The Angel’s Deception and the Principal’s Endless Speech

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation every time ‘my former self’ addressed me so intimately as ‘Little Qi’.

Due to my innate “defect,” my father, who had once been so kind, now treated me with utter disdain. Back when I lived in the Heavenly Dynasty, I was forced to apply a suffocating, ghastly makeup that dulled my complexion and wear black contact lenses every single day before he would even acknowledge my presence, completely disregarding my feelings.

What was even worse…

Even at home, I was forbidden from meeting his gaze. If I hadn’t meticulously applied my “normal person makeup” and regularly dyed my hair, I could distinctly perceive a palpable “fear” in my father’s eyes.

It was safe to say that only my Mother provided me with any sense of reliance.

My father, Ye Luochen, however, treated ‘my former self,’ Ye Sakaki, with the same unyielding, stern demeanor he had in my past life.

This was the very definition of favoring sons over daughters.

I admitted that my jealousy was the driving force behind my constant alienation from this ‘brother’ I knew inside and out.

Yet, whenever I considered softening my stance, the black-winged demon of sin within me relentlessly whispered its warnings.

‘Are you truly going to compromise with the one who stole your parents’ love?’

‘Or perhaps, hee-hee… have you truly accepted yourself as a girl, meekly becoming this person’s ‘little sister’?’

‘Can you truly allow ‘yourself’ to snatch away everyone important to you? Your family, your friends, even your own woman?’

At that very moment, a small angel, shimmering with the glow of wisdom, materialized in my mind.

‘Little Qi~ Don’t be impulsive, think! If ‘you’ were still alive and well, ‘your woman’ — hee-hee — that ‘senior’ would surely be drawn to you again, wouldn’t she~ So, Ye Qi-chan, you don’t even need to do anything yourself~’

‘Qi, with ‘yourself’ around, especially this ‘yourself’ who seems to obey your every command, many things would become much more convenient, wouldn’t they? For instance, if you’re short on pocket money, just call out ‘Onii-chan’ a couple of times, and that idiotic replica will dutifully hand over all his funds.’

‘Qi, if ‘yourself’ were gone, wouldn’t the future hold even greater uncertainties? What’s wrong with keeping a human shield? So, all you need to do is smile~’

…

‘This…’

How was this a little angel?! This was clearly a thousand times more insidious and despicable than that demon, wasn’t it?!

Well… in any case, the little angel managed to quell the jealousy in my heart… right??

After my rebirth, a fair number of good things had naturally occurred.

Perhaps it was the butterfly effect of my reincarnation.

My Mother, who had originally “run away from home” around the time I was ten and was never seen again, had only just last year traveled to the other side of the ocean with my Father, seeking an opportunity to make a comeback.

Thanks to this, I hadn’t witnessed the somewhat “sorrowful” expression on my father’s face.

I had grown, but from a male high school student into a cute little sister… no matter how I thought about it, this was utterly impossible! Absolutely! Definitely! There wasn’t even the slightest possibility for negotiation!

****

Time rewound to the classroom.

****

“L-Little Qi… what… exactly are you doing?”

The voice of my supposed elder brother, seemingly trembling, echoed once more.

****

Having just concluded my prolonged thoughts, I curved my lips into a smile.

Everything that had just transpired allowed me to completely cast aside my internal struggle with the ‘loli-con’ issue.

However, if my original self, Ye Sakaki, who possessed favorable conditions beyond the family environment and a ‘gender’ that was perfectly fine, became my rival… that was a concession I could not accept, no matter how I considered it.

I might as well go all the way and utterly crush this idiot… no, no, this annoying brat, Ye Sakaki!

The corners of my mouth curled upwards, like a demon enticing one to fall into depravity.

To be honest, this smile wasn’t inherently profound, yet appearing on my delicate, pale face, it naturally carried a distinctive visual impact.

“As you can see~”

Maintaining my smile, I leaned closer to Youli.

“We’re ‘making friends,’ you see.”

Gently, my lips covered Youli’s utterly bewildered mouth. In my peripheral vision, ‘my former self’ clenched his fists tightly before fleeing the contentious scene as if for his life.

However, that final glance of his didn’t seem to land on Youli.

Instead, it fell upon me?

****

Knowing Ye Sakaki’s true nature as I did, I would never mistake any of his minor flaws or quirks.

Yet today, for the very first time, an utterly perplexing scene had unfolded.

“Uhm… that…”

“Little Qi… stop pressing against me, the desk is really hurting.”

Youli, complaining slightly, pushed her hands away, her face flushed pink. It was clear she found my actions a little strange.

Yet, I possessed a natural identity that “increased my credibility,” didn’t I~

As for what that was?

Hehe… Sa~

“Ahem… Little Qi, we need to head to the sports field for the speech soon. Student representatives can be a little late… but we absolutely cannot neglect our duties and shirk our responsibilities~”

Watching the somewhat earnest Class Monitor Youli, I pouted and turned my face away.

“I would never neglect my duties! My biological clock dictates every single thing I need to do down to the second!”

The implied meaning was… failing to procrastinate on every task until the very last moment would be a heinous violation of my biological clock.

****

We snuck past the flowerbed in the center of the U-shaped teaching building, traversed the marble ground beside the flag, and covertly made our way to the back of the podium.

Although we were being stealthy, I couldn’t shake the feeling that thousands of eyes were fixed solely upon us, making me intensely uncomfortable.

Yet, for the substantial scholarship offered by this middle school—a school that required insurance fees just to attend and boasted annual fees exceeding 200,000…

I! Believe in myself! They’re all mere ground-crawlers! How could I possibly show any guilt to such creatures?!

****

Upon reaching the sports field, some of the more superfluous ceremonies had already concluded.

The principal’s address had gone something like this:

“First… a simple beginning…”

“The first thing I’d like to briefly discuss…”

“Secondly, I believe…”

“Our school… has achieved success in XX areas…”

“And, vigorously implemented…”

“Thank you…”

The “brief speech,” which had lasted nearly an hour without even a sip of water, finally came to an end. Next were the “short speeches” from various classes and key student council members.

Even if they were short, they would still utterly squander the remaining precious time.

Consequently, the student representatives’ speeches had to be scheduled for the afternoon.