After discussing it with Hitomi Sakuramiya, who did not know much about anime culture, Yan Huan decided to ease her into it by taking her around the entertainment area.
It was only just past nine anyway. Bai Yi's event could wait until after noon.
Before then, wandering around the venue with Sakuramiya was a good option.
Opportunities like this were rare. Although the Student Council members usually spent time together, they had hardly ever gone on group outings.
Today's convention was one; the previous one had been last semester, when they went to Sakuramiya's house to see the kittens.
"Hello, you two! Before entering the entertainment area, each of you can draw a prize. You could win plushies, free attraction tickets, and more~"
At the entrance to the entertainment area, a staff member holding a raffle box stopped them.
"There's a deal like that?"
Yan Huan glanced at the attractions inside. Some were free, but most required separate tickets.
"Hmm, trying our luck sounds nice."
Hitomi Sakuramiya nodded, stepped forward, and reached into the box.
As she felt around, she looked back at Yan Huan and asked,
"President, if you don't mind, shall I draw yours too?"
"OK."
"Then..."
Hitomi Sakuramiya took out two slips of paper and unfolded them. Each listed three different prizes.
"Looks like we won."
Yan Huan looked them over and murmured,
"We both get a free haunted house visit. For the rest, one has free fortune-telling and ten Claw Machine tokens, and the other has fifteen shooting rounds and five Claw Machine tokens."
"We're lucky, President."
Hitomi Sakuramiya covered her mouth and chuckled as she said it.
How calculating~
In fact, she had already had Nara attach the two slips to the inside wall of the raffle box. She only had to reach upward to retrieve them.
To avoid giving herself away, Hitomi Sakuramiya had even specifically arranged different prizes to make the draw look more authentic.
They were together, after all, and would end up visiting the attractions together anyway, so there was nothing to worry about.
"We are. Shall we check out this fortune-telling first?"
"No problem."
Hitomi Sakuramiya smiled graciously, but her thoughts were entirely different from her expression.
The president should see it soon, shouldn't he?
She had prepared everything. Whether it was fortune-telling, shooting, or the Claw Machines, she had arranged all sorts of psychological suggestions.
A fortune emphasizing that "your destined partner is right beside you," followed by Nara interpreting it with remarks like, "A little effort will bring you together."
The Claw Machine would easily yield a couples' grand prize: two matching kitten plushies whose tails formed a heart when put together.
All these subtle suggestions would plant the seed of love in the president's heart.
Then it would burst into full bloom in the haunted house!
A dark, cramped school setting, ghost NPCs that followed them everywhere, and a tense, oppressive atmosphere.
At that point, she only needed to make seemingly incidental physical contact with the president, and when he paused in surprise and looked over...
"President, I... I'm a little scared. Could I hold on to you for a while?"
Hitomi Sakuramiya followed behind Yan Huan, while the "all according to plan" smile in her mind grew increasingly twisted.
Soon, the president would be with her, and then inviting her over to his rented apartment would only be natural, wouldn't it?
Then she could install the second Room Barrier in his home, completing the final piece of the puzzle that was the president's life...
What a wonderful future~
Just as Hitomi Sakuramiya was imagining what to name their first child, Yan Huan suddenly stopped ahead of her and took out his phone.
"Looks like Yatsuhashi and the others have finished up. They want us to meet them in the fan works area now."
"..."
Hitomi Sakuramiya kept smiling at those words.
But her smile looked as stiff as rusted metal.
Haha, Yatsuhashi, you certainly know how to pick your moment~
Did tending those electronic potted plants ruin your sense of time?
Just you wait. I'm absolutely going to hack your game account and melt down every weapon and material you farmed for your waifus!!
"I see..."
Clouds moved overhead, blocking the sun's view of the exhibition center's glass ceiling and casting cloud-shaped shadows across the hall.
In the shadows, Hitomi Sakuramiya merely turned toward Yan Huan with an understanding expression and said,
"Then let's go meet Yatsuhashi and the others now."
Hearing that, Nara sighed silently from the shadows.
It always ended up like this.
