"Haaaa~" I let out a long breath, heavy with tiredness and laziness. My already drooped eyelashes sagged even further, making it hard to see through my lashes.
I casually swung my bag over my right shoulder, holding it there as I walked up the mountain slope.
I muttered to myself out loud, "Damn… back to high school again."
I clicked my tongue softly.
"How close was I, in my previous world, to actually finishing high school go to university then getting a job? And now here I am—starting all over again."
I shook my head with a faint sigh.
"I should've realized it sooner. I should've known my life was never going to be that simple. But… ah, it is what it is."
I lifted my gaze toward the campus ahead.
"So, Douma High. One of the top ten schools in the country for ability user's."
As the name settled in my mind, realization struck. "Now that I think about it… this place existed in my previous life too. It wasn't even that far from Kohai High."
I frowned lightly.
"I keep forgetting that this world is basically just a parallel version of Earth—same foundations, just… different rules."
I knew what you guy's would be wondering.
Why am I going back to high school?
Well, that question deserved an answer. And the only way to explain it properly was through what happened immediately after I won the Trial of Finger Supremacy against my cousin, Renji.
Flashback—four days ago:
As I stood there, looming over Renji's unconscious body, I continued to look down at him with a cold glint in my eyes. And then I saw it—Renji's battle spirit.
Slowly, steadily, it faded away, dissolving into nothing as if it had never existed in the first place.
Throughout our fight, from the very beginning, Renji's battle spirit had radiated pure, unfiltered arrogance, laced with a hint of sadism. Seeing that, I had originally thought he might give me the excitement I'd been craving. I believed he would be an interesting opponent.
But I was wrong.
Renji was nothing more than a man drunk on arrogance—someone who took pleasure in injuring others and mentally breaking the weak. In the end, he was just a typical mid-boss background villain, the kind you read about in manga or novels. Loud. Cruel. Ultimately forgettable.
I stared at his unconscious form a little longer before losing interest entirely. Turning away, I began walking out of the arena.
The silence was absolute.
I couldn't quite tell what everyone was thinking, but I was sure they were still in shock. After all the effort they'd put into expecting me to lose, I had done the exact opposite. That feeling—that exhilaration of shattering expectations and face-slapping those who doubted you—was intoxicating.
Now I understood why protagonists in wuxia novels loved doing it so much.
I continued walking, heading toward where I had last seen Dina. But when I looked, she wasn't there. Subconsciously, my eyes swept across the surroundings, and soon I spotted her standing near the entrance where I had descended earlier.
I adjusted my direction and casually walked toward her.
As I got closer, I noticed the golden-haired woman standing beside Dina—Shido's mother, Lady Vlaneth. Within twenty seconds, I was standing directly in front of them both, close enough now to observe her appearance in greater detail.
As I walked toward them, I had been subconsciously inspecting my own body.
It felt… stronger.
My stamina, strength, speed, reaction time, eyesight—nearly everything about me had improved. Not to an absurd or ridiculous degree, but enough for the change to be undeniable. The sensation was strange. Everything about it felt strange.
Still, I had a vague idea of where this change originated from.
That, however, could be explained later.
Right now, I was standing in front of Shido's mother—and more importantly, this was the perfect chance to test something.
I still didn't know what triggered Shido's memories to surface within me. Whether it was proximity, emotion, or something else entirely.
So I decided to experiment.
And perhaps, just by looking at her face, I'd find my answer.
Standing before me was Shido's mother—Vlaneth Urazaki, the fourth child of the previous family patriarch. She possessed a striking, model-like figure, her presence effortlessly commanding attention especially in the chest size that rivaled or surpassed Dina's own. Long, flowing golden hair cascaded down her back, catching and reflecting the light with every subtle movement.
Her eyes, a vivid and intense gold, gleamed with a mischievous—almost predatory—sparkle.
Yet the most defining feature of all was her smile. When she smiled at me, sharp white fangs flashed effortlessly, a sight that somehow did not clash with her lips, which were painted in a rich, metallic gold. Instead, the contrast only heightened her dangerous elegance.
She was dressed in traditional attire: a light-colored kimono layered over a darker inner garment, all draped beneath a deep maroon outer robe adorned with subtle golden floral patterns. The colors complemented her presence perfectly—regal, refined, and undeniably wild.
A small, diamond-shaped golden marking rested on her forehead. According to Shido's memories, that mark was not mere decoration—it was the visible manifestation of her ability.
Vlaneth's gaze drifted downward, settling briefly on the state of my battered clothes—torn fabric, exposed skin, the faint outline of muscle beneath.
The visible pink blush spread on her cheeks as she continued to look down towards me. She was staring deeply directly at my little brother with an expression of confusion, slight amount of lust and contemplation? Then she bit her lower lip tightly.
She continued to stare downwards This whole action what vlaneth did was actually something she ended up doing within the span of 20-seconds. So fast that Dina didn't even notice what she was looking at, but I did. And I think it was due to my body's reaction speed being faster.
