Restricted Fantasy I Chapter 302: Cat and Mouse

The next day, the morning light fell equally across every corner of Linn. Whether it was the expensive real estate of Kyogo Ward or the bustling, down-to-earth South Ward, the sun shone just the sa.

Rays of light slipped through the gap in the curtains and rested on Yan Huan's eyes, casting shadows from his eyelashes that looked like the tender leaves of early spring.

A second later, the sunlight stirred him from his sleep, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Mmn..."

His vision remained dreamy and blurred for a few seconds before gradually becoming clear.

Subconsciously, he tried to move his body, having only just regained control of it, but felt a heavy weight on one side and a gentle lightness on the other.

Only then did he rember how he had fallen asleep last night.

"..."

Yan Huan lifted his head slightly to look at his right side, the source of the heavy weight.

There, he saw a black cat resting against his chest, sprawled out in a deeply relaxed posture.

Exposing his belly, his eyes slightly open and dreamy, his tiny, barbed pink tongue hung out of his mouth without a shred of divine dignity. He looked to be sleeping soundly.

It was Myau-chan.

"You rascal..."

Yan Huan muttered, turning his head to look at the lighter side.

All he saw was the slightly bulging bedding, and a pair of Mickey Mouse-like ears poking out from a gap in the covers.

"..."

Yan Huan blinked, then carefully pinched the edge of the bedding and lifted it just a fraction.

He discovered Mouse Sakuramiya sleeping sweetly, her arms wrapped around him as if she were hiding in a cozy cave.

'Isn't she suffocating in there?'

Mouse Sakuramiya's face was identical to the real Sakuramiya's—peaceful, delicate, and beautiful, causing Yan Huan's gaze to linger for a long ti.

Truth be told, before the modifiers had invaded, he used to have dreams exactly like this.

He had dread that after graduation, he would confess to Sakuramiya, and they would pledge to spend the rest of their lives together.

And then, every morning, he would wake up just like this.

'To think that because of the modifiers, this dream has actually co true early...'

Yan Huan had no intention of waking the sleeping Sakuramiya. He glanced at the ti; since it was still early, he decided to lie in bed a while longer to observe her sleeping face.

Observing the sleeping faces of those sharing his pillow was sothing of a minor hobby for Yan Huan.

Because he was in the habit of waking up early, he usually rose before the girls, affording him this opportunity.

Spencer's sleeping posture, for instance, was completely carefree. When she slept, her mouth would hang slightly open, her limbs sprawled out in all directions.

In fact, on their second night sleeping together, Yan Huan had woken up to find that she had completely turned around in her sleep, practically shoving her foot right next to his mouth.

As for An Le, she preferred to sleep curled up.

As if afraid of disturbing him while she slept, her subconscious told her to hug the edge of the bed, occupying as little space as possible. Every ti Yan Huan pulled her back into his arms, it wouldn't be long before she unknowingly shrank back to the edge.

But ultimately, she always faced his direction.

But as for Sakuramiya...

She seemingly loved burying herself under the bedding, hiding in an enclosed space. He had no idea how she ever got used to such a suffocating way of sleeping.

"Mmn..."

Perhaps because Yan Huan had lifted the bedding, letting the morning light spill into her hiding place, her previously peaceful face crinkled up, and she let out a cute, sleepy whine.

Worried about disturbing her sweet dreams, Yan Huan quickly lowered the bedding, covering her head once more.

Rustle... rustle...

But by now, her consciousness had shifted from deep slumber to a dreamy haze, and she began to stir beneath the covers.

Yan Huan felt the hands that had been hugging his waist shift restlessly. It seed she wanted to find a more comfortable position, but—

"Eh, what is this... the remote control for the air conditioner?"

She seed to have grabbed onto sothing.

Hearing this, Myau-chan was apparently awoken by Sakuramiya's muffled voice under the blankets. He let out a massive yawn and opened his eyes.

"A remote control? What remote control, ow?"

He glanced over at the nightstand, noting that the remote for Yan Huan's inefficient air conditioner was resting exactly where it always did.

'So, what remote control is she talking about, ow?'

While the cat was still groggy, Yan Huan's pupils shrank. He sucked in a breath of cold air and hastily reached down to grab Sakuramiya's small hand.

"Eh?"

Having her hand suddenly seized finally snapped Mouse Sakuramiya awake. The next second, she opened her eyes and looked at what she had just been holding.

