Sunday afternoon, Far Moon Academy.
"Ah, it's really starting to warm up lately. Even the sunlight has become glaring."
"It's already spring, after all. It's a great time for romance~"
"Tch, whenever I think of that Spencer, I get absolutely furious."
"Yeah! Taking advantage of the President being a nice guy and helping her is one thing, but to bite the hand that feeds her and do something like that in front of the whole school?!"
"I've decided! Today I'm going to form a new club called the 'Anti-Spencer Alliance'!"
"Hey, you still dare to go against her?"
"Yeah, didn't you see that after the Club War ended, Hua Zhaofeng and those two former members of the Doujinshi Society were invited for tea by the disciplinary committee? We'll probably see their expulsion notices next week."
"Ugh..."
"Besides, there's no need to rush. The Club War's wish isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card. If she keeps acting like this, she'll still get expelled eventually. By then, she won't have the luxury of another Club War wish."
"...That's true. Heh, she might not even use the wish to stay. I heard the Academic Affairs Office has already initiated the procedure to retain her academic status..."
"Tell me more."
The students chatted with one another as they walked down the corridor. Outside, parents who had finally made the rare trip over also gathered with acquaintances, making plans to share dinner together that evening.
As the sun gradually descended in the west, the twilight turned golden, crawling up the wall where the "Doujinshi Society Victory" notice was posted.
On it, the names of Spencer, Jiang Yun, An Le, and Yan Huan were strikingly conspicuous.
Everything had finally settled.
At this moment, in the Principal's Office.
"Ahem, Student Spencer, it has been a while."
Principal Hermes smiled as he brought over two cups of tea, placed them on the table, and then took a seat.
He raised his eyes to look at Spencer, who had several bandages wrapped around her body, and Jiang Yun beside her, who was visiting the Principal's Office for the first time.
A principal pouring tea for students was indeed quite rare.
But since Hermes was in a pretty good mood today, he did not dwell on such formalities.
"Ah, you're the old grandpa with the goatee from before!"
"..."
Hermes's smile, wrinkly like a chrysanthemum, froze slightly, but he eventually nodded and said,
"Hoho, it is like this, Student Spencer. According to our school's tradition, the winner of the Club War can make one wish to the school.
"Before formally submitting it to the School Board, the standard procedure is to first send it to the Principal's Office for review, so..."
Hermes smiled amiably, looking at Spencer in front of him, and asked,
"Student Spencer, you are the Club President. Before the competition, you should have already decided what wish you want to ask of the school, right?"
"..."
Hearing this, Spencer pondered for a second, recalling her original plan.
Originally, regardless of whether they won or lost the Club War, she was going to leave the school.
So this wish was supposed to be given to the club members, letting them decide what they wanted.
But now that Zuo Chuan Da Zai and Nino had quit, as for the remaining three members...
An Le was in the hospital. Spencer had sent her a message asking about it but received no reply, and her phone calls had gone unanswered.
As for Yan Huan, she didn't even know if he truly counted as a member of the Doujinshi Society.
Ever since she was taken away by the school doctor for treatment, she hadn't known where he went after she returned.
'Could he be shy?'
"..."
"Student Spencer..."
Jiang Yun looked speechlessly at the spacing-out Spencer, ultimately unable to hold back a reminder.
"Ah! Right!"
Spencer snapped out of her daze. Looking at the smiling Hermes and the speechless Jiang Yun beside her, she coughed lightly and hurriedly returned to the main topic.
She looked at Jiang Yun and prepared to ask,
"Jiang Yun, I originally planned..."
"No need."
"Huh?"
Jiang Yun shook her head, looking at Spencer as she said,
"The President already told me about your original arrangement. So... if you were planning to give the wish to us, forget about it."
"Hah? He... he told you?!"
Spencer froze slightly, staring at her. Jiang Yun ultimately couldn't help but smile slightly and said,
"Mhm.
"To be honest, although I put in effort too, you and President Yan were the main contributors today, weren't you?
"As for me, an invisible Outer Court Student, managing to leave my name on the Club War winners' list—a place usually reserved for Inner Court Students—is already more than enough.
