"President."
At this moment, what exactly did Sakuramiya Hitomi look like in Yan Huan's eyes?
She was kneeling on the floor, her bangs a messy tangle as she looked up at him. The tear tracks on her cheeks, not yet dry, caught the light spilling in from behind her, shimmering faintly.
A glimmer of hope surged in her vacant eyes as they reflected his image, but a second later, she seemed to remember something and lowered her head slightly.
"Sniff..."
Seeing this, the smile on Yan Huan's face faded slightly, as if cracks had formed on the surface of a mask.
To be honest, Yan Huan was not a heartless playboy.
He could not simply endure an emotional nuclear explosion yesterday and then act perfectly natural and composed today.
Therefore, he had chosen to put on his Mask of Perfect Poise.
But watching the normally elegant Sakuramiya Hitomi shedding tears so vulnerably in front of him, his mask felt loose, as if its adhesive was failing and it was about to fall off.
He hurriedly touched his face and turned his head away.
Looking toward Spencer at the door, he asked,
"Spencer?"
"Ah, um..."
Spencer rubbed the back of her head with a guilty conscience, but a second later, she crossed her arms, puffed out her chest, and looked at Yan Huan with complete self-righteousness.
"Wh-What is it?"
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when he suddenly felt someone tugging on his sleeve.
Turning back, he saw Sakuramiya Hitomi reaching out a small hand to grasp his sleeve. She whispered,
"President... it has nothing to do with Spencer. It's my..."
"..."
Yan Huan withdrew his gaze and looked back at Spencer.
Hearing Sakuramiya Hitomi speak in such a dejected tone, this Golden-Haired Lion actually turned her nose up higher and higher.
She struck the exact pose of a victor, looking as though she was just a hair's breadth away from bursting into maniacal laughter.
Yan Huan was a bit speechless. Too lazy to criticize her "blooms with a bit of sunshine" personality, he decided to just shoo her away.
"...Since this doesn't involve you, you should leave first. The Club War is about to start. Shouldn't you go discuss strategy with your club members?"
Spencer had already wanted to leave after getting Sakuramiya Hitomi's defenses broken with just a few sentences. It felt a bit awkward, like accidentally making a friend cry after just a few light jabs.
She didn't know what had gotten into her just now. The thought of boasting in front of Sakuramiya Hitomi to prove that she had already snatched Yan Huan away made her feel as if she possessed divine intervention.
'Come to think of it... I must have gotten smarter again recently!'
"Th-Then I'll be going now."
"Yeah."
With the door half-open, Spencer cast one last glance at the utterly defeated Sakuramiya Hitomi inside.
She then glanced at Yan Huan, who stood before the vice president looking somewhat different from usual. Suddenly, she felt a surge of exhilaration, feeling thoroughly vindicated.
It was just like when the Golden Bomb Pig in Angry Little Pigs landed a One Shot, One Soul, blowing the birds' nest straight to the heavens and claiming absolute victory.
An indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up in her heart, making her long golden hair seem to shine even brighter involuntarily.
Her entire body felt much lighter, and a surge of strength filled her.
She felt as though she had become even more powerful.
"Click."
Basking in this exhilaration, the moment the door shut, Spencer cheerfully squeezed her fists.
"Heck yeah!"
Humming the theme song of Angry Little Pigs, Spencer skipped down the stairs without a care in the world.
Just as she stepped out of the Teaching Building, she seemed to suddenly remember something. She stroked her chin in confusion.
"Wait a minute, what did I originally come to the Student Council Office for again?
"Ah, whatever. Who cares, I had a blast anyway... Hum-de-dum~"
With that thought, she shook her head and jogged merrily toward the Commercial Street.
"Rustle..."
Back in the Student Council Office, Sakuramiya Hitomi remained blankly kneeling on the floor, her gaze fixed entirely on Yan Huan.
As her eyes darted slightly, Spencer's words echoed in her mind like lingering echoes, tormenting her relentlessly.
Before her, Yan Huan bent down and picked up the paper labeled "Doujinshi Society Club Schedule."
After holding it and reading it over briefly, he lifted his gaze to look at Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Sakuramiya Hitomi shrank back under his stare and hastily lowered her head.
But the very next second, Yan Huan didn't say a word; he simply placed the schedule back on the coffee table.
Then, he bent down again to pick up the other documents and items scattered across the floor.
"..."
'If the president asked me something, if he did something...'
'Maybe I would feel a bit better right now.'
