"..."
At the door, Tong Yingying's face grew redder and redder. Soon, her expression completely shattered, losing her emotional composure in the exact sa way Perfect Sakuranomiya had when Yan Huan exposed her disguise earlier.
Seeing this, Yan Huan beca even more certain that the person standing before him was Perfect Sakuranomiya in disguise.
This made Yan Huan sowhat displeased.
After all, when she left earlier, she had explicitly stated that she wasn't doing this as so sort of test, which had left Yan Huan feeling frustrated and guilty for guessing incorrectly.
But now she was playing these tricks again and had been exposed for a second ti. Wasn't she just ssing with him?
Therefore, Yan Huan dropped his own act and continued to fire away at the woman in front of him.
"And that's not all! Would Sister Tong ever be as coy and gentle as you? She's normally like a crimson Tyrannosaurus Rex. What are you playing at, so timid little cupcake or a ek little lamb?"
"..."
Before him, Tong Yingying slightly lowered her head. Her red bangs fell like a beaded crown, obscuring her face in shadows.
"You'd better give up on that idea right now! Even if I have to stay here for the rest of my life, I will absolutely never..."
However, as Yan Huan approached her, his harsh words inevitably caught in his throat.
Because his sharp eyes suddenly caught sight of a familiar corner of a cylindrical taser poking out from under Tong Yingying's jacket.
Yan Huan had already seen that thing many tis before.
It was just that this ti, because he was standing so close, he saw it extrely clearly...
He even saw the fully illuminated battery signal light at the bottom of the taser, indicating it was fully charged.
"..."
Wait a minute!
That thing... was Sister Tong's personal item. He had only seen it in its entirety once despite spending so much ti with her. Could Sakuramiya possibly know about it?
Could it be...
Yan Huan suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He blinked, raising innocent eyes to once again observe the red-haired woman in front of him.
He still couldn't see her face clearly, but a dark aura so thick it was almost tangible emanated from her body and washed over him, making the hair at Yan Huan's temples tremble slightly.
"This is bad, ow! Yan Huan! Stop talking!"
Off to the side, Myau-chan, who had appeared at so unknown point, had originally been curiously observing the woman, wanting to know her true identity.
But as Yan Huan continued to speak, a crisp cracking sound faintly echoed from her right hand stuffed in her pocket.
Myau-chan took a quick glance and suddenly realized that the sound was caused by her crushing the mobile phone in her pocket with a single hand, shattering the screen and slightly deforming it!
It was evident just how terrifying she was in this mont.
This... this is the real Sister Tong?!
That's not right, when did you turn over a new leaf and quit smoking? How co I didn't know about this!
It's... it's over!!
"Heh heh..."
Yan Huan stared blankly at Tong Yingying, who looked like she was already starting to use the Sun Breathing technique, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"Speak, keep talking... what other flaws are there?"
Hearing this, Yan Huan blinked. After a brief, lightning-fast mont of thought, he subconsciously opened his mouth.
"Naturally... there are."
"Heh... hehehe... tell ."
Yan Huan imdiately raised his right index finger, though at this mont, that raised finger looked sowhat trembling.
"Secondly, this is the Reality Barrier you, Sakuramiya, deployed to hunt down Self-Doubting Sakuramiya. When I stopped you and ran down, the entire building was dead silent. There was absolutely no one else around. Sister Tong couldn't possibly be here!"
"I..."
Tong Yingying took a deep breath, trying to explain in a hoarse voice.
But after she had barely spoken a single word, Yan Huan abruptly interrupted her.
"Furthermore, Sister Tong cares about
a lot; she is the person I trust the most. If she saw that I was injured, she would definitely notice imdiately and ask
about it...
"As the chief culprit who slashed , you're still here pretending to be her. Do you know that my Sister Tong will co to settle the score with you later?"
Tong Yingying froze, the anger radiating from her body suddenly dissipating quite a bit.
Her crimson eyes hastily darted to Yan Huan's hand, which was stained with a scarlet hue despite being wrapped in bandages, and her expression slightly shifted.
"You're injured..."
However, Yan Huan still didn't give her a chance to speak, continuing to interrupt,
"Lastly! Even though the Sister Tong you are pretending to be right now is very gentle and lovable, I still prefer the real Sister Tong.
"Which ans, no matter what she is like, even if she's the Tyrannosaurus Rex I described, she's the one I like!"
