On Saturday, Far Moon Academy was still very bustling.
Since the students only returned to school on Tuesday for classes, they had to attend a day of redial classes this week.
At this mont, inside the Student Council Office, Yurianna sat on the sofa, resting her chin on her hands in utter boredom. In front of her sat Yabashi Ki and Ashley, each occupying a side and playing on their mobile phones.
At the far end of the room was Yan Huan, who was writing official docunts, alongside Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was brewing black tea beside him.
"Ugh, it is so boring,"
Yurianna sprawled across the sofa, constantly letting out low groans of boredom from her throat. It seed that having redial classes on a Saturday had dealt her a massive blow.
"..."
"I am so bored, everyone!"
"..."
Everyone continued with their own tasks without responding, causing Yurianna, who was lying on the sofa, to puff out her cheeks more and more until her small face flushed red.
Then, as if she couldn't hold back any longer, she clenched her fists, sat up straight, and complained indignantly,
"Why is everyone ignoring ?!"
"..."
The entire room fell slightly quiet. After a few seconds, a kind soul finally spoke up to answer her.
"...Because you are the only one who is bored. Doesn't everyone else have things to do?"
Yabashi Ki held his mobile phone, his eyes darting rapidly as if he were clearing the latest stage of the Abyss.
"That is indeed the case, Yabashi. Potato chips."
Ashley was scrolling through short videos. As she swiped, she reached her hand out toward Yabashi Ki and spoke.
"Hey, I am busy..."
"Is that so... Then hand them to
when you are done playing. They are right on the coffee table in front of you. Thanks, Otaku-kun."
"You would rather wait for
to finish than grab them yourself? You really are..."
Yabashi Ki started grumbling as if out of habit, but his eyes still did not stray from his mobile phone. He rely instructed Yurianna,
"Yurianna, aren't you bored? Hand her the potato chips."
"..."
Yurianna looked at these two bad friends across from her with a face full of resentnt, thinking to herself that she really should not have placed any hope in them.
So, in the next second, she looked toward Yan Huan, who was writing rapidly behind his office desk. Then, as if she suddenly thought of sothing, her eyes lit up slightly, and she asked,
"Right, President! I heard you are picking a dance partner for the High Table Dinner ball. How about it? Have you already decided on soone?"
Snap!
As soon as those words ca out, the water-based pen Yan Huan was vigorously writing with instantly snapped in half.
His eyes widened, and he could not help but show an expression of disbelief as he looked up.
Before him, Yurianna was blinking her large eyes on the sofa, holding her cheeks and staring at him.
Beside her, Yabashi Ki had put down his mobile phone at so unknown point and was blinking at him while clutching a bag of potato chips.
Ashley sat beside him, resting her chin on her hand while reaching into the potato chip bag to grab a snack.
Everyone was waiting for his answer.
"..."
'Hold on...'
'When did I ever say I was picking a dance partner?'
'Do they think my life is not short enough already?'
'The ball at the High Table Dinner is completely different from Akihabara. If you pick a dance partner, you have to dance with them under the watchful eyes of the entire school. There is absolutely no room to maneuver.'
'Recently, I have thrown myself into all sorts of tasks just to avoid this deadly topic being brought up.'
But now...
'Who is it?'
'Who is trying to assassinate ?!'
"..."
Amidst a scalp-tingling brainstorm, Yan Huan squeezed out a stiff smile.
Just as he was about to shut down the rumor on the spot, Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was brewing tea beside him, heard this and nodded her chin, saying,
"Speaking of which, there indeed has been such a rumor around the school lately... Well, but it is not surprising. After all, the Student Council President of almost every previous term usually leads the opening dance."
"Yeah, yeah, President."
Hearing this, Yan Huan's forehead could not help but break into a slight sweat.
Right, he had completely forgotten about this detail!
One must rember that the Student Council elections at Far Moon Academy were rather special. They were held in the first half of the sester, and the term of office lasted for a total of one year.
Although the current Student Council would not officially disband until the elections before the fall sester, in reality, by the ti the spring sester ended, they would essentially be stepping down from their positions.
Therefore, the annual High Table Dinner at the end of the spring sester was not only a summary of the academic year but also a farewell address for the outgoing Student Council...
When the address concluded, the High Table Dinner would co to a close and the ball would begin.
Generally, the first dance was led by the Student Council President.
"..."
But the next second, Yan Huan gripped the broken water-based pen tightly in the palm of his hand and gritted his teeth.
He still had a defense.
"This matter of leading the dance is not explicitly written in the rules, right?"
Indeed, the academy had no regulation stating that the Student Council President had to lead the dance. Otherwise, there would inevitably be cases of people just making up the numbers, and the tradition of the special aning of a dance partner would never have ford.
It was just that, typically, the highly popular Student Council Presidents never lacked romantic interests, so naturally, they would not be absent from the ball.