"Eep!"

His face dark, Yan Huan pulled Sakuramiya's little hand outward, effortlessly dragging her out from under the bedding.

Pulled into the open, Sakuramiya blushed profusely, blinking up at Yan Huan with a look of utter shock.

"...I-I'm sorry... President..."

"..."

Staring at the adorable Mouse Sakuramiya in front of him, Yan Huan suppressed the urge to play a real-life ga of Whack-a-Mole and forced out a smile.

"Good morning."

"Morning, President."

With that said, Yan Huan imdiately turned and got out of bed, tossing the limp Myau-chan off his chest in the process.

"ow!"

Yan Huan panted slightly as he headed for the restroom to wash up. Although Myau-chan grumbled and cursed, he raised his tail and followed along, only to have the door slamd in his face, leaving him locked outside.

"ow! ow!"

Watching the black cat stand on its hind legs to relentlessly scratch at the restroom door, Mouse Sakuramiya couldn't help but laugh from the bed.

But, the President's...

Blushing deeply, Mouse Sakuramiya stealthily raised her right hand, holding up her thumb and index finger to trace the approximate distance based on her mory.

Since her hands were so small, one hand wasn't enough, so she added her left hand to put the picture together.

Having made a rough estimate, she maintained the posture with her fingers.

Lowering her head, she lifted the Boyfriend Shirt she was wearing, using her chin to hold it up before placing her hands in front of her lower abdon.

After a brief asurent, Mouse Sakuramiya's eyes widened in profound shock.

'Can that really fit inside?'

"..."

Mouse Sakuramiya swallowed her saliva, her mind racing with the thought.

"The school's Culture Festival is coming up soon, so the Student Council will be very busy. Perfect Sakuramiya shouldn't be able to find you outside of the barrier... Just make absolutely sure you don't run around."

Having changed into his clothes, Yan Huan turned back to look at Mouse Sakuramiya and carefully instructed her.

"Okay!"

"I'll go to school and see if there's any way to find out which part of her body she's hiding her barrier in. If anything cos up, I'll be back tonight to tell you."

"Got it!"

"As for lunch, there's a little food in the fridge..."

Listening to Yan Huan's muttering, Mouse Sakuramiya seed to wander off in a daze, her eyes constantly darting down below his waist.

She stared for a long ti, then cast another look at her own petite body.

"..."

Unconsciously, she pouted.

"Are you listening, Sakuramiya?"

"Ah, yes, yes I am!"

"...Well then, that's everything. I'm heading out."

"Mhm..."

Just then, Sakuramiya suddenly thought of sothing and asked him,

"Oh, President, am I allowed to use the internet?"

"You can. The computer is in the bedroom, and there's no password."

"Thank you, President!"

Yan Huan smiled faintly but then rembered sothing else and turned back to her.

"By the way, Myau-chan goes out to play during the day, so he won't be in the house. You don't need to worry about him; he'll co back on his own at night."

"Oh, okay, sounds good."

After all, Myau-chan was bound to a fifteen-ter radius around Yan Huan. If he stayed ho and suddenly vanished into thin air in front of Sakuramiya once Yan Huan walked too far away, that would be a disaster.

Having given all his instructions, Yan Huan felt relieved. He turned and left the rental apartnt, bringing Myau-chan along with him.

Watching him leave, Mouse Sakuramiya wore a thoughtful expression.

"Oh my, this feels just like a devoted wife seeing her husband off to work..."

Thinking of such an embarrassing scenario, Mouse Sakuramiya couldn't help but blush, her heart filling with longing.

'Should I do so chores around the house or sothing?'

'But the President's house is already so neat and clean...'

'It seems he pays a lot of attention to hygiene on a regular basis.'

Little did she know, most of the credit for that belonged to An Le.

She simply continued to fantasize about the duties she should fulfill as his "new wife."

'Mmn, then there's dinner and drawing the hot water so he can take a shower. I need to have everything ready for when the President returns!'

'Then, tonight when he cos back, I can ask him...'

"President, would you like dinner first, a shower, or... ?"

Letting her wildly vivid imagination run free, Mouse Sakuramiya patted her burning cheeks and turned to look at the quiet bedroom.

But before she could deliver a line like that, she still had sothing important to take care of!

Patter-patter-patter.

Mouse Sakuramiya hurried into the bedroom, turned on Yan Huan's computer, and opened the browser.

