novelraw Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Thursday, lunchtime.
Up on the freshman floor the student-council offices were crackling with tension, but here in Year-2 Class A the mood felt almost cozy.
"Ye, what elective did you pick for Thursday afternoons? I didn't see you leave for class on Tuesday."
Gongzi— the same girl who'd spoken to Ye earlier—popped open her bento and leaned over the desk.
Ye Shiyu wore a white early-spring knit top and a beige mid-length skirt, white ankle socks completing the look. She looked like fresh snow under a sudden sun.
She glanced at Gongzi.
"Handicrafts."
"Ah, right," said Aijia, Gongzi's best friend. "The teacher let them go buy supplies on Tuesday, that's why you didn't show." She brightened. "Come eat with us, Ye! We all bring bentos anyway."
"Yeah, let's see what you've got!"
Aijia and Gongzi grinned. Ye opened her lunchbox without expression, thought for a second, then nodded and carried it over.
Ever since Yan Huan had visited on Monday, the girls in class had been nothing but friendly—smiling hellos, casual questions. Maybe Gongzi had let slip that Ye was Yan Huan's "little sister." Ye didn't mind.
Gongzi lifted the lid of her own bento; a neat, colorful spread of meat and vegetables gleamed inside.
"Wow, Gongzi, your cooking keeps getting better," Aijia said through her fingers. "It looks amazing."
"Heh, picked up a few tricks online."
Ye flipped her lid—and for a moment the box seemed to burst with golden light. Inside: abalone, lobster, and several picture-perfect Longguo dishes. Gongzi and Aijia blinked, dazzled. Even more outrageous, the box itself radiated gentle heat; Ye's name was etched on the lid in flowing script.
"Your family's lunches are... ridiculously fancy," Gongzi said, awed.
Ye blinked back, unsure how to answer, which only made them laugh. The more they watched her, the clearer it became: Ye was hopeless at small talk, but not unfriendly.
"Let's dig in!"
"Itadakimasu!"
The two girls clasped their hands in mock ceremony. Ye simply lifted her chopsticks and started eating.
As they ate, the atmosphere warmed.
"Hey, Gongzi, do you ever make bentos for your boyfriend?"
"Sometimes." Gongzi chewed thoughtfully. "Owen eats like a horse; one box isn't enough, but too many get bulky. Easier to let him hit the cafeteria."
Aijia jumped in, eyes sparkling. "Her boyfriend's Owen—the track-team captain, super buff!"
Ye kept eating.
"And Gongzi's our class Cupid," Aijia added. "If you like someone, just tell her—her success rate is insane."
Ye's chopsticks paused mid-air. She glanced at the stylish Gongzi beside her; Gongzi flushed.
"Insane success rate?" Gongzi flicked Aijia's forehead. "Every time I set you up, you bail at the last second."
Aijia rubbed her head. "My bad! I always chicken out. The guy turns out different from my imagination."
"Hmph. You don't even know what you like—how can you fall in love? You'll just end up dumped."
Aijia, embarrassed, quickly pivoted. "Right, Ye! What kind of guys do you like?"
Ye stared.
"Come on, tell Gongzi," Aijia urged. "If you don't date in high school, it's such a waste! There are way more girls than boys here; the good ones get snatched fast."
Gongzi rested her chin in her hands, curious. "Me, I like athletic, strong guys—muscles are a plus."
"I like pretty boys!" Aijia chirped.
"'Pretty' isn't a type," Gongzi teased.
Ye's eyes went distant, chewing slowed. For an instant Yan Huan's face surfaced in her mind. Was it the "love" they meant—or just a desire to taint him? She pondered.
"I like..."
She started, then stopped, unsure.
Gongzi coaxed gently, "Older or younger than you?"
"Younger." The answer came firm.
"Someone who takes care of you, or someone clingy?"
I don't need caring for. I want to care for him, like my dolls. He should belong to me, stay by me every day.
But Yan Huan's always looking after me...
"I... don't know," Ye said.
"Outgoing or shy?"
"Sunny, definitely!" Aijia cut in, earning another glare.
Ye thought, then nodded.
"Sunny... someone who smiles at me a lot. I like it when he smiles."
Like Yan Huan.
Aijia shot Gongzi a smug look.
But the more Ye answered, the more Gongzi's smile twitched; sweat dotted her brow.
Why does it feel like she already has the answer in mind? The picture's getting clearer...