Once someone put on a mask, as long as they never removed it, all others would see was the mask, no matter what expression lay beneath.
Perhaps the young lady understood that perfectly well. It was simply that the expression beneath her mask was too unacceptable to the world, so she had to hide it.
There was nothing to be done.
Unless the outside world could accommodate that ugliness, or even come to accept it as normal.
But that was impossible.
All that work for nothing.
Nara blinked and picked up her radio, intending to order the staff waiting behind the scenes to stand down.
But there in the venue, phone in hand, Yan Huan looked at Hitomi Sakuramiya standing before him, smiling in the shadows.
After thinking for a second, he suddenly said,
"Still, we've come all this way. It'd be a real shame to leave without trying anything, especially when we've won prizes."
"..."
Hitomi Sakuramiya paused, her gracious smile still in place. In the shadows, Nara also looked over, her hand on the radio.
One in the open, one concealed, both gazes silently settled on Yan Huan.
Young Yan Huan, it's precisely because you keep doing things like this that the young lady watches you so obsessively.
When she devours you whole, you'll only have yourself to blame~
Well, he knew nothing about that, of course.
Nara sighed and released the radio.
Hitomi Sakuramiya blinked and tucked a strand of black hair behind her head.
It was a small gesture she only made when her emotions fluctuated. Even behind a false mask, such body language was hard to avoid.
Around Yan Huan, she made it especially often.
"Wouldn't we keep them waiting?"
"It's fine. We waited ages for them earlier. Now it's their turn to wait for us."
Yan Huan scanned the surrounding attractions and found that the haunted house was the most expensive, at ninety-nine per person-and they happened to have won free admission.
"We'll just try one or two things. It won't take long. Sakuramiya, have you ever been to a haunted house?"
"No, but I could give it a try."
"Okay, let's check it out."
Yan Huan sent Yatsuhashi Ki a message, telling him they would need a little more time.
An anime-girl "OK" sticker came back, along with a reply.
"No problem, President. We'll look around nearby too."
Watching from the shadows, Nara smiled slightly. She picked up her radio again and said,
"Haunted house staff, get ready. Check the mechanisms again. The operation is about to begin."
"Understood."
The clouds slowly shifted, and sunlight spilled down again, filling the queuing area at the haunted house entrance.
It looked like there would be a wait.
Hitomi Sakuramiya followed Yan Huan. Sunlight fell over them, making his figure shine before her.
But she only felt that it was a little too sunny, so she opened her parasol again, thoroughly blocking out the light.
"Please wait here a moment. Space inside is limited, so we can only admit two groups totaling eight guests at a time. Once everyone is here, a staff member will take you inside."
At the haunted house's first-floor entrance, a young female staff member smiled and handed Yan Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya a pair of blindfolds as she explained.
"For the full experience, please put on your blindfolds. We'll begin the background introduction shortly."
Yan Huan had played escape rooms and similar games in his previous life. The procedure was very similar, so he knew the routine.
He turned and found that Hitomi Sakuramiya had already put on her blindfold.
She adjusted it and asked curiously,
"President, if we can't see anything, how are we supposed to get inside?"
"A staff member will probably lead us in."
"I see..."
As they spoke, the waiting room's lights suddenly dimmed.
Then eerie, terrifying music began, accompanied by a woman's voice.
"I am Saitō Rina of Fujito High School Class 1-A. The story I'm about to tell is about Fujito High School, and my best friend, Manako..."
The atmosphere was just right. That emotionless first-person account, delivered like a dead person speaking, made even Hitomi Sakuramiya nervous despite knowing the arrangements.
Seeing her unconsciously press her pink lips together beneath her blindfold, Yan Huan smiled slightly and put on his own.
The temperature around them seemed to drop by more than a degree. After the final line ended, Saitō Rina's voice rang out again.
This time, however, it seemed to come from right behind Hitomi Sakuramiya.
"Please hold hands and enter Fujito High School together."
Hitomi Sakuramiya swallowed, not daring to move.
But a large, warm hand had already reached over from in front of her and enclosed her cold little hand in its palm.
