"Hold on!"
Right at this moment, Yan Huan's voice seemed to tear a rift through the tense standoff between the two girls, causing Sakuramiya Hitomi to freeze in surprise.
"I cannot possibly hold on, President! Just... just what exactly is going on here? Since when did you and An Le get together?"
As soon as she opened her mouth, Sakuramiya Hitomi could not hold back any longer and began to fire off questions.
In truth, given Sakuramiya Hitomi's personality, even if she encountered such a situation, she would typically not ask about it directly.
As a gloomy, introverted person, Sakuramiya Hitomi would normally hide her reactions on the surface and then verify the truth in private.
If it was false, she would breathe a sigh of relief.
If it was true, she could conveniently go crazy in private.
She absolutely would not lose her composure and ask such questions right in front of the President.
The reason she acted this way now was primarily due to a combination of factors that made her extremely anxious.
Do not forget, she had hurriedly taken a flight here last night, calling in both people and heavy machinery, all to rescue him as quickly as possible.
Yet, right upon meeting, without even a chance for small talk, a massive bombshell was dropped directly on her.
How could Sakuramiya Hitomi possibly hold back after that?
She snatched off the green safety helmet on her head, her sharp gaze landing on their intertwined hands. No matter how she looked at it, the sight was deeply grating.
You are still holding hands?!
"Ugh..."
Feeling Sakuramiya Hitomi's piercing gaze, An Le felt a twinge of a guilty conscience.
Especially since it was entirely because of her Memory Correction that Xiao Huan was acting like this.
Moreover, the villagers nearby, observing this complicated situation, could not help but show awkward expressions, realizing they had spoken out of turn.
They backed away slightly, distancing themselves from the battlefield. Just like the staff members from Fukuoka Prefecture that Sakuramiya Hitomi had summoned, they only dared to watch from afar.
"..."
'Sure enough, I should let go of his hand first and explain things clearly to Vice President Sakuramiya.'
'This is all because of my Memory Correction...'
With this in mind, An Le intended to release Xiao Huan's hand first.
Yet, for some reason, she felt that letting go of Xiao Huan's hand now to explain things to Vice President Sakuramiya...
...would be like admitting that the happy days spent with Xiao Huan over the past few days were truly nothing but a fleeting illusion.
And that now, it was time to wake up.
From the bottom of her heart, An Le could not help but feel a wave of melancholy, reluctant to let go.
But she still chose to release her grip.
"Clasp!"
However, just as An Le let go, Yan Huan's large hand immediately took the initiative to grab hers, gripping her wrist tightly.
"Eh?"
An Le froze slightly. Looking at her hand that had been proactively grasped, a slightly flushed face appeared as she stared at Yan Huan in surprise.
Meanwhile, Sakuramiya Hitomi was nearly sent reeling by Yan Huan's proactive gesture, the oppressive aura around her growing even heavier...
'Sure enough, once I play dumb, all my previous efforts regarding An Le will turn into nothing.'
'But if I do not play dumb, Sakuramiya is going to explode right now...'
Yan Huan sighed inwardly. At this life-or-death juncture, he could not afford to worry about anything else. He had to put on the mask of Expression Management and make his move.
"Hum!"
The moment he donned the mask, Yan Huan's expression instantly became incredibly vivid.
After tightly grasping An Le's small hand, Yan Huan's expression first showed surprise, which then morphed into confusion.
Even so, he still admitted,
"An Le... is indeed my girl... friend? I remember it being something like that..."
He murmured in confusion, but then his expression grew increasingly resolute.
"Although I do not remember when I confessed my feelings to An Le, I am certain that An Le is absolutely my girlfriend."
"Ugh..."
Hearing Yan Huan's firm words, even though she knew the inside story, An Le could not stop her heart from pounding wildly.
As for Sakuramiya Hitomi...
"Thud!"
The green safety helmet in her hands slipped from her unstable grip and crashed to the ground. Her expression was completely vacant, looking as if her soul had left her body quite a while ago.
"Crackle-crackle-crackle..."
Magnetic storm infantry number one, Sakuramiya Hitomi, ready for action!!
But in the next second, Yan Huan looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi. As he stared, his facial expression once again shifted into bewilderment.
