"Akihabara?"
Hearing this, Spencer blinked, briefly chewing over the na of the location.
But unsurprisingly, knowing nothing about Sakura Country, she could not co up with any clues at all and had to ask,
"What kind of place is that?"
"Uh, anyway, it is a fun place. You will know once you get there."
As for whether it would actually be fun for him, Yan Huan had no idea.
Thinking this, Yan Huan simultaneously had Myau-chan send a ssage to Sakuramiya Hitomi to signal the end of their conversation.
"[Cat Smile]"
"It is a date, then. Rember to rest early, Sakuramiya."
"Okay."
Over on the other side, after receiving Sakuramiya Hitomi's response, Myau-chan let out a deep breath as if granted amnesty and lowered its raised paw pads.
Imdiately after, it lay motionless on the coffee table with its belly and limbs facing upward, its tail flopping to the side.
'I am completely burned out,' it thought.
The sight left Yan Huan with a stiff twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Its exhausted appearance made it look like it had been the MVP hard-carrying the entire match, while Yan Huan was just a freeloader who had been carried to victory.
"Alright! As long as I can go out and play with you, Yan Huan, anything is fine!"
Right in front of him, Spencer simply stopped overthinking it and happily hopped off Yan Huan.
She had already gotten her kiss, and they were going out to play together the day after tomorrow. She was absolutely delighted.
Sitting up on the bed, Yan Huan could not help but smile helplessly at her deanor.
After all, only he knew that they were not just going out to play that day.
However, since he had already decided to do this in exchange for the Crab dicine to save An Le, he could not afford to be indecisive anymore.
He just had to get it done.
"Speaking of which, Spencer, how did you know I was here?"
With those thoughts in mind, Yan Huan changed the subject and asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, Heather told ."
"Heather?"
She was the Person in Charge, appointed by Spencer's mother, holding full authority over Spencer's education.
Spencer was completely honest, spilling everything she knew to Yan Huan.
She had originally gone to the Golden Lion Group's Sakura Country branch to ask for help, and after hearing the news, Heather showed up.
Just as they began their search, Sakuramiya Hitomi sent a ssage saying Yan Huan had returned.
Therefore, they only needed to lock onto Sakuramiya Hitomi's whereabouts to know where Yan Huan was staying for the night.
"I see."
In reality, upon hearing Spencer ntion Heather, Yan Huan's primary concern was whether the existence of the Modifiers might have been leaked.
After all, instantly teleporting soone from Kyoto to Kyushu Island hundreds of kiloters away was indeed a bit difficult to explain.
He himself could pretend to have undergone mory Correction, but the sa could not be said for outsiders.
If there was any chance of a leak, causing other hosts to further use their Modifiers to patch up the ss, the losses would outweigh the gains.
But looking at it now, it seed the other side had no intention of constantly surveilling the Study Group, so naturally, they did not know the details of the itinerary and had no suspicions.
"Right, Yan Huan, there is sothing I wanted to ask you."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Yan Huan snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Spencer in front of him, only to see her blink and ask,
"Why do you always call
Spencer?"
Hearing her bring this up, Yan Huan belatedly realized and slapped his forehead.
Right.
Spencer was her surna, not her given na.
Calling soone by their surna was more polite and formal, but if they were good friends or had a closer relationship, they should use first nas.
Even though Spencer was a bit of a blockhead, she still knew this much.
"I just got used to calling you that from before."
Yan Huan smiled faintly. Just as he offered this explanation, Spencer patted his face with both hands and started rubbing his cheeks.
"You are not allowed to be used to it! Change it right now!"
"Alright, alright."
Yan Huan gently caught her hands, looking into her sky-blue eyes that were glaring at him with a pout.
After a brief mont of silence, he spoke softly,
"Aria."
"Oh!"
Spencer blinked, and in the next second, her face inevitably flushed a little red.
It seed that looking directly into her eyes and softly calling her na was a very intimate gesture, especially for the sensitive Spencer.
However, she was not the type to beco hopelessly overwheld by shyness. In the very next mont, she stood up straight, casually rested her hands on her hips, and laughed.
"That is more like it. Anyway, you are not allowed to call
Spencer anymore!"