"Let's go, Sakuramiya."
"Okay, President."
The president's hand felt so big...
And so warm. It felt lovely to touch...
She unconsciously rubbed against his palm, then quickly froze, afraid he might notice her little movements.
"Slowly, Sakuramiya. I felt the door open ahead. There's a breeze coming through, so we should be fine moving forward a little at a time."
"Mm, President."
But Yan Huan clearly had not noticed her little movements. He simply led her forward by the hand, officially beginning their haunted house visit.
Behind the night-vision monitors, Nara watched what was happening inside.
She held her radio, ready to communicate with the staff responsible for each stage at any moment.
But before she could give an order, a frantic female voice came over the radio.
"Nara, th-there's trouble! Two girls at the entrance are trying to barge in! They say they don't want to queue and want to go straight inside."
"What?"
Nara paused, then hurriedly sat up and said with a frown,
"We only just managed to clear the place out. Don't let anyone inside. Hold them down if you have to!"
"We already tried! We can't hold her!! That blonde girl's like an ox-she's frighteningly strong! Never mind holding her down, A Qiu just tried grabbing her and got pulled off her feet!"
Nara blinked incredulously and snapped,
"What do I pay you for?! There are so many of you, and you can't even stop one little girl?!"
"No, Nara, the thing is..."
But Nara could not be bothered to hear any more explanations. She switched the surveillance feed to the entrance and heard the audio from it as well.
She saw two staff members crouching on the ground, clutching their hands. The wrists they had used to try to grab the girl seemed to hurt badly.
"Ow..."
In front of the camera, a blonde girl was heading into the haunted house, followed by another girl carrying several black bags.
She even stopped to scan the payment code at the ticket booth beside them and bought two haunted house tickets.
"Two tickets. Hurry."
"Ugh, Spencer... um, how about... how about you go into the haunted house, and I wait outside?"
"Scared?"
"...Yes."
The blonde girl called Spencer gave a wicked grin and looked at the timid girl beside her.
"But I refuse."
"Ugh..."
Nara had initially suspected that some troublemakers were after Hitomi Sakuramiya. They had even knocked down the bodyguards, so their intentions were probably hostile.
But watching the surveillance footage, she felt that was not the case.
Couldn't fault them. They really did just want to visit the haunted house.
"..."
What now?
Nara turned to another surveillance feed, showing Hitomi Sakuramiya and Yan Huan.
Because they were blindfolded and Hitomi Sakuramiya was a little frightened, Yan Huan was leading her forward only a tiny step at a time.
As a result, when Spencer opened the waiting room door behind them, they had barely gone anywhere and had not yet entered the haunted house.
"Whoa, so this is the haunted... huh?"
Spencer planted her hands on her hips, about to make some idiotic declaration about "charging straight ahead," only to spot the two holding hands the moment she entered.
Even with their blindfolds on, Spencer still sensed the faint current of intimacy flowing between the handsome boy and beautiful girl.
After a brief stunned pause, the excitement on her face instantly multiplied more than ten thousandfold.
"Ooh~"
A knowing, wicked grin spread across Spencer's face.
Behind her, An Le lacked Spencer's stamina. After following Spencer all the way from the Inner World doujin convention to the entertainment area while wearing a mask, she had long since lowered her head, struggling for breath.
"Ha, ha... Um, Spen..."
As a result, she noticed the two inside a moment later than Spencer did.
It was only a few seconds later, but when she raised her eyes, her gaze was likewise drawn to the handsome blindfolded boy ahead.
In an instant, she could no longer look away. Clearly, she had recognized who he was.
*!!*
Xiao...
Xiao Huan!?
Excitement, joy, exhilaration, anxiety, shock, worry.
All those emotions and more detonated like a bomb inside An Le. Little Finger, who had been listless on her shoulder, also looked as though they had just watched the national soccer team win 2-1, an eerie light shining in their eyes.
"Holy crap! You actually ran into him here?! An Le, quick! Here's your chance!!"
"Huh?"
An Le's little heart pounded. She had never imagined that the reunion and revelation Little Finger had spent so long setting up would leap out of her head and become reality so soon.
