Chapter 61: He Deserves to Earn This Money

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

"Morning, Yan Huan."

When that pleasant voice rang out, Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi''s attention was immediately drawn to it, quickly spotting the girl beside them whose beauty could not be hidden even by a face mask.

Seeing her crescent-shaped eyes, Yan Huan paused for a moment before smiling and greeting her in return.

"Morning, Bai Yi."

Hearing this, Bai Yi gently pulled off her face mask, revealing her pure and breathtakingly beautiful face.

Sakuramiya Hitomi kept a smile on her face, but her eyes instantly switched into scanning mode, carefully scrutinizing Bai Yi''s features.

Today, the girl was wearing a custom-made spring school uniform skirt set, standing significantly taller than Sakuramiya Hitomi.

Compared to the exceptionally petite Sakuramiya Hitomi standing next to Yan Huan, Bai Yi looked much more compatible beside him.

After greeting Yan Huan, she did not overlook Sakuramiya Hitomi either.

"Morning, Vice President Sakuramiya."

"Morning, Bai Yi."

Sakuramiya Hitomi retracted her gaze and gave a refined Lady''s bow.

Although Sakuramiya Hitomi knew that the friend Yan Huan went to see yesterday was likely Bai Yi, his expression had not changed much when he mentioned her later. In fact, his emotional fluctuations were even less noticeable than when he brought up his childhood sweetheart.

Therefore, Sakuramiya Hitomi had not felt a severe sense of crisis at the time.

But now, seeing the other party''s astonishing beauty, Sakuramiya Hitomi felt differently.

Teenage boys in their puberty were restless creatures, easily influenced by hormones to spark the flames of romance.

Falling in love at first sight usually just meant succumbing to physical attraction, after all.

Not to mention, yesterday this girl had been on stage loudly shouting that strange title, Fan A...

''I need to observe her carefully.''

With this in mind, Sakuramiya Hitomi decided to bide her time and wait until she gathered more information.

Thus, she took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Sakuramiya Hitomi lightly covered her mouth and said with a smile.

"Your performance yesterday was truly wonderful, Bai Yi. Several of us from the Student Council were in the audience, and everyone was blown away."

"Eh? R-really."

Whenever she was praised, Bai Yi could not help but feel a bit light-headed, her nose sticking up just a fraction in pride.

Consequently, lured by the sweet sugar-coating, Bai Yi quickly lowered her guard.

Sakuramiya Hitomi nodded "sincerely" and added,

"Of course. However, after going back, I watched quite a few of your previous performances. Considering you have participated in so many events, it is surprisingly rare to hear you sing. I found that a little unexpected."

Hearing this, Bai Yi pursed her lips and said somewhat bashfully,

"Well... the reason is a bit complicated. But regardless, I have to thank Yan Huan for it."

As she spoke, Bai Yi flashed a beautiful smile and looked at Yan Huan.

"Sparkle~"

Completely oblivious to Sakuramiya Hitomi''s secret scrutiny, the inexperienced Bai Yi''s smile directed at Yan Huan hit Sakuramiya Hitomi right in the eyes like a point-blank flashbang.

''That look in her eyes...''

Sakuramiya Hitomi''s smile stiffened slightly. Just as she was about to press further, Yan Huan glanced at the time and smiled at Bai Yi.

"The Student Council has a regular Monday meeting soon. Let''s head into the Teaching Building first."

"Okay."

Yan Huan quietly shifted the topic, forcing Sakuramiya Hitomi, who had wanted to speak, to swallow her words in silence.

This was actually intentional on Yan Huan''s part.

Although Bai Yi had not used her Modifier yesterday, and Yan Huan''s actions had not forced her to drop any Fragments of the Modifier''s power.

But at the end of the day, Bai Yi was still a Host of a Modifier. He did not know how she had handled the conflict with her mother, so there was always a risk that the situation could blow up at any moment.

