Chapter 49: The Heightened Tension — Who’s Being Dominated? (Double Feature)

Chapter 49: The Heightened Tension — Who’s Being Dominated? (Double Feature)

After consulting with Sakura Kyoko, it turned out she didn’t grasp much about the two-dimensional culture. Yan Huan decided to take her to the entertainment area for some fun, starting with the basics.

It was only a little past nine, and Bai Yi’s event wouldn’t need attention until after noon.

Before that, wandering around with Sakura in the venue seemed like a good choice.

Such opportunities were rare; although the members of the student council usually stuck together, true team-building activities didn’t happen often.

Today’s comic exhibition was one, and the last time was last semester when they visited the Sakuraguchi family to see their kittens.

“Hello to you both! Before entering the entertainment area, each of you can draw a lottery ticket for a chance to win plush toys and free ride vouchers!”

At the entrance of the entertainment area, they were stopped by a staff member holding a lottery box.

“Such a generous offer?”

Yan Huan sneaked a glance at the entertainment facilities inside. Some were free, but most required extra tickets to enter.

“Hmm, trying my luck sounds nice.”

Sakura Kyoko nodded in agreement, stepping forward to reach into the box.

As she rummaged, she turned to Yan Huan and asked,

“President, would you mind if I drew one for you too?”

“Sure.”

“Alright then.”

Sakura Kyoko pulled out two slips of paper, opening them to find written on them three different prizes.

“It seems like we’ve won something.”

Yan Huan observed and murmured,

“We can both enter a free haunted house, then one ticket is for a free fortune-telling while the other’s for fifteen shot bullets and five claw machine tokens.”

“Lucky us, President,” Sakura Kyoko chuckled, covering her mouth.

Cunning~

The two slips were actually already attached to the inside of the lottery box by Nairu, easily retrieved with a simple search.

To avoid any suspicion, Sakura Kyoko even set different rewards to make the lottery appear more authentic.

They were going together anyway, so there was no need for concern.

“Indeed, then shall we check out this so-called fortune-telling first?”

“Sounds good.”

Sakura Kyoko smiled gracefully, but inside, her thoughts were a different story.

Surely the President would catch on soon enough?

She had made all kinds of psychological suggestions regarding the fortune-telling, shooting games, and claw machines.

Emphasizing that “true love is by your side,” and having Nairu interpret the result, saying phrases like “with some effort, you’ll find happiness.”

The claw machine would easily yield matching couple prizes, two little cat plushies that would form a heart shape when their tails were put together.

With each subtle hint, she aimed to plant the seeds of affection in the President’s mind without him realizing.

And then, the haunted house would finally break out!

The dark and crammed school space, ghostly NPCs lurking everywhere, producing an overwhelming atmosphere.

At that moment, all she needed to do was create a slight physical contact with the President, waiting for him to blink in surprise and glance over.

“President, I…I feel a bit scared. Can I hold your hand for now?”

Sakura Kyoko trailed behind Yan Huan, her inside grin gradually turning sinister.

Soon, the President would be with her, making it only natural to invite her over to his rented place, right?

Then, she’d set up a second room barrier in the President’s house, completely sealing the last puzzle piece of “the President’s” life.

What a beautiful future~

Just as Sakura Kyoko began to envision names for their first child, Yan Huan suddenly halted, pulling out his phone.

“It seems Ya Qiao Mu has wrapped things up over there. Let’s meet at the Doujin Area.”

“…”

Upon hearing that, Sakura Kyoko maintained her smile.

But it appeared rusty, making it feel eerily stiff.

Haha, Ya Qiao Mu, you certainly know how to pick your moments~

Did your time sense get messed up while nurturing those electronic potted plants?

Just wait, one day I’m definitely going to steal your game account and melt down all the weapons and materials you got for your wife!!

“Is that so?”

The cloud overhead moved in such a way that it blocked the sunlight from shining down on the Exhibition Center. Shadows shaped like clouds were cast across the venue.

