Leo walked half a step behind him.
The other two did the same.
None of them seemed willing to walk ahead of him.
So they really do follow me...
Adrian looked up.
The campus stretched out before him like a small city.
Modern buildings.
Tree-lined walkways.
Fountains.
Immaculately maintained gardens.
Hundreds of college students moved between classes, chatting as if nothing in the world were out of the ordinary.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Nothing had the hazy quality of a dream.
The air was cool.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves.
The murmur of countless conversations drifted in from every direction.
Too real.
Where the hell am I...?
More importantly...
Where am I supposed to go?
He discreetly glanced around.
He wasn't admiring the campus.
He was desperately searching for clues.
Every few steps, someone greeted him.
"Good morning, Adrian."
"Mr. Valmont."
"How are you?"
One girl even smiled at him before continuing on her way.
Other students quietly stepped aside to let him pass.
No one seemed surprised to see him.
Quite the opposite.
It was obvious that he belonged here.
Everyone knows Adrian...
He responded with nothing more than a slight nod.
Smiling too much might seem strange.
Talking would be even worse.
If he said the wrong thing, he risked exposing himself.
As he wandered without a clear destination, sharp twinges shot through his head.
A building.
Central Library.
A sign.
School of Social Sciences.
A statue.
Founder of the University.
The words appeared and vanished just as quickly.
They weren't complete memories.
Only flashes.
Scattered pieces of information.
Like puzzle pieces strewn across the floor.
Adrian took a deep breath.
This body remembers...
I don't.
He hadn't inherited Adrian Valmont's memories.
He could only access fragments whenever he saw something connected to them.
That made things...
A lot more complicated.
Because he didn't even know what his next class was.
Or whether he was supposed to head to a classroom.
An office.
Or simply keep walking.
Just then, Leo spoke.
"Boss..."
Adrian turned his head slightly.
"Are you still planning to go through with what we talked about yesterday?"
His heart skipped a beat.
Damn it...
Yesterday again.
He remained silent.
Not because he wanted to seem intimidating.
But because he had absolutely no idea what Leo was talking about.
"No. I've changed my mind."
The answer came before he had time to think it through.
Leo visibly relaxed.
"Understood, Boss."
They walked several more steps in silence.
Then, making his voice sound as natural as possible, Adrian asked,
"What class do we have now?"
Leo answered immediately, as though he'd been waiting for the question.
"Economic Theory. Professor Valdés. We're cutting it a little close, but we'll still make it before he closes the door."
"I see."
"Though it wouldn't matter much if we're a minute late," Leo added with a grin. "The professor never says anything when you walk in."
Adrian glanced at him.
"Oh?"
"Well..." Leo let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Who would dare? You're a Valmont."
Unable to keep quiet, Leo continued talking.
"Yesterday, though, I really thought the professor was going to call the dean once everything got out of hand."
"Boss... we're really not going to do anything, right?"
Adrian nodded.
Leo naturally took the lead.
"This way, Boss."
Adrian followed without protest.
He had no idea where they were going.
A few minutes later—
"Boss!"
Adrian stopped.
"Hey, sis-in-law! Good morning!"
Leo's voice echoed far louder than necessary.
Several people turned their heads.
Adrian followed Leo's gaze.
A young woman was walking toward them.
Tall.
Graceful.
Long black hair resting naturally over her shoulders.
Even in the middle of the crowd, she was impossible to overlook.
The moment he saw her, another flash crossed his mind.
Astrid Roche.
Member of the Academic Committee.
Classmate.
That was all.
Fragments.
Nothing more.
The young woman frowned.
"Leo, stop talking nonsense."
Her tone was firm, but not hostile.
"Adrian and I are only classmates. Don't call me that again."
"Oh, come on. Everyone knows that—"
"Leo."
Adrian spoke calmly.
"Keep your mouth shut."
Leo immediately stiffened.
"...Yes, Boss."
Adrian stepped forward.
For a brief moment, he had no idea what to say.
He didn't know this girl.
But she clearly knew the previous Adrian.
One wrong sentence could easily cause problems.
He chose the safest option.