"But... why do I remember that Sakuramiya is also my girlfriend?"
"Eh?"
At this moment, Sakuramiya Hitomi was like a Creeper in Minecraft. She had been on the verge of exploding, but as you backed away, she returned to normal.
That hovering between exploding and not exploding was the hardest thing to endure.
But once those words came out, the one about to explode was probably no longer Sakuramiya Hitomi...
"Eh, eh, eh??!!"
At this moment, both Sakuramiya Hitomi and An Le looked in astonishment at Yan Huan, whose face displayed confusion before growing just as resolute as earlier.
"Yes... I remember now. You are both my wings!"
"Huh??"
Upon hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes turned red. She immediately glared at An Le, lunged toward her, and gnashed her teeth while whispering harshly into her ear,
"An Le! Look at what you have turned the President into with your Pleasure!! You bastard!"
"I..."
An Le felt a guilty conscience for a second, as it was indeed true that Xiao Huan viewing her as his girlfriend was due to Memory Correction.
But smart as she was, she instantly realized something was amiss.
"Shove!"
She forcefully pushed Sakuramiya Hitomi away. However, glancing around at the crowd and realizing there were too many eyes and ears, she had no choice but to lean in close to Sakuramiya Hitomi and speak in a hushed, encrypted tone.
"Vice President Sakuramiya, let me ask you one thing: if I truly went to such extremes, do you honestly think I would be selfless enough to share him with the rest of you?!"
"..."
True.
So, what in the world is...
Sakuramiya Hitomi and An Le simultaneously cast doubtful glances at the resolute-faced Yan Huan before them. A second later, both of them instantly realized something and looked at each other.
"Memory Correction!"
Seeing the two achieve instant understanding, Yan Huan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
'Yes, exactly like that!'
'Actually, it is not hard to analyze. Solving a Modifier problem requires relying on the conditions of the Modifiers themselves.'
'Explaining Memory Correction myself is illogical because I cannot expose the fact that I know about Modifiers and Memory Correction.'
'But as long as I throw out a conclusion that sounds unreasonable but that I consider perfectly normal, they will instantly understand it on their own.'
'The effect of them figuring it out themselves versus me saying it aloud is completely different...'
And taking it a step further, Yan Huan had also paved the way for his next move.
'Since my next step is to kiss four Modifier Hosts, I might as well use this Memory Correction as a setup. This way, the excuse to kiss Sakuramiya later will be much more reasonable.'
'I consider her my girlfriend too, therefore...'
"..."
Just as Yan Huan thought this to himself, letting out a breath of relief.
Suddenly, an illusory interface automatically materialized before his eyes.
[Crab Medicine x0.5]
[Price: Within 2 hours, without being influenced by any Modifier factors, proactively french kiss all Modifier Hosts except An Le for one minute each in succession]
'What is going on?'
'Why did this interface pop up?'
While Yan Huan was puzzled, the words "without being influenced by any Modifier factors" on the interface began to turn increasingly blood-red.
Not only did they start flashing, but they also grew larger and larger...
It seemed to be reminding Yan Huan that using this as an excuse to obtain the girls' kisses would not yield any rewards.
Because relying on Memory Correction was directly tied to Modifier factors.
Which meant...
'I have to force the kisses!!'
'It is not giving me even the slightest chance to practice fraud or manipulate for a lucky escape?!'
"..."
Staring at the increasingly crimson text, Yan Huan nearly fainted from anger.
Seeing that Yan Huan was about to pass out, Myau-chan, perched on his shoulder, hurriedly patted Yan Huan's face with its paw pads, comforting him.
"Yan Huan, look on the bright side, meow! At least you safely got through this crisis, meow! And look, Sakuramiya Hitomi truly knows nothing about the details of Memory Correction. You can easily manipulate her later, meow!"
'Manipulate my foot, heh. Then let me ask you...'
Hearing Myau-chan's words, Yan Huan completely lost his composure. His face darkened as he cursed in his mind,
'Am I affected by the Modifiers' effects or not? Does kiting make me invincible? Do I have to make up reasonable excuses on the spot every single time?'
"Well, this..."
'Answer me!'
"Meow?!"
