Thursday, Far Moon Academy, lunch break, Comrcial Street.
"Ah, the sky is so blue..."
Perhaps Linn had finally made it through the erratic early spring, or perhaps that Great Demon King, An Le, had finally cald down and stopped viciously whipping everyone's behinds with her tentacles...
In short, ever since returning from Sakura Country, the sun had been shining on Linn almost every day.
Coupled with that moving voice, sweet as a skylark, even such simple words managed to paint the sunny day as sothing epic.
"Ah, the grass is so green..."
Bai Yi's slightly curly black hair cascaded down her shoulders, complenting her Bolon rimless butterfly sunglasses.
While resting her chin in her hand to admire the spring scenery, she did not forget to take a sip of the regular-sugar coconut jelly milk tea in her hand—a drink her agent had repeatedly and explicitly forbidden.
Just tasting the sweetness of the sugar and chewing on the bouncy coconut jelly was enough to make her break into a beautiful smile.
Life could not possibly be any more delightful.
Although, perhaps in a few nights, when she stepped onto the scale and saw the number on it, she would inevitably bury her face in her bed and howl in despair.
But who cared? Future Bai Yi could suffer later; present Bai Yi only needed to enjoy herself.
"Ah, this Ye Shiyu is so... yikes."
Sipping her milk tea, she withdrew her gaze from the green grass on the ground and turned her head to look at Ye Shiyu, who was also holding a cup of milk tea beside her.
Although the girl was as expressionless as always, anyone with eyes could tell that her face was dark and she was in a very bad mood.
Bai Yi pulled her sunglasses down a bit, sweeping her beautiful eyes over Ye Shiyu before asking in surprise,
"Oh, what is the matter? Running over to grab milk tea with
in the middle of the day with such a bitter face... Could it be that Yan Huan finally discovered your true perverted colors?"
As she reached the second half of her sentence, her tone even bounced with joy, as if she were eagerly anticipating the arrival of that day...
'When that ti cos, Ye Shiyu will probably panic and show an expression she would absolutely never show otherwise, right?'
'How truly sothing to look forward to.'
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu rely glanced at Bai Yi and spoke indifferently,
"Do you really think I would allow any potential insider... including you, to let Xiao Huan know about this?"
The freezing words caused the smile on Bai Yi's face to stiffen slightly.
Then, her white teeth bit down hard on her straw, clinging to it like a piece of driftwood in the water.
"So, why did you co looking for
to drink milk tea in the middle of the day?"
"..."
At those words, a trace of embarrassnt appeared on Ye Shiyu's usually frosty face for the first ti ever.
She shifted her gaze away and pursed her lips in a thoroughly uncharacteristic manner, looking especially conflicted...
"It is just..."
"Mhm, go on, I am listening."
On the surface, Bai Yi was patiently listening like a caring best friend.
In reality, she had quietly raised her mobile phone and aid the cara at Ye Shiyu, planning to capture this rare, embarrassing mont...
A second later, when Ye Shiyu turned her head back, Bai Yi evasively hid her phone away and even took a sip of milk tea to cover up her nervousness.
After hesitating for a long ti, Ye Shiyu finally voiced her troubles,
"Do you have a way to make people stay away from ... Basically, to stop them from talking to ?"
Bai Yi opened her mouth and shot back dryly,
"...Do you even need to learn that? Are you not aware that your natural talent in this area leaves people completely beyond reach?"
"..."
"More than that, I am quite curious: aside from Yan Huan and that Gongzi from your class, what other divine person in this school is actually not afraid of you and dares to harass you?"
"..."
Ye Shiyu looked at her blankly, her lips parted and trembling for a long ti, but she still could not produce a single word.
Then, seeing that it was truly impossible to explain, she took out her mobile phone and handed it to Bai Yi, letting her see for herself.
Bai Yi carefully accepted the phone with both hands, treating the exchange as solemnly as if she were receiving a live bomb...
Even then, she did not dare to look imdiately, instead glancing at it stealthily from the corner of her eye to see if it was a hypnosis app screen.
