"Sakuramiya Hitomi's Modifier, oh, you're talking about the Middle Finger?"
Hearing Yan Huan's sudden inquiry, Little Finger boredly stretched out its tail and pushed the chubby kitty away.
Flicking its tongue, it sized up the muscular young man lying on his stomach on the bed, and couldn't help but chuckle.
"What, did she squeeze you dry using her Barrier today? Heh, a multiplayer session feels pretty good, right? No wonder you didn't imdiately get intimately tangled with An Le after coming back today. Turns out you were out sneaking a full al?"
"!!"
Hearing this, An Le imdiately looked worriedly at the exhausted Yan Huan in front of her, as if terrified that since he had sneaked food outside, she wouldn't get to eat tonight.
But given her naturally shy disposition, how could she bring herself to ask? She could only purse her lips and quietly move her hand downward, seemingly wanting to confirm sothing...
Feeling the small hand on his back dishonestly shifting lower, Yan Huan's face darkened. He glanced back at An Le, but his words were directed at Little Finger.
"Stop making slanderous accusations. I think you have a death wish."
Then, looking thoughtful, he said to An Le,
"I just feel that Sakuramiya was a bit weird today. Not only did her health suddenly improve, but she also... felt like she used to."
Before the scandal of her Modifier was revealed, the Sakuramiya in Yan Huan's heart was elegant, gentle, beautiful, and cute...
It was precisely that kind of Sakuramiya who had made Yan Huan fall for her.
Today, Yan Huan faintly had that feeling again, though he didn't say it out loud just now.
eting Yan Huan's explanation and gaze, An Le withdrew her reaching hand and said with a slight blush,
"So that's how it is... Speaking of which, Vice President Sakuramiya also said so strange things to
at noon today."
She had originally planned to tell Yan Huan about her conversation with Sakuramiya today, but had been temporarily interrupted by Yan Huan's request for a massage.
So, she relayed part of what Sakuramiya Hitomi had said at noon...
She didn't ntion how Sakuramiya Hitomi had instantly seen through her inner thoughts, only ntioning her suspicions about Yan Huan and An Le's relationship, along with her attitude of not minding it at all.
Upon hearing that Sakuramiya Hitomi was actually so tolerant as to completely not mind other girls getting close to Yan Huan, the one person and two small fries present—excluding An Le—were dumbfounded.
Yan Huan's eyes widened, and he turned his head to look at Myau-chan and Little Finger.
Myau-chan opened its feline mouth to speak, but Little Finger beat it to the punch, flicking its tongue and muttering,
"There's actually such a good thing?"
"..."
An Le frowned and glared at Little Finger, instantly terrifying it into silence.
Yan Huan also recovered from his shock. Shifting from lying on his stomach to lying flat on his back, he looked at An Le beside him and said,
"Sothing is wrong... Sakuramiya right now is absolutely, completely not right."
"Yeah. When she said those things to
today, it scared
into a cold sweat. I just feel like Vice President Sakuramiya is very scary right now... Xiao Huan, do you feel the sa?"
"Not really, actually."
On the contrary, he felt that today's Sakuramiya was exceptionally sweet.
Thinking this, he turned back to Little Finger.
"What did you an by multiplayer just now? Is it an ability of Sakuramiya's Modifier?"
"Uh-huh."
Little Finger nodded and explained,
"The Core Ability of the Middle Finger is to release an Indoor Domain where it has absolute control over the rules, or in other words, a Barrier.
"The number of Barriers goes from just a few at the beginning to countless in the end. A Host alone can't manage them all...
"Therefore, the Middle Finger splits off multiple entities from her body, each symbolizing a part of her Persona, to assist her in controlling the Barriers.
"Each Persona can control one Barrier, while the Host's Main Body has no limits."
Hearing this, Yan Huan couldn't help but frown.
"Persona?"
Bringing this up, An Le on the side also provided supplentary information,
"Mhm, I previously saw a few other Sakuramiyas in Vice President Sakuramiya's Barrier...
"A really petite one, only as big as your palm, Xiao Huan; one that looked extrely lazy and completely unenergetic; and a very calm and rational one, still wearing the kimono from the start of the sester..."
He drew in a sharp breath.
He hadn't known about this before. He only knew about the Barrier and hadn't even considered the possibility of multiple Sakuramiyas existing.
Looking back at today's events, he increasingly felt that he might have encountered two Sakuramiyas in the Equipnt Room.
One was that frail Sakuramiya who kept tripping over her own feet and seed unable to speak...
And the other was the Sakuramiya who spent the entire day with him...
Thinking of this, Yan Huan's expression grew serious.
