The wooden door swung open, flooding the dim activity room with light.
Qiu Mian’s gaze stayed locked on the half-revealed fox mask in the girl’s hand. Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to start the conversation and extract information from this suspected “fox-masked girl” without revealing her real purpose.
Before she could organize her words, however, Xia Qingkong beside her spoke up again without any hesitation, her sunny smile as brilliant as ever.
“Wow! Is this the drama club? It has such a great atmosphere!”
She curiously surveyed the mountain of props and backdrops inside, her gaze finally landing on the girl holding the mask with a somewhat panicked expression. Her smile grew even friendlier.
“Hi there! We’re new transfer students. We saw the club over here and came to check it out! Can we still join?”
Her natural tone instantly eased the awkwardness caused by their sudden intrusion.
The girl holding the mask seemed momentarily stunned by Xia Qingkong’s smile and straightforward question. The startled look on her face softened a little, though she still appeared clearly timid.
She quickly glanced at Qiu Mian by the door.
Qiu Mian was trying her best not to look too “predatory.” The girl looked at the smiling Xia Qingkong and answered in a soft, hesitant voice.
“Y-yes… The Drama Club… has been… recruiting the whole time…”
Her voice was thin and gentle, even softer than Qiu Kui’s usual tone. Her fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the mask in her hands.
“I’m… a first-year… Shimizu Yuzu… I’m temporarily in charge of… the club keys and… miscellaneous tasks…”
Shimizu Yuzu? A flash of absurdity crossed Qiu Mian’s mind.
She looks way too different from the fox-masked girl on the rooftop who spoke those terrifying lines in such a sickeningly sweet voice while holding a knife. Is she really the same person? Or is she just the mask’s keeper?
Xia Qingkong didn’t seem to notice Shimizu Yuzu’s nervousness. She continued asking questions with easy familiarity. “Nice to meet you, Shimizu Yuzu! I’m Xia Qingkong, this is Qiu Mian, and the one outside is Qiu Kui!”
She pointed at Qiu Mian, then waved at Qiu Kui, who had just shaken off the coffee club girls and was jogging over. “What kind of activities does your club usually do? What plays do you rehearse?”
Shimizu Yuzu seemed unaccustomed to such rapid-fire questioning. Her face flushed slightly, but she still answered softly. “M-mainly… adaptations of classic plays… Sometimes we… write our own scripts… We rehearse… twice a week… and have a… performance at the end of the term…”
She gave a fragmented introduction, her gaze occasionally drifting toward Qiu Mian before quickly looking away, as if afraid to make eye contact.
Qiu Mian listened while rapidly scanning the activity room.
Besides the props and backdrops, there were various costumes piled in the corners, ranging from classical to modern styles. Old performance photos and posters were pasted on the walls.
It looked like a normal—if somewhat quiet—drama club room.
If she’s the girl from the rooftop, where would she hide the knife and that outfit? This room doesn’t look like it has private storage space… Or maybe the mask and clothes are stored separately? Is she just the person keeping the mask?
Doubts swirled in Qiu Mian’s mind. Yet Shimizu Yuzu’s timid appearance made it genuinely difficult to connect her with the word “yandere.”
At that moment, Qiu Kui finally jogged over to Qiu Mian’s side. Breathing slightly hard, she tugged worriedly at Qiu Mian’s sleeve and asked softly, “J-Jie-jie… Are you okay?”
Xia Qingkong had pretty much finished asking her questions. She had lost most of her interest in this somewhat dull-looking drama club that didn’t seem particularly “fun.”
Clapping her hands together, she said, “I see! It sounds like it requires a lot of patience and talent! I’m probably not suited for it, haha!”
She laughed cheerfully, then turned her gaze toward Qiu Mian, who was still standing by the door with a slightly furrowed brow, seemingly deep in thought. A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes.
“What about you, Qiu Mian? Are you interested?” As she spoke, Xia Qingkong took a natural step closer to Qiu Mian.
Still lost in thought, Qiu Mian subconsciously shook her head. “Not inte—”
Before the word “rested” could leave her mouth, she felt Xia Qingkong’s fingers moving with clear mischievous intent, swiftly poking toward her waist!
Again?!
Qiu Mian was extremely sensitive to touch—this was her weakness. She never expected Xia Qingkong to try the same trick again!
Her entire body tensed, hairs standing on end as she nearly jumped again—
However, another hand reacted even faster.
