Chapter 24: Dried-Fish Woman, Perk Up! |
Inside a restroom stall by the window in the first-year division of Far Moon Academy.
An Le had a web page open, searching for information on small snake species.
Last night, a tiny, bizarre white snake had suddenly appeared on her windowsill.
She knew a fair bit about snakes. After all, when she first wanted to keep reptiles, a pet snake was her top choice.
However, because her parents were absolutely terrified of them, she ended up getting a gecko, which they found more acceptable.
As for spiders, insects, and the like, those were completely out of the question.
But what about the snake from last night?
Despite being so small, it looked incredibly similar to a cobra, making An Le wonder if it was venomous.
She had fed it a little food and then locked it away, ensuring it absolutely could not escape.
A massive maritime city like Linmen had almost no native wildlife. Since it appeared in a residential area, it was highly likely to be someone''s escaped pet.
Seeing how heavily injured it was, its previous owner probably did not treat it well.
An Le wanted to keep it, but after searching all morning, she could not find a single matching description.
Its pattern, size, shape...
None of its traits matched any known species.
Besides, was there really such a thing as a miniature milky-white cobra?
"Hey, Seo-moon, I heard the president rejected all the gifts again this morning..."
"Yeah, if the president isn''t sleeping, there''s basically no chance."
Just as An Le put her phone away in the stall, ready to head back to the classroom, the voices of several female classmates chatting echoed from outside the door.
She quickly held her breath, sitting frozen in place, not daring to move an inch.
Park Seo-moon seemed to open the adjacent stall, and her voice carried over.
"Silly, the key isn''t whether the president is asleep or not. It''s that Student Council accountant."
"Oh, you mean that nerd you mentioned before?"
"Exactly. He has a great relationship with the president and is very easy to talk to. If you catch him alone and ask him really sincerely, he''ll definitely pass it on to the president."
Eavesdropping on their conversation, An Le could not help but press her lips together, remaining perfectly silent.
"Will that really work?"
"Of course, but there can''t be too many people doing it. One or two occasionally is fine, but if too many girls ask, he''ll refuse no matter what."
After waiting a moment, the stall door creaked open, and it sounded like Park Seo-moon stepped back out.
"So, we just need to space it out and ask him once a week. You have to act a little cute, a little sweet..."
As she spoke, the sound of running water indicated Park Seo-moon was washing her hands. She put on a sickeningly sweet, syrupy voice and demonstrated,
"Aw, Yatsuhashi, you''re the best. I really don''t know how to thank you!"
"Ew, that''s so annoying! Your fake voice is killing me, haha."
"Shh, these are all secrets I''ve quietly figured out. Don''t tell anyone else."
"Mainly because he''s the only one among the Student Council executives who can actually help. Secretary Yurianna might agree to help, but she''d read the letter a dozen times before it ever got delivered."
"And then there''s Ashley. She has a permanent scowl on her face all day. She''s impossible to deal with."
"As for Sakuramiya... Hehe."
"Hahaha!"
Their chatter gradually faded away, accompanied by the ringing of the class bell. Inside the stall, An Le remained seated, seemingly chewing over their conversation.
''If I pass a letter to that accountant named Yatsuhashi, will Xiao Huan accept it?''
''But, somehow it feels...''
''And if Park Seo-moon and the others found out I was eavesdropping and copying them...''
An Le pressed her lips together and gently clutched her chest, feeling a stifling sensation there.
She gasped slightly and undid a button at her collar, as her uniform was stretched uncomfortably tight across her bust.
However, even after doing so, the heavy feeling persisted.
She finally realized that the stifling pressure was not in her chest, but in the heart hidden beneath it.
"Hiss..."
While An Le hesitated, a phantom, snake-like tattoo emerged from nowhere on her body, writhing and slithering across the skin beneath her clothes.
An Le was cupping her face, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something moving on her arm.
"!!"
Startled, she leaped to her feet and stared at her arm.
A snake... A s-s-snake!!
''Why is it on my hand?!''
Just as her eyes welled up with tears of panic and confusion, the snake tattoo slid down from her fingers and gradually materialized into a real, tiny white snake.
"Hiss..."
The little snake was identical to the one she had rescued the night before.
"Hello, An Le."
The little snake reared up, sizing up the girl in front of it. It suddenly spoke directly into her mind, its voice sounding distinctly feminine.
"It... It spoke!!"
An Le clamped her hands over her mouth, even beginning to wonder if she had touched herself too much and was now having hallucinations.
The little snake rolled its eyes in a highly human-like manner, then glared at her and scolded,
"Trash!"
"Eh? Why... Why are you suddenly scolding me?"
"You don''t even defend yourself when I call you trash. Are you even human?"
