Chapter 54: It''s Me, Auntie |
"President! Vice President! Over here!!"
Outside the Doujinshi Exhibition Area, Yabashi Ki had taken off his face mask at some unknown point.
Standing at the edge of the venue, he spotted the striking pair of a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman from afar in the crowd.
Even without excessive makeup or styling, they easily outshone the diverse crowd around them purely through their natural appearances and auras, looking as if they had stepped right out of a painting.
It was none other than Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi, having just parted ways with An Le.
This was the true caliber of the Far Moon Academy Student Council.
It was just that...
"What did you two just go play? Why do you look so listless?"
It was only when they got closer that Yabashi Ki, who was incredibly familiar with them both, noticed the subtle changes in their expressions.
The trace of darkness seeping through it made Yabashi Ki instinctively shudder.
This was because of Spencer. That idiot had disrupted her plans, leaving her extremely irritated.
Meanwhile, the smile Yan Huan usually wore had faded considerably. One glance was enough to tell that he was also in a bad mood.
This was because of An Le.
Because that previously cute childhood friend had suddenly transformed into a Host of a Modifier.
An acquaintance he needed to treat with genuine emotion had, in the blink of an eye, turned into an enemy he needed to deal with. This left Yan Huan feeling somewhat at a loss for the first time.
He could deceive Ye Shiyu, Bai Yi, and Spencer without any burden, employing all sorts of despicable schemes to stall the progress of their Modifiers.
But what about An Le?
Could he also manipulate and deceive her as he pleased?
What made it even harder for Yan Huan to adapt was probably the subtle feeling she revealed when using her Modifier on him...
Excitement.
This created a severe disconnect between An Le''s current image and the one in Yan Huan''s memories, ultimately leading to his exceptionally complicated mood at this moment.
Sighing silently, Yan Huan rubbed his face and told Yabashi Ki,
"We went to a Haunted House, and ended up bumping into a student from our school named Spencer."
"That Personification of a sixty-six score?"
"You certainly remember that clearly."
"Aren''t we organizing a Study Group later? That girl is the only one who was forced to join. It would be hard not to remember."
Sakuramiya Hitomi silently memorized this information, then quickly asked,
"Where are Yurianna and the others?"
"Oh, they are over there. The two bigshots I mentioned before have almost sold out their doujinshi, and they''ve come out now."
"That fast?"
Yan Huan glanced at the time. The doors had opened less than two hours ago, and they were already sold out?
"They are a very famous couple in the community, but they are famous individually. Very few people know they are actually dating."
Yabashi Ki led Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi over there. Near a stall selling Snacks in the Doujinshi Exhibition Area, they spotted Ashley wearing a blue magical girl outfit.
She looked completely wilted, sitting off to the side eating oden.
"President..."
Seeing Yan Huan, Ashley lifted her head extremely weakly, looking as though her very soul had been sucked dry by all those cameras.
"Wow, Yabashi-kun, who is this handsome guy? Isn''t he a bit too handsome?"
Just as Yan Huan cast a sympathetic look at Ashley, a surprised voice suddenly rang out beside them.
Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi turned their heads to see a Big Sister wearing glasses and a Lolita dress, staring at Yan Huan with sparkling eyes.
Behind her followed the energetic Alice-chan... wait no, it was the Student Council Secretary, Yurianna.
"This is our Far Moon Student Council President! Right, right, I''m not wrong, am I!"
"Gasp, this physique, this face... Classmate, would you be willing to be the lead model for my next doujinshi? It pays very well~"
"Hold on a second, you..."
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi furrowed her brows slightly.
Just as she was about to interrupt this completely impolite woman, the woman turned her sparkling eyes toward Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"Wow, you are incredibly beautiful too. How about you be the Female Lead, classmate? You two are such a good match. A handsome guy and a beautiful girl—pairing you up would be absolutely fantastic."
"Eh?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi, who had been on the verge of lashing out, blushed slightly upon hearing those words.
''Am I really such a good match with the President?''
''Oh my, this is truly...''
''A Keen Eye for Talent.''
''As the saying goes, Onlookers See More Clearly. Sure enough, I am not the only one who thinks so. Yet Nara keeps Trying to Pour Cold Water On me every day.''
''But, even so, drawing the President and me into a doujinshi is just too wicked...''
''Since you have such good taste, I will spare you some sarcasm when I reject you.''
However, before Sakuramiya Hitomi could speak, Yurianna threw her arms around her and giggled foolishly.
"No way, there''s absolutely no chance between Sakuramiya and the President! When Sakuramiya first enrolled, she declared she would absolutely, positively never date anyone. Besides, her family is super strict and would never allow such a thing to happen! Right, Sakuramiya?"
''Yurianna, you are Going Too Far, do you know that?''
