Chapter 53: She Has Already Collected the Infinity Stones |
"Thud!"
In the corridor, Sakuramiya Hitomi watched Spencer gradually losing her way like a headless fly, a contemptuous smile forming on her lips.
Just a moment ago, when she saw that girl completely ignore her Common Sense Modification, Sakuramiya Hitomi had actually panicked for a second, but she quickly relaxed.
Once brute force proved ineffective, the girl was utterly helpless against the Jiejiè. Sprinting wildly and smashing things along the way did not solve the problem, and only then did she remember to take out her mobile phone.
The result, of course, was that the mobile phone had absolutely no signal.
Now, Spencer was crouching in a corner of the corridor, looking as though she was being tortured to death by the Jiejiè, her brain completely overloaded.
"Ahhh, where exactly is the exit?!"
She could no longer tell north from south.
''The timing should be just about right.''
"Tap!"
With a gentle pat on the wall, Sakuramiya Hitomi completely retracted the dispersed Jiejiè.
"Bzzzt~"
The Bluetooth earbuds that had previously lost connection instantly regained their signal, and the surveillance cameras reconnected to the corridor. The NPCs that Sakuramiya had locked inside the abandoned classroom cautiously poked their heads out with bewildered expressions.
"Eldest Miss Sakuramiya!"
"Eldest Miss!"
"The doors suddenly closed just now, and it was completely silent outside. We could not reach Sister Nara either."
Having a bunch of ghosts wearing various kinds of monster makeup poking their heads out into the corridor and calling out to her excitedly still caused Sakuramiya Hitomi to momentarily lose her composure.
"Shh!"
She quickly raised a finger to her lips, pointing toward the nurse''s office.
The meaning was clear: Do not let the president hear you.
The NPCs understood instantly and shut their mouths, subsequently switching to whispering through their Bluetooth earbuds.
"Eldest Miss! Are you alright?!"
Nara''s anxious voice suddenly came through. The sudden spike in volume made Sakuramiya Hitomi tilt her head.
"I am fine. Just now..."
"Just now, the surveillance signals for the entire outer section of the haunted house''s second floor suddenly cut out. I am not sure what happened, but it seems every door mechanism activated automatically, leaving the staff unable to open them."
"Ah, it must have been a malfunction. What about the president? Has he reached the end yet?"
As previously mentioned, if one did not take the narrow passage from the nurse''s office, they would have to detour to the third floor to reach the exit on the other side of the first floor.
Sakuramiya Hitomi familiarly stepped onto the stairs leading to the third floor, immediately asking Nara about the situation.
At this moment, Sakuramiya Hitomi planned to detour from the third floor to the exit to meet up with the president.
"I was just about to tell you about that, Eldest Miss. Was not there a girl following that yellow-haired woman earlier?"
"A girl?"
As she walked, Sakuramiya Hitomi paused slightly, an ominous premonition welling up in her heart.
That was right, when Spencer had arrived, there was indeed a girl trailing behind her.
It was just that the girl looked exactly like a typical otaku girl, meek and submissive, causing Sakuramiya Hitomi to instantly lose all interest in her at first glance.
The only reason Sakuramiya Hitomi still remembered her now was because the girl had spoken reasonably on their behalf when the conflict arose.
"Ah, Eldest Miss, when the president entered the nurse''s office, that girl also happened to enter it. She and the president have now gone into the narrow passage leading to the exit. There are no cameras installed inside the passage, and..."
"And?"
"And it has been quite a while now. The two of them still have not come out of the passage, and there is no telling what they are doing in there."
Gripping her mobile phone, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s slightly parted lips instantly froze.
Then, tossing aside her parasol, she lifted her dress and sprinted toward the third floor.
''It is over. I put all my focus into guarding against that troublesome Spencer, only to completely overlook the other person.''
''I got hit with a backdooring!!''
