Chapter 23
This world is truly dangerous—even the King of Knights has shown up.
Ye Yu gazed at Artoria, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window.
Her majestic beauty was like a living painting.
"Ye Yu, if you like her so much, why don't you go say hello?"
Kurumi's voice carried a dark undertone, finally snapping Ye Yu back to reality.
He turned to find her staring at him with dangerous eyes.
The look on her face radiated deep resentment.
But Ye Yu's attention wasn't on that at all—because he suddenly noticed something shocking.
Kurumi's left eye… wasn't the golden clock he remembered from the original story.
It was the same vivid red as her right eye.
Her bangs had always covered it before, so he'd simply assumed it was the iconic clock underneath.
But now… why was it different?
Looking at the ruby-like glow in her pupil, Ye Yu asked instinctively:
"Kurumi, your eye…?"
Only then did Kurumi realize her movement had exposed the left side.
She hurriedly brushed her hair back over it in a panic.
"N-Nothing."
Ye Yu felt puzzled, but his near-photographic memory replayed the brief glimpse.
There was a scar—about two centimeters long—on her left eyelid.
Was that why she always kept her left eye hidden?
But what about the eye itself?
Could it be… Kurumi hasn't become a Spirit yet in this world?
"Is it because of the scar on your eyelid that you cover your eye?"
Kurumi's cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her head.
"Ye Yu… do you think it's ugly? It's a scar from an accident when I was little."
Ugly?
Kurumi, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your own beauty?
Even if you had a few more knife scars across your face, I could still…
"It's beautiful."
"Hm?"
Kurumi looked up in surprise.
Was Ye Yu… talking about me?
Ye Yu smiled gently at her, repeating himself.
"I think you're truly beautiful, Kurumi. You're the most perfect girl I've ever seen."
Kurumi's face turned bright red; her heart pounded wildly.
Is this… a confession?
"You suddenly saying that… I…"
Under Kurumi's stunned gaze, Ye Yu gently brushed her hair aside.
Sure enough—there was a shallow scar on her left eyelid.
It wasn't deep, but it did slightly diminish her flawless appearance.
Yes—originally ten thousand points of beauty… now down to 9999.
"Ye Yu, what are you—?"
Kurumi froze, cheeks burning, completely losing the jealousy-fueled attitude from earlier.
She didn't stop him as he lifted her hair.
"Nothing. Since you care about it so much… let me help you."
Help me with what…?
Before she could process, Ye Yu's fingertip touched her eyelid.
A warm, gentle current flowed from his finger.
"What are you doing? It feels… warm…"
Ye Yu activated his healing ability.
The scar healed at visible speed.
In moments, the mark that had followed her for years vanished completely.
Ye Yu smiled and—seemingly from nowhere—produced a delicate small mirror.
"Look—hasn't my Kurumi become even more beautiful?"
Kurumi silently complained in her heart: Who's "your" Kurumi?!
But then she saw her reflection.
The scar she'd always felt self-conscious about… was gone.
She touched it in disbelief.
Smooth. No more uneven texture.
The mark that had haunted her for over a decade… had disappeared like magic?
"Ye Yu… this is…?"
Ye Yu smiled, accepting the freshly grilled meat from the waiter.
"Just a little magic trick. Do you like it?"
Kurumi stared at him blankly, then broke into a radiant smile.
"I love it… I really love it!"
Seeing her bloom like a flower, Ye Yu felt his heart skip.
Since Kurumi hasn't become a Spirit yet… How about I make her my wife?
The thought suddenly appeared in his mind.
He'd been cautious before because of her Nightmare Spirit identity.
After all, he'd only claimed one of the Nakano quintuplets so far.
But seeing her human, vulnerable, and without powers… his lustful side stirred again.
"Kurumi, try this yakiniku—it's really good!"
He handed her a perfectly grilled piece.
Then his gaze drifted back to Artoria, who was still fully focused on devouring her meal.
As for the King of Knights… fate will decide later.
There were already too many girls on his plate—he knew better than to bite off more than he could chew.
At that moment, Artoria's brows furrowed slightly.
A feeling of being watched rose within her.
Instinctively, she looked up—just in time to meet Ye Yu's eyes.
For a brief second, they locked gazes.
Ye Yu quickly looked away, pretending it was accidental.
But the King's sharp instincts confirmed it.
This wasn't the casual glance of an ordinary person.
Kurumi having no supernatural power might be the exception.
Artoria relaxed her brows when she saw it was just a young couple.
…
Meanwhile, Kushida Kikyo was undergoing the greatest transformation of her life.
Holding the Insect Control Box Ye Yu had given her, she walked slowly across campus.
Her eyes were locked on a boy not far away.
He was from the class next to hers—one of the people Ye Yu had circled.
He had once pushed Karuizawa down the stairs, causing her to faint.
Afterward, he'd bragged about it constantly.
He also loved ambushing her with water balloons and slingshots.
So Ye Yu had quietly circled his name.
"I'm sorry… I really have no choice…"
Kushida murmured softly.
Then a tiny insect flew from the box under her control, landing on the boy's neck.
He didn't even notice.
But Kushida felt a strange, intoxicating sensation—like she could make him do anything.
Her mind moved.
The boy immediately dropped everything he was holding and stood at attention.
Under her command, he started doing cartwheels, one-handed stands, dance moves…
Each increasingly ridiculous action drew the attention of students and teachers nearby.
Then she spotted another circled boy.
She sent another insect.
The same overwhelming sense of control returned.
She made him punch the first boy.
One punch, two, three…
Both boys looked terrified, but their bodies refused to obey.
They tried to speak—mouths wouldn't open.
A teacher rushed over to separate them.
The controlled boy suddenly went berserk—punching the teacher straight in the eye.
Then, in a voice that wasn't his own, he shouted:
"Go to hell, you old fart!"
He bolted toward the school gate.
The other boy chased after him frantically.
"What the hell?! These two kids have lost their minds—stop right there!"
The teacher clutched his eye, face twisted in pain.
Fights weren't uncommon at school.
But this level of brazenness was new.
Then came the next scene—nearly making him wet himself.
One of the boys ran straight out of campus… directly into the path of an oncoming truck.
Bang—
He was sent flying.
Kushida stared blankly at the scene, as if she couldn't believe it.
Then, slowly… a twisted, sickly smile crept across her lips.
"This feeling… is kind of fun."
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