Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Behind the curtain, sensing Spencer's restless movements, Yan Huan quickly pinned her wandering hand. He glanced down to check her dazed consciousness, only relaxing slightly when he confirmed she wouldn't make any noise for now.

He focused his attention on the space just beyond the curtain - mere inches away.

Out there, his childhood friend An Le had no idea what was happening here.

"Where did Teacher Ye Lina go? Well, even if she's not here, she probably wouldn't take the phone book with her."

An Le's muttering voice drifted over, but Yan Huan detected nothing unusual in it. This was actually an old habit of hers. Growing up, she'd had no friends, used to being alone. When people are by themselves, sometimes they'll randomly talk while doing things, breaking the oppressive silence. Back in university, Yan Huan had a roommate who did the same thing while playing Stardew Valley - constantly narrating to himself, but going completely silent when others were around.

"Lubricant, sleeves? Why would there be... this kind of thing?"

As expected, she quickly discovered Teacher Ye Lina's private collection.

"There's even doujinshi?"

Teacher Ye Lina's tastes were quite bold - they'd definitely scare innocent little An Le.

Rustle-rustle~

The sound of pages turning indicated An Le was reading the contents.

Just as Yan Huan waited for her embarrassed, small-animal-like reaction, An Le's disappointed voice came instead, slow and steady:

"Too tame. Pretty boring. Better find that phone book quickly."

"?"

Yan Huan blinked, suddenly remembering seeing her buy "Bound Dragon" at the convention. He hadn't looked into its contents then, but now it seemed... probably just as spicy.

An Le, what exactly have you been reading in private?!

"Ugh, I've definitely read so much of this stuff that my brain's fried. That's why I'd even consider doing something like this. Ah, found the phone book!"

After some rummaging, An Le quickly located Spencer's family contact and dialed the number.

Behind the curtain, Yan Huan held down Spencer, who was becoming increasingly difficult to restrain, while his mind raced.

The problem now was that An Le didn't know Spencer's family was already on their way here. If Golden Lion Group people saw him and Spencer in this situation, it'd be impossible to explain. An Le seeing it would be even worse to explain. Especially since An Le, as a Modifier host, had already revealed herself as the culprit behind this entire situation.

He really should thank Spencer - if this girl hadn't coincidentally stirred up trouble at lunch, the one lying here with this expression would be him!

Yan Huan swallowed hard, clearly still shaken.

Outside, An Le had connected to Spencer's family emergency contact, holding the phone to her ear. Because of this, Yan Huan couldn't hear the other side of the conversation at all.

"Thank you for calling Golden Lion Group. Based on your call's origin, we believe you're contacting us regarding academy matters. If correct, please press one. If not, please press two."

The mechanical female voice came through the receiver, causing An Le to hesitate briefly before pressing "one."

"Hello, I am the AI life butler for Miss Aria Spencer. You may call me 'Lionheart.' How may I assist you?"

Holding the phone, An Le quickly explained Spencer's possible physical discomfort, hoping the AI could locate her immediately.

Lionheart AI paused briefly before informing An Le that "Spencer's vital signs are currently normal" and that "staff have already made contact with Spencer." It advised her not to worry.

"That's wonderful, thank you."

An Le hung up, clutching the phone to her chest with a relieved expression. She spoke mentally to Xiao Muzi on her shoulder:

"Looks like Spencer's family has confirmed her status. I'm so glad she's okay."

Xiao Muzi snorted from her perch. "You chose the [Pleasure Route], so my abilities aren't lethal - she won't get hurt. If her family's already contacted her, she probably didn't have time to do anything bad."

"Thank goodness."

Xiao Muzi glanced at An Le and added, "Loaded kids really do react fast when something goes wrong."

Good, Spencer had no chance to act up, which meant Thumb wouldn't get to feed either. Thinking this, Xiao Muzi relaxed slightly.

But then An Le suddenly remembered something and turned to Xiao Muzi:

"Xiao Muzi, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"...Go ahead."

An Le pursed her lips, hesitating for a second before continuing:

"Xiao Muzi... are you hiding something from me?"

Xiao Muzi's tongue stopped flicking. She didn't answer, just stared straight at An Le.

An Le didn't let the silence continue. She pressed forward:

"When we met that Ye Shiyu, Spencer's stepsister, your reaction was strange. Now Spencer drank your medicine, and you seem to know exactly what's happening."

With awareness this sharp, why not go pro?

Xiao Muzi flicked her tongue, realizing An Le might be starting to notice the competition between the Modifiers.

But she stared into An Le's eyes and fell into an eerie silence.

"..."

Of course, she'd tell her eventually. Xiao Muzi was just considering whether now was the right time.

From Xiao Muzi's perspective, letting the host develop a bit before revealing other Modifiers' existence was optimal. By then, the host would have used the Modifier to fulfill several wishes, gradually becoming addicted to desire's muddy pit.

To maintain the convenience of using the Modifier and further satisfy their desires, they'd reject other Modifier hosts.

But this foolish child kept messing up every attempt, never tasting any benefits. How could she possibly become attached?

Worse, she was timid to boot - she'd probably surrender at the first sign of conflict. Especially since her opponent included Spencer, one of her only two friends. She'd probably drop her weapons immediately.

No, the timing wasn't right. Keep hiding it!

"Ahem, you're overthinking it. I just thought that Ye Shiyu had scary eyes, that's all. Don't you think so too?"

An Le recalled Ye Shiyu's gaze that day - it hadn't seemed like she was looking at an enemy. Actually, it hadn't seemed like she was looking at a person at all.

"As for Spencer, you said it yourself - different people have different constitutions. Maybe she's just more poison-resistant? I just have confidence in my abilities and don't believe anyone could be immune!"

