The walk to the private bus stop took exactly twelve minutes. For Lin Ye—now Airis—those twelve minutes were a masterclass in sensory overload and anatomical adjustment.
In his previous life, morning commutes were a blur of gray concrete, the suffocating heat of crowded subway cars, and the stiff, unforgiving fabric of cheap polyester suits.
Today, the world was a canvas of vibrant spring colors.
The air was crisp, carrying the scent of blooming jasmine from the manicured gardens of Riverdale's elite.
But the most glaring difference was the physical reality of his new existence.
The navy blue pleated skirt of the Sakura Crest uniform swished with every step, a sensation that was entirely alien.
The morning breeze, though mild, licked at her bare thighs above her knee-high socks, sending involuntary shivers up her spine. It was a bizarre vulnerability.
A twenty-seven-year-old man was used to the sturdy protection of trousers; this breezy freedom was both liberating and deeply unsettling.
Then there was the hair. The heavy cascade of golden-blonde silk swaying against her lower back was a constant, tactile reminder of her transformation.
Every time she turned her head, it cascaded over her shoulders, getting caught in the morning wind.
She found herself reaching up to tuck stray strands behind her ear—a delicate, profoundly feminine gesture that her body performed on pure muscle memory, leaving her conscious mind feeling like a passenger in a newly leased, luxury vehicle.
I really need to figure out how to tie this up, Airis thought, her internal voice still carrying the exasperated sigh of an overworked salaryman, contrasting sharply with her sweet, melodic vocal cords. How do girls deal with this level of maintenance every single day?
As she approached the corner of Elm and Maple, the sleek, silver private bus belonging to Sakura Crest High School was already idling by the curb. The doors hissed open.
Airis stepped aboard, her leather tote bag clutched tightly in her hands. The interior of the bus smelled faintly of expensive perfumes, citrus body sprays, and the sterile scent of conditioned air. It was a far cry from the sweat and despair of public transit.
She scanned the seats, her inherited memories working in tandem with her conscious observation. The social hierarchy of the school was laid out in the seating arrangement.
The loud, boisterous athletes and their cheerleading counterparts dominated the back. The quiet, studious types occupied the front.
Airis's legs carried her automatically toward the middle of the bus, stopping beside a seat occupied by a girl furiously typing on a rose-gold smartphone.
This was Chloe Vance. According to the rush of memories, Chloe was Airis's best friend since middle school.
She was petite, with a sharp bob of dark hair, expressive hazel eyes, and a personality that was equal parts bubbly and fiercely loyal.
She was the kind of girl who knew everyone's secrets but guarded Airis's with her life.
"Morning, Airis," Chloe chirped without looking up from her screen.
"Tell me you finished the AP History essay. Mr. Harrison is going to execute us if we try to hand in another extension request."
Airis slid into the window seat, the vinyl cool against the back of her legs. She carefully smoothed her skirt down—a protective reflex she was quickly adopting.
"I finished it," Airis replied. The soft, airy quality of her own voice still made her inner self flinch slightly.
"Last night. Before the fever got bad."
At the word 'fever', Chloe's head snapped up. She shoved her phone into her blazer pocket and turned her full attention to Airis, her hazel eyes scanning her face with microscopic intensity.
"Wait, you had a fever? Are you okay? You shouldn't have come to school if you were sick!" Chloe reached out, pressing the back of her hand against Airis's forehead.
Airis stiffened. The physical proximity, the casual touch—it was a staple of female friendship, but for a formerly solitary, overworked adult male, it was entirely foreign.
He had to suppress the urge to lean away. Act natural. You are a seventeen-year-old girl. This is your best friend.
"I'm fine," Airis said, offering a small, reassuring smile. "It broke during the night. Actually, I feel better than I have in weeks."
It wasn't a lie. Thanks to the System's 'Perfected Cellular Vitality' reward, she didn't just feel better; she felt invincible.
Chloe retracted her hand, her brow furrowing in confusion. She leaned in closer, her eyes narrowing.
"Okay, first of all, your temperature is completely normal. Second of all... what did you do?"
"Do?" Airis blinked, her sapphire eyes wide. "What do you mean?"
"Your skin," Chloe said, reaching out to lightly poke Airis's cheek.
"It's practically glowing. And you don't even have an ounce of concealer on. I know for a fact you were complaining about a breakout on your chin two days ago. And your hair..."
Chloe picked up a strand of the golden blonde hair, rubbing it between her fingers.
"Did you do a deep conditioning mask? It looks like spun silk. Airis Dover, did you discover some miracle Korean skincare routine and not tell your best friend?"
Internal panic flared briefly. Lin Ye hadn't considered that the physical enhancements from the System would be immediately noticeable to someone who knew Airis well.
The 'Perfected Cellular Vitality' hadn't just cured the fever; it had optimized her entirely, giving her an almost ethereal, flawless aura.
"I... uh, just got a really good night's sleep?" Airis offered weakly. "Sweated out the toxins, I guess. And I used that expensive lotion my mom brought back from Paris."
