"..."
Stare...
"Rustle..."
Fanning...
At this mont, on a flight heading to Sakura Country.
Ye Shiyu frowned, still unable to recover from the oppressive aura An Le exuded when walking past her just now.
Beside her, Bai Yi was even worse. She played dead entirely, turning her head to stare at Ye Shiyu rather than catching a glimpse of An Le.
It was only after An Le had been gone for quite a while that she finally turned her head back, complaining that her neck was sore from the strain.
The mont An Le appeared, the expressions of everyone in the first two rows completely changed—except for Sakuramiya Lily, who was entirely out of the loop. It took them a long ti to regain their composure.
Right now, Ye Shiyu finally managed to pull herself upright, gripping the seatbelt around her waist. She shot a glance to her left, attempting to distract herself by checking if Sakuramiya Hitomi was doing anything to Xiao Huan.
As a result, Sakuramiya Lily, sitting right in the middle, began periodically waving her worn folding fan, seemingly unintentionally blocking Ye Shiyu's probing gaze.
'This old woman...'
Ye Shiyu narrowed her eyes, glaring at the smiling Sakuramiya Lily, finding her more detestable by the second.
However, Sakuramiya Lily appeared entirely oblivious to her terrifying glare. She simply continued fanning herself, occasionally calling a flight attendant over to ask for this and that.
This turned her into an impenetrable wall, completely cutting Ye Shiyu off.
Watching this, Bai Yi, sitting beside her, also noticed Ye Shiyu's searching gaze.
After pondering for a second, Bai Yi felt like she understood Ye Shiyu's intentions and cast a glance at Spencer in the second row.
She saw that Spencer was slumped in her seat, her eyes shut tight and her face scrunched up. She looked extrely uncomfortable and was muttering so strange things under her breath.
"One pig, two pigs, three pigs..."
'What is this girl doing?'
It turned out that Spencer was terrified of flying. Not only did she have to cover her ears and close her eyes during takeoff and landing, but she also needed to fall asleep as quickly as possible once the flight stabilized.
Otherwise, she would get airsick.
An Le boarding the plane earlier had been a huge shock to her as well, causing her to forget to cover her ears and close her eyes during takeoff. Because of this, she was already experiencing a bit of motion sickness.
But this was for the best. It was rare for this girl to be so quiet, so there was no need to stay vigilant against her.
Seeing this, Bai Yi relaxed. She let out a soft snort and spoke to Ye Shiyu in a tone that suggested she had seen through everything.
"Stop staring at Spencer. She doesn't have the energy to do anything to Yan Huan right now."
"..."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu withdrew her gaze from Sakuramiya Hitomi's direction and looked at Bai Yi.
'Even now, Bai Yi still hasn't realized Sakuramiya Lily's hidden interference...'
Glancing at her, Ye Shiyu did not even know what to say.
She just started to doubt whether choosing to ally with the two of them had been the right decision.
'Wait a minute.'
At that mont, the image of Bai Yi cowering at the sight of An Le suddenly flashed through Ye Shiyu's mind.
'I fought with An Le once, suffered a loss, and decided to temporarily avoid her edge.'
'But Bai Yi's reaction was even more intense than mine.'
'So why is she so afraid of An Le?'
Ye Shiyu narrowed her eyes. After thinking for a second, she gripped her mobile phone and leaned a bit closer to Bai Yi.
As a result, sensing Ye Shiyu leaning in, Bai Yi imdiately scrambled back like a mouse spotting a cat.
"W-What are you doing?"
"...I have sothing to ask you."
Seeing her reaction, Ye Shiyu curled her index finger, gesturing for her to co closer.
Bai Yi hesitated for a few seconds. Ultimately, considering that they were still allies, she leaned over slightly.
"What do you want to ask?"
"Do you..."
Ye Shiyu leaned right next to her ear and asked in a faint voice,
"...also have a superpower?"
"!!"
This casual question made Bai Yi's pupils shrink. She turned her head in utter disbelief to look at Ye Shiyu beside her.
Yet Ye Shiyu just continued to study Bai Yi's expression with a completely deadpan look...
It seed she already knew the answer.
"We haven't even landed yet, and the problems are already piling up, Myau-chan..."
As the minutes and seconds ticked by, Yan Huan leaned against the window, getting a headache just looking at the school trip itinerary in his hands.