In the shadows, Sakura Kyoko turned back understood, and gently spoke to Yan Huan.

“Then let’s head over and meet up with Ya Qiao Mu.”

Hearing this, Nairu, who stood in the darkness, sighed silently.

Just as predicted…

Once a mask is donned, unless removed, no matter what the true expression is, others only see the facade.

But perhaps the young lady wasn’t unaware of this principle; she simply found it hard to accept her true feelings beneath that mask, thus hiding them.

There was nothing that could be done.

Unless the outside world learned to embrace that ugliness and normalizd it—but that was impossible.

What a waste of effort…

Nairu blinked and reached for the walkie-talkie, prepared to send a retreat order to the staff lurking around.

But amongst the sea of people, Yan Huan remained focused on Sakura Kyoko’s smiling figure in the shadows.

After a moment’s contemplation, he suddenly spoke up,

“Since we’ve made it this far, it would be a pity not to play at all, especially since we just won something.”

“…”

Sakura Kyoko, still wearing a proper smile, was briefly taken aback, and even Nairu, hidden in the shadows, turned to glance over.

Their contrasting reactions and gazes silently fixated on Yan Huan.

Ah, Yan Huan, your persistent charm is what captivates the lady to this extent…

At this rate, once caught, don’t blame her for draining you dry!

Well, though he remained blissfully ignorant…

Nairu sighed and released the walkie-talkie.

Sakura Kyoko blinked and tucked a stray strand of black hair behind her ear.

This gesture was little more than a subconscious habit when her emotions were stirred, and even with a mask, there was no escaping it.

In front of Yan Huan, such movements were particularly frequent.

“Are they going to make them wait for long?”

“It’s fine. We made them wait long enough earlier. Now it’s their turn to wait for us.”

Yan Huan scanned the surrounding entertainment facilities, noticing the haunted house was the most expensive, costing 99 per person, but they had somehow won free tickets.

“Let’s just pick a couple things to try, it won’t take too long. Have you tried a haunted house before, Sakura Kyoko?”

“Not yet, but I would like to give it a shot.”

“Great, let’s check it out.”

Yan Huan messaged Ya Qiao Mu, letting him know they would be a bit late.

In response came an “OK” with a cute two-dimensional girl’s emoji, along with a message.

“No worries, President. We’re just browsing nearby as well.”

Nairu, observing from the shadows, offered a slight smile. She picked up the walkie-talkie again and said,

“Prepare the haunted house staff and check the mechanisms; action is about to begin.”

“Understood.”

The clouds slowly shifted, allowing sunlight to seep back in, lighting up the entrance to the haunted house queue.

It seemed they had to wait a little while longer.

Sakura Kyoko followed behind Yan Huan, sunlight spilling warmly over them, illuminating Yan Huan’s silhouette.

She felt a bit warm, so she opened her umbrella to shield herself from the sun.

“Please wait here, customers. Due to limited space in the venue, each group can only accommodate two sets of 8 visitors at a time. Once we gather enough people, staff will escort you inside.”

At the haunted house entrance, a smiling staff girl handed Yan Huan and Sakura Kyoko a pair of eye masks, stating,

“Also, for the immersive experience, please wear these masks. We will begin the background story shortly.”

Having played escape room games in his previous life, Yan Huan found this process quite familiar.

Turning around, he noticed Sakura Kyoko had already put on her mask.

She adjusted its position and curiously asked,

“President, if we can’t see anything like this, how will we get in later?”

“Staff will guide us, I suppose.”

“I see…”

As they talked, the lights in the waiting room suddenly went dim.

Then, terrifying music accompanied by a girl’s voice echoed through the room,

“I’m Rina Saito from Class A, Year One of Kyofu High. The story I’m about to tell is about Kyofu High, and my dear friend Manako….”

