Chu Xin watched as Hasegawa Ten’i walked away, a sense of unease stirring within him. Yet, he dismissed it, attributing it to his recent awakening and heightened sensitivity. He didn’t worry about Hasegawa Ten’i doing anything strange, after all, she had apologized and taken a ‘shi-sa-sa’ pose, vowing to do anything if he could forgive her. Although, her current image was far from that of a ‘delinquent girl.’
He stood at the classroom door, shaking his head and stretching to dispel the lingering numbness. Only then did he feel his body truly under his control again. Sighing, he glanced at his phone, realizing it was nearly noon.
Maria Academy’s school hours were from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon, with only three classes in the morning, ending at eleven-thirty. The afternoon had two classes, and a long two-hour lunch break where students could freely move about or return to their classrooms to rest, although they couldn’t leave the campus.
Chu Xin thought this schedule was far better than what he remembered from his past life. After school, there were club activities. Schools and youthfulness were incomplete without clubs. Both Chu Xin and Ji Yue Xuan were in clubs, but only to fulfill the school’s mandatory attendance requirement.
In the original story, by the midway point, the yellow-haired villainess had gathered most of the female leads into Ji Yue Xuan’s club, the ACG Research Society. They would do some explicit content, claiming it was for ‘research.’ In this reality, however, Ji Yue Xuan hadn’t even set foot in her club since the initial introduction. She skipped meetings and didn’t recognize other members. Chu Xin wondered if she would even pass the required credits.
He reflected on his own club, the Kendo Club, which he had joined due to pressure from a ‘childhood friend’ who was actually just a neighbor. He had only been to the dojo once, shared with the Judo Club. The new club president had initially invited him, but over time, even those messages stopped. Only his ‘childhood friend’ remained, occasionally messaging him with tease-filled requests to attend club activities. Chu Xin ignored them, but today was unusually quiet. His phone was silent, and there were no messages from her. Was she really busy?
Chu Xin unlocked his phone, and suddenly, a barrage of notifications flooded in. He saw 99+ unread messages from a contact labeled ‘Most Dearest~’ and his heart skipped a beat. Trembling, he opened the chat, scanning through the messages that started sweetly asking ‘Where are you, darling?’ and progressed to repeated ‘Where?! Where?! Where?!’
He quickly closed his phone, feeling a chilling, almost hellish, sense of resentment through the screen. After a moment of thought, Chu Xin took a deep breath and decided to apologize first. He reopened his phone, dialed Ji Yue Xuan’s number, and spoke in a flattering tone, ‘Hello… Moon… Moon Xuan?’ There was silence for nearly half a minute, no sound of breathing, nothing. He frowned, thinking she might not have answered, but his phone showed the call was still connected. He called out a few more times, but there was no response. Just as he was about to hang up, he heard footsteps from both the phone and behind him.
Before he could turn, he felt a soft, curvy body press against his back, and a sharp, cold object at his waist. Chu Xin froze, his phone almost slipping from his hand. ‘Moon… Moon Xuan?’ he stammered, his voice echoing through both phones. Ji Yue Xuan, her voice cold and unfamiliar, replied, ‘It’s me, darling~’ The phone echoed her words, sending a chill down Chu Xin’s spine. She fell silent, waiting for him to speak. ‘Have you been waiting long, Moon Xuan?’ he asked, immediately regretting it. ‘Not long, just about twenty minutes,’ she replied, her smile dangerous. ‘But I’m starting to wonder if my darling was with another girl, huh?’ She had smelled the scent of another girl on him and was certain they had been intimate.
Ji Yue Xuan had planned to surprise Chu Xin by sneaking up on him, maybe even hugging him from behind. Although there were other students on the roof, she didn’t mind. But when she arrived, Chu Xin wasn’t there. She remembered him mentioning the cafeteria and headed there, only to see him being helped out of the classroom by a girl she didn’t recognize. Her jealousy surged, and she started messaging him, but he didn’t respond. Her emotions boiled over, and by the time she reached him, the other girl was gone, leaving Chu Xin alone with his phone. She approached him, her smile hiding her true feelings.
