"Thud."
Seeing that Tong Yingying was about to interrogate him further, Yan Huan twisted his body, finally breaking through her defenses and sitting up.
Although he always teased Sister Tong that her bad habits would make her fat, her figure was actually quite slender. Yan Huan's push sent her tumbling right to his side.
Turning her head, Tong Yingying shot him a look full of resentnt.
Seeing that she still wanted to demand answers, Yan Huan took a deep breath, wiped his mouth, and shot back a question instead.
"Wait a minute, I should be the one asking. Why did you jump on
and kiss
so naturally, Sister Tong? Are you drunk?"
"Tch, it's not like we haven't..."
"Not like we haven't what?"
Hearing Yan Huan's imdiate retort, Tong Yingying's expression suddenly froze.
She suddenly rembered that the last ti she kissed him, she had taken advantage of his vulnerability—she had made her move while he was asleep!
Although Myau-chan had secretly inford Yan Huan about it, Tong Yingying had no idea that he knew.
Saying that out loud now would be admitting that her sneak attack had succeeded and she had stolen a kiss from him!
"Sister Tong, last ti when I stayed overnight at the shop, did you..."
'Oh no, he turned the tables on !'
"I didn't! I wouldn't..."
Feeling guilty, Tong Yingying averted her gaze and pretended to be busy packing her luggage.
"This ti, I just had a little to drink before coming to the hotel, so my mind isn't clear..."
Seeing Tong Yingying sweating profusely as she tried to explain, Yan Huan could only smile helplessly.
He did not press his advantage and continue questioning her.
Because he could genuinely tell that Tong Yingying was in a bad mood right now.
"Just don't do it again."
Giving her an out, he stood up and went over to help her pack her things.
"So, Sister Tong, why were you in such a hurry to co find ?"
But just as he stepped closer, Tong Yingying pulled a stick wrapped in a black bag out of her suitcase and pressed it against his chest, stopping him from moving forward and seeing what was inside.
Yan Huan looked down and touched the object pressing against his chest. His fingers brushed against a tsuba, and he realized it was the hilt of a daito.
He gripped the hilt and asked curiously.
"Sister Tong, this isn't a real one, is it?"
"...How could it be? I'm just here on vacation... It's a souvenir..."
As she said this, Tong Yingying paused for a mont before continuing to explain.
"It's just that you know , I didn't organize anything. My suitcase is a ss, and I'd blush if you ca over and saw it."
A perfectly reasonable excuse, impossible to refute.
Yan Huan thought she had very good self-awareness, so he did not step any closer, only glancing at the half-open suitcase in front of her.
It would have been fine if he had not looked, but upon doing so, he vaguely glimpsed sothing that looked suspiciously like a gun barrel inside.
"..."
Seeing that, Yan Huan imdiately behaved himself.
Just as he was about to speak, the mobile phone in Tong Yingying's pocket suddenly rang, causing her to narrow her eyes.
"Ring, ring~"
"...Sister Tong, I'm going to the restroom."
Understanding the situation without words, Yan Huan did not wait for Tong Yingying to co up with an excuse. He turned and headed straight for the restroom near the door, closing it behind him.
"Okay~"
Hearing the door close, Tong Yingying unlocked her phone. She glanced back at the tightly shut restroom door before putting on her Bluetooth earbuds and speaking.
"What's wrong? Didn't I say to just send
a ssage?"
"..."
Behind her, the restroom door had opened slightly at so point.
Inside, Yan Huan turned on the faucet, but leaned quietly against the slightly open door, straining his ears to listen to the conversation sound outside.
"There's nothing we can do if he ran. This is an overt strategy. Since he has his eyes on this side, I can only wait until their school trip ends..."
"..."
"Split up. You guys keep tracking his movents, but don't follow too closely, or you'll get yourselves killed. I'll stay here on guard for now..."
"..."
Tong Yingying's voice was very low, but Yan Huan still heard quite a bit and realized what was going on.
Tong Yingying had co to Sakura Country to hunt down her enemy. She was about to catch him, but Yan Huan's arrival in Sakura Country had given the target an opening.
The enemy had made it clear they were targeting Yan Huan. If Tong Yingying did not fall back to defend him and continued her pursuit, the enemy might actually fight to the death and take Yan Huan down with him.