His mind unconsciously conjured up many related movies he had watched in his previous life. Regardless, whenever personas or split personalities were involved, it was usually never a good thing.
"Why does this sound a bit like multiple personality disorder? Could these Personas eventually pull a cuckoo in the magpie's nest, turning against her and taking over Sakuramiya's body?"
Hearing this, Little Finger shook its head and stated with certainty,
"Absolutely impossible. The Persona Masks can only stay within the Barriers, and they are absolutely loyal to the Host. They will not do anything against the Host's will; this is an ironclad rule.
"That guy, the Middle Finger, is instinctual and unintelligent; it definitely won't step in to fight on her behalf.
"So, put your heart completely at ease. Those Personas will never harm the True Self."
Yan Huan stared at Little Finger suspiciously and asked in return,
"Really?"
Little Finger scoffed, coiled itself back up, and sneered while flicking its snake tongue,
"You are welco not to believe . It is also possible that I am misleading you with false information. After all, I am a Modifier too~"
"..."
Forget it. He had already considered this possibility earlier anyway. Yan Huan couldn't be bothered to argue with it and directly cut to the chase,
"Then does the Middle Finger have so ability that can enhance the Host's physique?"
"Of course. Didn't I just say that the rules within the Barrier are set by the Host? She can do whatever she wants. As long as she is in the Barrier, she could even be powerful enough to pin you to the ground with one hand and fiercely—"
Yan Huan interrupted with an expressionless face,
"...And outside the Barrier?"
"Then there is absolutely no way."
Little Finger flicked its tongue and yawned,
"No matter how powerful she is inside the Barrier, it is fake, not real. Once she leaves the Barrier, she will reveal her true form..."
"..."
'No way?'
But the problem was, Sakuramiya had spent most of today outdoors. She couldn't possibly have been inside a Barrier.
Yet Yan Huan had seen it with his own eyes; her physique had genuinely and noticeably improved.
'What is going on here?'
'Could it be that Little Finger is lying and hiding sothing?'
'Or perhaps...'
'She accomplished it using another thod?'
Yan Huan pondered deeply for a long ti to no avail, then lay back in An Le's arms with a massive headache.
An Le pursed her lips, originally wanting to lower her head and make eye contact with Yan Huan.
As a result, due to her excellent developnt, An Le couldn't even see Yan Huan's face.
Seeing this, An Le puffed her cheeks with a bit of resentnt, then leaned down and suddenly buried Yan Huan's face.
"Mmph!"
Yan Huan let out a muffled groan. His body instantly went rigid, completely motionless...
But his breathing remained vigorous, inhaling like a hurricane.
Feeling the rhythmic beating of his breath against her skin, An Le's face grew even redder. Utterly defeated, she retreated slightly, finally able to see Yan Huan's eyes.
However, his eyes were clear. He was still deep in thought, not indulging in her feminine charms at all...
"What are you thinking about, Xiao Huan?"
"I am thinking whether the Sakuramiya we t today was the True Self or a Persona..."
"Eh?"
"If it was the True Self, why would she make both of us feel so strange?"
Yan Huan sat up, resting his chin on his hand in confusion.
"But if it was a Persona, how could she move around outside the Barrier?"
Just then, An Le, who had been thinking along, suddenly realized sothing and looked at Little Finger.
"Right, Little Finger, didn't you specifically ntion earlier what would happen if Vice President Sakuramiya's clones exceeded five?"
"Uh, I didn't expect you to actually rember that..."
Little Finger's coiled body stiffened slightly, and it revealed a look of guilty conscience.
It seemingly hadn't anticipated that An Le's mory would be so good as to recall this detail.
"It is nothing much. It is just that if there are more than five, it ans her Modifier has evolved to the second stage...
"There will either be only five, or an infinite number of them... That is why I told you back then to run away imdiately if you saw more than five."
As it spoke, Little Finger's eyes dimd slightly, as if thinking of sothing else.
Then, it added two more points,
"Also, the specific functions of each Modifier will undergo slight variations depending on the Host.
"Furthermore, the Divine Lord might have hidden so functions from
beforehand. Just like that Tentacle Purgatory you unleashed earlier, I knew absolutely nothing about it...
"Therefore, what Yan Huan suggested isn't impossible..."
It blinked its serpentine eyes, flicked its tongue at Yan Huan and An Le, and chuckled.
"The Sakuramiya Hitomi you saw today might really be a case of a Persona usurping the magpie's nest, one capable of escaping the Barrier..."
"Run... hurry and run..."
At this mont, inside a deep and secluded, extrely cold Barrier space. Countless wooden doors resembling a kaleidoscope floated in mid-air. They connected horizontally and vertically to form floors and walls, ultimately creating a labyrinthine corridor in the deep gloom.
