“Then, I wish you the best of luck on your own. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.” Xia Luohua offered a radiant smile, waved her hand, and then, with astonishing agility, leaped from the rooftop, leaving me utterly alone on the vast expanse.
‘This… what about her promise to protect me? What about her vow to help me clear this game? Was she merely an NPC, materializing only to impart a few crucial details to the protagonist before inexplicably vanishing? How could anyone be so utterly irresponsible!’
I let out a sigh, a subtle current of worry rippling through me for her safety. It wasn’t the fear of her plummeting to her death, but rather the potential chaos if someone were to witness her dramatic exit from the building.
Though she exuded an aura of mystery and formidable power, she consistently displayed a baffling lack of common sense. Could she truly navigate the world like this without issue?
Yet, these were not the matters I needed to dwell upon. Frankly, I harbored a deep distrust of her, and my agreement to collaborate was born purely out of necessity.
It was simply too challenging to suddenly accept the existence of witches and dark wizards; even the most outlandish claim of a top-secret national research facility being behind it all would feel far more plausible.
Nevertheless, one aspect of her words resonated with undeniable truth: something truly sinister, a terrible conspiracy, seemed to be slowly unfolding within the city’s hidden depths. As for the remainder of her assertions, I resolved to confirm them, piece by agonizing piece, through my own observations.
‘But if witches truly existed, wouldn’t that imply the power to grant any wish?’
‘No, I mustn’t let my thoughts wander too far. The immediate priority remains uncovering the game’s rules and devising a strategy to clear it.’
One crucial detail had already been confirmed: the culprit was undeniably a member of the school, someone of sufficient standing to acquire a spare key. When combined with the victim being an underage girl, Yao Xinchang, the pool of suspects significantly shrank once more.
But was the perpetrator truly one of the participants in this twisted game? Could Yao Xinchang have been murdered for an entirely different motive? If that were the case, how did they manage to bring her to the school and commit the act?
Why was it imperative for the crime to occur within the school grounds? And what, if any, was their connection to the shadowy figure of the dark wizard?
‘Ugh, this is infuriating! Not only has my body become cumbersome since transforming into a woman, but even my thought processes feel sluggish and altered. The former me would likely have pieced this together by now.’
In any case, I quickly formulated the next two crucial steps:
1. Proceed to Yao Xinchang’s residence and meticulously search for any pertinent clues.
2. Locate the culprit and extract the game’s rules from her.
‘For now, this plan will suffice.’ With that thought, I turned, preparing to descend via the stairs. I was no Xia Luohua; while my body had indeed been enhanced, the notion of leaping from a fifth-story window was an entirely different matter.
“Huh?” I pushed open the heavy iron door, only to freeze mid-motion.
There, at the stairwell entrance, stood a solitary figure.
“Pre…” The word caught in my throat, abruptly swallowed. ‘Right, I am Luo Tianlian now,’ I silently reminded myself, ‘and by all accounts, I shouldn’t be well-acquainted with Ye Siya.’
“Excuse me, are you… Ye Siya, the student council President?” I inquired, deliberately infusing my voice with a touch of hesitation.
“Mhm, that’s me!” Ye Siya replied, her smile radiant. “You’re Little Chen’s sister, Luo Tianlian, aren’t you? May I call you Xiao Lian?”
‘…She truly is as effortlessly familiar as ever. I can’t help but wonder if my actual sister would be utterly repulsed if she knew she was being addressed in such a manner.’
“Uh, I suppose that’s fine. But, President Ye Siya…”
“Oh, please don’t be so formal! You can just call me Xiao Ya, alright?”
“…It appears the President is here to see me?” I inquired, pointedly ignoring her suggestion.
Ye Siya’s expression flickered with a hint of disappointment, but she swiftly reverted to her usual vibrant self. “Mhm, well, because you rarely attend school, I was concerned you might be struggling to adjust.
Then, I heard from some classmates that you’d gone out with the transfer student, but I couldn’t seem to find you anywhere. So, I decided to check the rooftop…”
“Huh? Why would you suddenly think to look for me on the rooftop?” I asked, genuine curiosity lacing my tone.
“Because this is Little Chen’s absolute favorite spot,” she replied airily. “He always comes here for a nap whenever he has a spare moment. I figured since you two are siblings, you might share similar habits.”
My heart inexplicably skipped a beat. ‘W-why would she know that?’ I inwardly reeled. ‘Logically, aside from Yang Mingzhi, who lent me the rooftop key, no one else should be aware of that.’
