Cake Shop

Long Aotian's arrival at Sakura's dorm felt so familiar that it was as if he were coming home.

"Aotian, Sudo from our class was expelled."

Sakura came over and gently nestled against Long Aotian's arm.

"I did it."

"Ah!" Sakura blinked at Long Aotian, her eyes full of confusion. "Why?"

"There's no particular reason. That's just how the world works. The big fish eat the little fish." Long Aotian leaned close to her face and warned, "If you tell anyone I did it, I'll shut you up."

"I wouldn't." After saying that, Sakura gently pressed her lips to Long Aotian's. It was a tender, bashful kiss, like a petal drifting down in spring—soft, yet somehow resolute.

Both their breathing grew unusually heavy in that moment. Everything around them seemed to fall silent, leaving only the sound of their heartbeats and the sensation of their lips lightly touching.

When Sakura Airi slowly drew away from Long Aotian's lips, her eyes shone with a happiness and resolve she had never shown before.

Damn, why did I feel like a rookie in front of her?

Ahem, ahem~

"By the way, I took your points last time and still haven't paid you back."

"You don't have to! Didn't you say you'd take care of me?"

Sakura Airi slowly rested her head on Long Aotian's shoulder.

"You still need some, even if you don't think so. How are you supposed to make friends when you go out if you don't have any points?"

[Points: originally 60.3 million → now 60.1 million (the 50,000 points in the fake account aren't included) (I won't show this later because I'm too lazy to calculate it)]

"That's so much!" Sakura took the phone. Her eyes sparkled, but she still asked in confusion, "Where did you get it?"

"Take a guess."

After spending a while with Sakura in the dorm, he headed out.

Long Aotian walked toward the cake shop~

As he drew closer, the outline of the Campus Cake Shop gradually came into view.

When he reached the entrance, an enticing aroma wafted toward him, making him take a deep breath as if to draw all that goodness into himself. He pushed open the door, and a bell rang. The shop was warm and cozy, with all kinds of cakes and desserts neatly arranged on the shelves, seeming to beckon him to come and taste their sweetness.

"Could I get two strawberry cakes? One to eat here and the other to take away."

He pointed to the display and spoke to the staff.

Just like last time, he planned to take one back for Sakura. The cute girl really liked them.

The bell above the door rang again as a girl with pinkish-gold hair walked in.

Long Aotian glanced at her and sized her up: 159 centimeters tall, measurements of 95/61/91, and that face...

Wait, Ichinose Honami? What were the odds? Was this shop her monster-spawning point or something?

Ichinose Honami seemed to notice his gaze and turned to look. She blinked her bright eyes, which flashed like a pair of sparkling gems.

"Long Aotian!" Ichinose Honami came over in delight, wearing a cute smile. "I've finally found you."

Unlike Kushida Kikyo, Ichinose Honami had a warm, sincere smile that could dispel the gloom around her without even trying. Whether her bright eyes sparkled with curiosity or revealed deep thought, they made her seem approachable and genuine.

She had delicate features and the lively look of a character with long, straight hair and a voluptuous figure. She often wore knee-high socks with her school uniform.

She was beautiful by any standard, kind, and lively, like the big sister next door.

Long Aotian shook off the thoughts in his head and looked at Ichinose Honami, seated across from him. "You were looking for me? What's up?"

Ichinose Honami hesitated for a moment, glanced around, then leaned closer and murmured, "Someone confessed to me."

"?"

That didn't sound right. In the anime, Ichinose Honami wasn't confessed to until before Class D withdrew its lawsuit against Ryuen's class.

Long Aotian frowned and asked, confused, "Do you know Ayanokoji from Class D?"

"I don't." Ichinose Honami shook her head, then thought of Class D and added, "I do know Kushida Kikyo from Class D. She's pretty lively, just like me."

Well, things had gone off the rails. The entire plot for July of the first year was definitely a mess now.

"Fine. What do you need me to do?"

"Just pretend to be my boyfriend for a while." Ichinose Honami looked nervous, her brows drawn together.

"No problem."

Long Aotian didn't mind. It was just another plot point, so he'd treat it as a little mission.

"And thank you!"

"?" He met her gaze, noticed how sincere she looked, and asked in confusion, "What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for helping my family, and Fengfeng too."

"You don't need to thank me. Your family deserved what they got."

"No, this is really important to me." Ichinose Honami looked determined, her voice straightforward.

"Fine, fine." Long Aotian waved a hand helplessly, then looked at Ichinose Honami and asked, puzzled, "Aren't you going to get a cake?"

"Oh, right." Ichinose Honami came to her senses and headed to the counter.

A little while later, Ichinose Honami returned with a small cake and took the seat across from Long Aotian.

"Um..." Ichinose Honami took a bite of cake, lowered her head, and asked cautiously, "You know about that thing, right?"

"I do. It's really not a big deal. You're a kind person; you were just driven by desire for a moment. You've reflected on it and changed, and that's enough."

"I understand." Ichinose Honami lifted her head slightly without arguing, then took out her phone. "Let's add each other. Then we can get in touch more easily."

"How's Fengfeng doing?"

After taking out his phone and adding her, Long Aotian asked.

"She's doing pretty well. It's just that ever since you left, she's kept saying she wants to see you."

"That's nice."

He suddenly thought of that girl. She really was cute, and she was just as pretty as Ichinose Honami. Even their mother was graceful and charming.

Ahem, ahem. Where were his thoughts going?

"Let me ask you something. Why did you come to this school?"

"To graduate from Class A and find a job I like after I leave."

Ichinose Honami looked a little confused about why Long Aotian was asking, but she answered anyway.

"Let me give you a piece of advice: don't join the Student Council. There's so much scheming at this school. It's not as wonderful as you think."

Long Aotian stood up and reached out to pat her head, but paused. Realizing what he was doing, he patted Ichinose Honami's shoulder instead. "Just contact me through our friend list. I'll come."

He turned and headed for the door. No matter what, everyone's goal was to graduate from Class A, even if they took different paths to get there.

Ichinose Honami felt a little embarrassed. She had noticed Long Aotian reaching out to pat her head, and for some reason, she had wanted to lean toward him. But by the time she realized what was happening, Long Aotian had already left.