There seemed to be a whiff of gunpowder at the door

"President, here you are."

Friday noon, inside the student council office at Totsuki Academy.

While Yan Huan was reading student council documents, a cup of rich coffee was gently placed before him.

He looked away from the documents and turned to find Hitomi Sakuramiya beside him, wearing a faint smile.

"Thanks, Sakuramiya."

Yan Huan blinked, quietly taking in her beauty, then turned and touched the side of the cup, feeling its warmth.

The coffee was just the right temperature to drink.

"You're welcome. Did you not rest well last night, President?"

Hitomi Sakuramiya nodded and asked with great consideration.

"A little. I didn't sleep well."

Mainly, he had gotten a little too absorbed in studying when he first activated Learning Conqueror last night. He had kept going until two, then had to catch the school bus at seven thirty, leaving him only five hours of sleep.

Not getting enough rest was bad enough, but there was also Yan Huan's drowsiness curse to remember.

The two combined left Yan Huan incredibly sleepy.

Precisely because he was so sleepy, he had been forcing himself to stay alert all day to fight the curse, which actually made him look better than when he had been yawning constantly over the past few days.

Yet Hitomi Sakuramiya had noticed that he hadn't rested well last night?

Yan Huan turned to Hitomi Sakuramiya and briefly looked over her outfit for the day.

Today, she wore a black Japanese-style sailor uniform, with long sleeves and a long skirt.

Beneath the skirt were long black stockings over her slender legs, along with little cowhide shoes.

Her long hair was pinned up behind her head, with a strip of fabric tied into a hair ornament. It was very pretty.

Hitomi Sakuramiya tucked a lock of hair behind her head and asked,

"President, is something wrong with how I look?"

Yan Huan blinked and answered honestly,

"No, I just thought your outfit looked very cute today, Sakuramiya."

"..."

Hitomi Sakuramiya froze briefly, then asked,

"Are you saying my usual outfits aren't cute enough?"

"That's right."

Yan Huan nodded with a smile. Just as Hitomi Sakuramiya raised her head slightly to say something, he spoke as he considered it,

"Hmm, on Monday, you looked very elegant, Sakuramiya. On Tuesday, you looked very demure. Yesterday, you looked very beautiful, and today is when you look very cute."

On Wednesday, she had been busy with the cats and hadn't come to school.

As Hitomi Sakuramiya's eyes slowly widened, Yan Huan finished,

"Though I don't rank any of them above the others, they really do feel different, right?"

"Oh, so that's what you meant. Thank you for the compliment, President."

Hitomi Sakuramiya held her small fist to her lips, gave a little affected cough, and said this with a smile.

It was a perfectly normal reaction to receiving a compliment.

After all, she was the famous Hitomi Sakuramiya. The people who had praised her since childhood could have formed a line stretching from here to another continent.

In reality, she was practically turning into a boiling kettle inside!!

The president remembered all my outfits from Monday to Friday?!

Doesn't that mean he pays a lot of attention to me too?!

Hitomi Sakuramiya felt weak all over and struggled back to the sofa to sit down.

She wanted to pick up her coffee and sip it elegantly, without giving anything away.

But the moment she gripped the handle, she felt her hand trembling. To keep the cup from clinking against the saucer, she hurriedly let go again.

Yan Huan picked up his coffee cup and took a small sip. It was a very tasty latte.

Being with the normal Sakuramiya really is more comfortable.

A world untainted by Modifiers is so wonderful!

He set down his cup and let out a long breath.

Beside him, Meow-chan, wearing a yellow scarf, had appeared on his shoulder at some point.

It looked at Hitomi Sakuramiya on the sofa and suddenly asked Yan Huan inside his mind,

"Yan Huan, do you like this vice president named Hitomi Sakuramiya?"

Yan Huan continued drinking his latte without a change in expression, asking back inside his mind,

"Why do you say that?"

"You sounded very close when you called her last Saturday night, you took good care of her when you were locked in the Equipment Room on Monday, and now you're generous with your compliments. It just feels different from how you treat other women."

Meow-chan jumped onto the desk, sat down primly, and concluded,

"She doesn't own a Modifier, so you don't need to act, meow. You're as natural as you are with Tong Yingying, but what you say to her is far sweeter than anything you say to Tong Yingying."

Tong Yingying had caught a stray out of nowhere.

Yan Huan sipped his coffee and said with a smile,

"I'm not a monk or gay. It's normal to feel attracted to the opposite sex, isn't it?"

