"After an investigation by the Discipline Committee, Student Council, and Student Affairs Office, it has been determined that on March 19, Year 1, Class C student Aria Spencer violated Yuanyue Academy's school motto and Linn High School's code of conduct by physically assaulting a fellow student.
"As approved by the Discipline Office and Student Affairs Office, and reviewed by the Board of Directors, the following disciplinary actions will be taken against Aria Spencer:
A written apology to Hua Zhaofeng, the assaulted student, along with financial compensation.A three-year ban on applying for scholarships, financial aid, or any related assistance.A one-week suspension, effective imdiately."
Tuesday, Noon.
In Yuanyue Academy's Year 1 section, students gathered in front of the Student Council’s announcent board, whispering among themselves in the garden.
"This is it? What kind of punishnt is this? It's basically nothing to her!"
"Heh, Spencer—does that last na still not ring any bells for you? They literally carved her family na into the new school building. Keep dreaming if you think she'd face real consequences."
"Filthy rich... Damn, I never thought I'd actually say that out loud one day."
Just as Yan Huan predicted, the mont the announcent was posted, Spencer beca the talk of the school.
On the outskirts of the crowd, a young girl listened to her classmates' discussion, her lips unconsciously tightening.
On her shoulder, a translucent White Snake flicked its tongue and murmured,
"Happy now? This punishnt? She basically got off scot-free, yet here you are, running over all eager to see the results..."
An Le pressed her lips together, her worried expression unwavering.
"But if Spencer can't join a club and win the Club Competition, she might actually get expelled!"
"Wouldn't that be great?"
"Huh? W-Why?"
Little Finger blinked a few tis, pondered for a second, then said,
"Maybe it’s just my imagination, but every ti she ntions Yan Huan, I get chills... You seriously don’t feel it?"
An Le imdiately caught on—Little Finger was suspicious of Spencer’s intentions. She hurried to defend her.
"No way! Spencer even promised to help set
up with Little Huan!"
"...Heh, she better."
"And besides, when Park Shuwen bullied , Spencer stood up for ! This whole ss started because of
and Park Shuwen..."
At the ntion of that, Little Finger rolled its eyes in frustration and snapped,
"Yeah, and whose fault was that?! I gave you power, you could’ve taught Park Shuwen a real lesson! And I even promised to erase their mories afterward! But what did you do? Nothing! Not even a peep!"
It flicked its tail against An Le’s shoulder, exasperated.
"Seriously, if you had even an ounce of courage, none of this crap would be happening!"
"I... I’m sorry..."
Little Finger huffed and continued,
"And stop stressing out so much! Expulsion seems like a big deal to you, but maybe she doesn’t even care?
"Spencer’s family is on a whole different level. Don’t be like so clueless farr imagining an emperor using a golden hoe—you're worrying about sothing she probably doesn’t give a damn about."
An Le opened her mouth but couldn’t agree with Little Finger’s viewpoint. She simply turned away and muttered under her breath,
"No matter what... I have to find a way to help Spencer..."
Little Finger rolled its eyes again but didn’t get as worked up as before.
It had co to a realization—dealing with An Le required a strategic approach.
This was its only host. Replacing her was equivalent to suicide, and that wasn’t an option.
So instead of getting frustrated, Little Finger decided to focus on the positives.
Sure, An Le refused to listen to its warnings and wouldn’t distance herself from Spencer, who gave it a bad feeling.
But on the bright side—this girl used to be a coward, yet now she was actively trying to find solutions for soone else’s sake.
Instead of butting heads with her, Little Finger figured it was better to manipulate the situation in its favor. Slowly but surely, it could mold her into soone more useful...
With that thought in mind, it flicked its tail and casually remarked,
"Co to think of it, isn’t Yan Huan in charge of this whole thing? He’s the Student Council President, right? Wouldn’t it be better to go talk to him instead of running around like a headless chicken?"
"Y-Yeah... You’re right."