Tong Yingying pursed her lips. Looking at Yan Huan, who was still presenting his logical argunts with utmost certainty, she pursed her lips again for a mont and turned her head away, sowhat embarrassed.
But in the next second, she turned back, scratching the back of her head in imnse annoyance, and fiercely said,
"Alright, alright, I really am your Sister Tong! I was in the won's restroom in the Club Building earlier; I never expected to get pulled in here...
"What happened to your injury? Did that Sakuramiya cut you?"
Yan Huan remained half-believing, half-doubting, asking with confusion,
"Hiss... are... are you really Sister Tong?"
"..."
Tong Yingying didn't say a word. She simply reached into her pocket and pulled out the taser.
Seeing this, Yan Huan imdiately revealed a look of deep regret.
"Oh man, Sister Tong, I didn't expect it to actually be you! You've beco so beautiful recently after quitting smoking and drinking that I didn't recognize you for a mont!"
Yan Huan wore an exaggerated expression. Rather than executing a flawless excuse, he deliberately allowed Tong Yingying to spot the hole in his act.
"Okay, okay, stop! Did you recognize
a long ti ago, you little punk? Were you purposely mocking
earlier?"
Tong Yingying nudged Yan Huan's chest with her elbow, calling him out in sheer speechlessness.
"How could I... it was all from my sincere heart, Sister Tong."
Yan Huan smiled helplessly, raising his hands in surrender.
Tong Yingying rolled her eyes at him but still lowered the taser.
Along with the taser, her previous rolling murderous intent was also laid to rest.
"Phew..."
Seeing Tong Yingying completely return to normal, Myau-chan off to the side couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, collapsing onto his back with all four paws in the air.
He didn't forget to secretly give Yan Huan a tiny thumbs-up with his paw as a sign of respect.
"...Since you were locked in here by her, co on, I'll take you out first."
Tong Yingying glanced at Yan Huan behind her. The words she originally wanted to say had been blocked by Yan Huan's sudden interruption and the strange anomaly of the Reality Barrier.
So she pursed her lips, left with no choice but to grab Yan Huan's arm and pull him toward the door.
"Ah, about that... Sister Tong, you can freely enter and exit Sakuramiya's Reality Barrier?"
Watching Tong Yingying act as if she were strolling through her own ho, Yan Huan felt quite perplexed.
After all, when she had entered just now, she had simply pushed the door open without any obstruction.
"What? I don't know either... I just saw her leave the Reality Barrier with my own eyes, and I don't know how long until she'll be back. If we don't slip away now, when will we? Let's at least run outside first."
"...No, I an this door."
"What about this door? Isn't it unlocked?"
Tong Yingying looked at Yan Huan like he was an idiot. Yan Huan was left speechless, simply watching as she gripped the door handle and gave it a light pull.
Click...
The door didn't open.
"Huh?"
Tong Yingying frowned. This ti, she released Yan Huan's hand and forcefully clamped both hands onto the door handle.
"Open... for !!"
She gave a low shout, her body suddenly erupting with superhuman strength.
Creak...
But the door, imbued with Barrier Power, remained impenetrable and wouldn't budge a single milliter.
In the next second, another paper slip slid in through the gap under the door.
"Damn it! Could it be that little tramp found out I'm here?! Is she playing gas with ?!"
Seeing the slip tossed in from outside, Tong Yingying's face darkened. She picked up the paper slip and, without even looking at it, tore it to shreds in an instant. Watching this from behind, Yan Huan's own face darkened.
Swish...
But the mont she tore it up, another one was tossed in from outside.
"I swear to..."
"Hey, hey, hey, Sister Tong, hold on, hold on... she's not back! The flow of ti here is different from the outside, it'll take her a long ti to return. This door is just like this; it's the power of the Modifier."
Upon hearing Yan Huan's explanation, Tong Yingying's face, burning with a rage akin to a Tyrannosaurus Rex, finally cooled down bit by bit.
"Huh?"
She seed to finally realize that the paper slip in her hand was actually extrely important.
Tong Yingying subconsciously looked down and read the contents of the slip,
"A room you can't leave unless you XX... Ha?! A room you can't leave unless you XX?!"
Tong Yingying's face instantly flushed crimson. She violently tore the slip to shreds once more, then stared in astonishnt at Yan Huan, whose face was full of sheer speechlessness.
