News from Across the Ocean

Yun Lan walked along the small path on campus, lost in thought: Ayanokoji's emotional focus differs across anime, manga, and light novels, and the characterization varies as well, but the core persona remains unchanged—a devotee of escapism, absolute rationality, and omnipotent ability.

However, he had no idea what changes a female version of Ayanokoji might bring.

Forget it, stop overthinking. Things will work out when the time comes. Yun Lan's attitude toward Ayanokoji was simple: I won't get in your way, and you don't get in mine.

Just as Yun Lan reached the bottom of the dormitory building, a girl stepped out of the elevator.

It was none other than the Ayanokoji Kiyona who had been occupying his thoughts.

Out of politeness, Yun Lan stepped forward to greet her.

"Ayanokoji-san, are you heading to the cafeteria for dinner?"

"Yes, Yun Lan. But since we're friends, I'd prefer it if you called me Kiyona."

Ayanokoji Kiyona's response was clear and gentle, the corners of her mouth curled into that precisely calculated, comforting smile. She had intentionally omitted her surname, letting the name "Kiyona" linger in the air for a moment, as if it were a piece of warm social currency.

The smile on Yun Lan's face remained flawless, perhaps even brightening a little: "Sure, Kiyona. You'd better get going then, see you later."

"See you later."

Watching Ayanokoji Kiyona turn and walk toward the cafeteria with that slender, composed back, Yun Lan maintained his smile, his steps light as he climbed the stairs. Only after turning the corner and ensuring he was completely out of her line of sight did the sunny, friendly mask on his face instantly peel away.

(〃＞皿＜)

He felt like screaming silently, his pace quickening involuntarily in the empty stairwell. That brief exchange had contained enough information to make his scalp tingle.

"Friends"? "Call me Kiyona"?

Every word had been like a carefully calibrated bullet. She had landed perfectly on the sweet spot between "friendly enough to close the distance" and "not so intimate as to trigger alarm." This kind of proactive, perfectly measured display of intimacy wasn't the casual friendliness of an ordinary high schooler; it was more like... an efficient social investment.

Is she... starting her move? Yun Lan rushed back to his room, closed the door, and leaned his back against the panel, letting out a long breath. The usual laziness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a sharp, analytical light. Proactively defining the relationship level, using first names to establish a specific bond, increasing the psychological leverage for future requests or information exchanges... isn't this the standard procedure for tagging a potential tool?

He recalled the look in her eyes just now. That gaze appeared gentle and focused, but it lacked any real human warmth; it was more like she was evaluating the utility parameters of an object. She wasn't looking at "Yun Lan" the person, but scanning a unit named "Yun Lan" that might possess a certain interactive value.

Damn it... it's all a game of strategy. Yun Lan scratched his head and walked to the window, where he could just see the tree-lined path leading to the cafeteria. That familiar figure was walking at a steady pace, her stride even, her posture relaxed, perfectly blending into the flow of students in the evening. There was no sign that she had just completed a precise social probe.

He began to rapidly review his own response. Smiling, agreeing, and immediately excusing himself to go upstairs—that reaction should have been acceptable. It hadn't shown the kind of flattered acceptance that would reveal a weakness and make him seem easy to control, nor had it shown the guarded distance that would make her re-evaluate her disguise and potentially invite more subtle probing. He had played the part of an ordinary student who was slightly pleased by this sudden friendliness but hadn't given it much thought.

I have to treat her like a walking tactical map... Yun Lan muttered to himself, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the windowsill. The cafeteria lights had already turned on, the warm tones spilling out through the glass. He knew that Ayanokoji Kiyona wasn't going in there just to eat. She would choose the right seat, observe the flow of people, the social cliques, and even their dining habits. Every ordinary dinner was an opportunity to update her massive database.

And he, just now, had been gently tagged by her with an invisible label reading: "Relationship: Friendly, under observation, approachable."

The feeling was chilling, yet... strangely exciting. It was as if, beneath the calm surface of a lake, a truly beautiful and dangerous predator had finally arrived, one worth his full attention.

"Fine, 'Kiyona'." Yun Lan looked out at the darkening sky and pulled a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Since you've made the opening move... then I'll play this friend game with you to the end."

He turned away from the window and began to consider what to eat tonight, and how to make his "ordinary student" mask even more seamless for their next "chance encounter"—or perhaps, even how to drop a few of his own insignificant pieces on the board without raising her suspicion.

A game of strategy is never one-sided.

In this game, whoever falls in love first loses; it had to be said, this was actually quite interesting. Just then, Yun Lan's phone suddenly received a friend request from a stranger.

It read: "Guess who I am?"

Yun Lan looked at the message, the corners of his mouth curling up. He slowly typed back, playing along: "Are you Mei?"

The other side replied instantly: "Nope!"

There was that dazzling musical note again.

The smile in Yun Lan's eyes deepened. He could almost imagine the person on the other side staring at the screen, eager to correct him. This reaction ruled out some possibilities and outlined a facet of her personality—direct, a bit impatient, and seemingly very invested in this "guess who" game.

His fingertips hovered over the screen for a moment before he typed another name, this time with a more obvious playful tone:

"Then you must be Mobius."

"Also wrong!"

At this very moment, a pink-haired girl on a train was puffing out her cute cheeks as she stared at the screen, looking at Yun Lan's message.

"What is this!" she muttered, her voice sounding soft and indignant. "Mobius? How could she possibly talk to you like that? Yun Lan, you jerk, you're doing this on purpose! You know perfectly well I don't like beating around the bush!"

Her slender fingers tapped rapidly on the screen:

"Also wrong!"

After sending it, she continued to stare at the screen, pouting, as if she could transmit her dissatisfaction across the vast distance. She mumbled to herself, her voice soft and rapid, as if rehearsing a monologue:

"Stu--pid--Lan--kun!"

"How long has it been since we parted, and you've already forgotten my habits?"

"Do you really want me to send a selfie? That would be so boring..."

"Think, hurry up and think, come up with the name 'Elysia'!"