"Mm, look, the script is roughly like this. It’ll take at most half a day of your time. See if you’re free this weekend..."
Bai Yi sent the MV script to Yan Huan via Plane. It was a PDF file, entirely handwritten by her.
Yan Huan glanced over the general content of the file, then turned back to Bai Yi.
"...What? Is there a problem?"
"Well, it’s not a major issue. The rest of the script looks great, it's just..."
Yan Huan smiled slightly, turned his phone screen vertically, and pointed to a specific storyboard sketch.
"Are you sure you want to so blatantly include Aunt Zuo’s affairs in the MV?"
In Bai Yi’s script, many things Zuo Jiangqin had done to her were almost directly spelled out, making it easy for viewers to draw conclusions.
Bai Yi pouted at Yan Huan’s comment, then said,
"This is my personal journey behind the song’s creation. I don’t think it’s a big deal.
"You’ve met my mom before, Yan Huan. She acts like that in front of others, but behind closed doors, she’s even worse...
"I’ve gotten used to it over the years. Including these things in the MV is just a way to let go... That’s how I see it."
Yan Huan locked his phone screen and simply looked at her.
"Bai Yi, if you put these things out there, you might find it even harder to let go later on."
Bai Yi was momentarily stunned and lowered her gaze to the script on her phone.
After a brief silence, she smiled and said,
"...Well, this is just a draft. The final script will be worked out with a professional MV director... I’ll make adjustments to this part. Thanks for the advice."
"No worries. I’m free during the weekends, so just let me know in advance when you want to shoot."
"Got it!"
The two of them walked down to the club building, where the lively sounds of various activities echoed through the spacious and luxurious school halls.
Behind the building, on a track and field stadium large enough to hold several thousand people, a team was running laps.
Leading the charge was a muscular man with golden hair, effortlessly whistling as he ran, using the rhythm of his whistle to keep the team in sync.
This was Owen, the captain of the track and field club.
On the sidelines, his girlfriend, Gongzi, was sitting on the grass, chatting with a few female classmates while occasionally exchanging glances with Owen.
"Let’s go, track and field club!"
"Yeah!!"
Bai Yi took in the scene, then tapped her chin and said,
"The club battle is coming up... I heard about this event before coming to Totsuki. It’s really famous—even students from other schools and parents come to watch."
"Yeah. Bai Yi, have you decided which club to join yet?"
"Mm, I joined the light music club. I know a bit about instruments, after all..."
Light music club, huh.
Hearing this, Yan Huan was about to say something when suddenly, a loud noise erupted from the second floor.
"Bang!"
"Crash!!"
Bai Yi thought it was an earthquake. Startled, she grabbed onto the railing and asked Yan Huan,
"W-what was that?!"
Yan Huan glanced in the direction of the sound, his expression slightly stiffening as a thought crossed his mind.
"That area... No way..."
Without another word, he hurried upstairs, and Bai Yi quickly followed.
"Wait up, Yan Huan! What’s on the second floor—ahhh!! What is all this?!"
As soon as Bai Yi stepped onto the second floor, she stopped dead in her tracks behind Yan Huan, whose face had turned completely dark.
She was just about to ask when her gaze was drawn to the floor, which was covered with mosaic-censored doujinshi.
Just a quick glance at the covers—featuring scantily clad girls striking suggestive poses—made Bai Yi’s face heat up as if she had been set on fire.
T-this is too shameless!!
Why are there so many books like this, all covered in holy light?!
Wait a second...
What’s this?
Transparent Melody X Series: The President Knows Nothing About Last Night~
Oh?
That title...
No, actually, this art style is really captivating.
Bai Yi blinked, first sneaking a glance at Yan Huan’s back, then discreetly at the book on the floor.
Her eyes darted around, but her body quietly moved forward a step—stealthily stepping on the book...
And then—
Kick!
With a swift and silent motion, the book slid smoothly under the fire hose cabinet, disappearing from sight.
Then, acting as if nothing had happened, Bai Yi followed Yan Huan, whose face was still dark, toward the classroom at the end of the hallway.
"President!! You’re finally here!"
"Seriously... President, look at what this idiot has done! Lin-sensei almost lost it!"
Navigating through the “Path of Mosaic and Holy Light,” they reached Classroom 201, where Yahashigi and Aisili were standing at the door, each holding a sack, collecting the scattered doujinshi.
As soon as they saw Yan Huan, both of them wore grim expressions and began complaining in unison.
Yan Huan remained expressionless, but his clenched teeth betrayed his irritation.
"Where’s Spencer?"
There was no need to ask—no one but that idiot could’ve caused this disaster.
