"Crack... crack..."
In the dark void paved with countless centipedes, nurous Barriers floated in midair.
Above what seed like an endless abyss or perhaps the firmant, a Countdown Tir with indistinguishable numbers was slowly ticking down.
Completely defying the laws of physics, that Countdown Tir pierced through overlapping buildings, projecting precisely into every single Barrier, and the numbers ticking down in each Barrier were all slightly different.
"Crack..."
As ti slipped away, the Barriers began to sway slightly, as if experiencing an incredibly faint earthquake.
"What exactly is this Countdown Tir? The previous Barrier had over five hundred hours left, which is more than three weeks, but this Barrier only has a little over three hundred hours..."
Cool Sakuramiya frowned at the Countdown Tir on the wall, muttering to herself.
"Is it because the flow of ti varies between the Barriers? If so, we need to find a Barrier with the sa ti flow as Reality to figure out what it represents."
Behind her, Petite Hitomi was conversing with the Sakuramiya of this Barrier.
"Are you saying that when you left your Barrier to visit others earlier, you ran into a... Monster in the public Corridor between the Barriers?"
"Mhm! Really, I swear!"
The Sakuramiya before them still looked like a young, un-grown loli. She wore a gothic Lolita dress and clutched a Chibi Yan Huan Doll tightly in her arms.
Right now, with tears welling in the corners of her eyes, she looked at Petite Hitomi—who was even smaller than she was—and recounted what had happened in a soft, childish voice.
"It was a pitch-black, humanoid Monster. It started chasing
as soon as it saw ! Thankfully, it ran slowly, so I managed to escape back to my Barrier... Ugh, it was s-so scary..."
As she spoke, she pitifully hugged the Yan Huan Doll in her arms tightly, rubbing against its soft Fabric as if trying to absorb courage from it.
Hearing this, Petite Hitomi couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"How could a Monster have gotten inside the Barrier?"
"I-I don't know either. I already told Self-Doubting Sakuramiya about it, and she said she would handle it..."
Behind them, Cool Sakuramiya tore her gaze away from the Countdown Tir and walked over. She clicked her tongue and said,
"Ever since Self-Doubting Sakuramiya took power, more and more weird things have been happening in the Barrier!
"Inexplicable minor earthquakes, a aningless Countdown Tir on the wall, and now there's actually a humanoid Monster in the public area."
Petite Hitomi was just about to speak when an illusory image suddenly lit up on the wall beside them.
In the footage, Self-Doubting Sakuramiya appeared, her mouse ears seeming a bit smaller than before. She looked into the cara and spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Fellow Sakuramiyas, so chaos has occurred in the Barrier recently. The public areas between our individual Barriers are especially dangerous right now.
"After a preliminary investigation, I can confirm that this is likely the lingering effect of the deceased Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier!
"During this ti, I will track down the whereabouts of her Barrier and resolve these disturbances as soon as possible. Until I give official notice, please do not leave your respective Barriers to enter the public areas under any circumstances. Otherwise, your lives may be in danger."
Having finished her official announcent, Self-Doubting Sakuramiya pursed her lips, then continued in a soft voice.
"Also, Petite Hitomi and Cool Sakuramiya, I know you are currently in Loli Sakuramiya's Barrier...
"There might have been a little misunderstanding between us before, but... I have now promised the President that I will find Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier and bring Hitomi back...
"I am sincere about this!
"So, can we make up?
"Even if you're unwilling, please, I beg you not to wander around outside your Barriers anymore. It really is incredibly dangerous lately."
After saying all this, Self-Doubting Sakuramiya didn't hang up the call in Loli Sakuramiya's Room. Instead, she simply stared quietly at the screen, as if waiting for their response.
"Tch, I forgot. She can run Surveillance on the situation in all the Barriers at any ti now."
Cool Sakuramiya scoffed lightly, crossing her arms as she spoke.
anwhile, Petite Hitomi flew onto her shoulder and asked in a low whisper,
"Do you think she's telling the truth?"
Cool Sakuramiya didn't reply to her. She simply looked directly at Self-Doubting Sakuramiya and asked bluntly,
"You said you promised Yan Huan that you'd bring Hitomi back. Fine, we will help too. You look using your thods, and we'll look using ours.