But as he listened, Yan Huan felt that sothing was a bit off.
Especially in front of those Modifier Hosts.
Well, seeing how happy she looked, Yan Huan could only let it slide.
Happiness belonged to the present Yan Huan and Spencer; the difficult problems could be left for the future Yan Huan to deal with.
Let the future Yan Huan suffer a bit more, and he would just pin the bla on Myau-chan.
"By the way, where are you sleeping tonight?"
"Oh, I am going back to Sakuramiya Hitomi's apartnt to sleep. My luggage is still over there."
Spencer thought for a mont before answering.
"Alright."
Hearing this, Yan Huan could not help but feel a little disappointed, but he did not try to ask her to stay, simply getting up to see her out.
Do not forget, they were still inside Sakuramiya's Reality Barrier.
Having just passed one hurdle, he could not afford to think everything was perfectly fine and let his guard down.
"I am leaving then, Yan Huan. See you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow."
Yan Huan watched Spencer skip further and further down the corridor. After closing the door behind him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He rubbed his shoulder and lay down on the bed.
One person and one cat—their slumped postures were almost identical, only one was on the bed while the other was on the coffee table.
"The preliminary preparations are finally all done. Next, I need to urgently cram so travel guides for Akihabara and make a proper plan."
Yan Huan rubbed the space between his eyebrows, murmuring to himself.
"ow."
Myau-chan also let out a ow, as if it were thinking the sa thing as Yan Huan.
"Hmm? Wait a second, did I forget sothing?"
While contemplating the next step of his plan, Yan Huan suddenly sat up, pinching his chin in a flurry of self-doubt.
"ow?"
Myau-chan also popped its head up, looking at Yan Huan on the bed.
But as the person and the cat stared at each other for a few seconds, neither could figure out what they had missed.
"Achoo!"
The next day, in the morning.
With disheveled hair, Bai Yi sneezed, brushing her teeth in front of the restroom mirror with a lifeless expression.
Her freshly washed face was still adorned with fine, undried water droplets. Free of makeup and with slightly ssy hair, her face still looked like a lotus rising from the water, possessing an indescribable beauty.
"Ah, why do I feel so tired... It is all Ye Shiyu's fault!"
Over the past few days when Yan Huan and An Le had gone missing, Ye Shiyu had locked herself in her room, refusing to eat or drink.
Sakuramiya Hitomi and Spencer had used their respective thods to search for them, while Bai Yi, unable to help with anything, could only keep an eye on Ye Shiyu.
Who knew that the first thing that girl would do upon coming out was run off by herself without even offering a word of thanks.
"Hmph, ungrateful wretch!"
Bai Yi spat out her mouthwash, exhaled a breath, and looked at the skincare and makeup tools off to the side.
Pre-makeup skincare, sunscreen and prir, concealer, setting powder, eye makeup, contouring...
Pouting slightly, she moved with practiced familiarity to apply a full makeup look.
Normally, light makeup was more than enough, but today Yan Huan was returning. The fact that Bai Yi woke up early to apply full makeup clearly showed how much importance she attached to this.
It must be known that applying full makeup required many steps and a lot of energy; it was exceedingly, incredibly troubleso.
Full makeup, daily contact lenses, false eyelashes, and a beautiful dress—this combination was essentially the ultimate, wholehearted luxury loadout for a girl.
She had to care about you deeply to dress up like this, though unfortunately, not everyone could appreciate such good intentions.
"Pop."
'I will apply the lip gloss after breakfast,' she thought.
With that thought, Bai Yi pursed her lips and made a popping sound in front of the mirror, admiring her own beauty for quite a while before turning and leaving her room's en-suite bathroom.
Walking out of her room and into the living room, sounds coming from the open kitchen made Bai Yi subconsciously glance over.
She saw Sakuramiya Hitomi wearing an apron, her long hair tied behind her head, humming a song while cooking breakfast.
"Hmm hmm hmm."
Frying an egg, she turned to look at Bai Yi and offered a beautiful smile.
"You are up? Breakfast will be ready in a mont."
"..."
Hearing Sakuramiya Hitomi's words, Bai Yi's expression shifted into confusion.
'Hiss...'
'Is she in a really good mood today?'
'Why does she look so radiant and spring-like?'
