In Yan Huan's eyes, what kind of person was Hitomi Sakuramiya?
A rigid, serious, yet understanding and very gentle girl.
Over the past six months, though she rarely said so, she had actually taken good care of everyone.
She liked peace and quiet, had many refined hobbies, and was very knowledgeable, giving her a maturity and seriousness her peers lacked. She was an easy friend to get along with.
In short, to Yan Huan, Hitomi Sakuramiya was truly a proper, respectable person.
If he had not already essentially concluded that their current situation involved a Modifier, he would never have suspected her.
"If you ask me, hey, there's nothing wrong with Sakuramiya!"
Yan Huan really wanted to say that just like Old Eight in Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy.
The problem was that the two of them were alone now, making her the prime suspect, followed by a possible unidentified third party.
It certainly couldn't have been Yan Huan himself using a Modifier, could it?!
At that thought, Yan Huan closed his hand around the note, slowly crumpling it.
Then he smiled at Hitomi Sakuramiya, who stood nearby looking somewhat wary and uneasy, and reassured her,
"It's probably someone's prank. Don't worry, Sakuramiya. I'll call the school staff and have them let us out."
"Okay, President."
Yan Huan took out his phone and looked at the signal indicator on the screen, marked with a red exclamation point.
Though he felt perfectly calm, he still put on a surprised expression.
"My phone has no signal."
Hearing that, Hitomi Sakuramiya hurriedly took out her own phone, frowned, and dialed an emergency number.
The call would not connect at all.
"...Even the emergency number won't connect. President, what should we do?"
Hitomi Sakuramiya looked increasingly uneasy. Though her face remained calm, the slight trembling of her fair legs beneath her athletic shorts offered a glimpse into what she was thinking.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Yan Huan withdrew his gaze, temporarily giving up on figuring out whether the Modifier user was Hitomi Sakuramiya or some mysterious person, and examined their surroundings instead.
The Equipment Room was an enclosed space to begin with, with only the main door and a ventilation opening.
There was also a camera with a blinking green light on the ceiling in one corner of the Equipment Room.
Yan Huan walked beneath the vent and peered outside through its grid, only to see deep darkness.
It was as though the entire space had been uprooted and thrown into some unknown otherworld, completely isolated from the outside.
An enclosed space you can't leave unless you XX...
It certainly sounds like the sort of thing those adult-only Modifiers would pull, but what would that mean for the Modifier's effect?
It just creates a room you can't leave unless you do certain things?
That sounds a little too weak. It's no match for the other two.
Bai Yi's Indifference and Ye Shiyu's hypnosis were both powerful effects, leaving Yan Huan unable to believe that this mysterious person's Modifier would be so simple.
In that case, I can only sit tight for now.
Yan Huan thought for a moment, sighed helplessly, and sat on a yoga mat a short distance directly opposite Hitomi Sakuramiya.
Earlier, Yan Huan had worked out two principles for suppressing Modifiers. The first was: never let the Modifier's host get their way.
So even if he did not know what to do now, he would not consider following the note's instructions.
He therefore smiled slightly at Hitomi Sakuramiya and suggested,
"It looks like we can't get out for now. Let's wait here a bit. There's still a basketball class in the gym, and they'll need to return their equipment. They'll open the door for us then."
"Okay, President."
Hearing this, Hitomi Sakuramiya, who sat on a mat hugging her knees, finally nodded and settled down to wait.
Yet a barely perceptible glint flashed deep in her eyes.
Sure enough, the president still thinks this is just an ordinary prank...
Little did he know that the Barrier had completely separated this place from the real Equipment Room.
Even if someone outside came to return equipment, opening the door would only reveal another Equipment Room, not the two people trapped inside the Barrier.
Hitomi Sakuramiya had tested this effect countless times in the Student Council office. Sometimes, when she wanted to check the cameras at school without being discovered, she would do this.
Only when Hitomi Sakuramiya canceled the Barrier would this space reconnect with reality.
And now, the basketball class had already come to return their equipment.