Only when she confird with her peripheral vision that it was a Plane chat screen did she feel relieved enough to look properly.
"Mao Li... Hina? You are making so kind of Brocade together?"
"Yes."
Bai Yi absorbed so of the information on the screen and exclaid in surprise,
"Whoa, she is really sothing. Sent you dozens of ssages in one night, and you only replied to a few... She is practically throwing herself at you only to get the cold shoulder, and she actually doesn't find it annoying?"
"I do not know what to reply, nor do I want to... Therefore, it is very annoying."
"More than that, I am really curious about what exactly is going on with this girl. To be so attentive to you... Could it be that she is a lesbian and likes you?"
"?!"
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu remained silent, but at this mont, the originally stiff muscles on her face actually began to move like rusty gears.
Imdiately following that, she displayed a very faint but incredibly complex expression that combined a multitude of emotions.
Fright, stupor, and utter disgust...
Yes, Bai Yi actually managed to read 'fright' on Ye Shiyu's face.
'How amusing, I am just looking at a desperate straight girl.'
Seeing her like this, Bai Yi almost failed to hold back her laughter, but she still returned the phone.
Taking back her phone, Ye Shiyu finally regained a bit of her senses.
After thinking for a mont, she shook her head and analyzed rationally,
"No... her feelings toward
should not be of that nature. I am very certain."
"And you, soone with negative emotional intelligence, can be certain?"
Ye Shiyu tilted her head blankly and stated it as a matter of course,
"For sothing like this, as long as I compare it to my feelings for Xiao Huan, it should be very easy to understand, right?"
"...Pretend I never asked."
Bai Yi finished her milk tea, pinched her straw, and tore the seal open a bit more, vacuuming up the remaining coconut jelly like a gold miner.
"Then isn't it simple? If you do not want to deal with her, just block her."
Ye Shiyu shook her head, vetoing the proposal,
"...I cannot. Xiao Huan wants
to build a good relationship with her. Xiao Huan really cares about ...
"Not only does he discuss how Mao Li Hina and I can help each other in the group chat, but he also privately asks
again and again how I am getting along with her, and whether we have beco friends...
"This ti, I do not want to disappoint Xiao Huan."
Bai Yi glanced at the deeply earnest Ye Shiyu in front of her. The corners of her mouth stiffened, and she even began to suspect that this rascal harbored ill intentions and was just here to show off Yan Huan's concern for her.
'No matter how much Yan Huan cares about her, it is just care for an older sister. No matter how much Yan Huan cares about her, it is just care for an older sister...'
After silently repeating this to herself a few tis, Bai Yi finally adjusted her expression and continued,
"Then just honestly reply to her."
"I do not want to. It is annoying."
"...Then go back to your old trade. Just use hypnosis on her, and she won't bother you anymore."
"...I cannot. I have already turned over a new leaf."
Hearing this, Bai Yi nearly burst out laughing from exasperation. She slamd her milk tea cup down and declared,
"Ye Shiyu, I really don't have ti to ss around with you... My lunch break is a lunch break too, OK?"
At those words, Ye Shiyu glanced at Bai Yi, but did not show any extra emotion.
She rely nodded and prepared to stand up and leave,
"All right."
"..."
Watching her turn her head and walk away, Bai Yi stared at her back view, eventually clutching her head and sighing.
This girl was truly a piece of work...
She did not want Mao Li Hina to keep bothering her, yet because she did not want to disappoint Yan Huan, she couldn't tell him about it, couldn't directly block the girl, and absolutely couldn't use hypnosis.
As a result, this girl actually had no idea how to handle the situation...
In the entire school, aside from Yan Huan, she had no one to ask for advice, so she actually ca to find her?
'Sigh, forget it. Who asked you to be half of an older sister-in-law to
in the future?'
'I might as well see this through to the end...'
"Hey, you over there. Why do you have to make things so extre? It is either completely cutting ties and blocking her, or just letting her annoy you forever..."