"I'll just ask one thing. If we find Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier before the High Table Dinner, discover Hitomi's whereabouts, and tell Yan Huan...
"Will you voluntarily give up your chance to dance with Yan Huan?"
Hearing this, Self-Doubting Sakuramiya slightly stiffened.
A second later, instead of answering the question, she just pursed her lips and said,
"Just rember to stay safe..."
With that, she turned off the video feed.
In an instant, Loli Sakuramiya's Room fell silent once more.
Petite Hitomi stared blankly at Cool Sakuramiya, while Cool Sakuramiya threw her hands up, shaking her head as she said,
"See? Actually not that sincere~"
"..."
For a mont, Petite Hitomi didn't even know how to respond to that. She could only sigh and say,
"But right now, she can monitor the Barriers, and there seems to be so kind of Monster in the public areas. We don't even know how to contact Yan Huan, let alone find Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier..."
"..."
Seeing her like this, Cool Sakuramiya turned around to Greet Loli Sakuramiya, then turned back and turned the doorknob of the Barrier.
"Hum~"
Currently, the public area outside the Barriers had been restructured by Self-Doubting Sakuramiya into a seemingly endless, shadowy Corridor, much like a labyrinth.
Earlier, Cool Sakuramiya and Petite Hitomi had wandered around for a long ti just to get a rough idea of the current layout of the Barriers.
They had just wanted to find a Barrier to Rest their feet, only to encounter the Countdown Tir and Self-Doubting Sakuramiya's unexpected call.
Now, after stepping out of the Barrier once again, Cool Sakuramiya finally spoke up.
"I don't know how to find Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier, but I do have an idea on how to contact the President."
"You do? But there are only a few Barriers in Linn. If Self-Doubting Sakuramiya doesn't want us to find Yan Huan, she'll definitely guard them heavily..."
"Who said we're going to those Barriers?"
Cool Sakuramiya scoffed lightly and raised a finger.
"Did you forget? There's a cara in the President's Bedroom that can be used to make calls."
Petite Hitomi's eyes widened, clearly realizing what she ant.
"T-That's true! So, all we need to do is find one of Self-Doubting Sakuramiya's other caras, and we can arrange a fixed Barrier to et the President in!"
Upon Cool Sakuramiya's reminder, Petite Hitomi instantly grasped her train of thought.
"No Barrier will reject the President. As long as the President enters the Barrier, we'll be able to see him no matter what!"
"Exactly!"
Cool Sakuramiya chuckled. She took off her Headphones and whispered,
"Earlier, when we were in Mama Sakuramiya's Barrier, I coincidentally stashed away a cara and hid it in a place only I know about... So, we just need to go grab it now!"
"Mhm, okay!"
Petite Hitomi smiled, raising her tiny hands as she flew up and landed on her head.
But just as she sat down, as if suddenly rembering sothing, she looked down and asked,
"Wait, Cool Sakuramiya, why did you hide one of Self-Doubting Sakuramiya's caras in the first place?"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Cool Sakuramiya's expression froze.
The next second, her face flushed crimson. She snatched Petite Hitomi off her head, clutching her in her hand as she flusteredly explained,
"O-Of course it was for a backup! I just wanted to be prepared for an ergency like this! Did you think I'd secretly use it to peep on the President in private?
"I-I'm not that kind of person! Hmph!"
'Sure enough, in a mont of panic, she still calls him "President" instead of "Yan Huan"...'
Dizzied by the shaking, Petite Hitomi quickly relented,
"I-I know, I know!"
"Step."
But just as they were bickering, a faint footstep suddenly echoed through the deep, shadowy Corridor.
Both of their expressions imdiately stiffened. Breaking out in a slight sweat, they snapped their heads to look in two different directions down the Corridor.
Yet, no matter which side they looked, it was completely empty and Silent.
"Gulp."
Cool Sakuramiya and Petite Hitomi swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then both forced out stiff smiles.
"It really was just auditory hallucinations, right?"
"Mhm, yeah!"
"Yeah..."
But a second later, neither could maintain their forced smiles as their faces turned completely Pale.
Because right above their heads, a hoarse voice began to ring out Intermittently...
And the words spoken were the exact last two words Petite Hitomi had just said.