For this trip to Sakura Country, Yan Huan had two tentative goals:
1. Before the deadline on the final day, stop An Le—who had begun acting strange after turning to the dark side—and try his best to suppress her modifier, which was starting to spiral out of control.
2. Ensure that this "study group pilgrimage team" landed smoothly without turning into an all-out modifier battle.
However, the problem was:
Sakuramiya Lily's plan was for them to follow the tour group for the first four days and then part ways with the main group after Kobe.
After that, they would visit the Sakuramiya family as guests, and on the last day, reconvene in Tokyo to fly back to Linn together.
In other words, he only had four days to legitimately get close to An Le.
Moreover, An Le didn't know about the study group (actually, she did). When the ti ca for him to leave the main group with them, there was no telling if An Le would completely blow her top.
The only solution was to invite An Le to join the study group as well; after all, Sakuramiya Lily had suggested as much.
But if he did that, this study group was guaranteed to turn into a supernatural magic battle arena.
"Smack~"
Yan Huan rubbed his aching head and tapped the itinerary against his forehead, feeling that this was becoming increasingly difficult to handle.
He was completely unfamiliar with the place and people in Sakura Country. Furthermore, they were currently on a school trip outdoors, so there was not much he could do in his capacity as the Student Council President.
'That's right, Sister Tong is also in Sakura Country!'
'I just don't know which city she's in right now. I'll ask her once we land and see if we can et up...'
With nothing he could use to solve this problem for the ti being, Yan Huan could only plan to seize the opportunity during the first four days...
"..."
anwhile, beside him, Sakuramiya Hitomi pursed her lips. Watching Yan Huan deep in thought, she grew increasingly nervous.
She could guess her mother's intentions right away—to create an opportunity for them to be alone together.
Sakuramiya Hitomi had originally figured out what to say, but when An Le walked in and gave her a deeply aningful look, it completely scrambled her thoughts.
Because she could clearly sense An Le silently saying:
"This isn't over~"
"..."
Her heart pounded in anxiety for ages. As a result, even when given the opportunity, Sakuramiya Hitomi was entirely useless, having no idea what to do.
'Seeing as the President isn't speaking and seems to be thinking about sothing, wouldn't it be a bit awkward if I just initiated a conversation?'
'And even if I did talk to him, what could I possibly say in this situation?'
'Ah...'
'N-Never mind. I'll just gather my courage for two more minutes, and then I will definitely speak to the President!'
"..."
Just like that, two hours passed.
During that ti, apart from when the flight attendant ca over to ask what they wanted for lunch and what beverages they wanted to drink, the two of them remained in utter silence.
Over there, Spencer had her head tilted back, completely fast asleep, occasionally scratching her belly through her clothes.
On the other side, Ye Shiyu stared intently at Sakuramiya Hitomi for a long ti. Seeing that she hadn't made a single move, she could not help but feel secretly suspicious.
'Could it be that I wrongly blad the Sakuramiya mother and daughter?'
'They're actually sitting together and doing absolutely nothing?'
'If it were , I would have already done sothing to Xiao Huan...'
Bai Yi humd a song, holding her iPad to catch up on the Ying Country drama "Shaless" she had downloaded earlier.
Only Sakuramiya Lily covered her face in exasperation. She had fanned her folding fan so much that her hand was cramping.
She lifted her head slightly, shooting a dull look at Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was still tense over who-knows-what, and silently transmitted a ssage,
"Daughter, Mama has completely burned out... What exactly are you doing..."
"..."
On the other side, Sakuramiya Hitomi was initially just nervous, not knowing what to say.
But later on, due to her poor health and having sat for two hours, her whole body felt uncomfortable, making it even harder for her to think of anything to say to the President.
'I-If this keeps up, won't it...'
In her mind, the various masks were on the verge of exploding in a chaotic argunt.
But right now, she could not take in a single word they were saying. The newly arrived mask was simply... far too weird, so all the other masks were busy dealing with her and had no ti to offer Sakuramiya Hitomi any advice.
"Sakuramiya, aren't you going to rest for a bit?"
However, in the very next second, Yan Huan's voice suddenly rang out beside her.
Turning her head, she saw Yan Huan looking with concern at her slightly pale face.
Sakuramiya Hitomi stared blankly subconsciously, before replying,
"Ah, I-I am going to rest... I was planning to take a little nap..."
