Restricted Fantasy I Chapter 311: Zero-Frame Activation

"Welco, respected parents, to our academy. It is our utmost honor to have you here. Please follow the signs on campus and proceed in an orderly manner to visit the various activities prepared by the students."

Far Moon Academy, School Gate.

Early in the morning, Principal Hers had already changed into the tailcoat suit that Yan Huan referred to as an "old antique." Leaning on a walking cane, he stood at the gate, welcoming the parents who had co to visit today.

His old, wrinkled face was glowing with vitality today, and even his graying hair had been slicked back with pomade.

It was no wonder. After all, the parents of Far Moon Academy students usually had significant backgrounds. For an event like this, the principal would generally attach great importance to it.

Who could bla him? He was just a miserable worker hired by the School Board to toil for the academy.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to deal with those problematic Eldest Misses at his advanced age—the ones spouting nonsense about "pigs and birds," threatening him with "you'll pay if you don't make

the vice president," or asking, "can I be held back a grade for a year to be in the sa class as my younger brother?"

"Sigh."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with an acquaintance from the Linn Education Departnt, Principal Hers rubbed his aching old back. The chrysanthemum-like wrinkles on his face drooped, looking as if a few petals had withered.

But right at that mont, his sharp eyes, peering through the monocle perched on his eye socket, caught sight of three cars pulling up to the school gate simultaneously.

The car doors opened at the sa ti, and three pairs of mothers and daughters stepped out.

Elvira slowly stepped out of the vehicle. Like a lioness, she swept her gaze over the bustling campus.

It was hard for anyone not to be affected by her aura wherever her gaze landed, and as a result, the crowd bizarrely fell completely silent.

"Oh my, what a coincidence, President Elvira. I didn't expect us to arrive at the exact sa ti."

From another car, Sakuramiya Lily, who had uncharacteristically changed into a Western-style dress, carried a small handbag and smiled faintly at Elvira while covering her mouth.

"Mhm."

Elvira nodded in acknowledgnt. Behind the two mothers, the innocently-vibing Aruiya peeked left and right. Looking at the school gate that was crowded like a bustling bird market, she uncomfortably shrank back to hide behind her mother.

Those adults, they were all kinds of birds in her eyes.

Naturally, their children were mostly the sa.

"Ugh, there are so many birds, Mama."

Elvira glanced at Spencer and simply reached out to gently hold Aruiya's hand. It seed she had done this countless tis as the girl grew up.

"..."

anwhile, behind Sakuramiya Lily, Sakuramiya Hitomi maintained an elegant smile on her face.

No one else knew what was going through her mind beneath that mask-like smile.

Because the flow of ti inside the Barrier was different, she knew the mont she ca out yesterday and couldn't find the president:

'The president might still be inside the Barrier.'

However, they were absurdly busy with the Culture Festival yesterday. With Yan Huan absent, everyone else had co looking for her, and she had no choice but to handle everything.

When she went back to search inside the Barrier that night, she still couldn't find him.

The good news, however, was that the president was highly likely staying with that mouse.

As long as he was with the other Sakuramiya, she didn't have to worry about his safety.

The only thing to note was that Hitomi had now transferred her administrative privileges to that mouse, allowing her to walk in Reality as well. She absolutely could not let the fact that two Sakuramiya Hitomis existed simultaneously be exposed.

"Where is Ms. Ye?"

Sakuramiya Lily looked back and glanced at the black electric car parked behind theirs. Although the car had stopped, the passengers inside did not alight imdiately.

It was only when Elvira also looked over that the car doors slowly opened.

Ye Lan stepped out with a slightly worried expression, followed by Ye Shiyu, who was completely expressionless and exuding an aura that seed to be growing steadily colder.

She wasn't wearing any makeup today.

"..."

Ye Shiyu glanced at Sakuramiya Hitomi, the icy chill around her thickening.

Clearly, this was because before Xiao Huan disappeared yesterday, soone had told her that he was with Sakuramiya Hitomi.

Furthermore, when that idiot secretary of the Student Council ntioned it, her facial expressions and tone of voice had made Ye Shiyu very suspicious.

"Pfft... um... haha, uh... The president... Pfft, hahaha! He's probably, definitely, maybe... Hahahaha! With Vice President Sakuramiya, I think?"

"Did... did sothing happen between Xiao Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi?"

"Pfft, hahahahaha!!"

"..."

"Hahaha! Oh my, Senior Student Ye, what are you doing? Don't look at

like that, I don't know anything... But probably no... nothing happened..."

"..."

That was exactly what that Yurianna had said at the ti.

