"Lu Chen, wake up, stop sleeping. The teacher is watching you."
The teacher? Lu Chen opened his eyes groggily. On the podium, a white-haired, yellow-eyed girl was staring at him with an extremely dangerous look.
"Lu Chen, answer this question: what are the characteristics of the Siren laser weapon?"
Lu Chen jolted upright instinctively, staring at the gibberish on the blackboard, desperately trying to recall any relevant knowledge. It was all futile, of course. In his understanding, Sirens were mythological monsters—when did they start using high-tech gear?
"Dare to sleep in Purifier's class today, and I don't dare to imagine what you'll do tomorrow!" the girl, who called herself Purifier, stated fiercely. "Go stand outside in the hallway. See me in the office after class…"
"Ahem." A round of coughing interrupted Purifier's speech.
Purifier's expression shifted. She said reluctantly, "Fine, fine, this is a one-time thing. Sit down, we'll continue the lesson. Honestly, students these days have no respect for their teachers."
Lu Chen was perplexed, but not getting punished was a relief. He looked to his right. The initial shout and the cough had come from there, and his sight landed on a girl.
He was momentarily stunned by her appearance. Not because of her stunning beauty—well, that was part of it; he had never seen such a delicate and beautiful face—but what caught his eye the most were the pair of horns on her forehead.
A pair of pristine white, slightly red-tipped oni horns, seemingly made of jade, yet smooth and delicate like skin.
The girl was looking at Lu Chen with a hint of worry. "Did you stay up all night gaming again?"
"No, probably not? I'm not sure," Lu Chen replied quietly. He had no idea what was going on, why he was in this classroom, or who these people were.
Wait, was he dreaming? Didn't they say you wake up once you realize you're dreaming? I remember I was just about to…
Hiss, my head hurts. Lu Chen clutched his forehead. He tried to remember but came up empty, only a severe headache, as if a party was raging inside his brain.
Could he have amnesia?
"I'm coming over to your house today to supervise you. No more late nights," the girl's fair left hand covered Lu Chen's right, interrupting his thoughts and bringing a small measure of warmth.
Lu Chen paid no mind to the girl's action; he felt he had just heard something shocking.
"To my house?" he repeated.
"What, does your own legitimate girlfriend not have the right?" The girl's pretty face flushed, but she still emphasized the words "legitimate girlfriend."
It's over, he really did have amnesia. How could he forget having a girlfriend like this?
"Can you two save the flirting for after class?" Purifier rapped loudly on the blackboard. "Lu Chen, you'd be better off sleeping. Don't corrupt my good student!"
The girl's hand withdrew as if she'd received an electric shock. She lowered her head, avoiding Purifier's gaze, and stammered shyly, "My apologies."
As he became the center of the class's attention, Lu Chen was astonished to discover that many of his classmates had horns, animal ears, and similar features. Compared to them, his 'girlfriend' seemed surprisingly normal.
At least she was a standard black-haired, straight-haired JK, unlike the others with their colorful hair and bizarre styles. Hmm, it seems even with amnesia, he knew to find a normal person and not a goth/punk-type.
Finally able to focus on the lesson, Purifier enthusiastically lectured on the Siren's weapon systems and weaknesses. Many students were listening intently, except for Lu Chen.
He truly did not understand anything Purifier was talking about. Why was someone drawing a diagram of an artillery turret breakdown on the blackboard? Was this some kind of military theory class? What were those tentacle-like things? Seeing high-level math was already enough to overload his brain, let alone applying it.
Everyone else was listening closely, while Lu Chen used various sneaky glances to observe the class. Naturally, the 'girlfriend' to his right received most of his attention.
Her long, straight black hair cascaded down her back. She wore a black sailor uniform and an ultra-short skirt. Her slender legs were encased in black pantyhose, and her feet, clad in small, round-toed leather shoes, were neatly placed together. She was completely focused on Purifier's lecture.
Occasionally, the girl would lower her head to scribble notes, marking the key points the teacher mentioned. When a lock of her black hair obstructed her view, she would gently tuck it back, revealing her crystal-like earlobe.
For some reason, the girl's earlobe was slightly red, a stark contrast to her pale neck.
Lu Chen was certain that even without amnesia, he had never met such an appealing girl. Could it be that he wasn't just suffering from amnesia, but had transmigrated? Into the body of some unlucky person, inheriting his social life, including this so-called girlfriend?
That won't do; he was a pure-love enthusiast. Lu Chen looked at the girl. No matter how alluring she was, this was essentially taking advantage of the situation. He wasn't that despicable.
Ding-a-ling!
Purifier let out a deep sigh. "Class dismissed! Teacher is practically dying here! See you all next class~"
It was the first time Lu Chen had seen a teacher more eager for the bell than the students. He formed a new opinion of this instructor.
"Let me see your notes," the girl said earnestly, opening her palm toward Lu Chen.
Lu Chen looked at his blank notebook and insisted stubbornly, "I have it all memorized in my head."
"You didn't take notes again? Be careful, you might fail and have to call your parents." The girl seemed used to this. She handed him her freshly organized notebook. "Read mine for now. The key points are already marked."
Lu Chen suddenly felt guilty and couldn't look her in the eye. The gentler and more thoughtful the girl was, the deeper his sense of shame—a feeling of having stolen someone else's treasure.
"Um, I need to tell you something," Lu Chen stammered, unsure how to begin.
"What is it? No pocket money? Did you spend it all on gacha games again?" the girl asked.
"No, it's not something irresponsible like that." Lu Chen gritted his teeth. "I actually have amnesia. And I'm not the Lu Chen you know. I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain it—it sounds even more unbelievable—but…"
The girl placed a long, slender finger on Lu Chen's lips. She showed no surprise, just a gentle smile. "I know. But you've got one thing wrong: I never mistook you for someone else. How could a girlfriend not recognize her own boyfriend?"
Lu Chen was even more surprised. "But you…"
"The truth about all of this is something you have to explore yourself. I can guarantee that you are you, not anyone's substitute." The girl smiled playfully. "Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Noshiro, your legitimate girlfriend."