"Hmm, Sakuramiya, are you doing so sort of cosplay today? You look so mysterious."
Inside Far Moon Academy, Yurianna and Sakuramiya Hitomi sat in a shady spot on the Comrcial Street. Since it was not yet the lunch break, there was hardly anyone around, eliminating the worry of Self-Doubting Sakuramiya being exposed.
The truth was, Yurianna had been late this morning, which was why she ran into the equally tardy Sakuramiya Hitomi at the school gates.
The security guards were already familiar with the overly friendly, sowhat air-headed girl. After chatting for a few words and realizing that Sakuramiya was the vice president of the academy's Student Council, they let them through.
This naturally allowed Mouse Sakuramiya to enter the school grounds without any issues.
"Honestly, your health is already so poor, yet you ran so fast. Your face is deathly pale... Did no one drop you off today? You even ended up late just like ..."
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi, whose face was covered in cold sweat, finally dragged her gaze away from Yurianna's soft curves—curves whose very existence felt like an insult to her own figure—and t her deeply concerned expression.
"..."
After staring at Yurianna for a long ti, Sakuramiya Hitomi pursed her lips, a guilty look crossing her face.
"I am sorry, Yurianna. I have misunderstood you this whole ti... Actually, you are just a normal human capable of studying at Far Moon Academy..."
"Hey, hey?! What exactly did you think I was before this?"
'An idiot who belongs back in middle school,'
Sakuramiya Hitomi thought, but she did not say it out loud. Instead, a tense look washed over her face as she hurriedly asked Yurianna,
"Never mind that... Quickly tell , where is the president?!"
"The president? Uh... won't he be coming to the office during the lunch break?"
"Noon is too late! It has to be now!"
"Eh?!"
Yurianna cast a confused glance at the highly anxious Sakuramiya Hitomi, who looked as if Yan Huan would drop dead if they did not find him this very second.
Although puzzled, she took out her mobile phone and tagged Yan Huan in their group chat.
But after a good while, Yan Huan did not reply.
Instead, the helpful Yabashi Ki piped up in the chat,
"The president is busy with the Second-Year Departnt's Culture Festival right now, so he probably doesn't have ti to check his ssages."
"Ah, that's right, the president has been super busy lately. I heard he even helped Spencer and An Le make up and rebuilt the Doujinshi Society and all that. The president really loves doing things like this, doesn't he?"
'An Le and Spencer made up too?'
Mouse Sakuramiya absorbed the news but had no ti to ponder it. She just wanted to hurry up and head to the Second-Year Departnt to find Yan Huan.
"Thank you, Yurianna. I am going to the Second-Year Departnt right now, good..."
Smack!
Just as Sakuramiya Hitomi was about to leap up and run, barely finishing half of her farewell, Yurianna's hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder from behind.
This seemingly light pat felt as though it carried the weight of a boulder to Sakuramiya Hitomi. Like a ship's anchor, it dragged her into a stumble, pinning her exactly where she stood.
"..."
Breaking out in a slight sweat, Sakuramiya Hitomi slowly turned her head. She was t with Yurianna staring at her, eyes practically glowing green, a weird, mischievous grin plastered on her face.
"Hehe, Sakuramiya, what exactly are you looking for the president for?"
On the top of Yurianna's head, an errant strand of pink hair suddenly stood straight up, pointing directly toward the Second-Year Departnt...
'Oh no, Yurianna's gossip radar has activated!'
"I... I have so business..."
"Ooh, perfect! I also have so docunts to hand over to the president. Let's go together!"
"Wait, no..."
"Go, go, go! Let's head out!"
Before she could even finish, Yurianna jubilantly hauled Sakuramiya to her feet and sprinted toward the Teaching Building.
Truth be told, with the Yurianna-brand engine leading the way, their speed was vastly greater than if Sakuramiya Hitomi had walked there herself.
In a flash, the two vanished from the entrance of the Comrcial Street.
