Silence.
After Ai’er greeted Elena with great enthusiasm, she was met with a terrifying silence that seemed to shroud everything around them.
Elena did not respond with even a single word to Ai’er’s smile and greeting.
She simply remained silent, her face devoid of expression, as she approached Ai’er step by step through the path the crowd had cleared.
Ai’er had originally wanted to say something more, but in that instant, a sharp sting flared up from the depths of her heart, causing her words to vanish completely.
Ai’er had not yet realized what was happening, but there was no time for her to react.
Elena was already standing before her with a stern, stiff expression.
‘This… This doesn’t feel right!’
Ai’er was a bit panicked, but she couldn’t show it. She knew very well that if she panicked now, she would miss the best opportunity to apologize—
Wait, why did she need to apologize?
Ai’er forced the smile to stay on her face while her mind raced to figure out one thing: had she done something to Elena?
Was it because she had wandered aimlessly around Elena’s room after waking up and then couldn’t resist jumping onto her bed to roll around?
Or was it because she had gone to the kitchen and eaten the cake and snacks that Fina and the others had prepared for Elena?
Or perhaps…
“Mi—Miss Elena?”
Ai’er spoke with the intense guilt of someone who had done too many things they ‘shouldn’t have’ and finally got caught by a family member, yet wasn’t sure exactly which deed had been discovered.
Subconsciously, Ai’er had added a formal title to Elena’s name.
“…I told you, I do not allow you to address me that way.”
The voice was somewhat cold. The moment she finished speaking, Elena grabbed Ai’er’s arm. However, Ai’er’s arm was more slender than Elena had imagined; after grabbing it, she immediately loosened her grip slightly out of concern.
A force pulled Ai’er up, drawing her toward Elena as the latter turned to leave the crowd. Just like that, under the watchful eyes of the onlookers, Elena pulled Ai’er along and walked quickly toward the Student Council Office without saying another word.
During this process, Ai’er completely stopped thinking. Only three words echoed in her mind—
‘I am doomed.’
“Alright, alright, everyone disperse now.”
Vice President Lize, having finally regained her composure, began to gradually clear out the gathered students.
Listening to the chattering discussions of the students as they scattered, Lize merely narrowed her eyes, looking in the direction where President Elena and the silver-haired girl had disappeared.
“It seems things are about to get lively at the Academy… though outside the Academy, they might as well~”
With a slight curl of her lips, Lize turned and walked toward the school gate.
—
A little earlier, the very moment Ai’er woke up from her coma.
**[Elena’s view of the Host is—]**
**[‘Moonlight.’]**
That was the nonsensical ‘intel’ Ai’er had received after spending extra System Points.
What on earth did ‘moonlight’ mean? Was that even a word used to describe a person?
Ai’er had to admit she had been scammed by the System yet again…
However, since she only had 1 System Point left, Ai’er had no choice but to ask the System for information regarding the next mission.
**[The Host only needs to get close to Elena.]**
Other than that, there was no other information.
But how was she supposed to get close? According to the events of the past one year that the System had transmitted to her, Elena should be in class at the Academy right now, shouldn’t she?
She was just a maid who relied on the System even to release magic. Was she supposed to charge into the teaching buildings and search room by room?
Naturally, that wouldn’t work.
Since she couldn’t take the initiative to find Elena, she would make Elena take the initiative to see her!
‘Elena is the Student Council President now, right? Then if I just cause a bit of a commotion in the Academy, the Student Council will come looking for me on their own, won’t they?’
In truth, even if she did nothing, Elena would eventually return to the dormitory herself.
But the System said nothing. It seemed like Ai’er had other plans and wasn’t just too stupid to realize that point.
Yes, she definitely wasn’t too stupid to realize that.
So, ignoring the dissuasion of Fina and Anna, Ai’er circled the house once and then rushed out into the Academy.
Perhaps because of some novels she had read in the past, Ai’er felt a sense of familiarity as she wandered aimlessly through the campus. She simply followed her instincts along the path until she caught the scent of flowers—
Then, she noticed that flowerbed.
“Eh, the Stardust Flower exists in this world too?”
Silver-white petals, golden stamens. It was almost exactly the same as the flower that could be seen everywhere before she underwent Transmigration.
However, this wasn’t entirely unimaginable. After all, strictly speaking, this world also had a sun and a moon, and despite having crossed over, she could understand what these people were saying.
Well, the fact that she could understand the language of another world was most likely due to something the System had done.
Thinking this, Ai’er approached the flowerbed.
Then, the first student to notice her appeared…
“And that’s how it happened! I only left the house because I wanted to see Elena! It wasn’t because of curiosity or playfulness that I appeared at the flowerbed! Truly!”
Adding a bit of exaggeration, Ai’er spent the entire walk explaining to the silent Elena what she had done after waking up. Finally, she was pulled to the entrance of the Student Council Office.
As for why she felt the need to explain?
Ai’er didn’t know.
She only knew she needed to say something to alleviate the heavy atmosphere.
Elena’s face remained grim throughout. Ai’er could only see Elena’s back, or occasionally catch a glimpse of her profile and the light flashing from time to time within those ink-blue eyes.
“Ele—eep!”
A force coming from Ai’er’s arm interrupted her words.
Amidst the sound of the door opening and closing, another force caused Ai’er’s vision to spin—just as the click of the lock sounded, a pair of soft arms pressed against Ai’er’s shoulders.
“I’ve locked you in…”
Elena’s whisper, laced with a slight tremble, blew warm, moist breath into Ai’er’s ear.
“No escaping.”
The girl’s black hair fell onto Ai’er’s shoulders, brushing against the tip of her reddening ear, causing both her skin and her heart to itch simultaneously. An indescribable emotion rose from within, bringing a burning heat to her cheeks…
“W-Wu-myao!”
The sound was very soft, like a cry that had leaked out because she couldn’t endure the sensation.
A crimson flush named bashfulness burned across Ai’er’s face, surpassing the glow of the sunset passing through the glass window and reflecting off the girl’s fair skin.
Ai’er could understand that Elena was hugging her from behind, and she could also understand that Elena probably wasn’t angry or anything.
But—
‘S-S-S-System! I-I-I! Shouldn’t I be the one doing the capturing?!’
Ai’er, who had never held hands with a girl her age back when she had a male identity, might have had rich ‘theoretical experience’ and the determination and courage to capture girls—
But she wasn’t mentally prepared to be ‘seduced.’
After all, what boy in the world would be prepared for this? While one shouldn’t generalize, at the very least, Ai’er was not prepared.
**[Based on the Host’s current remaining points, it is not recommended for the Host to consume System Points to check the Capture Progress.]**
‘This! Is there even any need to check?! It’s definitely much higher than the previous 3%!’
While an increase in Capture Progress was a good thing, a reversal of the roles of hunter and prey was not what Ai’er desired.
‘N-No! I have to take back the initiative!’
So, she tried to struggle out of Elena’s embrace, but the arms wrapped around her only locked tighter.
And even worse—due to Elena’s arms gradually tightening, Elena’s hands were slowly approaching Ai’er’s chest.
‘N-Nooo!!’
If this continued, her soul as a male would permanently lose something!
In that instant, Ai’er made up her mind to use her ultimate move—