Don't tell me she likes the student-council president?! So what's the deal with the whole "little-sister" thing? It can't actually be... incest? That's—
Aijia, oblivious, tapped her chin. "So you're into the younger, puppy-dog type."
Ye stared, uncomprehending.
Aijia explained, "Cute, energetic younger guys—super lively!"
Stop talking, Aijia!
Gongzi clapped a hand over her own face, screaming inside.
Ye Shiyu dipped her chin, clearly agreeing.
"Hey, you two—stop tag-teaming to deepen each other's understanding!" Gongzi lifted her head with a forced smile and told Ye Shiyu, "So that's how it is, huh?"
"Heh-heh, then Ye, you should drop by the freshman wing more often—and you'd better polish your communication skills while you're at it."
"Communication... skills?"
"Right now, we throw whole paragraphs at you and you squeak out one mousy reply. Guys get tired of that and back off." Aijia looked at Ye Shiyu and explained patiently, "Love is a conversation between two hearts, and hearts can't speak for themselves—that's why we need sweet talk. If you can't swap thoughts and feelings, you'll be bickering even after you get together."
What a pain...
Hypnosis would be simpler.
The thought flashed through Ye Shiyu's mind for a single second, and she immediately shook her head.
Didn't I swear I'd never use the Modifier on him again?
Ye Shiyu, Ye Shiyu—how could you sink so low?
"If you like someone, Ye, a little initiative after careful vetting isn't a bad move!"
"Heh-heh, little xiao-naigou pups are born to be scooped up by big sisters and teased mercilessly. Imagine the cute face he'd make afterward—adorable!"
Mercilessly teased?
Ye Shiyu's breathing quickened; she almost short-circuited.
Gongzi glanced at the fired-up Aijia, covered her face, and muttered, "You've never even dated—why are you dishing out advice like a guru?"
"Eh?" Aijia scratched her head. "Theoretical knowledge counts! I've binge-watched every romance drama out there—I know it all!"
"And the moment it's showtime you turn into a clown, right?"
Gongzi looked at Ye Shiyu beside her, who had stopped eating and drifted into deep thought.
Sleeping-dragon Shiyu, you're not actually going to follow Feng-chu Aijia's dating playbook—are you?
And apply it to President Yan?
Gongzi opened her mouth, thought better of it, and instead sighed and stared out the window.
On the sports field below, the track-club members were training hard, probably gearing up for an upcoming event.
Leading the pack was a tall, broad-shouldered blond—Gongzi's boyfriend, Owen.
She smiled like a proud aunt, chin in her hands, watching him run.
Ah.
Club Wars are almost here.
——
That afternoon, in the elective-building craft room, a handsome boy yawned.
Ever since the rogue Modifier had blindsided him at lunch, Yan Huan had been trying to figure out who the host was—and why they'd attacked him.
Spencer was the prime suspect: right profile, right motive.
She had a Modifier, and he'd just ticked her off; she'd stormed away.
But if that were true, her blond-haired Modifier was way too overpowered—so many functions.
What about the others?
Sakuramiya Hitomi and Yua Lina had been on the same floor, but they had zero reason to hit him.
The overwhelming pleasure surge had felt personal, dripping with resentment.
Couldn't have been an accidental button press, right?
Any girl at school who hated him...
Besides Bai Yi and Spencer, was there someone else?
If it was a third party, the attack range had to be huge, the damage brutal—and it had pierced his Resistance.
Come to think of it, isn't that basically an ADC?
"Everyone, take out your prepared materials, pair up at the workbenches, and wait for today's assignment," the teacher announced, cutting short Yan Huan's musings.
Around him, girls who knew each other were already teaming up.
He scanned the room; hardly any guys had enrolled—he'd only landed here because every other elective was full.
His choices had been craft class or cheerleading.
Faced with a semester-ending public cheer routine, craft class felt far safer.
Besides, Ye Shiyu was in this period too.
Yan Huan spotted her at the back of the room—and found her already looking at him.
"Shiyu sis."
Grinning, he lifted his bag and hurried over.
Stopping in front of her, he asked,
"Want to pair up, Shiyu sis?"
She nodded once—assent given.
"Great! Let's sit here. I'm hopeless at crafts; only picked it because everything else was gone. With your help it should be a breeze."
"Mm."
Ye Shiyu sat at a sewing-machine workstation; Yan Huan took the seat beside her.