"Eeek!"
At the sound of his voice, a certain golden-haired troublemaker, crouching in the L-shaped hallway, visibly flinched.
She nervously turned her head to sneak a peek at Yan Huan. The moment she saw his grim expression, she quickly averted her gaze, pretending not to notice him.
However, before she could fully turn away, Yan Huan’s tall shadow loomed over her, completely engulfing her crouched figure. Even with her head down, she could feel his piercing stare.
"Yikes!!"
Spencer yelped, immediately springing to her feet with ninja-like agility, leaping backward with a sack in hand, putting as much distance as possible between herself and Yan Huan.
Like a flea—fast and nimble.
She cautiously kept her eyes on him while pretending to have just noticed his arrival.
"O-oh... Yan Huan, w-what a surprise... Fancy meeting you here..."
"Yeah, sure. Now, explain. What the hell happened?"
"...Uhh... Well... It’s a long story..."
Spencer’s gaze flickered, and she scratched her head, clearly trying to weasel her way out of it.
Then, as if a lightbulb had gone off in her head, her eyes lit up.
She reached into her sack, pulled out a doujinshi, and handed it to Yan Huan.
"Anyway, it was all an accident! I’ll clean it up real quick. Here, read this book and chill out for a bit!"
Yan Huan glanced down at the mosaic-covered mess she was handing him, resisting the urge to smack her over the head.
"Get all this stuff back into the clubroom immediately, then get your ass inside and explain everything!"
Yan Huan turned and walked away, leaving Spencer standing there, pouting and muttering under her breath,
"So bossy, so mean! Just you wait—I’ll teach you a real lesson later!"
Meanwhile, in the stairwell, An Le was catching her breath, clutching her chest.
She glanced at her phone, checking the location Spencer had sent her, then turned to the three members of the Doujin Club behind her.
"Our clubroom is on the second floor. Spencer said she’s already set up the room and planned out the activities."
An Le was still smiling, but the moment her foot touched the second-floor landing, her expression froze slightly.
She stopped in her tracks, eyes widening as she looked down at the object she had just stepped on—a mosaic-covered book.
The title read:
Pleasure Purgatory: What a Childhood Friend Must Do to Make Him Happy~
At just a single glance, she recoiled as if burned.
Thud, thud, thud!
Panicked, she hastily scooped up the book and hugged it to her chest, looking as if she were about to cry. She turned to the club members behind her—who were retreating in horror—and stammered,
"I-I don’t know what Spencer did either...!"
The noise from downstairs had been so loud that many students attending club activities upstairs had also heard it.
Curious, they started coming down, only to be utterly shocked by the scene of the hallway covered in mosaic-censored books. A murmur of hushed conversations erupted among them.
Behind An Le, Jiang Yun covered his face and, in a trembling voice, asked,
"An Le... do you think it’s still possible for us to quit the club?"
"Ugh... I-I’m so sorry!!"
"So, let me get this straight. You, in all your wisdom, decided to clean up the clubroom by dumping all these books outside the door?"
A little while later, inside Clubroom 201—the Doujin Club’s headquarters—Yan Huan sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, sipping hot tea as he lifted his gaze to the girl sitting across from him.
Room 201 truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most expensive clubrooms for rent. It had a spacious activity area, tatami mats, proper tables and chairs, and even a full tea set.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they had an unobstructed view of the vast red running track bathed in the golden light of dusk, along with the massive tiered stands that could hold thousands of spectators.
Enjoying the air conditioning, Spencer folded her arms and nodded.
"Yeah, that’s what happened. I just didn’t expect someone to suddenly open the door... Bad luck, I guess."
Beside her, Yahashigi was playing a game on his phone, but that didn’t stop him from making a ruthless remark.
"No, it’s not bad luck—it’s just you being dumb. You knew full well that the club advisor and other members would be coming in at this time, yet you still left all the books piled up at the entrance."
Aisili, resting her chin on her hand, furrowed her brow in frustration before slamming the table.
Smack!
"Is now really the time to be discussing whether she was dumb or not?!" Aisili snapped. "The real question is, how the hell did she manage to smuggle so much contraband into the school?! Are none of you even a little creeped out sitting in the middle of all these censored books?!"
Spencer blinked at her, then tilted her head and asked,
"But if we didn’t have these books, could we really call ourselves the Doujin Club?"
Aisili nearly exploded. Her face turned red with frustration as she shouted,
"So your solution was to flood the entire hallway with illegal books?! Do you have any idea how many people saw them?! What if some random students snatched a few of them in the chaos?!"
At those words, An Le lowered her head in guilt, still hugging her school uniform jacket tightly—where a suspiciously titled book was hidden.
