Restricted Fantasy Invasion

Chapter 17
"The class is finally over, President. Shall we go eat?"

As the bell for the end of the fourth period rang, all of the morning's required classes were over, and it was time for lunch break.

The discipline committee chair of the class, Ashley, walked over and called Yan Huan, who was sitting by the window, to go have lunch.

She and Yan Huan were both in Class 1-A.

There were five first-year classes in total, and students were randomly assigned to a class when they enrolled.

Of the five members of the student council, Yan Huan and Ashley were in Class A, Yaqiao Mu was alone in Class B, and Sakuramiya Hitomi and Yuan Lina were in Class E.

Since they all got along well, unless they were busy, they usually had lunch together at noon.

But today was an exception.

After thinking for a moment, Yan Huan smiled and politely declined Ashley,

"Ashley, you go eat with them today. I have something to handle at the senior division, so I'll be a bit late to the cafeteria."

Ashley looked at Yan Huan in surprise, but didn't ask for specifics, only said,

"Alright, I'll let Sakuramiya Vice President and the others know. If you want to join us, we'll probably be at our usual spot."

"Mm-hmm."

Watching Ashley turn and leave, Yan Huan also stood up, getting ready to head to the senior division.

Of course, he was going there for Ye Shiyu.

He wondered if it was because the student council meeting that morning had brought up the issue of school bullying, making him quite worried that the eccentric Ye Shiyu might get caught in this kind of conflict.

Plus, he had checked his phone and found that there had been a lot of recent reports of student incidents at Linmen.

Even the two top high schools in Jinghe District, Xiuzhi Academy and Yuanyue Academy, had problems-someone next door had even jumped off a building. It was probably even worse at other schools.

The schools in the southern district were the first to be publicly criticized.

Although Ye Shiyu had the modifier and wouldn't be bullied-she'd be more likely to bully others-but this would definitely increase the likelihood of her using the modifier.

Yan Huan had already analyzed before that if the host used the modifier too often, things would get complicated.

Just last weekend, he had finally managed to break the modifier into fragments after a lot of effort.

He didn't want to go a few days without seeing her and find that the modifier had been "fed" to some godlike level, making it even harder to handle.

So, he could only go take a look.

Yan Huan walked out of the classroom and headed quickly toward the other teaching building where the senior division was located.

Not all students went to the cafeteria immediately after class; some brought their own lunch, some went to the store for instant food, and some just didn't want to rush and squeeze into the crowd.

In short, the classroom wasn't completely empty at the start of lunch break.

Just today, a transfer student had joined Class 2-A, and the boys were quite excited-after all, the newcomer was a real beauty.

Unfortunately, after just one class, their peacock-like enthusiasm was doused by the girl's cold indifference.

The girl was visibly difficult to approach, with a very odd personality, and it was as if she had an invisible force field around her repelling others.

So, by the end of the morning, only a few people were willing to talk to her.

"Yumi, aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm waiting for my boyfriend. He's still training."

"The track club is already so busy even though the semester just started?"

"The Club War is about to start, you know. I heard the rewards are great. Besides punishing the losing clubs, you can even make a wish to the school board."

"Yeah, I heard the club that won last year's Club War got the school board to cancel the final exams. I wonder what President Yan and the others will do this year."

Ye Shiyu sat on her desk in a black dress, and when she heard her classmates mention "President Yan," she blinked and fell into thought.

Because of what happened yesterday, she still felt a bit guilty toward Yan Huan.

Last night, she'd realized that he'd done so much for her, but she'd acted like a block of wood, unable to even say thank you, and had even tried to hypnotize him in a despicable way.

So, from this morning on, the first thing she thought was: is there something she could do to repay Yan Huan?

The result: she couldn't think of anything.

Buy him some gifts? After all, the jellyfish plushie he gave her was still sitting at the head of her bed.

But she didn't know what he liked.

Invite him to come live with her again? After all, he'd said he longed for motherly care.

But Ye Shiyu had no confidence in her own despicable self.

She was afraid that one day in the future, she'd lose control again like last night, unable to see his kindness, and would use the APP to defile him, dirtying and breaking him.

So.

As for the second thing, she wondered: why is Yan Huan so good to her?

Was it because of her mother? Because her mother was so good to him, so it was only natural for him to be good to her, the daughter?

Or was it for some other reason she didn't know?

The more Ye Shiyu thought, the more lost she became, and she sighed as if coming to life again.

If only getting along with people were as easy as getting along with dolls.

The classmate who'd been talking beside her left the classroom, but the other girl, Yumi, who sat next to Ye Shiyu, stayed.