Sakuramiya Hitomi maintained the smile on her face, but her peripheral vision inevitably landed on Yan Huan.
''So the President was looking at me all along, but after hearing Yurianna''s words, he looked away...''
"..."
''Ah, I just feel like Yurianna isn''t very suited for Student Council work~''
''Someone who Cannot Read Social Cues like her should just go back and repeat elementary school.''
''Should I just have the Principal revoke her spot next week and force her To Be Held Back a Grade?''
Yurianna, who had just been giggling foolishly, suddenly felt a bone-piercing chill. Yet, she remained completely oblivious to where the coldness came from, and instead looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi with a goofy expression.
"Honestly! Sister Parfait, stop joking around with them! President, Vice President, this is Sister Parfait. Sweet Parfait is her Pen Name. She is an Illustrator for the Mainstream market! She was just deliberately teasing you!"
"I am not. Yabashi-kun, please do not slander me, okay? Hello, you two. I am Sweet Parfait, but you can also call me by my True Name, Miyake Fufu."
"Hello, Teacher Miyake."
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and offered a smiling greeting.
That smile, enhanced by his immense charm, struck Miyake Fufu right in the heart. She gave a thumbs-up and revealed an expression of firm determination.
"Classmate, I absolutely must draw you!"
But at that moment, behind Miyake Fufu, a Muscular Man wearing a face mask walked over without uttering a single word.
He had a tall, imposing build, his tight t-shirt emphasizing his impressive Tendons and Muscles. Yet, he ultimately stopped directly behind Miyake Fufu.
He looked at Yan Huan, then glanced at his girlfriend, before silently stepping in front of her and clasping her hand.
"And this is?"
Yabashi Ki turned his head to look at the very quiet Muscular Man and introduced him.
"Oh, Teacher Jiao Tan is here. He just went to the restroom. Teacher Jiao Tan is Sister Parfait''s boyfriend. His True Name is Arakawa Kyoshi, and he is an artist in the Adult Entertainment Industry who specializes in the Plunder-Genre."
"...Hello."
His voice was soft as he greeted Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi, after which he quickly withdrew his gaze.
Yan Huan looked at the teacher known as "Jiao Tan" standing before him and felt a momentary sense of surprise.
It was mainly because this guy was packed with Tendons and Muscles, boasting the outward appearance of a Carnivorous Type.
As a result, his soft-spoken and incredibly introverted demeanor revealed him to actually be a Herbivorous Type.
He liked playing with Contrast?
"By the way, Teacher Jiao Tan is also a very famous Fitness Blogger, with hundreds of thousands of followers across the Entire Network," Yabashi Ki finally added.
Miyake Fufu smiled as she rubbed her boyfriend''s face, saying with a grin,
"Don''t look so surprised. Previously, Kyoshi used to draw Pure Love works, but the sales were terrible and he nearly Starved to Death. Later, he Abandoned Himself to Despair and started drawing Niu content, which ironically became a massive hit."
"You have to eat, after all. There is no shame in that. The internet thinks he is some sort of Bull Demon King, but in private, he simply has Social Anxiety and gets Easily Jealous. He looks super cute, right?"
Teacher Jiao Tan was thoroughly embarrassed by her words. He reached up to scratch the spot where his skin met the edge of his Face Mask and softly explained,
"I am not the kind of person netizens think I am."
Parfait patted her boyfriend''s shoulder and comforted him with a smile.
"No one ever appears as their true self in the eyes of others. People only want to see what they want to see. As long as we know what we are truly like, and the people closest to us know, that is enough."
Yan Huan glanced at Parfait, his heart stirring slightly, and he nodded with a smile.
"...That is indeed true."
But Sakuramiya Hitomi turned to Yan Huan and Yabashi Ki in confusion and asked,
"President, Yabashi, what exactly is the Plunder-Genre?"
"..."
The two boys fell into an eerie silence once again.
Both Yan Huan and Yabashi Ki knew very well, because Jiao Tan''s "Pure Series" was extremely famous. One could easily find the resources with a casual internet search.
Rumor had it that this latest release was a heavyweight, the pinnacle work that "surpassed" all of his previous titles.
Yan Huan turned to look at Yabashi, conveying a message through the medium of eye contact.
Yan Huan: ''I explained it last time. You explain it to Sakuramiya this time.''
Yabashi: ''Ugh, President, just kill me.''
Yan Huan: ''...''
Just as Sakuramiya Hitomi, standing behind them, displayed that familiar expression of wanting to get to the bottom of things, the image of Tong Yingying holding up a single finger suddenly surfaced in Yan Huan''s mind.
"Hey, I have an idea!"
Yan Huan turned back to Sakuramiya Hitomi and shook his head earnestly.
"I don''t know either, Sakuramiya."