The two of them stared blankly upward, only to see a pitch-black humanoid figure clinging to the ceiling like a spider.
The figure's entire body was completely black. Even under the dim lighting, it remained devoid of detail, looking exactly like a materialized human shadow.
Her limbs were contorted, and her pitch-black long hair hung down along with her twisted head.
Aside from a mouth, she seed to lack any facial features whatsoever, making her look incredibly Creepy.
"Waaahhh!! What is that thing!!!"
Petite Hitomi was almost frightened out of her wits by the monstrosity and imdiately scread.
"The place where the cara is hidden isn't far from here!! Run!!"
Cool Sakuramiya reacted remarkably fast, scooping up Petite Hitomi and bolting as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Smack!"
On the ceiling, the silhouette plumted heavily to the ground. However, just as Loli Sakuramiya had described, she crawled excruciatingly slowly, behaving like an Infant who hadn't yet learned to walk, only letting out soft, hoarse growls from where she lay.
"Run..."
In the darkness, the distorted figure on the ground simply watched as the two ran further and further away.
She didn't give chase. Instead, after a short while, the ends of the figure's black hair... subtly began to show a gradient of cherry blossom pink. "..."
anwhile, Cool Sakuramiya and Petite Hitomi were too busy fleeing for their lives to notice that on the ceiling above their escape path, a silhouette lurking in the darkness appeared at regular intervals.
But they simply remained quietly in the shadows, entirely Motionless.
Just like the figure that had fallen to the ground, a touch of cherry blossom pink began to spontaneously bloom at the tips of their black hair.
That night, in the South Ward, at Yan Huan's Rental Apartnt.
"Click~"
"I'm back..."
The door slowly pushed open, revealing Yan Huan standing outside.
He had spent so ti touring the new AI departnt at Ye International. Although it was the place he would be doing his Internship during the sumr, there wasn't anyone else around at night. The secretary in charge of administrative work couldn't explain too much either. So, she simply downloaded a Demo Version of the AI Software for the two of them, asking them to try it out and provide feedback.
The result? As soon as Ye Shiyu plugged the Data Cable into the Computer, it froze.
Then, after finally managing to download the software onto her Mobile Phone, the device acted as if the System was incompatible, utterly failing to run it...
He didn't know if the Hypnosis App had brutally beaten up the AI in cyberspace, but in the end, only Yan Huan was able to test it out.
He discovered that this software still had a massive gap compared to the AI from his previous life.
Although the AI from his past life couldn't be considered truly intelligent—essentially just a "black box" with powerful processing capabilities—this thing from Ye International was even more ridiculous. It was practically artificial stupidity, not even matching up to Aruiya's "true artificial intelligence" from before.
So, after gaining a basic understanding, there was nothing left to do. He politely declined Ye Shiyu's idea of having him stay overnight in the Kyogo Ward. Instead, Yan Huan stubbornly took a cab and bumped along the road for ages just to return to the South Ward.
Simply because he knew:
There was still soone waiting for him at ho.
"Xiao Huan, you're back..."
In the Living Room, An Le was sitting at the coffee table, drawing on her Graphics Tablet.
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, a smile blossod on her face, and she walked toward Yan Huan.
But Yan Huan, without saying a word, walked straight up to An Le, pulled her into his embrace, pinned her against the wall, and began kissing her.
"Mmph..."
An Le's body trembled slightly, but after a brief mont of surprise, she took the initiative to wrap her arms around Yan Huan's back.
This was because her legs were left numb and tingling from Yan Huan's kiss, leaving her unable to even stand properly.
"..."
On the ride back to the South Ward, sitting in the rideshare car, Yan Huan had been pondering how to compensate for not telling An Le the truth today.
Should he lay so groundwork on Plane first?
Send a few ssages saying he was on his way ho, then bring her a small gift?
Or should he seriously explain things to An Le after reaching the Entrance to their ho, sincerely expressing his apologies?
After thinking it over, Yan Huan felt none of these felt quite right.
So, he decided to just walk through the door without a word and go straight for the most effective thod!
"Ngh... Xiao Huan..."
As the kiss ended, An Le's face was flushed, and she was still panting. However, Yan Huan scooped her up into his arms, turned, and strode toward the Bedroom.
