"Ah!!"
"Well done, Myau-chan!"
Lying on the ground shielding Tong Yingying, Yan Huan turned his head to see that Myau-chan had unprecedentedly played a crucial role. He offered a word of praise and subconsciously stood up to finish the enemy off.
But before he could rise, Tong Yingying beside him suddenly perford a Carp's Acrobatic Jump, snatched up a nearby surfboard with one hand, and hurled it fiercely at the man.
"Screw you!!"
"Whoosh!!"
The surfboard carried a strong gust of wind in mid-air, smashing straight toward the opponent's head like an arrow. It even startled Myau-chan, who was clinging to the man's face, forcing the black cat to leap away in a hurry.
"ow?!"
"Thwack!"
Then, accompanied by a muffled thud mixed with the sickening crack of bone, the man's head jerked to the side as he was flattened onto the ground by the surfboard. Blood could faintly be seen seeping out from underneath.
Yan Huan stared blankly at the panting Tong Yingying in front of him, who had just sent a man to et his maker with a single surfboard. Astonished, he picked up another surfboard nearby to test its weight.
"Wait, Sister Tong, are you even human?"
"Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
Hearing this, Tong Yingying irritably nudged Yan Huan's shoulder with her calf, signaling him to hurry up and stand.
"Ugh..."
Over there, the two guys who had been blasted by the Fireworks were still showing faint signs of movent.
However, just as they opened their mouths, Tong Yingying didn't even turn her head. She simply kicked the surfboard in Yan Huan's hands and the other one on the ground high into the air.
Subsequently, while they were in mid-air, Tong Yingying executed a rapid double kick, launching the two surfboards like cannonballs.
"Thud! Thud!!"
After two more muffled thuds, the wooden house finally fell completely silent.
"..."
'Sister Tong is definitely using cheats...'
'If she ever got her hands on a Modifier, it really would be ga over.'
With that thought in mind, Yan Huan sat up. He swept his gaze over the three incapacitated n in the wooden house and spoke.
"Sister Tong, there are two others, right?"
"They should be outside. Since they haven't co in after hearing the commotion, they must be..."
Tong Yingying glanced at the unusually quiet beach outside. Before she could finish her sentence, the roar of a speedboat engine echoed across the sea.
"Heh."
Hearing the noise, Tong Yingying quickly dashed toward the corner where two walls t. Planting one foot on the left wall and the other on the right, she remarkably scaled the corner all the way to the skylight at the top of the wooden house.
After taking a peek outside, a smile crept onto her face.
"Sakayori Mina and her crew are here."
Outside, Sakayori Mina, wearing a similarly tight-fitting suit, was sitting on a speedboat accompanied by five or six other people.
In the direction of the villa, Liang's Mother was clinging to a pillar with her hands covering her ears, staring at the ss around the wooden house with a Panicked and Helpless expression.
'The other two are still inside the villa, so they probably can't escape either...'
"Oh, you're not dead yet? Old Virgin?"
On the distant speedboat, Sakayori Mina had taken out her mobile phone, seemingly intending to dial Tong Yingying's number.
However, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly spotted Tong Yingying's large head poking out of the skylight, so she smiled and greeted her.
Tong Yingying's expression darkened as she muttered back.
"Screw you, I'm eating much better than you right now."
Having said that, she turned her head and cast a glance down at Yan Huan.
Yan Huan had also heard Sakayori Mina's voice outside. He carefully pushed open the wooden door and looked out as well.
But his gaze paused on the speedboat beneath her feet.
"ow~"
Yan Huan pinched his chin, revealing a thoughtful expression.
"Oh my, aren't you... aren't you gangsters? You absolutely cannot call the police!"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't make such a Slanderous Accusation. We are proper, respectable people..."
"...How much money do you want to pretend this never happened?"
"Hiss... this isn't about the money. The main thing is, we don't want to step onto the path of breaking the law..."
On the beach, apart from the voices of Liang's Mother and Sakayori Mina conversing by the villa, things had finally settled down for the mont.
Nearby, people were transporting the unconscious n from the wooden house onto a van. What would happen next, Yan Huan didn't know, nor did he want to know.
He simply sat on the beach, staring at the distant islands, using a wooden stick to sketch sothing in the sand.