"Ah..."
Puzzled, Bai Yi stiffly asked,
"Has Yan Huan not returned yet?"
At the ntion of "Yan Huan," the corners of Sakuramiya Hitomi's mouth rose a little higher, and even her voice beca noticeably lighter.
"The President is staying at the hotel across the street. He said he will co over at noon, so let's eat breakfast first."
"I see."
Looking at Sakuramiya Hitomi's back view, Bai Yi felt more and more that sothing was wrong with her today.
'Has spring arrived for her?'
"Click."
Right at that mont, another room's door opened.
Bai Yi looked up and saw that it was Ye Shiyu, who had changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Although she was still expressionless, compared to her previous deathly stillness, there was finally a gleam of light in her eyes.
"Ye Shiyu? You are back?"
"Yes."
Ye Shiyu nodded, set down the bag she was carrying, and asked,
"Where is Xiao Huan?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi explained the situation once more.
The atmosphere was incredibly amicable and completely harmonious.
'This is actually highly abnormal, okay?!'
"By the way, Bai Yi."
"Ah?"
Saying this, Ye Shiyu looked toward the sowhat dazed Bai Yi.
"Thank you for taking care of
earlier."
"..."
She had initially thought Ye Shiyu was an ungrateful wretch and had even complained about her because of it.
But now, for so unknown reason, hearing Ye Shiyu's gratitude did not make her feel happy in the slightest.
Instead, it felt wrong!
Ninety percent wrong!
'And it is not just one person acting strange, both of them are acting strange!!'
'What is going on?'
'Have they been possessed?'
'I just went to sleep yesterday, how co it feels like I am completely out of the loop today?'
Bai Yi swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her heart growing increasingly tense.
"I got so much sleep! That felt great!!"
From another room behind her, Spencer also walked out carefree, stretching lazily.
Bai Yi turned around blankly, watching her place her hands on her hips while fetching water from the water dispenser, casually tossing out a greeting,
"Good morning!"
"..."
Seeing this scene, Bai Yi began to sweat.
Three people...
All three of them...
Radiating an aura of being in a ridiculously good mood!!
"Alright, breakfast is ready. Ye Shiyu, you probably haven't eaten either, right? Have a seat and join us." "Yes, okay."
Sakuramiya Hitomi dutifully brought over the breakfast, while Ye Shiyu and Spencer both nodded and walked over.
Only Bai Yi stood frozen in place.
However, Bai Yi had not actually seen through all of their emotions.
It was true that Sakuramiya Hitomi and Ye Shiyu were in good moods, but hidden beneath that joy was a deep sense of arrogance and disdain!!
Oh, with the exception of Spencer. She was genuinely just blissfully happy.
After all, she had gotten her kiss last night and was going out to play with Yan Huan tomorrow.
With her single-track mind, she only cared about being happy.
As for Sakuramiya Hitomi and Ye Shiyu...
"Breakfast is a bit simple. If there is not enough bread, I can toast more in the toaster."
Sakuramiya Hitomi appeared virtuous, but in reality, her gaze did not even regard the others as worthy of attention.
Because tomorrow, she and the President were going on a private date.
Poor everyone else, completely ignorant and still wallowing in a sea of bitterness.
Especially Bai Yi...
'She specifically went through all the trouble of applying full makeup this morning, right?'
'How pitiful, putting in such futile effort. Hehe.'
"..."
Bai Yi blankly took in Sakuramiya Hitomi's beautiful, blooming smile, goosebumps nearly breaking out all over her body.
'Sakuramiya...'
'Why are you smiling at
so ominously?'
"Eat up, Bai Yi."
"..."
Bai Yi swallowed a mouthful of saliva, looking down at the Western-style breakfast on the table, half suspecting that Sakuramiya Hitomi was trying to poison them all to death.
"I am digging in."
However, beside her, Ye Shiyu showed no suspicion whatsoever. She simply lowered her head, picking up a piece of bread and the premium jam on the side.
Only, beneath her expressionless face, the gaze she cast toward the apron-wearing Sakuramiya Hitomi was equally inhuman!!
'An apron, huh?'
'What a fitting outfit for you, Sakuramiya Hitomi.'