Sowhere at the edge of that corridor, a Sakuramiya with several arrows piercing her body leaned against the wall. She looked weakly at the Petite Hitomi floating in front of her, who was only the size of a palm.
The Sakuramiya pierced by arrows maintained a detached expression. Even though her body was riddled with injuries, her face remained unchanged, as if she couldn't feel the pain.
She was exactly like the Sakuramiya before she t Yan Huan and joined the Student Council—indifferent and cold.
This was exactly Cold Hitomi, who represented the past.
And floating in front of her was Petite Hitomi, who represented Sakuramiya Hitomi's conscience.
She leaned pitifully against Cold Hitomi's cheek, hugging her and crying out through her tears,
"No... no, I can't leave you behind! Sob, Lazy Hitomi and Lewd Hitomi have already been killed by her. I only have you left by my side..."
Looking at the weeping beauty that was Petite Hitomi before her, Cold Hitomi sighed and lowered her head,
"She has already... hah... killed Frail Sakuramiya. Even outside the Barrier, her body is frighteningly strong, let alone inside it...
"I can't delay her for much longer. If you don't run now, you'll just end up dying with ."
Hearing this, Petite Hitomi's body trembled even more violently.
"Sob... but... where can I run to?! She already knows the location of my Barrier, so I can't go back... And she is the only one who can leave her Barrier and walk around in Reality..."
"Even if you don't know where to run, you still have to run!"
But before she finished speaking, Cold Hitomi gritted her teeth and grabbed the fairy-like Petite Hitomi, enunciating every word,
"Sloth and Lust disappearing won't affect much! Frailty being killed at most just makes her stronger...
"Even if the Past... turns to ashes, it doesn't matter... but you!
"You represent Hitomi's conscience and kindness... You absolutely cannot be killed by her! Otherwise, who knows what even more terrifying things she'll do!"
Petite Hitomi was instantly left speechless by Cold Hitomi's words. With pearl-like tears hanging from the corners of her eyes, she stared blankly at Cold Hitomi, who was also shedding tears.
She watched her wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes, before maintaining a cold face as she resiliently advised her on how to escape.
"That night, countless Sakuramiyas split from Hitomi's Main Body...
"They fell to various places like shooting stars, occupying different rooms and forming independent Barriers...
"There must be many, many Sakuramiyas hiding in the various rooms of Linn. Just travel through these Barriers one by one, searching through them...
"Until you get close enough to the academy or the South Ward. Until... you find the President. Only he can stop all this."
Hearing this, Petite Hitomi pursed her lips and nodded heavily.
"Mhm!"
"Alright, then I will open the door to my Barrier for you now. I don't know which Sakuramiya's room it will lead to, you..."
"Bang!!"
But before she could finish, a small hole violently burst open on a nearby wooden door.
From inside, a fair and clean hand slowly reached out.
That hand gradually peeled back the edges of the broken hole. Then, Sakuramiya Hitomi's face erged, displaying an amiable smile.
"You two little friends, what are you chatting about here? Have you decided who dies first?"
Seeing this, Cold Hitomi gritted her teeth. She raised her arrow-pierced right hand and shoved Petite Hitomi away.
"Run!"
"Wuu!!"
Petite Hitomi's body was incredibly light. With just this gentle push from Cold Hitomi, she flew backward as if the world were spinning around.
Behind her, one of the wooden doors forming the kaleidoscope vortex opened, moving without wind, revealing another bizarre space behind it.
Gazing at the increasingly distant kaleidoscope space, Petite Hitomi cried in profound sorrow,
"Sob... no... sob..."
But in her shrinking field of vision, she could only watch helplessly as the door slowly closed...
And through the gradually narrowing gap, after the wooden door was violently blasted open, the figure holding a longbow slowly approached Cold Hitomi...
Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"It seems you are dying first tonight... That is fine too. That agonizing childhood and past that made Hitomi suffer, all that useless upbringing taught by Sakura Ji, will all completely dissipate tonight..."
She raised the longbow in her hand, nocked an arrow, and aid at Cold Hitomi, who was unable to stand up, smiling as she spoke.
Cold Hitomi simply raised her eyes coldly to look at the Sakuramiya aiming the bow at her. Taking a deep breath, she calmly closed her eyes and said,
"If the mories of the past truly make you, make Hitomi so miserable, then do it.
"Perfect Sakuramiya."
Looking at Cold Hitomi calmly accepting death before her, the Sakuramiya holding the longbow paused slightly in surprise.
Then, she smiled again and softly explained,
"Mhm... right now, I am not perfect yet..."
"Swish!"
"No!!"
"Click!!"
