novelraw Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Chapter 74
"Um, President, there's a red mark right under your collar..."
The moment she said it, Yan Huan's smile stiffened. He glanced down; a faint crimson peeked out from the edge of his shirt.
Sure enough—Ye Shiyu had left it when she bit him earlier.
Luckily the bite had gone through fabric; no teeth marks, just two curved lines that looked more like a scrape.
According to the memory revision, he had "accidentally bumped into something," with an entire mini-movie of the supposed collision now lodged in his head.
"..."
After a second's thought, he tugged the collar a little lower, revealing the upper arc, and gave Sakuramiya a mild smile.
"Probably scraped myself on something."
Sss.
Why does this feel like a cheating husband being grilled by a skeptical wife?
Yan Huan sighed inwardly; there'd been nothing romantic about it—Ye Shiyu had simply looked terrifying, like a terminal patient in her final stage.
"Scraped yourself?"
When he pulled the fabric aside, Sakuramiya's gaze flicked away for an instant, then snapped back in disbelief.
That mark...
Could it really be from bumping into something?
Was he joking?
She studied it again; the mark only looked more glaring.
Her sixth sense sketched a phantom scene:
A woman—face blurred—stood just tall enough to reach the President's shoulder.
She parted pink lips, shot a victorious smirk at the dumbstruck Sakuramiya lurking behind, then leaned in toward him—
"Bzzt!"
Why is my imagination so vivid?!
Sakuramiya shuddered, tried to banish the image, and managed a strained laugh.
"O-oh, I see."
"Yeah, been hitting the gym lately. Always knocking into something or other."
Yan Huan sighed again. Lying to Sakuramiya left a bad taste, but dragging her into Modifier business would be worse.
Keep things normal.
With that, he smoothed his collar back into place and rubbed his tired brow, offering a grateful smile at the stack of documents she'd finished.
He didn't notice how the afternoon sun streaming through the floor-to-ceiling window lit the fabric from behind.
Sakuramiya saw it clearly: the red patch gleamed faintly—dried residue catching the light.
...?!
Her heart, just settling, lurched back into her throat.
So my imagination wasn't wrong?
If that isn't a scrape, then—
Her head spun; the President's face blurred.
No way...
Could he actually be that reckless in private?
Her cheeks drained of color, yet one look at Yan Huan's calm expression made her reject the thought in horror.
Stay calm.
Afraid of slipping up, Yan Huan rolled his shoulder and stood.
"Since everything's handled, I'll head back for a nap. I'll draft the Club-War schedule tonight and drop it in the group chat—take a look together then."
"Ah? S-sure."
Sakuramiya rose too, forcing a smile.
"Take care, President."
"Mm, see you."
Yan Huan waved and left the office.
Click.
The instant the door shut, Sakuramiya's eyes turned red. She rubbed her index finger, yanked her laptop from the drawer.
She'd considered using her Boundary to rewrite the President's common sense, but reason stopped her.
Never expose the ability unless absolutely necessary—especially now that Spencer's powers were out in the open.
A tree that stands out is the first to be felled.
That was a Sakuramiya family motto drilled into her since childhood.
So... what if others had abilities too?
Her irises bled scarlet as a new train of thought clicked into place.
She opened the laptop, pulling up the security feeds along Yan Huan's timeline.
After class he'd left the room, paused at Class C's door—looking for someone?
Right, An Le.
His childhood friend was in Class C.
Not finding her, he'd headed to the courtyard—probably for lunch.
Ah, he met An Le on the stairs.
Sakuramiya's face chilled as she dragged the mouse, hopping from camera to camera.
Invisible eyes tracked Yan Huan across time.
They went to the commercial strip; he treated An Le to a meal.
Looked like a fun chat—he even tapped her on the head like a kid next door.
"..."
Sakuramiya puffed her cheeks, instinctively touching her own head.
Then the feed froze: An Le grabbing Yan Huan's wrist, both of them startled.
Sakuramiya bit her lip, eyes blazing, fingers trembling as she tried to skip the frame.
Could it... have been An Le?
So the quiet girl with the timid face and scandalous chest dared to sneak a bite?
She's going on the watch-list!
Just then a tall figure appeared in the footage.
The aloof girl instantly seized Sakuramiya's attention.
Ye Shiyu?
Sakuramiya's expression shifted, a bad premonition blooming.
Wait—An Le's almost as flat as me; how could she leave a hickey unless the President was lying down?
