Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 24

Yuanyue Academy, First-Year Division—inside a cubicle by the window in the girls' restroom.

An Le sat in the cubicle, browsing a webpage and searching for information on small snake species.

A small, strange white snake had appeared on her windowsill the night before.

She already knew quite a bit about snakes—after all, when she first got into keeping reptiles, snakes were the first pets she considered.

But her parents were absolutely terrified of them, so she eventually switched to geckos, which they could at least tolerate.

As for spiders and insects—those were completely out of the question.

And that snake from last night?

It was tiny, yet resembled a cobra, making An Le suspect it might be venomous.

She had given it a little food and then locked it up securely to make sure it couldn't escape.

After arriving at school, she went online again to research, hoping to identify the species and see if it could be kept as a pet.

Linmen, being a massive coastal city, had very few native snake species. So if it appeared in a residential area, it most likely escaped from someone's home.

Judging by how badly it was injured, its previous owner probably hadn’t treated it well.

An Le wanted to take care of it, but after searching all morning, she couldn’t find a single match.

The pattern, the size, the shape—

None of them came close to what she saw last night.

'Do pure white miniature cobras even exist?' she wondered.

"Hey, Shuwen, I heard the President rejected all the gifts again this morning."

"Yeah, the President doesn't even sleep, so there's no chance at all."

Just as An Le put her phone down and prepared to return to class, she heard a few classmates chatting outside the restroom door.

She immediately fell silent, staying perfectly still.

It sounded like Pu Shuwen had entered the next cubicle, and their conversation continued.

"Dummy, the issue isn’t whether the President sleeps or not—it’s about that student council accountant."

"Oh, you mean that otaku you mentioned before?"

"Yeah, that one. He’s really close with the President and super easy to talk to. If you ask him seriously, one-on-one, he’ll definitely deliver it to the President."

Listening in, An Le pressed her lips together and remained silent.

"Is that really going to work?"

"Of course. But it can't be too many people. One or two once in a while is fine, but if it's too many, he'll refuse."

A few moments later, the cubicle door opened, and Pu Shuwen seemed to be leaving.

"So yeah, we just ask him once a week. Just act a little cuter, a little sweeter..."

As she washed her hands, Pu Shuwen said in a syrupy voice,

"Mmm, Yaqiao-kun, you’re just too sweet—I don’t even know how to thank you~"

"Ahhh, you’re so annoying, you’re crushing me, haha."

"Shhh, I summarized all of this secretly, don’t tell anyone else."

"Among the upper ranks of the student council, he’s the only one who’ll actually help. You’an Lina, the secretary, tries—but she reads every letter like a hundred times before even delivering it."

"And that Aishili—her face is always so sour; she’s impossible to deal with."

"As for Yinggong... hehe."

"Hahahaha~"

Their laughter faded with the class bell—*ding ding*—while An Le remained in her cubicle, still processing what she’d overheard.

'If I passed a message to that accountant named Yaqiao... would Xiaohuan actually accept it?'

But… something about it felt off.

'And what if Pu Shuwen and the others found out I was eavesdropping and started doing the same thing…?'

An Le pressed her lips together, gently placing her hand over her chest, feeling a tightness she couldn’t shake.

She let out a soft gasp and undid one button on her collar—the fabric was stretched too tightly over her chest.

Yet even after loosening it, the stuffy feeling remained.

Only then did she realize—it wasn’t her chest that felt heavy, but the heart beneath it.

*Gurururu~*

Just as An Le hesitated, a phantom snake-shaped tattoo appeared from nowhere, slithering out from beneath her clothes and onto her skin.

She cupped her face, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something moving on her arm.

"!!"

She jumped up in fright, staring at her arm.

'Snake... snake, snake, snake!'

'Why is it in my hand?!'

As her eyes began to mist over in panic, the tattoo slid from her fingers and slowly materialized into a small white snake in the real world.

*Gurururu...*

The little snake looked exactly like the one she had rescued the night before.

"An Le, hello."

The snake raised its head, examining her, and suddenly spoke directly into her mind in a distinctly feminine voice.

"It... it talked?!"

An Le clamped her hand over her mouth, wondering if she was hallucinating from touching herself too much.

The snake rolled its eyes in a very human way, glared at her, and snapped,

"Loser!"

"Why are you… suddenly insulting me?"

"You don’t even talk back when I call you a loser. Are you even human?"

"But… I really don’t know why you’re insulting me. Maybe it’s because I locked you up last night…"

The little snake burst into laughter, too frustrated to even come up with a proper insult.

