“Minister Yanghe, I get it—you haven’t gotten to cozy up with Dorothy in a while and you’re desperate—but is there really any need to take it out on me?”
Unfazed by the girl’s threat, Sheffil strolled nonchalantly over to an empty seat, pulled out the chair, and sat down, casually delivering a verbal jab that hit its mark.
The girl before him was Yanghe, a young lady from a prestigious family in the distant Imperial Capital.
A few months back, during a collaborative week between Level One and Level Two classes, she had—whether by fortune or misfortune—been grouped with Dorothy.
Since then, like many other girls, she’d become infatuated with her.
Her affection score had reached a staggering 80, labeled as a pure, dreamy infatuation beside both their names.
But from the perspective of seasoned relationship tactician Sheffil, Yanghe lacked the killer uniqueness of other top contenders like Jianle, Lucia, Bluebell, or Tianxia.
Without her own standout charm or enough time alone with Dorothy, she was most likely just another passing “Miss Yang.”
“…Who’s desperate, Sheffil-senpai? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Oh, still putting on the act, huh? I mean, let’s be honest—sure, some people here admire Dorothy, but who doesn’t want the chance to chat with their idol up close?”
“Obviously, I don’t admire her.”
Sheffil figured he was still on decent terms with the group, so he spoke his mind freely.
One by one, the once-silent attendees began lowering their heads, clearly struck by Sheffil’s blunt remark.
Yanghe, seated at the head of the table, maintained a smile that wasn’t exactly friendly.
Judging by her expression—darker than scorched ash—her mood had taken a significant dive.
“Sheffil-senpai…”
“Minister, looks like everyone’s here now. Shall we get started?”
Cutting off Yanghe just as she was about to release her brewing storm of sarcasm, Sheffil leaned back lazily in his chair, rubbing his palms and murmuring, “We’re already way past the scheduled start time.”
“Sheffil-senpai, you’ve got a lot of nerve saying that. You do know why we haven’t started yet, right?”
“Eh? So it was my fault? My bad!”
Feigning cluelessness, he tossed her a rope to save face.
Yanghe, already used to Sheffil’s intermittent nonsense, straightened up and moved on to the matter at hand.
“Today, we’ve gathered to discuss the upcoming Dorothy merchandise launch event on North Street, happening the day after tomorrow. I’ll have each department report on their preparations.”
“We’ll begin with the Storage Department.”
“Yes! A total of one thousand items have been received and checked into the warehouse.”
“Good. Go through them one more time and submit a full report to my desk. Next, the On-Site Team.”
“Yes! Regarding the venue setup—”
One by one, students stood with their forms in hand, reporting their progress.
Under Yanghe’s direction, the meeting moved along in a calm, orderly manner.
Sheffil observed it all with a faint, approving smile.
Though his title here was little more than symbolic—his only real role being that of an advisor—he had seen the evolution of the Dorothy Fan Support Association up close.
And right now, the soul of the entire group was undeniably Yanghe.
Since her arrival, what had once been a loose club of hobbyists was gradually transforming into a legitimate student organization.
No longer a closed-off bubble of self-indulgence, it now welcomed a broader audience of Dorothy fans with a far more inclusive approach.
To Sheffil, that was a good thing.
After all, his reason for joining this semi-official fan group had always been to monitor it—just in case a few overly passionate members decided to go off the deep end in their adoration of Dorothy.
With someone like Yanghe running things with an iron grip, he felt reassured.
He understood perfectly well why she disliked him, but he also knew that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t actually touch him.
In his usual magnanimous spirit, he chose to forgive her less-than-polite attempts at overstepping.
“Alright, moving on to the second part of today’s meeting: verifying each product coordinator for the event.”
“Dorothy Solo Exclusive Wall Poster – Ou Zehua.”
“Present.”
“Dorothy x Jianle Special Edition Comic – Mr. Ge Li.”
“Present.”
“Dorothy x Jianle: I Want You to Be My One and Only Witch 2 – Mr. Feilade.”
“Present.”
“Dorothy x Jianle High-Quality Artbook Reprint – Slark.”
“Present.”
“Dorothy x Jianle…”
“Present.”
…
“Dorothy and Jianle sure are popular these days,” Sheffil remarked, sipping leisurely from a teacup he’d somehow conjured from nowhere. “Guess the Dorothy x Lucia era really is over.”
Not too long ago, Dorothy x Lucia had still been the main pairing gracing twisted romantic dramas.
“Dorothy x Random Girl A: I Want to Possess the Shining You…”
Yanghe’s voice faltered awkwardly mid-sentence before she continued reading aloud.
“Sheffil-sensei, are you here?”
Holding the report in hand, Yanghe asked expressionlessly.
“Huh?”
Sheffil slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet.