The staff room door clicked shut behind me, but the storm didn't stay caged inside.
By the time I hit the corridor, the air was electric.
Students froze mid-step, whispering like the walls themselves had ears. A ripple passed through the hall as eyes locked on me, wide with fear, envy, or hunger.
"He actually talked back to the Vice Principal…"
"No way he walks out of there alive."
"Are you kidding? He walked out like he owned the place."
"…God, he's hot."
The whispers slithered around me like smoke.
Ding!
The System's sultry tone purred in my skull.
> [System Alert]
Public Perception rising…
"Scandalous Aura" amplified.
Effect: Rumors now spread twice as fast. Girls' curiosity and attraction intensified by +25% in scandal-related contexts.
I rolled my shoulders, smirking. The rumors weren't a burden anymore—they were fuel.
Every glance, every hushed giggle, every jealous glare, it all added to the fire licking at my heels.
