"Co here, brother. Let
wipe your face and clothes."
"I don't need it!"
Outside Dongda Temple, there was a quaint, semi-open teahouse facing the street.
Inside, Sakuramiya Hitomi helplessly set down the wet wipes.
She raised her eyes to look at the person in front of her. Her older brother had his arms crossed, struggling to maintain a smug, arrogant expression on his slightly swollen, handso face. She honestly did not know what to say anymore.
Across the wooden table, Yan Huan was the exact opposite. He wore a broad smile, though it carried a touch of genuine apology.
"Ouch, Kagami-nii, this is all just a big misunderstanding. You charged over way too fast, I didn't realize it was you! I thought so madman was trying to attack
and my classmates. My hand just slipped. It was pure reflex," he explained.
"Who is your Kagami-nii?! I haven't even settled the score with you for abducting Hitomi right in front of us in the middle of the night back in Linn! You pretty boy!"
"...Right, you massive siscon. Those who know the truth understand that Sakuramiya is your younger sister, but those who don't might think she's a piece of your family's property!"
Hearing the other party's downright rude title for him, blue veins bulged on Yan Huan's forehead. He shot back with a forced smile,
"Get your facts straight. If she hadn't agreed to leave with us, then that would have been an abduction. It doesn't beco an abduction just because you didn't agree."
"The Sakuramiya family precept dictates it. Unmarried girls are simply not allowed to leave their boudoirs at night. Is it any place for an outsider like you to make irresponsible remarks?"
"What, does your family own Linn? Am I supposed to follow your family precepts too? Who do you think you are?"
"Screw you! Before my sister went to Linn, she was such a well-behaved, obedient, and perfect lady! You're the one who corrupted her!"
Hearing Yan Huan's retort, Sakuramiya Kagami's eyes turned red. He pointed straight at Yan Huan and cursed,
"Not only did she learn to run away from ho in the dead of night and go out alone with a boy! She even started replying to her brother overseas with half-hearted, sporadic ssages...
"Yan Huan, it's all your fault! Give
back the well-behaved, adorable younger sister who used to chase after
calling
'Onii-chan' before she went to Linn!!"
The entire teahouse fell utterly silent for a mont. Across the table, Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi beside him stared blankly at the exasperated Sakuramiya Kagami...
Imdiately after, both of them simultaneously revealed expressions of pure disgust.
"Brother, you are so gross..."
"Don't tacitly share the exact sa expression as this pretty boy without even speaking, and especially don't say sothing like that to your Onii-chan!!!"
Seeing his sister make such a face, Sakuramiya Kagami covered his chest, deeply distressed.
Clearly, this heavy blow inflicted far more agony than the slap Yan Huan had given him.
Looking at her older brother's pitiful state, Sakuramiya Hitomi helplessly rubbed the space between her eyebrows and explained,
"That's why I've told you so many tis, brother! I left with the president voluntarily! Besides, I didn't go with just the president alone; there were other mbers of the Student Council there too!"
"Bullshit! Do you think I couldn't tell you only went for his sake?!"
"I... you... you guys are seriously unbelievable!"
Hearing her brother say this, Sakuramiya Hitomi felt a mixture of sha and annoyance. Her brain felt like it was going to explode.
As she withdrew slightly from the battlefield, the tense standoff between the cherry-haired young man and the black-haired boy on opposite sides of the wooden table beca increasingly uncontrollable. It looked as though they were about to violently leap up and viciously slap each other across the face.
Just as Sakuramiya Hitomi had emphasized many tis before, Yan Huan and her older brother truly did not get along.
Starting from the day they first t at her birthday party, and especially after leaving ho that night to watch the fireworks, a deep grudge had ford between Yan Huan and her stubborn brother.
'The whole process is too complicated to explain. Anyway, it's enough to just know that Sakuramiya Hitomi didn't sneak away secretly.'
Otherwise, Sakuramiya Kagami wouldn't have used such a severe phrase as 'abducted right in front of us'.
anwhile, outside the teahouse, the three bystanders—Ye Shiyu, Bai Yi, and Spencer—were not idle either.
Each of them held a Mikasayaki bought from the teahouse, simultaneously poking their heads out to secretly peek at the situation inside.
The scene was actually quite comical.
While listening, Bai Yi, who understood a bit of the inside story, couldn't help but bite into her Mikasayaki with a tinge of resentnt.
Watching the flushed Sakuramiya Hitomi inside, she grumbled sourly,
"Oh, it seems she still has a lot of stories with Yan Huan that she hasn't told us. Getting abducted to watch fireworks together, how sweet~"
"..."
Ye Shiyu didn't say a word, but her mood could be easily gleaned from the untouched Mikasayaki in her hand.
"But didn't Sakuramiya say her brother was super tough? How did he get knocked down by a single slap from Yan Huan... I think he's just a damn siscon blowing things out of proportion."
Bai Yi scoffed, curling her lips. Even though she was eating a sweet Mikasayaki, it felt like she was chewing on lemons.
However, she glanced at Spencer beside her, who was just blinking her clear blue eyes and happily munching away. Bai Yi couldn't help but ask in confusion,
"It's really strange. Seeing how close Sakuramiya and Yan Huan used to be, how co you have no reaction at all?"
"Aw?"
Hearing this, Spencer turned her head and replied dismissively,
"I already know that Sakuramiya Hitomi and Yan Huan used to have a great relationship, aw."
After all, right from the beginning, her goal had been to snatch Yan Huan away from Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Up until this mont, for so reason, the more she learned about how close Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi used to be, the more joy and excitent Spencer felt.
Even though her clumsy brain couldn't figure out exactly where that joy and excitent were coming from.
"Hah, then why are you..."
"Exactly! Their relationship was so good before, and Sakuramiya Hitomi still managed to do such a bad thing and completely ss everything up. What do I have to worry about, aw?"
"..."
Don't say it, but she was completely right!
Looking at Spencer innocently spouting such profound words, Bai Yi suddenly felt that she possessed a great wisdom seemingly foolish.
She had forgotten that with Sakuramiya Hitomi's situation crashing down like this, even if the Spencer in front of them wasn't the chief culprit, she was at least the catalyst.
Furthermore, Sakuramiya Hitomi had held such a massive lead before...
Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi, one the president and the other the vice president. Not only did they enjoy daily companionship, but on Sakuramiya Hitomi's birthday, Yan Huan even dared to take her away to watch the fireworks right in front of her older brother. It was both deeply romantic and a bold act of declaring sovereignty.
Even with all that, Sakuramiya Hitomi still hadn't won, and had even been reduced to competing on the sa stage with their group of 'latecors'. So what did she really have to worry about?
"..."
Ye Shiyu and Bai Yi, who had grown sowhat frustrated while listening, were actually so enlightened by Spencer's unintentional remark that they suddenly felt their horizons broaden. In that instant, they relaxed and went back to happily gossiping...
They even gossiped with a hint of schadenfreude.
'It doesn't matter,' they thought. 'Even if Sakuramiya Hitomi is given an opportunity, she's useless at taking it.'
"Um... the tea is here..."
Right at that mont, behind them, An Le, who had gone to order tea, returned leading a staff mber carrying hot tea.
Following that, she obediently knelt down beside Yan Huan, looking at Sakuramiya Kagami with an expression that was completely harmless to humans and animals.
Sakuramiya Kagami glanced at An Le—this perfectly ordinary country bumpkin girl who had nothing going for her besides her large chest—and dismissively shifted his gaze away, continuing his tit for tat confrontation with Yan Huan.
Little did he know, everyone else besides him and Yan Huan couldn't help but break into a cold sweat watching that 'Demon King' walk in.
The trio of Sakuramiya, Ye, and Bai were extrely vigilant, while Spencer looked at An Le's side profile with complex eyes, recalling what the others had told her earlier.
'An Le is also going to join the Study Group...'
Earlier, they had told her that An Le was extrely dangerous and invited her to join forces against An Le.
Spencer's 'piggy senses' also warned her that An Le was extrely dangerous right now.
But deep down, she still considered An Le a friend and felt guilty towards her.
She didn't want to sche against An Le, but her clumsy brain couldn't think of a way to reconcile things. Now, she was just stuck awkwardly in the middle, temporarily sticking with Sakuramiya, Ye, and Bai to ensure mutual safety.
Yan Huan, who genuinely found Sakuramiya Kagami to be an eyesore, was too lazy to keep bickering with him and asked straightforwardly,
"Alright, enough nonsense. Let
just ask you one thing: did you try to kick
just now solely because of what happened on Sakuramiya's birthday?"