Sakuramiya Hitomi knew nothing about this. She was already inevitably entangled with that heavyweight, Aria Spencer, and had almost been targeted by Ye Shiyu''s Modifier just last week...

''In the end, it is better to keep her away from all these troublesome matters.''

Yan Huan thought to himself.

Bai Yi was carrying a small handbag meant for books. Clasping her hands behind her back to hold it, she walked toward the Teaching Building alongside Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi.

"Oh, right, Yan Huan. You lent me your headphones before, remember? Yours look pretty old, and I happen to have a brand-new sample from a recent endorsement. Let me give this to you."

As they walked, she suddenly pulled a small box out of her bag. Inside was another pair of blue noise-canceling headphones.

The packaging was quite nice, certainly far better than Yan Huan''s original bare-bones pair, likely falling in the mid-range price bracket of around a hundred dollars.

"Ah, thank you."

After all, he had worked so hard yesterday without managing to extract a Fragment of the Modifier. Getting a new pair of headphones could be considered a decent consolation prize.

But Sakuramiya Hitomi''s gaze was ten thousand times sharper than Yan Huan''s. Sweeping her eyes upward, she immediately spotted a matching pair of pink headphones nestled within the girl''s black hair.

''She is standing on his right side, yet she kept the noise-canceling headphone over her left ear without taking it off?''

There could only be one reason for such highly inconvenient behavior:

''She wants him to notice that they are using the same model in different colors.''

When a girl had a crush on a certain boy, she might not tell him outright, saying, "I like you, please be my boyfriend."

They were always adept at waiting, at dropping hints, and at creating signals that gave him permission to approach.

So they would say things like, "Wow, your hands are so big, let''s compare sizes," or "Brr, it is so cold today, I completely forgot to bring a jacket," or "The last train... I already missed it..."

Such suggestive words were the ultimate proof of a young girl''s affection.

''What a schemer.''

Sakuramiya Hitomi quickly realized that this was an opponent evenly matched with herself in terms of cleverness and calculation.

Warning sirens wailed in her mind like a blaring police car, making her increasingly wary of this dangerous girl standing before her.

"Good morning, Bai Yi!"

"Morning."

Just as Yan Huan accepted the gift, a passing female student ahead spotted the trio approaching and called out in excitement.

"I watched your performance at the convention yesterday! It was absolutely amazing! Come on, tell me, who is Fan A?"

"Ah, well... that is..."

Bai Yi''s face flushed slightly, and out of the corner of her eye, her gaze was drawn to Yan Huan beside her like a magnet.

Their eyes met for only a second before she quickly looked away, explaining with a smile.

"That is a secret."

"Eh~ A secret, huh~"

The female student covered her mouth and giggled, then greeted Yan Huan as well.

"Morning, President."

"Morning."

Yan Huan offered a faint smile in response.

But when the girl''s eyes landed on Sakuramiya Hitomi, her expression briefly stiffened before she brushed past them and hurried away.

This prompted an inquisitive look from Bai Yi as she glanced at the girl''s retreating back, but Yan Huan beside her seemed accustomed to this kind of reaction.

In truth, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s popularity within the school was not particularly good. This was why Park Seo-moon would coldly scoff whenever Sakuramiya Hitomi was brought up.

The reasons for this were complicated. It had to do with how inexplicably she had become the Vice President of the Student Council, her strict enforcement of discipline and rules, and her exceptional grades combined with her incredibly wealthy background...

Ultimately, Yuanyue School was overflowing with geniuses and arrogant children from affluent families. People who could maintain good relationships with the majority of the student body, like Yan Huan and Yurianna, were exceedingly rare.

Yan Huan came from a poor background, but he was handsome, always smiled when speaking to others, and perfectly grasped the nuances of conversing with different types of people. Naturally, he did not come off as annoying.

As for Yurianna, while she lacked Yan Huan''s intellect, she was delightfully air-headed and never took anything to heart. She treated everyone with such genuine sincerity that it was difficult for anyone to hold a grudge against her.

Sakuramiya Hitomi, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.

She was guarded, constantly maintained a polite yet distant boundary, and sometimes displayed terrifying aggressiveness, making it very difficult for anyone to want to befriend her.

Knowing perfectly well that she harbored a dark side, she consciously kept her distance from everyone else, only maintaining decent relations with her peers in the Student Council.

Normally, this would not have mattered much. However, when compared to the dazzling Bai Yi standing right beside her, it felt like yet another area where she was falling short.

"..."

''Wait a minute!''

''Why is this sounding more and more like what that guy Yabashi Ki said!''

Sakuramiya Hitomi''s small face instantly paled as she turned her head to look at Yan Huan and Bai Yi.

The two of them were a perfect match in both appearance and height.

Both were highly popular and well-liked.

Their family backgrounds were comparable, and their personalities complemented each other harmoniously.

''Huh, now that I think about it, even I want to ship the two of you a little...''

''Like hell I do!!''

These bizarre thoughts kept inexplicably popping up, making Sakuramiya Hitomi fume with frustration, feeling like the ultimate pushover being cheated on.

''It is all that Spencer''s fault!!''

She pursed her lips, and her footsteps abruptly ground to a halt.

"Speaking of which, Yan Huan, about that Study Group you mentioned before..."

Just as Bai Yi was about to speak, Yan Huan instantly noticed Sakuramiya Hitomi stopping in her tracks.

He turned his head and asked with concern,

"Sakuramiya?"

Bai Yi blinked in surprise, glancing between Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi, a thoughtful gleam flickering in her star-like eyes.

Hearing his voice, Sakuramiya Hitomi put on a smile again, though it was somewhat forced.

"President..."

"Ehehe, Sakuramiya~"

The exact moment she spoke, Yurianna suddenly appeared from behind and enveloped Sakuramiya Hitomi in a tight hug, pulling her into her embrace and saying with a goofy grin,

"Sakuramiya, you are so soft and comfortable to hug~"

Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face instantly turned slightly red. Perhaps due to her poor health, her senses seemed overly sensitive, making her exceptionally ticklish.

"Yurianna!!"

"Hehe, it is because Sakuramiya is my absolute favorite~ You are pretty, cute, easy to bully, and have such a great temper~"

"Eh?"

''Good grief, am I really that great?''

Seeing Bai Yi''s slightly widened eyes, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s pride, which had previously suffered a stealthy blow from the idol, was reignited.

''That is right, the President just said those things to me yesterday, yet I actually lost my nerve right before the battle. What kind of display is that?''

''Still, I have to thank you, Secretary Yurianna. I used to just treat you like an idiot pet...''

''But the truth is, you are one of my few actual friends, aren''t you?''

''When I told you to go back and repeat middle school before, I was just joking. How could I actually think that?''

But in the very next second, Yurianna looked down with pleading eyes and said to Sakuramiya Hitomi,

"So, since you are so cute, Sakuramiya, please let me copy your math homework for this week. Thanks!" "..."

''Haha, you really should just go back and repeat elementary school, Yurianna.''

Watching Sakuramiya Hitomi with veins popping out on her forehead, juxtaposed with the incredibly adorable Yurianna, Yan Huan let out a helpless laugh.

"That is Yurianna, the Student Council Secretary."

"Ah... I see..."

Bai Yi blinked but kept her eyes fixed on the direction of Yan Huan''s gaze.

Many students walked by, all greeting Yan Huan enthusiastically when they saw him.

Even older senior male and female students would invite him to karaoke or to grab dinner after school...

The process of young boys and girls experiencing their first stirrings of love was largely the same.

Falling for someone due to some particular reason, and then inevitably daydreaming about the sweetness of romance.

But upon actually interacting with them, one would start to feel anxious and insecure over the reality that did not perfectly align with those fantasies.