Hearing Little Finger’s suggestion, An Le’s tense expression softened slightly. She turned toward the staircase, intending to head to the Student Council Office on the top floor.
But just as she stepped into the stairwell, she saw soone coming down—Yan Huan, alone.
"L-Little Huan..."
The mont she saw him, her fair skin flushed pink, as if warmth had silently surged through her.
Her fingers twisted together in front of her stomach, subconsciously avoiding his gaze in embarrassnt.
Unaware that her movent caused her arms to press against her chest, creating an unintended visual effect.
"Um... Little Huan... I need to ask you for a favor..."
Yan Huan blinked in surprise before offering a gentle smile.
Then, he casually pointed outside the teaching building and said,
"Actually, I was just looking for you too. There’s sothing I wanted to ask. It’s almost lunchti—let’s talk at the shopping street."
"Huh? You were looking for ...? Ah... O-Okay..."
Watching from the sidelines, Little Finger smirked smugly.
Of course, it was a genius!
"Little Huan... Should we... maybe sit inside?"
At a street-side restaurant in the shopping district, Yan Huan and An Le sat at an outdoor table.
Just after scanning the QR code to place their order, An Le blushed and timidly suggested,
Yan Huan ordered a curry pork cutlet rice before looking at her and asking,
"Why?"
"Because... I feel like everyone's staring at us..."
Yan Huan glanced around.
Since the shopping district was technically still within Yuanyue Academy's grounds, the people dining here were all students from their school.
Not everyone was blatantly staring, but every now and then, a passing student would sneak a glance in their direction.
"The inside is full of our classmates too. Sitting inside or outside makes no difference... More importantly, what do you want to eat? My treat."
"Huh? I..."
An Le hesitated, accepting Yan Huan’s phone with both hands. She scrolled through the nu, bit her lip, and quickly selected the cheapest rice bowl before returning the phone.
After placing the order, Yan Huan set his phone down and absentmindedly rubbed his shoulders and chest, only to imdiately suck in a sharp breath from the pain.
Noticing the silence, Little Finger, perched on his shoulder, quickly urged,
"Say sothing! Didn't you co here to ask him for help? What, you're waiting for him to bring it up first?"
That snapped An Le out of her daze—she had been too focused on Yan Huan’s face.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, she saw Yan Huan’s expression shift slightly as he locked his phone screen. His smile faded a little as he looked at her and suddenly asked,
"That thing with Park Shuwen bullying you... was it true?"
An Le froze. She was about to respond, but seeing Yan Huan’s tense shoulders—like even the slightest movent would cause pain—she instantly changed the topic, her voice full of concern.
"Little Huan... Are you feeling unwell?"
Yan Huan gave her a helpless smile and said,
"I'm asking about you. Don’t change the subject."
"I... I know, but... I was just really worried about you..."
Gazing into her bright, watery eyes, Yan Huan sighed and explained,
"I've been working out lately. Increased training ans sore muscles. It's nothing serious—pain just ans I’m gaining muscle."
"Working out, huh..."
Hearing that, An Le’s eyes instinctively scanned his body under the table.
...And whatever she imagined made her face turn red.
Beside her, Little Finger rolled its eyes.
"You perv."
An Le blushed harder but didn’t argue.
After spending so much ti together, Little Finger knew exactly what kind of person she was.
But... Little Huan looked like he was really in pain.
Maybe she could use her ability to help him?
Thinking of this, she quickly turned to Little Finger and asked,
"Little Finger, if I use my power to give Little Huan pleasure, would that relieve his pain?"
"Of course. Pleasure is the best painkiller..."
Little Finger flicked its tongue, as if hesitating to say more.
After a mont’s thought, it changed the subject and continued,
"For sothing like this, you don’t need a Superconductor-level mory correction. Just summon the snake tattoo on your hand and lightly touch him with it—that’ll do the trick."
"So... That ans..."