Yan Huan let out a sigh, while Tong Yingying, her face brimming with shock, murmured to herself,
"Is that girl An Le really that terrifying? Sakuramiya only listened to a few sentences and actually comprehended such an insidious use of the Modifier... Are we sure that girl isn't a traitor?"
Hiss...
In truth, back at the swimming pool, what An Le had imparted to Sakuramiya was a ntal frawork on thodology, rather than specific operational instructions...
However, what she had taught Spencer were the specific moves.
This was the ticulousness of Teacher An Le. The so-called "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude" looked exactly like this.
When dealing with a slow learner like Aruiya, whose comprehension was lacking, she would pass on a ready-made thod that yielded fast results.
But for a highly intelligent disciple like Sakuramiya Hitomi, who rely lacked the opportunity for advancent, she took a much broader view, choosing to impart an overarching ntal frawork instead.
However, no one anticipated that the skill transmission session that day didn't just consist of An Le and Sakuramiya Hitomi...
There was also Tong Yingying!
aning, she had unintentionally stolen Teacher An Le's teachings as well!
At this thought, Tong Yingying's pupils contracted, and her gaze unavoidably locked onto Yan Huan at her side.
She saw him sigh helplessly and turn to walk toward the bed.
"...That's pretty much the situation, Sister Tong. If I had known the rule for this broken door was one-way, I wouldn't have suspected you when you first walked in...
"But it's fine. It seems that Sakuramiya won't hurt anyone other than the other Sakuramiyas. Even if you've wandered in, Sister Tong, she won't do anything to us when she gets back.
"It works out perfectly. I need to take this ti to carefully consider what we should do next."
Thump...
Saying this, Yan Huan spread his limbs and collapsed right onto the large, incredibly soft bed behind him, which was draped with pristine white sheets.
To Tong Yingying, it looked as though a freshly cooked delicacy had just been served on a pure white dinner plate.
Gulp...
Tong Yingying swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Her expression slightly unnatural, she glanced around before stealthily shifting her feet, slowly making her way over.
"I'll... co over and help you brainstorm."
"Ah, sure. Just don't co up with any more shocking ideas."
Completely unaware that the crimson Tyrannosaurus Rex approaching him was currently ravenous, Yan Huan humorously quipped.
"Mhm..."
It wasn't until Tong Yingying strangely opted not to shoot back a retort and simply plumped herself down right next to him that Yan Huan finally sensed sothing was slightly amiss.
"...Then, Sister Tong, let
first brief you on the current situ—"
He wanted to quickly get to the point, but Tong Yingying, fists tightly clenched, suddenly spun her head around and, as if throwing caution to the wind, demanded,
"Yan Huan, did you and An Le do that kind of thing?!"
"..."
This question left Yan Huan utterly dumbfounded on the spot.
He blinked, simply staring at Tong Yingying, unable to speak for a long ti. Seeing him like this, Tong Yingying didn't rush him. Instead, she pursed her lips nervously as she awaited his answer.
She was terrified—terrified that Yan Huan would say the kind of words she had imagined, words that would sever their relationship forever.
She felt she definitely wouldn't be able to handle it. She might even lose her mind right there and use her taser on his mouth to make him change his tune.
But after a long silence, Yan Huan's expression gradually grew serious.
He sat up straight and, with a hint of hesitation, opened his mouth to reply.
"Sister Tong... actually, after coming back from Akihabara that ti, I..."
"!!"
Hearing this, Tong Yingying's pupils instantly contracted, and even her face paled slightly.
Because this opening sentence was almost identical to the start of the relationship-severing speech she had imagined earlier.
Smack!!
And so, in the next second, while her mind was still blank, her hands seemingly moved of their own accord, turning into afterimages as they lunged fiercely toward Yan Huan.
"Tong—"
Yan Huan's body possessed the blessing of the Kiss God, yet he still couldn't completely see her movents, let alone react in ti.
Before his hands could even register the need to rise, he felt his arms being firmly pinned down by Tong Yingying.
Thump...
Then, the very next second, an imnse force transmitted through him, causing his entire body to uncontrollably fall backward onto the bed once more.
Panting heavily, Tong Yingying straddled him, sitting on top of him, gazing down directly into his eyes from above.
"..."
Yan Huan opened his mouth slightly, not putting up any resistance. He just looked up at Tong Yingying, whose red hair cascaded down softly due to gravity.
"Haha..."
"Sister Tong..."
