Chapter 60
"Morning, Yan Huan."
The pleasant voice drew both Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi's attention at once. A girl whose beauty no mask could hide stood beside them.
When Yan Huan t those curved, smiling eyes, he blinked, then smiled back.
"Morning, Bai Yi."
Bai Yi tugged her mask down, revealing a fresh, stunning face.
Sakuramiya kept her polite smile, but her eyes snapped into scanner mode, sweeping over Bai Yi's features.
Bai Yi wore a custom spring uniform set—she was noticeably taller than Sakuramiya. Compared to the petite vice-president at Yan Huan's side, Bai Yi looked perfectly proportioned.
After greeting Yan Huan, Bai Yi didn't overlook Sakuramiya. After a quick once-over she spoke first.
"Morning, Sakuramiya Vice-President."
"Morning, Bai Yi," Sakuramiya answered, bowing like a perfect lady.
She knew yesterday's "friend" Yan Huan had t was almost certainly Bai Yi, yet when he'd ntioned the girl his expression had stayed flat—far less stirred than when he spoke of his childhood sweetheart. So at the ti Sakuramiya hadn't felt much threat.
Now, seeing Bai Yi's breathtaking looks, she wasn't so sure. Teenage boys are restless creatures; hormones spark love at the drop of a hat. "Love at first sight" is real. And yesterday the girl had shouted "Fan A" on stage...
Need more intel.
Sakuramiya opened fire gently.
"Your performance yesterday was amazing. Several of us from the council were there—everyone was blown away."
"Eh? R-really?"
Praise went straight to Bai Yi's head; her nose lifted a fraction.
Under the sugar-coating, Bai Yi's guard dropped fast.
Sakuramiya nodded "sincerely."
"Of course. But after watching your past shows I was surprised—you attend so many events yet rarely sing. Any reason?"
Bai Yi pressed her lips, embarrassed. "It's... complicated. Still, I owe it all to Yan Huan."
She glanced at Yan Huan with a bright smile.
Ding~
Unaware of the invisible cross-examination, the rookie idol's smile detonated like a flare in Sakuramiya's eyes.
That gaze—
Sakuramiya's smile froze; she was about to pounce when Yan Huan checked his watch and said to Bai Yi, "We've got Monday's council eting soon. Let's head inside."
"Okay."
Yan Huan steered the topic away; Sakuramiya swallowed her next question.
He did it on purpose. Yesterday Bai Yi hadn't used her Modifier, and Yan Huan's actions hadn't yielded any fragnts—but Bai Yi was still a host. Who knew how things stood with her mother? A land-mine could blow any mont. Sakuramiya knew none of this; she was already tangled with Spencer, and last week Ye Shiyu had almost used a Modifier on her. Better to keep her out of the blast radius.
Bai Yi carried a small book tote behind her back as the trio walked toward the building.
"Oh, right. I still have your earphones, Yan Huan. They look ancient, so here—brand-new sponsor samples." She pulled out a small box: blue noise-canceling earbuds in decent packaging, clearly worth a few hundred yuan.
"Ah, thanks." After yesterday's work with no fragnt payoff, new earphones felt like a consolation prize.
But Sakuramiya's eyes were sharper. She spotted an identical pink set nested in Bai Yi's black hair. Wearing the left earbud even though she stood on Yan Huan's right? Only one reason: to let him notice they had matching pairs in different colors.
Girls don't usually confess outright; they hint, wait, send signals—"Wow, your hands are huge—let's compare," or "Brr, I forgot my jacket," or "Oops, missed the last bus."
Mind gas.
Sakuramiya clocked her: a rival equal in cunning. Sirens scread inside her head.
"Morning, Bai Yi!"
"Morning!"
As Yan Huan accepted the gift, a passing girl spotted them and squealed, "I saw your show yesterday! It was aweso! So, who's Fan A?"
"Ah, um..." Bai Yi flushed, glanced at Yan Huan like iron to a magnet, then away. "It's a secret."