"Yiyi, do you already have soone in mind for the Flower Presentation Dance Invitation?!"
At that mont, by the door of Year B Class, which was currently being decorated for the festival, a few of Bai Yi's close friends stared in shock as she carefully pulled a fresh flower from her school bag.
Bai Yi had only been passing by and hadn't expected them to notice.
"Well..."
Hearing their exclamations, Bai Yi's face flushed slightly. After a brief mont of hesitation, she nodded.
"I suppose. Lately, there has been a boy I've been keeping an eye on for a long ti..."
"Eh?! Seriously?! Bai Yi, you're so pretty, yet you're actually taking the initiative... Who exactly is this boy in the school?!"
The sheer shock of the girls from Class B was plain to see.
But as Bai Yi spoke, a pair of mouse ears passing by the corridor gave a subtle twitch.
Imdiately after, Sakuramiya Hitomi peered from the shadows at the exquisitely beautiful, deeply bashful girl standing inside the corridor.
'That is...'
'Bai Yi?'
"That's... a secret."
"Aww, fine, fine. We'll find out during the End of Term High Table Dinner anyway. Well then... good luck, Yiyi."
"Thank you, hehe."
As Sakuramiya Hitomi observed Bai Yi, the aning behind the Flower Presentation Dance Invitation instantly surfaced in her mind.
For so reason, looking at the slightly flushed Bai Yi, a sudden ominous premonition seized her heart.
"Oh? Who is it that Bai Yi likes?"
Beside her, Yurianna—who had also been sneaking past the First-Year Departnt on their way to the Second-Year Departnt—rested her chin on Sakuramiya Hitomi's shoulder, peering at the lovesick-looking Bai Yi.
Atop her head, her gossip antenna cowlick, which had previously settled down, perked straight back up, aiming directly at Bai Yi.
Over there, the group of close friends finally walked away. Left alone, Bai Yi carried the flower and walked to the edge of the corridor.
Seeing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi subconsciously shrank to the side, as if an innate skill had triggered.
Playing with the field of vision, she squatted precisely in a blind spot. Through the leaves of a nearby plant, they could spy on and eavesdrop on Bai Yi, while remaining completely hidden from her sight.
"If I suddenly give this flower to Yan Huan to invite him to dance, he should accept it, right?"
Bai Yi murmured to herself, gazing at the bloom in her hands.
Hearing the words leave her mouth, Yurianna's eyes went wide. She pointed an accusing finger at Bai Yi.
"I knew she liked the Presi—Mmph!"
Before she could even finish, Sakuramiya Hitomi clamped a hand over her mouth.
Sakuramiya Hitomi had long known that Bai Yi liked the president, but she had deduced that it was mostly just unrequited love born out of excessive self-consciousness. It was impossible for her to make any real progress with him.
After all, back in Sakura Country, Sakuramiya Hitomi had seen all her clownish antics with her own eyes.
'If the president actually likes her, I will eat...'
"Well, after all... Yan Huan already took the initiative to confess to
before, saying all those things. And now we aren't having a cold war anymore, so..."
Bai Yi pursed her lips, cradling the flower as she whispered softly,
"I will present the flower and invite Yan Huan to dance. After the dance, Yan Huan will confess to . That way... we'll both have confessed to each other.
"After all, love isn't just a one-person affair."
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi's pupils contracted, and her mind instantly went blank.
She looked at Bai Yi in disbelief, seemingly trying to confirm whether the girl had gone hysterical and started speaking pure nonsense.
But looking at the genuine tenderness and shyness on her face, rather than arrogant confidence, Sakuramiya Hitomi felt an inexplicable, absolute certainty:
Everything she had just said was completely true!
'But when?'
'Wasn't this girl in the sa circus troupe as Ye Shiyu before?'
'How did things suddenly reach the point where the president confessed to her?!'
"Pfft~"
Hearing those thoroughly maidenly words, the nearby Yurianna stifled a laugh and lightly thumped Sakuramiya Hitomi's shoulder with her feminine fists.