Seeing Ye Shiyu suddenly sigh, Yumi smiled kindly and struck up a conversation,

"Ye, aren't you going to eat?"

Ye Shiyu paused for a moment before realizing Yumi was talking to her. She turned her head expressionlessly and replied,

"Mm, I brought food from home."

"Huh, Ye, aren't you from Longguo? You bring a bento too?"

Actually, it was because Ye Shiyu didn't eat much and didn't want to squeeze into the crowded cafeteria, so she planned to just eat some of the desserts Aunt Chen had packed for her.

Ye Shiyu nodded, not explaining further.

But then she suddenly thought of something and turned to ask Yumi,

"Yan Huan, is he really famous at our school?"

"Oh, you mean President Yan?"

Yumi had just picked up her makeup mirror from the desk, and Ye Shiyu's question immediately piqued her interest,

"Of course! When he first ran for student council as a freshman, everyone was stunned by how handsome he was. His smile is just unreal. And he's really smart, plus he seems super gentle."

The boy-girl ratio at Yuanyue Academy was 1:2, and when Yan Huan ran for student council, he got the vast majority of the girls' votes.

Yan Huan was very popular at school.

Ye Shiyu realized this from Yumi's words.

And with that realization came a vague, inexplicable sense of displeasure rising in her heart,

"I see."

Unconsciously, the screen on her phone lit up again on her desk.

"Didn't expect you to be interested in our school's handsome guys so soon, Ye. Too bad the boys in Class A aren't that impressive, but I heard there's someone in Class B."

Yumi thought she'd discovered a secret little crush in the seemingly cold Ye Shiyu, but Ye Shiyu's expression showed she wasn't interested at all.

Blinking, Yumi changed the subject back,

"But President Yan's just a first-year. He rarely comes to the senior division. If he does, it's usually for official business and he comes with Sakuramiya Vice President, never alone, right?"

As she spoke, Yumi suddenly caught sight out of the corner of her eye of a handsome, lazy-looking boy standing at their classroom door-she had no idea when he'd gotten there.

"President Yan?"

Yumi blurted out instinctively.

Yan Huan smiled at her and greeted her,

"Hello, senpai."

Hearing this, Ye Shiyu was slightly stunned. She turned her head and her eyes met Yan Huan, whom she'd just said goodbye to last night.

Actually, Yan Huan had been standing there for a while, but seeing Ye Shiyu chatting normally with her classmate, he'd felt half-relieved and didn't want to interrupt.

Maybe he'd been overthinking things.

There was definitely school bullying, but it's not like kids cry every day. It was just Ye Shiyu's luck to run into it right after transferring.

But since he was already there, he didn't sneak away. Instead, he greeted them openly.

Ye Shiyu suddenly stood up, while Yumi's gaze darted crazily between Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu, like a gossip reporter who'd just found a huge scoop.

"Shocking! I've discovered the president's secret hidden wife!"

Seeing the stunned look on her face, Yan Huan instantly understood what she was thinking.

Too bad she got the headline wrong-it should be,

"Resisting the Hypnosis Demon King! Why did Yan Huan come to the senior division at noon?!"

Thinking this, Yan Huan introduced,

"Senpai, Ye Shiyu is my sister. I came to check on her."

Sister

Ye Shiyu's throat moved unconsciously, and her eyes trembled as she locked onto Yan Huan.

Wait, your surnames aren't even the same-how is she your sister?

Could that kind of sister really be blood-related?

Unless it was some kind of weird roleplay...

Yumi didn't question it and chose to believe Yan Huan first,

"Ah, sister, is that so?"

Yan Huan also exchanged a few polite words,

"Mm-hmm. Please look after Sister Shiyu for me-she just transferred here from Longguo."

"Not at all, we're all classmates here, everyone is friendly, there's no need to talk about looking after anyone."

Yan Huan gave a slight smile, then looked over at Ye Shiyu, who had remained silent the whole time, and asked,

"Sister Shiyu, have you eaten yet? Do you want to go to the cafeteria with me for lunch?"

Yumi was just about to say "your sister brought lunch," but Ye Shiyu had already nodded and said,

"Okay."

"."

Yumi opened her mouth, then slowly turned her head away to play dead, though one ear was still perked up, eavesdropping.

Ye Shiyu picked up her phone and walked toward the door.

"The cafeteria is this way, Sister Shiyu."

"Mm."

Ye Shiyu followed Yan Huan's pace, staring at his back, and asked,

"Classmates said you rarely come to the senior division."

"Yeah, it's pretty far after all, and I only have time to come over during the lunch break. Originally, I just wanted to ask on plane if you were getting used to things, Sister Shiyu, but the cafeteria is far and the route is complicated, so I thought it'd be better to come meet you in person."