"Ooh, a secret~" The girl giggled, greeted Yan Huan—"Morning, President"—and hurried off, stiffening slightly when she t Sakuramiya's eyes.
Bai Yi watched the girl leave, puzzled; Yan Huan acted unsurprised. Sakuramiya's reputation at school wasn't great—excellence, privilege, and her role as discipline chief bred resentnt. Yuanyue was full of prodigies and proud heirs; Yan Huan and Yua Lina were rare exceptions who got along with everyone. Yan Huan, poor but charming, knew how to talk to people. Yua Lina was simple, sincere, hard to dislike. Sakuramiya, however, kept a careful distance, sotis flashed frightening hostility, and preferred shadows. Next to radiant Bai Yi, the contrast stung.
Wait—why am I channeling Hashimoto's nonsense?
Sakuramiya's face paled. She looked at the pair beside her—perfect height match, both popular, compatible families, harmonious personalities. For a second she almost shipped them—
No!
The absurd thought made her seethe like a legendary green-eyed monster.
All Spencer's fault!
Sakuramiya bit her lip and stopped walking.
"Speaking of the study group you ntioned, Yan Huan..." Bai Yi began, but Yan Huan noticed Sakuramiya's sudden halt.
He turned, concern softening his voice.
"Sakuramiya?"
Bai Yi blinked, gaze flicking between Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi, starlight thoughts racing behind her eyes.
Sakuramiya's answering smile looked brittle.
"President..."
"Ehehe, Sakuramiya~!"
Before she could finish, Yua Lina materialized behind her, arms looping around Sakuramiya's waist and hauling her into a hug.
"You're so soft and comfy to hold, Sakuramiya~"
Pink rushed up Sakuramiya's cheeks; her delicate health made her skin hypersensitive, especially to tickles.
"Yua Lina!!"
"Hehe, can't help it—I adore you! Pretty, cute, easy to tease, and sweet-tempered~"
"Eh?"
Am I really that nice?
Watching Bai Yi's eyes widen, Sakuramiya felt the sting from yesterday's subtle jab lt away.
Yes. Yesterday the president had said such kind things, and here she was sulking—how unbecoming.
Still, thank you, Secretary Yua Lina. I've always treated you like a silly pet...
Actually, you're one of the few friends I have.
That crack about repeating middle school? A joke—of course I didn't an it.
But the next second Yua Lina looked up pleadingly.
"So, since you're adorable, please let copy this week's math howork. Thanks!"
"......"
Go back to grade school, Yua Lina.
Watching Sakuramiya's temple vein twitch while Yua Lina bead, Yan Huan couldn't help a wry chuckle.
"That's Yua Lina, our school secretary."
"Ah... I see."
Bai Yi fluttered her lashes, eyes tracking wherever Yan Huan looked. Students stread past, greeting him with bright hellos; even second- and third-year seniors invited him to karaoke or dinner after school.
The playbook of teenage crushes is always the sa: a spark of interest, a whirlwind of daydreams, then the crash of reality when the fantasy ets the person.
Right now, still dizzy from last night's "Fan A" romance, Bai Yi realized how popular Yan Huan actually was. He had his own circle, other friends, a life beyond her fandom. Probably other girls liked—or even loved—him too.
Especially Sakuramiya Hitomi; sothing dangerous lurked behind the way she sized Bai Yi up.
Real life isn't a fairy-tale with a single destined prince and princess.
First love's flush cooled; Bai Yi bit her lip, suddenly shy.
Yan Huan glanced back at her.
"By the way, didn't you want to ask about the study group?"
"Eh—yes."
She'd thought he hadn't heard, so the question startled her.
"We'll start tomorrow. Hashimoto and I are in charge—he's the council accountant. Twice a week, lunch breaks on Tuesday and Thursday. Before exam week we'll add weekend sessions off-campus."
He smiled at her.
"I ntioned it's only a suggestion, so the final choice is yours..."
"I'm in!"
The words shot out before her brain could catch up. She'd already checked; in past years almost no one joined the study group. Which ant private, twice-a-week tutoring with Yan Huan—just the two of them!