"...President, out of the past forty-six presidents, at least forty of them led the dance! Don't you already have soone you like? How could you be short of a dance partner?"
Hearing his excuse, Yurianna gave him a deadpan look and retorted.
In truth, it was not that Yan Huan lacked a dance partner; on the contrary, he had a dangerous surplus of them.
But Yan Huan could not explain this, so he could only remain stubbornly defensive,
"Heh, the past Student Council Presidents were all upperclassn. I am only a first-year student, so it makes sense for
to sit out..."
"How could you say that, President~"
While Yurianna was still pouting and complaining at a dark-faced Yan Huan—who was desperately trying to dodge an imaginary cleaver—Sakuramiya Hitomi, still elegantly brewing tea beside him, revealed a faint smile.
'Sorry, President. If I had just killed the other Sakuramiyas earlier, I wouldn't have put you in such a difficult position~'
In her heart, she apologetically murmured this to herself.
Yes, the chief culprit behind this rumor was actually her.
It was all because of the words the Cunning Sakuramiya had said last night, which ignited the main body Hitomi's suspicion about her progress. That forced her to quickly produce so results.
Perfect Sakuranomiya knew that there were very few milestones that would satisfy the main body.
Holding hands, hugging, or even kissing—these were things that even the deeply flawed main body could achieve with a little effort.
If that was the case, why would the main body need Perfect Sakuranomiya to replace her?
Only milestones completely out of the main body's reach—such as the President confessing his love to her, successfully establishing a romantic relationship, or hitting a ho run—would suffice.
Therefore, Perfect Sakuranomiya absolutely had to secure this dance partner position with its special symbolic aning!
But due to the influence of the Inferiority Sakuramiya, her hands were tied, preventing her from taking the initiative to attack...
Now, she could only hurry to hunt down the Inferiority Sakuramiya while laying the groundwork for the ball in advance.
"Here, President, your black tea."
With these thoughts in mind, she finished brewing the delicious black tea for everyone.
Carrying one of the cups, she walked over to Yan Huan's side and spoke with a smile.
Yan Huan assessed her from the corner of his eye and could not help but reach out to accept her black tea.
"Thanks, Sakuramiya."
Sakuramiya Hitomi smiled faintly and went back to serve black tea to the others.
"Here you go, Yabashi-kun, Ashley, Yurianna..."
'Ideally, the President would take the initiative to invite
to be his dance partner even before I manage to kill the Inferiority Sakuramiya...'
'Even if he does not, it doesn't matter. The tide has already been stirred up by ...'
'I know the true colors of those other hosts better than anyone else.'
'Under the rising tide of public opinion, they will inevitably reveal an ugly side that will make the President uncomfortable and distressed.'
'With such stark comparisons, I can sit firmly and fish at my leisure. As long as I can hold out until I kill the Inferiority Sakuramiya...'
'Victory will be assured.'
Thinking of this, the smile on Sakuramiya Hitomi's face grew wider. She seed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
"..."
anwhile, resting his chin on the backs of his hands, Yan Huan no longer had the heart to deal with the tasks in front of him.
Just as Sakuramiya had anticipated, since a person like Yurianna already knew about it, it would probably not be long before it spread all over the school.
Bai Yi already had intentions in this regard, and now that it was common knowledge, Ye Shiyu would definitely be crystal clear about it too.
'This is going to be troubleso...'
Rubbing his temples, Yan Huan suddenly thought of what Sakuramiya had just said and could not help but sneak a glance at her.
Upon seeing the increasingly radiant smile on her face, Yan Huan hastily retracted his gaze.
'This Sakuramiya—who seems to be a persona—appears extrely eager about the High Table Dinner ball...'
Silently committing this detail to mory, Yan Huan then discreetly took out his mobile phone and opened the Plane group chat he had created with An Le and Tong Yingying.
To avoid arousing suspicion, he had nad the group chat,
"Love Myau-chan TV"
In reality, this was the covert communication hub for their underground organization fighting against the modifiers!
With a flick of his fingers, he swiftly typed out a line of text:
"Everyone, we have an ergency!"
At this mont, in the First-Year Section.
Bai Yi, dressed in a pretty dress, walked down the corridor looking sowhat frustrated.
She was wearing her Bluetooth earbuds, but even listening to a cheerful song did not improve her mood.
The reason was actually quite simple.
Ever since that day, Yan Huan's contact with her hadn't been very frequent. Instead, it felt like...
He was being more distant?
'Maybe it is just an illusion. Although the frequency of his ssages is still the sa as before...'
'But isn't keeping it the sa as before a form of being distant? We clearly went that far already...'
This was exactly what Bai Yi was thinking. The scenery outside seed to be influenced by her mood, bringing the comforting sight of spring blossoms.