"I really want to record everything she just said and play it out loud the mont the president officially announces their relationship. Hehe, the president would definitely be thrilled. ...Sakuramiya?"
Treating it as just juicy gossip about a good friend, Yurianna had gleefully begun her gossiping.
But the Sakuramiya beside her...
Was completely paralyzed in shock.
"Alright, it's decided! I'll give this flower to Yan Huan during the Culture Festival... Hmm-hmm-hmm~"
Completely oblivious to the fact that her muttering had been overheard, Bai Yi humd a cheerful tune as she walked back into the classroom.
"Heh, looks like there will be quite a show to watch at the Culture Festival. Co on, let's go, Sakuramiya."
"Ah... okay. Okay..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She cast one last glance back at the departing Bai Yi before following Yurianna toward the Second-Year Departnt.
The Second-Year Departnt was extrely lively, perhaps due to Yan Huan's presence.
Standing on the first floor by the courtyard corridor connecting to the First-Year Departnt, Yurianna brought a hand to her brow, searching around.
"The president... Where is the president? Let
take a look..."
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi pursed her lips, also scanning their surroundings.
Amidst the bustling crowds, they did not spot the eye-catching young man. Instead, they suddenly heard a faint conversation sound floating down from upstairs.
"Senior Student Ye, are you knitting this bouquet because of that?"
"...Yes."
From above, a cold, entirely flat female voice drifted down, perfectly painting the image of a profoundly aloof girl, much like a snow lotus blooming on an icy peak.
Just hearing the voice made it remarkably easy to guess who was speaking.
'It's Ye Shiyu!'
Sakuramiya Hitomi and Yurianna realized this simultaneously, raising their eyes upward. On the second floor, directly above where they stood, Ye Shiyu held an exquisitely crafted, hand-knitted peony, her gaze completely composed.
The flower language of a peony is "Of all the millions, I love only you"—a perfectly fitting sentint for a confession.
She...
Did not want to just be Xiao Huan's older sister anymore; she wanted to be his...
"Wow, can I... can I ask? The person you like, Senior Student Ye, is it..."
Beside Ye Shiyu, Mao Li Hina covered her mouth, her eyes practically sparkling with ravenous curiosity.
Hearing the question, Ye Shiyu twirled the flower between her fingers. In a rare display of uncertainty, she gently bit her lip and hesitated.
"It's Xiao Huan."
"Xiao Huan?"
Mao Li Hina paused blankly for a second before sudden realization struck. Her mouth stiffened slightly.
"But... President Yan is your younger brother, right, Senior Student Ye?"
Ye Shiyu imdiately turned her head, replying tonelessly,
"Yes. But... I like him."
"Still, wouldn't things be incredibly difficult between you and President Yan?"
Since onlookers see more clearly, Mao Li Hina paused for a second and hesitantly said,
"Not to ntion the many girls who like President Yan, just the fact that you have an older sister and younger brother relationship is already..."
"That is why... I want to try my hardest to beco better. I want to correct my flaws and mistakes. That way, no matter what difficulties arise, I can find the courage to face them just this once."
Listening to Ye Shiyu's flat yet devastatingly sincere words, Mao Li Hina pursed her lips, a resolute look settling on her face.
She tightly grabbed Ye Shiyu's hands, loudly cheering her on.
"You can definitely do it, Senior Student Ye!"
"..."
Looking at Mao Li Hina's small hands touching her own, Ye Shiyu, for the first ti ever, did not feel the usual disgust of having her territory infringed upon. Instead, she felt a trace of genuine warmth.
That warmth pushed her into offering a faint, unpracticed smile as she clumsily replied,
"...Thank you."
"Yes! Then let's hurry up and get to the Sewing Club to finish the brocade! That way, you'll have free ti during the Culture Festival to prepare your confession to President Yan!"
"Mm!"