Resting upon him, Tong Yingying pursed her lips, and whispered with a tinge of sorrow,
"Do you think I'm not beautiful?"
"How could I... Sister Tong is the number one Beauty in the South Ward. It's universally acknowledged."
Tong Yingying paused, then spat at him,
"Who the hell acknowledged it? How co I didn't know?"
"I acknowledge it."
"..."
Looking at the earnest expression on Yan Huan's face beneath her, Tong Yingying pursed her lips and shifted her gaze slightly away.
"Then do you resent
for being older?"
"...Sister Tong, you are forever eighteen..."
Thud!
"Cough, cough!"
Before Yan Huan could finish his sentence, Tong Yingying lightly punched him in the chest.
The blow made him choke on his breath, and he imdiately started coughing.
Tong Yingying hurriedly patted his back, but still feeling indignant, she imdiately said,
"Be serious for once!"
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Yan Huan wiped his mouth helplessly, looking back at Tong Yingying.
"Actually, I think it's fine."
In reality, if he factored in his past life and combined it with his current age, Yan Huan felt he was actually older than Tong Yingying.
But this world was a material one, after all. He couldn't simply add the ages of his past and present lives together to determine his actual age.
There were many things he hadn't experienced in his previous life. Now that he was in Linn and finally going through them, he was inevitably a bit naive.
Moreover, residing in a young body ant he was influenced by hormones and his environnt, making him more youthful in spirit.
This occasionally caused Yan Huan to feel rather conflicted, uncertain as to which version was his true self.
Since he was absolutely certain he couldn't return to his old life, Yan Huan actually leaned toward living purely as the young man of this current world.
But when considering the matter of Tong Yingying's age, he made a special exception, feeling it was entirely acceptable...
Of course, it could also be basic biological instincts acting up.
Sigh, Myau-chan, you really are...
"Sister Tong, you don't need to ask anymore, truly... In my eyes, everything about you is perfect. There's no need for you to lack confidence."
Seeing that Tong Yingying still wanted to speak, Yan Huan could only sigh and clarify his words.
"It's just that, now you know about the Modifier. Look around, at that door... Once you get involved with this thing, everything truly becos abnormal..."
However, before he could finish, Tong Yingying didn't seem to want to let him speak the rest.
Because she could faintly sense that what was coming next was not what she wanted to hear.
Yan Huan didn't want her getting mixed up in the muddy waters of the Modifier.
The underlying aning was... wasn't it still the exact sa words she had dreaded?!
Sothing along the lines of how he would rember her kindness and definitely repay it twofold in the future...
She didn't want that!
Did she lack those things?!
She wanted him!
And so, she imdiately interrupted him, quickly changing the subject as if she didn't dare face it.
"So, you doing that kind of thing with An Le, was it to Resolve the Modifier, or were you just under its influence?"
"..."
Faced with this question, Yan Huan truly didn't know how to answer for a mont.
Because the answer was genuinely incredibly ambiguous.
Should he bla it entirely on the Modifier, saying it was without true feelings?
That was completely incorrect. When Yan Huan had taken the initiative to kiss An Le that night and chose to claim everything she had, it had absolutely co from a place of genuine affection.
Then, was it entirely based on true feelings, completely free from the Modifier's influence?
Yet without the Modifier's influence, Yan Huan believed that given An Le's personality, he probably wouldn't even know his childhood friend was attending the sa school as him to this day, let alone everything else that had transpired.
Moreover, taking a massive step back, if there were no Modifiers, if Myau-chan had never sought him out, and he was still living his forr Daily Life...
He probably would never have discovered Sakuramiya's secret, and thus, he wouldn't be so utterly devoted to her, right?
Therefore, at this point, debating whether it was because of the Modifier or true feelings was completely aningless.
The Modifier had thoroughly seeped into every aspect of Yan Huan's life, altering it beyond recognition.
"..."
Atop him, Tong Yingying seed to decipher the complex expression on Yan Huan's face, and through it, the answer he was giving.
So, she pursed her lips and pressed further,
"If in this life, you had never encountered the Modifier... would you have eventually gotten together with ?"
"I..."
Yan Huan originally wanted to imdiately voice words of comfort, but for so unknown reason, Sakuramiya Hitomi's face suddenly surfaced in his mind.
'President~'
He opened his mouth and remained silent for a good while before smiling and saying,
"Probably, Sister Tong."
"..."
