Chapter 35: What If Sakuramiya Finds Out |
"Boom!"
Walking down the corridor, Yan Huan''s pupils suddenly constricted as if he had instantly sensed something.
A powerful electric current surged up his spine, striking directly into his brain.
In that split second, his mind went completely blank, and his body instantly went limp.
"Ugh!"
''Huh?''
''What is this feeling?''
''There''s...''
''There''s an expert out there?!''
But even touching the wall left his hand feeling entirely numb and tingly, as if he had pressed into soft cotton, forcing him to quickly pull his hand back.
"Haa... haa..."
His eyes widened as he panted heavily, his body trembling slightly.
''Just a moment ago...''
He had experienced an intensely euphoric sensation.
''That feeling was mostly blocked by my Resistance. If I didn''t have Resistance...''
''Gasp!''
''I don''t even dare to imagine!''
Yet even so, it had produced a violent reaction. For instance, right now, as he looked down...
''Little comrade, the teacher didn''t call on you, so why are you standing up to answer the question?!''
''Because I am a stand-up guy.''
Yan Huan drew in a sharp breath. A passing breeze immediately brought a hint of coolness to his face.
Only then did he realize that beads of sweat had already started forming on his forehead.
''A Modifier...''
''Is this the effect of the fourth Modifier?''
"Yan Huan."
Right at that moment, Myau-chan suddenly appeared beside him, looking at him with deep concern.
"Are you alright?"
"I''m fine, it''s just... hiss."
The afterglow of that sensation washed over him like a tidal wave. Even though it hadn''t reached its peak, it was still difficult to resist.
He hunched over, warily scanning his surroundings. However, the area was completely quiet, and there wasn''t a single person in sight.
"The Host of the fourth Modifier is also in our school, but I didn''t see where she was."
"Wait a minute, meow. Yan Huan, the Resistance I gave you seems to have been partially pierced just now."
"Pierced my Resistance?"
Yan Huan was somewhat in disbelief as he asked,
"What do you mean?"
Myau-chan floated closer and explained anxiously,
"It basically means that the Resistance was only operating at seventy percent effectiveness just now. The characteristics of that Modifier are extremely unique. It seems to have the ability to ignore a portion of your Resistance, which is why you felt so overwhelmed."
''You...''
''It has built-in armor penetration, huh?!''
''It actually has the ability to pierce Resistance?!''
Yan Huan kept his back bent, too shocked to speak for a moment.
What was even more terrifying was that he was wearing a pair of loose black trousers today. He had no idea why he had chosen to wear such a revealing style this morning.
And his stubborn little comrade showed absolutely no signs of calming down; it seemed to have already entered "Gundam mode."
The sudden, long-distance ambush left Yan Huan with no time to search for the culprit. What was even worse, the faint sound of an approaching conversation drifted up from the stairwell.
"Hehe, Sakuramiya, when can I go to your house again to see that cute kitty?"
''It''s Yurianna!''
"Hmm, Mitsuki has mostly recovered. How about this weekend?"
''It''s Sakuramiya Hitomi!!''
"How about Saturday? I''ll come over on Saturday!"
"Does Sunday not work for you?"
"Ah, I''m going to the Linmen game convention on Sunday. That convention is super big and really fun. Sakuramiya, do you want to go with me?"
"Hmm, let me think about it."
"I won''t let you just ''think about it''! Every time you say that, nothing ever happens! Besides, it seems like Yaqiao and the President are going too. Didn''t they tell you?"
"...Is that so."
''Crap, Sakuramiya Hitomi and Yurianna are back!''
Yan Huan''s pupils shrank. He quickly glanced at his mobile phone. A message had been sent to the group chat earlier, but unfortunately, he hadn''t seen it because his phone was on silent.
Sakuramiya: "President, we will be back shortly to discuss the upcoming Club War with you."
The problem was that he absolutely could not go out and meet them in his current ''pitching a tent'' state. If the Student Council members discovered this...