'But considering your cooking skills are not bad, perhaps when Xiao Huan and I start our new family, we can employ you as a nanny?'
'When the ti cos and Xiao Huan and I go out on dates, you can just be a good girl and stay at ho to clean for us.'
'Just like tomorrow.'
"Chomp!"
Thinking this, Ye Shiyu took a bite of the bread as though she were tearing into the flesh of the other losers.
"Sho good!"
Only Spencer was genuinely just happy and thought Sakuramiya Hitomi's breakfast was delicious.
She did not sense the bizarre atmosphere at the dining table in the slightest.
But Bai Yi could not hold back anymore.
Gripping her bread, she finally could not help but ask,
"Did sothing happen yesterday that you guys aren't telling ?"
"..."
As soon as these words ca out, a montary silence fell over the table.
Then, Ye Shiyu and Sakuramiya Hitomi answered almost in unison,
"Hehe, of course not, Bai Yi..."
"No."
'You guys are acting extrely weird, you know that?!'
Refusing to give up, Bai Yi questioned closely,
"Really?"
However, Sakuramiya Hitomi and Ye Shiyu's replies were equally simultaneous.
"Of course it is true."
"Yes."
"..."
Bai Yi felt even more certain that these two were hiding sothing, but she had no idea what it was.
And that feeling of knowing there was a secret but not knowing what it was left Bai Yi itching with frustration.
Having no other choice, she turned to look at Spencer beside her.
'Spencer, you are an honest person. I trust you won't lie to , right?!'
"Spencer, what about you?"
"Huh?"
Eating her bread with relish, a bit of jam even sared on the corner of her mouth, Spencer glanced at her.
"Mmm..."
Then, she actually began to ponder, as if the answer was right on the tip of her tongue.
'What kind of reaction is that?!'
At this mont, not only was Bai Yi filled with anticipation, but even Sakuramiya Hitomi and Ye Shiyu could not help but have their attention drawn to her.
Yet in the very next second, she imdiately smiled, took another bite of bread, and declared,
"I am not telling you!"
"..."
The atmosphere at the dining table returned to harmony and tranquility, as bright as a sunny day.
No one spoke, yet it seed as if everyone had a bright future ahead.
Only Bai Yi nearly choked up blood from the sheer frustration.
'Am I not human? Am I even human?!'
'Damn it, what exactly are you all keeping from !!!'
"An Le."
anwhile, at the hotel opposite the apartnt, in the restaurant serving breakfast, Yan Huan and An Le each carried a tray and took a seat.
At their table, An Le had just picked up her chopsticks when Yan Huan, who had not made a move to eat, suddenly spoke, drawing her attention.
"What is it, Xiao Huan?"
Yan Huan looked up at her, pausing for a second before asking,
"It is nothing, I just wanted to ask about your plans from here on out."
"Hmm."
An Le thought for a mont, but the interface for Tentacle Purgatory inevitably flashed through her mind.
After this, she would probably find a chance to activate it, purge the superpowers of the other Hosts, and finally voluntarily give up Little Finger.
Originally, she had planned to fulfill that promise with Xiao Huan before...
But now, Xiao Huan had already forgotten.
And she did not want to use her Ability to do that kind of thing again.
Perhaps Aoi Ka and Kazuya were right...
Even if they did that kind of thing, they still would not be a real married couple.
'If that is the case...'
'Then so be it.'
Thinking this, An Le offered a faint, relieved smile, and then replied,
"I do not really want to stay in the Study Group anymore. I will probably go back and rge with the main group later to continue the School Trip."
In truth, An Le had absolutely no intention of joining the main group. She simply wanted to hide her plans from Yan Huan and go scout out Tokyo first.
She needed to find a suitable location to activate Tentacle Purgatory.
"..."
However, Yan Huan almost instantly realized that she was lying.
Yan Huan lowered his eyes, and in the next second, he gritted his teeth and said,
"...The day after tomorrow, An Le."
"The day after tomorrow?"
"Yes. I will co find you the day after tomorrow. Before then, I have so... things regarding the Study Group to wrap up."
Yan Huan raised his gaze, looking directly into An Le's eyes, and emphasized every word,
"Before then, do not do anything, alright?"
"Do not... do anything?"
