Sister Tong, even monkeys have lives

Spencer was led away by the Security Guard, cursing all the while. Yan Huan did not look that way; he simply felt that even the IQ of the surrounding air had risen after she left.

As he prepared to return to the Gymnasium with Hitomi Sakuramiya to collect their things, he thought about the Modifier.

Just like the Memory Correction generated after Hypnosis, his memories of being locked in the Equipment Room with Hitomi Sakuramiya had become something reasonable, with nothing unusual detectable without resistance.

It looked as though Vice President Sakuramiya was the same.

The setting sun seemed to favor the girl more, silently adjusting its angle so that Hitomi Sakuramiya was bathed in the shadow cast by the Teaching Building towering beside them.

Yan Huan, meanwhile, stood in the evening light, his face tinted by its glow.

Walking beside Yan Huan, Hitomi Sakuramiya looked as composed as usual. She tucked back the black hair at her temple and suddenly asked,

"Did that girl say anything to you just now, President?"

His thoughts interrupted, Yan Huan turned to look at her.

"Why do you ask?"

"That girl started taking pictures of us for no reason. Her personality seemed irritating, so I just thought she probably wouldn't delete the pictures so easily."

"No. I gave her a scare, and she obediently deleted them. But I don't think I've seen her at school before. I don't remember her at all."

Yan Huan smiled slightly. Not planning to drag Hitomi Sakuramiya into the matter of the Modifier, he lied.

Huh?

That blonde threatened me with photos, and now I'm lying in front of Sakuramiya as though nothing happened.

Why is this feeling of déjà vu getting stronger?!

Yan Huan blinked as the thought suddenly occurred to him.

"She probably transferred here."

Seeing that Yan Huan looked normal, Hitomi Sakuramiya gave a perfunctory answer, but fell into even greater confusion.

If there was nothing wrong with that girl, how exactly did she kick my Barrier to pieces?

Did the Barrier bug out?

She even blew out the sparks that had almost flown between me and the President! (Or so Sakuramiya believed.)

Looks like I need to study this ability of mine more closely. And I absolutely can't let anything go wrong like it did today.

Luckily, the Memory Correction effect worked exactly as described. We were locked up for half an hour, and the President didn't notice anything unusual at all.

Once again, the same thought appeared in both their minds in unspoken agreement.

Yan Huan took his schoolbag and clothes out of a storage locker in the Gymnasium, while Hitomi Sakuramiya only had clothes in a cloth bag.

"The Changing Room must be closed already. Are you going back to the office to change, President?"

Hitomi Sakuramiya walked over holding her bag. Yan Huan glanced at the time on his phone and spoke after a moment's thought.

"No need. I'll head home early. If I go out now, I can still catch the school bus."

"All right, President."

Hitomi Sakuramiya tilted her head, puzzled.

Normally, the President goes to the Mahjong Club to play mahjong on Mondays, then takes a public bus home later. Why is he...

She did indeed know Yan Huan's habits inside out, but she could not say so.

Still, that's good. If he doesn't go to the Mahjong Club, he won't have to mingle with those bad women.

They clearly have mahjong machines, but whenever they play with the President, they insist on shuffling by hand, with that fancy excuse about "there only being two machines, and the President not being a formal club member, so he can't use them."

Is that really why he can't use them?

They take forever shuffling the tiles. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were washing their hands!

Having watched once, Vice President Sakuramiya had a very poor opinion of the Mahjong Club. She felt that a delinquent club that corrupted students like that ought to be firmly shut down.

"Then I'll be going, President. I'm heading back to the office."

"All right. See you tomorrow, Sakuramiya."

"See you tomorrow, President."

After saying goodbye to Hitomi Sakuramiya, Yan Huan kept an eye on the time on his phone and sprinted toward the school gates.

He was going to Sister Tong's tavern today.

He was not originally scheduled to work today, but since he had missed both days of the weekend, losing those 400 still hurt quite a bit.

So he planned to make up the weekend shifts on Monday and Tuesday.

Seven evenings of work in a row-such was the resolve of Yan Huan, the man who would save the world.

Yan Huan jogged all the way and caught the South District school bus. The air-conditioning was running inside, and the students were laughing and chatting after class, though there were actually far fewer people than in the morning.

Totsuki Academy dismissed its students after one afternoon elective, and some students remained at school for club activities.

More, however, were picked up by their parents to attend either tutoring or various hobby classes.

Yatsuhashi Ki was nowhere to be seen on the bus. He was one of the army attending afternoon tutoring.

Linmen followed a Newman-style education system, where university admission was largely application-based.