An illusory light appeared before her eyes, as though she had sensed someone entering the Equipment Room outside the Barrier.
Then, after putting the basketballs back where they belonged, the student responsible for returning the equipment turned to leave and shut the door.
Click.
Well, what will you do now, President?
You'll probably soon realize no one is coming and start considering what the note says, won't you?
When that happens, will you reveal the feelings hidden in your heart?
Perhaps you'll be shy, or nervous, before looking at me tentatively and asking.
Thinking this excitedly, Hitomi Sakuramiya could not help glancing at Yan Huan.
When she looked over, she saw that Yan Huan had closed his eyes while reclining on the yoga mat, his breathing gradually becoming steady.
*?*
He... fell asleep?!
He actually fell asleep in a situation like this?!
Hitomi Sakuramiya's mouth fell slightly open. Deeply shaken, she ventured,
"P-President?"
"..."
There was no response.
In truth, Yan Huan was not really asleep.
No matter how sleepy he was today, he could not possibly fall asleep so carelessly when he knew a Modifier's effect was involved.
But given their current predicament, all he could do was return to the first step and try to identify the Modifier's host.
He was testing whether the host was Hitomi Sakuramiya.
With Perfect Facial Expression Control, he could perfectly act out being asleep.
If Hitomi Sakuramiya was the host, she would probably do something else after confirming he was asleep.
Whether that meant adding supernatural powers or acting strangely.
Either would break the deadlock.
However, he had truly underestimated Hitomi Sakuramiya.
Even after Yan Huan had fallen asleep, she continued acting out the most natural response.
Unease and anxiety sank within her in the gradually quieting space, especially after seeing Yan Huan fall sound asleep.
She took a deep breath and pulled out her phone, checking the screen from time to time as though keeping track of the time.
More than ten minutes passed like this without Hitomi Sakuramiya doing anything else. She merely seemed to be waiting for rescue.
As for why she had a Modifier but still did not use more blatant effects, instead maintaining her previous persona?
Hitomi Sakuramiya had something to say about that:
First, of course, was caution.
Hitomi Sakuramiya's habit of hiding her true depths already made her extremely sensitive to the possibility of "exposure." She actually did not believe at all in the Modifier's supposed "memory correction" and such.
What if its memory corrections were crude? Even a one-in-a-thousand chance of someone noticing something wrong struck her as too great a risk.
So unless necessary, she would never use methods that directly affected people's minds, such as directly adding common sense.
Second, Hitomi Sakuramiya had locked them up together to confirm whether Yan Huan had feelings for her.
If he did not, then the effect of being confined together, along with intimate contact, could probably ignite the corresponding spark, right?
But once she altered common sense, or even changed her own persona, would the person who fell for her still be Yan Huan, and would the person Yan Huan fell for still be her?
Thus, although she had not seen through Yan Huan's test, she had inadvertently played the perfect counter.
"..."
More than ten minutes passed without Hitomi Sakuramiya revealing a single flaw. Instead, Yan Huan was starting to struggle to keep it up.
Mainly because he really would fall asleep at this rate.
He was already sleepy. If he kept his eyes shut and pretended to relax, he might actually fall dead asleep and wake to find himself stripped naked and tied up in some unknown basement.
So he could only open his eyes helplessly.
Acting somewhat groggy, he rubbed between his eyebrows, sat up, and looked toward the door.
The door was still shut.
"Still no one? How long has it been, Sakuramiya?"
"Almost twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes?"
Yan Huan stood up in surprise and muttered,
"That's not right. Their class ended at the same time as ours. They should have come to return the balls by now, no matter what."
"And what's even stranger is that we shouted for help and banged on the door earlier. There's no way people outside wouldn't have heard all that noise."
"Could this be something supernatural?"
Stroking his chin, Yan Huan deliberately steered the conversation toward the supernatural.
But Hitomi Sakuramiya sighed and said,
"President, please don't scare yourself. You should believe in science."
"You're right, Sakuramiya, but is there any other explanation?"
"..."
Hitomi Sakuramiya furrowed her brows slightly, seemingly giving serious thought to that possibility.