The atmosphere was ripe, and that emotionless first-person narration, as though narrated by a corpse, even made Sakura Kyoko, who knew the setup, feel a tad anxious.

Watching the way Sakura Kyoko tightened her pink lips beneath the eye mask, Yan Huan couldn’t help but smile as he slid on his mask.

The temperature around them seemed to drop significantly. As the final line ended, Rina Saito’s voice rang out again.

However, this time it seemed to come from right behind Sakura Kyoko.

“Dear guests, please hold hands and enter Kyofu High together.”

Sakura Kyoko swallowed, freezing in place.

But in front of her, a warm, big hand reached out and enveloped her ice-cold fingers in its palm.

“Let’s go, Sakura.”

“Okay, President.”

His hand felt so large and warm, it was incredibly comfortable.

Unconsciously rubbing against his palm, she quickly stiffened up, worried he might notice her small action.

“Slow down, Sakura. I feel the door opening ahead; there’s a draft. We should take it easy.”

“Mm, President.”

Yan Huan was oblivious to Sakura Kyoko’s subtle actions; he simply kept pulling her forward, officially starting their haunted house adventure.

Meanwhile, with the night vision surveillance, Nairu was keenly observing the events unfolding.

With the walkie-talkie in hand, she was ready to communicate with the respective staff members about each segment.

But before she could give instructions, an urgent female voice pierced through the static of the radio.

“Nairu! We’ve got a situation! Two girls are trying to barge in at the entrance! They said they didn’t want to wait in line and just wanted to go in!”

“What?!”

Nairu blinked, instantly sitting up, a frown replacing her calm demeanor.

“It took so long to clear the area inside; we can’t let anyone in! Pin them down if you have to!”

“We tried pinning them down! We can’t hold them! That blonde girl is as strong as an ox! Believe me, even if you try pulling her, she bowled over A Qiu!”

Upon hearing this, Nairu blinked in disbelief and exclaimed,

“Are you all useless?! There are so many of you and you can’t even hold back a little girl?!”

“That’s not the point, Nairu! It’s mainly…”

Nairu didn’t want to hear any more excuses and instead turned back to the monitor to focus on the entrance, catching the voice emanating from the speakers and only seeing two staff members crouched on the floor, pressing on their hands, clearly in pain from trying to hold the girl’s wrist.

“Ouch…”

Meanwhile, the blonde girl, likely the one referred to as “Spencer,” rushed toward the haunted house, dragging along another girl who was carrying several black bags.

She even casually scanned the ticket booth and bought two haunted house tickets.

“Two tickets, hurry up.”

“Wuwu, let’s not, Spencer. How about you go ahead and have fun in the haunted house while I wait for you outside?”

“Scared, are we?”

“Um…”

The blonde girl called “Spencer” wore a mischievous grin as she glanced over at the timid girl beside her.

“Too bad, I’m refusing.”

“Wuwu…”

Nairu originally suspected something nefarious was aimed at Sakura Kyoko, especially with a bodyguard already knocked down, but surveying the scene, she began to doubt those intentions.

They genuinely just wanted to enter the haunted house.

“…”

How do we handle this then?

Nairu turned her focus to the other end of the monitor, observing the scene with Sakura Kyoko and Yan Huan.

As they were wearing eye masks and Sakura Kyoko felt a bit frightened, they were gradually inching forward together, which led to them not having progressed far before the door opened for Spencer.

“Whoa, so this is the haunted house… huh?”

Just as Spencer was about to declare her arrival with her bold demeanor, she noticed the two holding hands.

Despite the eye masks, the subtle tension radiating between the handsome boy and beautiful girl was unmistakable; Spencer immediately picked up on it.

After a brief moment of pause, her expression instantly tripled in excitement.

“Eh~”

The mischievous smile on Spencer’s face deepened.

Behind her, An Le, who had been trailing Spencer from the inner realm’s doujin expo to the entertainment area, was struggling for breath, wearing a mask.