But if Tong Yingying could not let go of her concern for Yan Huan and ca back to protect him, the target would seize the opportunity to escape.
Although Yan Huan did have several modifier hosts by his side, making him far from the sitting duck Tong Yingying thought he was.
The problem was, Yan Huan had no idea how this killer operated.
Tong Yingying had a weapon with a massive gun barrel in her suitcase; who was to say the enemy didn't have sothing similar?
Yan Huan did not doubt the terrifying power of the modifiers for a second.
As long as they evolved to a certain degree, ordinary weapons would be a piece of cake to handle.
But the issue was that Yan Huan had been deliberately keeping their progress in check. At their current level, it was hard to say if the modifiers could defend against a sniper's bullet.
Moreover, if sothing really happened to him, the modifiers would probably go berserk again.
No wonder Tong Yingying had said it would be best for him not to co to Sakura Country.
Now he was really causing trouble for her.
"Sigh..."
Thinking of this, Yan Huan let out a long breath, turned off the faucet, and pushed the door open to step out.
By the ti he ca out, Tong Yingying had already finished packing her luggage.
The daito was leaning against the window, the curtains drawn tight to block out the night view outside.
Tong Yingying had opened the gift box Yan Huan had picked out, taking out the feather-shaped pearl necklace inside.
"Do you like it, Sister Tong?"
"...I love it, but I rarely wear these kinds of things."
Despite her words, Tong Yingying sat down in front of the vanity mirror and clasped the necklace around her neck.
At the sa ti, she pulled out the hair tie holding back her red hair and turned to look at Yan Huan.
"How is it? Does it look good?"
Her rose-like long hair cascaded down her shoulders. At this mont, she did not look listless or dejected in the slightest; instead, she looked incredibly vibrant.
A faint blush floated on her cheeks like a cloud, making her snow-white skin look as vast and clear as the sky.
And that single pearl, resting perfectly between her collarbones, looked like a moon with wings.
All of these elents combined to bring out a quiet, gentle version of Tong Yingying with her flowing hair...
'Gentle?'
'How could that word ever be associated with Tong Yingying?'
Yan Huan had no idea why he was thinking this, but right now, that was exactly how he felt.
"..."
Seeing this, Yan Huan stared blankly for a mont before giving Tong Yingying a thumbs-up.
"Sister Tong, promise
that every night from now on, you won't drink, just like today, okay?"
"Go to hell!"
What a pity. The mont the premium edition Tong Yingying opened her mouth, her refined lady facade shattered.
"By the way, Sister Tong, I'll actually be splitting from the main group on the third day. I won't be staying with the team for the entire school trip."
"Then where are you going after those three days?"
"To the Sakuramiya family in Kyoto. A few of my classmates and I ford a study group, and we've been invited to the Sakuramiya estate as guests."
Hearing this, Tong Yingying paused and glanced back at Yan Huan.
He offered a gentle smile, looking completely harmless to humans and animals.
He had learned this trick from An Le.
Playing dumb.
Tong Yingying definitely knew that the Sakuramiya family was a prestigious and heavily guarded clan. It would not be easy for the killer to sneak in there.
Therefore, once Yan Huan went to the Sakuramiya estate, Tong Yingying wouldn't need to stay by his side to protect him and could resu hunting her enemy...
'But how did this kid manage to hand
a pillow right when I was feeling sleepy?'
'Could it be that this kid has already seen through my identity?'
"..."
After studying Yan Huan for a long ti, Tong Yingying finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Then for these next few days, I'll just accompany you on your tour?"
"I couldn't ask for anything better. Though, I don't know if you'll be able to ride on our bus, Sister Tong..."
"Spare , I have a car."
"Since when do you have a car in Sakura Country?"
"It's a secret~"
"..."
She had learned that from Yan Huan. After all, that was exactly how he replied when she had asked him earlier what gift he was going to give her.
However, regarding whether her identity had been exposed...
In the end, Tong Yingying still didn't ask, and Yan Huan naturally didn't offer an answer.
Or perhaps, for now, Tong Yingying felt that even if Yan Huan had guessed sothing, it was better to maintain the fragile illusion right before piercing the paper-thin window?