Could it really not be Hitomi Sakuramiya?
But if he ruled out Hitomi Sakuramiya, there was truly only one possibility Yan Huan could think of.
If that mysterious person really is so nasty that they locked me up with Sakuramiya just to watch us do that...
That would mean the desire behind their Modifier is something like voyeurism. How am I supposed to find a host who hides like that?
And surely they won't actually keep us locked up here until we die if we don't do it...
Yan Huan's expression darkened, but he still pulled himself together and looked around the Equipment Room.
The narrow vent was utterly insufficient to provide good airflow, leaving the air inside the Equipment Room somewhat stuffy.
A pleasant trace of a girl's natural scent drifted over, mingling with the faint scent of sweat on Yan Huan and invisibly drawing their gazes into contact.
The temperature seemed to be gradually rising.
Yan Huan took a deep breath, turned, and headed deeper into the Equipment Room.
Seeing this, Hitomi Sakuramiya hurriedly raised her hands slightly to shield herself and leaned back.
"Wh-what is it, President?"
"I'm finding a way out."
But Yan Huan simply walked past her and began searching through the various pieces of equipment inside.
Then he actually came back carrying a shot put.
"Stand back a little, Sakuramiya."
"Okay."
Hitomi Sakuramiya got up and hurried away, watching Yan Huan start frantically pounding the door with all sorts of equipment.
For a moment, the entire room sounded like a demolition site, violent crashes of every kind ringing out one after another.
The shot put was useless; the javelin was useless; the barbell was useless.
The door truly stood like an impregnable wall, not budging an inch.
Even the lock was like Captain America's vibranium, capable of leaving a dumbbell deformed when struck.
There was absolutely no getting out through brute force.
Both Yan Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya had this thought, except one was the investigator and the other was the instigator.
And the instigator, Hitomi Sakuramiya, standing behind Yan Huan, could not help thinking:
The president is so determined to break down the door and leave. Has he really never considered doing what the note says?
There's nothing wrong with my performance. It fits my usual persona perfectly.
But she had not expected the president to be such a gentleman that he had not even looked at her.
I like the president being like this.
But doesn't this also mean I have no appeal to him at all?!
Could it be that my appearance isn't attractive in the slightest?
In her fifteen years of life, this was the first time Hitomi Sakuramiya had lost confidence in her looks.
But on second thought, that did not seem right, leading her to another possibility.
Could the president be uninterested in petite girls?
And prefer the tall, older-sister type instead?
Ah, so that's why he treats that older girl called Ye Shiyu so differently...
As Hitomi Sakuramiya thought on, the light gradually faded from her eyes.
And, of all the unfortunate timing, her body-more specifically, her lower abdomen-
Actually developed the urge to urinate right then...
She suddenly felt like going to the restroom.
Hitomi Sakuramiya pressed a hand over her lower abdomen, and a tiny crack instantly appeared in her perfectly performed expression.
Thus, a strange scene of utter darkness unfolded inside the sealed Equipment Room.
Yan Huan, who had tested and observed repeatedly yet failed to find the host, and whose attempts to break down the door had proved entirely fruitless.
Now felt he had met his Waterloo on the road to dealing with Modifiers, and consequently sank into self-doubt.
Hitomi Sakuramiya had played her part flawlessly, without revealing a single flaw: a girl drawn to the upright, gentlemanly president.
But because Yan Huan was not looking at her at all, and because she had a small physiological problem to resolve, she too had become anxious.
Who would ultimately win or lose today's contest between Yan Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya?
At that moment, Yan Huan turned to look at Hitomi Sakuramiya behind him and saw her clutching her lower abdomen, her face somewhat pale.
Was she feeling unwell?
Right, this week.
He froze slightly, suddenly remembering that Hitomi Sakuramiya seemed to still be on her period today.
"Are you all right, Sakuramiya?"
Feeling Yan Huan's gaze on her, Hitomi Sakuramiya thought she had given something away and hurriedly pulled herself together to maintain the persona she was playing.
As a result, from the outside, she looked even more as though she were putting on a brave face.