A pale white flower drifted down from a tree, causing Bai Yi to pause slightly.
She turned her head and gently reached out to catch it, unavoidably gazing out at the flowers blooming in the bushes outside the corridor.
"Mhm, these little flowers are so pretty. I wonder what their na is, and what their flower language ans..."
Bai Yi took off her earbuds and blinked her beautiful eyes, looking down at that vibrant touch of spring.
However, as she observed the flower, she could not help but hear a bustling noise coming from a short distance away.
She was slightly taken aback. Turning her head to look, she saw quite a few girls chattering excitedly near Class A.
"What is going on over there?"
Just then, a few girls ca skipping back from the direction of Class A. Curious, she stopped them and asked,
"Hey, wait a minute, classm— Seniors. What is going on over at Class A? Why are there so many people?"
Bai Yi originally wanted to address them as classmates, but seeing the "Second-Year" and "Third-Year" na tags on their chests, she quickly changed her form of address.
The girls glanced at the stunningly beautiful Bai Yi in front of them. Recognizing her fa, they smiled and replied,
"Haven't you heard? Word is that the President might lead the dance at the High Table Dinner ball. But after asking the people in Class A, it seems the President hasn't found a dance partner yet..."
'Yan Huan's... dance partner?'
'Isn't that ?'
Thinking this, Bai Yi blinked and continued asking,
"Uh, so what are they doing right now?"
"Well, since the President doesn't have a girlfriend yet—I an, hasn't found a dance partner yet..."
The girl blushed and covered her mouth with a light chuckle, speaking a little bashfully,
"I figured I might try to volunteer myself, so I wrote a letter and put it under the President's locker."
Far Moon Academy did not have shoe lockers, but they did provide private lockers.
These lockers were locked, so you couldn't just stuff things inside like in Japanese ani.
However, this did not deter these 'Yan Huan fans'. They simply hung a small basket on his locker, making it easy to just drop things inside.
"..."
Glancing at the letters overflowing from the basket on that locker, the corners of Bai Yi's mouth twitched stiffly.
'Aren't these just love letters?!'
"Ah, thank you. I see now."
"Yep, let's go, let's go."
The girls hurried past, leaving Bai Yi standing alone in place.
"..."
After thinking for a mont, she quietly stepped closer to Yan Huan's locker.
Once she was near, she discreetly assessed the appearance and outfits of the girls gathering around.
Comparing them to herself, she revealed a confident smile. Toying with her black hair, she spoke nonchalantly,
"Well, none of them are as pretty as , and Yan Huan has long been devoted to , so there is absolutely no need to worry~"
"Besides, many of them don't even know Yan Huan well. They only like him for his looks or sothing similar."
"Unlike , who has experienced Yan Huan's sincere heart and dedication. We are fundantally not on the sa level~"
Just as she was about to turn her head dismissively and leave, she caught a glimpse of the various letters piled in the small basket from the corner of her eye.
She saw that many of the letters were beautifully packaged, featuring handwritten envelopes.
Among them, a good number of girls had even attached handmade gifts and the like, fully demonstrating their good intentions.
"..."
Yet, for so reason, just looking at those carefully prepared gifts caused Bai Yi to inadvertently purse her lips in hesitation.
'Co to think of it, others put in this much effort just because of his looks, while I, who pride myself on having a sincere heart, have actually never done anything for Yan Huan.'
'It has always been Yan Huan taking the initiative toward ...'
'Before, I even rejected the confession he mustered up the courage to make, using silly excuses—in hindsight—like 'the timing isn't right' or 'it lacks a sense of ceremony'.'
'Although Yan Huan was very handso and generous about it, saying things like 'it's okay' and 'I'll wait until you feel the ti is right,' which made my heart race... still...'
'Yan Huan is a normal person too. He might have been deeply affected internally, just putting on a brave face and pretending not to care.'
'Otherwise, it has been a few days already, yet he still sends ssages just like before. Isn't that his way of dropping a hint?'
'And here I am, being blindly confident, even vaguely blaming Yan Huan...'
"Ahhh, I should have just said yes to Yan Huan back then! What are you playing hard to get for, Bai Yi?!"
At this thought, all the confidence in Bai Yi's heart shattered, completely replaced by a heavy sense of inadequacy.
She grabbed her hair in a frustrated manner, her ntal state in a truly "wonderful" condition as she scread inwardly.
After wriggling bizarrely in place for quite a while, from the corner of her eye she could not help but spot the naless little white flowers blooming over the lawn beside the corridor.
Looking at those tiny flowers, Bai Yi's heart gradually cald down.
"Bai Yi, oh Bai Yi, even if Yan Huan's feelings for you are sincere, you can't go on like this. How can your good intentions be less than those of a bunch of superficial people who only care about looks?"
She walked to the edge of the corridor, staring at the flowers on the grass, and could not help but pout in self-reflection.
