Accomplices must keep each other's secrets

"Auntie, my room's on the sixth floor. There's no elevator here, so I'm sorry you'll have to take the stairs."

"All right~"

After dinner, Ye Lan still wanted to see the place Yan Huan rented, and he could hardly refuse.

He simply agreed and took them by car to the foot of his apartment building.

Despite her high heels, Ye Lan, like Ye Shiyu, had excellent stamina. Climbing six floors was effortless for them.

They were not even out of breath. They probably exercised regularly.

If Vice President Sakuramiya came here, she would probably start panting before reaching the second floor.

Ye Lan surveyed the fairly decent surroundings. The facilities were not particularly old, shabby, or cramped either, completely unlike the other, hard-to-describe environments in the South District.

She raised her eyebrows in some surprise and asked Yan Huan,

"The surroundings look quite nice here, Xiao Huan."

"Ah, it's public rental housing, after all. The rent isn't expensive either. Applying is just a bit of a hassle."

Public rental housing was, in fact, subsidized housing promoted by the Linmen Government, with prescribed living standards and rent levels.

It was managed centrally by the government, and applicants had to meet special requirements to rent it.

As an orphan, Yan Huan happened to qualify.

The surroundings were nice and the rent cheap, so his housing costs actually placed relatively little financial pressure on him.

The bulk of Yan Huan's financial pressure came from his tuition.

As Principal Hermes had mentioned while speaking with Ye Lan earlier, Totsuki Academy's scholarship could only cover two-thirds of the tuition at most.

At first glance, as one of Linmen's only two top elite schools, Totsuki Academy's inability to fully cover even the tuition of Yan Huan, its top student and Student Council president, seemed a little unreasonable.

But that description was not actually accurate.

In reality, the scholarship could cover all the tuition. The problem was that attending Totsuki Academy involved many other expenses besides tuition.

The school bus to and from school cost money, didn't it? Several thousand per academic year.

There were also fees for two seasons of custom-made school uniforms, various supplies, health insurance, and similar items.

Then there were textbooks, a major expense that simply had to be mentioned.

Printed materials in Linmen were ridiculously expensive. A single copy of the mathematics textbook Yan Huan currently used cost hundreds.

And that was just mathematics. There were four other core subjects, plus electives that occasionally required textbooks.

Together, they were so expensive that Yan Huan could practically cough up blood!

The scholarship did not cover these miscellaneous expenses. Altogether, they accounted for roughly a third of the total school fees and had to be paid in full before the academic year began.

Still, perhaps he could worry a little less about those carefully calculated figures in the future.

After all, Yan Huan had now converted to the benevolent Ye Lan Cult.

"This is it."

Yan Huan smiled back at Ye Lan behind him, took out his key, and opened the door, revealing the forty-square-meter space inside.

"Auntie, Sister Shiyu, just come straight in. I don't usually have visitors, so I haven't prepared any slippers or shoe covers."

"Then pardon the intrusion~"

"..."

Turning on the light, Yan Huan stepped inside first.

Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu followed close behind and looked around the tidy rented apartment. Meow-chan also ran out to greet them.

After all, he had asked Ye Shiyu to make a little scarf for the cat during Handicrafts Class, and the cat food and canned food he had bought were still on the shelf. It was easy to discover that Yan Huan had a cat.

Cute creatures could always attract women's attention effortlessly. Once he introduced Meow-chan's name, Ye Lan could not bear to put the cat down, holding Meow-chan in her arms for a good long petting.

She had initially thought the cat only looked like a black dumpling because of a particularly thick coat.

Only after picking the cat up did she realize this black cat was solid all the way through.

"What a fat cat!"

Ye Lan covered her mouth in wonder.

"Meow?!"

Meow-chan was shocked.

But a flaw had still been exposed!

"What an adorable kitty. But Xiao Huan, why isn't there a litter box here?"

As she stroked Meow-chan, Ye Lan suddenly asked this question.

Hearing her mother say that, Ye Shiyu also cast him a curious look.

"Ah, well."