Chloe looked skeptical for a moment, then sighed dramatically, leaning back in her seat.
"Genetics are so unfair. I spend an hour on my ten-step routine and I still look like a gremlin before second period, and you sleep off a fever and come in looking like a literal angel."
She pulled a small tube from her bag. "Here. You're pale. You need some color."
Before Airis could protest, Chloe had uncapped the tube and expertly swiped a layer of glossy, peach-tinted lip gloss across Airis's lower lip, pressing her lips together with a practiced gesture to spread it.
"Rub them together," Chloe commanded.
Airis obeyed automatically, pressing her lips together. The gloss tasted cloyingly sweet, like artificial peaches and vanilla. It was sticky, heavy, and undeniably feminine.
I am wearing lip gloss, Lin Ye thought, staring blankly at the back of the seat in front of them. I am a twenty-seven-year-old man, and I am wearing peach lip gloss. If my old drinking buddies could see me now, they'd never let me live it down.
But as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the darkened window of the bus, she had to admit—Chloe was right.The subtle pop of color brought a vibrant warmth to her pale, delicate features.
She looked less like a porcelain doll and more like a living, breathing, incredibly pretty teenager.
"Much better," Chloe declared, satisfied. She seamlessly shifted gears, diving into the kind of rapid-fire gossip that made Lin Ye's head spin.
"So, did you hear about Julian? He apparently broke up with Sarah over the weekend. Which means he is officially single for the Spring Gala.
Half the junior class is already planning their attack. Are you going to shoot your shot? You know he looks at you in Chemistry."
Julian. The name triggered a vague memory of a tall, athletic boy with floppy brown hair and a blinding smile.
The quintessential high school heartthrob. The original Airis had harbored a secret, blushing crush on him.
The current Airis, however, felt a wave of profound apathy bordering on mild disgust.
The idea of dating a seventeen-year-old boy made the adult man inside her want to jump out the window of the moving bus.
"No," Airis said, perhaps a little too quickly, her voice firm. "Absolutely not."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Really? You've been doodling his initials in your notebook since October."
"I was young and foolish," Airis deadpanned, staring out the window.
"I have no interest in boys right now. I just want to focus on... myself. And my studies."
Chloe stared at her for a long moment, then burst into a fit of giggles.
"Who are you and what have you done with Airis Dover? 'Focus on my studies'? Did the fever fry your brain?"
Airis allowed a genuine, albeit small, smile to touch her glossy lips. "Maybe a little. But I'm serious, Chloe. I'm just... tired of the drama. I want a quiet life."
Pure daily life, slow pace, she reminded herself. No unnecessary entanglements.
[Ding!]
The sharp, sudden chime in her mind made Airis jump slightly, her shoulders tensing. Chloe didn't notice, already scrolling through a social media feed.
The translucent blue screen materialized in the air in front of her, invisible to the rest of the world.
[Optional Task Triggered: Embrace the Daily Life]
[Description: The Host has successfully navigated the first social interaction of their new life. To fully integrate, the Host must successfully complete a day of high school without drawing negative attention or breaking character.]
[Reward: Enhancement of the next Weekly Sign-In (Quality Upgrade +1). ]
[Penalty for failure: None.]
Airis mentally dismissed the screen, feeling a wave of relief. The System was true to its word. No bizarre missions to kiss the school bully, no demands to humiliate a rival. Just a simple, straightforward directive to live her life and get through the day.
"Hey," Chloe nudged her arm. "We're here."
The bus hissed to a halt. Airis looked out the window.
Sakura Crest High School was less a school and more a sprawling, modern educational estate.
The architecture was a blend of sleek glass and traditional stone, surrounded by immaculately kept grounds.
And true to its namesake, the pathway leading up to the main entrance was lined with magnificent cherry blossom trees.
The pale pink petals were currently in full bloom, drifting lazily through the air like pastel snow, carpeting the pristine walkways.
It was a scene straight out of an anime, painfully idyllic and entirely removed from the gritty reality Lin Ye had known.
Airis stood up, smoothing her skirt one last time, checking the weight of her bag. She followed Chloe down the aisle and stepped off the bus, her neatly polished loafers clicking against the pavement.
A stray cherry blossom petal drifted down, landing softly on her blonde hair. Chloe reached over and gently brushed it away.
"Come on," Chloe said, linking her arm through Airis's—another casual intimacy that Airis forced herself to accept without flinching.
"Let's go face the music. We have AP History first."
Arm in arm with her best friend, tasting peach lip gloss and feeling the spring breeze against her skin, Lin Ye took a deep breath.
The past was gone. The cramped apartment, the spreadsheets, the tragic accident—they belonged to another lifetime.
Right now, she was Airis Dover. And she had an optional task to complete.
"Let's go," Airis said softly, matching Chloe's brisk pace as they walked through the rain of pink petals, stepping fully into the bright, slow-paced dawn of her rebirth.