"."

Ye Shiyu looked at Yan Huan's profile, watching as the laziness on his face finally accumulated into a bit of drowsiness, prompting him to yawn.

Seeing this, she asked again,

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

"Ah, well, since I had to transfer subways coming back from Jinghe District, I got home a bit late."

"." So it was because of me...

Last night, he'd thought of her feelings and chose to leave alone so late.

And when she chased after him, not only did she fail to persuade him to stay, but she also made him miss a train because she borrowed his power bank.

Ye Shiyu blinked, and the guilt in her heart made her want to ask Yan Huan what kinds of things he liked.

But just like last night, the words got stuck at her lips and wouldn't come out.

Only her phone screen lit up again.

She quickly pressed her left hand over her right, which was holding the phone, trying to use this silly body language to remind herself: absolutely no more hypnosis!

But it made a "pop" sound.

Yan Huan turned around in surprise and asked with concern,

"What's wrong, Sister Shiyu?"

Ye Shiyu's face turned slightly red. She quietly hid her phone behind her skirt, avoided his gaze, and said softly,

"I'm a little... hungry."

"Then let's hurry up and eat."

"Mm."

The Yuanyue Academy cafeteria is outside the school gate; actually, the whole large area outside belongs to Yuanyue.

It includes a park, a shopping street, and such, and the cafeteria is in the southeast corner, closer to the school.

Yan Huan carried some Longguo dishes back to his seat, and in front of Ye Shiyu, there was also a plate of fruit salad on the table.

"There's no need for such a feast."

Ye Shiyu had heard from her mother that Yan Huan always earned his own money by working part-time. Yesterday, he bought her gifts, and today he ordered so many dishes for lunch...

"It's fine, I just eat a lot myself."

But Ye Shiyu had already quietly attributed the reason for so many dishes to Yan Huan wanting to treat her.

So as not to let him down, even if she had no appetite, Ye Shiyu picked up her own chopsticks, determined to eat a bit more.

Yes, she actually carried utensils with her that had her name on them-something Yan Huan hadn't expected.

"Did you get used to class today? And everything else?"

"Mm, it's fine. It feels very different from schools in Longguo."

"Yeah, exams should be pretty easy for you, Sister Shiyu. A lot of the math they teach in Longguo high schools isn't taught here until college."

"Mm."

As Ye Shiyu ate, the desire to ask him what kinds of things he liked sprang up in her heart again.

She bit her chopsticks, about to speak, when suddenly the edge of the table popped up a head of a girl with pink and red hair.

That girl gripped the edge of the table with both hands, looking like she'd snuck over and was squatting beside them.

She revealed a pair of big, bright eyes, scanning rapidly between Ye Shiyu and Yan Huan like a judge.

That was the student council secretary, Yuan Lina.

At this moment, her expression was serious, and she stroked her chin like some kind of "cafeteria judge."

Confusion first flashed in her eyes, then certainty...

And then-judgment!

She opened her mouth wide, about to shout, but Yan Huan was a step faster-he used a clean plastic fork from the fruit salad to spear a piece of cantaloupe and pop it into her open mouth.

"Awoo!"

With cantaloupe in her mouth, she instinctively chewed, then showed a silly smile,

"So tasty!"

But a second later, Yuan Lina seemed to realize something and quickly said,

"Wait! President! You traitor! You just said you liked me, but now you're-boohoohoo..."

Ye Shiyu's pupils shrank slightly as she looked at Yan Huan in front of her.

But Yan Huan just smiled and ignored Yuan Lina's awkward acting, only asking,

"Want more cantaloupe?"

"More, yummy, love it." Yuan Lina immediately changed her expression, looking all cute and innocent.

Ye Shiyu quietly withdrew her gaze and also took back a phone she'd placed on the table.

"Where's the Sakuramiya Vice President and the others?"

Yan Huan fed Yuan Lina another piece as he asked.

"Mmm, just behind us."

Watching Yan Huan feed Yuan Lina, Ye Shiyu pursed her lips and gripped her phone tightly.

She sensed someone approaching, turned her head, and saw a few members of the student council.

A bespectacled otaku playing on his phone, ignored.

Another girl with short golden hair-Ye Shiyu's gaze paused on her for a second, then suddenly fell on the girl standing between the two.

That girl was stunningly beautiful, a bit petite, and was studying Ye Shiyu just as Ye Shiyu was studying her.

Their eyes met in the air for a second, then quietly looked away.

"Boohoo, Sakuramiya, look, the president isn't eating with us, but is secretly meeting another girl! And you say you're not in love?!"