Even though he hadn't exposed the rat's hiding place, his silence felt like a far more agonizing interrogation, making Sakuramiya Hitomi feel so terrible she wrapped her arms around herself.
She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse as she spoke.
"President..."
"Ah, what is it?"
"About what happened earlier..."
Hearing this, Yan Huan clutched the documents and stood up straight.
After a second of silence, he set the papers down, smiled, and walked over to Sakuramiya Hitomi, extending a hand toward her.
"Mm-hmm... Rather than that, Sakuramiya, let's have you stand up first. Don't sit on the floor."
"..."
But Sakuramiya Hitomi remained completely still, simply kneeling on the floor in front of the desk.
Yan Huan paused, considered for a moment, and then sat down beside her.
"Creak."
His body leaned against the wooden desk, producing a faint sound.
Sakuramiya Hitomi was slightly startled, raising her teary eyes.
She saw that the gap between their shoulders was being pierced by the midday sun from behind, casting a wide, canyon-like beam of light across the wooden floor in front of them.
Sakuramiya Hitomi stared blankly at that broad projection of sunlight, resting her slightly trembling left hand on the floor.
But this time, when she reached toward Yan Huan, she didn't find the tips of his fingers just a hair's breadth away.
Yan Huan turned his head to look at her and asked,
"What happened earlier, is there a problem?"
"...Pr... President, regarding... the surveillance cameras earlier... I was wrong..."
Illuminated by the sunlight from behind, the rat hiding in the gutter finally extended a trembling claw, attempting to climb up to the bustling corridor.
Yan Huan looked at her. After a brief silence, he smiled and asked,
"What are you talking about, Sakuramiya?"
"Eh?"
"Isn't that kind of thing completely normal?"
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes widened, looking at Yan Huan in disbelief.
She watched him blink and turn his head as he explained,
"You've got it wrong. I wasn't giving you an attitude that day because of you, Sakuramiya. It was only because Spencer barged in so suddenly, so..."
Before them, the illusory figure of Myau-chan materialized, sitting gracefully on the floor and looking at Yan Huan.
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes trembled slightly as she seemed to realize something.
'The Common Sense Modification from my Jiejiè has taken effect by inertia...'
'Does that mean the thing I was worrying about never actually happened?!'
'I thought that because the Jiejiè's effect was interrupted by Spencer again, my relationship with the president would go back to how it was before.'
At this thought, Sakuramiya Hitomi opened her mouth, a hint of struggle flashing through her eyes.
'Since...'
'Since everything has landed safely now, could I maybe just...'
'Continue to pretend that nothing ever happened?'
'This way, I can maintain the same relationship with the president as before...'
'This way, the president's common sense has already been modified, so it wouldn't matter even if I kept him under surveillance...'
The rat that had crawled out of the drainpipe seemed uncomfortable under the surface light and exhibited a desire to retreat.
"..."
Watching the relief and hesitation flash through Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes, Myau-chan, who sat in front of them, sighed.
'Sakuramiya Hitomi, are you really going to choose the wrong option every single time?'
"..."
Yan Huan stared directly at Sakuramiya Hitomi, watching her purse her lips and fall into a lengthy silence.
Eventually, he seemed to understand her answer.
He lowered his eyes and reached up to rub his face, as if trying to rub the smile right into his very soul.
Exhaling a long breath, Yan Huan smiled and glossed over the topic.
He braced his hands on his knees, preparing to stand up and continue cleaning up the mess in front of him.
"Saku—"
"N-No, it's not like that!!"
But right at that moment, Sakuramiya Hitomi abruptly cried out.
"..."
Yan Huan turned to look at her. Suddenly, the surrounding space distorted for a fraction of a second. The space outside darkened before violently brightening up again.
An opposing wave of common sense erupted, completely shattering the Common Sense Modification that Sakuramiya Hitomi had previously imposed on him.
The modification of his common sense had been undone by Sakuramiya Hitomi.
As that horrifying awareness slowly returned, Yan Huan stared in a daze while Sakuramiya Hitomi clenched her fists tightly and confessed to him,
"It was a terrible thing to do... I know I was wrong. So, even if you want to dismiss me as vice president, or even if you call the police... I... I'll accept it..."
Two crystal tears slowly slid down Sakuramiya Hitomi's pale cheeks.
Spencer's mocking words were still fresh in her mind, stabbing into her heart like merciless steel blades.
However, she had to admit that the foolish Spencer was right. It was precisely because she didn't believe the president could ever like the real her that she had donned a glamorous mask to attract his attention.