“W-why would the President know such a thing?” I stammered, a nervous twitch playing at the corner of my mouth.
“Well, that’s a secret,” Ye Siya said, winking playfully. “Make sure not to tell your brother, alright?”
“…So, does the President have any other matters to discuss?”
“Ah, yes, actually…” She clapped her hands together lightly. “I recall, Xiao Lian, you’re a special enrollment student, aren’t you?”
“Uh, yes, that’s correct…” ‘Though my sister might appear to be a complete homebody, her computer skills are easily among the top ten globally. The moniker “Shadow Lotus” is legendary in the hacking world.
The school, recognizing her exceptional talent, granted her special dispensation to study from home, even entrusting her with occasional tasks. Unlike me, her utterly unremarkable brother, she commanded immense respect from the school board. Indeed, it was largely due to her influence that I managed to complete three years of high school without ever facing expulsion.’
‘Yet, if the school board ever discovered that she wasn’t diligently honing her hacking prowess at home, but was instead hopelessly engrossed in video games, merely going through the motions with her assignments, would they not be so enraged as to spit blood?’ I mused, a flicker of mischievous malice in my thoughts.
“In that case,” Ye Siya asked, pressing her palms together in a plea, “would you be able to lend me a hand at the student council?”
“Huh? While I don’t have any pressing engagements, aren’t there numerous other members in the student council?” I replied, a note of hesitation in my voice.
Though not possessing my sister’s prodigious talent, I was reasonably proficient with computers, and the duties of the student council were intimately familiar to me, posing no challenge whatsoever.
My reluctance stemmed from a subconscious desire to avoid that particular room. I had chosen to depart, and returning now felt inherently wrong, a compromise of my past decision.
“Mhm… ordinarily, it wouldn’t be much of an issue,” she explained, “but with graduation looming, a multitude of tasks need addressing, and I also have to prepare for the transition of presidential duties.
Xiaowu, however, has been entirely engrossed in her academic thesis, while Yang Mingzhi is preoccupied with celebrating his father’s fortieth birthday. Bingying, bless her, looks utterly exhausted, so I truly can’t burden her with too much. And then, of course, your brother abruptly resigned from the council…”
‘Enough, please stop talking! My sense of guilt is growing increasingly unbearable.’
“Fine, I understand! I’ll go and help!”
“Hehe, this is simply the sister repaying her brother’s debt,” Ye Siya declared triumphantly.
‘No, it’s actually the exact same person.’
“Well then, let’s go,” she said, before reaching out and taking my hand directly.
“Huh?” I froze instantly, rooted to the spot.
“Hm? What’s the matter?” Ye Siya questioned, turning to face me as I had inexplicably come to a standstill.
“N-nothing at all.” I quickly shook off my stupor and moved to follow her.
‘Oh, right. I’m a girl now. It’s perfectly normal for girls to hold hands, isn’t it?’
Yet, Ye Siya’s hand felt incredibly soft, and the sensation was undeniably pleasant. ‘I truly wished I could hold it like this forever, never letting go…’
It seemed that transforming into a girl wasn’t entirely without its unexpected benefits.
“Ah, wait just a moment,” Ye Siya said, halting abruptly. “We must remember to lock the rooftop door securely. Xiao Lian, you did get the key from your brother, didn’t you?”
“Ah, y-yes, I do!” I stammered, finally snapping back to reality, and somewhat guiltily averted my gaze from hers. ‘No, that wasn’t *me* just now,’ I fiercely rationalized. ‘It must be the lingering influence of this new body making me think such things. Yes, that’s definitely it!’
“This should be sufficient,” I muttered, swiftly retrieving the key and locking the door.
“Mhm, exactly. Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome if other students were to come up here.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
‘???’
“Huh? What’s the matter?” Ye Siya questioned, turning to face me as I had inexplicably come to a standstill.
“N-nothing at all.” For a fleeting instant just now, a white figure had seemed to flicker at the edge of my vision, but when I turned to look properly, there was absolutely nothing there.
‘…Was it merely an illusion?’
‘It seems I truly am more exhausted than I realized, seeing shadows and suspicious figures everywhere.’ I chuckled self-deprecatingly, then tightened my grip on Ye Siya’s hand as we continued our walk toward the student council office.
‘Come to think of it, the door was open when I first came out, wasn’t it? That’s peculiar. I distinctly recall it being locked when I was speaking with Xia Luohua. Could I have misremembered something?’
‘It seems I’ve forgotten something of crucial importance.’