Sakuramiya Hitomi, understanding as always, hugged Yuan Lina, who'd just run back, and seeing she still had cantaloupe in her mouth but looked so aggrieved, comforted her,

"Alright, alright, don't jump to conclusions about the president's private life. I'm sure you didn't even ask before you started making things up."

"Sakuramiya!"

Yan Huan smiled and introduced Ye Shiyu to his friends,

"Let me introduce you-this is Ye Shiyu, the daughter of my mother's good friend, and my sister."

"So the president was meeting his sister at lunch! How come we never heard you had a sister at our school?" Ashley stroked her chin.

"She just transferred today, so..."

Everyone got the message and greeted Ye Shiyu, and Yan Huan introduced his friends to her as well.

But Ye Shiyu only nodded expressionlessly, without much response.

She quietly listened to their conversation and heard them mention many things.

And as she watched Yan Huan chat warmly with his friends, saw the smile on his face, an answer suddenly popped into Ye Shiyu's mind about her earlier thoughts.

Maybe the reason he's nice to her isn't because of her, or her mother-

More likely, it's that he's just this kind to everyone because he's a good person.

Realizing this, the inexplicable unhappiness she'd felt earlier grew even stronger, and Ye Shiyu suddenly put down her chopsticks.

"Are you full already, Sister Shiyu?"

"Mm, sorry."

So Ye Shiyu has a tiny appetite.

Yan Huan smiled, then looked at the friends still standing by and said,

"I'll stay here and eat with my sister for now. After we finish, I'll take her to look around the campus."

"Alright, then we'll head out first, President."

Sakuramiya Hitomi smiled and said.

Yuan Lina nodded, was about to leave, then ran back to spear another piece of Yan Huan's cantaloupe with her fork.

When Yan Huan raised his eyebrows, about to say something, she puffed out her cheeks and ran off again,

"Run, run, run! Ashley!"

"."

Yan Huan showed a helpless expression, then turned to look at Ye Shiyu, who was sitting across from him and staring at him, and asked,

"Would you like some more fruit, Sister Shiyu?"

"No, thank you."

Ye Shiyu shook her head in refusal, then turned to look toward the door, at the back of Sakuramiya Hitomi among several companions.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that the way that girl looked at Yan Huan was rather strange, which made Ye Shiyu feel uneasy about this girl she was meeting for the first time.

And yet, even to a girl like that, Yan Huan still smiled at her with the same warmth and kindness as always.

Ye Shiyu once again realized that Yan Huan might be this gentle and kind to everyone,

not just to herself.

Since it was just the start of the semester and nothing urgent was going on, Yaqiao Mu went back to his class to play games and watch anime, Ashley returned to her class for the lunch break meeting, and Yuan Lina had run off somewhere to have fun.

Although Yuan Lina seemed a bit silly, she actually got along with people extremely well.

From her first year to her third, she'd met countless people, and everyone in every class liked her.

Maybe right now, she was sitting in some classroom chatting with a group of girls.

So it was only Sakuramiya Hitomi who quietly walked back alone to the student council office on the top floor of the teaching building.

In the quiet office, she thought for a moment, then sat down behind the desk and took a laptop out of her bag.

She unlocked it, opened a folder labeled "Research" on the drive, and inside was a single folder named "Surveillance Target: Yan Huan."

Opening it, she found nearly a hundred folders inside, all with the same naming format.

Camera One," "Camera Two," ... "Camera One Hundred.

She randomly opened one of the folders, which contained a bunch of photos, all featuring the handsome boy with a smile-just taken from different angles.

How he looked in class, how he looked when he was lazy, how he looked talking to others, how he looked when writing something, how he looked running in PE class-

Most of them were taken in his classroom, or here in the student council office.

There were a lot of cameras installed by Sakuramiya Hitomi in this office.

And in the folder for Camera One Hundred, there were even images from the hallway of Yan Huan's rental apartment.

The beautiful girl stared at the photos in the folder with an expressionless face, and suddenly, the image of that beautiful girl named "Ye Shiyu" floated into her mind.

But after searching through all the cameras, she never once saw that girl's figure, which made Sakuramiya Hitomi's brows furrow slightly in dissatisfaction.

"."

And it was in the midst of this dissatisfaction that, in the quiet office, her voice suddenly rang out as she recited a strange phrase,

"Room Barrier."

[Activate Room Barrier?]

[Current Modifier Level: 2]

[Coverage Area: Student Council Office]

[Effect: Individual Common Sense Modification, Domain Rule Alteration, Omnidirectional Surveillance]

Sakuramiya Hitomi just stared at the illusory text before her, and after a moment's silence, she gently closed the laptop.

There was a soft "snap" as it shut.

(End of this chapter)