"But... I don''t even know why you''re mad. What if it''s because I locked you up last night..."
The little snake was so exasperated it actually laughed, momentarily at a loss for words to insult her with.
After a brief silence, it gave An Le a sidelong glance and muttered helplessly to itself,
"I''m seriously speechless. Forget it, I don''t have a choice anyway. If I drag this out any longer, the other Fingers are going to get a chicken dinner..."
"Get... a chicken dinner?"
An Le''s small face flushed red. She had only caught the words "chicken dinner," and who knew what inappropriate thoughts had suddenly crossed her mind.
"Listen closely, An Le. I''m a straight shooter, so I''ll get right to the point."
The little snake flicked its translucent pink tongue and declared,
"Do you know what a Cheat is?"
"I... I think so. I''ve read a lot of web novels from Dragon Country..."
"I am a Cheat. You can call me a hack, or a System, it doesn''t matter. In short, I am here to help you grant your wishes."
"Grant my wishes?"
"Exactly. You are the protagonist of this world, a Child of Fortune. You can do whatever you want."
Flicking its tongue, the little snake slithered toward An Le. It wrapped itself around her arm, coiling and twisting as it drew closer.
"I can bestow upon you the power to manipulate sensation. Through it, you can control anyone''s Pleasure or Pain Sensation..."
As the tiny snake coiled its way up, a tingling numbness spread through An Le''s arm, followed by an itch, a Pain Sensation, and then...
An Le''s face flushed slightly, and her body went weak beyond her control.
But the feeling was fleeting, quickly receding like the tide.
"In return, you must fulfill your wishes and show them to me."
"One by one, whether they are petty or grand, effortless or impossible—fulfill them all."
"The more you use it, the stronger the power I can give you will become... until it evolves."
As sweet as the forbidden apple Eve tasted, the white snake''s words abruptly ceased. Then, its tone took a sharp turn.
"However, you must be cautious. Careful, careful, and more careful! You absolutely cannot let anyone else know you possess this ability. You must never be discovered."
An Le swallowed hard and asked instinctively,
"Otherwise... what will happen?"
''Otherwise, we''ll all be annihilated in an instant!''
All of these Fingers, along with this entire world.
No one other than the Finger''s host was allowed to know of its existence. That was the rule set down by the Divine Lord...
"If people could just find out about it, could it still be called a Japanese Anime/Drama?"
That was what the Divine Lord had said.
That was the primary reason.
As for the second reason...
"What do you think? If other people found out you had this kind of supernatural ability, what would happen?"
"I''d be captured and experimented on?"
"You''re not entirely stupid."
The little snake flicked its tongue and shot An Le a dirty look.
"More likely, you''d be killed after the experiments yielded no results!"
Although it would not die, having to find a new host and start all over again would put its progress far behind the other Fingers.
Originally, it had planned to bind with that woman named Tong Yingying. Even after making her fully aware of its usefulness, she had still willingly chosen to reject taking ownership of it...
Because of that, it had suffered severe injuries.
All it could say was, thank goodness the bonding process hadn''t been completed, or it would have been totally screwed.
Now, it had no choice but to settle for the next best option and come to this Dried-Fish Woman right in front of it.
"So, are you going to accept my help?"
"I..."
An Le opened her mouth, gazing at the little snake before her.
She watched it flick its tongue, its crimson serpentine eyes reflecting her own distorted figure.
"Are you really sure you want to be bullied by others for the rest of your life? In elementary school, middle school, high school, and now..."
"..."
"Are you sure you want to be a coward forever? Too afraid to even speak to him and reclaim your shared memories, forced to watch helplessly as he gets together with other women?"
"N-No, it''s not like that!"
As she listened, An Le suddenly clenched her hands tightly and fiercely retorted,
"I just want to reconnect with him! As for who he likes, I..."
''No way, girl...''
''I''ve built things up to this point, and this is what you give me?!''
''How is this any different from getting the power of Time Stop, only to use it to get extra study time?''
''Damn it, you have this kind of superpower now and you''re still trying to pull that "If You Are Well, Then It Is a Clear Day" nonsense?''
''Fine, fine, fine...''
The little snake''s expression darkened. It slapped its tail hard against her hand and cursed,
"Useless! Forget about that guy named Yan Huan—I''m telling you, you can mess with whoever you want! Can you show some ambition?! You''re too scared to even imagine it?"
"But, I only—"
"Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!"
Before she could finish her sentence, the little snake''s tail lashed out like a whirlwind, striking her repeatedly.
An Le hastily covered the back of her hand to protect it, yelping and trying to stop the barrage.
"S-Stop slapping me... I... I''ll accept your help!"
The little snake was panting, thoroughly infuriated by her. It spat,
"How did a genius like me end up with a Good-For-Nothing like you?! Let me tell you, starting today, you need to Perk Up!"