The current Sakuramiya Hitomi felt exactly like someone who had just won a massive team fight and had not even had the chance to bask in the joy of victory before deciding to take a quick glance at the minimap—
''The enemy is attacking our base!?''
"What is going on? That girl sneaked into the nurse''s office. Nara, why did you not warn me?"
"Because everyone''s attention was drawn by that yellow-haired woman, and that girl really knows how to hide her talents. But I checked the surveillance footage; her interaction with the president was perfectly normal. Even if they went into the narrow passage, nothing should happen, right?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi''s physical stamina was terrible. She had only climbed the stairs and taken a few running steps before she started gasping for breath.
Leaning against the wall for support, she listened to those words and only then allowed herself to feel half-doubtingly relieved.
"Phew."
''That is true, nothing should happen.''
But the moment this thought popped up, she began to doubt its rationality.
''Is it possible that this very thought is also a byproduct of that damn Spencer''s superpower?''
At this realization, it felt as though a basin of freezing water had been dumped over Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Gritting her teeth, she sprinted wildly all the way back down the stairs, arriving at the entrance to the narrow passage on the lower floor.
She pushed open the entrance to the narrow passage. It was a tunnel resembling a slide, and the destination behind it should be the waste disposal area of the teaching building.
''The president and that girl still have not come out?!''
''Just how long have they been in there?!''
"Hah... hah..."
Staring into the darkness within, Sakuramiya Hitomi gasped for breath as she shouted at the top of her lungs,
"President!!"
''Just what exactly are the president and that girl...''
''...doing in there?!''
"Ring, ring, ring~"
Shifting the time back slightly, inside the dim narrow passage, the sudden ringing of the mobile phone acted like a large bell, immediately capturing An Le''s attention.
Blushing furiously, she was just about to look up with a soft gasp when the sight of Yan Huan so close to her face frightened her into shrinking her gaze back down.
"H-Husband Xiao Huan... W-Wait a minute."
An Le''s panicked brain had subconsciously blurted those words out, following the old mindset from when they were playing house, and only afterward did she realize what she had actually said.
"Thump... Thump... Thump..."
Yan Huan was also momentarily stunned in the darkness. His eyes shifted toward her, but from this angle, he could only see her thoroughly flushed cheek.
It looked so deliciously soft and tender that Yan Huan suspected water would seep out if he took a bite.
But he did not act rashly. Instead, he pretended to be deeply immersed in the effects of the Modifier.
"Xiao Huan... That phone call..."
Playing with her black hair, Yan Huan glanced back at the name displayed on the phone.
"..."
Then, turning his head back, he murmured softly in the dark,
"It is irrelevant. Wife An Le..."
"P-Please do not call me that anymore... Xiao Huan... Uwu... I will..."
An Le shrank back a little further. Her timid voice grew quieter and quieter until the final sentence was audible only to herself, leaving even Little Finger looking at her in confusion.
"I will... not be able to hold back."
"Huh? What did you say?"
Little Finger flicked its tongue, asking An Le as it observed her.
Only then did An Le turn her head to look at Little Finger as if grasping at a last desperate hope, hastily asking,
"Little Finger, I want to cancel the Superconductor Mode now. Make sure you adjust Xiao Huan''s memory so it feels more natural. I do not want..."
"I know, but this is a rare opportunity. Are you sure you do not want to do anything?"
This time, Little Finger''s tone carried none of its usual exasperation over her failure to live up to expectations; it was merely asking one last time.
Initially, Little Finger''s expectation for this girl An Le was that "scoring a sixty is considered a win," but to its surprise, she had suddenly scored a "ninety" straight out of nowhere!
Not only had they acknowledged their past and hugged, but she had even used the Modifier!
''Excellent, excellent...''
Right now, never mind the filter in the eyes of Yan Huan, who was under the effects of the Modifier—An Le was even shining radiantly in the eyes of Little Finger!
An Le opened her mouth and spoke with a soft, sweet voice in her mind,
"I-I am absolutely not doing anything... Besides, with such a short amount of time, what would it even be enough... for?"