She pursed her lips as she looked at the search bar, raising her fingers to type:

"How to cure Intimacy Disorder with your husband?"

Below, an AI response instantly popped up:

"Treatnt thods for Displayed Coldness: 1..."

'I don't have Displayed Coldness!!'

'I... I...'

Blushing profusely, Mouse Sakuramiya lowered her head and typed in a new, longer query.

However, as she read through the results, she suddenly caught sight of a webcam resting off to the side from the corner of her eye.

That was...

Her own webcam?

Right. Co to think of it, the other end of this cara feed was still connected to Mama Sakuramiya's barrier.

'I wonder how things are going over there after I left the barrier...'

'Did Cool Sakuramiya, Mama Sakuramiya, and Petite Hitomi manage to escape?'

With that thought in mind, she pursed her lips and picked up the webcam.

She didn't turn it on imdiately. Instead, she turned to grab the bedding from the bed, draping it over the computer, the webcam, and herself like a tent.

This way, it would be absolutely impossible to expose the fact that she was currently hiding in the President's ho.

Click.

Once she was secure beneath the covers, she finally turned on the webcam and grabbed a data cable to connect it to Yan Huan's computer.

In truth, the cara's connection was a two-way street; logging into the device allowed both sides to see each other. Yan Huan just hadn't known about this feature earlier.

Bzzzt...

After a brief mont of static as the signal connected, the scene on the other side appeared on Yan Huan's screen.

Over there, inside Mama Sakuramiya's barrier, the tea-drinking tables and chairs were still arranged neatly.

Shortly after, Mouse Sakuramiya spotted Mama Sakuramiya pacing anxiously back and forth inside the flower room, examining the cara she had left behind.

"...Mama Sakuramiya?"

Seeing that Mama Sakuramiya was completely unhard, Mouse Sakuramiya spoke softly, calling out to her.

"Eh?"

Hearing the voice, Mama Sakuramiya paused in surprise and turned her head toward the lens.

"Self-Doubting Sakuramiya... You... it's you, right?"

"Ah, it's ."

"Thank goodness, you're safe!"

"Mhm." Mama Sakuramiya hurriedly walked closer and asked,

"Where are you right now? Was the plan a success?"

"I..."

Hearing this, Mouse Sakuramiya pursed her lips, opting not to tell the whole truth. She simply said,

"I'm currently hiding in a barrier right now. I'm fine for the ti being. What about your side? What's the situation?"

"I evacuated all the Sakuramiyas over here right away, but she... didn't co to us. Instead, she followed you to the Brain Command Center."

Mama Sakuramiya's expression was incredibly tense and serious. Staring at the cara, she hurriedly told Self-Doubting Sakuramiya,

"The crux of the problem now is that sothing has happened to Cool Sakuramiya!"

"Cool Sakuramiya..."

It finally dawned on Mouse Sakuramiya. When she and the President had made their imdiate escape from the Brain Command Center to reality, Cool Sakuramiya was still...

"She was killed by Perfect Sakuramiya. But even worse, have you forgotten that she's the only one among us who doesn't like the President?!"

"Huh?"

'That isn't right. Cool Sakuramiya does like the President, even if it's just a little bit.'

'I was the one who hid under her bed and saw the secret stash she kept of the President. I got jealous and purposely pushed her out into the open so the President would find out...'

'What's going on?'

"She was killed and absorbed by Perfect Sakuramiya. Originally, this trait should have been erased, but for so reason, it seems Perfect Sakuramiya preserved it—and it's gotten even worse!"

On the other end, seeing Mouse Sakuramiya remain silent, Mama Sakuramiya picked up the cara feed and walked out of the flower room.

Outside, a deafening voice that seed to echo through every barrier reached Mouse Sakuramiya's ears.

"Hello everyone. This is Perfect Sakuramiya. I am speaking to you directly from Hitomi's Brain Command Center.

"It is precisely because Hitomi loves Yan Huan that she has depleted herself to such an extre state. And it was because of Hitomi's desires that I was forced to resort to killing all of you.

"But now, I have suddenly realized sothing... Why should I kill my own kin, you who were originally parts of Hitomi?

"Instead of relying on a thod that harms ourselves, wouldn't simply killing Yan Huan be a far better choice?"

Hearing the broadcast coming from outside the flower room, Mouse Sakuramiya's pupils contracted in horror, her face draining of color.