That emotion drove her to speak, to tell Xiao Huan who she was.
"Um..."
But out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly spotted Yan Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya's tightly clasped hands.
Huh?
His hand...
Xiao Huan's hand had already been taken by that Hitomi Sakuramiya...
An Le froze for a moment, her brain instantly crashing.
Yan Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya also heard the voices behind them, especially since those voices were so familiar.
They frowned simultaneously, like two mech pilots in perfect synchronization, then removed their blindfolds at the same time.
What greeted their eyes was a terrifying monster that seemed to have invaded this world through a fissure at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Code name: Cuckoo!
"It's you?!"
The two spoke in unison.
Yan Huan knew she was an extremely dangerous Modifier owner, while Hitomi Sakuramiya was also highly wary of this extraordinary person who could shatter her Barrier with a single kick.
As a result, the two before her presented a united front, jointly resisting Spencer's uninvited arrival.
That feeling both displeased and excited Spencer. Folding her arms and lifting her chin, she said,
"What a coincidence. I never thought I'd see you here, President~"
Once again, she gave the word "President" a meaningful inflection, sending an inexplicable chill through Hitomi Sakuramiya.
Yan Huan was just about to speak when a staff member came in from the doorway and said with a strained smile,
"Um, to enter the haunted house, you need to wear blindfolds, listen to the backstory, and then go in holding hands."
Hearing this, Little Finger hurriedly stretched out their tail and slapped An Le's cheek, scolding her,
"Stop standing there dumbstruck! They're holding hands because they're going into the haunted house. That Hitomi Sakuramiya hasn't succeeded yet. You still have a chance!"
"R-really?"
An Le finally recovered from her mental crash. Blinking as she looked ahead, she finally seemed to realize that the atmosphere at the haunted house entrance was rather tense.
Even the staff member had retreated after coming in to say just one thing.
Huh?
Why did Xiao Huan and Spencer always seem so at odds?
Oh, right...
It was because of that business about joining the Study Group!
They had nearly started arguing back then, and I had only made things worse despite meaning well, injecting Xiao Huan with too much pleasure.
I'm sorry, Xiao Huan. It was all my fault.
"Um... You two..."
An Le spoke in a soft, timid voice like a little animal, seemingly trying to dissuade the two sides confronting each other.
Only when An Le spoke did Yan Huan realize there was another girl standing behind Spencer.
He cast an appraising glance her way. After all, Yan Huan was also curious about what sort of person could get along with someone like Spencer.
As a result, An Le, who had been about to say something, was instantly silenced by Yan Huan's gaze.
"Mm..."
Her face flushed crimson as she immediately lowered her head and shrank farther behind Spencer.
Thus, Yan Huan only caught a vague glimpse of her wearing a mask and clutching several black bags against her chest. He learned nothing else.
"You useless idiot!! What are you doing? Why the hell are you hiding? Get out there! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Little Finger was on the verge of boiling over again. In the past, timid An Le probably would have let words like those go in one ear and out the other.
But this time, perhaps because she was standing openly before Xiao Huan like this for the first time, courage rose within her out of nowhere.
So she silently moved back beside Spencer, rather than behind her.
"Spencer, was it? I don't believe students at our Totsuki Academy are so ill-mannered, are they?
"Interrupting a game others are about to start, barging in without a care and ruining the atmosphere-no matter how you look at it, that isn't something a normal person would do."
Hitomi Sakuramiya's expression turned cold as she looked at Spencer.
As she spoke, she suddenly seemed to remember something and covered her lips in mockery.
"...Oh, I forgot. You transferred here. You don't seem to have taken Totsuki Academy's conduct assessment, have you? I doubt you properly took the IQ test either?"
Spencer frowned and gave a cold laugh as well.
She did not care what else people said about her, but she seemed to particularly hate being called stupid.
"I..."
But just as she was about to say something, An Le beside her blushed and apologized.
"S-sorry, we didn't mean to. Sorry, sorry..."
As she spoke, she tugged Spencer's sleeve, trying to persuade her not to keep arguing with Xiao Huan and the others.