"Is that so..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi did not doubt Yan Huan, she merely looked over at Yabashi Ki.
Yabashi Ki pointed at himself, mimicking Yan Huan''s response.
"Yeah, yeah, I don''t know either, Vice President."
"You were the one who introduced these two teachers, and you are telling me you don''t know?"
"..." Unable to defend himself, Yabashi Ki pointed at Yan Huan, then at himself, nearly entering the same Overheated state he experienced during his school-wide speech.
However, Sakuramiya Hitomi had probably already guessed what kind of content it was. She shot Yabashi Ki an exasperated glare.
''Hanging around this otaku every day is definitely corrupting the President!''
"Are you going to watch the performances next? I heard a lot of guests came to the convention today~ But they won''t start until noon. Before then, do you want to come check out my booth?"
Sweet Parfait clapped her hands as she invited the Far Moon Academy Student Council members. Yurianna was the first to raise her hand and speak.
"I want to go! I want to go! Sister Parfait just showed me her artwork on her Mobile Phone, and it is super gorgeous! She even said she wants to design a character for me!"
"I am going to Shijo Ai''s autograph session. I''ll probably need to go queue up near the Main Venue first." This was the declaration of the fanatic fan, Yabashi Ki.
Ashley was already checked out; she just wanted to eat her oden and find a place to sit and rest.
Hearing that Parfait had stools and chairs over there, she agreed to go along.
Yan Huan glanced at the time. It was almost eleven-thirty, so he smiled and said,
"I plan to go meet the friend who gave me the tickets earlier. Yabashi and I will head over there first, and we can regroup at the main exhibition area once the events start."
Seeing that Yan Huan was leaving, Sakuramiya Hitomi opened her mouth to ask to join him at the Main Venue. But Yurianna suddenly hugged her from behind.
"Hehe, Sakuramiya, how about we design a Best Friends Image for the two of us? It will definitely be super awesome!"
''Haha, Yurianna, how about you go back to repeat junior high? That would be super awesome!''
Yurianna nuzzled Sakuramiya Hitomi affectionately for a good while, then bounded away energetically to eat Ashley''s oden.
Just as Sakuramiya Hitomi was about to resume telling the President she wanted to tag along, she watched him raise his phone, holding a Plane call to his ear.
"Auntie, yes, I am heading over right now."
Afterward, he turned his head, tugged at Yabashi Ki''s backpack, and looked back at Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"Sakuramiya, Yabashi and I will head over first then. We will regroup when the event starts."
With that said, he pulled Yabashi Ki along, preparing to leave.
"Pre—"
Sakuramiya Hitomi instinctively started to call out and follow, but she ultimately swallowed her words.
''If I were to actively chase after him now, it would be far too obvious, wouldn''t it?''
"Classmate, do you like your President?"
"L—"
Sakuramiya Hitomi was momentarily startled. She quickly turned her head, only to see Miyake Fufu, wearing glasses, gazing at her with a face full of gossip.
Taking a cautious step back, Sakuramiya Hitomi coughed softly and stubbornly replied,
"N-No, I do not."
"Is that so? Well, I had promised Yurianna that I would draw a group illustration for your Student Council. Seeing how you two have such great chemistry as a couple, I was considering drawing a private piece just for the two of you. But if you don''t like him, then forget it..."
As she spoke, Miyake Fufu suddenly noticed Sakuramiya Hitomi reaching out to grab her sleeve.
Looking up, she saw Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face flushed with a faint tint of pink, her eyes darting away evasively.
"Drawing just one... wouldn''t be... impossible."
"Don''t worry, I won''t tell that loudmouth Yurianna."
Despite only interacting for a short while, Miyake Fufu seemed to have already completely figured out Yurianna''s personality.
"..."
''Based on the President''s call, he must have been invited by some Auntie right now. Combined with what he mentioned earlier about the "friend who gave him the tickets"...''
''Putting it all together, the person the President was just speaking with on the phone must be Bai Yi''s mother...''
''Hiss, why does it feel like every time we go out, it''s either this classmate or that Auntie?''
''And inexplicably, it seems like every single one of them has their sights set on the President...''
''But anyway, the Student Council will have to gather again once the activities officially begin later.''
''In such a short amount of time, it''s impossible for someone to steal him right out from under me again, right?''
Sakuramiya Hitomi thought to herself.
"Student Yan, correct?"
"Yes, that''s me."
At the entrance of the Main Venue, a young woman instantly spotted Yan Huan, who had just separated from Yabashi Ki.
After all, his outstanding appearance naturally drew lingering gazes as he walked through the crowd, making him incredibly easy to find.
She adjusted her glasses, guiding Yan Huan into the venue as she introduced herself.
"I am Bai Yi''s Agent, Ji Lin. I will take you to the Backstage Area now. Yiyi and her mother are both there."