She tilted her head, studying him, and the longer she looked the cuter he seemed.
He didn't notice. Instead he eyed the bulging tote she'd brought.
"Shiyu sis, are all these materials required? I don't remember seeing them on the notice."
"..."
Ye Shiyu wanted to speak, but Aijia's earlier advice rang in her ears.
I'm bad with words—will an explanation make me sound troublesome?
She fell silent, pulled out her phone, and her fingers danced across the screen.
No answer came. Yan Huan glanced up, puzzled.
"Shiyu sis?"
She raised the phone again, screen toward him.
Wait—what?!
We're in class, sis!
The familiar maneuver almost made him vault out of his seat.
Twice now she'd zero-framed a hypnosis app on him; he had full-blown PTSD.
"..."
But the screen wasn't the dreaded app. It was just the Notes app.
I brought my own material kit. It has what the teacher wants, plus extras for making clothes.
Yan Huan met her eyes above the phone—dark, blinking, half-hidden behind the screen.
Kinda cute.
He didn't want to admit it, but it was true.
Are you Komi-san?
Do you have a communication disorder?
"Got it," he said, nodding. Then, with a wry smile, "But why type it?"
Ye Shiyu lowered the phone, thumbs flying across the 9-key pad. A second later she raised it again.
Because this way I can say exactly what I want, quickly—better communication with Xiao Huan.
"Uh-huh."
Yan Huan pondered, then smiled softly.
"It might be faster, but you didn't type everything before, right?"
She shook her head.
"Then stick to your usual style. I never had trouble talking to the old Shiyu sis, and I don't want you forcing yourself to change."
Mainly because he had no way of knowing whether the next phone-lift would show Notes or Hypnosis App.
"..."
Yet when Ye Shiyu, phone still in hand, heard his words, her lips parted slightly.
Then her gaze slid away from Yan Huan's smile, hiding behind the back of her phone screen.
All Yan Huan could see was the way her lips pressed together; her fair face gave the faintest nod, and a small, pleasant voice slipped from her throat.
"Mm."
The lobes of her ears, framed by black hair, flushed again—pink and soft like sakura-mochi.
Yan Huan looked away toward the teacher at the front.
"Shiyu sis, I think we're supposed to make a little cloth pouch today."
"Mm, it's really simple."
"Is it? Then teach me, Shiyu sis."
"Okay."
She turned her head, tucking a strand of ink-black hair behind her ear.
But the moment her fingers brushed the lobe she felt the heat herself.
Her eyes trembled; afraid Yan Huan would notice, she let the hair fall back into place.
Yan Huan pulled out his materials bag, only to realize he'd forgotten his scissors.
He hadn't bought proper craft scissors for this class—he'd just grabbed the pair he used at home to open packages.
He must have left them on the table after some late-night unboxing.
"Shiyu sis, I don't think I brought scissors. Could I borrow yours?"
A request, and—at the same time—a little test.
Ye Shiyu blinked once, then cheerfully fished a pair of scissors stamped with her own name from her bag and handed them over.
"Sure."
Hmm.
Her possessiveness didn't seem quite so fierce anymore.
Did that mean he was making decent progress?
"Thanks, Shiyu sis."
Yan Huan took the scissors and pulled out the spool of thread, laying out the fabric.
Beside him, Ye Shiyu simply watched—until, the next second, a girl from the next desk shyly reached to tap her shoulder.
Before the girl's finger could make contact, Ye Shiyu's eyes snapped toward her, glinting with an eerie violet light.
Boo!
"."
Ye Shiyu loathed physical contact; she had a frightening sixth sense that let her whirl around before anyone even touched her.
The girl flinched under that terrifying gaze, lost her nerve, but still managed to point at the scissors in Yan Huan's hand.
The message was clear: We'd like to borrow them too.
"."
Ye Shiyu didn't move, only stared with a gaze so chilling it drained the girl's courage in seconds.
With an awkward laugh the girl spun away and asked someone else.
No words were exchanged.
By the time Yan Huan had everything ready and looked up, he said,
"Shiyu sis, all set. Will these materials be enough?"
Ye Shiyu turned back, that eerie light in her eyes slowly retreating until only harmless blankness remained.
She gave the supplies a glance and nodded.
"Mm, these are fine."
"Then let's start?"
"Mm, I'll do it."
"That's too much trouble—let's do it together."
". . . Okay, Xiao Huan."