'Do I have to operate on the absolute brink of getting exposed every time?? Huh? Answer me! You freeloading dog who only knows lip service, answer me!'
"Meow..."
Yan Huan turned his head, his face full of resentment as he pressed extremely close to Myau-chan's round, chubby face. His glare made Myau-chan feel so guilty that it averted its gaze slightly.
"..."
Yan Huan forcibly swallowed his urge to scream "look into my eyes!" in rage. He drew in a sharp breath of cold air that made his teeth ache, realizing he had no choice but to dismantle his own setup.
Meanwhile, right in front of him, as Yan Huan furiously flamed the freeloading dog Myau-chan in his head, Sakuramiya Hitomi was experiencing her own mental storm.
'As expected, it is Memory Correction that caused the President's memories to become muddled.'
'Just like before, when my Common Sense Modification made the President say those unacceptable things to me.'
'Therefore, right now, I should figure out a way to eliminate the President's Memory Correction.'
'But...'
'The President said I am his girlfriend!'
"Mmm..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi pursed her lips, unable to help but feel bashful.
Even though she knew beforehand that using so-called superpowers to skip the process and jump straight to the happy ending was a crooked path.
But...
Hearing the President personally admit that they were a couple right now, Sakuramiya Hitomi could not stop her little heart from racing.
"Thump, thump... thump..."
Especially with her petite and delicate body, it felt as though her heart was going to leap right out of her flat chest.
In comparison, this joy actually managed to suppress some of her previous displeasure, making her overlook the massive issue that "in the current situation, the President has another girlfriend."
'Otherwise, how about...'
'I just experience it for a day... No, two days... three days!'
'After three days, I will figure out a way to erase the President's Memory Correction!'
"Meow..."
Watching Sakuramiya Hitomi hesitate, Myau-chan could not help but sigh inwardly.
'A human's bottom line is lowered bit by bit in situations exactly like this, meow.'
'Yield once, and you will yield every time.'
'All that talk about "just this once, I will never do it again..."'
'It is all lies and bullshit.'
'Have you not seen what happened with Ye Shiyu?'
"..."
However, even if Yan Huan did not go with his original plan, he still had a way out; it just would not help his later objectives.
The next second, under his masterful Expression Management, an even deeper look of confusion surfaced on his face. "Speaking of which, I do not think I have really thought about it... How exactly did An Le and I get here? I remember something seemed to happen at the shrine a few days ago..."
The moment they heard this, the previously daydreaming Sakuramiya Hitomi and An Le instantly changed their expressions.
'Crap!'
'Is it because the scene from that day was simply too exaggerated, so Memory Correction cannot cover it up?'
Both Sakuramiya Hitomi and An Le were uncertain about the limits of Memory Correction, especially since Yan Huan was now showing a suspicious expression. Both began to panic slightly.
"Um, President, regardless of anything else, let us go back first. Everyone is waiting for you in Tokyo..."
"Yes, Xiao Huan. Um... let us leave here first."
After a brief moment of thought, the two girls almost simultaneously chose to dodge the topic, preventing Yan Huan from thinking too deeply.
"...Alright then. Shall we go?"
"Mhm."
Now that Sakuramiya Hitomi thought she knew the inside story, she was temporarily pacified.
Meanwhile, An Le also realized the lingering risks left behind by that Jiejiè explosion, so she spoke in her mind,
'Little Finger, is there a way to eliminate the risk of Xiao Huan becoming aware of superpowers?'
"...It is probably because Memory Correction has been used on Yan Huan too frequently. There are too many inconsistencies, leading to cognitive contradictions."
"As I suspected... Then..."
"I can just smooth it over. But that day, when the Jiejiè collapsed, you two fell straight from Kyoto to Fukuoka Prefecture. That is the biggest inconsistency."
Little Finger flicked its tongue and spoke in her mind,
"If you want to ensure it is foolproof and cover up this major problem, all the other inconsistencies must be sorted out and made rational."
Listening to Little Finger's words, An Le instantly realized something.
"In other words... all the other Memory Corrections must..."
"Yes... That promise of yours, I doubt you can keep it."
"..."