Hashimoto, silently written off, faded into the background.
Imagining the scene, Bai Yi's cheeks ward. Yan Huan nodded and handed her a slip of paper.
"Great. Bring these books tomorrow."
"Eh?"
She glanced at the list:
Three Years of High School, Two Years of Mock Exams
Mathematics Master—100 Drills
Grammar & Reading in One Volu
Romance drained from her face, replaced by cold reality. She looked up; Yan Huan smiled sweetly.
"Tutoring an idol is stressful, but I'll teach you well."
"......"
...
...
Principal's office, sa mont.
"Principal, please look this over—her disciplinary record for the past week."
Secretary laid a file on Hers' desk.
Label: "Aria Spencer."
Hers opened it, skimd, and faced a wall of complaints from every departnt:
Broke equipnt-room and locker-room doors...
Assaulted three classmates...
Skipped classes, entrance exams, pop-quizzes in shambles...
All in one week.
Departnt heads wanted her expelled; angry parents—Park Seo-mun's among them—were circling.
Hers eased off his glasses and set them down.
"Sigh. One week and everyone's begging to boot her. Trouble is, if little Spencer goes, big Spencer cos."
His wrinkled face—no longer the "happy chrysanthemum" of donation season—turned toward the lavish new teaching block nearing completion outside.
He asked hopefully, "Our school values all-around developnt. Poor grades alone can't justify expulsion—does she have any redeeming qualities?"
Secretary understood the cue but, after long thought, adjusted her glasses.
"None that I can see."
"......"
Hers stared down just as Spencer crouched outside the building, nose in a book, black bag beside her. She scratched her head, utterly absorbed.
Hers squinted, retrieved his glasses. The floor wasn't high; he could just make out the pages.
Pixels—nothing but mosaic censorship.
"......"
Hers went white and toppled backward.
"Principal!!"
Secretary caught him, pinching his philtrum.
"dicine—do you need your pills?!"
Hers' lips trembled. He seized her hand and rasped an epitaph:
"Money's hard to earn, bullshit's hard to swallow..."
"Principal!"
Hers closed his eyes; a single tear rolled down.
He rembered the phone call that night, the woman's voice heavy with nace:
"My daughter's new to Linn. I'm not around—she's in your hands."
"Absolutely! Absolutely!"
Right now Hers wanted to slap himself.
He'd sworn up and down that everything was under control, yet barely a week after her arrival at Yuanyue the girl had already smuggled in a stack of risqué manga. It was practically a fast-track to expulsion.
Let her go and he'd have the Board—and the Golden Lion Group—breathing down his neck.
Keep her and the school's reputation, along with his own, would be dragged through the mud; parents and every departnt would demand answers.
Pressure from above, pressure from below—maybe seventy really was the age to take on the world.
"Tell ," he croaked, sinking into his chair and dry-swallowing a couple of fast-acting heart pills, "how do we keep her enrolled without losing face?"
His secretary studied him for a mont, then her eyes lit up.
"Club Wars, Principal."
"Club Wars?"
She nodded and leaned closer.
"The winning club gets one wish granted by the Board. So we need her in the club most likely to take first place..."
"But that's too obvious. Take a look at this instead."
Hers blinked as she slid a docunt across the desk:
"Notice on Enhancing Campus Life and Holistic Evaluation in Linn."
The secretary gave a conspiratorial smile.
"New policy: every student must join a club. We're simply enforcing it. We'll steer her toward the Track-and-Field Club—they're the favorites this year.
"With her stamina, she could clinch the title and stay put.
"Worst-case scenario, even if they lose, we can point to the policy and tell the Board and Golden Lion Group we followed procedure.
"What do you think?"
Hers's eyes brightened. He glanced at the secretary's serene smile.
"Well, I'll be—this is exactly why people like you earn the big bucks."
She dipped her head. Hers lifted the policy draft again.
"Then let's refine the wording and have Student Council issue the mo by tonight..."
"You got it, Principal."
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