novelraw Chapter 58
Chapter 58
Chapter 58
"I knew it! Bai Yi's song today was amazing, right?!"
Under the quiet night sky of Jinghe District, the student-council group stepped out of a stylish Western restaurant.
The moment they exited, Yua Lina began spinning in place, eyes sparkling.
She and Ashley had already changed out of their cosplay outfits and removed their makeup.
Unlike Ashley, who looked as if every last ounce of energy had been wrung out of her, Yua Lina was still buzzing.
Phone in hand, she replayed short videos of Bai Yi's live performance that other fans had uploaded.
As they walked, she tapped her chin, turned around, and asked suspiciously,
"So who on earth is this mysterious 'Fan A' Bai Yi keeps talking about?"
Hashimoto, backpack slung over one shoulder, had finally perked up after dinner.
Yan Huan blinked but stayed silent.
Sakuramiya Hitomi flicked a sidelong glance at Yan Huan, smiled faintly, and echoed the question.
"Yes, who could it be?"
"."
Ashley delivered a quick karate chop to Yua Lina's head, snuffing out the gossip fire blazing in the girl's eyes.
"Owww—Ashley!"
Ashley then grabbed Yua Lina by the collar, hoisted the bag holding their costumes, and glanced back at the others.
"All right, enough with Fan A, Fan B, whatever. I've called a ride; Yua Lina and I are heading back. See you guys."
Yua Lina and Ashley both lived in North-Sea District.
Sakuramiya smiled. "My house is close by. I'll just walk. President, you and Hashimoto are going back south, right?"
Hashimoto nodded woodenly and started to leave.
Yan Huan caught his shoulder, making him march in place.
Hashimoto stared blankly until Yan Huan smiled and said,
"Let's walk Sakuramiya home first. 'Close' still means fifteen minutes on foot."
Hashimoto, soul half missing, nodded again: whatever Yan Huan said was law.
Sakuramiya looked at Yan Huan, eyes twinkling behind a polite hand over her mouth.
"Then I'll impose on you both."
Moments later the ride for Ashley and Yua Lina arrived.
"President, Sakuramiya, Hashimoto—see you tomorrow!"
"See you."
After waving the pair off, the remaining three strolled down the quiet lanes of Jinghe.
Sakuramiya carried her parasol upside-down, letting the night breeze brush her cheeks.
Hashimoto scrolled on his phone, then looked up.
"Ah, the nationwide hunt for Fan A is trending."
Sakuramiya and Yan Huan glanced back. Hashimoto flicked his thumb across the screen and continued,
"Loads of people think Fan A doesn't exist at all—just marketing. Bai Yi's been on tons of variety shows and never mentioned a super-fan until today..."
"Sounds about right," Yan Huan said.
Sakuramiya said nothing, playing the perfect lady.
A few steps later Hashimoto's eyes widened again.
"Wait—backstage staff claim they saw 'Fan A' in person, slipping in and out of Bai Yi's dressing room. No photos allowed, so no proof."
He read aloud, "According to her, it was a boy in a dark plaid shirt and cargo pants."
Hashimoto blinked up at Yan Huan, then reread the description.
"Hold on, President—those clothes are exactly what you're wearing right now!"
Yan Huan turned, resigned, glanced at his outfit and replied,
"Half the guys in the city wear this combo. I bought mine on sale; it's practically a uniform."
"True, I've got a set myself," Hashimoto agreed, nodding sagely.
He clicked his tongue at the screen.
"The internet's convinced Fan A is Bai Yi's secret boyfriend. Honestly, if it were you, I could buy it."
Yan Huan stayed quiet. Sakuramiya, walking ahead, turned with a cool smile.
"And why is that?"
Hashimoto grinned—if the Vice-President asked, he'd answer.
"Look, Bai Yi's cute, no doubt, but the President's on another level. He almost debuted as a child star, and when the student-council elections rolled around every rich young lady on campus lost her mind. Bai Yi's male fanbase here isn't even close."
Sakuramiya's smile didn't waver.
"Maybe because our school has more girls than boys."
"Ah, but Vice-President, you have to weigh suitability, not just popularity."
Hashimoto had bounced back; Yan Huan's therapy-by-chatter had finally erased the sting of Shijo Ai's earlier scolding.
"Bai Yi seems genuine and kind, from what little we've seen. Healthy, energetic—she's clearly been training. Height's about the same as the President's."
Height, fitness, vitality—three more knives.
"Most importantly, the school's full of ultra-rich heiresses. Marrying into that crowd would be a nightmare. Bai Yi's background is refreshingly normal. Plus, her mom keeps asking about the President—seems she approves."
Family status—another cut.