Stare~
Beside him, Sakuramiya Ryo was hugging her knees, puffing out her cheeks, and glaring at him resentfully.
"..."
Yan Huan felt so helpless under her intense stare that he let out a sigh, propped up his chin, and looked back at her.
"Why aren't you going over to the villa to check on your mother's situation? What are you doing here staring at ?"
"Scumbag Man!!"
"..."
Ever since she sat down next to him, whenever he spoke, she would only reply with that single phrase.
However, Yan Huan was indeed feeling Ashad of Inferiority.
So, he didn't retort. Instead, he simply sighed and continued sketching whatever it was on the beach with his stick.
But this ti, having Paused for a Second, Sakuramiya Ryo pouted, pounded Yan Huan's shoulder with her fist, and asked angrily.
"What exactly did you do to my older sister? What kind of magic potion did you give her?!"
"...What the heck?"
Yan Huan refused to take the bla for this. He imdiately turned his head to look at her, his face full of confusion.
He saw Sakuramiya Ryo hold up her mobile phone, revealing a Plane chat screen with Sakuramiya Hitomi.
She really had told Sakuramiya Hitomi about the incident, acting with the aura of 'I am going to report President Yan for illicit affairs; his cris are unforgivable.'
But Sakuramiya Hitomi's reply was...
"I see. It's fine, I already know about this. Ryo, you don't need to worry about this matter anymore."
"..."
Looking at that generous statent which completely freed him from any lingering worries, Yan Huan didn't feel happy at all.
Sakuramiya Ryo was even more suspicious of Yan Huan now. She looked at him with a bit of fear and murmured.
"Did you PUA my sister?! If it were the old her, she would definitely be furious and teach you a lesson! But now..."
"..."
"You... before she ca to Linn, she didn't even know any other boys. She can't outplay you... If you keep doing this, I'm going to tell my uncle and aunt!! You... just you wait..."
Sakuramiya Ryo even pointed her index finger at Yan Huan, clumsily throwing out harsh threats.
'I couldn't tell before, but their relationship as sisters is actually quite good?'
Thinking this, Yan Huan reached out and grabbed the index finger she was pointing at him.
"Smack!"
"Eek!"
Sakuramiya Ryo was startled, but Yan Huan rely smiled helplessly and said.
"Even though it sounds a bit strange to say this, I'm going to bring back the version of your sister who would normally slaughter ."
"Huh?!"
Right at that mont, Tong Yingying's voice rang out from behind.
"We're done here, Yan Huan!"
"Coming!"
Yan Huan let go of Sakuramiya Ryo's index finger, stood up, and smiled faintly at Tong Yingying.
Tong Yingying glanced at Sakuramiya Ryo and tossed him a small pouch.
"Here, this is from her mom."
"What's this?"
Yan Huan looked down at the small pouch and was surprised to find fifty thousand yuan in cash inside.
'Heh, so this is how the money from Devil's Bank gets deposited into my account?'
"..."
As soon as he saw the amount inside, Yan Huan suddenly realized sothing.
'Also, this has to be Hush Money, right?'
Yan Huan raised his eyes and glanced in the direction of the villa. He saw Liang's Mother standing pale-faced at the entrance, while Sakayori Mina and the others were walking out the door carrying several tied-up sacks.
"..."
Although his cash was very little compared to what Sakayori Mina and her group likely received, this was also because Liang's Mother only treated him as an ordinary high school student.
Tong Yingying hadn't told Liang's Mother about their relationship, nor had she ntioned him using his superpower and Myau-chan to beat people up.
So in Liang's Mother's eyes, he was just a high school student who happened to be present by accident, which was why she gave him this small amount of Hush Money.
"Sorry about that, boy, for giving you such a fright... Is this amount enough? If not, I still have..."
"It's fine, Sister Nara."
Yan Huan interrupted Sakayori Mina in ti, instead sticking out his thumb to point at the speedboat behind him.
"I just have a matter I'd like to ask your help with in two weeks..."
Sakayori Mina glanced at Tong Yingying, then imdiately revealed a charming smile.
"Sure, just na it."
"..."
In the distance, on the beach, Sakuramiya Ryo stared at Yan Huan's receding Back View, still pondering the aning of his words.