As she spoke, the bowstring snapped violently. The door isolating Petite Hitomi closed shut at that exact mont, the lock clicking into place.
Before the weeping Petite Hitomi had ti to cry out, she crashed heavily onto the floor.
"Ugh..."
She whimpered tremblingly on the ground for quite a while. Only then did she pull herself together from a sorrow so thick it was almost palpable, and raised her tear-stained face to survey her surroundings.
She saw that the surroundings were bathed in a warm background light, illuminating a very spacious girl's bedroom.
The bedroom walls were covered with images of majestic landscapes from all over the world...
On the edge of the computer desk lay a piece of primitive wood from the Amazon Rainforest...
And on the nightstand rested a Classical Dragon Kingdom Jade Ruyi Scepter...
On the floor nearby sat a telescope that seed to have been used by Dutch people during the Age of Exploration...
And right in the center of the bedroom was a massive movie poster.
It appeared to be a parody of Titanic, except the Rose standing with open arms on the deck had been replaced by President Yan Huan...
And the one hugging him from behind, wearing a handso black suit, was...
Sakuramiya?!
"Creak~"
Petite Hitomi stared blankly at the movie poster, but then heard a slight creaking sound from behind her.
"Eek!"
Startled, she turned around and saw a Sakuramiya wearing an askew red samurai helt on her head, holding a short samurai sword only a few inches long, looking at her curiously.
"Wow, you are so tiny! What kind of Sakuramiya are you? You seem really cute!"
Petite Hitomi stared blankly at this Sakuramiya with an unfamiliar aura. Subconsciously infected by her sunny disposition, she parted her tightly closed lips.
"You..."
But before she could speak, the Sakuramiya in front of her patted her own chest as if they were already old friends and took the initiative to introduce herself,
"Sorry, let
introduce myself...
"I! I am an explorer preparing to dedicate my whole life to adventure and winning the President's heart! I want to walk every inch of this world with my own two feet and uncover every treasure!
"I am the most adventurous and the bravest Sakuramiya among all Sakuramiyas!"
Petite Hitomi stared blankly at the Sakuramiya standing up with her samurai sword raised. She sniffled and whispered,
"A-are you Brave Sakuramiya?"
"Oh no, I am Rash Sakuramiya."
"..."
"Let's not talk about that, my friend! Why did you appear here? In my Barrier located in Hawaii?"
"H-Hawaii?"
'Isn't that thousands of miles away from Linn?!'
'How long will it take for
to pass through the Barriers one by one to reach the President's side?'
'If I can't find the President, won't Cold Hitomi have been killed for nothing? This massacre will never end...'
Thinking of this, Petite Hitomi really felt like crying.
But she held it back, bravely wiping her eyes. Then she looked up at the friendly Rash Sakuramiya and hesitantly explained,
"Hitomi, the Main Body, has hidden herself away. She let Perfect Sakuramiya—whom she considers more excellent and flawless—replace her in life.
"So, in order to eliminate all of Hitomi's flaws, Perfect Sakuramiya is now going to kill all the other Sakuramiyas... including you.
"Once killed by her, the part of Hitomi that we represent will disappear entirely!
"Now, the Sakuramiyas who know the inside story are all hiding in their own Barriers, afraid to co out. They won't open their doors carelessly either. They can only wait for Perfect Sakuramiya to invade them one by one and kill them all..."
Hearing this, Rash Sakuramiya was utterly stunned.
Petite Hitomi originally thought she was intimidated by Perfect Sakuramiya's terror and was montarily speechless.
But she never expected that, just a few seconds later, Rash Sakuramiya would actually reveal an expression of excitent.
As if what was rapidly approaching wasn't danger at all, but a spectacular adventure.
"So, right now we..."
"So, right now we have to cross through the countless Barriers scattered across various locations in Reality, until we find the President in Linn for help!"
"Find... the President?!"
Rash Sakuramiya swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her heart beating even faster.
It was as if at this mont, she was the hero entrusted with a critical mission, about to set off on a crusade against the evil dragon... Of course, Yan Huan would be the princess abducted by the evil dragon.
"Alright, alright, count
in... Hey, wait a minute, is there any inevitable connection between finding the President and stopping this... Perfect Sakuramiya's massacre?"
Although Petite Hitomi couldn't understand Rash Sakuramiya's excitent, she acknowledged the question she raised. Thus, she pursed her lips and finally explained,
"All Sakuramiyas like the President, and all Sakuramiyas will open the doors of their Barriers for the President. Perfect Sakuramiya would also never hurt the President...
"Therefore, only the President has the possibility of finding where Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier is located, and only the President can open the door to Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier...
"There is a high probability that Hitomi has hidden herself inside Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier!"
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