"From now on, whoever bullies you, you make them suffer!"
"If you fancy someone, turn them into your slave, just like the characters in those games you play!"
An Le''s mouth fell open in shock. She actually wanted to say, "How can you bring video game logic into reality?"
But seeing how furious it was, she didn''t dare utter another word.
Instead, she asked,
"Little snake... since you can talk, do you have a name?"
"...You can call me "Pinky"."
"What a strange name." An Le reached out to pet its head, but it indignantly swatted her hand away.
Unbothered, An Le simply finished the thought she had been trying to express before it interrupted her,
"Pinky... What I wanted to say earlier was, even though you sound incredibly powerful... if the only ability is manipulating Pleasure and Pain Sensation, it sounds like I can''t really accomplish anything at all..."
"..."
Pinky froze slightly, nearly Overheated by An Le''s simple sentence.
"What is that supposed to mean?! Are you calling me weak?! I''m a genius—I am more than capable of helping you, alright?!"
"N-No, I''m just stating the facts..."
"Bullshit! Besides, this is just the starting Level! It will get much stronger as you use it more!!"
"Mmm..."
''But, wouldn''t something like this still be completely useless no matter how much stronger it gets?''
However, afraid of getting Pinky''s Defenses Broken again, she couldn''t bear to say it out loud.
An Le was a very gentle girl.
"O-Okay... But Pinky, you''re a snake. I can''t possibly bring you to school normally, and at home, I''d have to constantly worry about my parents seeing you..."
"Did you seriously think just anyone could see me? You are the only one who can see me. Nobody else can see or hear me."
As it spoke, Pinky began to slowly melt.
Its milky-white body seemed to be suffused with ink, transforming back into the phantom tattoo on An Le''s hand.
The tattoo writhed slightly on her skin, and then, as if by magic, an ethereal block of text materialized in her field of vision.
"Current Level: 1"
"Effect: Pleasure and Pain Sensation Manipulation"
"Usage Method 1: Once per day, lasting 15 minutes per use. Can be activated on any target within a ten-meter radius by silently visualizing them in the mind."
"Usage Method 2: Summon the snake tattoo and make physical contact with the target using the tattooed area to manipulate their sensations. This method has no duration limit or cooldown time, but can only affect one person at a time."
Staring at the floating text before her, An Le parted her lips and murmured,
"It''s really exactly like the Systems in the web novels..."
"Hmph, as long as you recognize that I am a Cheat. Now, what you need to do is teach those brats who have been bullying you a lesson. Understand?"
Pinky''s voice echoed in her mind.
An Le pressed her lips together, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
She simply glanced at her phone and, upon seeing the time, stood up in a flurry of panic.
"O-Oh no, class has been going on for so long already... I need to hurry back to the Classroom..."
"Hey, did you even hear a single word I just said?!"
"..."
An Le quietly slipped out of the stall and walked over to the sinks.
Her thoughts, however, were in complete disarray, entirely scrambled by this sudden little snake.
She wasn''t thinking about getting revenge on Park Seo-moon and her clique. Instead, a scene from more than ten years ago suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Back then, her family hadn''t moved out of the South Ward yet. They lived in a somewhat run-down, dirty old neighborhood.
Back then, just like now, she had almost no friends.
The difference was, back then she had a very close childhood friend.
The kids in the neighborhood would often play together, but they rarely included her because she was too quiet and simply unlikable.
She still craved friendship, so even if it meant following silently behind the other kids, or sitting to the side doing absolutely nothing, she still wanted to be near them.
There was an Orphanage in the neighborhood, and the local kids frequently went there to play with the orphans.
And it was there that An Le met a boy named Yan Huan.
A very special boy.
Out of all the children, only Yan Huan would notice her sitting all alone in the corner.
Only Yan Huan would take the initiative to seek her out, talk to her, and invite her to play.
An Le would meticulously prepare birthday gifts for him, bring him to her house, and share her bed with him.
Her parents also adored him. At the time, she had even naively suggested to her parents that they should take Yan Huan in to live with them...
Those few years of happiness were something An Le could never forget.
But all of that beauty Vanished like Smoke and Clouds when An Le''s family moved away from Linmen.
She still remembered crying and clinging to him right before she left. Helpless to comfort her, he cut out a piece of cardboard and said to her,
"Don''t cry anymore. Let me make a bookmark for you, okay?"
"Sob... Xiao Huan, what''s a... what''s a bookmark?"
"A bookmark is a record. It remembers the exact place you left off when you had to part with the book."
"So, is this bookmark a record too?"
"Uh-huh. The meaning of a bookmark is so that the next time we reunite, we can start right from the exact place where we separated."
