The little girl was a ghost.
And once the ominous aura clinging to her reached a certain threshold, she would be absorbed by the裂缝 in the sky.
After that, at the critical boundary, she would transform into a monster, invade the real world, and attack humans.
This was one of the ways monsters were born.
Ye Feng called such beings "Voids."
They were extremely similar to the Hollows from the anime Bleach.
There was another type as well—creatures that inexplicably came into existence within the critical void itself. Ye Feng called those Void Demons.
In more than a year, he had only encountered one.
Void Demons possessed the bearing of demon gods, grotesque monstrous bodies, and terrifying power that sent chills straight down one's spine.
And it was during that encounter that Ye Feng was injured for the first time—nearly killed.
The fear of death, the cruelty of reality, and a hopeless, suffocating future…
All of it crushed him completely, plunging him into a long period of despair.
It was during that lowest point that he met Mafuyu.
Little Mafuyu was his teacher.
If not for her, perhaps he wouldn't have recovered so quickly.
"…Troublesome."
Ye Feng sighed and stepped forward.
"I'm talking to you three—apologize. Now."
"Huh? Apologize?"
"Kid, you looking for trouble?"
Facing the two men advancing on him, Ye Feng calmly tugged open his collar, ignored their vicious stares, and said indifferently:
"You guessed right. No prize, though."
"Bastard!"
One of them charged forward immediately, throwing a punch straight at Ye Feng's face.
"You little—!"
Smack!
The fist was suddenly caught, frozen in midair.
"You… damn it!"
The young man tried to pull back, but couldn't move it at all. In that instant, he felt as though every eye around him was filled with mockery and contempt.
Humiliation flared into rage. He swung his other fist.
Ye Feng sighed and kicked out.
Bang!
The man was sent flying, clutching his stomach as he gagged on the ground.
"Hiroto—! Bastard, what did you do?!"
"Damn you!"
The remaining two charged at Ye Feng with ferocious expressions.
Ye Feng remained calm.
Ever since awakening his superpower, he had faced terror, witnessed despair, and dealt with abnormalities on a daily basis.
Let alone three delinquent punks—
Even a hundred of them wouldn't faze him.
With clean, decisive movements, Ye Feng kicked both of them away. Then he stepped on one man's chest, looking down at him.
"Apologize."
At that moment, a car horn sounded. The onlookers reluctantly parted, allowing a sleek black sedan to slowly pass through.
"S-Sorry!"
"Not to me. To her."
Ye Feng kicked them again and pointed toward the wall.
"Sorry!"
The three didn't dare say another word and immediately dropped to their knees, bowing deeply.
Ye Feng sighed.
"And you broke her things. Buy replacements and put them back properly. Otherwise…"
With that settled, he looked at the little girl by the wall, who was staring at him with curiosity.
"It's okay now. If something like this happens again, come tell me."
"Th-Thank you, big brother."
The ghost girl wiped her tears and spoke softly.
Ye Feng waved his hand.
"I'm leaving. See you next time."
"Goodbye, big brother!"
She waved enthusiastically, her face full of joy.
Ye Feng turned away and walked off.
Life is full of accidents.
Some people lose their lives before they even get the chance to begin living.
That ghost girl was one of them.
If she were to turn into a monster…
He might be the one who would kill her.
Ye Feng sighed again.
That was why he didn't want superpowers at all.
Only after experiencing it did one understand how precious the dull, ordinary life of a normal person truly was.
Humans were always like this—only cherishing things after they were lost.
…
Walking down the street, Ye Feng felt drowsy beneath the warm sunlight.
If Mafuyu didn't shout at him every morning…
He'd never get up.
He was an honor student, with photographic memory. Honestly, even if he didn't attend Sobu High, it wouldn't matter much.
Even if he lost his superpowers right now…
That would be fine too.
Because he had never relied on them.
His abilities had appeared without explanation.
So if they vanished one day, it wouldn't be surprising.
It was probably like that adolescent syndrome happening at the neighboring school—maybe it would disappear after a year or two, or even just a few months.
Relying on superpowers was undeniably foolish.
Improving oneself—becoming outstanding—that was what truly mattered.
If not for the "critical boundary"…
His life might still be peaceful.
"What are you doing standing there?"
A cold voice swept over him like a freezing wind from Siberia, enough to chill someone to the bone.
He looked up and saw Kirisu Mafuyu standing at the school gate, glaring at him with a death stare.
Anyone caught in that gaze would involuntarily fall into panic, tension, unease, and fear.
Because of this, Mafuyu had earned the nickname "Ice Queen" at Sobu High—much like another teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka's nickname, "Shizu-cute."
Both feared and adored.
Especially among female students, Mafuyu and Shizuka were overwhelmingly popular.
"Mafuyu?"
"…Hmm?"
Kirisu Mafuyu's expression hardened.
Realizing his mistake, Ye Feng immediately corrected himself and said seriously,
"Good morning, Mafuyu-sensei."
"Humiliation!"
Calling her Little Mafuyu in public…
Mafuyu straightened her face.
"Why are you still standing outside?"
"Sunbathing. The sun feels really nice today."
There was no way he'd admit he was looking for a place to nap. If he did, this soft-looking cat of a teacher would watch him nonstop.
Super troublesome.
Mafuyu took a breath, suppressing her tangled thoughts.
"Hurry up and come in!"
"I don't want detention, and I don't want to clean toilets."
"…"
She pursed her lips and shot him a glare.
"Enough nonsense. Get inside!"
"Alright."
Ye Feng sighed and walked in.
No choice.
As expected of Little Mafuyu.
Her execution and sense of responsibility were top-tier.
Whether it was good or bad for her to manage him… who knew?
"Write a five-hundred-word reflection when you get back!"
Ye Feng tugged at the corner of his mouth and looked at her.
"I protest."
"Protest denied!"
"Mafuyu, you've learned bad habits."
"…Humiliation."
Her pretty face stiffened as she glared fiercely at him, then turned and walked away on her high heels.
Learned bad habits?
If she wasn't strict, how could she possibly keep you in line?
The first class had already begun.
After receiving permission from Teacher Sato, Ye Feng sighed and stepped into the classroom.