"..."
Little Finger opened its mouth, before erupting into boisterous laughter.
It patted An Le on the shoulder with its tail, smirking mischievously as it said,
"Who knows? A boy with his untapped primal yang might not necessarily need that long, you know~"
"Little Finger!"
An Le''s face grew even redder at its teasing. She gently patted Little Finger on the head, signaling it to stop speaking so filthily.
But Little Finger was not annoyed. It simply narrowed its crimson snake eyes, gazing at the blushing, heart-pounding Yan Huan right in front of them.
''Heh heh, a Host with a bottom line will always say at the very beginning: "All I want is a normal romance."''
''But as long as stimuli far exceeding common sense are placed before her afterward, her bottom line will be slowly corroded, and she will ultimately be reduced to a complete slave to desire.''
''No rush~''
"Hiss~"
Taking advantage of the moment An Le was gathering the scattered manga and putting them away into her bag, Little Finger also began its operation.
Its snake tongue flicked out, and its scarlet maw opened smoothly.
The snake''s mouth was not large, yet it devoured the white mist connected to Yan Huan like an endless abyss.
Along with it went everything that had happened in his mind during this period of time.
The moment Little Finger opened its mouth, Yan Huan detected a sensation extremely similar to what he felt when the effects of other Modifiers ended—the feeling of his memory being devoured.
His memory branched off from the moment he laid eyes on that manga. He did not see any manga at all; instead, he simply recalled past memories of his childhood sweethearts from the bottom of his heart.
An Le''s image grew increasingly clear and beautiful, sparking a genuine sense of attraction within Yan Huan himself, causing him to linger in the feeling and lose track of time...
But what was even more terrifying was that after his memory had been modified, a portion of that abnormal affection for An Le—which had been solely generated by the Modifier—was actually retained.
Yan Huan blinked, looking at An Le in the darkness before him.
That radiant, goddess-like aura had disappeared, but Yan Huan surprisingly found himself genuinely thinking that An Le was very beautiful, perfectly matching his tastes.
She had similarly crashed right into his strike zone, easily rivaling Sakuramiya Hitomi.
To turn a youth of the flat-chest faction into a slave to oppai just like that!
''Hiss, the terror of this girl is profound!''
But even though Yan Huan realized this fact, he still could not deny that the current An Le had become incredibly adorable, and smelled wonderful~
"Xiao Huan, are you alright?"
"I-I am fine."
Sensing Yan Huan''s passionate expression gradually returning to normal, An Le could not help but purse her lips.
For some reason, a slight feeling of disappointment surfaced in her heart.
She did not show it, and only Little Finger, wearing a wicked smirk on her shoulder, noticed her disappointment.
"Hiss~"
It merely flicked its tongue, choosing not to expose her true feelings.
Yan Huan turned to look at the mobile phone behind him, the ringing having long since stopped, and reached out to pick it up.
Glancing at it, he smiled at An Le and said,
"It has been so long since we last met. I was just too happy to see you, I completely forgot to answer the phone."
"I-Is that so? I am very happy to see Xiao Huan too."
Hearing these words, the smile on Yan Huan''s face receded slightly. He reached out to rub her head and said,
"Then why did you not come find me? You attend the same school as me, and when I ran for president, my name was publicized across the entire campus. There is no way you did not know I was here."
"Uwu~"
Having her head rubbed by Yan Huan, An Le subconsciously narrowed her eyes, comfortably leaning into the pressure of his palm like a purring kitten.
But soon, she lowered her head with a blush and said,
"X-Xiao Huan... I am not a child anymore. Do not treat me the way you did when we were kids..."
Hearing this, Yan Huan froze slightly, his expression turning complicated.
He withdrew his hand and smiled,
"You are right. You are different from how you used to be..."
At those words, An Le subconsciously raised her eyes to seek out his expression, but by this time he had already turned his head to look toward the other end of the narrow passage.