Her face was pale, her eyes blinked unnaturally, and her breathing began to quicken.
Yet she still stood straight, keeping her guard up to drive away the unease inside her.
"I'm fine, President. Let's think some more and see if there's a way out."
Seeing her like that, Yan Huan instead found himself feeling a little sorry for her.
Fine, unknown Modifier host. You're ruthless.
Yan Huan took a deep breath, then looked at Hitomi Sakuramiya, with no choice but to give in.
"Sakuramiya, this is a little forward, but... why don't we try the method on that note? See if it gets us out."
"Huh?"
Th-things could actually turn out this well?
Hitomi Sakuramiya blinked, a little delighted, but the tormenting sensation in her lower abdomen immediately surged back.
Wait.
She suddenly remembered that, worried she would fail to spark anything between them, she had deliberately made the times rather long.
Hold hands for ten minutes, hug for ten minutes, kiss for ten minutes.
If we do them one at a time, won't that take half an hour?!
Then wouldn't she...
Why did you do nothing but space out during volleyball class, Hitomi Sakuramiya?!
Couldn't you have gone to the bathroom beforehand?
But the handsome boy before her looked hesitant, as though he had struggled for a long time before tentatively making that suggestion.
And his gaze seemed evasive too. Could it be because...
He was shy?
The president was so cute like this.
N-no, forget it. Even if I have to hold it, I'll hold it until then!
If I really have to, I'll quietly shorten the time a little. If I absolutely can't hold it anymore, I'll turn off the Barrier early.
Outwardly, Hitomi Sakuramiya pressed her lips together, seemingly a little hesitant.
But looking at their surroundings, she too took a deep breath, her gaze growing determined.
Then she dipped her head slightly and said to Yan Huan,
"Yes... if there's no other way, let's try it. Once we're out, we absolutely, absolutely have to check the surveillance footage and see who dared do this."
Surveillance?
Right, this place had surveillance.
Yan Huan blinked and suddenly looked toward a corner, where a surveillance camera with its light on was watching this enclosed space.
That Modifier host was very likely watching what happened inside through that camera too, wasn't he?
A complete and utter pervert.
Yan Huan took a deep breath, then walked toward Hitomi Sakuramiya.
Hitomi Sakuramiya's pupils contracted slightly, and her breathing inevitably caught.
In the stale air, she felt only a mountain bearing warmth and a masculine scent coming toward her.
She did not dare look up, for his tall figure had already completely enveloped her petite frame.
At 154 centimeters tall, she barely reached Yan Huan's chest and had to tilt her head back to see his face.
"...Sorry, Sakuramiya," Yan Huan said.
N-no, don't apologize, President.
Hitomi Sakuramiya's eyes trembled slightly, but Yan Huan had already raised his hand and gently taken hers.
His hot, large hand enclosed her cool, incredibly soft little hand. In that instant, Hitomi Sakuramiya's world seemed to fall silent.
Her lips parted, and her heartbeat gradually quickened.
On the surface, however, she still had to act easygoing and unconcerned.
She could fake her expression, but the faint flush on her cheeks was a physiological response beyond her control.
"...Will this do?"
But Yan Huan raised their clasped hands a little higher, toward the surveillance camera, and spoke with a cold expression.
Huh?
The president thought someone else was watching through the surveillance camera?
With her arm raised, Hitomi Sakuramiya blinked, then followed Yan Huan's gaze toward the surveillance camera.
Then they lowered their arms again.
Ten minutes...
Hitomi Sakuramiya took a deep breath. The pleasure of having her hand held actually suppressed the discomfort in her lower abdomen at that moment.
And, wanting still more, she now looked forward even more to the hug and kiss that would follow.
"President... perhaps we could do them at the same time. That would shorten the time."
Maintaining an outwardly calm expression, Hitomi Sakuramiya offered Yan Huan this analysis.
Of course Yan Huan knew that would shorten the time a little. He smiled faintly and said,
"I was just worried you might not be comfortable with it, Sakuramiya."