From behind, Bai Yi's lodious voice drifted over, making Ye Shiyu turn back blankly.
She saw Bai Yi holding her straw in her mouth, her long legs crossed, dispensing advice like a masterful tactician,
"Hand over the phone. I will help you make it clear to her, and won't that solve it? Just tell her that her ssages are causing you trouble and ask her to send fewer from now on..."
"...It is that simple?"
"How else would you do it?"
Half-believing and half-doubting, Ye Shiyu handed her mobile phone over to Bai Yi. She watched as Bai Yi's fair hands took the device, her manicured fingers tapping away on the screen.
"Tap, tap, tap."
"Tap, tap, tap."
Ye Shiyu's gaze fixed squarely on those crystal-clear, light blue manicured nails, before she lowered her head to glance at her own neatly trimd but plain fingernails, lost in her thoughts.
"Here, I sent it. She should have seen it; her status has already changed to 'Typing...'"
As she spoke, Bai Yi continued chatting with Mao Li.
Ye Shiyu looked down. Before she could even finish reading Bai Yi's perfectly appropriate social pleasantries, Mao Li Hina's reply ca back,
"I am sorry, I am so sorry! I didn't realize my ssages were causing trouble for Senior Student Ye! I will definitely be more mindful in the future! I am truly sorry!"
Bai Yi tilted her head, smoothly replying to the ssages while effortlessly imitating Ye Shiyu's tone,
"It is fine. Just be mindful next ti."
"Okay, okay..."
On the other end, after hesitating for a long while, more explanations were sent over,
"I apologize, Senior Student Ye. It is just that back when I was at a low point and in a bad mood, Senior Student Ye helped
and even gave
equipnt. I was truly grateful, so..."
"What was the bad mood about?" Seeing Bai Yi getting into a conversation with the other party, Ye Shiyu grew terrified that she might open up the chatterbox again, and snatched her phone back in a flash.
"Hey, why so petty? Isn't she quite polite? Besides, didn't Yan Huan tell you to build a good relationship with her? You two still have to make that Brocade together later..."
"..."
Ye Shiyu froze slightly. For the first ti ever, she actually did not retort. Instead, she looked at Bai Yi before her and spoke softly,
"...Thanks."
"Ah, I didn't catch that. What did you say?"
"..."
Of course, Ye Shiyu knew Bai Yi wasn't deaf. She simply shot her a look, telling her to shut up.
Little did she know, as Bai Yi looked at Ye Shiyu, a triumphant 'Plan Successful' grin spread across her heart.
'Hehehe, Ye Shiyu, do you seriously think I am helping you?'
'In fact, it is exactly the opposite!'
'Ye Shiyu, oh Ye Shiyu. The lot of you are all fixing your sights on things like that Brocade or the Culture Festival...'
'Truly so short-sighted.'
'But my gaze has already reached as far as the High Table Dinner at the end of this sester!'
Bai Yi wore a sunny smile on her face, but in reality, she was scheming everything with extre cunning.
The High Table Dinner at Far Moon Academy wasn't just a banquet where all teachers and students dined together in the great auditorium to celebrate the sester's harvest...
At that ti, there was also the grand tradition of the Flower Presentation Dance Invitation!
At the end of the banquet, there would be a grand ball, which required male and female partners to attend together.
That was a one-ti-only opportunity for a couple's dance.
In such a special ceremony, the chosen partner was essentially equated with one's romantic interest.
Therefore, the boys in the past would often pluck a bouquet of flowers and present it to their desired dance partner to invite them for a dance.
Ah, what a wonderfully romantic affair...
Bai Yi cupped her cheeks, revealing a devious smile,
"Hehehe, I have investigated everything during this ti...
"An Le is busy with the Culture Festival, Spencer is busy with the survival of her club, Ye Shiyu is busy with whatever that Brocade nonsense is... And Sakuramiya Hitomi is as elusive as a divine dragon...
"Busy, it is good that they are all busy. As for , I will take advantage of this opening and monopolize this sole dance partner in advance...