After a brief silence, it glanced sideways at An Le and muttered helplessly,

"I seriously can’t with you… whatever. I’ve got no other choice. If I wait any longer, the other [fingers] are gonna start eating chicken."

"Eat... chicken?"

An Le's cheeks reddened. She had heard the phrase "eat chicken" before and suddenly misunderstood.

(*) "Eat chicken" is slang for playing battle royale games like PUBG (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds), where victory is celebrated with the phrase "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner".

"Listen up, An Le. I like to speak plainly, so I’ll just cut to the chase."

The little snake flicked its translucent pink tongue and continued,

"Do you know what a golden finger is?"

"Y-yeah. I’ve read a lot of Longguo novels."

(*) "Golden finger" refers to a cheat-like power given to protagonists in Chinese web novels.

"I’m the golden finger. Call me a cheat, a system—whatever. I’m here to help you fulfill your wish."

"Fulfill my wish?"

"Exactly. You’re the protagonist of this world—the chosen one. You can do anything you want."

The snake flicked its tongue, slithered over to An Le, wrapped around her arm, and began coiling upward.

[I can grant you the power to manipulate sensations. You’ll be able to control anyone’s pleasure or pain.]

As it slithered up her arm, a tingling sensation spread through her skin—first a tickle, then pain, and then—

An Le's face flushed slightly, her body going limp without warning.

But the feeling vanished just as quickly, fading like the tide.

[In return, you must show me your wish coming true.]

[One by one—tiny wishes, grand wishes, simple ones, impossible ones—fulfill them all.]

[The more you use me, the greater your power will grow... until evolution.]

As sweet as Eve’s forbidden fruit, the snake’s words abruptly shifted tone,

(*) Reference to the biblical story of Eve and the apple, symbolizing temptation.

[But—you must be cautious. Cautious, cautious, and more cautious. Absolutely no one can know you have this power. You must not be discovered.]

An Le swallowed hard and instinctively asked,

"Otherwise... what’ll happen?"

[Otherwise we’re all doomed!]

[These fingers—and this entire world—will go down with us.]

[No one but the finger holders can know of our existence. That’s a rule set by the deity...]

"If it could be discovered, would it still count as a Japanese anime plot?"

[That’s what the deity said.]

[That’s the main reason.]

[As for the second reason—]

"What do you think would happen if others found out you had a special power?"

"They’d capture me and experiment on me or something?"

"Not bad, not bad."

The little snake flicked its tongue and rolled its eyes at An Le.

"What's more likely is that, after the research fails, they'll just kill you!"

Although it wouldn't die, being forced to switch to a new Host and start over would significantly slow its progress compared to the other Fingers.

Originally, it had planned to bind with that woman named Tong Tingting. Even though she understood its value, she still chose to give it up willingly.

That decision had left it seriously injured.

Fortunately, the binding wasn't complete. Otherwise, it would've been doomed.

Now, it had no choice but to settle for this dried-fish-looking woman standing before it.

"So, how about it? Will you accept my help?"

"I—"

An Le opened her mouth, staring at the little snake in front of her.

As it flicked its tongue, her distorted reflection shimmered in its crimson eyes.

"Are you really okay with being bullied your whole life? From elementary school, to middle school, and even now?"

"..."

"Are you really okay with being a coward forever? Too scared to even talk to him or recover your memories? Just watching him be with other women?"

"No, that's not it!"

Upon hearing this, An Le clenched her fists and protested fiercely.

"I just want to reunite with him. As for who he likes, I—"

'No way, girl.'

'After all the buildup I gave you, this is your response?!'

'How is this any different from having the power to stop time, only to use it to study more?'

'Seriously? You’ve got this kind of superpower and you’re still thinking nonsense like “If you’re well, it’s a sunny day”?!'

'Fine, fine, fine.'

The little snake’s expression darkened. It smacked her hand with its tail and muttered curses under its breath.

"Pathetic! Forget about that Yan Huan guy. I’m telling you—go after whoever you want! Can’t you show a little ambition?! Can’t even dare to think bigger?"

"But I just—"

*Smack smack smack smack!*

Before she could finish, the little snake’s tail spun like a whirlwind and kept striking her over and over.

An Le quickly shielded the back of her hands, squealing as she tried to block the hits.

"D-Don’t hit me anymore... I-I’ll accept your help!"