''My career as the Student Council President would probably be over, right?''
Hiding in the restroom was an excellent choice—he could just wait until little Yan Huan settled down.
But the issue was that he and Spencer had just walked to this corridor directly opposite the Student Council Office. There was only one path from this corridor to the top-floor restroom.
He would have to go back and loop around through the corridor right in front of the Student Council doors.
In doing so, he would inevitably run straight into Sakuramiya and Yurianna, who were currently coming up the stairs.
So, the only solution was:
Hide at the entrance of this corridor first, wait for them to enter the Student Council Office and close the door, and then make a mad dash for the restroom.
Bent over and leaning heavily against the wall, Yan Huan shuffled into the blind spot around the corner. He pressed his body against the icy-cold tiles, desperately trying to use their chill to cool himself down.
''Be a good boy, little comrade. Listen to me!''
However, his little comrade remained entirely set in its ways. The unyielding vigor of a healthy young man was completely unstoppable and refused to listen to reason.
Sakuramiya Hitomi, dressed in a Western-style dress, and the skipping Yurianna arrived at the top floor. They quickly reached the door of the office.
Sakuramiya Hitomi raised her fair hand, knocked on the door, and softly called out,
"President, we have returned."
"..."
There was no response.
Yurianna tilted her head, looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi, and said,
"Is the President not in the office?"
With that, she let out a small grunt of effort, pulled the door handle, and pushed the door open, revealing the completely empty office inside.
"He''s really not here. The President probably went to the restroom... Let''s just wait here for him to come back."
Yurianna bounded over to the leather sofa and sat down, but Sakuramiya Hitomi was not nearly as casual as her.
Sakuramiya Hitomi, who thoroughly enjoyed monitoring Yan Huan, always had an overwhelming urge to get to the bottom of things. So even if he had simply gone to the restroom, she still needed to check exactly what had just happened.
Her eyes flashed. Without even stepping into the Student Council Office to close the door, a hazy, illusory screen materialized before her eyes.
Room Barrier, activate!
Reviewing past surveillance footage...
In the footage, Yan Huan was sitting at his desk, reviewing documents.
Then, a series of violent knocks rang out. Anyone could tell just by listening that the person outside was kicking the door.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Who is it?"
The President had asked.
"Me, Spencer."
''It''s that annoying girl?!''
Sakuramiya Hitomi''s pupils contracted slightly as she watched the President stand up and walk toward the door.
He pushed the door open. Because the area outside the office was not covered by her Jiejiè, she couldn''t see the expression on Spencer''s face. She could only hear her irritating voice.
"I''m here, President~"
''Even the way that person calls out to the President is so disgusting. It always sounds like there''s some hidden meaning...''
Sure enough, inside the office, Yan Huan also revealed an expression of "disgust."
But immediately after, he glanced back into the office, pointed outside, and said,
"Let''s talk over there."
"OK~"
''Talk outside?''
Sakuramiya Hitomi dismissed the illusory screen and looked out into the corridor with a deep frown.
''Does that mean the President is currently alone with that Spencer girl?''
''And he still hasn''t come back?!''
"Sakuramiya, I wanna drink your black tea."
Yurianna''s voice dragged her back to reality.
"Mhm."
Still frowning, Sakuramiya Hitomi gave Yurianna a perfunctory reply.
Meanwhile, as Yurianna busily poured herself a drink, she noticed that Sakuramiya Hitomi was still standing by the doorway. She asked in confusion,
"Are you not coming in?"
"I''m going to the restroom."
"Alrighty. Hehe, Sakuramiya''s black tea..."
Ignoring Yurianna behind her, Sakuramiya Hitomi closed the Student Council doors and walked out.
Over in his hiding spot, Yan Huan heard the sound of the door closing and assumed they had both gone inside. Just as he was about to stand up, Myau-chan hurriedly stopped him.
"Don''t move, Yan Huan. That Sakuramiya Hitomi is still outside, meow."
''Sakuramiya?''
Yan Huan sat back down. He didn''t crouch, because pitching a tent made crouching incredibly uncomfortable.
On the other side, Sakuramiya Hitomi walked to the intersection of the corridors.
Walking straight ahead and turning right would lead to Yan Huan''s hiding spot. The corridors to the left were where An Le was hiding. To the right lay the stairwell and the path to the restroom.
It could only be said that at this very moment, the top floor of the Student Council building felt like the calm before a raging storm.
Standing at the intersection, Sakuramiya Hitomi lowered her head and took out her mobile phone.
She opened Plane, navigated to Yan Huan''s chat window, and directly initiated a voice call.
Fortunately, Yan Huan had the foresight to set his mobile phone to silent mode beforehand.
Sitting on the floor, the lingering waves of pleasure coursing through him hadn''t entirely receded. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he casually pressed the lock screen button.
He didn''t answer, nor did he hang up. He just let it ring.
"Beep... beep... beep..." The unanswered dial tones only made Sakuramiya Hitomi increasingly worried.
''What exactly...''
''Is that Spencer girl talking to the President about?''
Sakuramiya Hitomi turned on her heel, planning to check the restroom area first.
Of her two weekly Jiejiè uses, one had already been deployed at the equipment room behind the gymnasium.
Although she still had one left, she would have to dismantle the Student Council''s Room Barrier before she could cast it again.
Unless absolutely necessary, she did not want to do that.
As she walked down the hall toward the restroom, Sakuramiya Hitomi softly called out,
"President! Are you in the restroom?"
On the other side of the corridor, Yan Huan let out a helpless smile upon hearing Sakuramiya Hitomi''s voice. He looked at Myau-chan and whispered,
"She really came looking for me..."
"Meow~"
Meanwhile, in the opposite corridor, the culprit responsible for this catastrophe—An Le—had also hastily hidden herself.
Earlier, when she saw Yan Huan stumbling against the wall, looking entirely unable to stand steadily, she didn''t dare to look anymore.
She crouched beneath the half-wall, hugging her knees. Panic completely consumed her as she looked at Little Finger beside her.
"Wh-What do I do? I... I didn''t mean to. I didn''t mean to make Xiao Huan like that! I just..."
"..."
Little Finger was genuinely rendered speechless.
The original plan had been going so smoothly. First, let her taste a bit of sweetness to experience the thrill of using the Modifier, and then gradually deepen her reliance on it.
Was there a problem with this strategy?
Absolutely not!!
But it never expected this girl to do something so incredibly stupid.
Damn it, I warned you a thousand times to just give him a tiny dose. And now look at what you''ve done! You''ve flooded your precious President Yan with maximum output!
What the hell were you thinking?
Did you think you were playing one of your weird galgames?!
Now look at this mess. With a blunder like this, An Le definitely wouldn''t use the Modifier again for a very long time!
Ugh, why is my luck so terrible to end up choosing a Host like this?!
And so, the two of them hid there.
One was An Le, and the other was Little Finger. One wanted to cry out of intense guilt, and the other wanted to cry out of pure doubt for its life choices as a snake.
But just as An Le was entirely at a loss for what to do, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s voice calling out for Yan Huan drifted over.
"President! Are you in the restroom?"
An Le blinked her teary eyes, exchanging a look with the tearless, devastated Little Finger beside her.
Sakuramiya Hitomi called out at the entrance to the restroom. After glancing around the completely empty surroundings, she first stepped into the women''s restroom.
Finding nothing, she narrowed her eyes and strode directly into the men''s restroom.
The top floor was generally only used by members of the Student Council. No one else would come all the way up here to use these facilities.
Every stall door was wide open. There was absolutely no one inside.
"..."
He wasn''t in the restroom.