“Ha… Spencer…”

As such, she was just a tad too late in glancing up to spot the two.

But it was merely a second or so late; once she raised her gaze, her eyes locked on the beautifully masked boy and she froze.

“!!

Little…

Little Huan?!

Excitement, joy, euphoria, anxiety, shock, worry…

A whirlwind of emotions erupted in An Le’s heart like firecrackers, sending Little Pinky—who had been half-heartedly hanging around—shooting eye sparkles, akin to a surprised schoolboy watching a crucial match play out.

“I can’t believe we’re running into each other here?! An Le, hurry! This is our chance!!”

“Eh?”

An Le’s heart raced uncontrollably. She’d never expected the long-anticipated reunion that had been set up by Little Pinky would manifest so soon, tumbling headfirst into reality.

That rush of feeling compelled her to speak up, to reveal her identity to Little Huan.

“But…”

Her peripheral vision suddenly caught the sight of Yan Huan’s hand entwined tightly with Sakura Kyoko’s.

Eh?

Their hands…

Little Huan’s hand was already being held by that Sakura Kyoko…

An Le was momentarily stunned, her mind briefly malfunctioning.

Meanwhile, Yan Huan and Sakura Kyoko had just heard a familiar voice behind them, prompting them both to frown instinctively, resembling synchronized pilots in mecha drifting into the same thought process, and they promptly took off their eye masks.

What greeted them was a monstrous presence, as though an abyss from the Pacific Ocean had burst forth to invade their world.

Codename: The Cow!

“It’s you?!”

They spoke in unison.

Yan Huan recognized her as a dangerous modifier user while Sakura Kyoko was intensely wary of this capable being able to easily break her barrier.

This resulted in their combined aura contrasting sharply against the unexpected guest, Spencer.

Her mixed feelings of uncertainty and excitement made Spencer cross her arms and tilt her head back proudly.

“What a coincidence, I didn’t expect to run into you here, President~”

Once again, she placed particular emphasis on the word “President,” sending chills down Sakura Kyoko’s spine.

Just as Yan Huan was about to speak, a staff member stepped into the doorway, meekly smiling as they said,

“Um, to enter the haunted house, you need to wear eye masks, and after hearing the background story, please hold hands when you go in, alright?”

Upon hearing this, Little Pinky hastily tapped An Le’s cheek with his tail, scolding,

“Don’t be dazed! They’re holding hands only because they’re about to enter the haunted house! Sakura Kyoko hasn’t won yet; you still have a chance!”

“Is that really so?”

An Le finally snapped back to reality, blinking as it dawned on her that the tense atmosphere at the haunted house entrance wasn’t just in her head.

The staff member entered only to retreat back outside.

Eh?

Why do Little Huan and Spencer always seem to be at odds with each other?

Ah, it clicks!

It’s that whole learning group incident from before!

They almost got into a spat back then, and I even inadvertently injected too much pleasure into Little Huan when I was just trying to help…

I’m sorry, Little Huan; it’s all my fault.

“Um… you all…”

An Le’s soft tone tried to diffuse the situation, sounding like a little animal.

At this moment, Yan Huan finally noticed there was another girl standing behind Spencer.

His curious gaze flickered over, trees in the forest: what kind of being could play along with someone like Spencer?

Just as he was about to speak, An Le’s already flustered face turned a deeper shade of crimson, her head darting downward as she shrunk back behind Spencer.

Yan Huan merely caught a hint of a girl wearing a mask, wrapped in several black bags, but knew nothing else.

“You idiot!! What are you doing? Hiding behind someone! Stand up! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

Little Pinky’s voice heated, riled up by the situation.

In the past, words like those would have floated past shy An Le’s ears.

But now, for some reason, standing in front of Little Huan gave her an unexpected surge of courage.

As a result, she silently stepped out from behind Spencer and stood beside her instead.

“Spencer, right? It seems students from Far Moon Academy shouldn’t be lacking in manners, huh?