"Alright, we should get ready to head out."
"O-Okay."
Along the way, Yan Huan dialed Bai Yi''s mother''s phone number.
"Beep~"
"Beep~"
"Hello, Xiao Huan. Did Yiyi tell you where to find us?"
In the quiet and cramped narrow passage, the words of Bai Yi''s mother were easily overheard by An Le.
"She did not, Auntie."
"Sigh, this child... How about this, Xiao Huan? You come to the main stadium at around eleven-thirty, and I will have someone come pick you up, alright?"
"Will do. Thank you, Auntie."
"Oh my, do not mention it."
Yan Huan hung up the phone. Before him, in the darkness of the narrow passage, a structure resembling a slide emerged.
"It looks like we have to exit from here, An Le."
"Mhm."
Yan Huan sat down, and An Le sat behind him, gently gripping his clothes.
Yan Huan slid forward slightly, then braced his legs against both sides of the passage to halt his momentum, turning his head to check on An Le''s condition.
"Alright, get ready to ex—"
"President!!"
A shout suddenly rang out from the end of the narrow passage. It was Sakuramiya Hitomi''s voice.
Yan Huan paused slightly. At this exact moment, An Le, who was gripping Yan Huan''s clothes, immediately tensed up as if she were a mistress caught in the act.
"Uwu!" She subconsciously tried to hide behind Yan Huan. However, considering Yan Huan had already started down the slide, her action of leaning closer to him instead turned into a shove.
"!"
Thus, in the next second, the friction could no longer support the weight of the two of them. Yan Huan stumbled and slid downwards, dragging An Le along with him.
A softness reminiscent of water balloons pressed tightly against Yan Huan''s back. As his eyes widened slightly in surprise, he slid right out into the brightly lit exit.
Outside the exit, Sakuramiya Hitomi was just about to call into the darkness one more time when the frantic rustling of clothes echoed from within.
In the next second, Yan Huan and An Le, both looking disheveled, tumbled out and appeared right before Sakuramiya Hitomi''s eyes.
"Uwu... Xiao Huan..."
''Xiao Huan?''
Sakuramiya Hitomi paused slightly, turning the term of address over in her mind.
''Wait a minute, why does it feel like everyone else except me calls the president by that name?''
''Fine, fine, fine. Ye Shiyu and Spencer are already trying to steal the president, and now you want to join the fray too...''
''Then let us fight!!''
A polite smile blossomed on Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face, but deep within her heart, she was already sharpening her knives.
"Sakuramiya?"
Yan Huan raised his eyes and glanced at Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was completely unharmed and already waiting there. Meanwhile, hiding behind Yan Huan and clutching her black bag, An Le had taken off her face mask, revealing her fair and innocent face.
At this moment, her adorable face was entirely flushed, glistening slightly with moisture, and her hands were still gripping tightly onto Yan Huan''s clothes.
She looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi and hurriedly greeted her,
"Vice President Sakuramiya..."
Even though it was clearly just a normal greeting, under the contrast of her intimate posture with Yan Huan, Sakuramiya Hitomi felt as though she could catch a sudden whiff of ''green tea''.
Yan Huan hastily stood up, and An Le, who was behind him, could no longer maintain her grip, helplessly letting him return to Sakuramiya Hitomi''s side.
"President, who is this?"
"Ah, Sakuramiya, let me introduce you. She is also a student at our school, a first-year..."
"From Class C... I am from Class C, An Le. Hello, Vice President Sakuramiya."
An Le timidly rose to her feet, bowing her head as she greeted Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Then, pursing her lips, she apologized to Sakuramiya Hitomi once more,
"Regarding the incident with Spencer earlier, I apologize on her behalf. I am very sorry for disturbing the two of you."
"..."
The polite smile on Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face dissolved slightly. She appraised the young girl before her, whose eyes were darting away evasively, and began to ponder internally.