"Of course, this is just for the most foolproof scenario. Right now, Yan Huan's mind is merely a bit jumbled. He is far from being broken, so you do not necessarily have to..."
An Le closed her eyes. Then, she interrupted Little Finger,
"Then, just erase them."
"...Are you sure?"
Hearing this, An Le did not answer immediately. Instead, she turned to look back at the tranquil and peaceful village behind her.
Up on the mountain, the shrine built along the slopes was faintly visible.
She gazed at the lush, verdant village—a paradise right out of a beautiful dream—for a long time before she nodded solemnly.
"Yes... let us do that for now."
"...Sigh."
Little Finger did not say anything else, merely leaving one last sentence in An Le's mind before fading away,
"I will execute it once things quiet down during your return trip."
"Sorry for the trouble, Little Finger."
"..."
Having done all this, An Le pursed her lips and hurried to catch up with Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi, walking onto the blockaded road.
Beyond the construction team, a black sedan car was waiting for them.
Right before leaving, Yan Huan and An Le turned back to wave goodbye to the villagers who had come to see them off.
After receiving enthusiastic responses from the villagers, they finally walked toward the vehicle.
"By the way, Sakuramiya, where are Spencer and the others?"
"Eh? P-President, you... you do not happen to, uh, think that Spencer and the others are your girlfriends too, do you?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi was starting to develop a bit of PTSD.
She was terrified that, due to Memory Correction, he would view everyone he looked at as his girlfriend.
This question made Yan Huan freeze. For a moment, he actually could not answer without thinking.
'Spencer?'
"..."
But looking at the deeply worried Sakuramiya Hitomi in front of him, he smiled faintly and said,
"Of course not. Speaking of which, Sakuramiya, I cannot seem to remember when we became a couple. Do you remember?"
"Th-that... um... this..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi's face turned slightly flushed. For a moment, she was utterly lost for words.
Behind them, An Le pursed her lips, proactively stepping up beside Sakuramiya Hitomi. She took Sakuramiya Hitomi's hand and smiled,
"Xiao Huan, you forgot. Vice President Sakuramiya became your girlfriend at the same time I did."
"Huh?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi looked at An Le in disbelief, only to see her wearing a gentle expression that spoke of harmony and peace and safety in the home.
Yan Huan blinked, also giving the An Le before him an inward look of surprise.
With just one glance, Yan Huan, who knew An Le well, was certain that this girl was definitely already planning how to restore everything.
But this was for the best. After all, he could not use Memory Correction as an excuse to kiss the hosts.
As for what extent things would be restored to, Yan Huan would have to judge the situation and decide accordingly...
Regardless, the final interpretative rights to this Memory Correction belonged to him.
'But speaking of which, this damned Demon's Shop...'
'Deciding to do this task for the first time ended up being such a massive pitfall. It is truly trying to extract the marrow from my bones!'
"Xiao Huan, get in the car first. Vice President Sakuramiya and I, as two girls, can sit in the backseat."
"Ah, okay."
Yan Huan nodded. As he sat inside the car, he smoothly shrugged his shoulder, tossing the invisible Myau-chan outside.
He knew these two definitely had things to discuss.
Time to quickly gather intel using the Myau-chan-brand wiretap!
"Click..."
Sure enough, as soon as Yan Huan's door closed, Sakuramiya Hitomi, who had been maintaining a polite smile by the entrance, dropped her act instantly.
She forcefully flung An Le's hand away, gnashing her teeth as she glared at her.
"I was truly blind. Earlier, when Bai Yi told me you wanted to take the President's first time, I still somewhat doubted it... Heh. As expected, you schemed against us just to satisfy your own selfish desires... In that case, why even bother making excuses about doing it for the President's sake?!"
"..."
Listening to Sakuramiya Hitomi's fury, An Le pursed her lips and did not argue back.
On her shoulder, however, Little Finger appeared, trembling with anger, and nearly burst into a swearing fit,
"Are you kidding me? You fought so hard you almost became a vegetable, and wasn't it all so that Yan Huan could return to a normal life later?! What is the big deal about taking his first time?
"Besides, his real first time was probably lost some random morning anyway, so why care so much about this so-called first time?!
"Listen to me, ignore her! And do not erase that promise either!