Yan Huan glanced at Meow-chan, looking utterly innocent in Ye Lan's arms, then explained,

"Meow-chan often runs outside to play, and usually takes care of that outside."

"Oh, I see. Still a little wild, then? What an adorable kitty."

Ye Lan rubbed Meow-chan's chubby face, then put the cat down and continued looking around Yan Huan's little home.

But it was only forty square meters in total, with nothing particularly special inside. After looking around for a while, Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu prepared to leave for Jinghe District.

"Well, Xiao Huan, Auntie and your older sister will be leaving for today. Contact me anytime if anything comes up, and come home for meals often."

At the door, Ye Lan turned back to say goodbye to Yan Huan.

"I will, Auntie."

Ye Shiyu's expression remained as impassive as ever, but in fact, her gaze had not missed a single corner of Yan Huan's little home.

Only when it was time to leave did she withdraw that ever-present gaze and say goodbye to him.

"See you at school next week, Xiao Huan."

"Sure thing, Sister Shiyu."

They did not let Yan Huan escort them any farther. The car was parked downstairs anyway.

Once Yan Huan closed the door, Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu headed toward the stairs.

As they walked, Ye Shiyu looked at her mother, who was humming softly and seemed to be in a very good mood, and suddenly asked,

"...Is this really all right, Mom?"

Ye Lan looked back in confusion.

"Is what all right?"

"You clearly want Xiao Huan to come home, don't you, Mom?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then is it really all right to just leave him in the South District?"

Ye Lan paused briefly, then smiled.

"That is what I want, but..."

"But?"

Ye Shiyu looked bewildered.

"Hmm, this might be a little early for you, Shiyu, but consider it a small life lesson from Mom ahead of time~"

"..."

Ye Lan reached out, stroked Ye Shiyu's black hair, and said softly,

"People are especially good at treating those they care about as their possessions, then imposing expectations on them without asking.

"Parents see their children as their possessions, so they expect them to obey and choose their lives according to their plans.

"Children see their parents as their possessions, so they expect them to give selflessly and provide help whenever they need it.

"Lovers do it, friends do it. Most intimate relationships are probably like that.

"But when people do this, they often don't notice it themselves, because we all consider things from our own perspective."

Ye Shiyu blinked, then asked after a moment of silence,

"Is that... wrong?"

Ye Lan shook her head and continued as she walked forward.

"Of course there's nothing wrong with it. On the contrary, it's only natural.

"It's precisely because we have feelings for someone in particular that we place expectations on them, hoping they'll do certain things and won't let us down."

Her steps slowed as she reached the stairs.

She turned back to look at her daughter, who was still standing where she had been.

"But Shiyu, you also have to realize this: the person you place those expectations on belongs to himself first, and only then to you.

"You have to understand and respect that so you don't hurt each other.

"If you impose too many expectations and treat someone else as your possession, you'll only end up constantly disappointed when you don't get the response you want."

Ye Shiyu's eyes narrowed slightly, while her lips parted a little.

"Xiao Huan is himself first, and only then Yulu's child, the person I want to share my feelings with.

"It's the same with you, Shiyu~"

Standing in the shadows, Ye Shiyu looked uncomprehendingly at her smiling mother.

She could not understand.

She could not understand her mother's thinking at all.

But at that moment, Ye Shiyu suddenly recalled the confusion she had felt over the past week.

Whenever she noticed someone else at school caring about Xiao Huan or liking him, displeasure welled up inside her.

Was that the disappointment her mother had described?

Because she could not see him belonging to her alone, because someone else might possess him, her expectations were violated.

But what was wrong with that?

Wanting everything to suit my wishes, to belong to me forever, never betray me, never leave me...

Was there anything wrong with thinking that?

As for disappointment, she was not afraid of facing it.

Because she had the Hypnosis App.

At that thought, her daze was shattered by something terrifying within her, and her face became expressionless again.

It was nighttime, and the South District's wind tore that indescribable complexity to pieces.

Ye Lan's gentle voice dissolved like foam into the neon lights with their complex flavor, becoming a jumble of colors that seemed polluted with paint.

