"Hum hum hum~"
Sunday, morning, Kyogo Ward, Bai Yi's ho.
Inside Bai Yi's bedroom, she was humming a song, nervously clutching a small flower as she lay on her stomach on her bed, her undivided attention focused on the phone in her hand.
On the interface of the Plane app, she was drafting a ssage to send to Yan Huan.
"Yan Huan, the weather outside is really nice today. Are you free? Do you want to go out and have fun together?"
She extended her slender fingers and tapped the ssage into the input field with a rapid patter. Then, she rolled over onto her back, pouting as she hesitated for a long ti.
Finally, she made up her mind, closed her eyes, and pressed the send button.
Right after it was sent, she let out a soft whine, placed the glowing phone on her face, clasped her hands together, and devoutly bowed to the device three tis.
As she bowed, she muttered,
"Ugh, stupid phone, please bless ! Yan Huan has to say yes! Say yes, say yes, say yes, say yes..."
In the unseen privacy of her bedroom, the beautiful girl perford this highly unladylike and silly ritual. Fortunately, fate did not mistreat her; it was not long before her phone rang.
"Ding~"
"Ah, it is here!"
Hearing the sound, Bai Yi imdiately lifted her head, her eyes shining brightly. She cupped the phone in her hands and carefully read the ssage Yan Huan had sent.
Yan Huan: "Kitten Apologizing Sticker"
"Sorry, I have other plans for today. Can we hang out another ti?"
Seeing this, Bai Yi imdiately lost all her color. Fighting the urge to cough up blood, she shakily reached out and feigned nonchalance as she replied.
"Ah, okay. Then I will see you at school tomorrow~"
"Mhm mhm."
The mont she saw those two dismissive words from Yan Huan, she furiously threw her phone onto the bed. She grabbed her long Kuromi body pillow, sat on it, and began to violently squish it.
"Dammit, dammit! Damn you, Yan Huan! You actually just replied with a 'mhm mhm', huh?! I mustered up so much courage to invite you out!"
Sitting on the pillow in sheer exasperation, she looked as if she were interrogating an invisible Yan Huan pinned beneath her, spinning around in a fluster.
After a brief session of torture, she bitterly hugged the pillow and rolled over on the bed, her imagination running wild.
'No way, right? No way. Could Yan Huan really be angry about what happened that day?'
After thinking for a mont, she rolled over again and revealed a relaxed smile.
'Oh well, it cannot be. Yan Huan is not such a petty person... I know him best...'
But as she rolled over once more, her face filled with horror.
'Could it be that because I rejected him earlier, he has already agreed to be soone else's dance partner? Is that why he has been so cold to lately...'
Pale-faced, Bai Yi hastily turned back to her phone.
She opened Yan Huan's Monts, trying to find any possible clues to prove that he had gotten involved with another girl.
But this guy, Yan Huan, just like many other boys, absolutely hated posting on his Monts!
'If you look that handso, you should just obediently post on your Monts and share your daily life!'
'Now you are like a complete mystery, leaving constantly guessing like this...'
'I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!'
"..."
Bai Yi wriggled around on the bed for a long ti, but then she suddenly thought of sothing and opened her own Monts.
Unlike the silent Yan Huan, Bai Yi was a regular at curating her Monts.
From ti to ti, she would upload a few beautiful selfies along with so suggestive words.
For example, the post she made yesterday:
"Such a beautiful little flower! I wonder what its language is? It just feels so pretty. I really want to give it to the person I like."
[Image]
Bai Yi tremblingly tapped open the dense list of likes below it. However, after scrolling all the way through, she discovered that Yan Huan had not liked it at all...
'He did not like it!!'
Cold sweat instantly trickled down Bai Yi's forehead.
But that was not the end of it. Just as she closed the list of likes and was about to check other posts...
She found that beneath a sea of formulaic praise from girls saying things like "So pretty" and "Wow, looks great", a comnt from her classmate Yabashi Ki stood out glaringly.