Although there was also a standardized examination, it did not play the decisive role that the college entrance examination had in his previous life.

Outstanding achievements in one's interests, relevant learning experiences, and recommendation letters from respected individuals were all crucial when applying to institutions of higher education.

It looked like an escape from the endless exam questions of the college entrance examination, but in reality, the competition was still vicious. It dragged the parents into it too, with all manner of contenders battling one another from afar.

Why did the South District school bus have the most afternoon passengers of any route?

Because most of the South District students who had gained admission here could not afford expensive tutoring and hobby classes, so they could only go home.

Even those who could attend only did so because their families had tightened their belts who knew how much.

Yes, Yan Huan had it even worse than those going home to rest. As a transmigrator fighting the Modifier, he still had to go back and work to earn his living expenses.

He suddenly remembered a meme from his previous life, the one about the Joker and Harley Quinn.

After fighting Batman all day, the Joker still had to buy groceries and go home to cook for himself. After all, not everyone was as rich as Bruce Wayne.jpg

Aunt Ye, oh, Aunt Ye. If Ye Shiyu weren't pawing at my bedroom door in the middle of the night, I really wouldn't want to leave you!

Yan Huan shook his head and put on his Bluetooth Earphones, ready to listen to music.

At some point, a fluffy black cat had taken a dignified seat in the empty spot beside him.

It was Meow-chan.

Oh well. At least the current Yan Huan has a kitty.

Meow-chan seemed to have appeared to hear Yan Huan explain what had happened with the Modifier, but Yan Huan simply scooped the plump cat up.

"Meow~"

Looking at the wide-eyed Meow-chan in his arms, he acted first and asked afterward.

"Meow-chan, let me pet you."

"Meow?"

In the South District, a street-facing shop a few streets from Yan Huan's rented home had just opened.

The name of the tastefully decorated little European-style tavern hung over its entrance:

"Tongyao"

At the entrance, a beautiful woman with her red hair tied back was carrying tables and chairs out from inside.

She wore a black denim jacket, her white inner top tucked into long jeans, giving her an easygoing air.

After moving a table or two, she leaned against the table behind her, ready to rest for a while.

An open lighter spun deftly between the fingertips of her left hand. She tilted her head up, and some of her red bangs fell to partly cover one eye.

On her pretty face, which looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, the other exposed eye held a weary look that said, "Living is fine, but dying works too."

She rubbed the metal earring on her earlobe and instinctively started to call that guy over to help, only to suddenly remember that he did not work on Mondays.

Not seeing him for an entire weekend had left her muddled.

The other employees would arrive a little later. Only that kid came this early, and he could help her move the tables and chairs too.

"Mm."

Still, it's good that he isn't here.

With listless eyes, she lowered her head and closed her red lips around a slim cigarette brought up by her right hand.

Scritch~

The lighter's wheel scraped with a crisp sound, kindling a small flame.

Just as she was about to light the tobacco, a hand suddenly reached over from beside her and pulled the cigarette from her mouth.

Firelight flickered in the woman's eyes, which looked as though life had beaten her down, and she raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Turning her head, she saw a handsome boy in sportswear holding the cigarette between his fingers and smiling at her.

"Sister Tong, are your promises just hot air? Didn't you tell me you'd quit? The moment I'm gone, you're sneaking cigarettes again?"

The woman before him was Yan Huan's boss, Tong Yingying. Yan Huan generally called her Sister Tong.

She was an "adult" who had already become boring.

"...Idiot. You actually believe what adults say?"

Caught red-handed by Yan Huan, Tong Yingying remained entirely unruffled, her voice tinged with disdain.

She snapped the burning lighter shut and looked at the boy she had not seen all weekend.

Crossing her long legs, Tong Yingying asked him,

"Why come here after class on Monday instead of resting? And what the hell is that outfit? Cosplaying an athlete?"

"I just got out of class. I came straight here without even changing."

"What's the rush?"

"I wanted to see you, Sister Tong."

"...Heh. I think you wanted to see the wages you lost over the weekend."

Yan Huan blinked and smiled.

"I really came to see you. Truer than pearls. Believe me, Sister Tong."

Tong Yingying did not expose his act. She stood up and headed into the unlit tavern, saying,

"Go change in the Changing Room first, then help me set out the tables and chairs."

That meant she was letting him work.

Yan Huan looked at the cigarette Tong Yingying had held in her mouth, then realized something and followed her into the tavern.

"Seriously, Sister Tong? It's not even five yet."

He watched her walk behind the bar without much energy and take out a glass and ice with practiced ease.