Just like right now, Bai Yi, still immersed in the romance of yesterday''s ''Fan A'', quickly realized that Yan Huan was a very popular person.

He had his own social circle, other friends he knew, and a life outside of being her fan...

There were probably other girls here who had a favorable impression of him, or even liked him.

Especially that Sakuramiya Hitomi. Bai Yi could not shake the feeling that the way the vice president scrutinized her hid a certain sense of danger.

All in all, reality was not a fairy tale where a ''prince and princess'' were destined to be each other''s one and only.

Bai Yi, whose first crush was just beginning to bloom, pursed her lips, suddenly feeling rather uneasy.

While she was lost in these thoughts, Yan Huan turned his head to look at her and asked,

"By the way, weren''t you going to ask about the Study Group just now?"

"Eh, right."

Bai Yi had assumed he had not heard her earlier, so she was caught off guard when he brought it up out of the blue.

"The Study Group will officially start tomorrow. The Student Council Accountant, Yabashi Ki, and I are in charge of it.

"It will take place twice a week. We have tentatively scheduled it for lunch breaks on Tuesdays and Thursdays. During the weekend right before exam week, there will also be off-campus study sessions."

As he explained, Yan Huan smiled and looked at Bai Yi, asking,

"As I mentioned before, your participation is only recommended, Bai Yi. In the end, it depends entirely on whether you want to join..."

"I''ll join!"

Bai Yi blinked, her mouth moving faster than her brain as she blurted out the words while staring at Yan Huan''s handsome profile.

She had asked around yesterday and learned that in previous years, joining the Study Group was always just a suggestion, so hardly anyone ever attended.

This meant the most likely scenario was that she would get twice-weekly, one-on-one study sessions with Yan Huan!!

Yabashi Ki was silently completely ignored.

Blushing slightly at whatever scenes her imagination was conjuring, Bai Yi saw Yan Huan nod in front of her before he pulled out a slip of paper and handed it over.

"Alright, then make sure you go back and prepare these books."

"Eh?"

Bai Yi took it and looked down, only to see the following written on the slip:

"Complete Guide to University Mock Question Banks", "One Hundred Exercises for Mathematics Mastery", and "Comprehensive Grammar and Reading Manual".

She blinked, her flushed face immediately plucked from the romantic dye vat and plunged straight into ice-cold reality.

She lifted her eyes to look at Yan Huan in front of her, only to see him smiling as he spoke.

"Even though tutoring an idol is quite stressful, I will make sure to instruct you properly from now on."

"..."

...

...

Meanwhile, in the Principal''s Office.

"Principal, please take a look at this. This is the record of her disciplinary infractions and punishments from just the past week."

A secretary handed over a stack of documents, placing it on Principal Hermes''s desk.

The name "Aria Spencer" was written on the corner of the dossier.

Hermes opened the file and gave it a brief skim, instantly greeted by a full page of complaints filed by various departments.

Smashed the doors to the Equipment Room and Changing Room...

Beat up three students from her own class...

Skipping classes; terrible results in her entrance exams and pop quizzes...

All of this had happened in just one week, dumping an enormous pile of work right into Principal Hermes''s lap.

The persons in charge of every department had major issues with her. Several parents, including Park Seo-moon''s parents, possessed significant influence, and having them all knocking on his door was a massive headache.

After a moment of silence, Hermes shakily removed his glasses and placed them on the desk.

"Sigh, it has only been a week, and every department is already urging me to expel her... The problem is, if we kick out the young Spencer, the old Spencer will come knocking."

Hermes''s heavily wrinkled face showed absolutely none of the blooming, joyous smile he usually wore when raking in donations. He stood up and looked outside at the incredibly luxurious new Teaching Building that was nearing completion.

Immediately after, he asked,

"Our school focuses on well-rounded development. Poor academic grades alone aren''t enough grounds for expulsion. Does she really have absolutely no other redeeming qualities?"