The multicolored light cast by the billboard opposite the Public Rental Building gradually spread into the shadows where Ye Shiyu stood, making the purple screen that suddenly lit up in her hand another corner of this neon world.

It was as though that screen had always been this glittering world itself.

And as though that glittering world were held in Ye Shiyu's hand.

"All right, Shiyu, stop thinking about it. I'm exhausted today. Let's hurry home and rest~"

"All right..."

Ye Shiyu nodded and finally stepped out of the shadows toward the stairs.

Before leaving, she looked toward Yan Huan's rented apartment again, silently committing his room number to memory.

Only then did she follow Ye Lan downstairs.

It could only be said that Ye Shiyu was not the only person bewildered that night.

"Why... why is this happening..."

Inside a certain Western-style Mansion in Jinghe District.

Dressed in a nightgown, Hitomi Sakuramiya widened her eyes. After a moment of silence, she silently pressed the bell at the corner of her desk.

"Ding-ding~"

"Click."

The next second, the door opened, revealing a seductive black-haired woman in a black suit outside.

When she saw the motionless figure in a nightgown sitting before the computer screen at the far end of the spacious bedroom, her expression became one of "just as I thought."

She pressed a button on her phone, silently dismissing the "Emergency" warning on its screen.

"My dear Lady Sakuramiya, have you never heard the story of the boy who cried wolf?"

Then the mature woman smiled alluringly and asked,

"Although I knew this would happen, as your personal bodyguard, I still have to remind you not to press that bell unless it's an emergency."

"This is already an emergency, Nara!!"

Hitomi Sakuramiya's face flushed as she turned to look at the woman behind her.

"Oh~"

The woman called Nara answered perfunctorily, then closed the door behind her and came over to Hitomi Sakuramiya.

"So, what exactly makes this an emergency?"

"Look!"

Hitomi Sakuramiya turned back, clicked her mouse to enlarge one of the countless surveillance feeds, then dragged the progress bar.

The footage appeared: in the corridor of some public rental housing in the South District, a smiling Yan Huan led Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu through his door.

Nara looked at the screen, then turned toward Hitomi Sakuramiya beside her, who had her cheeks puffed out and her arms folded, looking thoroughly upset.

After a second of silence, she repeated her question like a broken record.

"So, what exactly is the emergency?"

"Can't you see?! And you have the nerve to call yourself a 'virgin killer'?!"

Hitomi Sakuramiya clenched her fists, her gaze already tinged with disdain as she looked at Nara, leaving the woman behind her even more baffled.

"Huh? What does this have to do with me?"

"You still don't see? The President has never invited anyone into his rented apartment before! But today... today, that Ye Shiyu actually... went inside?! The President's first time was actually... actually..."

"Could you stop phrasing it so strangely..."

Nara's expression gradually crumbled as she listened carefully, but Hitomi Sakuramiya remained completely unaware.

"Besides, it's not just Ye Shiyu. Isn't there an elder with her too? How does this count as an emergency?"

"Isn't she still a woman?!"

Hitomi Sakuramiya bit her thumbnail, looking extremely anxious.

"I was the first to meet the President, the first to stay by his side, the first to notice him! The President even made pudding for me, and I'm sure she's never had any. Why does she get to go inside his home when I haven't even been there?!"

"So if you want to go, why not just tell Yan Huan you'd like to visit?"

"How could it possibly be that easy? Are you an idiot?"

Hitomi Sakuramiya glanced at Nara and analyzed the situation rationally.

"I've investigated the layout of the President's home. It's only forty square meters. If I find a legitimate reason to visit, the other Student Council members will definitely want to come too.

"How could forty square meters accommodate five guests? Wouldn't that put the President in an awkward position? It could never work."

Bored already, Nara lay down on Hitomi Sakuramiya's large bed, pulled out her phone, and began watching cute pet videos.

At the same time, she glanced at Hitomi Sakuramiya and asked,

"I mean, why not just tell Yan Huan you want to visit his home alone?"

"Wha-"

Hitomi Sakuramiya's face flushed at once. Waving her hands, she hurriedly refused.

"Then I... wouldn't that make it too obvious?"