Without even looking that way, Tong Yingying extended her pale fingers and brushed them one by one over the bottles lined up on the shelf behind her, seemingly waiting for her selection.

Then her finger stopped on the cap of a bottle that had already been opened.

It was a bottle of fruit-candy-style whisky, Allen 10 Year.

"I'm in a bad mood. Besides, I just got up. Perfect timing for something to wake me up."

As she poured, she offered Yan Huan a rare explanation.

"Wake you up, my ass."

Yan Huan tossed the cigarette Tong Yingying had held in her mouth into the trash, approached the bar, and asked,

"But you're in a bad mood... why? Tell me about it."

"What would I tell you for?"

"So I can have a laugh."

"...Two hundred off your wages."

Tong Yingying ignored him and delivered that cold verdict, nearly making the smile slip from Yan Huan's face.

"I was wrong, Sister Tong."

"You moron. Don't you know I haven't paid you this month yet? Acting like a monkey in front of me, jumping around?"

She was only joking.

Yan Huan had worked here for almost a year and knew Tong Yingying well. Besides, apart from a few bad habits, she basically put on no airs and paid generously.

Bickering was normal for them.

"...Still, Sister Tong, in my experience, it's best to talk about things that upset you."

"Heh. In my experience, telling other people about your sorrows is just preparing the knife they'll stab you with someday."

Having poured her drink, she picked up the glass and swirled it gently, watching the round, crystal-ball-like ice cube dance and spin in the whisky.

Tong Yingying scolded him,

"Shoo, shoo. Kids shouldn't meddle in adult... no, monkeys shouldn't meddle."

She took a sip of whisky, then let out a long, stale breath. Waving at Yan Huan dismissively, she instructed him,

"Hurry up and get changed for work. You skipped three days of work last weekend and left me, the boss, running around doing everything. This week, hehe, I'm going to squeeze you dry, you little monkey."

"Sister Tong, even monkeys have lives."

Yan Huan pitifully raised the white flag.

At the same time, he silently gave Tong Yingying the middle finger in his mind, while freely referring to her by the nickname he had secretly given her when they first met.

That nickname was "South District Yu Qian."

What did it mean?

Smoking, drinking, perming her hair-she was an expert at all three.

Although she had adjusted her habits somewhat and basically no longer smoked or permed her hair, drinking was something she simply could not quit.

Yan Huan even suspected that Tong Yingying had opened this tavern so she could openly sneak drinks.

Seeing that his boss had already begun savoring her liquor, Yan Huan stopped paying attention to her and headed farther inside the tavern to change.

A white shirt, black trousers, and a brown vest.

Just as Yan Huan was changing in the Changing Room, a man's voice and a woman's voice came from outside.

"Good afternoon, Sister Tong."

"Sister Tong, you're drinking way too early today!"

"Mm. I'm in a bad mood. It's fine, a little drink will fix it."

Yan Huan finished dressing and walked out to see a man and woman sitting hand in hand at the bar, chatting with Tong Yingying as she swirled her glass.

They were both students at South District Community College. The man was named Tian Li, and the woman was named Guan Rong.

They both worked here part-time and were a couple.

The girl sang beautifully and was the tavern's resident singer.

The guy could mix drinks, and the customers were very pleased with his cocktails, but Tong Yingying rarely drank what he made.

She generally did it herself and provided for herself.

Tong Yingying knew how to mix plenty of drinks herself. If she weren't so lazy, she wouldn't even need to spend money hiring someone else.

"Xiao Huan, it's Monday today. Aren't you taking the day off?"

"No day off, Sister Guan. I'm making up a shift."

"Oh my, it's only been a weekend, but why do I feel like you've gotten even more handsome? Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Really?"

It was probably the Charm Fragment taking effect.

In that short time, Tong Yingying had already finished her small glass of whisky and picked up the bottle beside her to pour another.

Watching her squander the base liquor he needed, Tian Li was angry but dared not say anything. She was the boss, after all.

After their brief exchange of greetings, they had to get to work.

Yan Huan deftly set out all the stools and other things. After Tian Li and Guan Rong changed clothes, one tidied the bar while the other did some light cleaning.

Only Tong Yingying carried her glass and bottle off to sit alone in a corner of the tavern, leaving everything to everyone else.

Yan Huan passed the back room several times and saw Tong Yingying drinking more frequently than usual while holding her phone and typing messages with one hand.

At first, Yan Huan still had some attention to spare for Tong Yingying. After all, it really was unusual for her to start drinking so early.

