Chapter 17: Just a Technician

After Dongfang Cheng finally managed to shed that humiliating new combat outfit and revert to his male form, five days passed uneventfully.

Surprisingly, the evil organization Ouroboros stayed quiet, as if they’d all gone on annual leave.

The city was like a stagnant pond, eerily calm. Even life at Saint Flower Saint Love Academy plodded along as usual, with the only stir caused by the new teacher, Dan.

The girls’ obsession with him kept soaring. Corridor posters, bathroom door scribbles, and secret notes like “Dan’s Smile Collection: Top 101” spread like wildfire among their groups. After school, convenience stores near campus saw lines forming for high-res prints of Dan’s photos.

Dongfang Cheng, for his part, was happy for the peace.

Maybe it was the toll of his recent transformations or that dumb cat’s so-called “contract influence,” but he spent most of these days in a near-comatose state, like he’d drunk some mysterious sedative tea.

This worried class leader Fengxiang Hong and homeroom teacher Mizuse Kazuha enough that they privately discussed whether to drag the delinquent to a hospital to check for sudden narcolepsy.

Oddly, though, Lin Feng seemed less vibrant too. He still shared magical girl updates with a rarely awake Dongfang Cheng, but his usual unstoppable rants were shorter, as if he’d joined Dongfang Cheng in low-energy mode.

As for Dongfang Cheng’s scant waking hours—they were devoured by that venomous heiress’s script.

A Thousand Blood-Red Roses at Dawn (Kirara’s Official V3.0).

After reading it, Dongfang Cheng could sum it up in one word:

Trash.

He hadn’t seen many great scripts, but he could tell Hoshino Kirara was no playwright.

A fallen noble heiress framed by an evil stepmother, meeting a mysterious, powerful foreign wanderer, falling in love at first sight, then deeper at second glance, only for a loyal childhood friend and knight fiancé to emerge, leading to a fated duel between the wanderer and knight over the heiress…

Were they filming a 10 a.m. soap opera for housewives?

Every time Dongfang Cheng read his bitter knight’s lines—like, “Oh, my noble countess, even if I cannot win your heart, I’d become the humblest dust beneath your feet, silently guarding your lifelong happiness!”—he had to fight his own rule against hitting women.

How could a character be this pathetic? Was he a sword-demon main too?

If Mizuse Kazuha hadn’t kept pushing with “class honor” and “group activity participation affects your year-end evaluation,” he’d never have agreed to memorize these nauseating lines.

Not to mention acting opposite that Dan teacher, who gave him bad vibes, in some damn rival love scene.

Every play rehearsal was a public execution for Dongfang Cheng, and today’s was no exception.

That flashy teacher, in a simple shirt and pants, could stand there, deliver a single line, or just smile or glance, and instantly trigger deafening squeals and applause from the crowd of fangirls who’d gathered to watch, so loud Dongfang Cheng wanted to punch each one.

When it was his turn, the mood froze over.

His performance earned only roars from the director and female lead, Hoshino Kirara, like “Idiot, are you a robot?!” or “Show some emotion! You’re confessing love, not reading a eulogy!” plus glares from the fangirls muttering, “Who’s this guy, so annoying,” or “Hurry up and get killed by Mr. Dan.”

On stage, he felt like an irrelevant, replaceable backdrop.

Finally, after his last line, Director Hoshino waved him off to rest. Relieved, Dongfang Cheng headed for a corner to nap.

“Teacher Dan.” He stopped as he passed Dan.

“Hm? What’s up, Dongfang? Questions about the script?” Dan turned, his trademark flawless smile in place, as if he hadn’t just been the center of attention.

“You’re really lucky.” Dongfang Cheng lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze calm under his cap’s brim. “A few months ago, you’d probably be in a hospital by now.”

Without waiting for a reaction, he walked to the stage’s edge to rest, leaving Dan standing alone.

That gentle smile froze for a few seconds.

It returned the next moment, but a near-tangible chill flickered in his eyes.

Staring at Dongfang Cheng’s lean, defiant back, his resolve hardened.

This guy… needs to be dealt with.

Permanently, cleanly, erased from the world.

For “Lover” Dan, the world’s males fell into two categories:

Potential rivals and “obstacles to be eliminated.”

He reveled in being adored by countless women, proof of his power and charm. He loved weaving emotional webs, toying with hearts, watching innocent, proud, or mature women fall for him, giving him unmatched pleasure and a sense of conquest.

He still remembered leaving a city once, with his so-called fans wearing wedding dresses to see him off.

Thus, any male who might divert female attention or challenge his “sole focus” status was a thorn in his side, one he’d gladly erase from existence, leaving himself the only perfect male.

In Class 2-4, where he taught, there were exactly two such thorns: Dongfang Cheng and Lin Feng.

Lin Feng, that researcher, was a male and sometimes annoying, but as the Queen’s trusted confidant, he had value to the organization. Moving against him could upset her and cause trouble.

So, Dan had long decided to first eliminate this insolent, provocative Dongfang Cheng.

As for Lin Feng’s threats? Hah, what could a researcher do? Kill him?