I've imagined every possible position at night; I know the logistics.
But Ye Shiyu's different—tall, balanced, fully capable.
Could it be...?
With that thought, Sakuramiya watched Ye Shiyu's every move like a hawk.
Sure enough, An Le left halfway through the meal, leaving only Ye Shiyu and the President.
They strolled for a while, then—
Sakuramiya's pupils shrank. She clicked the mouse, freezing on the moment Yan Huan turned toward a street-side TV.
Frowning, she scrubbed back and forth.
Before the TV, he wore his usual smile.
Afterward—no smile at all.
As if something on the screen had stunned him.
And Ye Shiyu hadn't said a word...
What the hell...
Sakuramiya Hitomi zoomed the surveillance feed, staring at the ordinary ad for Angry Piggies playing on the little TV. The longer she looked, the more wrong it felt.
To anyone else, the footage was nothing special. But Hitomi wasn't "anyone else." She watched Yan Huan day and night; she knew every twitch of his eyebrow. Of course she spotted the anomaly.
At first, the President was giving the transfer student, Ye Shiyu, a tour of the mall. After they glanced at that screen, the scene flipped: Ye Shiyu was now leading a blank-faced President through the thinning crowd.
Minutes later, with the foot traffic almost gone, the pair reached the edge of the commercial strip. Hitomi's focus sharpened to a razor's edge. She tried to switch to the next camera—only for the feed to jump straight to Yan Huan's workplace.
"!!"
No cameras beyond that point.
What else could Ye Shiyu want with a dazed President in an empty back street? Sit him down for a round of Angry Piggies like some toddler?
Cold sweat beaded on Hitomi's forehead. She bit the nail of her left thumb and rewound the footage, hunting for more clues. Frame by frame, the truth solidified.
That so-called "step-sister" from afar was the same breed as Spencer and herself: she had powers.
The realization hit like ice. Hitomi's vigilance flared into fury.
He's an orphan. He's been alone in Linmen for years. Last week, when he introduced you to the council, he smiled in a way he never smiles at anyone else. He probably thinks he's finally found family.
And this is how you treat him, Ye Shiyu?
The thought that the home he cherished might already be Ye Shiyu's playground made Hitomi's stomach lurch. All under the convenient label of "older sister."
I've kept my own power on a tight leash, terrified of hurting him. Yet you and that brainless Spencer dare to run wild?
No wonder he showed no sign of strangeness earlier. No wonder he acted like he had no memory.
It was you, Ye Shiyu.
Fine.
Pressure coiling inside her, Hitomi's expression went arctic. She rubbed her middle finger, then opened the folder labeled Priority Threats. She glanced at Bai Yi's file—fresh documents added from their recent conversation. That idol...
For a moment Hitomi felt surrounded, but the chill only hardened her smile. She opened Ye Shiyu's folder, clipped every second of footage, and dropped it inside.
Fingers flying over the keyboard, she annotated frame by frame.
You just wait, Ye Shiyu. Once I've dealt with Spencer, you're next.
In the shadows, Hitomi watched everything.
————
Tuesday afternoon, Golden Lion Hall, Jinghe District.
"Achoo!"
Spencer sneezed, rubbed her nose, and almost muttered, "Is Santa cursing me again?" But she remembered An Le's words—Santa isn't real—so she only cast a doubtful glance at her companion, wrestling with the mystery of Saint Nick.
"Welcome. Please wait a moment; we'll have your private dining room ready. Here are today's three set menus—feel free to choose."
The stunning hostess handed Spencer and An Le white leather-bound menus, still smiling. "A fifteen-percent service charge is already included."
Behind them stood three nervous classmates: Jiang Yun, bespectacled and acne-dotted; Tatsuya Sagawa, round and sweaty; and Nino, braces glinting on a thin foreign face.
An Le opened the menu, saw the price under the cheapest Set A, and went pale. "Um... Spencer, maybe we could eat somewhere else?"
"Huh?" Spencer shot her an impatient look, but swallowed the retort when she saw An Le's forced smile. She turned to the three behind—clearly as uncomfortable as An Le. Their wallets probably hadn't seen the inside of a place like this before.
Spencer bit back her original order, took the menu from An Le, and nodded. "Fine, new spot. You guys pick."
"I-I'll look up places in Jinghe," An Le said, phone out already.
Tatsuya wiped his forehead. "There's a Burger Queen nearby—decent burgers, big portions."
