Restricted Fantasy Invasion

Chapter 45

Sunday morning. The robust sunlight that had just broken through the horizon climbed up the wall of a public rental building in the southern district, peeking through the window sill to spy on the scene inside the east-facing room on the sixth floor.

Inside, a black cat was running back and forth across the wooden floor, finally stopping at the bathroom door.

It then sat down primly, meowing cutely at the person inside,

"Meow~"

"Almost done, Meow-chan."

In the bathroom, standing in front of the sink, Yan Huan had already changed into the clothes he would wear for today's outing.

A loose-fitting navy blue plaid shirt paired perfectly with a basic white T-shirt underneath, and finally, he put on black cargo pants.

He put down the razor and splashed his sharp-jawed, clean face with hot water.

As he exhaled a breath of hot air, he picked up the hair dryer.

"Whoo!"

His damp hair dried and was styled into his preferred look by alternating blasts of hot and cold air.

At last, the final, eye-catching touch was complete.

"Meow~"

Meow-chan lightly jumped onto his shoulder, blinked at the handsome boy in the mirror,

"How rare, meow. You're actually getting ready so carefully today."

Its long black tail swept past his earlobe and then perked up high.

"Ah, well, today isn't just our student council's team-building-Bai Yi will be there too, right?"

"Meow~"

After giving himself a final look in the mirror, Yan Huan hung up the hair dryer and turned to leave the bathroom,

"Alright, all set. Time to head out."

He put on his shoes, picked up his breakfast, and walked out the door.

There wasn't anything big he needed to bring, so no backpack-just his phone, Bluetooth headset, wallet, and house keys in his pockets, and he was on his way.

Oh, and the ticket he'd prepared for Sakuramiya Hitomi.

Eating the pork floss bread he'd bought at the convenience store after work yesterday, he opened Plane and messaged Yaqiao Mu.

He started with a "nodding kitty" emoji, then typed out his message,

"I'm heading out now. I'll go to the subway station near your place first, then we can ride over together."

"OK."

A busty, blonde, 2D beauty gave a thumbs-up.

Then he sent a message to the big group chat:

"Yaqiao and I are both on our way. Let's meet at 8:30 at the Golden Lion Convention Center in Jinghe District?"

After getting confirmation from everyone, Yan Huan put on a Bluetooth headset, turned on some music, and walked to the nearby subway station.

It was about a ten-minute walk, and he passed the closed Nursery Rhyme Bar along the way.

At this hour-just after seven-Tong Yingtong was probably still asleep.

After finishing his pork floss bread, he also drank a carton of milk and tossed the trash into the bin at the subway entrance.

He scanned his phone to enter the station and took Line 11 toward Jinghe District; just one stop to the subway station near Yaqiao Mu's place.

"Ding dong! Nanwu Street Station, arrived."

He waited a bit after exiting the station, and before long, Yaqiao Mu arrived.

"President!!"

Yan Huan, who was scrolling on his phone at the platform, turned at the sound and saw Yaqiao Mu running toward him, face full of excitement.

The guy was wearing a mask and a gray T-shirt.

On his back was an enormous backpack, and he carried a stuffed paper bag in each hand.

He was already weak and nerdy to begin with, and now, lugging all this stuff and jogging with a mask on, he was about to suffocate.

"Haha... President, ha..."

"Running with a mask on-you're something else. Take it easy."

Yan Huan patted his back, telling him to take off the mask and catch his breath, while also glancing at the bags in his hands,

"What did you bring, anyway? So many bags."

Panting, Yaqiao Mu opened one of the bags a bit to explain to Yan Huan,

Ha, these-this bag is freebies, snacks for cosplayers and such, and there are glow sticks, and posters for Ai-chan to sign...

"And this bag has pens, pads, water, bread, power bank, that kind of stuff. The backpack's got camera gear for taking photos later."

That's way too much stuff!

Yan Huan raised his eyebrows, took out a wand-like thing from the bag, and asked curiously,

"What's this?"

Seeing Yan Huan pick that thing up, Yaqiao Mu's expression changed and he quickly said,

"Wait, President! Don't press that button-your finger!"

But Yan Huan hadn't noticed the little button where he'd grabbed it, and just happened to press it as he picked it up.

Then, the little stick in his hand started making sounds,

"May I take your picture? Thank you."

He pressed it again.

"Could I get a photo with you? Thank you."

In 2D culture, "photo collecting" means "asking for a photo together."

He pressed it again.

"Could I add you as a friend? Thank you."

It's an internet slang meaning to expand your friends list-basically, asking to add someone as a Plane friend.

All of the above recordings were Yaqiao Mu's voice.

"..."

Pinching the "voice stick" in his hand, Yan Huan stared at Yaqiao Mu in a daze.