This was true - even Thumb, the strongest of the five Modifiers, couldn't fully defend against her unique properties.

"Is that so..."

An Le looked at Xiao Muzi's proudly raised head and seemed to accept the explanation. The doubt on her face cleared like rain after a storm, replaced by a smile.

In her peripheral vision, she suddenly noticed something on the photo album and spoke aloud:

"Xiao Huan actually kept this number..."

Xiao Muzi looked curiously at the phone book, at the numbers following Yan Huan's name.

The first part was Linmen's international code, followed by "07010624."

"What is it?" Xiao Muzi asked.

An Le turned her head and said softly:

"When we were little, Xiao Huan told me he'd leave the orphanage one day. I was worried - once he left, I wouldn't know where to find him."

"So I told him that when he left, he wouldn't be able to list family contacts at school."

"As he said, if anything happened to him, there wouldn't be anyone to contact anyway, so listing fake family numbers was pointless."

"He'd just use both our birthdays combined to make one up."

As she spoke, An Le's eyes lowered again.

"He was born in Linmen. He used to have parents! The orphanage has records! What are you saying, Xiao Muzi?!"

"Ahem." In the room, Yan Huan - still restraining Spencer - couldn't hear An Le's mental conversation with Xiao Muzi, only her mentioning the number he'd written in the book.

Behind the curtain, Yan Huan seemed unable to suppress memories flooding back of his past with An Le.

Outside the curtain, An Le looked down at the phone book, equally lost in memories.

Just as these childhood friends were sharing this tender moment of recollection, Spencer's hair - still held by Yan Huan - suddenly brightened several degrees more.

Dazed, she lifted her head. After her earlier confusion, her remarkable constitution seemed to have expelled some of the toxin.

Like waking from a dream, still not fully conscious, but she finally recognized the person before her.

It was that annoying student-council president, Yan Huan.

Spencer blinked, dazed, and watched his hand clamp around her wrist. His gaze—fixed on something beyond the curtain—was so bright it looked almost painful, as if he were staring at one person alone.

Outside, was someone there?

Spencer didn't know; she only knew that she wanted to snatch that brilliance away, to smear it with her own colors.

Without thinking, she glanced at the joint Yan Huan had locked and flexed her arm.

Boom!

A bull-like strength detonated between them. Yan Huan, still half lost in whatever memory lay beyond the curtain, snapped his head around, startled.

Spencer?!

When did she get here?!

No—when did she wake up?!

She watched his careful, focused expression crumble into shock and confusion—and her pulse spiked.

Memory was a river: Yan Huan's memories and someone else's glimmered back and forth, painting a perfect picture of the past.

Spencer, the brat on the bank, heaved up a boulder and slammed it down—smash!—shattering every echoing call, every shared heartbeat.

Now the river called "Yan Huan" held only ripples that reflected her own wicked grin.

That vacant look on Spencer's face melted into the familiar, crooked smile, eyes still glassy. She flipped their wrists, seized control, and in one fluid motion straddled Yan Huan's hips.

The bed creaked.

Yan Huan's pupils shrank; he arched his back so his weight wouldn't rock the mattress and alert whoever waited beyond the curtain.

Silence held.

Outside the curtain, An Le traced a finger over the call log and murmured, "Back then, only Xiao Huan and I were playing ghost-tag near the pond. He was 'it,' and I knew I couldn't outrun him, but he always let me win. I'd glance back and see him smiling so gently."

Inside, Yan Huan flexed every muscle, easing Spencer away so he could sit up. The instant he rolled, Spencer—like a demon—grabbed the back of his shirt.

He turned; her wicked grin was inches away. She ran her tongue over a sharp canine, looking ready to swallow him whole.

Outside, An Le leaned against the table, lost in memory. "I'm a coward, so I always walked half a step behind him, clutching the hem of his sleeve—careful not to wrinkle it."

Inside, Spencer's fingers twisted the fabric higher. In their struggle, Yan Huan's shirt rode up, exposing a pale strip of abs. Spencer's eyes lit up at the discovery, tugging again and again until the shirt was crumpled and useless.

Outside, An Le sat down, voice soft. "What matters most is Xiao Huan's feelings. I worry he's only looking after me out of obligation. So whatever I want to eat, I share with him; whatever I want to do, I ask his permission first."

Inside, the silent war reached fever pitch. Yan Huan refused to make a sound; Spencer refused to allow his silence. She steered him left, then right—always toward the curtain—forcing his gaze to stay locked on her.

Outside, An Le's cheeks flamed. She covered her face. "Speaking of childhood... once, when Xiao Huan slept over, I woke first. I stared at his sleeping face and— I don't know why—suddenly wanted to kiss him."

She hid her burning face. "I held back. After all, that would've been taking advantage. You have to ask permission first."

On her shoulder, Xiao Muzi rolled dead-fish eyes. "You've been babbling forever. When do we skip to the spicy part?"

"We were kids! How could we—"

"Then what about now? You're not kids anymore."

"True... but after today I've decided. That kind of thing still needs Xiao Huan's consent. I won't force him."

Xiao Muzi gave an exaggerated eye-roll.

Inside, desperate, Yan Huan leveraged Spencer's lingering weakness and tried to break free. Spencer, half-dazed, saw his flushed, disheveled face—so unlike the polished President—and excitement flared.

Strike while the iron's hot.

Let me claim every inch of you.

A blush bloomed across her cheeks. She clamped his wrist, leaned in, and—

Pop!

Against his will, soft lips pressed hard to his cheek in a kiss that staked its claim.

The battlefield stilled.

Two bodies, one above the other, froze in the narrow space the curtain hid.

(End of Chapter)