Just like that kiss from earlier.
"Speaking of which, what was that... matchmaking gift your classmates were talking about earlier?"
"Just a superstitious activity, don't worry about it."
Yan Huan laughed awkwardly, but mid-laugh, he suddenly thought of sothing and blinked.
"The soundproofing in this hotel is too good. I can't hear a thing."
Bai Yi eavesdropped quietly for a while, but couldn't hear anything.
She turned back around, looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi, and asked,
"Sakuramiya, don't you know that old woman? Do you think she and Yan Huan are..."
"No, it's highly unlikely that she and the President would do that kind of thing."
Sakuramiya Hitomi stroked her chin and thought for a good while before finally delivering this conclusion with certainty.
As soon as she said this, Ye Shiyu and Bai Yi, who were standing nearby, stared at her in shock.
It wasn't until Sakuramiya Hitomi belatedly raised her head, wondering why they had gone quiet, that Bai Yi spoke up awkwardly.
"I was just asking what their relationship was like, not if they were going to do that kind of thing."
"I also know they probably wouldn't do that. I went to Yan Huan's shop a long ti ago, and she helped
out once... But I can't really explain the distance between her and Yan Huan..."
"A bit blurred?"
Ye Shiyu nodded as well, expressing her agreent.
After saying that, Bai Yi looked Sakuramiya Hitomi up and down with a teasing gaze and said,
"I really couldn't tell that Vice President Sakuramiya was actually so perverted. That thought that just popped into your head—"
"Stop... stop talking."
Sakuramiya Hitomi blushed fiercely. She glanced back at the now-empty corridor behind them before glaring daggers at Bai Yi.
Ye Shiyu also looked at Bai Yi and reminded her,
"It's best if we keep the matter of superpowers strictly between us. Don't ntion it to outsiders."
"...Right, what about An Le?!"
Bai Yi had just scoffed and perfunctorily agreed when she suddenly rembered that An Le had been in the room earlier.
She quickly ran back to the room's doorway, only to find the room completely empty. An Le was nowhere to be seen.
While they had been eavesdropping, An Le had already slipped away.
"...She left."
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi walked back over as well, blinking at the empty room.
Seeing Sakuramiya Hitomi return, Bai Yi complained in exasperation.
"And you too! Why did you agree to let her join the study group earlier? She's definitely going to turn everything completely upside down!"
"...Let's go downstairs and find a place with no one else around to discuss this. It's ti we had a eting anyway."
Sakuramiya Hitomi didn't answer imdiately, suggesting this instead.
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu and Bai Yi exchanged a glance before finally nodding.
"Umm... what are you guys doing?"
In the hotel lobby, Yurianna had just returned from buying a huge pile of rchandise, only to see Yabashi Ki looking dejected with a head full of bumps from being beaten up, while Ashley sat nearby holding a black bag and eating sweets.
Hearing this, Ashley took a bite of her dessert, glanced at Yabashi Ki, and said,
"The President, Yabashi Ki, and a few other boys snuck onto the female dorm floor to deliver matchmaking gifts, and I caught them red-handed."
"Yes, I'm sorry..."
Yabashi Ki admitted his fault helplessly, but as he spoke, he grew indignant.
"But why did you only punish
and not the President? I even gave you the butter cookies I bought to eat, and the President didn't give you anything."
Ashley looked at Yabashi Ki and swallowed the cookie in her mouth.
"The President is already miserable enough. He doesn't need
to punish him."
"...That's actually true."
Yabashi Ki lost his temper and honestly accepted his mistake.
anwhile, Yurianna glanced at Yabashi Ki's cookies in Ashley's arms, then back at Yabashi Ki, her curiosity piqued.
She was always the most interested when it ca to gossip. "Matchmaking gifts... Hey, who was the President planning to give one to?!"
"...I bet the President doesn't even know what a matchmaking gift is. He probably just went up there to give sothing to that boss lady we saw earlier, right?"
Ashley said this, and Yabashi Ki had originally wanted to add sothing. But seeing Yurianna blinking her bright and sparkling eyes at him, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
"Tch, how boring."