"Huh?!"
But Spencer would not stand for it this time. She stared at An Le in disbelief.
You like that Yan Huan too, don't you?
And yet you don't dare say a word in front of this Hitomi Sakuramiya?
How are you supposed to compete like that?
And you actually dared betray me and take someone else's side...
For the first time in all this time, Spencer tasted betrayal, even if only a little, since An Le had not meant it that way.
Still, Spencer's expression darkened, and she looked on the verge of exploding.
Her blond hair seemed to grow brighter, and an invisible ripple spread outward, imperceptibly encompassing the people in the waiting room.
No one realized anything had happened. They merely felt an inexplicable increase in the chill around them.
"Huh? Vice President, what do you mean, interrupting you? You haven't even gone in yet. Each group has several people anyway. What's wrong with me coming in?"
Yan Huan, who knew all about the Modifier, was the first to notice something was wrong.
Although he did not know Spencer's ability had already activated, seeing the Modifier's host in a bad mood was enough for even a fool to guess she would not let things go.
Most importantly, the innocent Hitomi Sakuramiya was still here. He could not let her get dragged into this.
"Sakuramiya, ignore her. Let's go."
Yan Huan tugged Hitomi Sakuramiya's hand, wanting to pull her behind him.
It was an instinctive move to protect someone else, but he had not expected Hitomi Sakuramiya to be pulling in the same way.
She also wanted to pull Yan Huan behind her and protect him, keeping him away from Spencer.
Both privately knew Spencer was extremely dangerous, and both assumed the other was innocent and needed protection.
Thus, at that moment, they once again moved in sync!
Moreover, this sudden turn had put them both on edge, and neither noticed that they still had not let go of each other's hand.
Spencer narrowed her eyes, looking at Yan Huan as he suddenly spoke, and said with a wicked grin,
"President, don't forget what you told me before, okay?"
Told...
Right, I promised her one condition. If this kept going, it might affect Sakuramiya.
Maybe I should just let her join us...
Yan Huan paused slightly as that thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Hearing those words, Hitomi Sakuramiya was initially startled, but then she thought:
What he said before?
Was she talking about the Study Group?
Or was the president hiding something from me, privately doing something with this Spencer...
No, that wasn't right.
I had to trust the president. That Spencer probably wouldn't...
At that thought, Hitomi Sakuramiya also paused slightly, unsure why such an idea had suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Then the same furious cry instantly erupted inside them both.
"Why would I think something like that? This bastard!!"
Sensing the whiff of cuckoldry, Hitomi Sakuramiya grew even warier, her gaze slashing toward Spencer like a blade.
"No matter what you said to the president, you were in the wrong! Besides, there were clearly so many people lining up behind us earlier. Even if we added people, it wouldn't be you! Please leave immediately!"
But Spencer remained completely unmoved. She did not even acknowledge Hitomi Sakuramiya, merely looking at Yan Huan with a wicked smile in her eyes.
That blatant covetousness, that greed, utterly disgusted Hitomi Sakuramiya.
Meanwhile, An Le kept staring at Yan Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya's increasingly tightly clasped hands, utterly unable to look away.
Wasn't that enough?
Xiao Huan, Vice President Sakuramiya...
You're arguing right now. You don't need to enter the haunted house for the moment, so you don't need to keep holding hands!
Huh?
Why were you holding on even tighter because you were arguing with Spencer?!
Were your fingers interlocked now?
Was this...
What it felt like for husband and wife to be united?
The light abruptly left An Le's eyes.
Happy memories from childhood flooded her mind.
She still remembered them going to the park in the South District to catch cicadas. When she had fallen and cried, Xiao Huan had made funny faces to cheer her up.
She still remembered them sharing a bed and pillow. When her mother called them to get up the next morning, she had hugged Xiao Huan because she wanted to sleep in, refusing to let him get up no matter what.
But those memories seemed like a sheet of paper, crumpled by Hitomi Sakuramiya's invisible hand into a ball and tossed into the trash.