Besides, Yan Huan preferred petite, cute girls. They always seemed to bring out his protective instincts.

"Meow~"

That meant, "Fair enough."

"Still, I'm afraid attraction is as far as it can go."

"Why, meow?"

"Because the gap between us is too big."

Yan Huan stirred his coffee and said inside his mind,

"Sakuramiya joined the student council to experience school life. Not only is she outstanding herself, but her family is also ridiculously well-off.

"And me? I have no connections. I joined the student council entirely for recommendation letters and various resources. Studying and working already leave me exhausted, and now I have the Modifiers to deal with too.

"Even if she didn't care about my background and only wanted my companionship and emotional support, I'm probably too depleted to give her even that, right?

"So rather than get all worked up now and make promises of forever, I'd be better off improving myself and getting through this Modifier ordeal first. What do you think, Meow-chan?"

Meow-chan blinked without offering an opinion and simply gave a "meow."

Yan Huan smiled faintly and wanted to rub its cute little head.

But with Sakuramiya right in front of him, he ultimately gave up on the idea.

Though the Modifier situation left him feeling rather numb, and constantly hovering on the edge of his everyday life falling apart was genuinely hard to bear.

Still, blessings lurked within misfortune. Last night, Learning Conqueror had let him study through most of a calculus textbook on his own. Perhaps he could gain even stronger abilities while dealing with the Modifiers later.

If he could get rid of all those Modifiers, he hardly dared imagine how great life would be afterward.

He really hadn't rested well last night. Neither coffee nor forcing himself to stay alert helped at all.

Yan Huan glanced at the time, then stood and said,

"There's nothing else to do this afternoon, so I'll be heading out, Sakuramiya."

"Huh? There aren't any afternoon classes. Don't you usually stay until the afternoon school bus leaves, President?"

"Ah, yes. But I'm planning to find somewhere to nap. I didn't sleep well last night."

Hitomi Sakuramiya turned to look at him and asked in confusion,

"You could just rest here, President. There's a sofa here you can lie down on."

"Hmm..."

Yan Huan thought for a moment and said,

"I just feel like I'd be a little embarrassed with you around, Sakuramiya."

"Oh..."

Hitomi Sakuramiya covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Are you the type to snore, grind your teeth, and talk in your sleep, President?"

"No, not really."

"Hmm, or would you be unable to sleep with me here? If so, I can go back to my classroom."

There's a barrier here anyway, so I can check on things whenever I want.

Since Hitomi Sakuramiya had put it that way, Yan Huan, who had originally planned to sleep beneath a familiar tree outside, couldn't be bothered to leave.

True, it's just an afternoon nap. No big deal. I should be less self-conscious.

"No, if it won't bother you, I'll rest here."

"Okay."

Yan Huan rubbed his shoulder and lay down on the sofa opposite Hitomi Sakuramiya, while she went to the bookcase nearby and brought over a blanket.

"A blanket? Where did that come from?"

"I brought it. I sometimes feel cold reading here at noon, so I brought it to drape over myself."

Before Yan Huan could sit up to take it, Sakuramiya had already laid the blanket over him.

A faint scent from her body reached him, making the fingers stroking the soft fabric stiffen slightly.

I should have just gone outside to rest.

"Hmm, it's a little small. Is that all right, President?"

"It's fine. As long as it covers my stomach."

Hitomi Sakuramiya tilted her head, not quite understanding that remark.

But she watched as Yan Huan flung it over himself with a flap, then lay flat on the sofa and yawned.

A little cute. Like an oversized baby.

Hitomi Sakuramiya thought this as she sat back down on the opposite sofa.

"Have a good nap, President."

"Mm... you too..."

Yan Huan relaxed and closed his eyes, while the insubstantial Meow-chan gave another light leap onto his body.

Then it sat on him with its paws tucked underneath itself, curiously surveying its surroundings.

Meow-chan didn't need sleep and normally stayed with Yan Huan all the time, so it could also keep watch over his surroundings while he slept.

That was what it had done the night at Ye Shiyu's home.

Stare~

Meow-chan watched Hitomi Sakuramiya, who was completely unaware of its presence.

As the steady breathing of Yan Huan, who had fallen asleep as soon as his head touched the sofa, gradually reached her, Hitomi Sakuramiya began frequently looking up from her book to gaze at his sleeping face.

Hmm.

So far, everything was normal.

But could this girl like Yan Huan too?

Ah, she wasn't just looking up and down anymore. She was staring outright!

Hitomi Sakuramiya opposite had completely turned to studying Yan Huan, with no desire to read anymore!

