Ren sat down beside Anna.

From the corner of his eye, he could feel Hiyori's gaze burning into him from across the courtyard. She stood with her arms crossed, eyes fixed on him like a hawk from far away.

He sighed softly. With her staring at me like this, I can't do anything I want.

But today he had a plan—a big plan—to get closer to Anna. For now, he would have to act normal. He forced a smile and spoke casually.

"Anna, it's such a pleasent surprise to see you early in the morning like this."

Anna turned her head, her face brightening a little. "Ren. I… I didn't expect to see you either. I'm glad I did tho."

"Well, so how are things going on your end? I told you about mine."

They started to talk. The topic drifted from day to day things to the terrorist attack naturally that had shaken the academy not long ago.

"I only heard about it after everything was over," Anna said quietly. "When I heard the news, I felt so scared for the people I care about."

Ren tilted his head. "Did something happen to any of your friends?"

Anna lowered her eyes. "I… don't really have friends at the academy besides you. I'm not very socially active. So I was scared for you."

"Awww! That's so kind of you." Ren felt genuinely happy she said that, but he knew she wouldn't be his friend for long since he was expecting something more from her.

She paused, then accidentally slipped up. "Of course… I have a lot of fans in the academy…"

Ren blinked. "Fans? What do you mean by that?"

Anna's face went pale. It was obvious she hadn't meant to say that out loud. She gave a nervous smile. "I'm just kidding. Don't mind me."

Ren chuckled lightly but noted the slip. Interesting. Something she didn't want to reveal but he already knew what she was talking about and her secret person as Aria.

They talked for nearly ten minutes. Ren glanced at the watch on his wrist and realized it was time.

He leaned a little closer to Anna, lowering his voice to a near-whisper. "Anna. Go to the public washroom. Stay there for a while."

"Huh?" Anna blinked at him. "Why?"

"Please," he said quietly. His eyes were serious.

Anna stared at him for a moment. She could tell something was going on. Without another word, she stood up and left, heading toward the building.

Hiyori immediately returned to where Ren was sitting. "Done talking?" she asked.

Ren smiled faintly. "Yeah. She just left."

He looked at Hiyori and said, "I need to go somewhere. You should stay here."

"Where are you going?"

Ren hesitated. "Uh…"

"I'll come too," Hiyori said quickly.

"I'm going to the washroom." Ren gave her a teasing look. "I don't think you can come there."

Hiyori's cheeks turned red. "You should've told me earlier!"

Ren chuckled and stood up. Without another word, he headed toward the public washroom.

Inside the tiled corridor near the washroom, Anna was already standing, looking confused.

Before approaching her, Ren stopped. He pressed his thumbs hard into the corners of his eyes until tears welled up. His eyes turned red. He muttered to himself.

"In the world I always dreamed about, a woman's tears could bring cities to their knees and turn mountains upside down. No man could ever ignore them. But here, it's different. Here, it's a man's tears that carry that power."

Visions of his past life flashed clearer than ever—memories of a world where men and women were mostly equal in number, but men held the dominant power. What happened to me? Who was I? Everything was not clear to him yet.

He shook his head. No. Not the time. Focus. Today I'll kill two birds with one stone.

He put on a depressed, vulnerable expression and slowly walked toward Anna.

"Ren?" Anna's eyes widened as she saw his tear-red eyes. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Ren didn't answer. Instead, he stepped closer and suddenly hugged her tightly.

"H-hey!" Anna gasped, startled. But when she felt his trembling shoulders, her instincts kicked in. She patted his back gently. "Ren, what happened?"

"I'm scared, Anna…" he whispered. His voice was low, trembling.

"Scared of what?"

"I'm being stalked," he muttered.

Anna's expression changed instantly. Her soft gaze hardened. "What do you mean? Calm down and explain."

Ren pulled away from the hug, wiping his eyes. "I… I've felt this for a while. That day, when the terrorists attacked, I wasn't in the gymnasium. I went outside to get some fresh air."

