Tokyo, Imperial Hotel, Banquet Hall.
Kamiya Makoto's breath involuntarily hitched the moment he stepped into this space.
The designer suit he had borrowed from Chizuru now felt like the emperor's new clothes, making him feel a prickling discomfort and awkwardness all over.
This was another world.
A world vastly different from his cramped apartment.
Every person here, from their hair to their shoetips, exuded a composure and nobility that he couldn't understand or attain.
Their laughter was soft, yet carried an invisible weight that almost suffocated Kamiya Makoto.
He felt like an ugly duckling who had stumbled into a swan lake—no, he wasn't even an ugly duckling.
In short, this feeling made him stiffen all over, unsure of where to put his hands and feet.
"What's wrong, you good-for-nothing?"
Beside him, Yukino Shita Chizuru's voice rang out, pulling him from the whirlpool of his inferiority.
Kamiya Makoto sharply turned his head and saw Chizuru, who was completely different from himself.
She had changed out of her school uniform and was wearing a dark red evening gown, like a flower blooming in the night.
Her snow-white neck was free of any superfluous adornments, yet its fairness was more noble and striking than those bejeweled ladies wearing diamond necklaces.
She was in her element here.
Her innate elegance allowed her to perfectly blend into the banquet, even rising above it.
"This is the world you will never be able to touch."
Yukino Shita Chizuru's gaze was not on him.
In her eyes, there was no infatuation with luxury, only an almost anxious, urgent search.
She was looking for him.
That man.
Kamiya Makoto's heart was sharply pierced by those words.
He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, trying to use the pain to counteract the pervasive sense of humiliation.
He wanted to tell her that he was getting stronger, and one day, he too would stand here!
However, as his gaze swept over the powerful figures chatting and laughing, all his words seemed so pale and powerless.
What could the strength he had gained through his system's bloody battles do here?
Could it make those tycoons who controlled the nation's economic lifelines spare him a second glance?
Could it make those politicians who decided the fates of countless people with a casual remark feel a shred of awe for him?
No.
"Do you understand?"
Yukino Shita Chizuru seemed to sense his emotional fluctuations, and a cruel curve appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Why does your scent… make me feel cheap?"
These words completely shattered Kamiya Makoto's last line of defense.
Yes, cheap.
His resolve, his struggles, his strength—in the face of such a world, they were the cheapest joke.
Just then, Yukino Shita Chizuru's gaze suddenly fixed.
A fervent flame ignited in her eyes, and her breathing quickened for a moment.
Kamiya Makoto instinctively followed her gaze.
At the very center of the banquet hall.
A man stood there casually.
He wasn't even doing anything, just holding a glass of champagne in one hand, his expression somewhat nonchalant.
Yet, the people around him—those powerful figures who could shake the nation with a stomp of their foot—were all gathered around him.
They even wore humble smiles, and their voices were deliberately lowered, as if afraid of disturbing this person.
A circle naturally formed around them.
A vortex of power, with that man at its core.
It's… him!
Kamiya Makoto's pupils suddenly contracted!
The man who had ignored him in the luxury store!
The man who had called him a "noisy bug" on the rooftop!
Overwhelming hatred and humiliation exploded in Kamiya Makoto's chest!
Scene after scene flashed wildly through his mind, finally settling on Lu Cheng's calm and indifferent face.
His fists clenched, making cracking sounds, and all the blood in his body rushed madly to his brain; an uncontrollable impulse almost made him lose control on the spot!
"Put away your pathetic anger, bug."
Yukino Shita Chizuru's voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.
She gave him a cold glance, her disgust undisguised.
"Here, you are not worthy of anger."
"Makoto-kun, to stand at the center, you need more… more power!"
Kamiya Makoto's body stiffened.
And at that very moment, as if sensing something.
The man standing at the center of the world finally moved.
Lu Cheng raised his eyes, his deep gaze ignoring the respectfully bowing Yukinoshita family head in front of him, and casually scanned the entire hall.
His gaze swept over Kamiya Makoto without the slightest pause, as if he were merely an insignificant decoration.
Then, his gaze precisely landed on Yukino Shita Chizuru.
In an instant, a smile of intriguing amusement curved on Lu Cheng's lips.
It was a smile full of dominance and playfulness.
A summons, for a possession?
Kamiya Makoto clearly saw this smile, and also saw the "interest" in Lu Cheng's eyes for Yukino Shita Chizuru.
An emotion hotter and crazier than hatred instantly gripped his heart.
That was… jealousy!
It was the despair of watching his most cherished treasure, something he valued as his life, about to be casually taken away, yet being powerless to do anything!
Kamiya Makoto could even feel the Onmyoji bloodline within him boiling wildly due to this negative emotion, emitting an ominous hiss.