She truly was despicable, stopping at nothing to achieve her goals.
It was perfectly normal for the president to despise someone like her and give up on her.
But even someone like her didn't want to use the Jiejiè to alter his consciousness, forcing him to say things he would never have said otherwise.
'Yesterday, I...'
'I just didn't want the president to hate me...'
'I didn't mean to intentionally deceive or hurt him.'
She deeply regretted using the Jiejiè on him yesterday.
"Crack, crack, crack!!"
Just then, Myau-chan's eyes suddenly lit up. He called out to Yan Huan,
"It's a fragment, meow! Sakuramiya Hitomi's Modifier has dropped a fragment!"
But Yan Huan didn't have time to pay attention to Myau-chan, who was celebrating like it was the New Year. He simply stared at Sakuramiya Hitomi.
The atmosphere in the Student Council Office gradually settled into silence. The two student council members sat on the floor before the desk, sheltered by the sunlight.
The girl sobbed, as though pulling back the mask she had always worn for the very first time, even if it was just a corner of it.
Tears streaming down her face, Sakuramiya Hitomi spoke to Yan Huan,
"I'm sorry, President... the real me... is completely different from the person you usually see..."
The perfect expression management on Yan Huan's face slowly melted away. After a second of silence, he asked,
"Then what is the real Sakuramiya like?"
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi shook her head and cowered in evident pain, shrinking her petite frame entirely into the shadow cast by the tall desk behind them.
She couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Clearly, speaking those previous words had drained away every ounce of her courage.
But at least for now, she sat quietly in front of him, no longer running away as she awaited his judgment.
The Sakuramiya Hitomi of today had already been brave enough.
"...I understand. Even though it's still hard to brush off, at the very least, you've taken down all the cameras, right, Sakuramiya?"
"Eh?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi froze in surprise, lifting her eyes to look at Yan Huan.
'Nara was the one doing that job. Why would the president know?'
"...You are still the vice president of the Far Moon Academy Student Council. If something like this were to leak out, not only the Student Council, but the entire Far Moon Academy would lose face completely."
"I-I'm sorry..."
Ashamed, Sakuramiya Hitomi lowered her head.
'If this gets out, it would bring shame to my family too, wouldn't it?'
"Therefore, the best solution is, once I confirm you've dismantled all the cameras and destroyed all the footage, you'll temporarily remain as vice president on probation, alright?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi was taken aback, for she had already prepared herself to resign from the Student Council.
She looked up in astonishment at Yan Huan's serious expression and asked in confusion,
"I-Is that it, President? Why?"
Seeing her like this, Yan Huan suddenly recalled how she had acted when she first joined the Student Council and faced his questioning.
"It sounds like you came here to help me out of selfless devotion?"
"Interpret it however you like."
"And your reason?"
"The reason is... no comment."
Thinking back on that, he smiled faintly, looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi, and gave the exact same reply,
"Why? ...No comment."
"Eh?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi's small face began to turn red, and she pursed her lips tightly. She was clearly recalling what Spencer had told her earlier—that the president had liked her before.
'Could it be that the president has weird tastes too, and even after hearing me say all that, he still likes me?'
'No, no, no...'
'No matter how I think about it, that's just wishful thinking.'
'But...'
'What on earth does the president mean right now?!'
"H-Honestly..."
However, since the peak of her anxiety had finally passed, her body slowly went limp, and she no longer had the energy to press Yan Huan for answers.
Up ahead, Myau-chan trotted back with a faintly glowing red, illusory centipede mandible in his mouth. He shook his head helplessly and muttered to himself,
"What else could it be for? Isn't it just because you're a Modifier host?"
But the next second, Yan Huan pushed off his knees, stood up, and addressed Sakuramiya,
"Alright then, Vice President Sakuramiya. Since you're on a probationary period, you'll need to perform well in the upcoming Club War."
"Eh? O-Okay."
Sakuramiya Hitomi pursed her lips and agreed while looking at his profile.
'When it comes down to it, it's probably not just because of the Modifier, right?'
Yan Huan bent over and patiently picked up the documents one by one, unable to stop a certain memory from surfacing.
Because this morning, he had actually met Nara.
"There aren't any cameras like Sister Tong mentioned. You don't think someone came and removed them ahead of time, do you?"
"Ah, someone who's been single since birth like Sister Tong is always the most paranoid, especially since that kid is so young. She probably suspects he's out fooling around at the slightest rustle of the wind. It's totally normal~"
"Sister Tong is definitely a water sign."