"So what if I did?"
"Then you deserved that slap."
"Your mom!"
Yan Huan felt that among Sakuramiya Hitomi's three brothers, Sakuramiya Kagami had the most explosive temper.
This was actually a complint. It ant that his actions were straightforward; he liked to resolve problems directly, and he would deal with the matter at hand without needlessly dragging in unrelated issues.
Because of this, Yan Huan didn't bother hiding his emotions around him. If they had to argue, they argued. Once the problem was solved, it wouldn't be a big deal anyway.
As for Sakuramiya's other two brothers...
Yan Huan could only say that each one was more cunning than the last.
Seeing the mocking smile still plastered on Yan Huan's face, Sakuramiya Kagami grew increasingly indignant and gritted his teeth.
"You can still laugh?! This is all your fucking fault! Do you know that this morning, Grandfather already declared that Hitomi is no longer allowed to stay in Linn!!"
As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the entire teahouse instantly changed.
Yan Huan furrowed his brows, An Le glanced at Sakuramiya Hitomi, and the others looked at each other in dismay.
Sakuramiya Hitomi herself widened her eyes, her face instantly draining of color.
Because she understood...
What it ant for her Grandfather, the Family Head and decision-maker of the entire Sakuramiya family, to say such a thing.
The next second, panicked and helpless, she gripped the edge of the table and anxiously asked,
"Brother, are you serious?! Did Grandfather really..."
Looking at Sakuramiya Hitomi's pale little face, Sakuramiya Kagami couldn't bear it, but he still nodded.
"Yeah, I'm serious. Grandfather really said that."
"...H-how could that be? For sothing this huge, why didn't Mama tell ?"
"Mama went back to Father's place last night. When I left the Main Residence this morning, she hadn't returned yet, so how could she have known about it?"
Sakuramiya Kagami sighed. He raised his eyes to glare at Yan Huan and sneered coldly,
"The Eldest Miss of the Sakuramiya family acting as a vice president to assist an Outer Court Student at Far Moon Academy, only to be abducted by that very Outer Court Student on the night of her birthday party, not returning ho at night... With such flagrant violations of the family precept, do you really think Grandfather would let her stay in Linn?"
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi's face turned deathly pale. Just as she was about to speak, Yan Huan narrowed his eyes and interjected,
"These things are hard to hide. I refuse to believe that Sakuramiya's Grandfather, as the Family Head, was unaware of them from the very beginning.
"He tacitly approved of it back then, yet now he has changed his mind. Assuming he hasn't gone senile, is it safe for
to assu...
"Either sothing has happened internally within your family, or soone said sothing to him that made him change his mind."
Hearing Yan Huan's deduction, Sakuramiya Kagami's expression inadvertently shifted.
Yan Huan stared straight at Sakuramiya Kagami and continued,
"If there were changes within the family, Aunt Sakuramiya wouldn't still be in the dark about it. Therefore, it can only be the latter.
"Sakuramiya Kagami, you might as well speak clearly. Don't use such a serious matter to crush
over our personal feud. Right now, we need to solve the problem...
"I know that whether it's you brothers or your uncle and aunt, all of you want her to stay in Linn, right?"
After hearing Yan Huan's words, not only was Sakuramiya Kagami stunned, but even Sakuramiya Hitomi turned her head to look at him in astonishnt.
"..."
eting Yan Huan's unwavering gaze, Sakuramiya Kagami remained silent for a long ti before finally closing his eyes in resignation.
"The Student Council President of Shuurei Academy. Do you know her?"
"...I've heard of her, but we haven't t."
"Luciana Adams, the designated successor of an incredibly powerful family from Ying Country." "How powerful?"
At that, Sakuramiya Kagami glanced at Spencer nearby and replied flatly,
"On par with her family, I'd assu, just in a different domain."
"...And then?"
"Yesterday, she ca to our house as a guest. She was originally only supposed to pay her respects and leave, but for so reason, she ended up staying."
Sakuramiya Kagami sighed and spoke earnestly,
"We weren't allowed inside during their private eting. I have no idea what she said to Grandfather that made him change his mind and demand Hitomi leave Linn.
"However, you are right. Since Hitomi was able to go to Linn in the first place, Grandfather had tacitly approved of all of this.