‘Who was that girl?’ Ji Yue Xuan asked, her voice sharp. Chu Xin thought for a moment, realizing she must have seen Hasegawa Ten’i and was jealous. ‘My classmate,’ he explained. ‘She’s been absent for a while, and today she woke me up and helped me out because I was numb.’ Ji Yue Xuan considered his words, unsure if she could trust him. Chu Xin, seeing her hesitation, decided to act. He turned and hugged her tightly, explaining, ‘Really, it was just her helping me out. With a girlfriend like you, why would I look at anyone else?’ Ji Yue Xuan was taken aback by his sudden embrace, her mind filled with his scent. She dropped the fork she had been using to threaten him and hugged him back tightly. After a moment, Chu Xin released her, and she stepped back, her face flushed and eyes distant. ‘Moon Xuan?’ he called softly. She finally looked up, her voice small, ‘You should have come to me if you needed help.’ Chu Xin hugged her close, feeling her soft body against his. He had learned that a strong hug was more effective than words with an angry girlfriend. They made up, and Ji Yue Xuan led him by the hand, her earlier jealousy forgotten. Below them, Tina watched their intimate moment, her expression cold.
On the roof, Chu Xin looked at the charred contents of the bento box, wondering, ‘Is this supposed to be fried chicken?’ Ji Yue Xuan, blushing slightly, defended her cooking, ‘Of course it is! Can’t you tell?’ Chu Xin sighed, remembering her culinary skills were as poor as ever. He ate the meal anyway, finding it surprisingly palatable, perhaps due to the body-enhancing properties of the bento. ‘I’ll make lunch tomorrow,’ he offered gently. Ji Yue Xuan pouted, ‘Hmph, if you don’t want to eat, just say so. But since you made me angry, you have to make my bento tomorrow!’ Chu Xin agreed, knowing he could handle it since he had been cooking for Su Jin for two months. Ji Yue Xuan teased him, ‘You hugged me so suddenly… were you thinking about me even before we were official?’ Chu Xin sputtered, ‘No!’ and quickly ate his meal. Afterward, they sat and chatted, enjoying the quiet roof. Only a few freshmen were nearby, looking out at the view. From there, they could even see ‘Kuukai.’ Ji Yue Xuan asked casually, ‘Darling, did you meet any girls this morning?’ Chu Xin thought back, remembering the crowded train, his class president falling into him, and encountering Ji Yue Xuan’s vice-president, who was as feisty as described. Ji Yue Xuan nodded, her mind racing. Was it Shimizuma again? She had been thinking about it since morning, deciding to be more cautious. Chu Xin, noticing her distant look, asked about her tardy arrival to class. Ji Yue Xuan’s teacher was a regular, not a nun, and a bit older, around thirty. Ji Yue Xuan shrugged, saying her teacher hadn’t minded her being late. Chu Xin sighed, impressed by her ‘ace student’ status. After more flirtatious banter, the lunch break ended, and they parted ways. Ji Yue Xuan invited him to find her at the club room later, giving him a playful wink before leaving. Chu Xin returned to his classroom, finding it still mostly empty. Clearing his throat, he noticed Shimizuma sleeping at his desk, her green hair spilling over the side. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, highlighting her baby-faced profile and delicate features. Her skirt was askew, revealing her thighs, and without tights, he could almost see her white underwear. Chu Xin didn’t notice these details, but Hasegawa Ten’i, trying to wake Shimizuma, did. She stood up as Chu Xin entered, wanting to apologize, but he waved her off, saying it was fine to let Shimizuma sleep a bit longer. The girls around them whispered, ‘I wish I could sleep on the vice-president’s desk.’ ‘Both are so lucky…’ Hasegawa Ten’i blushed, returning to her seat but stealing glances at Chu Xin. Chu Xin, unaware of the commotion, sat at his sister’s desk, scrolling through short videos on his phone. Suddenly, a notification popped up from the ‘Love Diary of a Yellow-Haired Girl’ app, announcing a new task. Finally, it had arrived. Chu Xin opened it.
[Task: Quit the Kendo Club.]
[Completion Condition: Officially quit or convince Ji Yue Xuan to join, completing one condition is successful, completing both is a failure.]
[Deadline: Before summer vacation.]
[Reward Skill: ‘Perception.’]
[Failure Condition: Fail to complete within the time limit or fail to quit three times.]
[Failure Penalty: None.]
Below the task, there was an introduction to the ‘Perception’ skill. A familiar quote echoed in his mind, ‘When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.’