An Le seemed to see Hitomi Sakuramiya looking at her with a cold smile just like that, holding Xiao Huan in her arms.
From then on, Xiao Huan would never look her way again.
Instead, he would gaze wholeheartedly at his new love.
An outstanding vice president who had appeared out of nowhere, whom he had known for only a little over half a year.
Yes, at that moment, An Le also felt the pain of being cuckolded by Hitomi Sakuramiya.
Her heart twisted with pain, and she almost wanted to cry.
But at that moment, Yan Huan's voice rang out again.
"Enough, Spencer, you idiot. Have you forgotten what I said too?"
Hearing that, Spencer paused slightly.
Then she suddenly remembered that she had promised Yan Huan not to let Hitomi Sakuramiya find out about any of this.
But just now, in the heat of the moment, she had blurted that out.
Although indirect, it already counted as treading on the red line.
Spencer folded her arms somewhat guiltily, but Yan Huan's oppressive presence came bearing down on her.
"This is our break. We don't have time to argue with you. We have other things to do."
At that moment, Yan Huan was clearly speaking to Spencer, but that resolute voice still wounded An Le, making her feel aggrieved.
Because ever since that day, she had regarded Spencer as her only friend.
I...
I never wanted this.
Whether it was cutting in line or arguing with Xiao Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya.
All I wanted was to tell Xiao Huan who I was. This would only push him farther and farther away from me.
At that thought, An Le gently reached out and took hold of Spencer.
"Spencer, p-please stop arguing. We cut in line to get here in the first place. We were in the wrong.
"Let's go... If... if you want to play, I'll line up with you again. At least we can't..."
With her head lowered, she spoke an unprecedented string of words, leaving Spencer, who had been about to say something else, opening her mouth.
You jerk.
Spencer gritted her teeth, finding it increasingly impossible to suppress her anger.
I only chose to help you because you had nothing. Whether it was buying you a ticket or bringing you here, I never would have done any of it if I hadn't felt sorry for you!
And you liked Yan Huan to begin with, didn't you?
Yet you keep opposing me and speaking up for other people. They don't even want anything to do with you. You're just making yourself feel good.
I don't care if nobody in the class likes me. Nobody's ever liked me since I was little anyway.
But you-you want so badly to have friends, and you hate being bullied so much...
Seeing you like that was why I stuck my nose in!
Looking at An Le stopping her, Spencer, too, felt the pain of being betrayed by a friend. Her expression darkened, but she could not speak.
"..."
At that moment, outside the haunted house.
Spencer's aggression had filled Hitomi Sakuramiya with the anger of having the president stolen away.
The sight of Hitomi Sakuramiya and Yan Huan holding hands had filled An Le with the fear that everything she had as his childhood friend would go to waste.
And An Le siding with Hitomi Sakuramiya and Yan Huan rather than her had filled Spencer with the sorrow of being betrayed by a friend.
For a moment, it was impossible to tell who had betrayed whom.
Perhaps she had betrayed her, or perhaps she had been betrayed by her.
Perhaps everyone had been betrayed, or perhaps no one had ever been betrayed.
It was a philosophical question, at least in the tense atmosphere of that moment.
There was no telling. There really was no telling.
But however tense things became, once they reached a boiling point, there had to be a resolution.
The person who stepped in to end it was Yan Huan.
"Spencer, stay away from us today."
With that, Yan Huan took Hitomi Sakuramiya with him and turned to enter the haunted house, no longer looking at Spencer or her unidentified friend behind him.
Seeing that Yan Huan's "feelings" for Hitomi Sakuramiya seemed to have grown even deeper, Spencer felt both frustrated and dissatisfied with the Modifier.
If only this so-called Modifier were a little more powerful.
Spencer turned toward An Le beside her, frowning and about to voice her displeasure, when she suddenly noticed that the hand clutching her clothes was trembling.
"..."
She opened her mouth and looked at An Le, only then noticing that her eyes were already brimming with tears.
"I'm sorry, Spencer. I... I've already tried so hard to go along with you. Whether it was cutting in line or getting into conflicts with other people...