“Interrupting others ready to start their game, selfishly barging in like this—it doesn’t strike me as an act a rational person would commit.”

Staring coldly at Spencer, Sakura Kyoko began to transpose her feelings of disdain.

But oddly enough, as she set her gaze upon Spencer, she suddenly recalled something and covered her mouth mockingly, saying,

“Oh, I forgot. You’re a transfer student who didn’t seem to take the academy’s etiquette exam, huh? Guess the intelligence tests skipped you as well?”

Spencer frowned, visibly annoyed by the insinuation.

What others might say didn’t faze her, but it seemed she particularly hated being called dumb.

“I…”

Just as she began to speak, An Le, blushing crimson, interjected,

“S-Sorry! We didn’t mean to, I apologize!”

She tugged at Spencer’s sleeve, attempting to sway her away from further arguing with Little Huan and Sakura Kyoko.

“What?!”

Spencer was taken aback, looking incredulously at An Le before her.

“Didn’t you like Little Huan?”

And now, in front of Sakura Kyoko, you can’t even bring yourself to say a thing?

What’s the point of this?

She felt betrayed for the first time, even if only slightly since An Le’s intent wasn’t to harm.

Yet now, Spencer wore a foul expression, teetering on the edge of anger, her golden hair glinting brighter in an unseen shadow, with an invisible ripple spreading across the waiting area without anyone realizing.

All but a subtle chill seemed to creep in.

“Ha?! Vice President, what do you mean by interrupting us? You all haven’t even entered yet. Each group consists of a few people; what’s wrong with me coming in?”

Yan Huan, fully aware of everything about the modifiers, was the first to sense something amiss.

While he wasn’t aware that Spencer’s powers had already manifested, seeing the troubled looks on their faces was enough to guess she wouldn’t let things go easily.

More importantly, Sakura Kyoko was still innocent in all this, and he didn’t want her to be dragged into it.

“Sakura, let’s ignore her and walk away.”

Yan Huan gently tugged on Sakura Kyoko’s hand, intending to pull her safely behind him.

It was a subconscious gesture to protect her, but little did he know, Sakura Kyoko was also trying to pull him behind her to shield him from Spencer.

Both silently acknowledged Spencer as a serious threat while instinctively agreeing the other was innocent and needed to be protected.

Thus, they inadvertently performed the same synchronized action in the moment!

Moreover, with their nerves taut and heightened, neither even realized they hadn’t released their grip on one another’s hands.

Spencer narrowed her eyes, eyeing Yan Huan who spoke up completely throwing herself at him, grinning maliciously,

“President, don’t forget what you promised me, hmm?”

Saying.

That was right; he had previously agreed to a condition with her. Now with things going this way, Sakura Kyoko might get dragged into it.

Perhaps this would be the chance to pull her along with them.

Yan Huan faltered for a moment as that thought drifted through his mind.

Sakura Kyoko, upon hearing that, initially startled, then contemplated:

The previous agreement?

Could it be about the study group?

Or might the President be secretly keeping something from her while dealing with Spencer alone?

No, that can’t be!

This isn’t right.

While firmly believing in the President, she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of doubt creeping in almost uninvited.

At this moment, both their minds erupted with the same thoughts of outrage.

“Why am I feeling this way? This lowlife!!”

Sensing a strong “cow-like” vibe from Spencer, Sakura Kyoko’s eyes sharpened into icy daggers aimed right at her.

“No matter what you’ve said to the President, your wrongs remain wrong! We had a queue of people behind us! You can’t just crash in; we demand you leave this instant!”

However, Spencer didn’t budge, seemingly deaf to Sakura Kyoko’s words as she only kept fixing her gaze on Yan Huan with a sinister smile.

The sheer longing in her gaze made Sakura Kyoko feel sick.

Meanwhile, An Le quietly locked her eyes on the increasingly entwined hands of Yan Huan and Sakura Kyoko, her own gaze glued to them, unable to look away.