A thin line of imaginary blood threatened to trickle from Sakuramiya's lip.
Hashimoto beamed at his flawless reasoning until he noticed Sakuramiya's smile sharpening into something demonic.
"Is that so?" she asked softly.
Eh?
Why did that smile look exactly like Shijo Ai's from this morning?
Eek!!
Hashimoto's face drained of color. He scuttled behind Yan Huan, trembling like a leaf, only to receive a light flick on the forehead from Yan Huan.
Yan Huan sighed at Hashimoto.
"Maybe spend less time on dating sims. They're rotting your brain."
"I was wrong, President."
He meant to apologize to Sakuramiya, but couldn't even look at her now—one glimpse of that terrifying smile and he'd drop dead on the spot.
They soon reached a walled estate. Several security guards stood at the gate; Hashimoto hung back while Yan Huan walked Sakuramiya the last stretch.
"No matter how many times I see it, your house still takes my breath away, Sakuramiya."
Yan Huan gazed past the lawn at the mansion cloaked in shadow, smiled, and spoke with quiet wonder.
Beside him, Sakuramiya hesitated, the words from moments earlier echoing in her mind.
Bai Yi and the President.
That radiant girl on stage might indeed suit him better, just as Hashimoto said. The truth hurt only because she didn't want to hear it.
All day she had prepared, yet achieved nothing.
She knew the "friend" Yan Huan had met was almost certainly Bai Yi—and that the so-called Fan A...
Now Sakamiya clung to the calm look Yan Huan had given when he told Hashimoto, "Don't read too much into it."
The President wasn't thinking of Bai Yi that way.
At least, not yet.
"If your future partner came from a very wealthy family, would that put pressure on you?"
Even that small comfort stung. She posed the question as if out of idle curiosity, the ache carefully hidden behind polite words.
"Mmm, probably."
Sakuramiya Hitomi's pupils shrank, but beside her Yan Huan merely looked away from the grand Western-style mansion and said,
"If the gap in ability and status is too wide, even if we end up together, the road ahead will only get tougher."
"Is that so..."
Hitomi nodded, pressed her lips together, and was about to say good-bye and head inside.
Yet Yan Huan went on,
"So if you truly like someone, you have to work twice as hard—climb to a place where you can stand as equals.
That way, I think, you'll have nothing to regret, neither toward her nor toward yourself."
Hitomi's step faltered; her eyes flicked back to him.
She seemed on the verge of saying, "I'll wait for you, President," but her throat felt as dry as desert sand.
Before the words could come, a woman's voice rang out behind her,
"Young Lady, you're back."
"Eh?!"
Hitomi spun around to see Nara—now in a tailored suit—emerging from the gate.
"Yan Huan, thank you for seeing the Young Lady home."
Yan Huan had met Nara once before, but without the formal attire she'd looked almost unfamiliar.
"It's nothing. I was happy to."
"You're welcome to come in; I'm sure the Young Lady would be delighted."
Yan Huan glanced at Nara, then at Hitomi, whose fingers were now twisting the hem of her skirt.
He gave a soft smile and shook his head.
"Another time, perhaps. I'll definitely take you up on it."
"Splendid. Or you could invite the Young Lady to your place—"
"Nara!!"
Hitomi's face flushed scarlet as she tried, with comically little success, to shove her bodyguard back through the gate. Nara pretended to yield inch by inch, winking at Yan Huan over her shoulder.
"See you next time, Yan Huan~" she called as she was herded away.
"..."
Yan Huan watched the pair disappear, chuckled, and was turning to leave when Hitomi's voice reached him again.
"President."
She leaned halfway out of the gate, holding out a sheet of manga paper.
Yan Huan took it: a chibi drawing of the entire student-council cast—courtesy of the artist Miyake Huhu.
"Thanks. I'd almost forgotten."
"I knew you had."
With a hand hiding her smile, she added,
"Thank you for walking me home. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Sakuramiya."
She nodded and vanished inside. The gate closed; muffled voices drifted out.
Yan Huan tucked the drawing into his pocket and rejoined Hashimoto, who was crouching with his head in his hands.
"Let's go. Subway to South District?"
"P-President..."
"What now?"
"I think Teacher Shijo cursed me earlier—some ghost must've possessed me. When Vice-President Sakuramiya gave me that look just now... it's still here, isn't it?"
"..."
Past midnight, South District.
Fresh from the shower, Yan Huan collapsed face-down on his bed in the public-rent flat and stretched.
"Friday's drowsiness debuff wore off, yet somehow I'm even more tired."
A black cat materialized on his back and studied him with curious eyes, then padded softly across his shoulder blades.
"But today's Sunday, meow! The weekly reward unlocks in minutes!"