Feeling awkward under the stare, Yaqiao Mu scratched the back of his head and quickly snatched the stick back from Yan Huan, explaining,

"Social anxiety, I have social anxiety, President! Please understand! I'm too shy to ask cosplayers for photos or to add them as friends, so I recorded my voice on this-just press a button and it plays."

"You're really well-prepared..."

"Well, I go to conventions a lot. It's not so much that I bring a lot, it's that you bring too little, President."

Yaqiao Mu pushed up his glasses, and the lenses reflected Yan Huan's face as he sized him up for a moment. Then he pointed at Yan Huan's face in disbelief,

"Hey, hey, what's with your look today, President? You're practically glowing with normie energy-it's overflowing! You don't even look like you belong in the same world as me."

As he said this, he suddenly clutched his head in realization, looking like he couldn't accept it,

"Wait, now that I think about it, the whole student council is full of normies. I've managed to hang out with you all for so long... Does that mean I've betrayed my kind?"

"You're just realizing this? Ever since you became my running mate last semester, we've been evolving from goblins, my friend."

"Huh? What's with the goblin thing?"

At Yuanyue Student Council, only the president is elected, but usually two people run as a team and compete against other teams.

Naturally, the two winners become president and vice president, and the other positions are filled by the president's nominations, which are then announced to the whole school.

Of course, you can also run solo if you want.

As long as you can handle all the campaign work and get elected, you can nominate a vice president later-it's fine.

So why didn't Yaqiao Mu become vice president?

There are two reasons.

First, he really does have social anxiety and doesn't want to be in the spotlight at all.

During the campaign, he stayed entirely behind the scenes, so much so that people thought Yan Huan was running alone.

Even though his name was mentioned several times, most people had no idea that all those perfect PPTs, data from various codes, and animated anime characters were his work.

Strictly speaking, not appearing for speeches or canvassing doesn't really count as being a running mate, but Yan Huan always considered him one.

When Yan Huan tried to nominate him for vice president, he practically kneeled in refusal, because the president and vice president have to take turns giving speeches to the whole school.

Honestly, if Yaqiao Mu had to speak in front of the whole school-

Let's just say, he'd give the speech in the morning and jump off a building by the afternoon.

Second, there are students with connections at school.

Specifically, Sakuramiya Hitomi.

Yan Huan still remembers the principal Hermes, who smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum, rubbing his hands together and enthusiastically recommending Sakuramiya Hitomi for vice president.

"Ding dong~ Subway arriving, please let passengers exit before boarding~"

The subway arrived, and Yan Huan led the existentially-confused Yaqiao Mu-who seemed to be wondering if he really looked like a goblin-into the carriage.

Since it was near the starting station, there weren't many people, so they got seats.

Someone messaged in the student council group chat on Yan Huan's phone.

Sakuramiya Hitomi: "I'm already here. I'll wait for you guys near the Golden Lion Convention Center subway station."

Yaqiao Mu saw the message too and smacked his lips,

"That's so fast. No wonder she's the young lady who lives in Jinghe District."

"And she even gets picked up and dropped off by car."

Yan Huan smiled slightly and replied to Sakuramiya Hitomi with a "roger" kitty emoji, then started thinking.

Bai Yi wouldn't take the stage until around two in the afternoon, which was also when the venue would be the most crowded.

She probably hadn't even arrived this early, so Yan Huan decided to contact her closer to noon.

He'd check in then and make a decision based on the content of her afternoon appearance.

After sitting for quite a while, as they approached the later stops near the Golden Lion Convention Center, more and more people their age in cosplay outfits began to show up.

"Golden Lion Convention Center East Station, we've arrived."

Yan Huan and Yaqiao Mu followed the crowd out of the subway exit, letting the sunlight gradually chase away the shadows on his face as he lifted his gaze.

What greeted him was an enormous building, with a golden lion's head engraved in the most prominent position, looking down imperiously at Yan Huan as he emerged from the subway.

On both sides of the broad walkway leading to the entrance, banners hung from lamp posts fluttered in the wind.

Some displayed game company logos, others featured popular anime IP characters, influencer bloggers, or celebrity photos.

The conversations of young people blended into a lively stream of humanity, as vibrant as the morning sun at eight or nine o'clock.

This was the grand scene of the Jinghe District Game Expo at Linmen!

"Alright, time to get started!!"

No sooner had they arrived than Yaqiao Mu raised his hand and shouted this inexplicably excited phrase.

He was full of the same energy he usually had when pulling for waifus.

"So what exactly are you excited about? Do you really like Si Tiao Ai that much?"

"President, over here!"

At the subway exit, just as Yan Huan was mercilessly roasting and preparing to message Sakuramiya Hitomi, a girl's voice seemed to pierce through the crowd and reach his ears.

