A Regressed Villain: Heroines, Villainesses and Me?

"W-wait, Amrita! At least hear me out," Lin said, noticing that after class ended, Amrita stood up and walked out of the garden without pausing, heading into the corridor. He quickly rose from his seat, straightened his back, and followed her.

"You acted childish, Lin," Amrita stated calmly. She realized that Lin's usual behavior of taking things as a joke was unnecessary today. She felt it was an awkward situation, especially since he had acted like that in front of the entire class.

Additionally, it was possible that this behavior would leave a negative impression on the professor, who might now view both of them unfavorably.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me," Lin ruffled his hair, realizing he had acted immaturely and created trouble for Amrita. Given his behavior, he understood that their sculpture class might not be as enjoyable as before.

After all, he had just defamed a newly arrived professor by implying he touched his own student.

"It's fine," Amrita replied blankly, not expecting much from Lin, while she thought about how to clear the misunderstanding with the professor.

"Fine, then how about I treat you to a coffee?" As Lin and Amrita exited the corridor and walked toward their next class, she shook her head.

"Nope, one coffee won't do; at least two of them," Amrita increased her pace, making Lin's eyes widen before he relaxed and followed her, glad to see that his behavior hadn't negatively affected her.

'What to do now?' Amrita pondered. She knew that addressing Lin about the earlier event would only hurt him, so she focused on finding a solution to this problem and a way to apologize to the professor.

"You are the best, Amrita!" Lin cheered, looking at her as she slowly turned toward the path leading to their next class. However, his smile gradually faded, and the carefree aura vanished, replaced by a cold glare as he took out his phone.

"Hello, Bran," Lin's voice now held a hint of malice and a clear firmness, starkly different from how he acted just a moment before in front of Amrita. This time, it was rough and emotionless. His eyes turned in the direction where Amrita had just disappeared, and he added, "Find out about the newly appointed professor in Art and Culture for sculpture classes."

:: I understand, Young Master ::

'Let's see what you're up to,' Lin thought. After ending the call and placing his phone in his pocket, he put on a smile as he looked toward the direction of Amrita and then sprinted after her, saying, "Hey, wait for me!"

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"Yes, I want you to find out about the newly appointed professor in Art and Culture for sculpture classes," Aria said over the phone while standing by a pillar inside the corridor, formally commanding her father's assistant to complete the task within two days.

After coming out of class, she felt confused about how that professor ignored her, instead showing interest only in Amrita and appearing indifferent to Lin's presence.

'Was it intentional?' Aria briefly considered the class incident where Lin had overreacted—something he typically did whenever it involved Amrita. She wondered if the new professor was aware of this and might use it against Lin. However, she felt the chances were slim since she hadn't noticed any expression or signs from him that indicated he was aware.

"But, Professor, it seems hard."

Suddenly, one of her friends caught Aria's attention as she observed her three friends standing near the newly arrived professor in the garden.

"Rest assured, it may seem hard, but now it's soft due to being wet," Avendial said with a small smile, aware they were discussing a sculpture but adding a touch of humor by referencing the clay.

"Pfft, you can even make jokes, professor," one of them smiled at Avendial, surprised by his calm demeanor and sense of humor.

"Naturally, I'm not that old, you know," Avendial replied, arching an eyebrow in mock surprise, causing all three of them to chuckle as they looked at each other.

'What is he trying to achieve?' From afar, Aria felt suspicious as she watched her friends engaged in a lively conversation with the professor. Not understanding why he was even talking to them, she decided to move closer to help Lin get information about this man.

"Indeed, the professor seems very young," Aria interrupted as she arrived about ten meters away from them. Most students had already left, with a few lingering female students admiring the new professor. Aria cast a calm gaze in his direction.

'?!'

"....Ah, Aria?" Avendial feigned surprise, slowly turning his head toward her. Standing in her academy uniform, her black hair cascading down her waist and her eyes looking impassively at him, she showed a clear hint of dissatisfaction. The nearby breeze fluttered her hair, and with a defeated smile, Avendial whispered, "Y-you are Aria, right?"

'Huh? What's with that gaze?' Aria thought. She had expected him to continue his cold and composed facade to fool others, but she felt confused as she noticed his eyes widen the moment he saw her. He inquired about her identity, unlike how he had directly identified Amrita but seemed unsure about her.

Additionally, the most puzzling aspect was his gaze, which held longing and emotions of having met someone after a long time, causing Aria to instinctively answer, "Y-yes."

"I mean, yes, I am Aria, but how do you know my name, professor?" Aria clasped her hands together, studying him with evident suspicion. She attempted to peer into his character, but he met her gaze with a doubtful blink, his eyes reflecting her frozen image in their deep, oceanic blue depths.

"Well, even if I tell you, will you believe me?" Avendial tilted his head slightly, offering a smile. It was the first time other students, and even Aria, had seen it after a while. Having spent an hour and a half in class, he appeared completely different from how he had been—cold and aloof.

"Yes," Aria quickly responded, though she avoided his eyes, not wanting to confront his feelings. She felt awkward and confused by his reaction, which made her feel guilty, as if she were doubting someone she should always trust.

Avendial observed this particular woman, who had just become the center of attention for the other female students due to the favorable interaction with him, and he decided to finally address the second blank in her mind. "To be precise, I traveled from the future to address a few issues and rescue some lives, which is how I know your name."

'?!?!'

"Wh-what?!" Aria's eyes widened the moment she heard him confessing his topmost secret, which should have been considered a secret that no one would have known, making her slightly taken aback as she tried to make sense of things, turning her gaze toward her friends and other classmates.

'No.... No... did he just accept he was from the future?', Aria let her hand loose as she initially clasped it but now clenched it into a fist. She felt all her plans to make him confess that he was from the future crumble in an instant. Since he himself had done that, making her mind go blank for a moment, she did not understand what she should do next.

Naturally, from the beginning, after knowing he was a regressed individual, she had planned to push him in the corner until he revealed that he had future memories.

Afterwards, she would make him disclose all the things that would happen in the future and the reason why he appeared here.

But now?

The very first step she tried to create a ladder turned into a pile of dust.