novelraw Chapter 95
Chapter 95
Chapter 95
"Mm."
Thursday, lunchtime, Doujin Club room.
An Le was alone, sweeping the floor. She stooped to pick up a doujin Spencer had read and forgotten to hide. Ever since Spencer rented the room on Monday, An Le had started dropping by. Partly because she was nominally "vice-president of the Doujin Club," but mostly because ever since Yua Lina had broadcast her childhood-sweetheart history with Yan Huan, curious stares had multiplied. To hide from the attention—and to nurture this hard-won club space—An Le came often.
The room now sparkled thanks to her effort. As she lifted the book, Xiao Muzi poked its tiny head from her shoulder and studied the cover. After a moment it flicked its tongue and remarked,
"Hah—'My Stoic Boss Is Making Me Forget My Husband at Home' again? Another Plunder-System doujin."
"An Le, don't say I didn't warn you. Keep your guard up, or you'll end up the tragic heroine."
An Le pressed her lips together. She knew Xiao Muzi was cautioning her about Spencer. After a second she shook her head.
"It's only Spencer's taste in stories. I like weird stuff too—that doesn't make me a weirdo in real life."
"Heh. Remember, Spencer can't keep a secret. She can't tell fantasy from reality."
An Le shrugged, opened the tatami's hidden compartment, and slid the book back exactly where it had come from.
"Because she can't hide anything, it's obvious, right? She doesn't like Xiao Huan that way. In fact, she can't stand him."
An Le had checked repeatedly: Spencer had zero romantic interest in Yan Huan—her strongest rebuttal to Xiao Muzi's worries.
Xiao Muzi hissed a laugh.
"And Yan Huan doesn't look at you like a woman either. To him you're just the little neighbor girl who needs looking after."
An Le's face paled. She turned toward the low table on the tatami. On it stood a Lion Group mineral-water bottle. Only she and Xiao Muzi knew the liquid inside could shift Yan Huan's feelings.
On Tuesday Spencer had hauled in a whole case of the water. An Le had decanted the potion into one bottle for safekeeping—and, on a whim, brought it to school.
She stared at the bottle; memories of the script she once wrote surfaced. Yan Huan had been her model, though the final art looked nothing like him. Yet now the scene felt vivid.
If he drank this...
His expression would be... delicious.
Pink crept across An Le's cheeks. Her lips parted, exhaling soft, fevered breaths.
Bang!
The door burst open. An Le jumped, face crimson.
"Wha—!"
Spencer strode in—today in a fitted sports top that showed off sculpted abs and generous curves. Her gleaming gold hair was tied in a low ponytail, giving her an unexpected East-Zhou ladylike air—until she opened her mouth.
She was playing Angry Piggies and hadn't expected anyone inside. On-screen, she'd loaded a doe-eyed, cotton-candy-pink piglet into the slingshot. Unlike the golden bomb-pig, this one bounced off structures—useless but cute.
Swapping the piglet out, she glanced up.
"An Le, you here? Why's your face all red?"
"Uh—I was cleaning." An Le shuffled her feet.
Spencer crossed to the tatami, eyes on the water bottle.
"Perfect, I'm dying of thirst. Gotta hit study group—let me grab a drink."
"Wait, Spencer!"
An Le's heart leapt; she threw herself between Spencer and the bottle.
Spencer blinked.
"Huh? It's just water."
Spencer knew herself: if something seemed worthless, she ignored it. But the moment someone showed it mattered—game on.
An Le's flushed cheeks and protective stance should have triggered Spencer's usual wicked grin, yet she only tilted her head.
"Seriously, why the drama? You already drank from it?"
"I—I did, so..."
Spencer scratched her chin, calculations coming up empty, instinct screaming lie. In her eyes, An Le's image warped into a misty-eyed, pink, squishy piglet.
Shrugging off the water, Spencer suddenly brightened.
"Right! I've got study group—wanna come?"
"Huh? Why now—"
Spencer rubbed the back of her neck, the cotton-candy piglet staring at her in her mind. She thumped her chest like a sworn sister.
"Didn't we agree I'd help you land Yan Huan?"
She went on,
"Today isn't just study group. Yan Huan's meeting that school idol to talk about shooting an A—uh—V. They seemed pretty into it."
Xiao Muzi's eyes flattened into dead-fish slits. An Le's face exploded crimson; she seized Spencer's shoulders.
"Spencer! Do you even know what you're saying?!"
"A-A—"
Spencer stared, puzzled by the reaction. An Le took a steadying breath.
"The idol—do you mean Bai Yi who visited our club on Monday?"
Spencer blinked, recalling the image of a tall red-crowned crane. She nodded.
"Yep, that's her."
"And the V thing you mentioned—?"
"Something about a new song—"
"It's an MV! An MV!" An Le blurted, relief and embarrassment mixing.
Spencer waved her off.
"Same difference. So—you coming or not? I'm trying to help you snag Yan Huan; those two look good together."
An Le pictured Bai Yi on stage at the con—flawless in every way. A girl any guy, including Yan Huan, would like.
Spencer, meanwhile, imagined a peacock and crane necking in harmony. Either way, the result looked the same.
"Let's go," An Le said quietly.
"Sweet, let's roll."
Spencer nodded and started for the library.
Behind her, An Le caught her sleeve, eyes bright with curiosity.
"So, Spencer, how exactly are you going to help me win Xiao Huan?"
Plan?
The question made Spencer freeze mid-step. She turned back, the picture of guilt.
Last night she had flipped through the "Oxford Dictionary" and found a method all right—
but the very thought of using it made her cheeks burn, like Yue Buqun stumbling across the self-castration clause in the Sunflower Manual.
Should she? Shouldn't she?
Yet even so, Spencer brimmed with confidence.
Last time she had routed that loser Yan Huan while wearing her everyday clothes; now that she was properly armed, she could make him flee in complete disarray.
"Here's the deal," she said. "You keep that Bai Yi busy, and I'll make sure whatever's between her and Yan Huan crashes and burns."
Xiao Muzi rolled his tiny eyes.
"Wait, why does it feel like we're helping Bai Yi instead? That can't be right."
An Le bit her lip and added, "That doesn't seem fair. I heard Bai Yi agreed to sing for free at the Club Wars opening and closing ceremonies. If we ruin that, it'll make Xiao Huan's job harder.
Besides, Spencer, you said you'd help me. Why don't you distract Bai Yi, and I'll talk to Xiao Huan alone?"
Spencer rubbed her chin, doubtful.
"You? You sure you're up to it?"
An Le glanced at the bottle on the desk, cheeks pink, then nodded.
"I'll do my best."
"All right, let's roll."
Spencer shrugged; as long as Yan Huan was pried away from the pretty birds, she didn't care who did the prying. If An Le ended up with him, she'd happily hand him over.
She waved and left the clubroom first.
Behind her, An Le watched her go, then snatched the bottle and muttered, half to herself, "It's only a backup. If everything else fails, then I'll—"
"Oh, please," Xiao Muzi scoffed from her shoulder. "A backup plan? You'll end up charging straight in like always. I'm too smart to fall for that."
Cradling the bottle, An Le retorted, "You couldn't even read Spencer right. She really wants to help me, not like you said."
"Hmph."
"Knowing Spencer, she'll probably just launch a frontal assault."
In Room L501 of the library, Yan Huan arrived early and waited alone. When he and Bai Yi had discussed the MV shoot on Tuesday, he hadn't hidden it from Spencer—he wanted her to attack so he could counter, punish her, and maybe farm a few Modifier fragments.
Meow-chan had warned him: the chokepoint was whether he could keep control of himself.
If he'd taken "Ascetic" last Sunday, none of this would be a problem.
He had asked about swapping forms; Meow-chan said Tier-5 rewards were rare, and the next one might not be a form at all. If the "castration curse" stuck around permanently...
He hated when his little head overruled his big one, but the thought of losing it for good made him wince.
Better to soldier on.
Click.
"President, good afternoon."
Thinking it was Hashimoto, Yan Huan smiled without looking up.
"You're here, Ha—"
Then he realized the voice was female.
He lifted his eyes—and there stood Sakuramiya Hitomi in the standard spring black-and-white JK uniform. Her petite legs were wrapped in black knee-high socks, hands clasped around a tote bag of study materials.
"Sakuramiya? What brings you here?"
She tucked a strand of pink-tipped black hair behind her ear.
"Hashimoto felt under the weather, so he asked me to fill in and help the study group."
"Oh? What happened?"
"Probably stayed up gaming. Who knows?"
She stepped inside, calm as ever.
Lie.
In Class 1-B, Yua Lina, humming as she dropped by, found Hashimoto slumped over his desk, pale as parchment.
"Hey, weren't you meeting the president for study group? Why are you still here?"
Hashimoto raised his head like a reanimated corpse.
"There's... an unclean spirit... still clinging to the vice-president..."
"Eeeh?!"
He collapsed, as though his last breath had fled.
"Hashimoto!!"
Only Yua Lina's mournful cry echoed through the haunted classroom.
Back in the library, Yan Huan watched Sakuramiya settle beside him, legs neatly together, arranging her materials one by one.
She was as pretty as ever—squarely in his strike zone.
Especially those knee-high socks...
He suddenly remembered reading doujinshi in his past life: the cover art always teased those tantalizing socks, only for the artist to peel them off the moment things heated up—an outright scam.
If it were him, he'd never remove them.
His face darkened.