"Yes, a little, so we could start with a hug... as for what comes after... I... I'm not ready yet."
"I see... all right."
With things having come this far, and with Sakuramiya apparently making such a great sacrifice, Yan Huan did not fuss either.
He gently drew Sakuramiya into his arms, but it was more like a polite hug.
They were only leaning slightly against each other; in fact, there was still a wide gap between them.
Th-this, this...
Did this even count as a hug?
Immediately disappointed, Sakuramiya secretly puffed out her cheeks. Then, suddenly, the sound of fluttering paper came from the door behind them.
As though she felt no attachment to this hug at all, she patted Yan Huan's back and said,
"President, something else came in behind you!"
Oh?
Yan Huan narrowed his eyes, released Hitomi Sakuramiya, and walked to the door to pick up the paper on the floor.
It read,
[That hug doesn't count. Hold her tighter.]
Hitomi Sakuramiya froze slightly and looked at Yan Huan, while Yan Huan was already speechless at that person's twisted tastes.
Just you wait. Don't let me find out who in this entire school has this fetish. I'll make sure everyone knows your name.
Yan Huan turned to Hitomi Sakuramiya, seemingly seeking her opinion. "Is that okay?"
Hitomi Sakuramiya pressed her lips together, but still gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Then she opened her arms a little toward Yan Huan.
"Sorry."
Yan Huan apologized again, and Hitomi Sakuramiya averted her gaze a little further.
Don't apologize...
Yan Huan's apology left Hitomi Sakuramiya, who had plotted all of this, feeling ashamed of herself. That remorse and nervousness gradually mingled...
Only to become excitement in the end, as she looked forward to him coming closer and holding her.
Yan Huan took a deep breath, opened his arms, and gently gathered the petite Hitomi Sakuramiya into them.
The gentle embrace gradually tightened, making Hitomi Sakuramiya's gaze grow increasingly hazy as she nestled in his arms.
A kiss.
I want to kiss him.
That was what she thought.
But just as she was planning to take the next step while still savoring this embrace...
The tightly closed door was smashed open with a crash.
Bang!!
Yan Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya both stiffened.
But it was not only the tightly closed Equipment Room door that had been smashed open.
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
At the same time, Hitomi Sakuramiya's Barrier actually shattered outright, crashing down toward the floor and bringing their surroundings into contact with reality.
Yan Huan's head hurt slightly. As the Barrier shattered, the memories of what had just happened tried to flow away like water, only to be stopped by the Modifier's resistance, allowing him to remember everything.
"Hiss!"
He sucked in a sharp breath, hurriedly released Hitomi Sakuramiya from his arms, and turned to look behind him.
The door opened? But we haven't kissed yet.
That was what he thought to himself.
Parted from Yan Huan's embrace, Hitomi Sakuramiya felt reluctant to let go, and hurriedly looked toward the doorway with an incredulous, murderous gaze.
There, in the light spilling through the doorway, she saw a lionlike girl in sportswear with long blond hair, furiously drawing back her outstretched foot.
She was the one who had just kicked the door open.
And, along with it, she had actually kicked apart the Barrier Hitomi Sakuramiya had secretly set up.
Hitomi Sakuramiya had never expected her Barrier to shatter.
Anyone else opening the door should only have seen another Equipment Room. Why could that girl touch the Barrier and even kick it apart?
Yet, despite the countless thoughts in her mind, Hitomi Sakuramiya revealed none of them. Instead, she clutched her head, looking as though she were in terrible pain.
"So annoying. I told them someone still hadn't returned a ball, and they locked the door anyway... huh? Someone's inside?"
The girl seemed not to have realized there were people in the Equipment Room either, and froze slightly.
Then she looked at the boy and girl in the room: an extremely, extremely familiar handsome boy, and another girl clutching her head, looking utterly bewildered.
What were they doing?
Oh~
The blond girl-no, Aria Spencer, who had only transferred here today-understood instantly, then quickly broke into an exceedingly suggestive smirk.
Then she silently took her phone out of her pocket.
She was actually getting ready to take a picture!
Before you continue