Meanwhile, Bai Yi, who had wandered in out of curiosity, blinked a few times. Her gaze flickered for a brief moment before quickly looking away.
"......"
"......"
Lin Wanwan, the club advisor, finally snapped out of her daze, realizing she was the only adult present.
Adjusting her glasses, she forced a smile and turned to the young heiress of the Golden Lion Group, hesitantly asking,
"So... Spencer, how exactly did you manage to buy and transport all of this here?"
"Oh, I had AI buy them for me and deliver them," Spencer answered honestly, glancing at the mountain of censored books beside her.
Yan Huan narrowed his eyes. "AI?"
Even Yahashigi looked up from his phone in confusion.
"The Golden Lion Group’s AI all have legal protection settings, right? There’s no way they’d let you buy this kind of stuff."
Hearing that, Spencer smirked proudly.
She held up a thumbs-up and pointed at herself.
"I’ve been dealing with AI for so long—I figured out how to outsmart it ages ago."
"Hah?"
"Normally, it won’t let me buy this stuff, obviously. But if I tell it I have depression, that therapy doesn’t work, and that my only cure is purchasing a large quantity of doujinshi... then it processes the order for me!"
Yan Huan blinked. Yahashigi stared at her in disbelief.
The entire room fell into silence.
Finally, after a long pause, Yan Huan muttered,
"...You’re unstoppable."
"Hehe."
"Hehe my ass."
At Yan Huan’s blunt retort, Spencer—who had just been grinning triumphantly—immediately deflated.
Taking another sip of his tea, Yan Huan turned his attention to An Le.
The moment his gaze landed on her, she seemed to think of something, blushing as she lowered her head.
And instinctively, she hugged whatever she was hiding in her jacket even tighter.
"An Le’s club application was very clear. Your activities can involve manga and illustration, but not illegal or inappropriate content like this," Yan Huan said.
"I... I’m sorry, Little Huan... I should have kept a closer eye on Spencer..."
Sitting behind Yan Huan on the tatami mat, Bai Yi silently observed An Le’s reaction. She frowned slightly, as if noticing something unusual.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced in her mind—something she had heard when she was invited to the student council office by Vice President Ying Gong.
"Huh? The president? Hmm, I’m not sure where he is. He might’ve gone to see his childhood friend."
"Childhood friend?"
Ying Gong smiled knowingly.
"Yeah. First-year, Class C—An Le. Actually, she was with us when we attended the Linmen Game Expo that day. She kept calling him 'Little Huan' over and over... It was pretty unforgettable."
Bai Yi glanced at An Le’s pretty and innocent face, her gaze slowly lowering.
Then—
Boing~
Her vision was suddenly pushed back by an overwhelming softness, making her wipe the sweat from her forehead.
What the hell?!
What does she even eat to grow like that?!
Meanwhile, Yan Huan turned to Spencer once more.
"Regardless, all of this is contraband. The Disciplinary Committee is confiscating everything. Aisili—"
At his words, Aisili scoffed and stood up, turning to Spencer with an icy glare.
"I'll go call the Disciplinary Committee members to help transport all of this out."
"......"
Spencer pouted, about to say something, but the moment Yan Huan's murderous glare swept over her again, she immediately glared back in defiance.
Their eyes met in midair, sparks flying like an invisible explosion of heat.
Sensing the rising tension, the ever-kind An Le quickly stepped in as the peacemaker, waving her hands to defuse the situation.
"N-No matter what, today is still the Doujin Club's first official activity. Spencer, since Lin-sensei is here, why don't you talk things over with her if there are any issues?"
Spencer huffed but reluctantly withdrew her hostile gaze from Yan Huan.
"Fine, then. Go ahead with your club activities. Aisili, take care of getting rid of these contraband items. Yahashigi, you—"
"I need to go check on the equipment in other clubrooms."
Seeing Yahashigi stand up, Yan Huan turned to Bai Yi and asked,
"Bai Yi, do you want me to take you to see your Light Music Club?"
"Ah... sure, let’s go."
Bai Yi smiled and got up.
At that moment, in the midst of all the previous chaos, an undeniable beauty suddenly bloomed.
As one of Linmen's rising idols, Bai Yi had striking looks and a mesmerizing voice. Her movement alone instantly drew the attention of everyone in the room.
An Le pursed her lips slightly, staring at the radiant girl in front of her. Even though she had already seen Bai Yi shining like a star at the Linmen Game Expo, witnessing her up close was still breathtaking.
Yet, aside from her amazement, there was something else—an unfamiliar flicker of confusion at the warmth she detected in Bai Yi and Yan Huan’s interactions.