"I see. I'm also planning to get so rest, so I won't bother you then."
'Wait!'
'What am I saying?!'
The mont the words left her mouth, Sakuramiya Hitomi desperately wanted to slap herself across the face.
But seeing that Yan Huan beside her had already pulled down the window shade, leaned back against the seat, and taken a deep breath to rest,
She had no choice but to helplessly shut her mouth, unwilling to disturb his rest.
It was just that, as the atmosphere fell into silence once again, she could not help but think:
'If it were the masks, they would definitely have a way. They wouldn't be this hesitant, completely unable to do anything like I am.'
"..."
Wrestling with this uncomfortable inner turmoil, Sakuramiya Hitomi took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared to rest.
Already feeling unwell, her consciousness soon grew hazy, and her body gradually relaxed.
"Bump~"
Just as Yan Huan was about to close his eyes and rest, a light, bumping sensation transmitted from his shoulder.
He paused for a mont and turned his head, only to find Sakuramiya Hitomi with her eyes closed, leaning against his shoulder.
Yan Huan's heartbeat suddenly quickened for a split second. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he realized that Sakuramiya Hitomi was already fast asleep.
Consequently, he quickly glanced at Sakuramiya Lily beside him and Spencer seated behind her.
Sakuramiya Lily had her eyes closed, seemingly having just begun to rest as well.
Spencer had her head tilted back, sleeping soundly and oblivious to everything.
And over on the other side, Ye Shiyu and Bai Yi could not even see what was happening.
"..."
Everything had fallen into place naturally, allowing Yan Huan to remain silent without any burden, simply letting the situation persist.
Thus, his initially stiff body relaxed bit by bit, and he leaned back firmly against his seat.
Inevitably, he lowered his gaze, observing Sakuramiya Hitomi's sleeping face. Suddenly, he recalled even more things from the past.
For instance, her birthday that one ti.
During that birthday, she ntioned that she would take him to celebrate her next birthday in her hotown.
She said: the cherry blossoms there are beautiful, exactly the sa color as the tips of her hair.
Everything about that birthday party was wonderful... Oh, except for her foolish older brother, Sakura Jing.
Thinking about this, Yan Huan gazed at Sakuramiya Hitomi and suddenly felt that she gave him exactly the sa feeling.
She was just like that dreamlike birthday party—apart from a few unpleasantries, everything else was simply beautiful.
Yan Huan studied her petite figure pressing snugly against him, his thoughts gradually emptying out.
In the end, only one simple thought remained:
'Sure enough, I am a staunch mber of the Flat-Chest Faction.'
Afterwards, keeping his body completely motionless, Yan Huan closed his eyes and began to rest as well.
Only beside them did the seemingly asleep Sakuramiya Lily instantly open her eyes, scrutinizing the two nestled together in slumber. "My, my, this is truly..."
She sighed softly in amazent, then whipped out her mobile phone and took a photo of the scene.
"Vroom!"
At the exact sa mont, in Sakura Country, Sagano Arashiyama, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto.
Sagano Arashiyama rested against Mount Ogura and faced the Hozu River, boasting excellent feng shui.
It was the peak of spring. Nurous cherry blossoms blood in the mountains, making the scenery look absolutely breathtaking.
Just at that mont, a white Porsche 911 Targa convertible roared its engine as it sped up a certain mountain road.
At the end of the road, hidden amidst the lush greenery, a corner of an enormous mansion that masterfully blended traditional and modern styles faintly revealed itself.
"Screech!"
The sports car moved incredibly fast along the rather narrow mountain road. It didn't slow down at all upon reaching a parking lot sparsely occupied by a few vehicles. Instead, it drifted horizontally in front of the entrance with an ear-piercing screech.
After coming to a halt, the car door opened, and a handso young man stepped out. His hair was completely cherry-blossom pink, styled in a textured Japanese fringe.
The young man appeared to be around twenty years old. He wore sunglasses over his youthful face, but it could not mask the arrogant frivolity overflowing from his eyes.
"Young Master Jing, why have you returned from Tokyo? What about your university classes next week..."
Hearing the commotion outside, soone erged from the Japanese-style porch doors. An elderly man in a suit, who appeared to be the butler, walked out briskly.
"Old man, hold on to these keys for !"