''This girl... for some reason, she does not feel completely impossible to get along with, unlike Ye Shiyu and Spencer.''
''Moreover...''
''It seems she is very afraid of me?''
"It is alright. The matter was her fault and has nothing to do with you; there is no need for you to apologize on her behalf. However, just now, you referred to the president as..."
Hearing this, An Le''s face immediately flushed red. She waved her hands, attempting to explain.
"I... I... well..."
Little Finger''s previously satisfied mood was instantly agitated by her flustered display. Just as it was about to heavily condemn her, it heard An Le squeeze her clothes and say,
"Xiao Huan and I... we grew up together in the past. Therefore..."
''Childhood sweethearts?''
''There is still another hidden expert?!''
Sakuramiya Hitomi''s smile almost broke as she glanced at Yan Huan beside her, while Little Finger also looked at An Le with a newfound measure of respect.
''Hiss...''
''You girl, did you suddenly open your Ren and Du meridians today?''
In reality, it was entirely because An Le had heard from Xiao Huan''s own mouth that "Sakuramiya Hitomi is not his girlfriend yet."
Even though An Le could not help but feel ashamed of her inferiority in the presence of the radiant Sakuramiya Hitomi, who looked like a perfect match for Xiao Huan...
After experiencing Xiao Huan treating her so passionately...
An Le instinctively did not want to let go and give up.
Therefore, even she herself was a bit astonished that she had managed to say those words.
"Thump... Thump... Thump..."
Yan Huan also smiled faintly, softly introducing her to Sakuramiya Hitomi,
"This is An Le. We grew up together in the South Ward when we were young, and she took great care of me in the past. She previously moved back to the Dragon Country to live, so I thought she would not be coming back."
Sakuramiya Hitomi blinked. After offering a polite smile, she appeared to show a hint of curiosity,
"So that is how it is. But there should not have been any other transfer students this year aside from that Spencer. Therefore, Student An Le must have enrolled normally? However, it seems the president has never mentioned you before."
Upon hearing this, the color instantly drained slightly from An Le''s small face.
It was true. It was all due to her own cowardice, which had prevented her from seeking Xiao Huan out all this time.
''Will this make Xiao Huan suspect that I simply did not want to look for him?''
''Xiao Huan also just said earlier that "I am different from how I used to be"...''
''If it were the past me, I would definitely follow Xiao Huan wherever he went...''
''If it were the past me, I would definitely not refuse Xiao Huan rubbing my head...''
''But the current me...''
''I do not actually hate it at all...''
''I am just... too cowardly, just like Xiao Huan said.''
An Le''s lips trembled slightly as she hastily raised her eyes, wanting to explain this point.
However, in the brief moment she looked up in panic at Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s single sentence had successfully probed An Le''s exact depth.
''This girl...''
''Is very weak.''
Sakuramiya Hitomi mentally ranked the three current potential opponents.
''Tier 0, Spencer.''
''This girl has no brains, but fools naturally counter experts. Brute force conquers all, and coupled with her superpower, she is the most dangerous one.''
''Tier 1, Ye Shiyu.''
''This girl is somewhat aggressive, but her eloquence is lacking. When arguing, you can tell she has ten thousand curses lined up in her heart, but when she speaks, only a simple sentence or two comes out.''
''However, this girl''s mother is the president''s benefactor, Ye Lan. She might use the advantage of being in a favorable position first, so I must exercise extreme caution against her.''
''Tier 2, An Le.''
''A weakling. No explanation needed. Probably harbors a one-sided crush on the president. Although, the complex expression the president had when looking at her is something I find somewhat concerning.''
''Furthermore, was not this girl on relatively good terms with Spencer?''
Thinking up to this point, Sakuramiya Hitomi instantly changed her strategy.
"Well..."
Seeing An Le''s expression turn anxious right before his eyes, Yan Huan''s heart also leaped into his throat for a brief second.
He knew that the past An Le would only silently endure grievances caused by the words of others, but now, she possessed a Modifier.