"When the ti cos, you can all just stand by the sidelines, weeping as you watch Yan Huan and
dance! Hehehehe!"
'I've Already Reached the Other Shore!'
"...All right, if there is nothing else, I will take off first. I still have so things to do. Bye-bye, let's grab milk tea together again next ti."
"..."
Ye Shiyu watched Bai Yi, who was practically drooling with a foolish grin on her face, having absolutely no idea what she was thinking.
'Could it be that she is this happy just from being thanked by
once?'
"Ding~"
However, right at this mont, although Bai Yi had already gotten up to leave, Mao Li Hina was still sending ssages due to Bai Yi acting on her own initiative earlier,
"Senior Student Ye, thank you for your concern! I... I knew it! You are not as aloof as you seem on the surface at all. You are actually a very gentle and kind older sister!"
'That is indeed true...'
Ye Shiyu thought to herself.
"Um, how should I say this... I have indeed run into a problem that is troubling
lately...
"I, I am actually from a single-parent family. My parents separated very early on, and I live with my mother..."
But her subsequent words made Ye Shiyu freeze slightly.
Seeing this, she pursed her lips and, for the first ti, actively raised her fingers to type out a response,
" too."
"Eh, really?"
Mao Li Hina was a bit surprised, which made her feel even more like she had found soone to confide in, and she typed even faster,
"The thing is, Senior Student Ye, recently... my mother seems to have found a new romantic relationship and might remarry. I... I am very conflicted about this, so...
"Should I object to it, or should I... I do not know what to do."
Gazing at the text on the phone, Ye Shiyu's pupils shrank slightly.
Imdiately after, it was as if she had triggered so sort of stress response.
Just like when Yan Huan first ca to her house, and just like when she later realized there were other girls surrounding Yan Huan...
Ye Shiyu's eyes darkened. Then, her fingers, which had previously been typing extrely slowly, suddenly beca incredibly swift.
Almost instantly, an answer was sent over,
"Of course, you should object.
"Because you belong to your mother, and your mother belongs to you, does she not?"
This afternoon, Yan Huan did not stay in the Student Council Office with Sakuramiya.
Mainly because the analysis he did last night with An Le and Little Finger left him a bit concerned about whether the current Sakuramiya was her true self or a Persona Mask capable of walking outside her pocket dinsion.
If it was the latter, then where was Sakuramiya's true self right now?
Previously, despite spending all day face-to-face with Sakuramiya, Yan Huan had not discovered a single flaw.
Instead, he felt as if he and Sakuramiya had truly returned to the days before her scandal was revealed...
However, if the perfect Sakuramiya in his eyes before had rely been an act, wouldn't it also just be an act if this current one was a Persona Mask substituting for her true self?
As long as it was a performance, there would definitely be a flaw.
Therefore, Yan Huan planned to seek out these flaws from the shadows.
"This is the Culture Festival budget drafted by Yahashiki. The president has also completed the venue layout for the entire Culture Festival. Please take these back and distribute them to the class representatives of each class..."
"Understood, no problem. We will take our leave then."
At this mont, in a building across from the club classrooms, from a great distance away, Yan Huan was quietly leaning against a window, watching Sakuramiya Hitomi in the room opposite him.
Through the magical item "Black-rimd Glasses" he had obtained earlier, Yan Huan's eyesight had been enhanced to human limits.
It was practically comparable to a built-in telescope, which was the only reason he could clearly see the situation inside the opposite venue through that small window from this distance.
After the rest of the Student Council mbers left and the door closed, Sakuramiya Hitomi stood alone in her spot, finding herself in complete solitude.
As the proverb goes, "A gentleman is cautious when alone, and does not deceive in a hidden room."
But not everyone was a gentleman, and more often than not, people would reveal their true colors when they were alone.
Hearing from the Archery Club mbers, Sakuramiya had been practicing drawing her bow alone in the venue every noon recently. Perhaps he could discover sothing...
