Start with Hayasaka Ai

Two slender, white fingers picked up a long, thin stick and handed it to another person on the rooftop.

"To accompany one?"

"Don't talk about passing snacks as if you were passing a cigarette." Baiyin took the pocky stick and took a bite to taste it.

It was his favorite matcha flavor, so he finished it in two or three bites.

"Another one."

"No." The girl frowned slightly. "I'm giving you one because we're close friends. Don't push your luck. And since you came to see me specially, I'm sure you're not here to eat or drink for free. Let's get down to business and don't delay my dungeon run."

"Are mobile games really that fun? You always have your phone in your hand. Okay, stop glaring at me like that. I'm getting down to business."

Baiyin extended his hand and said, "Longzhu-san, please join the student council."

"I reject."

Long Zhutao shook her head decisively. "Why do you think I'd be willing to give up my gaming time to work for the student union? It was the student union president who came to you to lobby for it, right? I'd clearly rejected him before... Shirogane, go back and tell him directly, no way."

"Instead of being his lobbyist, I'm setting up my own student union."

"My own student union?"

"Well, I haven't been the student council president yet, but it seems like it would be fun, so I wanted to give it a try."

"..." Longzhu Tao rolled her eyes, "I'm not Doraemon. Even as a VIP of Shuzhiyuan, I can't directly replace the student council president. I can't help you with this matter."

"I know it won't work just with you. What if we add Fujiwara Chika and... Shinomiya Kaguya?"

"...Hey, Shirogane, are you really okay with your brain?" Longzhutao put the back of her hand on the other's forehead, then put her forehead close to the palm of her hand.

"You don't have a fever, why would you say such nonsense?"

The distance between the two of them is now quite close, which is very ambiguous both objectively and subjectively. Baiyin can clearly feel the girl's breath, which has a special... matcha smell?

I just wonder if her lips taste the same way.

"Speaking of which, Baiyin, I felt something had changed about you at the beginning, but now that I've looked closer, I can't see anything. So, it's really your aura that's changed. Overall, you give off a confident and handsome vibe."

Baiyin met her eyes without looking away, and said calmly, "Something has happened. Just think of it as severing the old shackles. Today you know who I am."

"Oh~"

Long Zhutao took this opportunity to take a close look at her savior.

A month ago, due to some negligence, she lost contact with her family's bodyguard and was hunted by her enemies. When she was desperate, she met Baiyin who was working in a convenience store.

It was he who took a huge risk to hide himself, and that's how the two of them established a relationship.

But they were just friends. Because Baiyin had been a little timid and self-deprecating before, Longzhutao had never considered him as a romantic partner.

But now his temperament has suddenly changed. If you look closely, he seems to be quite handsome.

Longzhutao has never liked beating around the bush, and she even looks down on those who are hesitant.

He said decisively, "Hey, Baiyin, you're still single, right? How about you just be my boyfriend? I'm also old enough to experience love, so I'll let you be my first love."

Straight confession!

Faced with this sudden attack, even Baiyin took a half step back in surprise.

"Are you kidding me? There's still one day left until April 1st, and March has 31 days."

Baiyin calmed himself down and searched Longzhutao's face for any hint of a joke, but the girl's iris-colored eyes were filled with unquestionable seriousness.

"I'm serious." Long Zhutao expressed her attitude again.

"Because your character and appearance meet my standards, and you've become more confident now, even if you're bluffing, your masculine charm has undoubtedly increased. Isn't it normal for me to date you?"

"Such a reason... Sorry, I refuse." Baiyin didn't like to keep the other party hanging in the balance, so he simply refused.

"Tsk."

Long Zhutao retreated back to her original position and looked at the boy in front of her in confusion.

In the spring sunshine, his skin had a healthy luster, like polished metal, exuding a hard and deep texture.

The faint curve that occasionally appears at the corners of his mouth seems to hide countless secrets, yet reveals a sense of alienation. His shoulders, which used to be a little thin, now reveal a different kind of breadth.

"It's a rare opportunity to be so moved, but I didn't expect to lose so quickly."

Long Zhutao lifted her long light blue hair, her tone filled with reluctance.

"Tell me the reason for your rejection. No matter my family background, or my daughter's background, well, being a daughter of a mafia family might be a minus, but you shouldn't care. Then, no matter my looks, figure, personality, or even my level of self-discipline, there's no reason for you to reject me."

Facing the girl's question, Baiyin did not answer immediately. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Give me the rest of the pocky, and I'll tell you the answer."

"So my charm is not as good as snacks?!" Longzhu Tao was so shocked that she suppressed her slightly disappointed feeling.

After glaring at the freeloader, he handed over the small box of Pocky sticks.

Picking up a piece casually, Baiyin sat down beside her and said, "Love isn't about laying out your respective conditions like an army formation and then pairing them up to see if they're a good match. That's just a blind date."

"Then what is love in your mind?" Long Zhutao asked.

"It's love."

Baiyin pondered for a moment, then looked at the boys and girls playing on the playground and chuckled, "Maybe it's just that we've been together day and night, and I've inadvertently started to fall in love. What you said... is not quite right."

The warm sun cast a golden edge on the tips of his hair, and the breeze, carrying the fragrance of cherry blossoms in the distance, gently lifted his slightly long hair.

Long Zhutao couldn't help but look at his profile twice, but then she showed a complicated expression and said unhappily: "I promise you that I will join the student union."

We spend every day together, right? And you fall in love with me without realizing it, right?

My feminine charm was denied the first time I confessed my love. I must make this guy fall in love with me!

Then reject it harshly to avenge this -

Chapter 8: Rich Woman, Hungry, and Meal

"Ahem, there's so much dust."

Longzhutao coughed a few times and looked at Baiyin beside her with some dissatisfaction, "Why do I have to give up the happy time of playing the mobile game dungeon to search for past exam papers with you in the archives?"