Is this okay?

Little Huan, Vice President Sakura Kyoko…

They’re arguing right now!

So it shouldn’t matter if they’re holding hands!

Eh?

Why does it look like they’re still grasping tighter because of this conflict with Spencer?

Now they were practically fingers intertwined?!

This was—

Is this what it feels like for a couple to be united in purpose?

An Le’s glimmering eyes dimmed instantly.

Memories of joyful childhood flooded her mind.

She remembered when they went to the park in the South District to catch cicadas; she had tripped and cried, only for Little Huan to put on a silly face to make her laugh.

She remembered sleeping soundly, cuddling Little Huan, refusing to let him get up when their mom called them in the morning.

Yet all those memories seemed to get crumpled like a piece of paper, tossed into a waste bin by Sakura Kyoko’s invisible hand.

An Le felt that Sakura Kyoko was just coldly smiling down at her, snatching Little Huan away.

From then on, Little Huan’s gaze would never return to her.

And all that love would be directed solely at his new partner.

A perfect Vice President she barely knew, someone who’d just fallen from the sky and known Little Huan for just a little over half a year.

Indeed, at that moment, An Le felt for the first time the grim burdens of being cowed by Sakura Kyoko.

Her heart ached, and tears threatened to flow.

But at that moment, Yan Huan’s voice resonated loudly, cutting through the tangled emotions filling the air.

“Enough, Spencer! You idiot! Do you think I forgot what I told you?”

Surprised, Spencer hesitated briefly.

Then suddenly it dawned on her; she had promised Yan Huan she wouldn’t let Sakura Kyoko learn about any of this.

But earlier, in her moment of impulsivity, she had let it slip.

Even if it was indirect, she had crossed a line.

Spencer’s guilt flooded her as she clutched her arms defensively, but Yan Huan continued pressing forward, insistent.

“It’s our break right now; we don’t have time to argue with you. We have other things to attend to.”

At that moment, while speaking to Spencer, Yan Huan’s resolute tone inadvertently assaulted An Le, leaving her feeling raw and vulnerable.

Since that day, she had viewed Spencer as her only friend.

And yet,

And yet, I don’t want things to be this way.

Interrupting the queue or arguing with Little Huan and Sakura Kyoko…

I just wanted to get back to Little Huan and tell him who I am, but all that does is push him further away!

At this thought, An Le hesitantly grabbed Spencer’s hand.

“Spencer! Let’s… let’s not argue anymore! We actually cut in line; it’s our fault.”

“We should get going… if you still want to play, I’ll wait with you in line. We at least can’t…”

With her head cast downward, she poured out her heart, her remorse lifting an immense weight, breaking through to Spencer.

“Ha?!”

But Spencer just gave her an incredulous look, eyeing An Le as if she had just seen the end of the world.

“Yet here you are, clearly liking Little Huan—now you’re actively siding with these two?”

What’s the deal here?

“Could this day even get any worse?”

Spencer felt an overwhelming sense of betrayal for the first time, even if only slightly—after all, it wasn’t her intent to take it out on An Le.

But once again, Spencer turned away, anger brewing, her soft demeanor flickering into a fierce glare at the girl now standing with Little Huan and Sakura Kyoko.

“Ugh…”

At this point, at the haunted house entrance.

Sakura Kyoko flushed with anger from Spencer’s aggressive stance, fearing the President might be taken away from her.

An Le felt her heart ache even more as she witnessed the intertwined hands of Yan Huan and Sakura Kyoko, unraveling her childhood memories, realizing everything might fall apart.

Spencer felt the sting of betrayal as An Le stood firmly with Sakura Kyoko and Yan Huan.

At once, nobody could discern who was really dominating who.

It could be her overpowering Spencer, or maybe she was being bested in the game.

It could just be that everyone was getting owned, or maybe no one ever really got owned at all.