After thinking it over and over, she still couldn't understand.
But just as she was about to go online to find so news articles about PUA and Scumbag Man Committing Emotional Fraud to forward to Sakuramiya Hitomi, her gaze was suddenly drawn to the pattern Yan Huan had drawn earlier.
"..."
Sakuramiya Ryo tilted her head, staring at the pattern in the sand for a long ti before she murmured in confusion.
"Fireworks?"
At the sa ti, inside a shopping mall in Kyogo Ward.
Bai Yi held her mobile phone, scanning through the ssages on Plane.
Standing beside her was a tall, beautiful girl with an expressionless face.
"Ye Shiyu, An Le says she'll be here soon..."
"Mm..."
Ye Shiyu replied faintly, her eyes seemingly vacant as she stared at the scenery in the distance.
Bai Yi bit down on the straw of her milk tea, her lipstick leaving a mark on it. At the sa ti, she couldn't help but glance at Ye Shiyu, who had been completely silent ever since they ca out.
"Are you still thinking about how to deal with Sakuramiya Hitomi?"
"..."
Ye Shiyu didn't reply. She just remained silent for a long ti before revealing a bewildered expression.
"No, I was just thinking about what Sakuramiya Hitomi said, that Xiao Huan accepted her Flower Presentation Dance Invitation out of a Sincere Heart..."
"Huh? Do you really think what she said is true?"
"...I don't know."
Ye Shiyu pursed her lips and murmured softly.
'If it's true, if Xiao Huan really likes Sakuramiya Hitomi, then what were his feelings toward
during this recent period?'
'Back at the bookstore, he clearly said that "if it's that kind of Sworn Older Sister, he would like her"...'
'Moreover, during our date earlier, his concern for , the smiles he showed ...'
'These weren't things I obtained through Hypnosis, but things I earned by deciding to Turn Over a New Leaf.'
At least, that was what Ye Shiyu believed.
But...
'If what Sakuramiya Hitomi said is true, wouldn't that an Xiao Huan is...'
'A very bad boy?'
'Because he is simultaneously stringing along , Sakuramiya Hitomi, and even Bai Yi...'
'Could it be that Xiao Huan is actually such a greedy younger brother?'
With that thought in mind, Ye Shiyu narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her mobile phone.
"..."
anwhile, Bai Yi, standing off to the side, had clearly realized that sothing was off as well.
'If Yan Huan was only treating two people well, it could be explained away as the other party being under the influence of a superpower.'
'But now, this is a three-player ga...'
'My own superpower has zero effect on influencing Yan Huan's thoughts, so his feelings for
must be absolutely real.'
'But looking at Ye Shiyu's dejected state right now, it doesn't seem like she has hypnotized Yan Huan either.'
'Then doesn't that an...'
As she thought about this, Bai Yi's breathtakingly beautiful small face also grew tense.
"What if... what if Yan Huan is just an inexperienced Little Innocent Boy? What if it's not at all what we're suspecting..."
"It's just like how we previously thought An Le was super fierce and aggressive, but in reality? Isn't she just a zero-progress Displayed Suppression girl who is A Lot of Talk But Little Action?"
Hearing Bai Yi's words, Ye Shiyu didn't say anything. Instead, right behind them, a white snake resting on a young girl's shoulder rolled its eyes.
'Please, spare your Brother Yan and Sister An from laughing...'
'Out of all the Modifier Hosts, you two big and little jokers are the only ones who haven't tasted any at yet, and you're still here trying to analyze the situation?'
"..."
Indeed, An Le had already appeared behind them at so unknown point. However, she didn't Beat the Grass to Startle the Snake; instead, she had been Listening Attentively to their conversation.
After hearing Bai Yi's laughable analysis, Ye Shiyu actually nodded in deep agreent and continued speaking.
"I think so too... Anyway, we should just proceed with the original plan...
"As long as we ruin Sakuramiya Hitomi and Xiao Huan's dance and break the Barrier's influence over Xiao Huan...
"If Xiao Huan doesn't choose Sakuramiya Hitomi again at that ti, won't all the problems be clear?"
And Bai Yi...
Also deeply agreed!
She concurred with Ye Shiyu's viewpoint and then raised a question.