Tong Yingying's eyes went wide. It seed she once again decoded the underlying truth behind that answer.
Yan Huan could feel her grip on his arms tightening drastically.
But he didn't react, rely wanting to continue his previous train of thought,
"Sister Tong, you are genuinely the person I trust the most. Before I t you, I was always alone...
"I rember every bit of your kindness, and I never intended to string you along. I understood what you ant; you brought it up subtly, and I rejected it subtly..."
Tong Yingying lowered her eyes and softly replied,
"I know you aren't stupid, and neither am I. I knew all along that you had soone you liked, and I knew you had subtly rejected
countless tis...
"Heh, it was the sa routine every ti. Playing dumb, pretending you didn't understand human speech, and then quietly deflecting all my flirtatious words... That's how it was, right?"
Yan Huan blinked in embarrassnt, his face a picture of innocence.
"You caught ..."
"Hehe, did you think I was an idiot?"
Tong Yingying sneered, but stared intently at Yan Huan as she said,
"But I simply refused to break through that paper-thin window. I never spelled things out plainly because I didn't want to give up on you...
"But after that night, you didn't reject
again, did you? I knew right then that the girl you liked must have done sothing to break your heart...
"To think I actually assud you two were over and felt like my chance had finally co... In the end..."
Yan Huan was helpless. He simply raised his hand, covering his eyes.
"That's why I keep saying it... The Modifier truly makes a person's life abnormal..."
"What about you now? How do you feel about the girl you originally liked? That one nad Sakuramiya Hitomi?"
"..."
Seeing his reaction, Tong Yingying gritted her teeth and cursed out in indignation,
"To hell with that damn Modifier! Why do only those little girls get to have it?! And why does it have the power to make feelings that had died out completely rekindle from dead ashes?! How can it be so incredibly unfair?! Ah?!"
"..."
To this outburst, Yan Huan once again had no words to offer in response.
He could only watch her pant heavily until she finally cald down bit by bit. Then, she suddenly looked at him and continued asking,
"If only I hadn't rejected that white snake that day."
"Ah?"
"Heh, that way, since I'd have a Modifier, no matter what terrible things I did to you, you wouldn't leave because of the Modifier's influence... It's as if destiny would have bound us together..."
Hearing this, the corners of Yan Huan's mouth stiffened slightly.
He couldn't help but imagine what kind of things Tong Yingying would actually do if she possessed a Modifier.
She was already so overpowered without one. If she acquired the ability to manipulate Pleasure... er, or the sensation of pain, Yan Huan truly believed she could whip the other Hosts around like spinning tops...
And along the way, she'd probably whip him like a spinning top too.
Pfft...
Before him, watching the constipated look on Yan Huan's face, Tong Yingying couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.
Following that, she slowly reached out her hand and gently stroked Yan Huan's face...
Yan Huan felt the firmness of the calluses on her palm as she rubbed against his skin, and he felt the warm, soft touch of her fingertips...
"I'm just kidding... I could never bring myself to treat you like that~"
Her words were steeped in deep affection, just like the tender tone in which she softly spoke.
It wasn't until that unprecedented, gentle voice left her lips that Yan Huan suddenly noticed...
Before him, the rim of Tong Yingying's eyes—set in a face that bore a faint smile—was already tinged with redness and brimming with tears.
"..."
"I just feel that... it's a little unfair, that's all."
Yan Huan's pupils contracted. He stared blankly at Tong Yingying, whose voice had even begun to tremble slightly.
In the next second, however, he suddenly clenched his jaw, and every muscle in his body pulled taut.
Bam!!
Following that, as if he couldn't hold back anymore, he erupted with a surge of strength.
Under Tong Yingying's sowhat astonished gaze, Yan Huan instantly grabbed her shoulders, rolled them both across the bed, and pinned her firmly beneath him.
"Yan... you..."
Pinned beneath him, Tong Yingying stared dazedly at Yan Huan, who had suddenly taken the initiative. For a mont, she was utterly speechless.
But Yan Huan just looked at Tong Yingying below him. After a second of silence, he gently reached out his index finger...
And wiped away a teardrop welling at the corner of her eye to prevent it from falling.
Afterwards, he lowered his gaze. Gradually tightening his grip on Tong Yingying's shoulders, he spoke in a low voice,
"Sister Tong, I've told you already...
"As long as soone gets involved with this Modifier thing, they will truly beco... highly abnormal..."
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