"Now that Grandfather has changed his mind, perhaps it's because there's sothing to be gained by bringing Hitomi back. Or maybe Luciana proposed so kind of deal to Grandfather on behalf of her family?
"I really don't know..."
After listening, Yan Huan frowned, pondering the critical points of the situation. However, based on the current information, he couldn't figure it out at all.
After all, as a kid from the South Ward far away in Linn, how could he possibly understand the intricate networks between these elite families?
'They aren't trying to pull so cliché arranged marriage stunt, are they?'
But the mont she heard the na 'Luciana', Sakuramiya Hitomi's pale face instantly contorted into an 'I knew it' expression.
She gritted her teeth, the figure of that silver-haired girl echoing in her mind. Amidst her anger, a deep trembling began to take hold of her.
"That... lunatic! She's coming for . There probably isn't any deal at all! She's just... a lunatic who brings suffering to others even when she has no motive whatsoever!"
Seeing Sakuramiya Hitomi get so enraged at the ntion of Luciana that she was slurring her words, Sakuramiya Kagami thought for a mont before shaking his head.
"Calm down, Hitomi... but I have this feeling that she isn't doing this because of you."
"N-not because of ?"
"Yeah."
Sakuramiya Kagami nodded, recalling the scene when he first t her.
"Yesterday, it seed like she was planning to just et Grandfather once and leave, but... right around that ti, I had just returned from Tokyo and was telling Brother Ran that Yan Huan had arrived...
"When she heard Yan Huan's na, she suddenly beca interested. She not only chatted with Grandfather for a long ti that day, but she even decided to stay over and hasn't left since."
In other words...
It was because of Yan Huan?
As soon as this was said, everyone present turned to look at Yan Huan.
Even Bai Yi, who was gossiping outside, couldn't hold back anymore. She leaned her entire body in and asked,
"W-wait a second, Sakuramiya's brother. That Student Council President of Shuurei Academy you ntioned... are they a guy or a girl?"
"...Can't you tell from the na? A girl!!"
"..."
'There's another master player?'
Feeling the terrifying gazes of several hosts sweep over him, they seed to suspect that there was so sort of ambiguous, unspeakable relationship between Yan Huan and that president.
Sweat beaded on Yan Huan's forehead, and his smile beca increasingly difficult to maintain.
"I don't know her! I haven't even t her once."
Seeing Yan Huan's helpless expression, Sakuramiya Kagami paused for a second before finally stepping in to help explain,
"Yeah, besides, she already has a boyfriend. A little boy nad Jinno Kiku, who acts as the vice president assisting her."
"Vice president?"
Yan Huan muttered this out loud. Hearing this, Sakuramiya Kagami seed to have a stress response as he hastily shouted at Yan Huan,
"What about the vice president?! Just because she is dating her vice president doesn't an you get to date yours! You are not allowed to date my younger sister! Do you hear ?!"
"..."
Yan Huan was rendered speechless. Beside him, Bai Yi and Ye Shiyu nodded silently in agreent.
Fortunately, Yan Huan was a serious person and didn't have the ti to entertain this siscon's nonsense.
"So, the crux of the matter is what that president of Shuurei Academy actually said to your Grandfather... Do you have any clues?"
"None. We have no idea what they discussed, and Grandfather won't allow us to ask."
"Would it work if Aunt Sakuramiya went to ask?"
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi spoke up,
"It's useless, President. There might only be a slight chance if Father goes to ask."
"But Father is very busy lately; he won't be returning to the Main Residence."
"..."
'Great, looking at your family, as long as your Grandfather's golden mouth remains sealed, not a single word leaks out.'
Yan Huan thought for a mont, drank it all in one gulp, and stood up.
"A conversation implies at least two people are talking. Aside from your Grandfather, isn't there another person who knows?"
"..."
Sakuramiya Kagami froze, knowing that Yan Huan was talking about 'Luciana'.
But seeing him stand up and prepare to leave, he couldn't help but ask,
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to go find a friend to discuss sothing, and then I'll look for the accompanying teacher for the School Trip. You guys wait here a bit. I'll be back as soon as I sort this out... Wasn't our Study Group supposed to visit your house as guests anyway? We might as well just drop by a bit early."
Walking to the door and putting on his shoes, Yan Huan pulled out his mobile phone. He opened his chat with Tong Yingying and casually added,
"Also, you said that Luciana didn't leave even after finishing her talk with your Grandfather?"