"Rustle... rustle..."
As a result, as he continued watching, Sakuramiya Hitomi first gently took off her jacket, revealing a form-fitting short shirt underneath.
She was about to change into her archery uniform and gear like her chest guard...
The short shirt did not expose any skin, but because it clung to her body, it perfectly outlined her bodily curves.
It was also at this mont that Yan Huan suddenly realized Sakuramiya Hitomi's claims of a "secondary developnt" were not false at all.
Her originally entirely flat chest had actually developed so soft curves...
Yet, for so unknown reason, even though Sakuramiya Hitomi did not bare a single inch of skin, her elegant movents as she undressed and her slender back view seed infinitely more alluring.
It was too alluring.
Yan Huan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. The next second, he imdiately withdrew his gaze and leaned back against the wall, panting.
"This isn't right, Myau-chan. Have we subverted the natural order?"
"ow?"
On his shoulder, Myau-chan also manifested its physical form, looking at him with a face full of confusion.
"Even though we said we needed to privately confirm whether Sakuramiya is her true self or a Persona Mask, as well as see if we can find the source of what is wrong with her..."
"Why does it feel like the natural order has been subverted, and I have beco a voyeur, darkly spying on Sakuramiya?"
These words made Myau-chan blink its eyes, unable to speak for a long ti.
'It seems like... that is indeed the case?'
However, before he could finish speaking, a waft of fragrant wind drifted over from the side, followed by a sweet voice,
"What is wrong, Yan Huan? You are wearing spectacles today, they look so good on you... Eh, why... why do you have such a nervous expression?"
"!!"
Yan Huan stiffened slightly and subconsciously looked toward the source of the voice, suddenly eting a pair of starry eyes that were staring at him curiously from re inches away.
'Bai Yi?!'
Yan Huan hastily took a step back and saw Bai Yi, who had appeared by his side as stealthily as a ghost, tilting her head as she looked at him.
"...Bai Yi, when did you get here? Why didn't you make a single sound..."
Yan Huan chuckled helplessly, while Bai Yi blinked her eyes, questioning herself.
'Huh, didn't Ye Shiyu also say this exact sa thing?'
However, her attitude was entirely different from how she treated Ye Shiyu. Right now, she just smiled playfully, tapped her chin with her finger, and said,
"It is because you were too focused, Yan Huan. What were you peeping at just now? Is there sothing across the way?"
Bai Yi seed to have noticed Yan Huan spying into the distance just now, so she subconsciously walked up to the window to look over there.
Originally, Yan Huan wasn't panicked in the slightest. After all, he only managed to see Sakuramiya inside through the half-closed window because he was wearing his glasses...
But as if toyed with by fate, at this very mont in Yan Huan's peripheral vision, Sakuramiya seed to feel that the light inside was too dim. She walked over to the window and pushed it wide open...
With that, Bai Yi only needed one glance to know that he had just been acting sneaky and suspicious, peeping at Sakuramiya!
'Crap, my lifelong reputation!'
Watching Bai Yi right in front of him, who was about to look at the opposite building, Yan Huan's pupils contracted. In a flash, he reached out his hand and grabbed her wrist.
"Clasp!"
"Eh?"
Bai Yi froze slightly, turning her head back in astonishnt.
But imdiately after, she was gently pulled by Yan Huan. Spinning half a circle, her back ended up directly against the wall next to the window.
"Thud."
Feeling the hardness of the wall behind her, before Bai Yi even had ti to raise her eyes and ask a question, a large hand slapped against the wall right beside her ear, as if afraid she would run away.
'This is...'
'A... a kabedon?!'
"Yan... Yan... Yan... Yan Huan..."
Bai Yi's face instantly turned bright red. Leaning against the wall and essentially caught in Yan Huan's arms, her legs even began to feel a little weak.
"Thump... thump... thump..."
'Could it be...'
'Is Yan Huan...'
'Going to confess his feelings to ?!'
Amidst her accelerating heartbeat, Bai Yi thought to herself.
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