Baiyin replied, "You've joined the student union, haven't you? Now I'll get you used to being told what to do."

"Hey, you're not the president yet."

"It will be soon."

"Why did you change the subject so arbitrarily? The first thing I asked was why I came here to look for past exam papers."

"In order to get full marks in all subjects," Bai Yin first found a copy of last year's exam from among the numerous materials. "Once you get above 490 points, you need to figure out the teacher's intentions and patterns."

"Perfect marks in all subjects... That's something even Kaguya Shinomiya hasn't achieved. You only scored 469 on the entrance exam. I'm afraid you're kidding."

"Of course I'm not joking. If I don't defeat her with absolute strength, how can I expect her to join the student union? This is the bet I made with her before I came to see you. As long as I win, she will join us."

"Huh..." Long Zhutao patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great! Fortunately, you didn't agree to my confession just now. Being confident is a good thing, but if I had a boyfriend as confident and arrogant as you, my love life would definitely be terrible."

"Because I didn't agree to your confession, you started looking for flaws and shortcomings in me. You're really acting like a little girl. Ahhhhh..."

Baiyin, with his height advantage, looked down at the crowd and said, "Okawaii Kodo~"

The light in the archive room was dim, casting mottled shadows on the two people.

Longzhutao suddenly felt her ears getting hot. Even without seeing it with her own eyes, she could guess that they were red.

My thoughts were completely guessed, this guy is so annoying!

"How about we make a bet?" The girl forced herself to calm down. "Let's bet on whether you can beat Kaguya Shinomiya and get first place in the exam."

Baiyin nodded, "Okay, it's just a side note. What's the bet?"

"If I lose, I can do anything for you, except H, of course. If I win, then you have to confess your love to me in front of the whole school, and then I will reject you harshly. How about that?"

Are you still upset about your failed confession just now?

As expected, no matter how cold and domineering she looks, she still has the characteristics of a girl at heart.

It is this point that makes teenage girls God's most beautiful masterpiece.

Baiyin raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze lingering on Longzhutao's delicate face with interest for a moment, and chuckled softly, "It seems you're still upset about my rejection. But this bet is interesting."

He crossed his arms, thought for a moment, and then continued, "Okay, I promise. You will wear a maid outfit for a week until the new student council is formed."

"It's a word."

Longzhutao stretched out her hand, and Baiyin also stretched out his hand and high-fived her.

Time quickly came to the two days of the exam.

Baiyin completed the science questions very quickly and checked them three times to ensure that there were no omissions.

Subjects like history, social studies and English were no problem at all and he completed them very smoothly.

Only on the last Chinese composition question did Baiyin stop writing and think hard for two minutes.

Whether you can get full marks in all subjects depends on this essay. The title is also literary in nature and related to snow.

The requirements of the examiners are different from the elements of the essay samples required by ordinary high schools. The scoring at Xiuzhiyuan is more inclined to the literary nature of the essay, that is, the style and writing. As long as it is well written, you can get a high score even if it is off-topic.

Then I picked up my pen and wrote down the title of the composition: Snow Country.

The border is long and the country is snowy. The bottom of the night is white. The signal station does not stop the car...

As the opening of "Snow Country" written by Baiyin flowed out on the answer sheet, he noticed that Kaguya Shinomiya in the corner of the examination room was writing her answers with a smooth and focused look. The rustling sound of the pen tip rubbing against the paper seemed to be announcing the fierceness of this silent contest.

If this were a comic, there would be several onomatopeia characters appearing in the air.

"Ding--"

The bell rang to signal the end of the exam, and students poured out of the exam room like a tide.

Longzhu Tao was already waiting at the door. She looked at Baiyin with a scrutinizing look in her eyes. "How is it? How many points do you think you can get this time?"

Bai Yin put his hands in his pockets, looking confident, "It shouldn't be a problem to get full marks in all subjects. If it's not, then there must be some shady manipulation."

"Still talking tough, still talking tough." The girl at the side couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Don't hit me in the face too hard when the time comes."

"I think you should have a little more trust in me."

Bai Yin suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, you're the daughter of a gangster, right? Can you lend me some money? My family has no money to pay the electricity bill recently, and my sister is worried about it."

It is impossible to work, but I can't miss out on having a free meal.

◇

"Everyone, come and take a look at this composition."

In the marking room, the Chinese examiner pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked at Baiyin's composition. He frowned slightly at first, and then his eyes became hot.

When other teachers gathered around and saw the article "Snow Country" which started in Japanese, they were also amazed.

The beautiful artistic conception and unique writing style do not look like they were written by a high school student.

"The opening uses a series of images such as 'border,' 'long tunnel,' 'snow country,' 'night,' and 'white' to depict the feeling of stepping from the real world into a dreamlike world of ice and snow. It truly demonstrates superb literary skill and a unique aesthetic style, showcasing the mysterious aesthetic appeal of traditional literature."

An older teacher sighed,

"What a shame, the word limit on the essay makes this one obviously incomplete."

"How do you think this essay should be rated?"

"Of course it's a perfect score. After all, even a broken piece of jade is much more precious than a complete stone."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

"Unfortunately, the student's name is still unclear. We won't know who it is until the scores are tallied."

"He's a promising talent in literature. He might become another literary giant in Japan."

"Everyone, take a look at this composition again. Although it is not as good as the previous one, it also has a sense of elegance and grace."

"This handwriting... is from Miss Shinomiya Kaguya, right? If I had seen it before the Snow Country, I would have given it full marks, but now... I have to deduct one point."

Neon is a country with clear hierarchy and strict class system, and even this is reflected in exam essays.

With the Snow Country as a good example, if they cannot get extra points, the scores of others will have to be reduced.