"What's wrong with being obvious? What's wrong with taking the initiative? You do like him, after all, right?"

"Yes, but..."

Hitomi Sakuramiya turned toward the countless camera feeds on the computer screen before her, the countless photos of Yan Huan placed beside it, and the countless notebooks recording his words and actions.

"That doesn't fit the persona I usually maintain at all. Taking the initiative so suddenly would make it easy for him to spot something wrong."

The more she looked, the paler her expression became.

"Once that happens, won't the President soon discover there's something wrong with me? Even if we get together, won't he gradually become disappointed and eventually get scared off by me? If that happened, I'd definitely want to die!"

"...Ah, forget it. I don't want to lose my job yet either. Miss Sakuramiya, please wait until I resign before you die..."

"What are you even talking about, Nara?!"

Nara sat up and yawned, her normally alluring expression turning somewhat speechless at this troublesome business.

"So why don't you stop doing this sort of thing? You had me install all those cameras to keep him under constant surveillance. You were only one step away from getting together, but now you've made it a huge hassle..."

But Hitomi Sakuramiya blinked and spoke as though she were looking at an idiot.

"Are you stupid? If I don't install cameras, how am I supposed to know the President's every move?"

"..."

Nara wanted to die a little, but she kept feeling that someone else deserved to die instead.

She lay spread-eagled, looking ready to be buried at any moment, and gave Hitomi Sakuramiya her verdict.

"You win, Miss Sakuramiya."

"I win?"

Hitomi Sakuramiya came to the bedside. Looking at Nara, who was lying there flirting with who knew whom, she planted her hands on her hips.

"Isn't the point right now that you need to help me?"

"So how do you want me to help?"

Hitomi Sakuramiya rubbed her chin, looking as though she had come prepared.

She walked back to the computer desk and fetched a stack of brochures.

"Here, look at these."

"What are these things?"

"Introductions to some household products. This one's for television wiring, this one's for Wi-Fi, this one's for air conditioner installation, this one's for water heater replacement, and this one's for water purifiers..."

"Wait, wait, wait. What exactly are you planning?"

Nara sat up and watched Hitomi Sakuramiya lay the leaflets before her one after another.

Hitomi Sakuramiya picked up a leaflet and held it toward Nara.

"Just pick any pretext. Say you're offering free air conditioner installation, or a television, whatever. Anyway, find an excuse to enter the President's place and secretly install another camera there. No, one isn't enough. One in the living room, one in the bedroom, and the bathroom too..."

"Have you completely lost your mind?"

Smack!

Nara slapped the leaflet out of Hitomi Sakuramiya's hand, then reached out and flicked her forehead.

Tap~

It was the lightest possible flick, yet the delicate Hitomi Sakuramiya clutched her forehead and groaned in pain.

"Oww... Nara!"

"Miss Sakuramiya, keep this up and you're definitely finished. Forget getting together with Yan Huan. If this gets discovered, you can look forward to a lifetime of disgrace."

Hitomi Sakuramiya was so feeble that a simple flick from Nara had nearly brought her to tears.

Her face red and the corners of her eyes brimming with tears, she looked up and spoke anxiously.

"Then what should I do?! That hateful Ye Shiyu... she actually... actually..."

"Weren't you pretty calm this afternoon? You were telling me she was nothing to worry about. How did she rout you so completely by tonight?"

As her personal bodyguard, Nara had handled many things like installing cameras for Hitomi Sakuramiya.

There were over a hundred cameras, many positioned at tricky, professional voyeuristic angles, and they needed frequent maintenance.

A moment's thought made it obvious that someone as physically feeble as Hitomi Sakuramiya could never have done all that. Nara had helped with every bit of it.

After being involved in this all along, even a bored adult like Nara had begun paying some attention to the progress of their relationship.

It was like watching virtual cricket fights. There was entertainment every day.

When they returned from school that afternoon, Hitomi Sakuramiya had clearly offered contemptuous commentary on her "potential romantic rival" Ye Shiyu's performance at noon.

"EZ," "Taking students," "Get me a human opponent."