At heart, it was a philosophical quandary, at least in this tense moment teetering on the edge.

In the chaos of conflicting emotions, nobody could clarify what was happening.

Nonetheless, after reaching a boiling point, something had to give.

And the first to act was Yan Huan.

“Spencer, keep your distance from us today.”

With that, Yan Huan took Sakura Kyoko by the hand and stepped into the haunted house, ignoring Spencer and her friend behind them.

Spencer glared at Yan Huan, feeling miffed as she noticed the budding connection between him and Sakura Kyoko.

Simultaneously, she grew increasingly dissatisfied with that modifier thing.

If only it were just a tad bit stronger…

Spencer glanced at An Le beside her, brow furrowed as she prepared to articulate her frustrations when she suddenly noticed the girl gripping her clothes was trembling.

“…”

Opening her mouth, her gaze landing on An Le, finding her eyes brimming with tears.

“Sorry, Spencer, I… I tried my best to align with you. Even if it meant violating protocol or having conflicts with others…

“I knew it was wrong, but I wanted to stand by you. I didn’t want to let you down…”

As she spoke, she reached up to wipe her tears but became overwhelmed, unable to continue.

Watching An Le’s disheveled state, Spencer felt her deep rage dissipate, struck by An Le’s earnestness glowing with sincerity.

“Fine,” Spencer huffed, scratching her head in vexation, glancing back at Let’s Go to the Haunted House, and then at crying An Le before her.

She opened her mouth but faltered.

Even if words never settled upon her lips, her heart didn’t feel vindictive in the least.

Finally, with an exasperated breath, she blurted,

“Okay, stop crying! I get it, I messed up!”

“…”

An Le, clutching her bags, gazed up at her in utter disbelief.

Did she really just hear that?

Looking at Spencer, she turned to find her face was marred with reluctance—you could tell she was fighting her own emotions.

Though Spencer’s utterance was gruff and unrefined, it felt genuine.

“That’s that!”

She turned her back, striding toward the haunted house entrance, leaving An Le with just a look at her back.

“We’ve already cut in line, so let’s roll with it! No more cutting!

“And if you like Little Huan, say and do what you want—should you need help, just holler!”

An Le blinked, her actions momentarily stalling before she finally decided to keep pace with Spencer into the haunted house.

The two groups took a temporary reprieve as Little Pinky and Nairu remained trapped in stunned silence.

“No way, what were we here for again?

Weren’t we supposed to target Yan Huan?

How come we started waxing poetic about friendship and stumbled into the haunted house instead?

I don’t get it.

But regardless, Little Pinky and Nairu assumed this was just a minor hiccup; there was still space to maneuver.

From Nairu’s perspective, the young lady managed to enter the haunted house successfully, simultaneously allowing Yan Huan and her to draw closer with this sudden turn of events.

All that needed to happen now was to give the planned staff orders to manipulate the haunted house and keep Spencer and her pals away from Yan Huan and Sakura Kyoko.

From Little Pinky’s outlook, he made some progress with Little Huan while also having the irredeemable Spencer by his side; it should be a piece of cake to arrange for a moment alone.

Once he activated the modifier, then he could easily weave those sweet nostalgic tales, fulfilling every desire he had.

Little Pinky and Nairu, though strangers, wore expressions that mirrored the satisfaction nearing their schemes to fruition.

At long last, the time for solitude had dawned, and the advantage was theirs!

Next, as they maneuvered through the haunted house, they were set to conquer!

“I’m so angry, I’m so furious…”

Once those doors to the haunted house opened, a rather intricate maze of school hallways greeted them, with both Yan Huan and Sakura Kyoko stepping carefully, both holding a desire to protect each other, consciously trying to stay clear of Spencer.

But this meant that their hands continued to get intertwined, causing them to drift into an old classroom without even realizing it.

Surrounded by an eerie darkness, ghostly sounds echoed from nowhere, chilling their bones and sparking fear.