Qiu Kui, who had been staying close to Qiu Mian and staying alert, saw the movement. The timid look in her eyes instantly turned into icy coldness.
She instinctively reached out to block Xia Qingkong’s hand.
But Xia Qingkong was quick too, and the motion was playful and casual. Qiu Kui only managed to touch her wrist, while Xia Qingkong’s fingertips lightly poked Qiu Mian’s side.
The touch was very light, barely felt through the uniform fabric.
Yet Qiu Mian’s body still flinched involuntarily. A mixture of shame from being teased and the subtle ticklish sensation from her waist made her whip her head around. She glared at Xia Qingkong, her face flushing with anger.
“Xia Qingkong! You—!”
She didn’t finish.
Because she saw Xia Qingkong looking at her with a bright smile. There was no malice in those clear eyes—only the joy of a successful prank and… clear amusement.
Moreover, Xia Qingkong’s gaze meaningfully swept over Qiu Kui’s hand, which hadn’t been withdrawn yet. It was now clenched into a tight fist, trembling slightly, along with Qiu Kui’s face, which had completely darkened with a terrifying chill.
Qiu Kui’s expression had indeed turned stormy. She pressed her lips tightly together, purple eyes locked onto the finger Xia Qingkong had just used. The oppressive aura around her made the temperature in the activity room feel like it had dropped several degrees.
Even Shimizu Yuzu, standing not far away, felt it and shrank her neck in fear.
Xia Qingkong, however, seemed completely unaware of Qiu Kui’s hostility—or rather, she sensed it but didn’t care.
Looking at Qiu Mian’s puffed-up, bristling-cat-like expression, her smile grew even brighter. She even let out a soft “Pfft!”
“Oops, sorry, sorry!” She waved her hand without any sincerity, her tone light. “I just thought Qiu Mian’s reactions were too fun! You’re like a startled little rabbit!”
After saying that, she winked at the now black-faced Qiu Kui, then waved at the still somewhat dazed Shimizu Yuzu. “Bye, Shimizu Yuzu! Thanks for the introduction! Qiu Mian, Qiu Kui, see you tomorrow!”
With that, she walked away with light, bouncy steps, humming a tune. She soon disappeared down the dim corridor, as if the slightly provocative touch and words had been nothing more than a passing joke.
Leaving behind three people in the activity room with a very strange atmosphere.
Qiu Mian was still frozen in her angry, glaring posture toward the doorway. Her cheeks were slightly red, and her chest rose and fell with indignation.
Qiu Kui slowly withdrew her hand, but the heavy pressure around her didn’t dissipate. She kept her head lowered, expression hidden, but her tightly clenched fist and tense shoulders clearly showed her extreme displeasure.
The most innocent one, Shimizu Yuzu, looked between the doorway and the strange pair of sisters. Clutching her fox mask, she spoke up timidly and tentatively, “U-um… Do you two… still want to join…?”
Only then did Qiu Mian snap back to reality.
Join? Join what?! I didn’t even get any clues before Xia Qingkong messed everything up!
She took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the shame and irritation in her heart along with her resentment toward the ever-present Xia Qingkong. Turning to Shimizu Yuzu, she tried to sound normal, though her tone remained somewhat stiff. “No need. Sorry for the disturbance.”
Without even glancing at the still sulking Qiu Kui, she turned and walked out the door.
Her steps were quick, filled with frustration that had nowhere to go.
Qiu Kui paused for a moment, then silently followed behind, still half a step back. This time, however, she didn’t keep her head lowered. She slightly raised her eyes, watching Qiu Mian’s back. Complex emotions surged in her purple gaze.
Anger at Xia Qingkong’s earlier behavior.
Guilt for failing to completely stop it.
And a trace of… sourness that even she herself didn’t fully understand.
Jie-jie… was touched by that Xia Qingkong…
Jie-jie even blushed at her…
Jie-jie seems… to care a lot about her?
This realization caused an inexplicable anxiety to sprout in Qiu Kui’s heart like creeping vines, slowly tightening around her.
She gently bit her lower lip.
Meanwhile, Qiu Mian walking ahead had no idea about the storm raging in her “little sister’s” heart.
Her mind was filled with the fox mask in Shimizu Yuzu’s hand earlier, Xia Qingkong’s annoying prank, and…
How the hell am I supposed to investigate?! One person after another—either socially anxious or yandere, plus a protagonist who’s always causing trouble! Is this mission even possible for a human to complete?!