She couldn't quite put it into words, but the small creature resting on her shoulder flicked its tongue and spoke in her stead,
"Heh~ Your little Huan sure is popular. Another one who matches him just walked right in, this time a sneaky feline."
"Ugh..."
Meanwhile, Spencer—who had been glaring at Yan Huan moments ago—suddenly had her golden hair stand on end, as if receiving some kind of signal.
She glanced at Yan Huan.
Then at Bai Yi walking toward him.
Then at An Le, who was pressing her lips together.
As if realizing something, Spencer’s lips curled into a sly, knowing smirk.
"......"
After a brief commotion, Yan Huan left with Bai Yi.
Aisili led a group of Disciplinary Committee members to haul away the sacks of confiscated contraband, not forgetting to shoot Spencer a glare on her way out.
Yahashigi went from club to club, checking their equipment.
With all unrelated personnel gone, the only ones left in the Doujin Clubroom were its five remaining members—and one very close-to-breaking club advisor.
Lin Wanwan glanced at Spencer, who seemed deep in thought, and assumed she was upset. Forcing a smile, she tried to comfort her.
"Spencer, bringing contraband to school is against the rules, no matter how you look at it. Just take this as a lesson learned and don’t dwell on it too much."
"Huh? I’m not dwelling on it," Spencer replied nonchalantly. "That stuff wasn’t even worth much. Besides—"
She trailed off, then casually lifted a section of the tatami mat, revealing several neatly stacked hidden "treasures" beneath.
The book on top bore a striking title:
"Verbal Denial, Physical Surrender: A Gradual Submission!"
Spencer eyed her secret stash and then turned to Lin Wanwan, who had gone completely slack-jawed.
"They only took the ones I found boring," she added. "The ones I actually like? Already hidden away."
Lin Wanwan's forced smile began to crack, her spirit visibly floating away from her body.
That spirit morphed into the abstract form of The Scream, letting out a distant wail:
"Why am I still alive?"
But one way or another, the Doujin Club had officially been established.
The storm had passed.
And with the upcoming Club Battle on the horizon...
Spencer was ready to charge into battle, fully embracing the Doujin Club’s name!!
"Just stack everything here!"
"Got it."
"Thanks for the help, guys. Let’s go..."
Shortly after, in the Disciplinary Committee's office—located on the top floor of the first-year wing—a few committee members dumped the large sacks onto the floor.
Then, without a second thought, they turned to leave.
Aisili, too, was about to lock up and head to the club building for training.
"Aisili, what exactly did you guys bring back?"
Just as Aisili pulled out her key to lock the door, a soft, elegant voice spoke up beside her.
She turned to see Ying Gong Tong, dressed in a traditional Sakura-style dress, holding several file folders with a puzzled expression.
"Ah... Vice President Ying Gong," Aisili greeted. "It was that Spencer. She brought in a ton of contraband. The President had us confiscate it, so I left it here in the office."
Ying Gong smiled gently.
"I see... Well, go ahead to your training. I still have some documents to organize. I'll lock up afterward."
"Oh, okay. Thanks, Vice President!"
"Mm, take care."
Ying Gong maintained her warm smile as she watched Aisili jog off. It seemed she was already running late for training, leaving in quite a hurry.
Once she was gone, the elegant smile on Ying Gong’s face gradually faded—revealing her true self.
Stepping into the office, she immediately noticed the large sacks piled against the wall.
"...That’s a lot. What even is all this?"
Curious, she placed the file folders on a desk and walked toward the bags.
She reached out and tugged at one of the tightly bound openings, intending only to take a quick peek inside...
But unexpectedly, just that small movement dislodged a book stuck at the top.
It fell to the ground with a soft thud.
"......"
Ying Gong froze, then slowly lowered her gaze.
The cover—plastered with heavy mosaics and holy light—displayed an ornate, enlarged title in decorative script:
"48 Days of Surveillance and Captivity: My Private Underground Dungeon Game~"
"......"
Ying Gong’s cheeks instantly turned pink. She stared at the enticing titl—no, the artwork, covering her mouth as she let out a quiet gasp.
"Oh my... So it’s that kind of thing..."
After a brief moment of hesitation, she turned to glance at the silent, empty office.
Just to be safe, she checked again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
After confirming that no one else was around, she carefully lowered her gaze, then slowly picked up the book from the floor.
Glancing around once more—just to be absolutely certain—she discreetly slid the book behind her back.
Clearing her throat softly, she calmly resealed the slightly opened bag.
Then, she took a seat at the desk...
And began her detailed examination.
"Oh my...
"This is quite..."