Sakuramiya Hitomi walked back to the intersection of the corridors, seemingly pondering the scene she had witnessed on the surveillance.
She had seen it just a moment ago. Yan Huan had pointed in a direction and said, "Let''s talk over there."
That meant they were most likely still on this floor discussing matters.
If he wasn''t in the restroom, then...
Sakuramiya Hitomi''s sharp gaze swept toward the direction where Yan Huan was hiding. She raised her foot, preparing to walk over.
"Yan Huan! She''s coming!"
The spectral Myau-chan jumped in fright and quickly turned to warn him.
But when Myau-chan turned its head, it saw Yan Huan with his eyes closed, muttering something under his breath.
"The biting frost of a thousand ages, all things are completely still; quiet the mind and calm the spirit, may my soul stand alone in divine peace..."
"What are you mumbling about, meow?"
Yan Huan panted as he opened his eyes. Although his face still carried the faint afterglow of pleasure, a quick glance downward revealed that his little comrade seemed to have been thoroughly exorcised and converted to asceticism.
He finally let out a massive sigh of relief and shot Myau-chan a helpless smile.
"A miraculous tool I used in my past life to practice abstinence."
"..."
Myau-chan''s feline jaw dropped wide open. For a moment, it had absolutely no idea what to say.
Yan Huan straightened out his clothes and then quietly stood up. His expression immediately fell under the precise control of Perfect Expression Management.
And so, as a frowning Sakuramiya Hitomi walked over to search the area, she happened to run straight into Yan Huan just as he rounded the corner, looking as though he had been walking toward her.
When he bumped into the approaching Sakuramiya Hitomi, he paused slightly before offering a warm smile.
"Sakuramiya."
"President?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi raised her eyes to look at the President in front of her. Under her careful scrutiny, she accurately spotted his slightly hurried breathing and the fine layer of sweat coating his face...
''What is going on here?''
Alarm bells rang violently in Sakuramiya Hitomi''s mind, yet she asked without showing any outward change in emotion,
"Did the President go do something just now? I called you, but you didn''t answer..."
"Ah, a call?"
Yan Huan feigned ignorance and quickly pulled out his mobile phone. He glanced at the screen before speaking with an apologetic tone,
"I''m sorry. I was busy dealing with Study Group matters just now, so I missed it."
"The Study Group?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi discreetly evaluated the corridor Yan Huan had just walked out of. It was completely deserted. There were a few classrooms down that way, and she couldn''t help but wonder if something had just transpired inside one of them.
The most crucial point was...
''The President''s current physical state...''
''Did he just finish exercising?''
''Why does he look somewhat exhausted, yet also somewhat...''
''Like he''s left wanting more?''
The truth was that the intense pleasure capable of partially piercing his Resistance had left subtle, lingering traces on Yan Huan''s face, allowing Sakuramiya Hitomi to pick up on them.
The instant that thought surfaced, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s heart gave a violent jolt.
''Lingering in the afterglow?''
''Exactly what kind of activity leaves someone lingering in an afterglow?''
''Furthermore, he had just gone out with Spencer. He was perfectly fine when they left, so why is he like this upon coming back...''
''Ah?''
Sakuramiya Hitomi''s mind went completely blank, while her heart trembled furiously.
"President... does this Study Group matter have something to do with that Spencer girl?"
"Spencer?"
Yan Huan paused before saying,
"She did drop by just now, but she left almost immediately."
However, the moment those words left his mouth, even he felt that something sounded a bit off.
''Hiss...''
''Wait a minute, why does this feel like such strong déjà vu?''
''Going out alone with the blonde delinquent... and when the male lead finally arrives, all he sees is the heroine pretending nothing happened after being utterly devastated by pleasure...''
''Could this pleasure also be part of the blonde delinquent''s Modifier?!''
''But if that''s the case, isn''t Spencer''s Modifier a little too overpowered?''