It had nearly caused Ye Shiyu to completely snap and lose her mind on the spot.

And when she went to confront Sakuramiya Hitomi personally, the latter gave an ambiguous answer, which amounted to saying nothing at all.

"Shiyu, didn't I tell you? That young lady from the Sakuramiya family called

last night."

"Xiao Huan spent yesterday afternoon with her. Later, he felt unwell and went ho by himself."

"The Student Council has been so busy with this Culture Festival lately that it probably exhausted Xiao Huan. That must be why he didn't have the ti to reply to your ssages last night."

Ye Lan felt the intimidating coldness radiating from behind her, but she showed no fear. She simply turned her head, glanced at her daughter, and offered one last word of comfort.

"..."

However, what greeted her was only Ye Shiyu's silence.

Evidently, she did not believe Sakuramiya Hitomi's excuses for a second.

Seeing this, Ye Lan took a deep breath and asked earnestly,

"Are you going to fall back into your old habits even now?

"If you're going to act like this, you shouldn't go to the sumr vacation internship. If sothing really goes wrong, I won't have the face to see your godmother again.

"It just so happens that I know so friends in the country. You can go intern at their company. It will be a good training opportunity for you."

Hearing this, the deep, secluded gaze in Ye Shiyu's eyes finally withdrew a little, and she stopped staring at Sakuramiya Hitomi.

Seeing this, Ye Lan finally let out a sigh.

But the next second, when she turned her head to look at Sakuramiya Lily and Elvira nearby, her expression instantly returned to normal, revealing a smile as warm as a spring breeze,

"President Elvira, Ms. Sakuramiya, shall we go?"

"Mhm, alright."

Sakuramiya Lily smiled slightly as she responded.

As they approached the school gate, Principal Hers imdiately ca up to greet them.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Principal Hers even personally led the way, taking the ladies to tour the various activities inside the school, leaving his secretary behind to entertain the other parents.

"This way, this way, ladies."

Among the three mothers, two and a half of their children belonged to the First-Year Departnt, so it was only natural that their first stop was the first-year section.

That "half" was Yan Huan.

At this mont, at the entrance of First-Year Class C.

An Le had been assigned to the class's promotion post. Her specific duty was to stand at the entrance holding a sign detailing the class's activities.

While holding the sign, however, she was secretly slacking off.

Holding her mobile phone, she looked at the Plane chat interface with Yan Huan. Seeing that her ssages still hadn't been replied to, a worried expression inevitably appeared on her face.

But the next second, a voice suddenly called out from beside her.

"An Le!!"

"Y-Yes!"

The mont she heard soone call her na, she subconsciously raised her head and stood up straight.

A second later, she blankly turned toward the source of the sound.

As soon as she turned, Spencer's figure completely filled her field of vision.

"Thump."

Spencer suddenly threw her arms around her, then happily turned her head and said,

"Mama, this is my friend from Class C! Her na is An Le!"

'Mama?'

An Le blinked and looked behind Spencer.

After squinting her eyes to observe for a mont, she finally noticed that the three mothers, along with Ye Shiyu and Sakuramiya Hitomi, were still quite a distance away.

Spencer was the only one who, like a restless child, had eagerly run over ahead of the rest.

"Ahem..."

However, upon seeing those extraordinarily elegant won, An Le still gave Spencer's back a gentle pat. She then tidied up her own clothes and proactively walked toward them.

"Hello, Aunties. I am An Le."

"You are An Le?"

Elvira rarely saw her daughter show such a happy expression. Not to ntion, growing up, Aruiya had hardly any friends. Therefore, she naturally felt a sense of fondness toward An Le.

But as she took a closer look, she quickly realized sothing was off.

She saw that the An Le standing before her was wearing a plain-colored dress. The smile on her face was both shy and gentle, yet for so reason, she gave Elvira a sense of maturity and steadiness that far exceeded her actual age.

Whether it was Ye Shiyu or Sakuramiya Hitomi, in Elvira's eyes, they both still carried a faint trace of childishness, like little kids. Her own Aruiya was even more so.

Only this An Le right in front of her possessed a completely different aura...

She seed just like a fully mature adult.

Or so Elvira thought.

Catching a glimpse of Sakuramiya Lily and Ye Lan beside her, who were also observing An Le, she noticed their expressions undergo a slight shift. Evidently, they had picked up on the exact sa feeling.

"An Le, did your parents not co to the school today?"

"Mhm... Mama hasn't been feeling well recently, and Papa has to work today, so neither of them had the chance to co."

"I see."