"And junior An Le, even while sick and hospitalized, helped out without a moment's rest. Wasn't that also so you could stay?
"If you choose to leave, don't you feel like you're letting her down?"
An Le...
That's right, An Le!!
Hearing Jiang Yun mention An Le, Spencer's small face turned completely pale.
She swallowed a mouthful of saliva, inevitably recalling how An Le had constantly helped her draft training plans and gather information during this time, even while hospitalized.
She had told her many times that she didn't want her to leave.
And how had she repaid her?
In front of a massive crowd, she had kissed Yan Huan—the very guy she promised to help An Le pursue!
'Was that scene broadcast live on the screens and seen by her?'
Hiss...
But just as Spencer was nursing a headache full of guilt, wondering what to do, the memory of kissing Yan Huan rushed back into her mind all at once.
She still remembered how she had sprinted toward the shirtless boy with all her might.
He hadn't even realized she was running toward him until she was extremely close, turning his head in slight bewilderment.
For some reason, the moment she saw his face—completely stripped of its peacock-like facade—Spencer suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him again.
And so, she did exactly that.
"..."
'I was just too excited back then!'
'It... it was all because we won the competition, so...'
'Well, I didn't expect that guy's true appearance to be like that either.'
But the more she recalled it, the more deeply certain memories etched themselves into Spencer's mind.
The sensation of holding his bare body tightly, the feel of the lips she had traced for so long, the smile he revealed when he saw her crying...
Thinking up to this point, Spencer suddenly became a bit restless.
Not only did her legs start bouncing repeatedly, but the hand rubbing the back of her head was practically rubbing her scalp raw, and her face grew redder and redder.
Golden Bomb Pig, Overheated form activated!
Along with this, silently and imperceptibly, the deep-seated guilt she felt toward An Le was completely swallowed up without a trace.
"Student Spencer, before you make a decision, please allow this old man to remind you..."
Right then, Hermes took a sip of tea and cautioned,
"No matter what decision you make, the Club War's wish is a temporary, one-time affair.
"This means you can establish an agreement with the school to 'exempt you from this specific expulsion process,' but you cannot demand an agreement that 'makes you immune to any future expulsion processes.'"
With that, Hermes set his teacup down and stated,
"Fundamentally, choosing to use the wish to stay will not change the predicament you faced previously.
"It means you will still have to face the evaluations of the academy's academic standards and student conduct codes; you will still be ostracized by your classmates...
"Compared to taking a temporary leave, retaining your academic status, and hiring private tutoring to study at home, staying means you will inevitably encounter many more difficulties.
"Therefore, personally speaking, I suggest you do not use your wish here."
Hearing this, Spencer pursed her lips. After thinking for a moment, she had no choice but to nod slightly in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun immediately shot a glare at Principal Hermes.
"Hey, Principal..."
But the next second, Hermes smiled faintly and continued speaking to Spencer. "This is my personal opinion, but next, there are thoughts that Student Yan entrusted me to convey to you."
Spencer's initially downcast eyes shot up instantly, staring at Principal Hermes as she listened to him speak.
"Student Yan holds the exact opposite view as me: he hopes you can stay."
"Yan... Yan Huan?"
Hermes nodded, raising three fingers, and said,
"He listed three reasons why he hopes you will stay.
"First, Student Yan stated that Dr. Ye Linna previously diagnosed you with mild dyslexia, which might be related to your past treatments for a congenital neurological disease.
"In Student Yan's view, this obstacle can be overcome through your own persistent efforts and the help of others.
"Second, Student Yan believes that while your ostracization by classmates is undeniably due in part to your own issues, it cannot be denied that initially, you made an enemy of Park Seo-moon precisely to stop the bullying of Student An Le.
"If 'failing to notice Park Seo-moon's bullying behavior' was already an oversight of the Student Council, then they cannot allow 'betraying your kindness in stopping the bullying' to become the Student Council's second oversight."
Finally, Hermes lowered all three fingers, looking kindly at Spencer as he spoke.
"If the first two points were his reasons given to me from the standpoint of the Student Council President, then the final point is his own personal reason.
"As your friend, he does not want you to stay cooped up at home like before. He wants you to personally and thoroughly experience everything the outside world has to offer...