"Right."
Yan Huan rolled over; Meow-chan hopped into the air and settled, weightless, on his abs.
He stared into the cat's sparkling eyes.
"Did Bai Yi drop any Modifier fragments at the con today?"
Meow-chan shook her head.
"After her set, you went to talk to the supervisors, then we circled backstage and the stage area—nothing, meow."
"So, having fulfilled her dream to sing, she didn't even flirt with the idea of using a Modifier. That makes the shard from Sis Tong's bar unlikely to be hers."
"Agreed, meow."
"Could it belong to the fifth host? But aside from Sis Tong and Rong, which other woman connected to me has ever set foot in that dive?"
"Meow?"
The cat looked as clueless as he felt. His tired brain refused to work any harder.
He gave up and flopped back.
"Whatever. With this big fragment we can at least evolve the Modifier. C'mon, Meow-chan, show me."
"Meow~"
The clock crept toward midnight. The instant Monday arrived, Meow-chan opened her mouth and swallowed the phantom snake-scale shard.
Ding-ding-ding—
Thick pink mist streamed out of the scale, shifted into dazzling gold, and was drawn into the cat's belly. Her fur grew glossier.
Grrrr—
Her cheeks puffed; she spat out a ribbon of golden light that expanded into glowing text before Yan Huan's eyes.
[Modifier Level: 2→3]
[Pool upgraded to Tier 3; stronger rewards now available]
[Modifier evolution count +1; random stat fragment +1]
[Following your chosen path "Demon's Contract," please pick one of two new evolution routes.]
Yan Huan rubbed his chin.
"Meow-chan, you said this shard was way bigger than Ye Shiyu's, yet it still only gives one level?"
"Yan Huan, each level-up needs more fragments, meow."
"Fair enough."
He opened the stat fragment first.
[Stamina Fragment – slight boost to endurance]
[Behave, be good, be obedient~]
[Charm Fragment – slight boost to attractiveness]
[Ahead lie roses... or steel wool.]
[Intelligence Fragment – slight boost to brainpower]
[When you're old, no one will sell you fake supplements.]
After a moment's silence, he chose Intelligence. A wisp of gold melted into him—barely noticeable, as always.
Now for the evolution route.
[Route 1: Light-and-Dark Contract]
[Once per week, the three-choice reward becomes: one from two tiers lower, one from two tiers higher. Choosing the lower grants a permanent buff; choosing the higher inflicts a permanent curse.]
[Route 2: Demon's Gamble]
The rules for choosing rewards were the same as before, but before making his pick he had to roll two extra dice.
The first die would saddle him with one to six powerful curses that lasted a week, and the second would grant one to six extra rewards equal to his reward-tier level.
Yan Huan's eyes nearly popped out.
This was degenerate-gambler territory.
"Risk it all for riches" was practically stamped on the interface.
Worse, the rolls were mandatory—no opt-out.
And "powerful curse" sounded a lot nastier than last week's drowsiness.
Ssss.
After a long moment Yan Huan killed the gambling BGM and tapped Light-and-Dark Contract.
Bzzzt!
As he confirmed his choice, golden light whirled again, and three spheres of varying sizes floated out of Meow-chan.
Left to right they grew larger; the smallest glowed pure white, the largest already steeped in ominous black.
[Skill: Nimble Fingers. Exactly what it says.]
[Reward Tier: 1]
[Description: Your digits will come in handy.]
[Bonus: Any procreation-related ability doubles.]
The first reward made Yan Huan's face crumple. He hugged Meow-chan and growled,
"What is this garbage? That's a bonus? Want to learn what 'bonus' actually means?"
"Meow told you, everything's random, meow! Nothing to do with me!"
No choice but to keep going.
[Ability: Demon Chef. Learning any recipe takes half the time, the dishes taste twice as good, but every diner suffers a minor curse for three days.]
[Reward Tier: 3]
[Description: I shall become the king of dark cuisine.]
"..."
Yan Huan narrowed his eyes at the last, black-veined sphere.
With a nervous breath he poked it.
Dark mist exploded outward, forming the longest skill description he had ever seen.
[Form: Naturalist.]
[Reward Tier: 5]
[Effect 1 – Athletic Aesthetics: Training efficiency via exercise doubles.]
[Effect 2 – Sculpted Beauty: Each workout grants a major charisma boost.]
[Effect 3 – Bare Skin: For every percent of your body uncovered, physical stats rise 25%–100%.]
[Description: Strip the armor!! Strip more!!]
[Curse: Muscle-fiber damage hurts twice as much.]
At the sight of this tier-5 monstrosity, the drowsy, half-dead Yan Huan shot upright and stared, wide-eyed, at every last line.