Up above, Ye Shiyu and Mao Li Hina gradually walked away.
Down below, Yurianna wiped the sweat from her brow as her perked-up gossip antenna cowlick slowly drooped back down.
"Did we just overhear sothing incredibly major? Even Senior Student Ye is aiming for the president..."
"Waku waku! Unrequited love between an older sister and younger brother!! This is earth-shattering gossip! Sakuramiya, you really are my lucky charm!
"Whenever I hang out with you, I get to do so much gossiping. Right, Sakuramiya—hey, hey, hey, Sakuramiya?!"
Rubbing her chin like a master detective, Yurianna turned her head to ask Sakuramiya Hitomi's opinion.
But behind her, Sakuramiya Hitomi stood with her eyes bulged out, looking as though her entire being had faded into a bleak monochro.
From head to toe, the aura of pure despair practically poured out of her.
"..."
Self-Doubting Sakuramiya had spent all this ti inside the Jiejiè. She only vaguely knew that Hitomi, unwilling to repeat past mistakes, had called upon Perfect Sakuranomiya to take her place.
Although Mouse Sakuramiya was deeply afraid of Perfect Sakuranomiya, deep down, she actually agreed with her thods.
Because Mouse Sakuramiya severely lacked confidence in herself. She even believed that things would be better off without her.
But now, stepping out of the Jiejiè and entering reality, she discovered that after Perfect Sakuranomiya had steered the ship for so long, the situation had bizarrely beco infinitely worse.
Bai Yi, who was supposed to just be performing her clown acts, was now randomly jumping into a romantic relationship. Ye Shiyu, who was supposed to be terrifying and rotting in a sewer, had suddenly decided to turn over a new leaf.
Even An Le—that yandere suicide bomber who only knew how to kill and fight—had started becoming bright and sunny, even managing to make up with Spencer after their falling out...
Only she and the president were still...
At this mont, Mouse Sakuramiya felt like she had bankrupted herself to hire an expert account booster to reach a prestigious rank she could only ever dream of.
Only to realize the expert she hired was playing with prosthetic hands.
After grinding for so long, ruining lives, and surrendering control of her entire existence, she could no longer even see the back views of the low-rank players who used to be beneath her.
If Hitomi couldn't do it, and Perfect Sakuranomiya couldn't do it either, what else was she supposed to do?
'Could it be that the president and I are truly...'
Not to ntion, Perfect Sakuranomiya was actively trying to kill the president right now.
"Wuwu..."
The sheer sadness of it all overca Sakuramiya. Her body went weak as she lowered her head, squatting on the ground and breaking into sobs.
"Sakuramiya, what's wrong? Aren't you looking for the president anymore?"
"..."
'That's right, I still need to go save the president.'
'I can't afford to think about all of this right now...'
"I... I am fine... I..."
Thinking this, Sakuramiya Hitomi wiped away her tears and prepared to stand up to continue her search for Yan Huan.
But standing before her, Yurianna stared at her. A sudden realization hit the pink-haired girl, and she asked in utter disbelief,
"Don't tell ... you like the president too?"
"!!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes shot wide open, staring right at Yurianna.
Those words ruthlessly struck Mouse Sakuramiya right in the heart. The neutral expression she had tried her hardest to maintain after wiping her tears steadily crumpled into misery once again.
She bit her lip, battling with herself for a long ti. Eventually, she lowered her eyes and gave a slow, fragile nod.
"..."
Yurianna's expression contorted into an abstract ss. She seed to hesitate to speak for an eternity before finally shifting her gaze away. With a shadow cast over her face, she deadpanned,
"Ah, it really is like this. This is truly terrible..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi hadn't been triggered by the multiple cup sizes separating her from Yurianna, but this single sentence thoroughly broke her defenses.
She glared angrily at Yurianna, unable to stop herself from demanding,
"Wait a minute! Why can you fangirl when those two, Ye Shiyu and Bai Yi, like the president, but the second I say I like him, you make a face like that?!"