But as night fell, business at the street-side tavern was quite good, and plenty of customers came in. A couple of orders of caramel pudding were enough to keep him in line.

In the kitchen, he whisked the eggs so fast they practically smoked. No one could say he wasn't skilled.

It was tiring, but it wasn't entirely without benefits.

At least the pudding he had made for Hitomi Sakuramiya and Ye Shiyu back then had been especially delicious, hadn't it?

Nights in the South District were anything but peaceful. The city's colorful neon lights mingled with car horns and cooking smoke from restaurants, making the South District both lively and chaotic.

If someone walked alone into the alleys between buildings at this hour, regardless of gender, they would usually trigger a little hidden storyline.

Fortunately, Linmen didn't support gun ownership, so people weren't likely to find a hard gun barrel pressed against their waist as they walked.

Then, while being robbed of their wallet and phone, they would also have to answer questions like, "Do you like this M1917 Smith & Wesson of mine?"

"Once, I wandered onward, lost."

Guan Rong strummed her guitar and sang, shaping the peaceful atmosphere in the quiet bar.

Meanwhile, Tong Yingying had disappeared from her corner at some point.

She was now in the corridor connecting the tavern to the restroom, bent over with a pale face, supporting herself against the wall as she made her way toward it.

She had drunk a little too much.

She opened the tightly shut restroom door. There was only one restroom here.

Her face was flushed, whether from the alcohol or the glowing phone screen in her hand.

Her stomach churned, and she hunched uncontrollably over the toilet, seemingly about to throw up.

It was this movement that sent the phone she had been holding slipping to the floor, revealing the chat window and its messages.

Li Xiumei (Mom):

"."

"I don't care. I've already arranged it with him, so hurry back and meet him. He's a fine-looking man. You're lucky he's even willing to go on a blind date with you, and here you are being picky all day."

"I'm not coming back. If you want a blind date, go yourself."

"Oh, honestly, you're almost thirty and still fooling around every day. Look at you. If you don't get married soon, I swear I'll smash my head against a wall at home. Get your ass back here!"

"He's that much older than me. What fucking blind date? Fuck you. If you want to date him, go yourself!"

"A little age difference isn't a problem. Being a bit older means he'll be better off and know how to care for you."

"Why do I need him to be well-off? Do I not have money? I'd rather find someone ten years younger who calls me big sis, with a strong body that's good to use. What do I need his care for? Fuck off. I already said I'm not going!"

"Is that any way to talk to your mother?"

"So fucking sorry."

"."

Since the phone was set to turn its screen off automatically, it locked again after being left untouched for a while, shrouding the subsequent messages in darkness.

Tong Yingying remained there with a hand over her mouth, dry-heaving in discomfort.

In fact, there were hundreds more densely packed messages below, and not just in this chat with her mother. Plenty of other people had also come to persuade her.

Tong Yingying wished she could block them all and never see them again.

"Gurgle."

As she dry-heaved, a snake-shaped tattoo eerily emerged from beneath her clothes, seeming to writhe with the changes in her emotions.

Then the snake tattoo crawled along her arm, actually emerged from her fingers, and dropped to the floor.

It was a tiny, pure-white creature resembling a cobra.

It flicked its tongue and studied the woman before it, seeming to show a hint of satisfaction.

[Of the candidates, you're the only one who can more or less bear my power.]

[Woman, do you want to become the protagonist of this world? Do you want to satisfy your filthy desires? Do you want to have everything you wish to possess?]

An illusory voice sounded beside her ear, making Tong Yingying freeze slightly.

[Become my host, and let me share my power to manipulate sensitivity with you.]

[Whether pleasure, pain, or any other sensation. Any sensation!]

[As long as you use me, I can fulfill all your wishes.]

[Do not fear or doubt. I will help you.]

Tong Yingying raised her head and looked at the illusory being beside her, rearing up, something like a snake yet not a snake.

Was it the one making the voice in her head?

The illusory white creature before her flicked its tongue, some sort of electric current seeming to flow over its body constantly.

Tong Yingying opened her mouth, then murmured,

"I must be drunk. I'm even hallucinating, haha. If I'm drunk, then even snakes, which normally scare me the most..."

Watching Tong Yingying slowly clench her fist, the white snake before her suddenly had an extremely bad feeling.

[Eek!]

It instinctively turned to flee, but Tong Yingying, already on the verge of fury, stood straight up and brought a foot crashing down at it, her face dark.

"Can all fucking die too!!"

Bang!

With that terrifying stomp, the illusory white snake vanished without a trace, as though it really had been a hallucination.