Using a pen, he wrote a line on the cardboard. It was their names.
"Yan Huan and An Le"
He had asked her if she wanted to write something on it too.
She picked up the pen and pondered, but her mind held only the simplest of thoughts:
''I don''t want to separate.''
So, she wrote a line of text on the bookmark, making it whole:
"Yan Huan and An Le"
"Will be together forever."
After that, her family returned to Dragon Country and ran a business for many years.
When the business saw no improvement, they moved back to Linmen and settled in the Luoqiao District.
She had gone back to the Orphanage in the South Ward, but so many years had passed. Yan Huan had long since left the Orphanage, his whereabouts unknown.
Perhaps destiny couldn''t bear to watch her search any longer. After she struggled and finally managed to get accepted into Far Moon Academy, Yan Huan suddenly appeared right before her eyes on his own.
It turned out Yan Huan had also tested into Far Moon, attending the same school as An Le.
But... even though she had missed him so much deep down, an entire semester had passed. Why hadn''t she sought him out?
"Splash..."
The freezing tap water cascaded over the back of her hand, sapping away her body heat and compelling her to look up at the mirror in front of her.
In the reflection, her long, thick black hair dragged her overall aura down into gloominess.
After a moment of silence, she parted the black hair over her forehead a bit, revealing a pale, pure, and adorable face.
Yet even when looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes instinctively darted away.
That evasive look was stained with the shadows of her deep inferiority complex, burying everything about her.
''Someone like me...''
''And Xiao Huan, who is now the president and liked by so many people...''
''How could it be possible...''
''How could it ever be possible to be together forever?''
An Le pressed her lips together and lowered her head again. Her long black hair fell forward, obscuring her features once more.
Feeling a pang of misery, she walked out of the restroom and headed toward her class.
She knocked softly on the door and stepped into the Classroom. Looking at Zhou Bin, who was lecturing at the podium, An Le mumbled timidly,
"Teacher... I''m sorry, I''m late coming back..."
Already bracing herself to be punished by standing, An Le prepared to walk to the back row...
After all, she sat in the very last row anyway.
But unusually, Zhou Bin merely pushed up his glasses and squeezed out a smile.
"It''s fine. Go back to your seat."
"Eh? O-Okay, Teacher Zhou."
An Le shot Zhou Bin a grateful look, then lowered her head and made her way to her desk.
She breathed a sigh of relief. But just as she was about to sit down, her body violently stiffened.
''My...''
''Where are my Textbooks?''
''The books aren''t important, but... the... the bookmark I tucked inside...''
''If I lost the bookmark...''
Beneath her dark hair, her trembling eyes gradually went hollow. The snake tattoo on her arm seemed to feed on some terrifying energy, becoming violently restless.
"Hiss..."
Turning her head to the side, she saw the blonde-haired Spencer absentmindedly holding that very bookmark, wrinkled and worn by the passage of time.
''It''s... It''s in her hand!''
Spencer turned her head, looking curiously at the girl next to her. She saw An Le looking incredibly anxious, whispering to her,
"P-Please give that back to me..."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Spencer raised an eyebrow and looked An Le up and down.
A moment later, her initially intrigued expression, which had flashed with a burning fighting spirit, slowly sank back into utter boredom.
"Fine."
She handed the bookmark back to An Le, along with her Textbooks.
"Th-Thank you..."
An Le cradled the bookmark, exhaling a sigh of relief, and slowly sat back down in her seat.
But right at that moment, Spencer''s voice drifted over lazily,
"You really like him too, don''t you? That president named Yan Huan..."
"Eh? N-No... I don''t..."
An Le''s face instantly burned red. She hastily waved her hands, instinctively denying it.
Watching her act like this, a trace of pity surfaced in Spencer''s eyes.
She propped her chin on her hand, gazing toward the podium as she drawled,
"There''s nothing to be embarrassed about... but it''s for the best if you don''t. Just giving you a heads-up..."
"Eh?"
An Le awkwardly retracted her hands and pursed her lips, seemingly assuming the other girl also liked Yan Huan.
"After all, he''s already together with that Sakuramiya Hitomi, and they''ve even done that kind of thing..."
An Le''s body slightly stiffened. She turned her head in a daze.
"Th-That kind of thing..."
A mocking smile crept onto Spencer''s face, her blonde hair seemingly soaked in the sunlight.
Facing An Le, her red lips parted and closed, silently mouthing a word.
The meaning conveyed by her lips was transmitted silently, smashing into An Le''s mind as if materializing into a lurid, dizzying image.
In a split second, she could almost picture it: inside some room, Yan Huan gazing with eyes full of love at the vice president who was always by his side.
"..."
Uncontrollably, An Le''s small face instantly drained of color.
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