The first day of school.

Most students were still stuck in vacation mode. At best, they were sluggish and groggy; at worst, anxious and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Our balding homeroom teacher called it “post-holiday syndrome.”

But personally? I blame the heat.

Sure, September’s sun wasn’t quite as vicious as August’s, but for a bunch of kids used to lounging under their home air conditioners, it was still hot enough to roast a person alive.

And lucky me, I got a seat right by the window. Even with the curtains drawn, the heat still felt scorching to the bone.

“I’m dying! Install some damn AC already! Damn you, stupid school!”

Whines like that had been echoing through the room since noon. Not that it mattered. The teachers, sitting pretty in their air-conditioned offices, couldn’t care less if we melted.

“Yare yare... Compared to the hell I’ve been through, this is nothing.”

Zhao Zhao let out a cool snort. His aura of superiority rolled off him in waves, instantly silencing the whining masses.
No one dared talk back.

Why? Because the man wasn’t sweating. At all.

In fact, there was an actual breeze blowing through his perfectly styled red slick-back.

What the hell was going on with this guy?

“In the fires of remedial class hell, I learned one thing...” he said, voice solemn.
“The more you complain about the heat, the more you realize just how weak humans truly are… unless... you go beyond humanity.”

“What are you even talking about?”

Zhao Zhao formed a strange hand seal with one hand.

And then—he started floating. No joke.

His whole body twisted and warped as a blast of cool air erupted from him, flooding the entire classroom.

“I reject my humanity, Commander!”
Even after turning into a white, rectangular home appliance, he still managed to speak.
“I’m becoming... an air conditioner!”

And with that, he smashed through the window and flew off toward the girls' school.

...

...

What the hell was that?!

Someone was shaking me.

“Commander, wake up. School’s over.”

I opened my eyes to see... Zhao Zhao.

“What? It was a dream?”

“Huh? Did you have a nightmare?”

“Nightmare? Eh... not really. Just weird. You were in it.”

He scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Commander, don’t tell me Xiao Lei’s turning you gay.”

“Shut it. It wasn’t like that—I dreamed you turned into an air conditioner and flew off.”

He blinked. Three seconds passed.

“What the actual hell? Are you going nuts?”

Apparently, I’d fallen asleep on the very first day of school. Guess I really was the laziest one of all.

Zhao Zhao wheeled me out toward the school gates in my chair, and who should we run into but senior Li Jianlian. Again.

“He looks... kinda off, doesn’t he?”

He did. Just like Zhao Zhao said—something was definitely wrong.

Head drooped, stiff movements, zombie-level vibes. The guy looked like his soul had up and left.

“Let’s go check—GAH!”

Just as Zhao Zhao started wheeling me over, a blur shot out from the side of the gate and tackled him with an Iron Shoulder Slam, sending the guy flying into a bush.

“Well hey there, Kai-chan! Miss me?”

“Rinka?!”

No mistaking her—Tan Rinka, who just transferred to the neighboring girls campus.

She was dressed in a crisp white short-sleeved blouse, a red-and-black plaid skirt, and a matching ribbon tie. Her black over-the-knee socks had gold embroidery of the school crest near the tops.

Wait— the socks are part of the uniform too?

Technically, the skirt was supposed to cover the knees. Rinka had rolled hers up into a mini-skirt.

Girls at that school customized their uniforms like that—same outfit, different skirt lengths. Totally normal.

This was Biyang Girls High’s summer uniform.

She used to wear it also when she was still in our boys campus, but this was the first time I’d seen her in it since her “official” transformation into a girl.

...Weird.

Her face hadn’t changed much, so why did she look even cuter now?

I gave her a once-over and came to a conclusion.

“Hey, Rinka... you padded your chest, didn’t you?”

“Eh?! Y-You could tell?! Wait—even if you could, don't point it out, you idiot!”

She smacked me on the head. Yep, definitely wearing a pad.

“I heard from Yan Liuzhuan that you transferred out. I was a little worried. You were practically the campus belle at the boys’ side—figured you were already well known at the girls’ one.”

She scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed.

“It was rough at first. People were kinda suspicious... but once they confirmed I was actually a girl, they all started crowding around, asking why I spent a whole year at the boys’ campus.”

She spun around my wheelchair playfully, with the hem of her skirt swishing past my face and revealing her smooth, shapely thighs.

“So, what’d you tell them?”

“I said I had a crush on a boy who went to the boys’ campus, and I hid the fact so I could be near him. Romantic, right?”

She must be talking about Yan Liuzhuan, right?

“Oh, right—Kai-chan, do you have a minute? There’s something I want to ask.”

Before I could answer, she grabbed the wheelchair handles and waved at Zhao Zhao, who was just now climbing out of the bushes.

“The wheelchair’s a lifesaver. Big guy, you can head back without us—I’ll bring Kai-chan home later!”

“You seriously just tackled me out of nowhere...”

“Sorry, sorry! Got too excited!”

Zhao Zhao gave me a look—one of those ‘you okay with this?’ looks.

What is this, some kind of galgame choice screen?
Option A: Go home with Zhao Zhao.
Option B: Hear Rinka out.

Ugh. One of those choices—no matter who you pick, the other person’s affection level drops.

“How about this—you wait a bit, and I’ll catch up after I talk with Rinka?”

“Nope!” Rinka shot that down immediately. “It’s kinda complicated. We need to go somewhere else to talk. It’ll take a while.”

She clasped her hands together and stuck her tongue out playfully at Zhao Zhao.

“Sorry, big guy~ I’ll get you some photos of the girls’ campus next time to make it up to you!”

“Photos?”

“Cute JKs, to be exact~”

“Ohh?! HUFF HUFF—!”

She batted her lashes, and Zhao Zhao practically started making ape noises excitedly.

“Fine! I’ll head back. Don’t forget to bring Commander home!”

“No worries, leave it to me!”

And off he went, bag on back.

Wow. Here I was trying to keep his affection score up, and he just yeeted himself out of the plot for a few cute JK pics.

I gave Rinka a dead-serious look.

“Hey, Rinka... about those photos—could I maybe get a copy too...?”

“Pfft. If it’s you, Kai-chan, I can give you some of my personal stash. Interested?”

“Hmm... I’d prefer someone with a bit more bust, to be honest.”

She wheeled me straight toward an oncoming truck.

“I TAKE IT BACK! YOURS ARE PERFECT!”

She swerved back onto the sidewalk with a laugh.

As we rolled along the girls’ school wall, I turned to her.

“So, what did you want to ask me?”

“Sis Fei wants to see you.” She leaned in close and whispered, “Kai-chan, how much have you been keeping from me?”

“Sis Fei?” I mentally flipped through my contacts—
Oh. Huangfu Fei.
Also once known as Old Feng.

Looks like Rinka really did trade a lot of info with her after going back home. No wonder she’s suspicious.

We kept quiet the rest of the way, but I was sweating bullets.

She didn’t say anything, just kept watching me with this amused little smile, clearly enjoying how much I was panicking inside.

If my leg wasn’t broken, I’d probably have already bolted.

We crossed the street and rolled into a café.

Probably because it was near the girls' campus, it had this bright and fancy rococo vibe—totally different from your usual dark, wood-paneled coffee shops. Probably to the young women’s tastes.

One look at the décor and I could tell it wasn’t cheap.

In a cozy window-side booth sat a girl in the same school uniform as Rinka.

Long black hair, perfectly straight.

She quietly flipped through a book, occasionally sipping her coffee, tucking loose strands behind her ear—elegant, serene, like a painting come to life.

“Sis Fei, I brought him.”