Yurianna sat down next to Ashley in boredom, started eating Yabashi Ki's cookies, and looked at him, asking in a flat, reading-off-a-script tone,
"Then what about you, Yabashi? Who were you planning to give a matchmaking gift to?"
"If you have absolutely no interest, then don't ask!!"
Yabashi Ki snapped, but then resignedly explained,
"I wasn't planning on giving anything to anyone. I just went up to accompany the President and the others."
"..."
Yurianna looked at Yabashi Ki with sympathetic eyes, while Ashley bluntly stated,
"I suspect Yabashi is gay."
"You violent woman, stop slandering people, okay?! Do gay guys like lolis?!"
Yurianna also nodded in agreent.
"I also think Yabashi Ki definitely isn't that kind of person."
Ashley narrowed her eyes, chewing on a cookie as she looked at Yabashi Ki.
"Heh. Then what was up with that incredibly gay fan support website you made for the President back then?"
The ntion of that support website unexpectedly jogged Yurianna's mory too.
"Ah, right, right! I've been wanting to call you out on that for ages! Could it be that you're just hiding it really deeply, Yabashi?"
"What support website?"
Yabashi Ki looked completely confused, casually reaching out to grab a cookie to eat.
Hearing this, Ashley paused and quickly took out her phone, planning to look for it.
"It was a... a promotional website for when the President was running for office. It listed all of the President's hobbies and had lots of hand-drawn portraits. I heard it pulled in a ton of votes. You didn't make it?"
Yabashi Ki chuckled, looking at Ashley with an is-your-brain-okay expression.
"If I made sothing like that, don't you think the President would cover his ass every ti he walked next to ?"
Getting this answer, Ashley and Yurianna exchanged glances. Yurianna looked entirely unconvinced.
"Seriously? We've thought you made it all this ti!"
"Hah? How could I not know if I made it? I know programming, but I would never be caught dead making that kind of website! Besides, when the President and I were campaigning, we never even considered doing stuff like that!"
"Then who made it? And who understands the President so well..."
"Like I said, how should I know?!"
"..."
"Wait, haha, you guys head upstairs first. I'm going to go buy sothing..."
At the bottom of a highly private teahouse in Shinsai Bridge.
The trio was just about to head upstairs when Bai Yi suddenly thought of sothing. Laughing awkwardly, she prepared to turn and leave.
But just as she was about to step away, Ye Shiyu grabbed her shoulder and asked calmly,
"What are you going to buy?"
"..."
Bai Yi turned her head, a light sweat forming on her forehead.
"Sanitary pads. I didn't bring enough with ..."
"I have so. I'll lend you."
"Haha, I need to pick them out myself. I might not be used to your brand..."
"Then I'll go buy them with you."
"..."
Stared at by Ye Shiyu's expressionless face for a good while, the sweat on Bai Yi's forehead only multiplied.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she abandoned herself to despair and blurted out,
"Alright, alright! I was planning to secretly buy a matchmaking gift for Yan Huan. Are you satisfied now?!"
"Heh."
Ye Shiyu looked at Bai Yi, whose defense had completely broken as she admitted her goal, and only then released her grip on her shoulder.
Seeing Ye Shiyu let go, Bai Yi muttered softly,
"Well, I told you in advance what I was going to buy anyway, so it doesn't count as a sneak attack."
"..."
True enough. Bai Yi had ntioned back at the hotel that she was going down to buy a gift, but had been suddenly interrupted by the situation with An Le.
Seeing this, Ye Shiyu thought for a mont before turning back to Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"We're going to buy gifts. Are you coming?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi paused, then nodded as well.
"Alright, let's all go buy gifts first. We won't go together. We'll et back here once we're done."
"Sure, contact
on Plane!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Bai Yi fled in a puff of smoke.
Ye Shiyu and Sakuramiya Hitomi exchanged a glance and walked off in opposite directions.
"..."
About a dozen minutes later, the three returned one after another to the entrance of the teahouse, carrying their gifts.
Looking at the shopping bags they each held, Ye Shiyu didn't head upstairs imdiately, but asked with so hesitation,
"What did you guys buy?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi didn't answer, so both of them looked toward Bai Yi.
She had bought a pile of records, including world-renowned collector's editions and her own released albums.