"I will just delete her memories of being Yan Huan's girlfriend later and arrange a 'lifelong regret' storyline for her!"
Yet, similarly, An Le ignored the aggressive Little Finger and simply looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"Vice President Sakuramiya, to cover up the matter of the shattered memory transmission, I cannot continue performing Memory Correction on Xiao Huan anymore..."
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the front passenger seat with its privacy glass, then continued speaking to Sakuramiya Hitomi,
"Afterward, I will remove all of these abnormal memories. And from now on, I will not..."
"Do you think I still believe you? Right now, I would rather believe Spencer!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi, however, did not want to give An Le any chance to defend herself. Because judging from the Memory Correction incident earlier, it was an absolute certainty that An Le wanted to steal the President's first time.
First time!
The President's first time!
Just as Bai Yi had said, once Sakuramiya Hitomi found out about this, she would never cooperate with An Le.
To her, this matter was an undeniable bottom line.
So, at this moment, she immediately interrupted An Le, frowning as she stated,
"No matter what, I will absolutely not let you get your way! Let us head back to Tokyo first. Once we are in Tokyo, just wait and see!"
"..."
An Le lowered her eyes, offering no rebuttal.
Inside the car, listening to the words relayed by Myau-chan, Yan Huan could not help but turn his head to glance at An Le, who was standing silently with downcast eyes.
But at this moment, he suddenly felt the urge to do something, to stop this situation from continuing.
Thus, after a second of silence, he grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open.
"Click~"
The moment they saw the door swing open, the previously tense standoff outside immediately eased up a bit.
Sakuramiya Hitomi and An Le both looked at Yan Huan, only to see him smile faintly, as if suddenly remembering something.
"However, thinking about it carefully, this is your family's car, Sakuramiya. You should be the one sitting in the front... How about this? An Le and I will sit in the back, and you can take the front seat."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi immediately looked at An Le beside her, her brows slightly knitted.
Meanwhile, An Le, who had kept her head lowered slightly, widened her eyes and looked at the Yan Huan before her.
"Then it is settled. Let's go."
"Mhm..."
Originally, according to An Le's personality, in order to accommodate Sakuramiya Hitomi, she should have politely declined and opted to continue sitting in the back with her.
Yet, somehow, by some strange coincidence, she nodded in agreement.
Perhaps...
It was because she simply wanted to sit with Xiao Huan.
Merely because she wanted to.
"Thud!"
The car door closed. Inside the sedan car, the seating arrangement became the driver and Sakuramiya Hitomi in the front, and Yan Huan and An Le in the back.
Sakuramiya Hitomi was originally in a foul mood, but Yan Huan striking up a conversation from behind her softened it slightly.
"So, after Kyoto, did all of you head to Tokyo?"
"Mhm... Because, uh, it is more convenient to search for you in Tokyo, President."
She had intended to explain more, but remembering that she could not explain why the President had suddenly teleported, she just gave a brief summary.
"Spencer, Bai Yi, and Ye Shiyu are all in Tokyo."
"Is that so? As long as you all are fine, that is good."
These words actually held a deeper meaning.
What he meant was: It is good that you guys did not blow each other up and fight to the death while I was away.
Sakuramiya Hitomi did not grasp this hidden layer and simply took it as Yan Huan expressing his care.
However, at the mention of this, her expression became somewhat unnatural.
"...You could not exactly call it fine, President."
"Ah?"
'No way?'
'Did you guys really get into another fight these past few days??'
'Don't tell me that just because I have not been back for a few days, another overpowered monster popped up.'
"Did something happen? Does it have to do with your family, Sakuramiya? Or..."
Yan Huan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, cautiously probing for information.
In the front passenger seat, Sakuramiya Hitomi turned her head upon hearing this, hesitating as she spoke,
"Not really, President. Everything is fine at home, and Spencer, Bai Yi, and I are all doing well..."
"You are all doing well, then..."
'Hm?'
While listening, Yan Huan instantly realized something.
He stared blankly at Sakuramiya Hitomi and murmured softly,
"Sister Shiyu?"
"Mhm..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi nodded, speaking with a hint of worry,
"How should I put it...
"I suppose you could say she is doing very badly right now."