Sakura Kyoko instinctively sought warmth, gripping Yan Huan’s hand a tad tighter.

“Sakura, your hand…”

It took mere moments for Yan Huan to grasp the current situation.

“!”

Her carefully constructed facade almost cracked, causing her to release Yan Huan’s hand immediately, profusely apologizing.

“Sorry, President! I just thought… with Spencer earlier…”

“It’s alright.”

Yan Huan smiled slightly, although the hidden emotion behind his charming expression was less inviting.

He genuinely hadn’t anticipated Spencer showing up so unexpectedly.

What was supposed to be a simple exploration to possibly push Bai Yi’s modifier ahead morphed into an encounter with an extremely troublesome Spencer, leaving him deeply perplexed.

It felt akin to preparing a splendid meal just for two, only for five more hungry patrons to crash the dinner table.

And he wondered grimly if Bai Yi and Spencer meeting beforehand might spark the Linyi Gate’s saber war.

How annoying.

Yet, seeing Yan Huan remain unchanged left Sakura Kyoko breathless as she glanced around the classroom, noting the ominous atmosphere coupled with the dreary environment as she reset the topic.

“This haunted house is large. There aren’t any guides. They say we have to find the exit and its key; once we’re out, it counts as a success.”

Yan Huan returned to focusing on their immediate surroundings, momentarily suspending thoughts of Bai Yi and Spencer, and began to analyze his circumstances.

“Though, it shouldn’t be too difficult. There should be some ‘weak guidance’ signs placed around here. Over there, Sakura.”

Sakura Kyoko turned to where Yan Huan pointed only to lock eyes upon a blackboard in a classroom they had unknowingly entered, where bloody words were scrawled messily,

“She’s hiding in the equipment room!! Kill her! Don’t let her escape!”

Sakura Kyoko turned back to Yan Huan, a playful smile on her lips.

“Looks like we need to find the equipment room first.”

“Yeah, let’s find the way out, and avoid any crazies if we can.”

“Okay, President.”

Sakura Kyoko flashed a bright smile, as they ventured onward, both surveying the numbers on classroom doors, while Sakura Kyoko aimed to break the suffocating atmosphere of the haunted house actively, engaging Yan Huan in conversation.

“By the way, President, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Hmm?”

“Earlier, it looked like you and Spencer were exchanging a few words? Am I wrong?”

Yan Huan blinked, briefly surprised, before turning his gaze to Sakura Kyoko, who seemed genuinely concerned.

She wasn’t pretending at all.

Moments ago, while they were at odds with Spencer, it suddenly became odd how those feelings of confidence or trust toward Spencer crept into her mind.

Time and again, that subconscious sensation deepened her belief: that Spencer undoubtedly possessed some sort of special super ability, just like herself.

Moreover, the faint thoughts that had sprouted within her mind led her to speculate that a defenseless President would be just as vulnerable to Spencer’s influence.

What would become of the President, left unguarded, if Spencer’s manipulations went unchecked?

Sakura Kyoko’s mind conjured up an alarming image—Yan Huan cradled tenderly by Spencer, who beamed down at him, that infectious smug grin plastered,

“Yay! Little Huan is mine now!”

And as she gazed at the President, he appeared more distressed as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

“Sorry, Sakura… I can’t go back now.”

“!!”

Sakura Kyoko shivered violently.

The very thought alone ignited an overwhelming hatred toward Spencer, doubling down on the determination to deal with Spencer without any knowledge leaking to the President!

“Ah, my apologies, Sakura, I kept this from you before. Remember when she snapped photos of us? I had to use a little trick to convince her to delete them.”

“A trick?”

“Indeed.”

Yan Huan smiled, turning to glance at Sakura Kyoko straightforwardly, revealing,

“To recover our photo she had in exchange, I promised her something.”

Hearing this left Sakura Kyoko’s expression narrowing in intensity.