"Alright."
The massive Stage revealed its full scale to Yan Huan. The circular plaza in front of it, capable of holding thousands of people, was already bustling with a sizable crowd.
This area served as the alternative to the spacious outdoor grounds used for cosplay photography.
Ji Lin led Yan Huan past the red ropes marking the outer area, moving straight into the nearby area where several rows of seats were set up, and then walked around the side of the stage to reach the Backstage Area.
There were already quite a few staff members hurrying back and forth backstage, making the area look exceedingly busy.
On the way, Yan Huan passed by the Media Room. It was filled with professional Audio Equipment, and a staff member sat inside sipping coffee.
Continuing further inside lay the preparation rooms for the various guests, with the names of the invited guests and room numbers plastered on their doors.
"Sister Ji, there is a section here that requires your signature, and the manager asked me to verify the schedule with you. Could you come take a look?"
Ji Lin glanced back, then turned to Yan Huan with an apologetic smile.
"How about this, Student Yan. Walk straight ahead. Room 113 is Yiyi and her mother''s room. Her name is on the door. Please make sure not to wander into any other rooms. I have a few things to take care of, and I will be back in a bit."
"Alright, thank you, Sister."
"No problem."
As Yan Huan watched Ji Lin walk away, a Black Cat silently materialized on his shoulder once again.
"Yan Huan, did you hear that, meow?"
Hearing this, Yan Huan looked ahead at the Corridor lined with rooms and nodded gently.
"Yeah, I heard it. It''s the sound of that Clock from before."
"Tick... tock..."
The illusory Clock Sound echoed rhythmically through the hallway like dripping water, conjuring an atmosphere of oppressive dread out of thin air and forcing Yan Huan to take a deep breath.
''These Hosts of the Modifiers really never take a break...''
Yan Huan sighed, massaged his somewhat tired shoulders, and walked in that direction.
Room 113 was at the very end. By the time he neared it, the surrounding doors no longer had guest name tags plastered on them.
However, before he even got close, the voice of a middle-aged woman drifted into his ears.
"Ugh, I told you, this outfit is far too seductive. Hurry up and change out of it!"
The reply came in Bai Yi''s signature, exceedingly pleasant voice.
"Mom! Today is an Anime/Manga Convention. Sister Ji already said we need to switch to something more fitting for the theme! It''s not like they didn''t show you the promotional Posters and the management''s requirements. Why won''t you listen?"
"I don''t care about your Two-Dimensional nonsense. If I say no, I mean no! Appearing alongside that bunch of internet celebrities is already a downgrade. If you don''t make yourself stand out, you''re just going to blend in with them, aren''t you? I worked so hard to elevate your status, and you''re just throwing it away voluntarily? Why else do you think I demanded they arrange a separate Room for me?"
"You don''t understand anything, yet you love to boss everyone around. That''s obviously not what any of us meant."
"Then what did you mean? Are you throwing a tantrum with me just because I didn''t let you sing this morning?"
"No, I am not!"
Hearing this, Yan Huan froze momentarily before leaning against the wall in the quiet corridor.
"You are not! Fine, you think you''re so capable now! You even managed to Run Away From Home previously. Can''t stand staying in our house, can you? And now you''re giving me an attitude?"
"..."
Bai Yi did not respond. Yan Huan could only faintly hear her sobbing. She wept softly, sounding as if she couldn''t catch her breath.
Accompanying her tears was the rhythmic, water-droplet-like Clock Sound.
"Tick... tock..."
But listening to Zuo Jiangqin''s hysterical voice from inside, Yan Huan merely leaned against the wall, staring blankly ahead, lost in his own thoughts.
"..."
"Meow?"
It wasn''t until a long moment passed and Myau-chan voiced its confusion from his shoulder that Yan Huan finally seemed to snap back to reality.
A second later, he gently reached out and knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
"Who is it?"
Zuo Jiangqin''s voice, still laced with residual anger, echoed from inside.
Outside the door, Yan Huan''s face was completely devoid of emotion, yet the voice that slipped past his lips carried a warm, smiling tone.
"It''s me, Auntie."
"...Is that Xiao Huan?"
There was a brief silence inside, followed by a voice that had suddenly adopted an amicable tone.
After a short wait, footsteps approached. The door swung open, revealing a spacious room furnished with a vanity mirror.
Zuo Jiangqin opened the door. Standing outside was Yan Huan, firmly wearing his mask of Perfect Expression Management.
He wore a bright, radiant smile. Although his eyes appeared to rest on Zuo Jiangqin, they immediately locked onto the girl sitting at the vanity mirror at the far end of the room.
Very swiftly, he withdrew his gaze, looked at the middle-aged woman in front of him, and said,
"It''s me, Auntie.
"I have come to see Bai Yi."
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