With that, Mouse Sakuramiya grabbed Yurianna by the shoulders and started shaking her back and forth.
Despite exerting all her strength, Yurianna's body swayed back and forth by no more than five degrees.
Feeling Sakuramiya Hitomi's weakling-level strength, Yurianna scoffed and awkwardly replied,
"Actually... I shipped you and the president at the very beginning too. Especially when he took you out of your house to go watch the fireworks together. I thought for sure you two would end up married..."
"Exactly!! So—"
But in the next second, Yurianna swiftly turned her head back, shooting Sakuramiya Hitomi a deadpan stare.
"But despite all of that, it has been an entire year, and nothing has happened between you and the president, has it?"
"..."
Hearing this, the fiercely aggressive grip of Sakuramiya Hitomi gradually weakened.
"Hey, hey, hey, even a brainless diehard shipping fanatic has their limits, okay?
"A whole term in the Student Council, endless daily companionship day in and day out, and the president even pulled off such a wildly romantic gesture! Yet, the two of you still made exactly zero progress.
"Now the Student Council is about to disband, and it's not even certain if the president is running for the next term. You two are on the verge of going your separate ways, while all the other girls are positioning themselves to climb to the top!
"And now, you are telling —the utterly exhausted captain of your ship—that you like the president?
"Hey, hey, hey, are you joking with
right now?"
Yurianna glared condescendingly down at Sakuramiya Hitomi, whose face was increasingly filling with a guilty conscience, and asked her syllable by syllable,
"Where were you all this ti, you idiot?"
"Wuwu... stop... stop scolding ..."
Realizing she was being lectured by the airhead who belonged back in middle school, Self-Doubting Sakuramiya completely lost the battle against her tears.
"Wuwuwuwu..."
"..."
Watching the weeping Sakuramiya Hitomi, Yurianna let out a heavy sigh. She then reached behind her head.
Swish~
With a light tug, her long, pink hair tumbled loose around her shoulders.
It appeared she had removed the hair accessory that had been tying her hair back.
"Dammit, you are such a thoughtless idiot, entirely disregarding the life or death of your own ship captain!!"
Yurianna puffed out her cheeks, her eyes narrowing into a fierce-looking glare.
She grabbed Sakuramiya Hitomi's hand and practically slamd the hair clip right into her palm.
"Th-this is..."
The sobbing Mouse Sakuramiya froze slightly. Looking down, she saw a "hydrangea" styled hair clip resting in her hand.
"Listen to
clearly! If you really do like the president, then beat all those other girls to it and give this to him!"
"B-but..."
"But what?! There are no buts! Ahhh! Looks, family backgrounds, personalities—bringing any of that up now is complete bullshit!! This is your absolute last chance!!"
Yurianna's face was dead serious. She tightened her grip on Sakuramiya's hand, forcing her fingers securely around the imitation flower.
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi opened her mouth. Her frail, sickly, yet highly sensitive hands steadily mapped out the sharp, tangible contours of the plastic bouquet on the hair clip.
A violent gust of wind suddenly tore through, tossing the pink-haired girl's long tresses wildly into the air.
Yurianna's eyes flashed fiercely as she raised her index finger, pointing it dead center at Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes.
Like a bolt of lightning, she smashed straight through the girl's final walls of hesitation and defense,
"[Present the flower with your purest good intention, and invite them to dance with you in the pri of your youth.]
"That is the absolute winning path of the Flower Presentation Dance Invitation!!
"If you like soone, then say it out loud, you complete idiot Sakuramiya!!
"Just ask yourself if you like the president. That makes it completely clear, doesn't it?!"
Facing the finger pointed straight into her face, Self-Doubting Sakuramiya slowly brought up the plastic hydrangea.
Then, her lips trembling, she personally voiced the words she had never dared to say out loud before,
"Yes..."
"I like Yan Huan...
"I like him so, so much..."
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