I smiled to myself in my head wondering, why exactly is she gaving me such a strange and wanting gaze? Am I not her son? Or was something i was missing here?
But that didn't matter right now. As I just continued to look at her, then suddenly coughed into my right hand and said, "Mother... how are you doing?" Even though I said that, I wasn't actually seeing that as I actually realized something.
When I looked at her, I actually felt some memories returning, but it didn't feel like she actually triggered them. It felt like they were just appearing in a certain moment.
And for some reason i felt like a very important memory, is about to resurface... but for some weird reason it was just not entering, as if it's taking its time deliberately.
As if my words had acted as some kind of trigger, Vlaneth snapped out of her daze. She coughed awkwardly, clearly trying to dispel the strange atmosphere that had formed.
"Cough! Hm—Shido," she began quickly, "how are you feeling right now? Especially after tanking Renji's strongest attack? Huh? Any wounds? Any injuries that need medical attention?"
She spoke faster and faster, waving her hands about as her sharp golden eyes scanned my body from head to toe, searching desperately for even the smallest sign of damage.
"If there is anything at all, you must say so immediately! As your mother I worry about my baby!"
Her frantic concern was almost overwhelming.
Of course, thanks to adaptation, I was completely fine—more than fine, actually. If anything, I was about four times better than before.
But neither she nor Dina knew that.
And for now… I had no intention of telling them. For now until am one hundred percent sure i can trust them.
Damn, I inwardly thought to myself as a particular memory chose to resurface in this moment.
It dated back to yesterday when i entered this body. Whether that moment was a blessing or a curse depended entirely on how one chose to look at it. Even now, I still didn't have an answer.
Back then, my mindset had been… unstable. And the Neurochemical Response reaction.
And luckily Dina was the one who showed up and due to shido's memories pursuing Dina was much easier. And Holy was i lucky that it was Dina instead of anyone else.
Because Shido's memories made one thing painfully clear.
His mother had always spoiled him.
Not casually. Not occasionally. Excessively.
Because he was born without an ability, she compensated for everything. Anything she could buy, she bought. Anything she could excuse, she excused.
Any mistake he made, she softened. Any consequence, she erased.
"He's my baby," she would say. "Of course I'll protect him."
At the time, I didn't think much of it.
If Vlaneth had been come to check on me that yesterday instead of sending Dina while i was in Neurochemical Response state—
Then something irreversible could have happened i would have fucked vlaneth.
Not because of just desire for a women, but also because of permission.
Shido's memories showed me exactly how vlaneth would have reacted—not with anger, not with rejection, but with understanding.
With excuses. With justification wrapped in maternal affection.
She would have blamed the world. Blamed the bullying. Blamed the pressure of being powerless.
And she would have forgiven everything i did to her, that was the terrifying part.
Not what might have happened—but the certainty that it would have been accepted.
Embraced.
Smothered in love so absolute that it erased morality itself. Only then did I truly understand just how dangerous unconditional affection could be.
Not spoiled in a bad way.
But spoiled too well.
And am one hundred percent sure of what exactly vlaneth's words would be after i finished fucking her:
"Do not feel bad or scared of what you did to me, shido. I understand your reasoning. I know the stress of being born without an ability in this world--in this family. I knew exactly what you were about to do to me by the lust-filled gaze you were aiming at me, yet i still let you do it to me without any fuse. You know why? It's due to you being my son--my baby. I know the rest of the world might see what you done as bad but in this family where incest once existed is normal. So anytime you feel like doing it again due to either stress or desire just come to release it all, okay?"
This thought was so accurate and clear that i visible shook all over.
I shook my head, pushing those thoughts aside, then focused my attention on Dina. She was clutching the brim of her maid outfit, looking at me with a deep blush. I met her gaze and could already tell what she was waiting for.
Then I looked at Vlaneth.
She was staring at the two of us with an expression caught somewhere between shock, surprise… and deep-seated jealousy.
"So you two are…?" she asked, leaving the sentence unfinished, as if saying it out loud would make it real.
I took Dina's hands in mine and smiled at her before turning back to Vlaneth.
"Yesterday, I made a promise," I said calmly. "And now I'm fulfilling it by telling you first, Mother. Dina and I have gone beyond a master–servant relationship. I confessed my feelings to her, and she returned them and we closed our vow when i slept with her and from yesterday onwards, we became a couple."
Dina blushed even more at the part of me sleeping with her. She lowered her head shyly, staring at the floor, but I could still see the small, unmistakably happy smile on her face. That alone made my own smile widen.
"I plan on marrying her someday," I continued. "I'll tell the entire family—hers and ours—and eventually, the world. She is mine, and I'm not afraid of anyone anymore. I've awakened my ability, but even if I hadn't, I still wouldn't be afraid. Loving someone like her is nothing to be ashamed of."
Dina remained silent, but her happiness was obvious.
This was one of the promises I made to her—and I had kept it. Now all that remained was to tell the rest of the family… and someday, the world.