Elvira didn't know where that mature aura ca from, but she didn't view it as a bad thing. She simply offered a friendly hand toward her,

"...Aruiya is very lucky to have a friend like you at school."

Overwheld by favor, An Le blinked and hurriedly reached out with both hands to grasp Elvira's.

"Not at all, Auntie. I'm the lucky one. Aruiya has helped

a lot here at school."

Elvira glanced at her daughter. The carefree girl just scratched the back of her head, looking very pleased with the complint,

"Hehe, that's

alright! But An Le also taught

a lot, especially that 6— Mmh! Mmph!"

Before she could finish, An Le's small face instantly flushed crimson. She hurriedly wrapped her arms tightly around Aruiya and interjected,

"Mathematics! It was mathematics, Auntie!"

"..."

Elvira cast a puzzled glance at An Le but didn't pry further, as a sudden burst of bustling noise ca from behind them.

"President!"

"Ah, the president is here!"

'President?'

'Which ans...'

Elvira blinked. Turning her head, she saw a young man running toward them, a thin layer of sweat dotting his forehead.

It was none other than Yan Huan!

"Auntie Ye!"

The mont they saw Yan Huan, the girls' expressions were the first to change. Aruiya, in particular, was about to excitedly bolt straight toward him.

"It's Yan Huan!"

But as she passed her mother, Elvira tightly gripped Aruiya's hand, stopping her tracks. "Ugh."

Aruiya looked back at her mother in confusion, but the only response she got was the deep, calm, and unrippled blue eyes of Elvira.

Thus, Aruiya had no choice but to give up.

"Xiao Huan..."

Ye Shiyu's eyes darkened further. She tightly squeezed the mobile phone in her hand, her shoulders trembling slightly as a chilling aura materialized out of nowhere.

Similarly, Ye Lan stepped up from behind and gently squeezed her shoulder, pulling her back to her senses and stopping her from stepping forward first.

Only the mother-daughter duo of Sakuramiya Lily and Sakuramiya Hitomi maintained their elegant and gentle smiles, making no rash moves.

"..."

On the surface, the atmosphere at the scene looked warm and peaceful, but in reality, dark undercurrents were surging.

Behind them, An Le's eyes couldn't help but light up slightly as she caught sight of Yan Huan's figure.

Yet, the three pairs of mothers and daughters standing before her felt like three insurmountable mountains, making it impossible for her to cross them, let alone step in front of them to show her own feelings.

This was especially true when An Le realized that the aningful gazes the three won cast toward Xiao Huan all carried profound implications.

"Mhm..."

Thinking of this, An Le couldn't help but purse her lips. She lowered her head slightly, hiding her gaze to prevent anyone from noticing.

"Yo."

Right at that mont, another voice drifted over from beside her.

An Le hurriedly looked over and saw Tong Yingying, who had appeared beside her at so unknown point, staring right at her.

The next second, as if thinking of sothing happy, Tong Yingying revealed a bright smile. She then crossed her arms and shook her head.

An Le was completely baffled by the sight, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Tong Yingying was exuding an inexplicable sense of victorious joy.

"..."

anwhile, back at the front lines—the main battlefield.

"Auntie Ye! Auntie Sakuramiya! Auntie Spencer!"

Rushing over to the scene, the mont Yan Huan t Ye Shiyu's gaze—which was brimming with its usual intense sense of oppression—his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

At that mont, he really wanted to just turn around and run away.

Because this particular "hero," Ye Shiyu, was simply way too cunning.

He had put in so much effort earlier just to move her "Turn Over a New Leaf" progress bar a tiny bit.

And now, because of force majeure, he had fallen into the Barrier and lost contact with her for a day... no, half a day, and he was instantly back to square one?

How was he supposed to play this ga?!

But Yan Huan had no other choice. He had to co over.

Based on the ssages on Ye Shiyu's Plane app, he knew that Auntie Ye was coming to the school today as well.

Yan Huan could only bet that Ye Shiyu wouldn't make any rash moves in front of Auntie Ye, and he would have to do his best to eliminate the risks during that window.

Even if Ye Shiyu's "Turn Over a New Leaf" progress bar reset to zero, he absolutely could not let her completely snap into her dark persona!

"Oh my, President Yan is here."

Sakuramiya Lily covered her mouth and chuckled, while Sakuramiya Hitomi beside her smiled and suddenly spoke up,

"President, is your body feeling any better? Yesterday afternoon, you suddenly said you were feeling unwell and had to go back. It made everyone in the Student Council very worried.