Little Finger grinned mischievously, its tongue flicking playfully.
"That ans you just need to find an excuse... to touch Yan Huan’s hand!"
An Le bit her lip, her heart suddenly racing.
Her gaze drifted up, moving from her own softness to Yan Huan’s fingers on the table.
"By the way, you still haven’t answered my question, An Le."
"Huh? Oh... Um..."
Hearing Yan Huan’s voice, she hesitated, then nodded slightly.
"Actually... I was mostly just ostracized and occasionally mocked... That ti, though, it was because I overheard them using Yaqiao to pass a love letter to you.
"I wanted to use that as a reason to approach you... But they caught , so..."
Yan Huan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Figures.
That was just like An Le—instead of simply coming to him, she had to go the roundabout way.
She had a habit of overthinking everything, creating a thousand different possibilities in her mind before taking action.
And usually, she'd either scare herself out of doing anything or gather every ounce of courage she had to take an indirect approach.
But this left Yan Huan with a nagging question.
Judging by the tiline, An Le should have already obtained the Modifier when Park Shuwen bullied her last week.
Given her personality, he could understand why she wouldn’t use the Modifier for revenge. That made sense.
But on Thursday, in the Student Council hallway, when she suddenly used the Modifier to flood him with pleasure...
That... made no sense at all.
If he hadn’t built up resistance, he might’ve lted into a puddle on the spot.
But why?
An Le was timid around Park Shuwen, yet when it ca to him, she went all out?
Is this your idea of childhood friendship, An Le?
Yan Huan couldn’t make sense of it.
Yet, as he watched An Le, biting her lip with a trace of unease in her expression, he quietly pushed those thoughts aside.
He chose to believe that it had simply been a misfire—that she had ssed up because she wasn’t familiar with the Modifier yet.
That actually made a lot of sense.
If she had been watching that day, she probably saw him wearing his cold and distant mask in front of Spencer.
An Le, this fool, would never use the Modifier for revenge when she was the one being bullied. But if she saw friends fighting, she just might use it—to help them reconcile.
"You’re always like this, An Le... ever since we were kids."
"I... I’m sorry, Little Huan..."
Seeing her lower her head like a scolded child, Yan Huan couldn’t help but chuckle.
She was like this, and yet, just a mont ago, he had been seriously suspecting her of intentionally using the Modifier on him.
Maybe he really was losing his mind trying to figure out this whole Modifier situation.
But An Le was still An Le, the sa as before.
With that thought, Yan Huan smirked and lifted his hand, intending to knock her lightly on the forehead.
But just as his hand got close, An Le’s gaze flickered up at him—and beside her, Little Finger shouted excitedly,
"Now’s your chance, An Le! Do it now!"
"Ah... Oh! R-Right!"
An Le snapped out of her daze.
She awkwardly acted shy, raising her hand as if to shield herself from the incoming forehead flick—
—when in reality, she was aiming to touch Yan Huan’s hand!
A ghostly snake-shaped tattoo slithered onto her right hand, unnoticed.
Then, taking a deep breath, An Le gently grabbed his wrist.
"Pa..."
It was a light touch.
Yan Huan glanced at her blushing face and smiled.
But just as he was about to say sothing—
—an all-too-familiar sensation surged up from his arm, shooting straight into his brain.
"?"
His pupils shrank slightly, but he imdiately activated Perfect Facial Control to keep his expression neutral.
Still, behind that mask—he was stunned.
An Le, are you seriously jumping the wolf?!
On his shoulder, a phantom black cat appeared out of nowhere, baring its fangs at An Le in warning.
"Yan Huan, your resistance just took another hit!"
"I..."
Yan Huan opened his mouth—
—but in the next second, he felt sothing bizarre.
The exhaustion in his body seed to be washed away by the sensation pouring in through An Le’s touch.
Huh...?
So it works like that?
He instinctively turned his hand over, gripping An Le’s hand in return.