"Ah, that is a blackberry lily, right? The flower language is 'the beauty of the end'. It is usually only used for breakups or when a relationship falls apart."
"..."
'Who asked you?!'
'Why do you have to be such a know-it-all?!'
'Wait, Yan Huan is also friends with Yabashi Ki, right?'
'So, could he have seen this comnt, assud my feelings for him had fallen apart, and therefore did not like the post, which is why he is so cold today?!'
Seeing this, Bai Yi's face darkened, but she proceeded to delete the post anyway.
"..."
After doing all this, she still had no answers and only felt increasingly frustrated and restless.
After tossing and turning for a long ti, she lay on her bed covered in sweat. Staring blankly at the ceiling, she murmured like a burnt-out match,
"What on earth am I doing, you idiot... It is just that Yan Huan did not accept my invitation, and yet I am acting like this. Seriously, and to think I called Ye Shiyu sexually frustrated..."
"Ding~"
The next second, the phone beside her rang again.
She blinked, imdiately sat back up, and turned to pick up the phone.
However, the notification at the top was not a ssage from Yan Huan, but rather...
"Ye Shiyu?!"
Bai Yi's eyes widened. With a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, she stared at the incoming ssage.
"Are you free today?"
"..."
Kyogo Ward, inside a certain shopping mall.
Wearing light makeup, Bai Yi was dressed in a more daily life style: a cal-colored cardigan, a white shirt, and a pleated long skirt—a perfect spring outfit.
She carried a casual shoulder bag and adjusted the sunglasses on her face. Staring in shock at Ye Shiyu, who was wearing a vintage Hepburn-style black slip dress, she could not help but mutter,
"You actually wear this kind of dress?"
Ye Shiyu's usual style was extrely plain; she basically relied entirely on her pure, beautiful face and tall figure to carry her outfits.
Yet today, unexpectedly, she stepped out wearing clothes that even Bai Yi considered to have good aesthetic taste...
'The sun really has risen from the west.'
"Mhm."
Ye Shiyu nodded and said softly,
"Recently, I have been wanting to pick out so makeup and accessories. I do not know much about this kind of stuff, so I wanted to ask for your advice."
"Makeup?"
Bai Yi glanced at the bare-faced Ye Shiyu in front of her, feeling secretly puzzled.
This girl was indeed the type who did not know how to apply makeup or dress herself up, although she could undeniably be called a natural beauty.
Her skin condition and complexion were excellent, and even going out like this was enough to make people turn their heads in awe.
But why did she suddenly think of doing this today?
"..."
Seeing Bai Yi's confusion, Ye Shiyu tilted her head and continued flatly,
"When it cos to dressing up and fashion in the entire school, no one is better than you. That is why I thought of asking for your help."
The mont she heard this praise, Bai Yi subconsciously perked up. Feeling completely flattered, she crossed her arms and proudly declared,
"Hum hum hum, but of course! When it cos to fashion in this school, I am absolutely unparalleled!"
"...Mhm mhm."
Bai Yi patted her chest and spoke,
"Alright, leave this to . Co on, I will take you to a few brands I am familiar with and help you nail down your style!"
"Mhm."
Ye Shiyu rely nodded with an expressionless face, letting Bai Yi lead the way while she simply followed along.
"...How does it look?"
Not long after, inside a chain beauty store, Ye Shiyu's long eyelashes fluttered slightly. When she opened her eyes, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror before turning her head to look at Bai Yi beside her.
anwhile, Bai Yi stared at the Ye Shiyu in front of her with a stiff smile, unable to help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
Simply because, after this girl put on makeup...
She was indeed, quite stunning.
Ye Shiyu's original willow-leaf eye shape was already gorgeous, so Bai Yi had only added so enhancing eyeshadow and a little liner.
A bit of foundation and so subtle highlight elevated her naturally pale, aloof temperant until she looked utterly otherworldly.
And yet, at this very mont, she was adorned with just the right touch of red lip glaze.
This dispelled her doll-like stiff alienation, adding a vibrant touch of humanity...