An Le was confused, but Yan Huan revealed a handso smile and said,
"Right, since I will be coming to find you the day after tomorrow. We can go out and play together then. If you go out and play early on your own, it won't be any fun, will it?"
"I... I see."
An Le had thought Yan Huan knew what she was about to do and had grown a bit nervous because of it.
She hadn't expected it was because...
'Wait, wait, wait?'
"Hold on, Xiao Huan, are you going out to play with
the day after tomorrow?"
The next mont, An Le wore a look of utter surprise.
"Yes."
Yan Huan nodded, solidifying the promise.
He would get the Crab dicine in Akihabara tomorrow, and then he could go find An Le the day after.
'Just one day.'
'Just wait for
for one day!'
'During this ti, you absolutely cannot do anything...'
"Can you promise , An Le?"
"O-Of course!"
An Le nodded happily, though she scratched her cheek with a touch of shyness.
"But if I am not supposed to do anything, should I just stay in the hotel all day tomorrow?"
"It is not like you cannot do anything at all, that would be too pitiful. Hmm... how about you think about where we should go the day after tomorrow?"
'Just, whatever you do, do not go making trouble for the other Hosts.'
"Mhm, okay, I promise you, Xiao Huan."
Seeing Yan Huan's sincere gaze, An Le pursed her lips and agreed with a smile.
For so reason, after hearing Yan Huan's invitation, the heavy feeling in her heart unconsciously faded a little.
'Then...'
'I will go out with Xiao Huan the day after tomorrow, and then I will do that thing.'
An Le thought to herself.
Seeing her agree, Yan Huan finally breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his chopsticks.
And so, their breakfast was quickly finished.
After eating, Yan Huan and An Le temporarily parted ways at the hotel entrance.
Yan Huan needed to head back to the apartnt. After all, the real battle was tomorrow; today he still needed to verify if anything had been exposed and make safety preparations.
Furthermore, he only rembered right when he woke up this morning:
Last night, he had forgotten to invite Bai Yi to go to Akihabara tomorrow.
In short, he had to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to tomorrow's desperate race against ti.
"I will be going then, An Le."
"Okay, Xiao Huan. Goodbye."
"I will see you the day after tomorrow."
"See you the day after tomorrow!"
An Le waved her hand, standing obediently in place as she watched Yan Huan leave, a smile curving the corners of her mouth.
Only when he was completely out of sight did she retract her gaze, feeling a twinge of confusion.
"Then what should I do today and tomorrow?"
Just as An Le was wondering this, her Mobile Phone suddenly rang.
"Ding."
'Is it Mom and Dad?'
An Le picked up her phone curiously, only to find a ssage on plane.
Teacher Miyake Fufu: "Hello, little An Le. You guys should be in Sakura Country right now, correct?"
Peace and Joy: "Yes, we are! What is it, Teacher Miyake?"
"Ah, rember during the biology class I invited you to an event? I wanted to ask if you have ti tomorrow?"
'Tomorrow...'
Originally, An Le had planned to go reconnoiter the location first, but for so reason, the mont she thought of Yan Huan's invitation, she changed her mind.
'Forget it. I will just leave all that stuff for after the day after tomorrow.'
'Since I am free, I might as well go to the event with Teacher Miyake tomorrow.'
"I do, Teacher Miyake!"
"That is wonderful! There are so many artists from Sakura Country here, it will definitely open your eyes! Plus, there is a ton of rchandise that perfectly suits your tastes!"
"Mhm."
An Le was socially anxious and not very interested in the forr, but the latter caught her interest quite a bit.
So, she continued typing and asked,
"Then I will co over tomorrow. Where should I et up with you, Teacher Miyake?"
"Where are you staying in Tokyo? How about I co pick you up tomorrow?"
"No need, no need, I will just take the subway there myself!"
An Le would always subconsciously refuse anything that might inconvenience others.
"Alright then."
On the other side, Miyake Fufu understood An Le's disposition very well, so she did not force the issue and simply replied,
"Our event tomorrow is in Akihabara. You can just co over around noon. When you arrive, I will pick you up at the station, and we can all have lunch together!"
Reading the text Miyake Fufu sent, An Le pursed her lips and revealed a faint smile.
"Okay!"
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