"But after taking down Sakuramiya Hitomi, who should Yan Huan dance with?"
'You guys haven't even won yet, and you're already starting to divide the spoils?!'
'What is wrong with you two?'
Little Finger widened its eyes, staring dumbfounded at Ye Shiyu before it.
"Of course, he'll dance with whoever he truly likes."
'What if that happens to be Sakuramiya Hitomi?!'
"Alright, It's a Deal. When the ti cos, neither of us will use our superpowers and we'll let Yan Huan choose for himself! The one who isn't picked must Accept Defeat!"
Bai Yi hadn't considered that possibility at all. Instead, she reached her hand out toward Ye Shiyu with a smile.
"..."
However, Ye Shiyu remained expressionless, failing to react as if she were a doll that had crashed.
This caused a faint bead of nervous sweat to suddenly appear on Bai Yi's smiling face, betraying a Guilty Conscience, and she couldn't help but ask.
"You... you'll Accept Defeat, right?"
"...Mm."
'What an incredibly soft reply!!'
'Did that even register a single decibel?!'
"What did you say?"
Bai Yi hadn't heard clearly. Only Little Finger, with its ability of Teleportation, managed to catch Ye Shiyu's faint hum of agreent, which seed to be squeezed with great difficulty from the very depths of her throat.
Seeing that Bai Yi was about to Question Closely, Ye Shiyu imdiately turned her head away, only to suddenly spot An Le behind them, who appeared as though she had just arrived.
"...An Le is here."
"Hey, Ye Shiyu!!"
Bai Yi still wanted to speak, but rembering that she had just called An Le a "zero-progress Displayed Suppression girl," she consciously realized that such behavior didn't suit her status as a beautiful girl. Thus, she could only awkwardly clear her throat and shut her mouth.
"Haha, hello, An Le..."
"Sorry, I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"
An Le smiled and greeted them.
anwhile, Little Finger, looking at the Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix in front of it, was completely doubting its life as a snake.
'What kind of Hosts... have I been fighting against this whole ti...'
An Le, however, having experienced so much recently, had beco increasingly adept at keeping her composure, so she very naturally pretended not to have heard anything.
Bai Yi cast a glance at An Le and asked sowhat skeptically.
"So, you ntioned on Plane that you know how to break the influence of Sakuramiya Hitomi's superpower on Yan Huan?"
"Mm, this is intel I only managed to gather after secretly observing for a long ti recently..."
An Le nodded and held up one finger.
"In the past, even if her Barrier could perform Common Sense Modification, it only took effect within a specific area. One just had to leave that area to break free...
"But now, Xiao Huan being influenced by her superpower appears to be a permanent effect. From my observations, it seems she achieved this by overlaying the Barrier directly onto herself..."
Hearing this, Bai Yi imdiately trusted An Le's plan a bit more.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes! Before, when I used ti stop, I directly blasted Sakuramiya Hitomi herself to pieces! Sure enough, it's just as I guessed, that's exactly how it works!"
Seeing that Bai Yi was so Convinced, Ye Shiyu also began to believe it a bit more.
An Le hadn't expected to be spared the effort of explaining, so she could only continue speaking.
"Mm, but she can release her Barrier many tis a day. So even if we destroy her Barrier ahead of ti, she will still cast her Common Sense Modification onto Xiao Huan."
"Therefore..."
Ye Shiyu narrowed her eyes, seemingly understanding An Le's train of thought.
And just as she expected, An Le voiced the plan she had discussed and finalized with Yan Huan.
"Therefore, the best thod is to destroy her Barrier at the critical mont...
"For instance, right before the High Table Dinner's Ball begins."
At this mont, inside the Barrier.
"We're almost there! This is the Barrier of Self-Doubting Sakuramiya!"
Cool Sakuramiya and Petite Sakuramiya passed through the Deep and Secluded Corridor and finally arrived once again before the tightly shut iron door.
Petite Sakuramiya still rembered that it was amidst the mountain of televisions behind this very door where she first t Self-Doubting Sakuramiya.
"Can we really find clues inside Self-Doubting Sakuramiya's Barrier? If we can't... this is her territory, we'll be in great danger..."