"Even though I don't know what your flower language ans, right now... the flower language for Yan Huan's dance partner ans 'you snooze, you lose.'"
Saying this, she reached out and plucked the prettiest white flower among them.
As it fell into her palm, she twirled it a few tis and secretly made up her mind.
"It is decided!!"
"This ti, I will be the one to take the initiative and invite him to be my dance partner."
"Even if Yan Huan is holding a grudge about what happened before, even if he also... rejects
like I did to him... I will accept it coolly and calmly!"
Summoning her courage like this, she held the flower securely in her palm.
She wanted to pick a flower and gift it to Yan Huan.
"What are they doing... at the door of Xiao Huan's class? It looks very bustling."
A short while later, in the sa First-Year Departnt corridor.
Ye Shiyu looked at the several girls standing over there and could not help but ask.
Normally, she wouldn't care at all about what others were doing.
But because that location was outside Xiao Huan's Class A, she paid special attention to it.
Beside her, Mao Li Hina glanced over and explained with a smile,
"I heard President Yan is going to lead the dance or sothing, but he hasn't chosen a dance partner yet. Those girls who are obsessed with the President's looks are thinking of sending him letters to invite him—it's essentially delivering love letters."
"Love... letters?"
Upon hearing these words, Ye Shiyu's expressionless face instantly dropped several degrees in temperature.
Her dark eyes cast a gloomy gaze toward the girls over there, faintly carrying a look that did not seem to view them as human beings anymore.
However, Mao Li Hina, standing beside her, seed accustod to interacting with Ye Shiyu and did not feel terrified. She rely felt as though the temperature had suddenly plumted.
"It is fine, President Yan never accepts these anyway. People have been sending them since school started, so it's no different now."
She simply said this with a smile while gently reaching out to pull Ye Shiyu by the wrist, urging her to follow along to their classroom.
"..."
Ye Shiyu was reluctantly dragged to the classroom by Mao Li Hina, though her gaze still fell extrely possessively on the faces of the girls delivering their "invitation letters."
It was as if she were trying to firmly engrave their faces into her mory.
"Um, Senior Student Ye, the reason I asked you to co today is actually about my mother remarrying. Yesterday, my mother brought that uncle ho for dinner. Honestly, she was subtly checking for my opinion..."
"..."
Hearing her words, Ye Shiyu finally turned her head slowly to look at her, signaling that she was listening.
"And then?"
"I-I agreed."
Upon hearing this, Ye Shiyu's pupils shrank, and an unmistakable sense of disbelief cracked through her expressionless face.
Perhaps stimulated by what she had just witnessed regarding Xiao Huan, her reaction was much more intense than in the past.
"Why?"
Hearing Ye Shiyu's slightly terrifying tone, Mao Li Hina blinked and began to explain,
"Because... um, how should I put it..."
She rubbed her hands together nervously and softly explained,
"In the past, when my father and mother were still together, my mother wasn't happy at all. But yesterday, I realized that I hadn't seen her that happy in a long ti..."
"I kept thinking about what you said, Senior Student Ye. In the past, my father and mother had each other, but my mother wasn't happy at all..."
"Now, my mother and I have each other, but if she is still as unhappy as she was before..."
"Then wouldn't I just be turning into soone like my father?"
As soon as she heard Mao Li Hina's words, Ye Shiyu's pupils abruptly shrank. She opened her mouth but remained speechless for a long ti.
Such a statent seed to have struck her with trendous impact.
"..."
"Actually, I was just afraid of losing my mother. It was just a lack of a sense of security..."
Mao Li Hina pursed her lips and said hesitantly,
"Last night, after I secretly told my mother that I agreed, she hugged
and cried tears of joy.
"I don't know why, but seeing her happy, I gradually stopped feeling afraid of losing her..."
"Instead, I feel like she will definitely, always stay by my side."
"..."
Ye Shiyu stared blankly at the girl in front of her. After a long silence, she lowered her gaze with a sense of loss and murmured softly,
"Is that... so?"
"Mhm."
Perhaps because the topic and atmosphere had beco slightly heavy, Mao Li Hina felt a little embarrassed.
Therefore, she quickly stood up, looked outside toward the bustling entrance of Class A, and added,
"Senior Student Ye, you seed really bothered just now by them randomly sending letters to the President. Is it because your family in the Dragon Country is relatively strict? Since that's the case, do you want to go check it out?"
"..."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu could not help but glance at the door, clearly tempted by the idea.
However, she remained seated. Despite attempting to stand up several tis, she ultimately did not get up and walk out the door.
It wasn't until the very end that she forced her gaze away and whispered to Mao Li Hina,
"Let's not. Let's just talk about the matter regarding the Brocade instead, alright?"
"Eh? Alright, Senior Student Ye!"
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