Yet that evening, seeing the other girl "sneak through Yinping and strike straight at Shu Han" had completely shattered her composure and reason.

Where did Miss Sakuramiya find so many antics to pull every day?

Though Miss Sakuramiya was rather cute when she was privately losing her temper.

It felt as though, if she stopped acting so serious and rational around Yan Huan and showed him this side instead, she would have won him over ages ago.

Hitomi Sakuramiya clenched her fists and tried to pound Nara in frustration, but her punches were so slow that Nara could block them with one hand.

Blocking Hitomi Sakuramiya's flurry of dainty punches with one hand, Nara propped up her cheek and yawned as she spoke.

"Miss Sakuramiya, rather than going to someone else's home to install cameras, I think you'd be better off considering what to do at Sunday's Game Exhibition."

"Game... Exhibition?"

Hitomi Sakuramiya froze briefly, then immediately came to her senses.

Right, their Student Council was going on a team-building outing that weekend!

The President would be going with her then, too!!

"Right, I still need to consider what exactly there'll be at Sunday's Game Exhibition. If there's an opportunity..."

Watching Hitomi Sakuramiya finally calm down, Nara caught her fist in one hand.

Then, with a gentle push, she actually sent Hitomi Sakuramiya staggering up off the bed.

"But, miss, before you consider the Game Exhibition, I think you should give some serious thought to how you're going to handle your feelings for President Yan."

"What do you mean?"

Nara sat up, rested her chin on her hand, and smiled beguilingly.

"You're planning to get together with President Yan, right?"

"O-of course."

"But you're attracting him with the persona you usually maintain, hoping he'll declare his love for you. Even if you succeed in the end, will the person he falls for be the you you're performing, or the real you?"

Hitomi Sakuramiya paused briefly, only to look at Nara as though she were an idiot again.

"Are you stupid?

"I can create a persona the President likes, and he'll feel completely satisfied being with me. In return, I'll have him and know his every move at all times, so the real me will be satisfied too.

"It's the best of both worlds. As long as it can keep going, isn't that enough? The fabricated persona is me, and the real me is also me. There's no difference."

By this point, Hitomi Sakuramiya had fully recovered her rationality after her breakdown.

After a brief pause, she abruptly looked at Nara before her and asked in a somewhat chilling manner,

"Nara, you're the person I trust most in this world. That's why I let you know everything about me.

"And knowing all of this, you would never tell anyone my secrets, right?"

At that, Nara raised her eyebrows.

With a beguiling smile, she drew a hand across her lips as though zipping them shut.

"Of course I'll keep your secrets, Miss Sakuramiya.

"In return, you have to keep mine too. You can't let anyone from the Main House know about me, all right?"

Hitomi Sakuramiya smiled faintly, looking as though it went without saying, and held out her hand to Nara.

"Yes, I won't let my family know that you're impersonating my personal bodyguard~"

"Good, miss."

Nara reached out and clasped Sakuramiya's small hand.

Then she stood and continued asking Hitomi Sakuramiya,

"Shall we start preparing, then, for this weekend's Game Exhibition? I'll bring you the information, and then... you can think about what to do yourself?"

"All right. I'll give it some thought."

Nara nodded and turned to leave.

But just as she was leaving, Hitomi Sakuramiya suddenly caught her sleeve, making her look back in confusion.

She saw Hitomi Sakuramiya, her face slightly flushed, pointing somewhat bashfully at the leaflets for indoor equipment installation on the bed.

"..."

Her meaning was quite obvious.

She still wanted Nara to use that excuse to install cameras in Yan Huan's home.

"..."

Nara fell silent for a moment, then smiled beguilingly.

"No~"

"Huh?! Why?"

"This is for your own good. Be good."

"Aaaaah, but... but I really want to see what the President's home looks like inside!! What he looks like eating, sleeping, studying, bath-"

"I'll be taking my leave now, miss."

Nara hurriedly covered her ears. Despite being an adult, she was afraid of hearing something unsuitable for children, and hastily turned and left Hitomi Sakuramiya's room.

Left alone in her bedroom, Hitomi Sakuramiya shouted in frustration.

"Nara! Honestly!"