Cool Sakuramiya raised her eyes to sweep a glance over the iron door in front of her as she asked this.
anwhile, Petite Sakuramiya flew up to the iron door, rubbed its texture, and nodded.
"The Barrier and the Mask are the foundation of a Sakuramiya. This place cannot be faked; it represents the essence of a Sakuramiya.
"Moreover, she currently has administrative authority over the Barrier. Logically speaking, the locations of all other Barriers should be manifested within hers...
"It is highly likely that she has found the location of Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier, but deliberately concealed it from us because she wants to replace Hitomi."
Saying so, Petite Sakuramiya flew over to the doorknob and gently pulled it down.
"Click~"
"So, if there's any place inside the Barrier where we can find clues about Perfect Sakuramiya's Barrier, it has to be here!"
The next second, the door slowly opened...
The layout behind the door remained exactly the sa as when Petite Sakuramiya first visited.
However, compared to the gloomy darkness of that ti, it was now incredibly bright.
The mountain of television screens were no longer dim; instead, they were all illuminated brightly...
On every television screen, scenes from Sakuramiya Hitomi's mory were playing.
One second, it showed a scene from her childhood, being strictly disciplined with a ruler by an Etiquette Teacher.
"Listen well, as a Lady, you must pay attention to your deanor at all tis... You cannot relax for even a single mont!"
The next second, it switched to the ti she first ca to Linn for school, displaying Cherry Blossom Country Lady's Etiquette to the other Students, only to be t with expressions full of confusion.
"Um... Sakuramiya, you're really strange, you know?"
After that scene finished playing, the image on the television suddenly distorted violently...
Imdiately following that, the distorted image gradually took shape, converging into a humanoid figure made of what looked like black mud.
"I don't... want others to think I'm strange anymore... so I must..."
"Gurgle..."
The humanoid figure let out a hoarse roar as it peeled itself off the television bit by bit, subsequently transforming into the Monster that Petite Sakuramiya had seen before.
Inside the other televisions...
The exact sa scenario was playing out!
One second, it was her Grandfather's voice.
"mbers of the Sakuramiya family must use whatever ans necessary to acquire benefits... All codes of conduct must be subordinate to this principle. Catch the scent of profit, and let it guide you..."
The next second, it was Yan Huan's voice.
"Well... actually, Sakuramiya, I think these are things the Student Council ought to be doing. If we charge the Students a fee..."
"Crack!"
The television screen shattered abruptly, and another humanoid figure made of black mud crawled out from within.
"I don't... want the president to think... I'm a person who forgets principles for profit... so I must..."
"Gurgle..."
One second, it was the voices of the Relatives of the Sakuramiya family exchanging Gifts to compete with one another.
"Oh my, oh my, look at this. This gift is custom-made from Ying Country; it's worth millions of yen~"
The next second, it was the awkward expressions of her classmates in Linn returning her gifts.
"Um, Sakuramiya, even if you give
sothing so expensive, I don't know what to give you in return as a Return Gift... Besides..."
"Crack!!"
"I don't... want my classmates to feel a rift with ... so I must..."
"Gurgle..."
"Crack!!"
Before their eyes, the countless televisions were just like incubating eggs.
Various words and scenes, accompanied by the continuous sounds of screens shattering, gave birth to one viscous black shadow after another.
Those writhing mud-like figures struggled on the ground, gradually taking on humanoid shapes.
She began to beco elegant; her etiquette beca proper; she started to rid herself of those flaws shown in the television screens.
But...
No matter how much they transford or how much they learned, it still couldn't change their unbearable, filthy mud-like essence...
And because of this, they were silently declaring their collective na to Petite Sakuramiya and Cool Sakuramiya:
Self-Doubt.
"Click..."
"I really didn't expect that you two would co to my Barrier..."
The next second, Self-Doubting Sakuramiya's voice slowly drifted over from behind, causing Petite Sakuramiya and Cool Sakuramiya—who were staring at this spectacular sight—to sharply turn their heads.
They saw Self-Doubting Sakuramiya standing at the doorway, pursing her lips as she looked at them shyly.
Even though Petite Sakuramiya and Cool Sakuramiya were also Sakuramiyas, also a part of Hitomi...
Self-Doubting Sakuramiya still didn't want them to see this unbearable, shaful side of her.
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