Moreover, after such a long separation, Yan Huan felt that her environment had constantly been exerting an influence on her.
Who knew when an accident might occur.
Therefore, Yan Huan opened his mouth, intending to explain on An Le''s behalf.
However, Sakuramiya Hitomi beat him to the punch with an apologetic smile, hurriedly addressing An Le,
"I apologize, Student An Le. I asked something I shouldn''t have; I did not mean it that way..."
"Since you are the president''s childhood friend, you absolutely must visit the Student Council more often in the future. We will all welcome you. I am Sakuramiya Hitomi, pleased to meet you."
After saying this, Sakuramiya Hitomi even extended her hand toward An Le.
An Le''s face flushed slightly. Though a bit nervous, she likewise extended her hand and shook Sakuramiya Hitomi''s hand.
"Ah, alright, Vice President Sakuramiya..."
Yan Huan cast a glance at Sakuramiya Hitomi, offering a helpless smile.
As long as the student was polite, Sakuramiya Hitomi was gentle to everyone.
After so long, the only person Yan Huan had ever seen her lose her temper at was Spencer.
''That girl...''
Only, if An Le really was just his normal childhood sweetheart from the past, Yan Huan naturally would not mind letting her visit the Student Council often.
''But the problem is...''
''Just like Spencer, she is the Host of a Modifier.''
''Sakuramiya, oh Sakuramiya. Tell me, why are you so prone to drawing the ire of the Modifier Hosts?''
Yan Huan shot a look toward the direction of the haunted house and said,
"Is Spencer still inside?"
''Speaking of which, what exactly was Spencer''s goal in using her Modifier this time?''
''Was trapping An Le and me solely meant to expose An Le''s identity as a Host?''
''Does she know that An Le is a Host of a Modifier?''
''If she did not know, and was merely trying to pull the same trick as last time, she never even showed up at the end...''
''Moreover, to think my phone surprisingly still had signal earlier?''
''It feels like this situation is completely shrouded in mystery.''
Sakuramiya Hitomi''s smile dimmed slightly. Touching her chin, she replied,
"Earlier, it seems the president triggered a mechanism in the haunted house that separated us. That Spencer likely triggered a mechanism as well and got locked up somewhere. She is probably still wandering around lost inside right now."
''A mechanism?''
''Could I have guessed wrong? Was it not a Modifier triggering after all, but simply the haunted house''s own mechanism?''
Yan Huan harbored doubts about both speculations. After all, the amount of information thrown at him in the haunted house just now was simply too overwhelming; he had not even recovered from the shock of his childhood friend revealing her hidden fangs.
Sakuramiya Hitomi turned her head with a smile, looking at Yan Huan and An Le, especially An Le.
"Do not worry about her, Student An Le. You should hang out with us today. Everyone from the Student Council is here, and the president and I can introduce you to them."
"Eh?"
''Such scheming~''
Sakuramiya Hitomi was becoming increasingly aware that the entities coveting the president were multiplying.
What was more, there were existences like Spencer who possessed superpowers.
Under these circumstances, in order to protect (monopolize) the president, she had already been forced to make enemies of Ye Shiyu and Spencer.
If things kept progressing this way, Sakuramiya Hitomi believed she might end up in a state where the entire world was her enemy.
Therefore, she decided to first distinguish who was an enemy and who was a friend.
''Does An Le covet the president?''
''Indeed, she does.''
''But she is very weak, and she fears and respects me. It is not impossible to win her over.''
''Looking at the state of her relationship with Spencer, it is certainly not impossible to use this An Le to deliver a heavy blow to that idiot later...''
''Sa, An Le, come and become the sharp blade I drive into Spencer...''
An Le''s face reddened slightly. Gazing at the politely smiling Sakuramiya Hitomi before her, she felt an ever-growing sense of guilt and was ashamed of her inferiority.
''As expected...''