"Whether it be its ugliness or its beauty."
Listening to Hermes's slowly spoken words, Spencer unconsciously felt as if Yan Huan were telling her these things himself.
Unconsciously, she touched her chest, struck with an urgent desire to see him again.
Although she had said earlier that she could come back to visit often, she would ultimately be an outsider to the school by then.
She couldn't possibly climb over the wall ungracefully every single time like she did before, could she?
If that happened, the number of times they'd see each other would only dwindle.
Although...
She seemed to cause him trouble every single time they met.
But...
She wanted to, wanted to keep seeing him.
Thump... thump... thump...
Hermes took a sip of hot tea, then raised his eyes and asked,
"Of course, whether it is an elder, a friend, or... hoho, a friend of the opposite sex, they can only offer you suggestions.
"From beginning to end, the most important thing is the truest thought within your own heart.
"So, Student Spencer, have you decided whether you want to use this wish to stay?"
The office fell into a temporary silence. After a brief hesitation, Spencer, who was clenching her fists, gradually had a resolute gleam color her clear sky-blue eyes.
Immediately after, she raised her eyes, looked at Principal Hermes, and began to smile.
"I've decided! I want to use this wish to stay!!
"No matter the difficulties, I'll overcome them all!!"
"..."
"Phew~"
Yet at this moment, right as she voiced those words, one person and one cat walking in the sunset at the school gate suddenly paused.
Yan Huan turned his head, looking toward the Teaching Building.
Myau-chan stood on his shoulder, urging excitedly,
"Hurry home, meow! Tonight we can use the fragment to evolve the Modifier, meow!"
"...Modifier this, Modifier that. Myau-chan, you're truly hopeless."
Yan Huan looked at Myau-chan and sighed, wearing an expression that said the cat was beyond saving.
This made Myau-chan so angry its whiskers bent. It hurriedly used its paw pads to push against Yan Huan's face.
"Meow?! You were the one so obsessed with the Modifier before, meow! You awful villain!"
Hearing this, Yan Huan smiled slightly and shook his head.
"True. After all, the mission hasn't succeeded yet, so we still need to be a little realistic."
"Yan Huan, you aren't still thinking about Spencer's kiss, are you?"
"...How could I? Am I that kind of person?"
"Yep, after all, Chu Nan's imagination is very rich, meow~"
"I think you need some tough love, Myau-chan."
"Meow?"
"...Myau-chan, do you think Spencer will stay?"
"Hmm, if it was for her own sake, no."
"...True."
"But if it's for your sake, then it's hard to say, meow~"
"..."
The person and the cat walked further and further away.
At this moment, in the Principal's Office.
Hermes pushed forward a document drafted by his secretary, detailing the redemption of the wish granted to the Doujinshi Society for their victory.
"The specific details have already been drafted, and your family has been notified. Finally, Student Spencer, you just need to sign here."
Spencer gripped the pen, leaned over the desk, and illegibly signed her name at the top.
"Aria Spencer."
"All done!"
Hermes smiled and nodded, retrieving the document. He was just about to say, "If there's nothing else, you are free to go."
But right at that moment, a ringtone suddenly sounded from within Spencer's arms.
"Ring, ring, ring~"
"Huh?"
Spencer froze slightly and took out her mobile phone to take a look.
The contact name "Mama" displayed on the screen was incredibly conspicuous.
The moment she saw the name, Spencer's pupils constricted slightly, and she immediately shot to her feet.
She pursed her lips and began pacing restlessly back and forth across the office.
"..."
After hesitating back and forth for a long while, she finally reached out and pressed the answer button.
"Beep~"
Seeing this reaction, Hermes immediately knew that Chairman Ai Lieweila·Sipansai had called her.
"Shh!"
He hurriedly gestured for Jiang Yun, who was just about to leave, to keep quiet and not speak.
Having just answered the call, Spencer tremblingly brought the phone to her ear.
After pausing for several seconds, she spoke tentatively,
"Ma... Mama?"
"..."
Amidst Spencer's intense anticipation, a faint female voice finally transmitted from the other end of the line—flat and calm, yet paradoxically, filled with the utmost tender doting.
"Aria..."