Anna nodded slowly.

"When the attack started, I sneaked through the hallways trying to find someone to help me. I managed to hide until it was over. When I came out, sure I was safe… but suddenly someone kidnapped me into a dark room."

Anna's hands clenched. "What?"

Ren continued, voice quivering. "She touched me all over. I heard her whispering… saying she loved me. She said she'd been following me for a while."

Of course, none of these were entirely true. Ren had changed the story to hide his powers and Amanda's involvement.

Anna's eyes blazed. "Did she… do something to you?"

Ren shook his head. "No. Before anything happened, I managed to run away. She disappeared. I still don't know who she was. I'm scared, Anna. You're my only friend. I needed someone to share this with."

Perfect, Ren thought. Now her protective instincts will be running wild.

He hugged her again—this time more intimately, his hands sliding down to grab her ass but Anna didn't mind because men didn't really show that much intreset in female body in this world.

"I wish I could stay like this forever," he murmured.

Anna stiffened, then her arms wrapped tightly around him. "I'll protect you," she whispered fiercely. "I won't let anyone stalk you again."

Ren shook his head, acting embarrassed. "That's not why I told you this. I just… needed someone to talk to."

Anna shook her head. "As your friend, it's my duty to take care of you."

Her voice was soft but determined, but this charade couldn't last long as Ren and Anna were suddenly distracted.

A muffled sound drifted from somewhere nearby—low voices, a man and a woman.

Ren froze. What's that?

Anna blinked, tilting her head. "Do you hear that?"

Curiosity flickered in Ren's eyes. He gently pulled away from Anna and moved quietly toward the sound.

"I hope it's not another problem," he whispered.

He crept along the side of the washroom, where the tiled corridor opened into a hidden corner rarely used. The muffled voices grew clearer.

Ren peeked around the corner.

What he saw made him pause.

A man was kneeling in front of a woman.

Their bodies were pressed close, the man's face inches from the woman's pussy, slurping and making loud, wet noises that clearly revealed their actions.

The woman ran her fingers through the man's hair, pushing her hips forward to guide his licking. The man's hands slid around her waist, pulling her closer. It was unmistakably more than an ordinary conversation, as both were moaning.

Ren's brows twitched. Seriously? Out of all places… here?

Footsteps came softly behind him. Anna had followed despite his warning. She peeked over his shoulder, eyes widening at the sight.

"Oh…" she whispered, instantly looking away. Her cheeks turned pink, and she rubbed her thighs nervously, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "This is… awkward…"

Ren glanced at her. She looked so uncomfortable she didn't know where to put her hands or how to react.

He muttered under his breath, almost to himself. "Just great. What are the odds of something like this happening right here, right now…"

Anna bit her lip, still staring at the floor. "Ren, maybe we should… go back," she whispered.

But the sounds coming from the couple only grew more obvious—muffled giggles and moans, a stifled gasp. Anna squeezed her hands together and shifted again, her knees pressing close as she felt something strange happening to her own body.

Their moans grew louder, filling the air with an electric intensity. The woman's grip tightened in the man's hair, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps as she arched her back, pressing herself even closer. The man's tongue moved with fervent precision, his hands now gripping her hips firmly, anchoring her in place.

Ren exhaled slowly, a wry smile tugging at his mouth. I come here to execute my plan, and instead I stumble on this.

He glanced at Anna again. Her face was crimson now, eyes darting anywhere but toward Ren and the couple. She rubbed her legs absent-mindedly as if trying to calm herself.

Ren's inner voice dripped with irony. Perfect timing, universe. Just perfect.

He knew this was the perfect chance to take advantage of the situation, and he had already formed thousands of plans to execute.

He leaned closer to Anna and whispered, "Come on. Let's move before they notice us."

Anna gave a quick nod, still not looking up. "Y-yeah… please…"