She suddenly rembered a horrifying fact: the traits of the Sakuramiyas killed by Perfect Sakuramiya didn't just vanish or linger passively—they were completely subject to her manipulation.

Cool Sakuramiya's supposed 'dislike for the President' was nothing more than tsundere behavior that leaned much closer to 'loving the President' than actually 'hating the President'!

But Perfect Sakuramiya could actively manipulate that trait, pushing it entirely toward the extre end of 'hatred'!

'So, that's why she wants to directly...'

"Therefore, starting from this mont, I will cease my hunt against all Sakuramiyas and shift my target to killing Yan Huan.

"That is all."

Through the webcam, Mama Sakuramiya furrowed her brows. For the very first ti, she revealed an expression of genuine anger as she addressed Self-Doubting Sakuramiya.

"That damn monster! I'd rather have her keep hunting us down than let her do this!"

"..."

"After all, the President knows absolutely nothing about our barrier. If he runs into her in reality, he's..."

"..."

As Mama Sakuramiya spoke, she glanced down at the webcam in her hands, only to realize the connection had been severed long ago.

As a result, Mouse Sakuramiya never heard her final sentence.

That crucial, fatal flaw in her logic—the sentence that exposed how she had no idea Yan Huan had actually visited the barrier and was already involved in the plan to 'save the real Sakuramiya'.

"..."

Staring at the disconnected webcam, the fierce, united in hatred anger on Mama Sakuramiya's face slowly lted away, turning into an expression of bone-chilling coldness.

Squelch...

The next second, her appearance and clothes began to warp and change.

Until she had completely transford into Perfect Sakuramiya.

Rumble!!

The peaceful flower room around her began to crumble away, shattering like an illusion to reveal the blood-soaked reality hidden beneath.

This place was, in fact, the original Brain Command Center.

In truth, she hadn't killed Cool Sakuramiya at all.

It wasn't that she couldn't; rather, the ti she had left simply wasn't enough to waste on dealing with extras.

She had to kill Self-Doubting Sakuramiya imdiately and launch her offensive on the President.

Furthermore, even if she did kill Cool Sakuramiya, her fabricated claim of manipulating a trait to 'hate Yan Huan' was entirely false.

"..."

Perfect Sakuramiya only went to such lengths because she knew Self-Doubting Sakuramiya had escaped into reality.

She had obtained the authority to walk in reality from this very place, and having seen Cool Sakuramiya completely alone, any idiot could figure it out:

Self-Doubting Sakuramiya had most likely acquired the sa authority to walk in reality.

Although she didn't know how that mouse had managed to convince the Spectacles Sakuramiya here, remaining inside the barrier ant certain death for Self-Doubting Sakuramiya.

What's more, that rain shower indicated that Hitomi's main body was incredibly happy.

This suggested that Mouse Sakuramiya had likely made so sort of progress out in reality.

For instance, successfully planting a webcam in the President's room without him noticing.

This was the only possibility Perfect Sakuramiya could conjure up.

She simply couldn't comprehend it. As long as she eliminated this Self-Doubting Sakuramiya, she could conquer the President using a much more normal, perfect thod.

Yet, the entire barrier top to bottom was rejoicing over a milestone achieved by a rat repeating the sa mistakes of voyeurism...

'Am I the abnormal one here?'

She just...

...wanted the ability to be proactive with the President, that was all.

But regardless, this proved one absolute truth: after escaping to reality, that rat was still hiding sowhere in Linn.

That was why Perfect Sakuramiya had crafted this false narrative, using Yan Huan's life as bait to lure the rat out of her hole.

"..."

In truth, Perfect Sakuramiya was also gambling.

Because Self-Doubting Sakuramiya's innate traits guaranteed she would never take the initiative with the President. Even ard with this information, Perfect Sakuramiya couldn't be entirely sure the mouse would actually show herself.

But Perfect Sakuramiya was truly out of options. Her ti limit was rapidly approaching, leaving her no choice but to resort to this desperate ploy.

She could only pray that the damn rat would expose herself. Even if the mouse was just hiding in the dark to watch, Perfect Sakuramiya could sniff her out and kill her...

Knock-knock-knock!

Right at that mont, the sound of soone knocking at a door reached her ears.

Perfect Sakuramiya's eyes shifted, and the surrounding scenery instantly morphed into her boudoir.

She turned to the locked door, walked over, and unlocked it.

Click.

"Eldest Miss, Madam Lily has returned."

