend…?"
I wondered who he was.
He piqued my interest.
— "That's right… maybe you don't know him.
But my boyfriend is a professional boxer, and he leads the strongest gang in this area.
If he hears what you did to me… he won't stay silent. He'll kill you for sure."
She said it with a cunning, mocking smile.
I let go of her hair.
She fell to the ground.
I turned toward the stairs.
— "Did you feel scared? You'd better stay hidden for a while… because I'll tell him personally what happened,"
she said arrogantly.
I laughed and stopped for a moment.
— "Hide…?
Tell him I'll be waiting anytime."
Then I went down the stairs.
Silence ruled the rooftop.
As I descended,
I began planning how to get out of this situation.
I was drawing too much unnecessary attention.
This had to end—quickly.