An Le looked to Spencer, who simply handed the menu back to the hostess. "Lead the way."
Outside the Golden-Lion-branded restaurant, they walked the Jinghe streets. Minutes later they were sliding into a bustling Burger Queen. After ordering via QR code, phones down, the freshmen finally focused on Spencer, who was still stroking her chin over the burger pictures.
"Ooh, the shrimp-fish burger looks amazing! You guys in?"
Jiang Yun adjusted her glasses. "So, Spencer, you're asking us to join your club?"
Spencer glanced up and nodded. "Yup, still need two more."
"Not exactly," An Le jumped in, rescuing Spencer from foot-in-mouth disease. "Anyone can join—minimum four members. Because of the whole thing between me and Park Seo-mun, Spencer can't get into any existing club, so President Yan suggested we start a new one."
Jiang Yun studied Spencer with lingering caution. Outsiders like them usually steered clear of the school's princesses, especially after this morning's display of violence.
Yet Spencer's wide-eyed enthusiasm looked... different.
"Creating a club is hard," Jiang Yun said slowly, "but not for you. If you pull it off, I'm in."
Spencer beamed. "Great! That's three. What about you two?"
Tatsuya and Nino avoided her gaze—then Tatsuya shrugged. "Sure. We have to join something, and nobody else wanted us. If Spencer's okay with it..."
"I-I'm in too," Nino added.
Spencer jumped up, arms wide, voice ringing: "Perfect! The Doujin Club is hereby founded! Heh, first place in Club Wars is ours! You guys ready-aw?!"
"C-Club Wars?!"
The three girls froze as Spencer spoke. Jiang Yun stared at her in disbelief.
"Wait a second, Spencer," she said. "What did you just say? First place in Club Wars?"
"Yup! I started this club just to win Club Wars."
"...What?"
Jiang Yun looked to An Le, who pressed her lips together before explaining.
"Well, Jiang Yun sis, here's the thing. Spencer's on the verge of getting expelled. The only way to stay enrolled is to win Club Wars, so..."
Jiang Yun's expression stiffened. She glanced at Spencer, who sat there radiating confidence like she'd already claimed the trophy, then at An Le's strained smile. Words caught in her throat.
Tatsuya Sagawa mopped his brow and turned away. "Food's ready—I'll go grab it."
"Me too," Nino added, following him out.
That left only the three girls at the table.
Jiang Yun wet her lips. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Spencer, joining your club is one thing. But if you're counting on us to win Club Wars... I'm afraid we can't help with that."
"What do you mean?"
Jiang Yun braced for anger, but Spencer only looked genuinely puzzled.
Blinking, she continued, "Even if we joined and gave it everything we've got, we'd never beat the Track-and-Field Club. Not with our skill level."
"Huh? They're that strong?"
Spencer's fearless ignorance made An Le bury her face in her hands. "She doesn't even know how Club Wars works..."
Jiang Yun sighed. "After the opening ceremony, the real competition begins. First comes the three-day Free Battle phase. The student council divides the entire campus into territories belonging to each club. Clubs can challenge others to earn points—win and you gain points, lose and you lose them. Fail a challenge, lose points; successfully defend, gain points."
She held up two fingers. "Matches are chosen from a list created by the neutral student-council management. The defending club draws the challenge—one redraw allowed. There are two types: themed events related to either club's specialty, or random challenges from the 'generic pool.' Themed events have a forty percent chance, generic sixty."
Spencer opened her mouth, looked from Jiang Yun to An Le, then scratched her chin. "So basically we just need to fight as many clubs as possible and rack up points, right?"
Jiang Yun nodded grimly. "Here's the problem. The student council keeps things fair. Themed events only give slight advantages, and the generic pool is packed with physical challenges. That's why athletic clubs almost always win."
An Le sighed. "This year's Track Club is the strongest they've ever been. The new first-years are incredible, and their captain Owen's already won tons of tournaments..."
Spencer looked impressed but still clueless. Jiang Yun met her eyes.
"We're not athletic, and we're hardly experts in anything else. With so few members, we'd be everyone's favorite target for easy points. We'd probably get wiped out on day one. Making the top eight to reach the finals? Impossible."
She pressed her lips together, regret clear in her voice. "So Spencer, if winning Club Wars is your only lifeline... start preparing for expulsion."
An Le's face went white. Spencer blinked, finally grasping the gravity of her situation.
She was well and truly surrounded.