He gave a slight bow.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
Astrid's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"It won't happen again."
She said nothing else.
She simply continued on her way.
Once she was far enough away, Adrian quietly let out the breath he'd been holding.
Good...
That could've gone much worse.
Behind him, Leo muttered in complete confusion,
"Boss... since when do you apologize?"
Adrian pretended not to hear him.
But inside, an idea was beginning to take shape.
Those fragments of memory.
His classmates.
The university.
Being called "Boss."
The popular girl.
Everything fit together a little too well.
A powerful family.
Followers.
A popular girl.
An incident involving an unknown student.
It was exactly the kind of story he had seen countless times online.
If he was right...
The worst thing he could do was become the center of attention.
He needed to observe.
Listen.
Understand the rules of this world.
And above all...
Stay as far away from everyone as possible until he figured out what the hell was going on.
Leo pushed the classroom door open without knocking.
"We're here, Boss."
The conversations died down for a moment.
Most of the students looked up, only to quickly avert their eyes. It was never a good idea to provoke that young man.
Adrian discreetly scanned the room.
Rows of desks.
A projector hanging from the ceiling.
Large windows letting in the morning sunlight.
Where am I supposed to sit?
He didn't have to ask.
Leo headed straight for the back row.
The other two followed without hesitation.
Four desks sat together, clearly separated from the rest.
As though no one else dared to occupy them.
"Over here, Boss."
Adrian took his seat without a word.
From there, he had a clear view of the entire classroom.
And when the professor arrived, the professor would have no choice but to notice him.
The back row...
The perfect place to chat, cause trouble... or simply remind everyone who's in charge.
That couldn't be a coincidence.
More students gradually filed into the room.
Some greeted Adrian with respectful nods.
Others chose to keep their distance.
The conversations remained quiet, but he still caught fragments.
"It's Valmont..."
"I thought he wasn't coming today."
"After what happened yesterday..."
Before he could dwell on those words, a young woman appeared in the doorway.
Several conversations immediately grew quieter.
Not because she did anything remarkable.
Simply because her presence was difficult to ignore.
Her uniform was perfectly neat.
Dark hair framed her shoulders with effortless elegance.
Her calm expression radiated quiet confidence.
Several students greeted her as she passed.
She answered each one with a warm smile.
Then she walked straight toward him.
Adrian felt a subtle tension build inside him.
Another person who knew him.
"Good morning."
She smiled.
It wasn't exaggerated.
Nor did it seem forced.
It was the smile of someone accustomed to greeting him every single day.
She set her bag on the desk beside him and took the seat at his side.
As though it naturally belonged to her.
Adrian remained silent.
He had no idea what he was supposed to say.
She seemed to notice.
At first, she said nothing.
She simply watched him for a few seconds.
Then she calmly arranged her belongings before loosening the collar of her shirt ever so slightly.
A casual gesture.
Completely natural.
Yet, for just an instant, her eyes searched his face for a reaction.
He noticed.
But he couldn't understand why.
What was she expecting me to do?
Before he could make sense of it, she spoke.
"Are you still upset with me?"
Adrian slowly turned toward her.
Upset?
Another word without any context.
"I thought you'd be over it after the party."
The party.
Again.
That event kept surfacing.
Leo had mentioned it.
Now she had too.
And judging from the way she said it, it was anything but insignificant.
Adrian kept his expression neutral.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The words came out more honestly than he had intended.
The young woman blinked.
For the first time, genuine surprise crossed her face.
"You don't know...?"
She stared at him for several seconds.
As though trying to decide whether he was joking.
Adrian regretted his answer immediately.
Too much information.
Too much risk.
Fortunately, at that very moment, the classroom door opened.
The professor walked in.
"Good morning, everyone. Take out your materials."
The conversation ended abruptly.
The young woman turned toward the front of the room, but something in her expression had changed.
She no longer looked annoyed.
She looked confused.
Adrian shifted his gaze toward the window.
Another person.
Another relationship.
Another piece of a life he couldn't remember.
The old Adrian had far too many unresolved problems.
And the worst part...
They all seemed to be catching up with him at the same time.