To evaluate objectively, she truly was beautiful.
But...
"...It is alright, I guess."
Bai Yi stood there with her mouth agape in shock for a long while before pretending to speak in a flat tone.
"Is that so?" Ye Shiyu was neither disappointed nor happy. She just turned back to look at herself in the mirror, seemingly feeling that the person reflected was incredibly unfamiliar and did not look like her old self.
It gave off a bizarre illusion akin to Kayako wearing floral hairpins or Sadako dressing up in Lolita fashion.
"Miss, it really looks wonderful on you~"
"Look, look, you look good enough to skip the photo editing altogether..."
The few shop assistants nearby knew absolutely nothing of her past, naturally offering their smiling praise based strictly on facts.
Ye Shiyu blinked, and receiving their praise, she could not help but gain a bit of confidence. A sudden thought struck her:
'Xiao Huan... he would probably think it is pretty too, right?'
'If so, would he stop seeing as just an older sister, and instead...'
'...see as an attractive woman who makes his heart flutter?'
"...Alright. Please get a new one of each and wrap them up."
After she pursed her red lips, Ye Shiyu spoke softly.
"Sure thing, we will get right on it~"
Bai Yi glared fiercely at those clueless shop assistants. Looking at Ye Shiyu, she felt the danger escalating.
Indeed, the old Ye Shiyu had coveted her sworn younger brother and would use a zero-fra activation for her hypnosis at the drop of a hat, which was terrifying...
But it was never as terrifying as today!
Because she astutely sensed that the aura radiating from this girl had subtly shifted.
She was no longer aggressively domineering and full of a sense of oppression.
Instead...
She was incredibly quiet, carrying a unique charm.
It was as if she had truly turned over a new leaf!
This realization made Bai Yi feel like she was facing a formidable enemy; even her forehead started to sweat slightly.
"...Ye Shiyu, what... what has gotten into you lately? Why do you suddenly want to learn how to do makeup?"
She feigned concern as she asked, causing Ye Shiyu to turn her head, looking unprecedentedly bashful.
"I just... suddenly wanted to learn, that is all."
'Like hell anyone would believe you!'
Bai Yi gnawed on her manicured nails, sensing mounting danger.
If this girl had remained exactly as she was before, Bai Yi would not be worried at all.
After all, Yan Huan's sincere heart lay with her. Aside from relying on hypnosis, this girl possessed absolutely zero chance of winning.
'Is that not obvious enough?'
'If Yan Huan ever found out this pervert's true colors, he would probably flee Linn overnight.'
'But what if...'
'What if she has actually turned over a new leaf?!'
'What if she transforms into a quiet, beautiful, and normal lady like she is now?'
'Then I am completely screwed!'
'Not only does she have Ye Lan acting as a wingman connecting her to Yan Huan, but when it cos to family background and connections, she has a massive advantage!'
'Plus, Yan Huan and I have been in a bit of a cold war lately. My dominant position is in grave jeopardy...'
"..."
Thinking this, Bai Yi's eyes rolled around behind her sunglasses, and a wicked idea bubbled up in her mind.
Watching the store clerks step away, she pretended to speak casually.
"Speaking of which, Yan Huan seems to have so plans today. I invited him out, but he declined... Do you know what Yan Huan is up to today?"
'Do not bla , Ye Shiyu...'
'Lately, you have been decent enough, and I was genuinely starting to see you as a sister. I figured that once Yan Huan and I got together, you would be my older sister too anyway...'
'But how does the saying go again?'
'Afraid that sisters will suffer, but also afraid that sisters will drive Land Rovers.'
'If you are truly turning over a new leaf, then I simply cannot sit back and watch...'
'No, you are not allowed to change!'
Bai Yi sched sinisterly in her mind, though her facial expression remained perfectly natural.
"Gee, it is the weekend. It really makes wonder..."
Sure enough, as soon as the words were spoken, Ye Shiyu's expression montarily froze.