''Vice President Sakuramiya is just like a goddess, gentle and kind. She is a perfect match for Xiao Huan.''
She revealed an obvious hint of temptation. After all, being able to stay with Xiao Huan, integrate into his social circle, and slowly familiarize herself with his current life was not out of the question.
Furthermore, Spencer was both crude and clumsy, frequently doing things that made her feel humiliated and flustered like today...
An Le opened her mouth, just about to give her answer.
But she suddenly remembered that day, when she was being bullied, it was Spencer who turned back to rescue her.
When she had been forced to miss the newly released game because she lacked a ticket, it was Spencer who gifted her a ticket worth over a thousand bucks.
''To abandon a friend who once reached out a helping hand to me, all for the sake of the person I like... Am I really...''
''...really worthy of liking Xiao Huan if I act like this?''
''Moreover, without me leading the way, she will definitely get lost in there.''
''The fact that I was able to reunite with Xiao Huan was partly thanks to her. How could I possibly...''
Thinking up to this point, An Le''s initial temptation gradually subsided.
She cast a glance at the smiling Yan Huan, deliberated for a moment, and still took a step back.
"Xiao Huan... I, I want to go back and look for Spencer. The two of you go ahead and have fun without me..."
Yan Huan was taken aback, momentarily speechless.
At the same time, the smile on Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face did not falter upon hearing her words.
On the contrary, the better their relationship was, the easier it would be for Sakuramiya Hitomi to exploit it.
Having said her piece, An Le was just about to retreat, but she abruptly turned back to make a bow to Yan Huan, and then made a bow to Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"I am sorry... I am sorry... I am sorry... Uwu."
"Wait a minute, An Le!"
Yan Huan suddenly spoke up from behind, and An Le, who was just preparing to leave, immediately snapped to attention.
"Yes!"
An Le turned around with a flushed face, immediately lowering her head again the moment she saw Yan Huan''s face.
"X-Xiao Huan, w-what is wrong?"
Looking at her demeanor, Yan Huan''s expression was a bit complex.
But that complexity quickly dissolved beneath his Mask of Perfect Poise. Following that, he raised his mobile phone and said,
"Let us add each other on Plane first, An Le."
An Le''s eyes lit up slightly as she lifted her head to look at Yan Huan.
After a brief moment of surprise, a lovely smile blossomed on her face once more.
Nodding vigorously, she replied,
"Mhm!"
Inside the haunted house, Spencer, who had gotten so hopelessly lost that she could no longer tell which floor she was on, sat listlessly in an abandoned classroom, entirely devoid of the will to live.
Her puffed-up, angry expression had also crumbled over time, morphing into a wave of sheer grievance.
After a moment of silence, she tugged at her blonde hair, her voice unexpectedly taking on a crying tone.
"This is so annoying!! I did not even get to buy the manga, I got separated from An Le, and I completely lost sight of Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi... I..."
Just as she was about to continue venting, a crisp sound abruptly echoed through the quiet classroom.
"Clack, clack..."
"Who goes there?!"
Spencer quickly jumped to her feet, glancing nervously around her, but saw nothing but dead silence.
Swallowing hard, she retreated step by step while tensely surveying her surroundings.
But in the next second, a black paper bag seemed to be magnetically drawn to her, flying automatically onto the desk right in front of her, causing the color to drain from Spencer''s face.
She did not scream, but immediately fell into a combat stance.
"W-What is this?"
Spencer was slightly stunned, thinking it was just a prank by the haunted house. But as she stared at the paper bag on the desk, it looked increasingly familiar to her.
''Wait a minute, wasn''t An Le carrying a paper bag exactly like this one in her arms?''
''No, wait, it seems everyone who bought manga from that place had one...''
Spencer rubbed her chin, tentatively inching closer to the paper bag.
Like a curious kitten, she reached out and poked the paper bag.
Immediately, a manga slipped out of the bag, revealing its title...
"Pure Ballet"
"Author: Jiao Tan"