Upon hearing this, the youth nad Sakura Jing did not slow his steps in the slightest, simply tossing the sports car keys he was holding to the elderly man in front of him.
Then, as he strode briskly toward the courtyard, he shouted inward,
"Brother! Brother!! Where are you? I have sothing to tell you!!"
"Thud, thud, thud..."
His heavy footsteps produced muffled thuds against the wooden corridor. In the very next second, not paying attention, he bumped into a small, frail figure at the corner.
"Crash!"
"Ouch!"
From the collision, Sakura Jing remained motionless, but the person in front of him stumbled back several steps. With a cry of surprise, they fell onto the ground, scattering sothing from their hands all over the floor.
Sakura Jing stared blankly for a mont. Looking down at the ground near his feet, he realized that tiny pellets of fish food had been scattered everywhere.
Raising his gaze again, he saw a petite, handso, black-haired boy sitting on the ground, holding a small bag of goldfish.
The goldfish were perfectly unhard, but the bag of fish food held in the boy's other hand had been knocked loose and spilled.
"...Sorry, I'm in a hurry."
Sakura Jing did not recognize the person in front of him, nor did he know why this boy was in his ho. Offering a quick apology, he continued heading into the courtyard.
Passing through the long corridor, Sakura Jing finally stepped into an incredibly spacious Sakura Country-style courtyard.
A black-haired man in a kimono sat formally at the edge of the courtyard, his broad back facing the corridor.
Hearing the approaching sounds, he turned his head and spoke calmly,
"Didn't I tell you not to drive that piece of junk car ho? It's annoyingly loud."
Hearing this, Sakura Jing, who had sported an arrogant expression just monts ago, felt his aura falter. He couldn't utter a word for quite a while.
Because the person in front of him was none other than his eldest brother, Sakura Lan.
So, he had no choice but to sidestep the topic and try to get down to business.
"Brother..."
However, before he could say more, Sakura Lan flatly interrupted,
"Tell
later. We have distinguished guests right now."
"Distinguished guests?"
Sakura Jing froze montarily, suddenly recalling the little boy he had just bumped into.
'Could it be that so benefactor brought their child over?'
Just as Sakura Jing was thinking this, he looked up and suddenly realized that two n and two won were standing on the other side of the courtyard.
The most conspicuous among them was a tall silver-haired young woman dressed in a high-end suit.
The others had varying styles and temperants, but all carried an air of nobility.
First, there was a blue-haired girl wearing headphones and blowing a bubblegum bubble.
The other two were tall, muscular black-haired young n—one with a wheat-colored complexion, and the other as pale as jade.
Looking back at the silver-haired girl standing right in the middle, she was clearly the core of the group.
She stood in the courtyard with her hands on her hips, back perfectly straight, facing away from Sakura Jing.
Her silver hair cascaded down, and a single diamond earring adorned with a golden tassel hung from her right ear.
Hearing the sound of conversation behind her, she turned her head, revealing a delicate yet fierce and beautiful face.
The girl wore a faint smile on her lips. Without taking the initiative to greet him, she just stared straight at Sakura Jing.
eting her sharp gaze, with just one look, Sakura Jing unexpectedly felt subconsciously uncomfortable.
"Let
introduce you. This is Lucianna from the Ying Country Adams family. She is currently studying in Linn, and is also the Student Council President of Shuurei Academy, the school that stands on par with Far Moon."
'Shuurei Academy, the one on par with the school my sister attends?'
'That ans no matter how you look at it, she should be my junior. So why does the vibe she gives off feel...'
'So incredibly off?'
"I am Sakura Jing, you're..."
Sakura Jing subconsciously planned to offer a greeting. However, the silver-haired girl flashed a smile and interrupted him directly.
"Just call
Lucy. I visited the Sakuramiya family as a guest before, but neither of you were around at the ti, so I only t that Sakuramiya... what was her na again? Hitomi?"
"..."
Uncertain if she had rembered the na correctly, Lucy smiled apologetically and explained,
"My apologies, she's completely worthless, so she didn't leave much of an impression on ..."
"The fuck?! Say that again?!"
The mont those words were spoken, Sakura Jing beca entirely overheated. Furious, he stepped forward, ready to argue with her.
But he was gently stopped by his elder brother, who was sitting formally in front of him. Sakura Lan raised a hand, blocking Jing behind him.