In truth, this was just a tactful way of telling his secretary to find some other marginally outstanding trait of hers to silence the critics.

The secretary naturally understood his intent, but after pondering for a long while, she just pushed up her glasses.

"It appears she has none."

"..."

Principal Hermes fell silent and looked down out the window.

He just happened to spot Spencer squatting on the ground outside the Teaching Building, doing who knew what.

She seemed to be sneakily reading some sort of book, with a black bag resting on the ground next to her.

As she read, she scratched her head, looking for all the world as if she were gleaning immense educational benefit from its pages.

Hermes narrowed his eyes, turning his head to grab his glasses.

His office was not on a very high floor, so from here, he could vaguely make out exactly what was drawn in the book she was reading with such relish.

What met his eyes was a page full of explicit, censored mosaics.

"..."

Just one glance was almost enough to make Hermes pass out from lack of oxygen.

His eyes rolled back into his head, and he tipped backward.

"Principal!!"

The secretary hurriedly rushed forward to catch the principal, hastily pinching his philtrum to wake him up.

"Pills... do you need your pills, Principal?!"

Hermes''s lips trembled violently. Shaking his head, he suddenly reached out and fiercely grabbed the secretary''s hand.

In a weak, raspy voice, he uttered words that sounded more like a dying epitaph,

"Money is so hard to earn, and crap is so hard to swallow..."

"...Principal!"

Hermes closed his eyes, a murky tear sliding down from the corner of his eye.

Vaguely, he seemed to recall the phone call he had received from the older Spencer that night.

From the other end of the line, a woman''s voice carrying a terrifying sense of oppression had spoken,

"My daughter just arrived in Linmen recently. I am not by her side, so I am entrusting her care and supervision to you."

"Of course! Without a doubt!"

Right now, Hermes truly wanted to slap himself across the face.

He had promised so confidently at the time, yet she had only been at Yuanyue School for a single week, and she was already bringing dirty comic books onto campus.

She was practically speedrunning her way to expulsion...

If he expelled her, there would be hell to pay with the School Board and the Jinshi Group.

But if he did not expel her, his face as the principal, as well as the reputation of Yuanyue School, would be completely dragged through the mud, and he would not be able to give an acceptable explanation to the parents and the various school departments.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, absorbing pressure from both above and below... No wonder they say seventy is the prime age to hustle and grind...

"Tell me, is there any way to keep her from being expelled while also saving our dignity?"

Hermes was helped back into his chair, dry-swallowing a few fast-acting heart pills before looking at his secretary in total despair.

He saw the secretary ponder for a moment before something suddenly clicked, and she said,

"The Club War, Principal."

"The Club War?"

The secretary nodded, leaning in slightly.

"The club that takes first place in the Club War is granted a wish by the School Board. So, we just need to make sure she joins the club most likely to win first place..."

"But just forcing her in would be too obvious. Why don''t you take a look at this, Principal."

Hermes blinked and looked at the document she handed him, which read:

"Notice Concerning the Enhancement of the Student Campus Life Experience and the Assessment of All-Around Proficiency at Linmen."

The secretary blinked and offered her strategy,

"As it happens, there is a recent policy draft proposing mandatory club participation for all unaffiliated students. We can use this as an excuse to smoothly guide her into trying out for the Track and Field Club, which is the heavy favorite to win the championship this year..."

"From what I have seen, her physical fitness is quite good. If she successfully joins and they win the Club War, that championship victory will give us the perfect justification to let her stay."

"Even if we take ten thousand steps back and it does not work out, we can still use this policy to silence the School Board and the Jinshi Group."

"What do you think?"

Hearing this, Hermes''s eyes lit up slightly. He looked at the smiling secretary beside him and said,

"Hiss, I have just realized. People like you truly deserve to earn this money."

The secretary nodded, while Hermes raised the policy document in his hands to read it over.

"Let''s study this a bit further, then issue a directive to the Student Council sometime today..."

"Right away, Principal."