''It can alter cognition, it can rewrite the rules of a physical room, and now it can inflict pleasure that pierces through my Resistance...''
''That''s highly unlikely.''
Yan Huan privately concluded that the supernatural ambush he had just endured must have come from the Host of another Modifier entirely.
But looking at the worried Sakuramiya Hitomi standing before him, Yan Huan was genuinely concerned about the effects Spencer''s Modifier might have on her.
After a moment of thought, he smiled and said,
"She and I actually got into an argument. That girl absolutely refuses to participate in the Study Group, so we ended up parting on terrible terms. We just don''t get along. It might be better if I ask Yaqiao to come help out."
Hearing Yan Huan''s explanation, Sakuramiya Hitomi immediately interjected,
"President, please allow me to help as well. I will take charge of her."
"Hmm, it''s perfectly fine if you want to help, Sakuramiya. However, it would be best if you could take on some of the other students to lighten the workload for Yaqiao and me."
"Why is that?"
Yan Huan looked at her with a gentle smile and explained,
"Even I was driven crazy by her attitude. If you have to deal with her, Sakuramiya, she will definitely ruin your mood too. And I really don''t want you to be in a bad mood."
"Eh?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi''s eyes widened slightly before she hastily averted her gaze.
"Then what about Yaqiao? Won''t his mood be ruined too?"
"Mhm, which is exactly why I''m asking him to share the burden. The two of us are pretty laid-back. Since it''s an assignment from the school anyway, we''ll just do our best. Honestly, if Yurianna''s grades were a little better, having her tutor Spencer might have produced miraculous results..."
"Hehe..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi covered her mouth and giggled softly. Looking at Yan Huan beside her, she gradually fell into step next to him as they headed back toward the Student Council Office.
"Perhaps we really could bring Yurianna in as outside assistance."
"That''s very true..."
The faint sounds of their conversation drifted down the hallway.
An Le could no longer hold herself back; she finally raised her head to peek in their direction.
However, what met her eyes was the sight of Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi walking together—a strikingly handsome young man and a beautiful young woman happily laughing and chatting side by side.
Xiao Huan was looking at Sakuramiya Hitomi, and it seemed as though she was the only one in his eyes.
And Sakuramiya Hitomi was delicately covering her mouth as she laughed, a vibrant warmth shining through her shyness.
An Le''s tear-filled eyes widened inch by inch as she stared at the picture-perfect couple in the distance...
"Hiss."
Beside her, Little Finger flicked its tongue. It glanced over at the couple down the hall, and then glanced at the completely mesmerized An Le.
A wicked scheme began brewing in its mind once more...
"Oh my, it seems like everything is perfectly fine after all. Thank goodness that Sakuramiya girl was there. Even if you made him terribly uncomfortable, it clearly didn''t matter as long as Sakuramiya was by his side to make it all better."
"Eh?"
An Le''s eyes widened in horror as she whipped her head toward Little Finger. The snake simply clicked its tongue in admiration as it watched the couple.
"I didn''t get to see it with my own eyes before, but looking at them now, they really are quite a match made in heaven."
''A... match?''
''Xiao Huan and that Sakuramiya Hitomi...''
An Le''s small face drained of color. The deep-seated inferiority complex within her heart surged forth like a geyser, making her wish she could bury herself straight into the ground.
But Little Finger''s voice drifted over right on cue.
"However, don''t be discouraged. She doesn''t have a supernatural ability like yours. As long as you don''t make the same stupid mistake next time and just focus on making Xiao Huan feel incredibly happy, you still have a very good chance."
"R-Really?"
Clinging to those words like a drowning person grasping at straws, An Le desperately looked at Little Finger.
"Of course. Why would I lie to you? I''ve told you before..."
Little Finger let out a heavy sigh and also looked back at An Le.
In the snake''s crimson eyes, the slowly distorting reflection of An Le was clearly visible.
"You are the true Child of Fortune in this world.
"You can do whatever you want."
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