Was now really the time for that?
Spencer's Modifier could affect Sakuramiya if she stuck around.
"By the way, President," she said.
"Hmm?"
He turned. She met his gaze.
"My cousin's birthday is next Tuesday. The family's throwing a party and we'd love the whole student council to come."
"Cousin?"
"Yes. She just moved to Linmen and everything's new to her."
"I'm free, but I can't speak for the others."
Sakuramiya smiled behind her hand.
"I've already checked—everyone's available."
"Then it's settled. Same as last time, we'll carpool."
Yan Huan paused, recalling.
"It's been a while since I last visited your house—your birthday, right?"
"That birthday... was the most unforgettable one of my life."
Her voice seemed closer.
He looked up; she had inched nearer, or perhaps she'd sat that close from the start.
Her lovely eyes held his.
"All thanks to you, President."
After the formal party, it had been Yan Huan's idea to row out on the lake in the forest park and watch fireworks.
He'd "borrowed" the boat from the school storeroom on a whim, never expecting her to treasure the memory.
Maybe it was just polite flattery, but looking into those eyes, he chose to believe her.
For once, it was Yan Huan who looked away from Sakuramiya Hitomi's steady gaze.
"In that case, I'll have to put real thought into your cousin's birthday present. What does she like—any hints?"
"Hmm? My cousin likes exactly the same things I do~"
Lie.
Hitomi's tastes—classical culture, calligraphy, objets d'art—were the polar opposite of Sakuramiya Ryou's devotion to pop idols, pretty-boy singers, and all things two-dimensional.
But who cared?
If the president gave Ryou something she didn't like, Hitomi could simply trade it for what she did like. Outwardly serene, she allowed herself a tiny "mission accomplished" smile.
Then Yan Huan spoke again.
"Really? Then it'll be easy to choose."
Hitomi blinked, a faint flush blooming on her cheeks.
Easy to choose...
Did that mean the president already understood her preferences?
Had he been paying that much attention to her?
She coughed softly, face still pink. Yan Huan, flustered by her nearness, shifted in his seat.
Her black-pumps inched toward him a fraction before the rest of her followed.
In the quiet classroom, the air grew warmer.
Thud!
As if fate had decided the mood was too sweet to last, the door burst open.
"I'm here, meow!"
Spencer swaggered in, arms folded, scanning the room. Her nose twitched, catching some invisible scent, then her sapphire eyes fixed on the cozy tableau before her.
"Eh?"
Reflected in those eyes were two peacocks—one blue, one green.
She flicked her trademark fang with her tongue and grinned wickedly.
"Good afternoon, President Yan, Vice-President Sakuramiya~"
Yan Huan shot the idiot a sour look; beside him, Hitomi's smile turned glassy.
Spencer wasn't the least bit offended.
Such marital harmony~
The sweeter the scene, the more exciting the fireworks!
In that case—
Come forth, my partner!!
"Um... Xiao Huan, Sakuramiya, hello~"
Another challenger?
Hitomi's brow knitted as she glanced toward the doorway. Seeing An Le clutching a water bottle, she relaxed—only slightly.
Just a minor nuisance.
No need to worry.
Yet Yan Huan sensed impending doom.
An Le? Here?
Wait—did that mean today's study group was—
Dun-dun-dun—
Ominous BGM detonated inside his head.
Because the next moment rapid footsteps thundered down the hall.
An Le, who'd entered first, pressed her lips together and looked at Spencer, both of them already anticipating the newcomer.
Hitomi's brief relief evaporated at the sound.
This one might actually be a boss.
"Sorry—am I late?"
A fair hand caught the doorframe, and a tall beauty in the same JK uniform stepped inside.
Unlike Sakuramiya, Bai Yi's legs were sheathed in matte-black tights that showed off every flawless curve.
Starlight flickered in her eyes as she took in the crowded room, then she tilted her head at Yan Huan.
"Eh? Why are there so many people today?"
The radiant idol made An Le hug her own ample chest in self-conscious silence.
Spencer licked her lips like the golden bomb-pig in Angry Piggies, already pulled back on the slingshot, hunting the perfect angle to blast these pretty birds.
Hitomi went on full alert; aside from Spencer, this sudden idol incursion was a real threat.
Each girl wore a different expression. A black cat materialized on Yan Huan's shoulder like a ghost, surveying the battlefield.
"It's the Battle of Hulao Pass, meow."
"'Three heroes versus Yan Huan', right?"
Yan Huan drew a long, weary breath, brain racing.
If Hashimoto were here it'd be manageable—Spencer's Modifier only annoyed him, making him hate her more.
But with Sakuramiya present...
She might actually evolve into a Minotaur!!
Inside Library Room L501, the once-harmonious study group was growing distinctly unstable.
End of Chapter.