"I knew those things were wrong, but I still kept trying to stand with you as much as I could. I didn't want to let you down after you helped me. But..."
As she spoke, she raised a hand to wipe her tears again, but she could no longer get the rest of her words out.
Spencer looked at An Le, who was still gazing at her even as her tears fell, and the pent-up frustration that had been about to erupt never found its release.
Only then did she dimly realize that perhaps An Le had not sided with them because she liked Yan Huan.
The real reason was that An Le simply could not stand on her side in the first place.
Because she had nothing, because she followed the rules, because she was too kind to bear hurting anyone, because she was good at swallowing her own grievances...
Every last thing about her was completely different from how Spencer handled things.
That was why An Le had always been bullied.
It was also why Spencer could not simply stand by when she saw her being bullied.
"Tch..."
Spencer irritably scratched the back of her head, turned toward the haunted house, then glanced back at An Le wiping her tears.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to comfort her, but no words came.
Even if she could get anything out, it would not be anything nice.
In the end, she gritted her teeth instead, folded her arms, and said,
"All right, stop crying! I get it. I was wrong!"
"..."
Holding her bag, An Le looked at Spencer with a wounded expression.
But Spencer turned her head away, opening and closing her mouth with extreme reluctance.
Finally, as though forcing it out, she said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz,
"S-sor... sorry."
"Huh?"
An Le blinked, looking at Spencer, who had turned back toward her.
"All right! That's that!"
After saying this with a flushed face, Spencer folded her arms again and walked ahead.
She headed toward the haunted house, leaving An Le with only a view of her back.
"Anyway... we've already cut in line! Let's leave it at that this time and go inside first. I won't cut in line again.
"And... don't you like Yan Huan? Everything that just happened was my doing. It had nothing to do with you. Whatever you want to do, go do it. If you need help, just say so!"
An Le blinked, but rather than leaving right away, she walked over to Spencer's side and said softly,
"Then let's go in together, Spencer. Sorry I didn't speak up for you earlier."
Spencer looked entirely unconcerned and merely said,
"I'm used to it anyway."
"...I'm sorry, Spencer. Then, Spencer, could you help me draw that Vice President Sakuramiya away inside? I want to say a few things to Xiao Huan..."
"..."
Spencer did not say whether she agreed. She simply went inside first, saying to An Le as she went,
"Hmph, just so we're clear, I'm only going in to have some fun in the haunted house. Helping you is just something I'll do on the side."
"Mm, thank you, Spencer..."
Then, as though she, too, had gathered her courage, she followed Spencer into the haunted house.
The two sides temporarily laid down their arms. Only Little Finger and Nara, who had witnessed the whole thing, were left deeply stunned.
Wait, what did we originally come here to do again?
Weren't we supposed to be going after Yan Huan?
Why did they suddenly start talking about friendship and friends and all that incomprehensible stuff, then walk into the haunted house?
I don't understand...
Still, both Little Finger and Nara considered this no more than a minor interlude. There was still room to maneuver.
From Nara's perspective, the young lady had entered the haunted house successfully, and this interlude had actually brought Yan Huan and the young lady closer together.
All she had to do was give orders to the staff she had stationed there and operate the haunted house mechanisms to keep Spencer and An Le away from Yan Huan and the young lady.
From Little Finger's perspective, they had at least run into Yan Huan, and with a strong but stupid friend like Spencer around, wouldn't creating a chance to be alone with Yan Huan be a piece of cake?
They just had to charge ahead with the Modifier active, then gently recount the past. Wouldn't there be plenty of desire?
Though Little Finger and Nara had never met, both wore expressions suggesting their schemes were about to succeed.
No matter how you look at it, the chance to be alone has arrived. I have the advantage!
Now all I need to do is arrange things properly inside the haunted house. Victory is certain!
"I hate... I hate..."
Beyond the haunted house entrance lay a maze of school corridors. Both Yan Huan and Hitomi Sakuramiya, intent on protecting the other, wanted to get as far away from Spencer as possible.
As a result, they wandered haphazardly ahead hand in hand. Only after walking for quite some time did they realize they had no idea which old classroom they had reached.