Clearly, the possessiveness deep within her heart was acting up again.
'Bai Yi actually invited Xiao Huan out?'
'But Xiao Huan surprisingly did not accept. Could it be...'
'...that he has a date with another girl?'
'Heh heh heh...'
Seeing Ye Shiyu's brow furrow slightly, Bai Yi's inner self was practically beaming with a "plan successful" smile.
However, after a long silence, Ye Shiyu took a deep breath and spoke softly.
"I do not... know either. But maybe... Xiao Huan has his own things to do on the weekend. That is perfectly normal..."
The smile on Bai Yi's face stiffened slightly, and she remarked in sheer astonishnt,
"I... I invited Yan Huan out to play!"
"Did Xiao Huan say yes?"
"Uh..."
Bai Yi felt as if a knife had been instantly plunged into her chest, rooting her to the spot in a daze.
As she spoke, Ye Shiyu turned her head again and tilted her head to look at Bai Yi.
"Or is it that he has already agreed to beco your boyfriend?"
"..."
"Crack!"
A second knife violently stabbed into Bai Yi's body, almost making her burst into tears.
"Ugh..."
'Dammit...'
'If I had known, I would have just accepted Yan Huan that day!'
'Would it even be your turn to mock right now?!'
Clutching her chest as if nursing a deep internal injury, she lowered her head and could not utter a single word for a very long ti.
Seeing her in this state, the corners of Ye Shiyu's mouth inevitably curled up slightly.
She was smiling again.
"Here you go, Miss, everything is wrapped up for you. Have a look, how would you like to pay?"
"Card is fine."
Ye Shiyu handed over a bank card, and then she stood up to look at Bai Yi.
"Let us go. I will treat you to milk tea. What do you want to drink?"
"..."
Bai Yi did not expect her to say sothing like this, so she raised her eyes to look at her again.
After a mont of silence, she scoffed and mumbled quietly,
"I want the most expensive one."
"Mhm mhm."
Ye Shiyu nodded and led Bai Yi away, saying at the sa ti,
"By the way, could you also take to look at so manicures..."
"Heh."
Bai Yi gnashed her teeth and glared at Ye Shiyu, thinking to herself that this girl was just here to steal her skills, and then the apprentice would end up starving the master...
But in all honesty, enveloped by an aura of self-discipline, Ye Shiyu truly gave Bai Yi a sense that she was entirely unassailable.
Because fundantally speaking, as long as Ye Shiyu was even slightly normal, she was truly a perfect, all-around powerhouse.
Beautiful looks, wealthy family background, deep personal connections, capable of doing anything...
"Tsk."
Just as Bai Yi was following behind Ye Shiyu, her face full of resentnt while hatching her little sches, her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a nursery room on one side of the mall.
She saw that the door to the nursery room was pushed wide open slightly, and peeking out from inside was soone with mouse ears atop her head...
Sakuramiya Hitomi?
She seed to be talking to soone too.
"Where... where exactly is this?"
"I do not know either. It looks like so shopping mall in Linn? Wait, I think I see..."
"Just hold on a second!! We cannot go out, and besides, she is coming right now!!"
"Click!"
The door shut once again.
Bai Yi froze for several seconds before she finally rubbed her eyes, feeling as though she had hallucinated.
She quickly patted Ye Shiyu's shoulder and spoke up to warn her,
"Hey, Ye Shiyu. I think I just saw a Sakuramiya Hitomi with mouse ears inside that nursery room..."
"Mouse ears?"
Ye Shiyu turned around, an expression of confusion crossing her face.
However, she did not look at Bai Yi as if she were staring at a hysterical person; instead, she narrowed her eyes.
Simply because both of them were hosts of superpowers, naturally granting them a healthy dose of suspicion.
"Let us... go take a look."
After a mont of silence, Ye Shiyu said this to Bai Yi.
"Eh? Mhm."
Bai Yi also pursed her lips. Silently keeping Ye Shiyu in front to shield herself, she then carefully made her way toward the nursery room.
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