Her already racing heart nearly exploded.
"L-L-Little Finger... L-Little Huan... h-he... he..."
"Stay calm! Don’t panic! This is just a natural reaction after using your power! Isn’t this great? He’ll like you more now! If you don’t get used to it now, soone else will make you get used to it later!!"
"Ah..."
Yan Huan inhaled sharply, letting the warmth from An Le’s touch wash away his muscle soreness.
It felt like...
The debuff had completely disappeared.
"ow!"
At first, ow-chan had been on high alert.
But after observing for a mont, it noticed that Yan Huan wasn’t letting go.
So, it owed at him warningly,
"Yan Huan, don’t let the Modifier’s sugar-coated bullet corrupt you! This isn’t good for either of you!"
But as it spoke, ow-chan recalled last night—
Yan Huan, cursed, struggling to wash himself in the shower because everything he touched hurt.
It hesitated, its tail curling into a small loop. Its voice softened slightly.
"...At least, not in the long run, ow."
Yan Huan blinked, thinking for a mont, before slowly letting go of An Le’s hand.
The mont their hands separated—the pain ca rushing back.
But this ti, he didn’t reach out again.
Behind his expressionless mask, a thought surfaced in his mind.
"I was hoping An Le’s Modifier could be a permanent fix... but it’s only temporary."
Hearing Yan Huan’s slightly disappointed tone, ow-chan, still perched on his shoulder, sighed,
"If it was permanent... you wouldn’t actually plan to rely on the Modifier, would you?"
"Not rely, ow-chan. Just... critically utilize."
"......"
ow-chan didn’t reply.
It just grumpily opened its tiny cat mouth and bit Yan Huan.
But Yan Huan wasn’t bothered.
He simply stretched his now-loosened muscles before glancing at An Le, who was still flushed red in front of him.
"Think logically—"
"For , it helps relieve the pain from my curse. For An Le, we’ve been apart for a long ti, and this helps bridge the gap. Plus, I get to gather more intel on her Modifier..."
"For example, I now know that this Modifier isn’t the sa as the one she used at the convention. This one is weaker and requires direct physical contact to activate."
Just as Yan Huan was lost in thought—
—ow-chan’s trembling voice suddenly interrupted him.
"Yan Huan... you’re not seriously thinking this is... a win-win, are you?"
"Win-win? Well, I wouldn’t say—"
Originally, Yan Huan thought ow-chan was just being stubborn, unwilling to let him use the Modifier.
But the next second—he changed his mind.
Because ow-chan—useless as it was—was smart enough to know its place and rarely interfered with his decisions.
Yet now, its tone carried 70% fear and 30% despair.
That ant—sothing was wrong.
At that mont, Yan Huan finally noticed—
—a long shadow had appeared over their table.
Did the waiter arrive with their food?
Just as An Le let out a breath of relief, thinking Yan Huan seed more relaxed, she too noticed.
A tall figure stood beside them.
Both Yan Huan and An Le turned their heads at the sa ti.
What they saw was a breathtakingly beautiful girl, with long, jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall.
Her skin was like snow, her figure perfectly balanced.
She looked like a celestial maiden, yet the emotionless chill on her face felt like the calm before a blizzard.
She stood silently beside their street-side table, having likely been watching them for quite so ti.
aning—she had probably seen everything.
Yan Huan didn’t know for sure.
But from the glow of her phone screen, held tightly in her hand, facing inward—
—a deep purple light reflected off her palm.
Only now did he finally understand why ow-chan had reacted like that.
A win-win?
No.
A win-win… with one major loser.
His face stiffened instantly.
After a mont of silence, he turned to the cold, doll-like girl beside him and greeted her.
"Sister Shiyu..."
At the sound of his voice, Ye Shiyu, the ice-cold murder doll, seed to regain a shred of humanity.
Her expression softened—just barely.
But she didn’t put down her still-glowing phone.
A deep purple glow.
"Little Huan."
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