Their surroundings were pitch-black, ghostly sounds came from unknown sources all around, and cold air blew into their faces, sending chills down their spines.
Instinctively seeking warmth, Hitomi Sakuramiya tightened her grip on Yan Huan's hand.
"Sakuramiya, um, your hand..."
Only then did she belatedly realize something.
"!"
The persona she maintained on her face nearly cracked. She hurriedly let go of Yan Huan's hand and apologized,
"President, I'm sorry. Because of what happened with Spencer just now..."
"It's fine."
Yan Huan smiled faintly, but the expression hidden beneath Perfect Facial Expression Control was not a pleasant one.
He truly had not expected Spencer to suddenly show up here.
He had originally come here to see whether he could make some progress with Bai Yi's Modifier. Instead, he had run into the extremely troublesome Spencer, giving him quite a headache.
It was like preparing a tableful of food only to have two tables' worth of guests arrive. How was he supposed to serve that meal?
And if Bai Yi and Spencer met ahead of time, who knew whether the Linmen Holy Grail War would begin early?
This is rough...
Seeing nothing unusual in Yan Huan's expression, Hitomi Sakuramiya relaxed a little. She looked around the abandoned school building with its eerie atmosphere and took the initiative to change the subject.
"This haunted house looks pretty big, and there aren't any directions or anything. I heard we have to find the exit and its key. Once we get out, we've succeeded."
Yan Huan came back to himself as well, setting aside the matter of Bai Yi and Spencer for now and focusing.
"But they probably wouldn't make it too hard. There should be some signs to give us subtle hints. Look over there, Sakuramiya."
Hitomi Sakuramiya followed the direction of Yan Huan's finger and saw a line of bloody writing on the classroom blackboard.
"She's hiding in the Equipment Room!! Kill her! Don't let her get out!"
Hitomi Sakuramiya looked away and smiled at Yan Huan.
"Looks like we need to find the Equipment Room first."
"Yeah. Let's head out and look for the way. And try not to run into that lunatic."
He meant Spencer.
"All right, President."
Hitomi Sakuramiya nodded with a smile and walked out with Yan Huan.
As she examined the classroom door numbers, seemingly to ease the oppressive atmosphere inside the haunted house, Hitomi Sakuramiya started a conversation.
"By the way, President, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"...Hmm?"
"Just now, you and Spencer both seemed to say a few things to each other in private, didn't you?"
Yan Huan paused slightly and turned to look at Hitomi Sakuramiya behind him. Her eyes were full of worry.
That worry was not feigned.
During the confrontation with Spencer earlier, that thought had strangely appeared in her mind again.
That feeling of trusting Spencer and the president unconditionally, of letting down her guard and giving up resistance.
After it happened over and over, Hitomi Sakuramiya grew increasingly certain that Spencer really did possess some special supernatural ability, just as she did.
Moreover, from the faint thoughts that had suddenly appeared in her mind, she surmised that the president, who had no abilities, would surely be affected as well.
If this keeps going unchecked, the president will...
For some reason, Hitomi Sakuramiya suddenly pictured Spencer holding the president in her arms, his expression hesitant and his gaze evasive.
With her head held high, Spencer looked down at her haughtily and laughed without restraint, even baring her distinctive pointed canine.
"Ee-hahahahahahaha! The president is mine!"
Then, when she looked at the president, his expression grew even gloomier, and a tear slid down his cheek.
"I'm sorry, Sakuramiya. I... can't go back anymore..."
"!!"
Hitomi Sakuramiya suddenly shuddered, loathing Spencer even more-to the absolute extreme.
No. I have to deal with Spencer without letting the president find out!
"Ah, sorry, Sakuramiya. I kept it from you earlier. Remember how she secretly took pictures of us? I used a little ploy to get her to delete them."
"A little ploy?"
"That's right."
Yan Huan smiled faintly, turned to look at Hitomi Sakuramiya, and said,
"In return for her giving back the photos, I agreed to one condition."
Hearing this, Hitomi Sakuramiya's pupils slowly contracted.
Before you continue