The president's sleeping face.

Hehe~

Since I've never been inside the president's home, I haven't had a chance to install cameras there, so I've never gotten to see this...

Next time, if the president invites me to his home, I absolutely have to set up a barrier just like the one in the student council office!

Then I'll be able to see what the president does when he's alone in his room...

Unfortunately, she had to enter a space herself before she could cast a barrier there. Otherwise, she could simply have stood outside his rented apartment and cast it.

With that thought, Hitomi Sakuramiya pressed her lips together and quietly took out her phone.

She had already set it to silent and seemed ready to secretly photograph Yan Huan's sleeping face.

Meow-chan stared at Hitomi Sakuramiya, unsure why she had taken out her phone.

But soon, she stopped again.

No, taking photos with my phone is still risky. What if he wakes up while I'm taking one?

There'd be no explaining that...

Besides, my barrier already has a recording function. I can use it to record everything without any blind spots!

And so, Meow-chan watched her silently put her phone back down, though the smile on her face seemed a little strange.

Hmm.

So far, everything was normal?

Meanwhile, Hitomi Sakuramiya had already secretly manipulated the barrier to record every detail of Yan Huan sleeping.

At that same moment, outside Class 1-A.

Ye Shiyu stood at the door carrying a bag. After putting it off for a week, Aunt Chen's constant urging had finally brought her to the point where she had to return Yan Huan's uniform jacket.

Only, she couldn't see that handsome boy in his familiar corner by the window.

He's not here?

Then I'll come back another time.

Just as Ye Shiyu was about to leave in disappointment, a female student at the door, who had packed her things and was preparing to leave school, covered her mouth in surprise.

"Um... are you Ye Shiyu, by any chance?"

"You know me?"

"Ah, Yumiko said you're President Yan's older sister. President Yan is so handsome, and his sister is so pretty too, hehe. I'm President Yan's classmate, Fu Mengyao."

Hearing her praise Yan Huan made Ye Shiyu a little unhappy.

Still, she nodded politely and prepared to leave.

Just as she was leaving, something occurred to her, and she asked,

"Do you know where Xiao Huan is?"

"Huh? President Yan?"

The girl who had been about to leave turned back, thought for a moment, and said,

"Since we don't have classes this afternoon, I think President Yan will be handling paperwork in the student council office until the school bus leaves."

"How do you know?"

The girl smiled faintly and scratched her cheek sheepishly as she said,

"President Yan's schedule isn't exactly a secret. He's really popular, after all, so everyone pays a lot of attention to him."

"."

Annoyed.jpg

But Ye Shiyu did not give her a hard time. Instead, she thanked her softly, then turned and headed upstairs.

She remembered that the student council was on the top floor of the first-year section.

She quietly reached the top floor. It was silent all around, and Ye Shiyu located the office precisely.

She knocked lightly on the door, but no response came from Yan Huan inside.

Only after she had waited a few seconds did faint footsteps sound from within.

The office door slowly opened a crack, revealing Hitomi Sakuramiya, who had opened it.

"Hello, what can I-"

Hitomi Sakuramiya's words suddenly faltered when she saw Ye Shiyu before her, while Ye Shiyu also froze for a second because a girl had answered the door.

Then she remembered that the person before her was the student council's vice president. It was perfectly normal for her to be in the same room as Xiao Huan.

And Hitomi Sakuramiya also remembered that the person before her seemed to be Yan Huan's older sister.

Although that was how she had been introduced, Hitomi Sakuramiya always felt there was something off about the way the girl before her looked at Yan Huan.

"Ye Shiyu, right? Is there something you need?"

"I'm here... to see Xiao Huan."

Without saying what it was about, Ye Shiyu simply said that.

"Ah, now might not be a good time. If there's anything you need, you can tell me."

"Not a good time?"

Ye Shiyu blinked, then raised her eyes, easily looking over the petite Hitomi Sakuramiya in front of her.

Through the narrow gap in the door, she saw Yan Huan asleep inside.

Xiao Huan was asleep?

The way he looked asleep...

I want to see.

She instinctively tried to push the door open and go inside, but it did not budge, as though some force were resisting her.

Only then did Ye Shiyu lower her head and meet the eyes of Hitomi Sakuramiya, who was bracing the door in front of her, still smiling.

"If there's anything you need, you can tell me. Once the president wakes up, I'll pass it on to him."

"."

An air of hostility began to spread unbidden, making Yan Huan, who was sleeping soundly, unconsciously furrow his brow.