"I bought so classic records. And look, they even have my album in Sakura Country!"
"...You're giving this to Xiao Huan?"
"Well, I don't know if he'll like it or not. But Yan Huan previously said he liked my songs, so..."
"..."
Seeing that Ye Shiyu wasn't replying, Bai Yi asked in return,
"What about you?"
"...I didn't know what to give him, so I just bought so sumr clothes that fit his asurents. Sumr... is coming soon."
Bai Yi felt that her gift was even more unreliable and turned to look at Sakuramiya Hitomi.
After seeing the gifts they bought, Sakuramiya Hitomi didn't know whether she should be happy or complain.
Neither of the things these two bought were items the President would actually like.
"Sakuramiya..."
"Don't look at , the gift I bought isn't anything valuable."
"Huh?"
Seeing that Bai Yi still didn't believe her, Sakuramiya Hitomi had no choice but to open her shopping bag, revealing the various exquisite black cat rchandise inside.
Bai Yi glanced up at Sakuramiya Hitomi, whose expression clearly said she understood without words. She had no idea what deeper aning was behind giving these.
But Ye Shiyu looked at the bag full of black cat rchandise, deep in thought.
anwhile, sowhere in a market in Shinsai Bridge.
An Le, her face slightly pale, was walking back toward the hotel, clutching a shopping bag in her arms.
Inside the bag was a set of black cat-thed computer peripherals.
A keyboard, a mouse, and headphones.
A complete set.
As An Le walked back, clutching her arm, she suddenly caught sight of a mother and baby products store on the side of the street out of the corner of her eye.
"..."
Staring at the beautiful baby clothes and supplies displayed in the window, An Le stopped in her tracks.
After remaining silent for quite a while, she began walking again, stepping inside.
"Spencer, I'm... I'm going to sleep now~"
"Oh?"
Spencer had been watching TV when a small animal-like voice ca from beside her.
She turned her head and saw that pale-faced female classmate of hers already lying in her bedding, looking at her with an awkward smile.
"You're already going to sleep?"
"I... I don't have to sleep..."
Hearing Spencer say this, the female classmate imdiately got up awkwardly, scrambling out of her bedding.
It was as if she was terrified that if she displeased Spencer even slightly, the girl would lash out and beat her up.
"..."
Looking at the pitiful little bird shrinking back into her bedding, Spencer blinked and simply said,
"No, I'm just curious. Do you not turn off the lights when you sleep?"
"Ah... b-but aren't you still watching... TV, Spencer?"
"You said you're going to sleep, so I won't watch it anymore."
Spencer reached out and turned off the TV, then did a kip-up out of bed. She turned off all the lights and headed for the bathroom.
"Then I'll go wash up and lie in bed too."
"Ah, okay... Thank you..."
Watching Spencer's back view as she left, the girl lay back down and nestled into her bedding.
What Spencer didn't see, however, was that the girl's bird-like figure was also starting to blur and twist little by little.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
Right at that mont, while Spencer was washing up, a soft sound ca from the door.
"Huh?"
Spencer glanced at the knocked-on door in confusion, then walked over and opened it directly.
Upon opening it, she found there was absolutely no one outside.
"Weird..."
Filled with confusion, Spencer was just about to close the door.
But when she looked down, she saw a small shopping bag sitting in front of the door.
Confused, she bent down, picked up the bag, and peered inside.
Inside lay a grinning Golden Bomb Pig.
"It's the Bomb Pig!"
Spencer's eyes lit up. She quickly pulled the Golden Bomb Pig out and hugged it tightly in her arms.
"Hey, but who would send
a gift this late?"
Walking back into the room hugging the Golden Bomb Pig, Spencer was still filled with doubt.
"Could it be Santa Claus?"
"..."
It wasn't until she finished washing up and lay down in bed, picking up her phone to ssage Yan Huan for a chat, that a ssage suddenly ca from his end.
"Do you like it, the Golden Bomb Pig?"
Hmm?
In the darkness, Spencer's mouth fell open in surprise. She quickly typed a reply.
"Yan Huan, you were the one who gave it to ?"
"Who else? Santa Claus?"
"That's exactly what I thought earlier!"
"..."
Yan Huan's status changed to "Typing...
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