Leaning against his shoulder with Dreamy eyes, An Le continued to plant soft kisses along his neck and jawline.
"Thump~"
In the Living Room, Little Pinky, who had been binge-watching a TV show, remained completely unbothered. It rely listened to the sound of them tumbling onto the bed, rolled its eyes, and hopped off the coffee table.
It skillfully leapt onto the doorknob, closed the Bedroom door to provide a little soundproofing, flicked its tongue, and hopped back onto the coffee table.
Stretching its tail out slightly, it grabbed the Remote Control off the Sofa, turned the volu up a notch, and then contentedly resud watching its show.
"ow."
Right at that mont, a fat black cat also revealed its form, jumping onto the coffee table. Tucking its paws in, it began watching the TV as well.
"..."
However, after watching for just two seconds, its expression changed. It snapped its head toward Little Pinky beside it and owed angrily,
"This is episode 26, ow?! Weren't we only on episode 23 earlier, ow?! You watched it behind my back!!"
Hearing this, Little Pinky chuckled, too lazy to even look at the cat.
"Who told your Yan Huan to go out on a Date? We agreed to start watching exactly at seven-thirty. You didn't co back in ti, so go bla Yan Huan."
"D-Dammit, ow! Change it back! I haven't seen what happens when she returns to the palace yet, ow!!"
"No. But, well, I can tell you what happened in those two episodes..."
"I don't want your spoilers! You despicable Modifier, change it back, ow!"
"No! Way!"
"Hiss!!"
Sage Haki, Sage Haki Arts, Phantom Breath Technique, Activate!!
At this mont, the room was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything.
"...Sorry, I should have told you the truth today, An Le."
"Mmph... Hah... F-Fine... I'm not mad anyway..."
"Hmm?"
"Ngh..."
"Do you accept my apology?"
"Mhm..."
"You accept it?"
"Mhm... But Xiao Huan... Right there... Ngh..."
"Do you want to rest for a bit?"
"No..."
"Alright."
"Mmph..."
After a long silence, it was An Le's Soft and Sweet voice that sounded in the darkness once more,
"Xiao Huan... Even though I know Xiao Huan is doing this to Resolve the Modifier, but... I still want... Xiao Huan to just tell
directly... I feel like, that would make
very happy."
"Mhm, I promise."
"I know it all. Whether it's Ye Shiyu, Bai Yi, or even Vice-President Sakuramiya who's the most serious right now, they all need Xiao Huan's help..."
"Shh... An Le, don't talk. Let's just keep kissing, okay?"
"Ngh..."
Yan Huan couldn't bear to hear her talk about the other girls, so he couldn't help but interrupt her.
"President..."
"Ngh... Xiao Huan..."
"President..."
"Hmm? An Le, what made you suddenly want to call
President...?"
Yan Huan's words held a hint of heat. It gave off a certain... cosplay kind of vibe.
"Eh? I... I didn't..."
But An Le, who was usually very cooperative, suddenly sounded inexplicably confused.
"Hmm? Seriously...? But I clearly heard..."
"It's true, I... I think I heard it too... Vice-President Sakuramiya's voice?"
"..."
In the dark, Yan Huan jerked his head up.
Then, as if realizing sothing, he hurriedly turned his head toward the computer desk.
Over there in the dark, facing away from the wall, a cara with its video feed turned off—acting purely as a voice call device—was still connected to the computer.
Self-Doubting Sakuramiya had turned it on earlier when she visited the house, but had forgotten to turn it off.
And Yan Huan, completely unaware that Self-Doubting Sakuramiya had turned it on, had assud it was off the entire ti.
But now...
"President! Are... Are you there? It says you're online over there..."
From the cara, Petite Hitomi's anxious voice rang out, sounding exceptionally jarring in the room where both of them had stopped panting and were holding their breath.
"..."
An Le blankly gripped the blanket to cover her body, then sat up slightly and looked toward Yan Huan's computer desk before asking in confusion,
"Why is Vice-President Sakuramiya's voice coming from over there?"
"..."
An Le, of course, had no idea that while she was away, Yan Huan had brought the cara back into the room...
Naturally, she also had no idea that Self-Doubting Sakuramiya had visited.
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