Still fuming, the little snake panted and snapped,

"How did someone as smart as me end up with a useless loser like you?! From now on, you better toughen up!"

"If anyone bullies you again, strike back—hard!"

"If you like someone, make him your slave! Just like those characters in the games you play!"

An Le opened her mouth wide, wanting to say, "You can’t apply game logic to real life..."

But seeing how angry it was, she didn’t dare say anything more.

So instead, she asked,

"Little snake... since you can talk, do you have a name?"

"...You can call me [Little Pinky]."

"What a strange name."

An Le patted its head, but it angrily swatted her hand away. Unbothered, An Le simply finished the sentence she’d been interrupted from earlier.

"Little Pinky, what I meant to say is, even though you sound amazing... if your only ability is controlling pleasure and pain, it doesn’t really seem that useful."

"..."

Little Pinky froze for a second, nearly turning red at her blunt remark.

"What do you mean?! Are you saying I’m weak?! I’m smart enough to help you just fine, okay?!"

"N-No, I’m just being honest."

"Bullshit! And that’s just the starting ability! The more you use it, the stronger it gets!"

"Hmm..."

Still, no matter how strong it becomes, it feels kind of useless, doesn’t it?

But afraid of hurting Little Pinky's feelings, she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.

An Le was a gentle girl.

"Alright, alright... but Little Pinky, you’re a snake. I can’t bring you to school, and I’d have to worry about my parents seeing you at home."

"Do you really think just anyone can see me? Only you can. No one else can see or hear me."

As it spoke, Little Pinky began to melt.

Its milky white body turned pitch black, as if soaked in ink, transforming into a phantom tattoo on An Le’s hand.

The tattoo squirmed slightly on her skin, and then—like magic—blurry text appeared before her eyes.

[Current Level: 1]

[Effect: Pleasure and Pain Sensory Control]

[Usage Method 1: Once per day. Each use lasts 15 minutes. Mentally select any target within a ten-meter radius.]

[Usage Method 2: Summon the snake-shaped tattoo. If the tattoo makes contact with the target, sensory control will activate. This method has no time limit or cooldown, but only works on one person at a time.]

Staring at the phantom subtitles in front of her, An Le slightly parted her lips and murmured,

"This is exactly like the systems in novels."

"Hmph. As long as you know I’m the golden finger. Now go teach those bullies a lesson, got it?"

(*) "Golden finger" refers to a cheat-like advantage often given to protagonists in Chinese web novels.

Little Pinky's voice echoed in her mind.

An Le pressed her lips together, not saying whether she agreed or not.

Instead, she glanced at her phone. Upon seeing the time, she stood up in a panic.

"Oh no, class has already been going on for so long... I’ve got to hurry back!"

"Hey! Did you even hear what I just said?!"

"..."

An Le quietly slipped out of the stall and walked to the sink.

But her thoughts were in chaos, stirred up by that sudden encounter with the little snake.

She wasn’t thinking about taking revenge on Pu Shuwen and the others. Instead, a scene from over a decade ago suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Back then, her family hadn’t moved out of the southern district yet. They still lived in a rundown, messy old apartment complex.

Just like now, she didn’t really have any friends at the time.

The difference was, back then, she had a close childhood friend.

The neighborhood kids would often play together, but they rarely included her because she was too quiet and unlikeable.

Still, she longed for friendship. Even if she just followed behind them silently or sat off to the side doing nothing, she wanted to be near them.

There was an orphanage in the community, and the neighborhood kids often played with the children who lived there.

That was where An Le met a boy named Yan Huan.

A very special boy.

Of all the kids, only Yan Huan would notice her sitting alone in the corner.

Only Yan Huan would approach her, talk to her, and invite her to play.

An Le would even carefully prepare birthday gifts for him, bring him home, and let him sleep in her room.

Her parents liked him too. Back then, she had even naively suggested that Yan Huan come live with them…

Those happy years were unforgettable for An Le.

But all that happiness disappeared when her family moved away from Linmen.

She still remembered hugging him and crying before they left. He didn’t know how to comfort her, so he cut a piece of thick paper and said,

"Don’t cry. I’ll make you a bookmark, okay?"

"Wuwu... Xiaohuan, what’s... what’s a bookmark?"

"A bookmark is something you use to mark the page where you stopped reading."

"So this bookmark is also a record?"

"Mhm. The point of a bookmark is so that when we meet again, we can pick up where we left off."

He wrote a sentence on the cardboard with a pen—both of their names:

"Yan Huan and An Le."