Yan Huan was momentarily stunned, followed the sound, and immediately spotted a beautiful girl standing by the railing.

She wore a gothic Lolita vintage dress, her hair tied back to accentuate a black bow.

She held a parasol to shield herself from the sun, though not completely, so sunlight struggled to break through and fell on her fair, delicate skin.

The cherry-tipped strands at the ends of her hair danced in the breeze, brightening her already stunning face.

When she looked at Yan Huan, she gave a faint smile.

Wherever her gaze swept, it was like a death ray, making the surrounding men lose their composure and blush furiously.

It was none other than the vice president of the Yuanyue Student Council, Sakuramiya Hitomi.

Yan Huan led Yaqiao Mu up to Sakuramiya Hitomi, and was momentarily dazed by her outfit today. It was a direct hit to his strike zone!

Sakuramiya Hitomi was a thousand percent adorable and petite today.

"...Sakuramiya, you're really early."

"Ah, my house isn't too far from here. I was worried there'd be a traffic jam with all the people today, so I had the driver leave early."

Sakuramiya Hitomi covered her mouth and laughed softly in response.

Seeing Yan Huan's dazed stare, her expression didn't change, but internally she was in full "mission accomplished" mode.

Scheming~

The reason she came so early this morning was to claim the perfect spot near the subway entrance.

Then she spent a full ten minutes posing, making sure every frame could be used as a photo.

So that, the moment the president emerged from the dark underground passage into the sunlight, he'd see a dazzling beauty with a parasol, waiting just for him.

What a psychological impact that must be?!

Her outfit was carefully selected-exquisite but not overdone-even the parasol was chosen after matching several options.

Her makeup was an undetectable daily half-face look, paired with a perfectly coordinated hairstyle-truly flawless.

Most importantly-

She was wearing daily disposable contacts.

This was the peak combat mode of a teenage girl!!

Once everything was ready, she simply stood there, smiling, maintaining her ladylike pose with the parasol.

Motionless, waiting for Yan Huan to appear.

In reality, her frail body was already aching from standing still so long.

It felt like her legs after military training, barely obeying her commands.

But, are you avoiding eye contact, President?

Because you saw my stunning look today-

Eh?

What's this?

What's with the president's hairstyle today?

Did he blow-dry it? Did he style it?

I've never seen it like this before!

It actually looks pretty good!! It really suits the president's face-

At that thought, Sakuramiya Hitomi's perfectly smiling face almost broke.

The tingling legs beneath her skirt rubbed together, and she quickly averted her gaze, not daring to look at Yan Huan, softly saying,

"...Yuan Lina and the others will probably be a bit late. They said they'd come together."

"I see."

The disbelief on Yaqiao Mu's face as he looked at Yan Huan slowly spread, and he started looking at both of them.

He even began to suspect that inviting this group of normies to the anime convention was a terrible idea.

Hey, is the priest in?

Please come pick me up and take me back to the cave, thanks!

Not far behind Sakuramiya Hitomi, sitting on a bench in a qipao and sunglasses, eating breakfast, Nara helplessly covered her face.

That's it?

And you said you'd totally destroy the president, but you melted before he even said anything?

All that posing, and you got one-shotted.

What a waste of all that effort-so embarrassing!

Sipping her coffee, Nara thought helplessly.

Well, anyway, the convention center still had plenty of other tricks prepared by the young lady.

With so many traps set, surely one of them would catch Yan Huan, right?

Nara swallowed the last bite of breakfast and put down her crossed leg.

The qipao skirt fluttered as Nara stood up and silently headed toward the convention center.

Today was yet another day of running around for Miss Sakuramiya.

"Ah! The ride-share app dropped the pin in the wrong place!! The president and the others are all on the east side, how did we end up getting out on the west side?!"

"Huh?! Yuan Lina, are you an idiot? How can you mess up the location pin?"

"S-sorry! Ashley, wuwuwu! It's all the satellite's fault! Maybe the satellite signal was affected by the Earth's magnetic field and caused the error-"

"Why don't you just say the Earth's magnetic field broke your brain? I give up on you."

On the west side of the Golden Lion Convention Center, Spencer, dressed in sportswear, was squatting at the entrance of a bubble tea shop, watching anime on her phone.

She seemed to be waiting for someone.

But since she only had one Bluetooth headset in, she overheard the conversation of two girls passing by.

President?

Hearing the keyword, she looked up in that direction.

She saw two cosplayers, one in blue and one in red, dressed as magical girls, looking at their phones' maps and hurrying off looking desperate.

Weren't those two the discipline committee chair and secretary from the student council at school?

Especially that discipline committee chair-Spencer knew her very well.

Don't think that just because you've become a magical girl, clever Spencer won't recognize you.

She'd already been caught by the discipline committee for breaking school rules several times this week-there was no way she'd mistake that committee chair!