"When I couldn't reach you on Plane, I even gave Auntie Ye Lan a call."

Yan Huan glanced at Sakuramiya Hitomi... or rather, Perfect Sakuranomiya. He instantly understood the situation and smoothly picked up the excuse she had prepared for him in advance,

"Ah, I'm sorry. Things have indeed been a bit too busy lately with the Culture Festival...

"I don't know what happened yesterday afternoon, but I suddenly felt terribly ill. I went back, took so dicine, and fell asleep right away.

"I slept for a long ti and ended up waking up late this morning. I only just arrived at the school and almost ended up late."

Just as Self-Doubting Sakuramiya had ntioned before, from the very beginning, Perfect Sakuranomiya's terrifying nature was solely directed at the other Sakuramiyas inside the Barrier.

When it ca to Reality, she was considerate, elegant, and gentle. In fact, if Yan Huan hadn't taken the initiative to wade into these muddy waters, she wouldn't have even used her Modifier on him.

The sa applied to this very mont. Long before Yan Huan had even erged, she had already prepared all the alibis he would need once he was out.

She had even made a call to Ye Lan to prevent a catastrophic scandal from erupting in front of Ye Shiyu.

However...

Yan Huan cast a sowhat complicated glance at Perfect Sakuranomiya, but she simply returned a faint smile.

Everything was understood without a single word being spoken.

Hearing this, Ye Lan looked Yan Huan up and down. After letting out a sigh of relief, she finally smiled and said,

"Xiao Huan, you must have been staying up late recently, haven't you? Staying up late is the most damaging thing to your body. You need to pay attention to balancing work and rest."

After saying that, she discreetly squeezed Ye Shiyu's hand. Her underlying ssage was crystal clear:

"See? It's exactly as I said, right?"

"..."

But Ye Shiyu remained silent. She just tightened her grip on her phone, continuing to stare fixedly at Yan Huan.

"I definitely won't do it again next ti,"

Yan Huan quickly added, though he kept a vigilant eye on Ye Shiyu standing behind Ye Lan.

Yet, she remained entirely expressionless, like a block of ice, making it impossible for Yan Huan to read her precise mood.

'It's probably not very good, right?'

Feeling a mountainous weight of pressure, Yan Huan made that grim guess.

"Speaking of which, we... also have sothing we want to discuss with you, Xiao Huan. Is there a place where we can talk?"

Yan Huan looked at Ye Lan, who was uncharacteristically displaying a slightly guilty, lack-of-confidence smile, and felt thoroughly confused.

'Auntie Ye, you...'

'Why are you smiling like that?'

'I'm getting a bad feeling about this.'

'Could it be... has my faith in Auntie Ye been lacking recently?'

'Long live the Lan Sect. May the holy and wise Heavenly Emperor Ye bless us forever.'

"...Otherwise, how about going to the Student Council Office?"

Chanting such an inexplicably absurd prayer in his heart, Yan Huan forced a smile and made the suggestion.

"An internship?"

Yan Huan blinked as he looked at the "Big Three" in front of him. That uneasy feeling in his chest only grew heavier.

"Yes. During the sumr vacation, Ye International intends to initiate a partial collaboration with the Golden Lion Group. We will be arranging for a liaison team to be stationed within their headquarters."

Sakuramiya Lily crossed her arms, her smile remaining unchanged,

"We considered it and concluded that this is an excellent training opportunity. Moreover, given the unique advantages you and Shiyu possess, there couldn't be a more perfect arrangent than the two of you interning together in Ye International's new departnt."

'Together?!'

', and Ye Shiyu?!'

Yan Huan's eyes widened dramatically, and he imdiately shot a glance at Ye Lan standing nearby.

"..."

Ye Lan's mature face, however, revealed a growing sense of tornted guilt. She took a quick sip of her tea and hastily added,

"I will also be personally following up on this project from start to finish. I'll drop by frequently to check on you and Shiyu..."

'Auntie Ye!!'

'Are you planning to sell out your most devout believer?!'

'No!!!'

The mont Yan Huan heard this news, his brain practically short-circuited.

He still hadn't completely resolved the crisis of failing to contact Ye Shiyu yesterday, and yet an absolute bombshell had just been dropped on him from the shadows...

"However, outstanding students at Far Moon Academy naturally have access to internal recomndations for sumr internships at renowned Linn corporations like the Golden Lion Group and Ye International. Student Yan is naturally among them,"

Principal Hers smoothed his goatee and chid in from the side,

"With you ladies arranging this in advance, the academy will also be able to allocate more quota spots to other students."

That much was true.