"Damn, you believe in astrology? Wait, why is someone dismantling stuff here this early?"
"Look at her feet! It's a camera!!"
"There actually was a camera?! Wh-Who are you?!"
"That face... Sakayori Mina!! It's you?!"
"Thud!"
"Crash!!"
"Clang... Clatter..."
Turning the clock back to earlier that morning, Yan Huan had been at home packing his school bag when he heard some noise outside his door.
He blinked, glanced at the entrance, and quietly crept over, peering through the peephole.
He caught sight of a charming woman in a black leather jacket. She was lighting a cigarette as she walked up to his door and knocked.
"Knock, knock~"
"Yan Huan, are you there? I saw you come back just now."
'Isn't this woman Nara, the bodyguard always beside Sakuramiya?'
Yan Huan quickly pulled away from the peephole, thinking to himself that perhaps Sakuramiya Hitomi's family had sent their bodyguard to silence him because he had discovered her hidden cameras.
But a second later, Nara's voice drifted through the door once more.
"Relax. Strictly speaking, I don't belong to the Sakuramiya family; I only take orders from the Eldest Miss. I came behind her back because I want to tell you some things about her. It's fine if you don't open the door."
"..."
"I know you found out about the Eldest Miss planting cameras to keep you under surveillance. She was completely wrong for doing that. I tried to talk her out of it many times, and I have no intention of making excuses for her."
"..."
"I just want to tell you this: she actually feels deeply inferior and incredibly insecure whenever she's around you."
Outside, a cigarette poised between her lips, Nara leaned against the door and looked with a headache at the burly gangsters groaning on the corridor floor before she continued.
"Her inferiority complex is so severe that she completely refuses to believe you could ever like her true self. Therefore, she can only decorate herself by studying your preferences, making sure her every action aligns with what you favor.
"She wants to know your whereabouts but doesn't dare to ask you directly, terrified that exposing her eagerness will make you suspicious. She likes you to death, yet she still forces herself to act pretentious and take all these convoluted detours..."
Behind the door, Yan Huan stopped looking through the peephole and merely glanced down at Myau-chan, who had eagerly trotted over to his feet.
"Someone like her, influenced by her environment since childhood, is practically an expert in putting on false fronts and hiding her true intentions.
"But ever since she met you and joined the Student Council, she has slowly started to change, Yan Huan.
"You could say that everything about her is fake; she is an absolute rat through and through, but the only thing that's real is her affection for you."
At this point, the lookout stationed downstairs seemed to notice that something was amiss and hastily sprinted up the stairwell.
But Nara hadn't finished speaking yet. She glanced around the corridor nervously, mapping out an escape route while her words sped up.
"So, Yan Huan, no matter what happens, please give the Eldest Miss another chance.
"This time, if she still refuses to be honest with you even a little bit, then she's beyond saving. Just pretend I never said any of this, and deal with her however you see fit.
"But if it's the opposite, then please trust that she can turn over a new leaf. Even if you don't choose to be with her in the end, at least you won't leave any regrets behind now."
Inside the room, Myau-chan lifted his head and looked at Yan Huan.
"Meow~"
Outside, another wave of clamor erupted.
"Holy shit!! It's Sakayori Mina! Tell the gang, we found Sakayori Mina!"
"Catch her! Don't let her escape!"
"Hurry and notify Sister Tong!!"
"..."
'Sister Tong?'
'Did I hear that right?'
Yan Huan suddenly recalled seeing a familiar tattoo on Nara's back when they were in the car last time. He quickly pressed his eye back against the peephole to check the situation outside.
He saw that the moment Nara heard the name "Sister Tong," her previously charming expression twisted into one beyond tears.
She gasped in shock and dropped one of the men with a high kick, but she didn't dare stay to fight, as someone in the distance was already making a phone call.
Nara shot a quick wink at Yan Huan's peephole. A split second later, she bolted, sprinting wildly toward the other emergency exit.
As she ran, the chilly morning wind scraped fiercely against her face.
'If it weren't for Sakuramiya Hitomi's mess, would someone with my skills really have gotten caught red-handed by these guys?'
'Great, now I have to lay low for a while. If that crazy Red-Haired Demon catches me...'
Just the thought of it sent a violent shudder through Nara's body.
Beyond tears, she forced her legs to run even faster while screaming internally,
'Eldest Miss, this is your very last chance with Yan Huan! You absolutely have to seize it!!'
'This is my final Hamon, aaaaaah!!!'