Eh~

From what they said, President Yan is here today too?

Turning off the anime on her phone and watching the two leave, Spencer's face showed a look of great interest.

This was definitely the right place to be-

"Um... sorry, did I keep you waiting, Spencer?"

At that moment, a timid, animal-like voice sounded beside her, making Spencer turn her head.

She saw a girl bundled up in thick clothes, wearing a mask, carrying a paper bag in each hand.

Except for the lack of a backpack, she looked just like Yaqiao Mu's setup-clearly a veteran otaku.

Even with a new haircut and hairstyle, that timid, head-down gesture made Spencer recognize her at once.

It was An Le.

Just kidding.

Spencer couldn't really read people's vibes-actually, she recognized An Le by her chest.

"You finally made it, I've been waiting for ages."

"Sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way..."

An Le hurriedly waved her hand and apologized to Spencer.

"It's fine, let's get going."

Spencer didn't really care, and turned her head, ready to head for the convention center.

But behind her, An Le, who had hurried to catch up, couldn't help but glance at her back, and curiously asked,

"Um... Spencer, how did you think of giving me such an expensive ticket? I saw online it's over a thousand?"

Spencer glanced back at An Le, who was speaking so cautiously, and thought for a moment, as if searching for a suitable reason.

But after thinking for a long time, she came up empty.

So she just snorted, and said impatiently,

"Ha, it's just because I don't really know much about this stuff, and you seem to know a lot, so I just asked you. It's not like I especially invited you, don't get the wrong idea."

"I see."

With her mask on, it was impossible to tell what expression An Le had.

But Spencer, turning back, pursed her lips and thought for a moment, as if feeling her words just now weren't quite appropriate.

She snorted softly again and added,

"Besides, I didn't have to spend any money to come here anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"."

An Le blinked. Actually, she hadn't realized there was anything wrong with what Spencer said earlier.

But looking at Spencer's hands-on-hips back, under her mask, she couldn't help but smile.

On her shoulder, a white snake poked out its head and flicked its tongue.

After sizing Spencer up for a bit, it mercilessly commented,

"Is this person an idiot?"

"How-how can you say that about Spencer? Sure, she's a little awkward, but she's still pretty cute."

"Heh, so are you."

"Ugh, Little Finger..."

Jinghe District, inside a luxurious villa.

In the spacious room were all kinds of equipment, makeup mirrors, and clothes-this was Bai Yi's studio, also the prep room before the event.

At this moment, several makeup artists were gathered around Bai Yi, confirming her makeup look for this afternoon's event.

Next to her, agent Ji Lin pushed in a rack of clothes and asked,

"Yiyi, take a look, which outfit are you wearing this afternoon?"

Hearing this, Bai Yi turned her head and glanced at the dazzling array of trendy clothes on the rack.

She was just about to speak, when Zuo Jiangqin walked in from the door,

"Let me see first... These are way too flashy, aren't they? Wasn't your persona supposed to be the pure type? Don't you have anything plainer?"

"Sister Qin, it's mainly because the people at today's expo are all young, and there's a lot of 2D culture, so these might be more suitable."

"What 2D or not 2D, that's nonsense. I'll go see if there's anything else."

"Okay, Sister Qin."

Zuo Jiangqin turned and left the room, and Ji Lin could only look helplessly at Bai Yi, who sat expressionless in front of the mirror, and silently pushed the rack of clothes back out.

Bai Yi seemed completely used to this, showing no particular expression.

She just looked in front of her, and saw on the desk a USB drive and a sheet of paper filled with lyrics.

It was the backing track for her new song, and the lyrics she'd rushed to finish over the past few nights.

There was also a copy on her phone-she'd planned to send it to Yan Huan to listen, since he said he was waiting for her new song.

But facing the chat window, she hesitated for a long time and still didn't dare to send it.

"."

Just as she was staring blankly at the USB drive and lyric sheet in front of her, Zuo Jiangqin suddenly walked in and swept the things off her desk.

Bai Yi finally couldn't help but frown, but when she turned her head, she saw her mother's expression was even stricter than hers.

"Pick out some of these hair accessories and clothes, and don't dress so provocatively. Keep up your persona, and be careful what you say later, got it?"

"."

Looking at her mother in front of her, Bai Yi pressed her lips together and looked away.

"Did you hear me?"

Only when the other party asked again did Bai Yi finally open her mouth and softly ask,

"When I go on stage later... can I sing a song just once?"

Zuo Jiangqin was slightly stunned, then her frown deepened.

She just slapped the jewelry on the table and said coldly and firmly,

"No.

"Stick to the rehearsal."

Bai Yi opened her mouth, then silently turned to look at the mirror, saying nothing more.

"Tick... tick... tick..."

(End of this chapter)