One of the primary benefits of joining the Student Council was exactly this: receiving priority access to various school resources and opportunities.

In fact, even if Ye Lan and the others hadn't made these arrangents, there was a high probability that Yan Huan would have gone for an internship during the sumr anyway.

It was just that he had never expected to be interning together with Ye Shiyu.

"And, when the ti cos, my good-for-nothing daughter will also be heading to the Golden Lion Group to intern alongside you."

Sakuramiya Lily added. Elvira remained completely silent throughout, but Yan Huan didn't need her to speak to understand what she ant.

Duh, Aruiya literally lived on the top floor of the Golden Lion Tower. She was definitely going to be there too.

"...That is, of course, wonderful. I have no objections."

Since things had reached this point, Yan Huan had no way to decline.

"Mhm, since that's settled... Student Yan, you and Student Ye should co with

to the Principal's Office. I'll help adjust the originally scheduled quota files for you two. I'll need your signatures for the paperwork later."

'With Ye Shiyu?!'

Hearing this, Yan Huan's pupils shrank. Before Ye Shiyu could even stand up, he hastily interjected,

"There's no need. It's fine if I just go with the principal. Sister Shiyu, why don't you stay here and keep Auntie Ye and the others company? I can go and fetch the docunts."

"..."

Ye Shiyu did not say a word, and since the rest of them were completely unaware of how terrifying she could be, they naturally didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Only Yan Huan let out a breath of relief as he followed Principal Hers out of the room.

'Yes!'

'Right now, I have to do everything possible to avoid being alone with Ye Shiyu, lest I get ruthlessly controlled by her!'

'Playing it safe is always better than getting instantly one-shotted, right?'

Yan Huan breathed a sigh of relief as he followed Hers all the way to the Principal's Office.

After retrieving the docunts, he stepped out and headed back toward the Student Council Office.

Along the way, he pulled out his mobile phone and sent a few ssages to An Le.

Aside from explaining his loss of contact last night, it was also to exchange so intel.

Yesterday, An Le had gone to confront Perfect Sakuranomiya to discover the whereabouts of the Barrier.

Even though finding Hitomi was of no use right now, that information was crucial. It would definitely co in handy later...

"Ding."

Not long after, while he was walking through the corridor, Yan Huan's phone chid again.

It was likely An Le replying to his ssage regarding Perfect Sakuranomiya's Barrier.

However, just as Yan Huan pulled out his phone and prepared to check An Le's ssage, a cold and detached voice suddenly rang out from a short distance ahead.

"Xiao Huan..."

Hearing that completely emotionless voice sent an instant chill shivering down Yan Huan's spine.

'It's... Ye Shiyu!!'

He tightly gripped his phone, his pupils trembling slightly. Just as he lifted his gaze, intending to maintain a flawless smile while speaking to the girl in front of him,

"Sister Shiyu, why are you—"

Yet, in the corridor before him, the tall girl's arm suddenly flashed forward.

'Oh, crap!!'

'It's another damn Zero-Fra Activation!!'

Yan Huan's soul nearly leaped out of his body in sheer terror. But with them eting on such a narrow path, he had absolutely no avenue for retreat.

He never anticipated that Ye Shiyu would actually sneak out to chase after him.

'It's all over!'

Just as Yan Huan's entire body stiffened, fully prepared to undergo the tornt of her hypnosis after such a long ti...

A faint, refreshing fragrance—much like that of a snow lotus—suddenly wafted past his nose.

Following closely after, the bone-chilling coldness that had perated his body began to intensify, only to crash right into his chest alongside a touch of sudden softness.

'Wait...'

'Softness?'

Yan Huan's pupils contracted as he instantly snapped out of his terror.

As his eyes widened and he fully regained his senses, he finally realized—

Ye Shiyu's swift, zero-startup motion hadn't been to raise her mobile phone. Instead...

She had pulled him into a tight embrace.

"...Xiao Huan, where... where exactly did you go yesterday?"

By his ear, her typically cold voice was entirely laced with tremors. Coupled with her body holding tightly onto him, Yan Huan could feel every bit of her anxiety.

She hugged him so forcefully, pressing against him seamlessly without the slightest gap...

Yet she also seed incredibly fragile. She practically buried her head into his shoulder, only then mustering the courage to ask him softly.

Even at this mont, Yan Huan felt as though he was trapped in a dream.

"I was really worried about you... worried that sothing terrible had happened to you."

Because he had heard those words clearly by his ear—spoken by the Ye Shiyu who had utilized a Zero-Fra Activation just to pull him into a tight embrace.