Lucy smiled without saying a word, sporting a "what are you going to do about it" look, which made Sakura Jing so angry that his pink hair stood on end.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
Right at that mont, the boy whom Sakura Jing had knocked down earlier ca walking down the corridor behind them.
Carrying the bag of goldfish, he ran up to Lucy's side and said helplessly,
"President, I caught a lot of goldfish as a gift for you, but the fish food spilled, and now there are only a few pellets left..."
"It's fine, Ju. Let
see..."
Lucy took the bag of goldfish the boy handed over, and then reached out to take the plastic bag containing the few remaining pellets of fish food.
After counting the number of pellets, Lucy dumped all the fish food into the goldfish bag.
She then lifted the transparent bag, observing how they fed.
Several goldfish instantly began to scramble, gulping the fish food into their bellies with wide-open mouths.
However, there was not much fish food, and the goldfish fought over it fiercely. Only one smaller goldfish failed to grab a single pellet, pushed aside into a corner.
"What a pity."
Lucy smiled slightly. Opening the bag, she reached in and grabbed the goldfish that had failed to snatch any food.
She held firmly onto the struggling little goldfish in the palm of her hand, glanced at it, and then casually tossed it onto the ground.
Off to the side, both Sakura Lan and Sakura Jing couldn't help but frown.
"Flap~ Flap~"
The goldfish flopped around on the ground a couple of tis. Very soon, it lacked the strength to jump at all and could only lie there with its mouth agape, gasping for air.
Seeing this, the Vice President nad Shenye Ju could not help but purse his lips.
Lucy, anwhile, handed the bag of goldfish back to Shenye Ju and asked,
"Since it's a gift you gave , I can do whatever I want with it, right?"
"Y-Yes, you can, President."
"Thank you for the gift. I like it very much."
After saying that, Lucy handed the bag of goldfish to Shenye Ju, and then smilingly pinched his cheek.
"However, to , humans and goldfish are very much alike.
"Ju, you get to be my boyfriend because you are excellent enough—whether in appearance or talent..."
Hearing this, the cheek-pinched Shenye Ju blushed, his face turning rosy.
"As long as you like it, President..."
But before he could finish, Lucy gave a bright smile and continued,
"But you have to keep working hard. If the day cos when you can no longer fight for fish food like this goldfish, I wouldn't hesitate to throw you away just like this..."
Shenye Ju's handso face had barely stayed flushed for a few seconds before it imdiately paled.
"Miss Lucianna, the head of the family is ready to see you."
"Ah, fantastic."
Hearing this, Lucy released her little boyfriend's cheek and strode forward gracefully.
Shenye Ju hurriedly followed. The other mbers of the Shuurei Student Council behind them were long used to this behavior, so they calmly tagged along.
Watching them leave, the two Sakuramiya brothers did not move. Instead, Sakura Lan turned his head and asked his younger brother,
"You were in such a rush earlier. What's the matter?"
"Right, right!"
Sakura Jing rembered and quickly blurted out,
"Hitomi is coming ho soon!"
Up ahead, Lucy and her entourage didn't break their stride, continuing toward the main hall.
"Isn't that a good thing? We haven't seen her in quite a while... Did she co back for the school trip?"
"Yes. But the problem is, that damn Yan Huan ca too!! When I heard the news... I was pulling my hair out! I wanted to... Aaargh! It pisses
off!"
"Yan Huan? He isn't even in Hitomi's class, so why is he coming to Sakura Country?"
"I know, right? I was wondering the sa thing! But after asking around, it turns out their entire first-year grade is coming to Sakura Country! Apparently, Yan Huan's class picked Sakura Country, and the rest of the classes just followed suit!"
Hearing this, Lucy, who was just about to enter the main hall, paused slightly in her tracks.
Then, she turned her head, an intrigued smile surfacing on her face.
"How interesting...
"That Yan Huan, the President of Far Moon Academy, has also co to Sakura Country?"
"..."
The mont they noticed her stop and look back, Sakura Lan and Sakura Jing simultaneously froze, both turning to stare at her.
On the ground, the goldfish out of water opened its mouth wide, struggling to breathe. But no matter how hard it tried, it could not extract a single bit of oxygen.
Thus, it could only muster all its strength to thrash its body, attempting to leap back into the water.
However, it was surrounded entirely by gravel, without a single drop of water in sight.
The frail goldfish landed on a stone with a "smack
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