"Uh-huh."
Hearing that, Yan Huan turned back to look at Sakuramiya Kagami and asked rhetorically,
"Don't you think it seems exactly like she's waiting for us to co knocking on her door?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Sakuramiya Kagami inadvertently blanked out.
But by now, Yan Huan had already finished putting on his shoes and was heading towards the distant parking lot where they had gotten out of the car, leaving a room full of people looking at each other in dismay.
Sakuramiya Kagami watched Yan Huan's retreating back and let out a soft snort.
He turned his head back towards his sister. Just as he was about to say sothing, he saw her lower her head in disappointnt and let out a sigh.
Seeing his sister like this, Sakuramiya Kagami's heart ached for her, so he tried to comfort her,
"Don't be afraid... if worst cos to worst, we'll go find Father. With Father and us helping you, there's no way we'll let them force you to co back."
Sakuramiya Hitomi raised her eyes, offering a faint smile as she shook her head,
"Yeah, I know. I will work hard too. But, I just feel a bit of regret..."
"Regret over what?"
"We originally agreed that we'd go to Kobe to see the ocean before coming ho. Now... we can't see it anymore."
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Kagami was utterly confused, rambling on with things like "Doesn't Linn have an ocean too?" and "You can always see it next ti."
Only An Le, who had been quietly listening while pretending to be invisible, shot Sakuramiya Hitomi a glance upon hearing this.
Staring at the despondent regret radiating from Sakuramiya Hitomi, An Le opened her mouth slightly, her gaze lingering on her for a long ti.
Kyoto, Ukyo Ward, Sagano Arashiyama.
Sakuramiya Residence, Main Residence.
In a corner of the massive estate, a silver-haired girl with striking, sharp features dressed in a kimono sat upon the eaves of a building.
Her posture was casual, completely lacking the gentleness and refinent of a Yamato Nadeshiko lady. Instead, she sat with a reckless abandon, acting as if this was her own ho rather than the Sakuramiya family's.
"Whoosh~"
From the distant, verdant, winding mountain ranges, a fierce gale carried a ssage.
Facing the howling wind, the silver hair at the girl's temples trembled like wind chis, alerting her to the incoming news.
The loose kimono was blown tightly against her curvaceous figure by the wind, yet the girl herself remained motionless.
"It truly feels like a storm is coming..."
As the girl watched the raging winds sweeping across the mountains and plains, a sinister smile slowly crept up the corners of her mouth.
"President! President! Where are you?!"
It wasn't until the next second, when the crisp, clear call of a little boy echoed faintly from the wooden corridor beneath the eaves, that the smile on her face began to fade.
Gripping the tiles of the eaves, she slid downward bit by bit in her white socks.
Imdiately after, looking down from above with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she observed the black-haired boy looking left and right, calling out for her.
Then, she fished a perfectly wrapped little balloon out of her pocket and gently tossed it at the back of his head.
"Smack~"
"Ouch!"
A direct hit.
The boy rubbed his head in confusion, wondering what had hit him, and looked down to check.
One look was enough to leave him with a slightly flushed face. He quickly turned his head back, glaring up at the girl above who was now bursting into laughter.
"Hahahaha, you idiot! When normal people get hit, they subconsciously turn their heads to see who threw it. Only you would look down to see what hit you, hahaha!"
"President!!"
Seeing Luciana still teasing him, Shenye Ju grew increasingly annoyed.
Luciana didn't laugh for too long. Soon, she just rested her cheek in her hand and asked with a grin,
"So, what did you need
for?"
"Oh, right! The Eldest Young Master of the Sakuramiya family wanted
to pass a ssage to you, President. He said..."
Shenye Ju shyly picked up the wrapped little balloon, terrified that soone else might see it.
At the sa ti, he looked up at Luciana and said happily,
"He said that tonight, the Student Council President of Far Moon Academy, Yan Huan, will be bringing the Study Group, including Sakuramiya Hitomi and Aria Spencer, here as guests!"
"Oh? Is that so? They're finally coming..."
Hearing this, Luciana finally leaped down with a graceful bound, landing lightly on the grass beside the wooden corridor.
Right after, she turned back and beckoned with her finger towards Shenye Ju, signaling him to return the item to her,
"Because later on, there's going to be a lot of fun to watch around here."
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