Minor Plot Twist

Not long after, Long Aotian left the Sakura dormitory and arrived at a spot near the playground that was free of surveillance cameras.

"Strange, wasn't there a bench here last time? Where did it go?"

Long Aotian looked left and right, only to find the bench missing. That's right! This was the place where the confession happened last time, but the bench was gone.

He was left bewildered. Was his method of arrival wrong? Or what was going on?

Just then, a faint, crisp sound of footsteps broke the silence, coming from afar and gradually growing clearer.

As the sound drew closer, a figure slowly stepped into the space embraced by the sunset; it was a young girl with long golden hair.

[Ichinose]

She seemed like a character who had walked out of a painting, every step radiating an indescribable charm.

Her golden locks shimmered with a warm luster under the sunlight, complementing her clear eyes that seemed capable of peering into one's soul.

She wore her school uniform, yet her unique temperament made even this ordinary attire look exceptionally eye-catching.

From afar, Ichinose spotted Long Aotian's tall and upright figure. He stood there quietly, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

A trace of guilt welled up in Ichinose's heart, and she hurried her pace, rushing toward Long Aotian.

Upon reaching him, Ichinose said, slightly out of breath, "I'm so sorry, I kept you waiting!"

Long Aotian smiled slightly and shook his head, indicating he didn't mind, then asked, "It's fine. By the way, Shiranami Chihiro should be arriving soon, right?"

Ichinose nodded repeatedly, "Yes, she should be here any moment."

"I might be troubling you quite a bit later." As she spoke, Ichinose lowered her head, slightly shy, her hands unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

"It's no trouble at all. If you need any help, just say the word."

Seeing this, Long Aotian smiled gently and looked at Ichinose encouragingly.

Regarding Ichinose, Long Aotian's patience and favor were relatively high—perhaps because of Fengfeng or her mother.

Just then, a graceful figure slowly appeared in their field of vision.

It was a girl with short hair, her locks a charming shade of brown.

Particularly striking were her deep blue eyes, as profound as the ocean and as mysterious and moving as the twinkling stars in the night sky.

The girl wore her school uniform paired with snow-white over-the-knee socks that wrapped around her long, straight legs, adding a touch of youthful vitality and sweetness.

[Shiranami Chihiro]

"Ichinose-san, is he... is he your boyfriend?" As she finished speaking, tears fell from the corners of her eyes like silent, broken strings of pearls, tracing paths down her delicate cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Shiranami-san, he... he is my boyfriend."

Ichinose quickly hugged Long Aotian's arm and said.

"Shiranami-san, I am not Ichinose's boyfriend."

Long Aotian glanced at Ichinose holding his arm and shook his head as he spoke.

"Huh?"

Ichinose looked at Long Aotian in confusion, while Shiranami Chihiro looked at him with tearful eyes.

"I think you've misunderstood. It's perfectly normal for you to like Ichinose, as she is lively, cute, and helpful."

"But her sexual orientation is normal, so it is only natural that she would reject you."

"But... but I love Ichinose!"

With eyes drowned in tears, Shiranami Chihiro trembled her lips and whispered in a voice that was almost a murmur.

"On what grounds? Just because your sexual orientation is different, you force it upon someone with a normal orientation? Are you exploiting Ichinose's kindness? Why should she agree to you—just because you're classmates? Or because of this love you're forcing on others?" Long Aotian pulled his arm away and said slowly, "You should know that people like you, who are into girls, are in the minority."

"But what about you? You seem to be putting Ichinose in a difficult position. You talk about love, yet you are exploiting her kindness."

"Long... Aotian."

Ichinose looked at Shiranami Chihiro with worried eyes, then turned to look at Long Aotian and whispered.

"Alright, perhaps I was a bit harsh. I think it would be better if you explained things clearly to her. Otherwise, once you can no longer keep up the act, or if she ends up without a boyfriend, she'll just come back and do this all over again."

Meeting Ichinose's worried gaze, Long Aotian said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Then I'll take my leave for a moment."

Not long after, Shiranami Chihiro's delicate figure appeared, and she ran away from the scene, crying as if her heart were breaking.

Long Aotian, standing outside, took one look before withdrawing his gaze.

"Thank you."

Ichinose walked slowly to Long Aotian's front, her beautiful eyes fixed on him as she spoke softly.

Though simple, these three words were filled with deep gratitude.

"Don't mention it. I only gave a little push; the main thing is that you were able to reject her yourself." Long Aotian waved his hand and added, "Besides, I asked you to help me once as well, so we're even."

"Mm..." Ichinose leaned slightly closer to Long Aotian, keeping her head down.

"?" Long Aotian looked at the young girl, unsure of what she was up to, but habitually reached out to pat her head.

"If there's nothing else here, I'll be heading off."

"N-nothing... nothing else."

Ichinose kept her head lowered, her lips trembling as she spoke in a soft voice.

"Oh, alright then, I'll be going." Long Aotian finished, pulled his hand back, and strode away.

Only after Long Aotian's figure had gradually faded into the distance did Ichinose finally snap out of the daze left by that head-pat.

She lowered her head, recalling the lingering warmth of his hand on the crown of her head, and an unprecedented wave of complex emotions surged within her—shyness, surprise, confusion... all sorts of feelings intertwined, making her cheeks burn even hotter.

She couldn't help but gently stroke the spot where he had touched her, as if she could still feel that subtle sensation, and a hint of sweetness quietly welled up in her heart.

She didn't understand what this meant, but she knew that at this moment, her heart was racing, her cheeks were flushed, and she felt an indescribable flutter in her chest, and... it was actually quite pleasant?

As he walked away, Long Aotian held a key in his hand—the very key to Ayanokoji's room.

He returned to his dormitory, opened his computer, and sent out two text messages.

Long Aotian intended to pay a visit to Ayanokoji's room this time, but he would certainly be discovered.

After all, given the protagonist's intelligence, he would surely notice if his room had been opened or entered.

Therefore, he planned to use the text messages to lure Ike and Yamauchi to Ayanokoji's room under the guise of task reward points, thereby covering his own tracks.

The content of the task in the text message was: Go to the place where you held your last celebration and hold another one (time limit: 1 day).

This was Ike's task, as he had handled the key to Ayanokoji's room before.

As for Yamauchi's task, it was: Please take a photo of a classmate's room (time limit: 1 day).

There was no real difference between these two tasks; both could be completed in the same room.

Yamauchi might initially worry about how to complete his task or look for an excuse to go to Ike's room, given that they were the best of friends.

But once Ike's task appeared, things would change; given his personality, he would certainly invite Yamauchi to Ayanokoji's room, allowing both of them to complete their tasks with ease.

Long Aotian wasn't worried about them failing to do it or going to the wrong place.

With a reward of 100,000 points, they would certainly go through with it for such a massive sum. As for going to the wrong place, there was no need to worry—at worst, he simply wouldn't give them the points.

Even if it exposed that someone had entered his room, so what? Could he actually find him?