He asked her if she wanted to add anything else.

She picked up the pen and thought for a bit. Only one simple thought came to mind.

"I don’t want us to be apart."

So she wrote one more line on the bookmark, making it complete:

"Yan Huan and An Le."

"Must stay together forever."

After that, her family returned to Longguo and ran a business for many years.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go well. Eventually, they moved back to Linmen and settled in the Luoqiao District.

She returned to the orphanage in the southern district, but so many years had passed—Yan Huan had long since left, and no one knew where he had gone.

She wondered if it was fate that didn’t want her to keep searching—because just as she managed to get into Yuanyue, Yan Huan appeared before her on his own.

It turned out Yan Huan had also enrolled in Yuanyue and was now attending the same school as An Le.

But even though she missed him so deeply, an entire semester had passed… so why hadn’t she gone to see him?

*Splash splash splash*

Cold water flowed over the back of her hand, stealing her body heat and making her look up at the mirror in front of her.

In the mirror, her thick, jet-black hair seemed to weigh down her entire presence.

After a brief silence, she brushed aside the strands covering her forehead, revealing her fair, delicate, and innocent face.

Yet even as she looked into her own reflection, her eyes instinctively avoided direct contact.

That evasive gaze carried the shadow of inferiority, burying everything about her.

'Someone like me…'

'Compared to Xiaohuan, who’s already become the Student Council President and is liked by so many people…'

'How could it ever be possible—'

'How could we possibly stay together forever?'

An Le pressed her lips together and lowered her head again, letting her long black hair fall over her face.

Feeling disheartened, she quietly walked out of the restroom and headed back to the classroom.

She gently knocked on the door, stepped inside, and looked at Zhou Bin, who was lecturing at the podium. Softly, An Le murmured,

"Sorry, teacher, I’m late."

Mentally preparing herself for a punishment, An Le braced to be sent to stand in the back.

After all, she usually sat in the last row anyway.

But unexpectedly, Zhou Bin simply adjusted his glasses and smiled.

"It’s fine, go back to your seat."

"Eh? Okay, Mr. Zhou."

An Le gave him a grateful glance, then lowered her head and walked to her seat.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief and was just about to sit down when her body suddenly froze.

'I…'

'Where’s my book?'

The book itself wasn’t important, but… the bookmark inside it—

If she had lost that bookmark—

Her eyes, hidden behind her black hair, began to tremble, gradually becoming hollow. A snake-shaped tattoo beneath her skin stirred restlessly, as if awakened by a terrifying force.

*Gurururu～*

Turning her head, she saw the golden-haired Spencer blankly holding the old, wrinkled bookmark.

'In… in her hands!'

Spencer tilted her head and looked curiously at the girl in front of her. An Le leaned in anxiously and whispered,

"P-please give that back to me."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Spencer raised an eyebrow and looked An Le up and down.

After a brief moment, the interest and spark in Spencer’s expression faded, replaced by a dull and indifferent gaze.

"Alright then."

She handed the bookmark back to An Le along with the textbook.

"Th-thank you."

An Le clutched the bookmark tightly, sighed in relief, and slowly returned to her seat.

But just then, Spencer’s voice drifted over once more.

"You like him too, huh? That President named Yan Huan."

"Eh, n-no, I…"

An Le’s face flushed red. She waved her hands frantically, instinctively denying it.

Seeing her reaction, a flicker of sympathy flashed through Spencer’s eyes.

Resting her cheek on her hand, she looked lazily toward the front of the room and said,

"Nothing to be embarrassed about… but it’s better if you don’t. Just a little heads-up…"

"Eh?"

An Le awkwardly lowered her hand, pressing her lips together. She misunderstood, thinking Spencer liked Yan Huan too.

"After all, he’s already with that Yinggong Tong, and they’ve already done that kind of stuff."

(*) Note: "Yinggong Tong" is likely a name or title that may refer to a fellow student or character in the story—possibly Vice President.

An Le stiffened slightly and turned her head in a daze.

"Th-that kind of stuff…"

A mocking smile played on Spencer’s lips, and her golden hair seemed to glow under the sunlight.

She opened and closed her red lips, silently mouthing something to An Le.

The meaning of those movements struck An Le like a chaotic vision crashing into her mind.

In a flash, she imagined Yan Huan in a room, gazing tenderly at the Vice President who had always been by his side.

"......"

Unable to control it, An Le’s pale little face instantly turned ashen.

[End of this chapter]