Standing in the doorway was Nara, dressed in a sharp won's suit.

"Mama?"

Hearing this, Perfect Sakuramiya paused for a mont before replying,

"Alright, I'll be right down."

She stepped out of her room, fully crossing over into reality.

But as she brushed past Nara, she suddenly recalled sothing and shot her a radiant smile, asking,

"Nara, why does it feel like you've been so cold to

lately?"

"Ah, really?"

Nara shot her a brief glance, a similarly polite smile playing on her lips.

"Well, it might just be because it's my ti of the month."

"Is that so? Then... make sure you get so rest."

Nara nodded noncommittally and accompanied Sakuramiya downstairs.

As they reached the stairwell, the two prepared to part ways.

Sakuramiya headed for the living room to see Sakuramiya Lily, while Nara went off to resu her duties.

But just as Sakuramiya Hitomi turned away, Nara's casual voice drifted over from behind her,

"Or perhaps, it's because the previous Eldest Miss, despite her clumsiness, treated

like a sister and was simply more endearing."

"..."

At those words, Sakuramiya Hitomi furrowed her brow and glanced back.

But Nara had already vanished around the end of the corridor, nowhere to be seen.

"..."

Sakuramiya kept her thoughts to herself, turning back to continue her walk to the living room.

In the living room, Sakuramiya Lily was sipping black tea, a warm smile on her face.

"Ah, Hitomi, you're here? Hurry, co here! Mama has so wonderful news for you!"

"Eh? Wonderful news?"

Sakuramiya blinked in feigned innocence, allowing Sakuramiya Lily to firmly pull her down onto the sofa.

Sakuramiya Lily grasped her hands and whispered softly into her ear,

"Mama managed to secure you an opportunity to intern alongside Yan Huan at the Jinshi Group over the sumr vacation~"

"Interning... together?"

"That's right. You'll be handling liaison work, aning you'll get to spend the entire day together~ Isn't that much better than at school, where you're in different classes and only get to see him in the Student Council Office during the morning or at noon?"

Liaison work... spending the entire day together...

Thinking of this, Perfect Sakuramiya's slightly weary eyes finally lit up with a rare glint of genuine longing.

'Sumr vacation, huh...'

'That's still...'

'...a bit far away.'

'But, as long as I kill Self-Doubting Sakuramiya and successfully launch my offensive on the President...'

'...I'll have plenty of ti to reach sumr vacation and intern together with him.'

'I...'

'...absolutely must survive until then.'

"Yes, thank you, Mama!"

With these thoughts anchoring her resolve, Perfect Sakuramiya's feminine fists slowly clenched tight.

Yet, when she looked up at Sakuramiya Lily, her smile remained absolutely flawless.

Only she herself knew the truth.

Today, she would risk absolutely everything to eliminate Self-Doubting Sakuramiya once and for all.

Reality. South Ward.

The door to Yan Huan's rental apartnt flew open, revealing Mouse Sakuramiya, who had rummaged through the place until she found one of Yan Huan's oversized hoodies to drape over herself.

She was wearing a pair of his shorts, which she had secured by wrapping a belt around her waist twice just to keep them from falling off.

And Yan Huan's hoodie, reaching all the way down to her knees, perfectly concealed her upright tail.

"Pant... pant... President..."

Having hastily grabbed the spare cash she found in his drawer, she sprinted out of the apartnt.

She had to get to the President's side as quickly as possible!

She didn't dare imagine what would happen to him if Perfect Sakuramiya—who possessed imnse strength and the reality-bending barrier—tried to kill him.

'If the President dies...'

'No...'

Bang!

The apartnt door slamd shut. Given her weak constitution and the fact that she was actively sobbing, Mouse Sakuramiya began to pant heavily after taking only a few steps.

But she ignored her burning lungs and sprinted downstairs, desperate to reach Far Moon Academy in the Kyogo Ward.

"Waaah... Pre... sob... President!"

Stumbling precariously out of the apartnt building, her small face dreadfully pale, she forced herself to keep running toward the subway.

The chilly morning wind blew against her, scattering the cold sweat dripping from her forehead and the teardrops at the corners of her eyes.

But no sooner had the wind swept one tear away than another sprang forth to take its place.

Right now, Self-Doubting Sakuramiya was focused wholeheartedly on sprinting toward the subway entrance, entirely unaware that as she ran...

...the ears atop her head and the tail behind her had subconsciously shrunk by a fraction.