Chapter: 23. The Real Threats
The arrival of Qinglong and Mana made the Shikikukan lively.
Especially as Qinglong was emitting a most unexpected and ungraceful scream, which, combined with his usual self-confident demeanor, appeared oddly comical.
“Truly worthy of Miss Hinata… even the student council president…” Yuemon cast an admiring glance at Mana.
Otoori was completely taken aback. As a freshman, he had just met the student council president at the new student orientation today. Seeing him at the podium so composed, Otoori couldn’t help but consider him a goal and role model in life.
And now, his idol was screaming like a pig being slaughtered.
What surprised Otoori even more was the girl next to him, who had completely subdued the student council president.
With her platinum blonde hair and crimson eyes, along with a face as exquisitely beautiful as a fairy and a model-like slender figure, there was only one person at Ark Academy who fit such a description.
The No. 2 greatest masterpiece of Ark Academy, Hinata Mana.
She was said to be at the pinnacle of strength among the students, and even the No. 1 might not be her match.
For Otoori, she was a distant figure, and he didn’t expect to see her in person here.
“Mana…chan? Wow~ it really is Mana-chan, long time no see!”
Nagi observed the girl in front of her uncertainly, and finally, after confirming her identity, instinctively hugged her excitedly.
But the latter quickly set her shoulder against Nagi, preventing her from getting closer.
“Have you still not changed that bad habit of suddenly hugging others…?” Mana sighed lightly and then showed a helpless smile. “Long time no see, Nagi-chan.”
Compared to two and a half years ago, Mana had changed considerably in appearance.
With a typical Nordic bloodline, Mana was taller than Asian girls, and her relatively small frame made her feminine curves, while not large, appear more impressive visually.
Moreover, her once fairy-like cute appearance had become increasingly beautiful over the years. The three-dimensional and deep facial features from her Nordic ancestry blended wonderfully with the soft lines of Asian aesthetics, making Mana, despite being just a high school student, look like an elegant beauty.
However, her ponytail made her seem a bit youthful and vibrant, a perfect finishing touch.
Nagi believed that anyone would initially struggle to recognize this girl’s identity given her transformation.
“Um… Mana-kun? Although it looks like a wonderful reunion moment… could you let go of my hand first… Aahh—!” Qinglong, sweating from the pain, humbly asked with a low voice.
“If you dare to harass Nagi-chan again, it won’t be just like this next time.” Mana shot Qinglong a glance with eyes almost as cold as zero degrees before finally letting go.
With his arm freed from an awkward angle, Qinglong couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Now free, Qinglong quickly distanced himself from Mana, standing beside Yuemon.
“So, why is Mana-kun here?”
“Because I’m going to be staying here from now on, please take care of me, student council president.”
“…I-I see, please take care of me, Mana-kun.” Qinglong forced a smile on his face and replied in a dry voice.
At Ark Academy, Mana was one of the few students who dared to confront Qinglong, the student council president, and completely subdued him.
Hearing that Mana would also be staying at the Shikikukan, Qinglong’s arm started to ache again.
However, his bad mood was quickly lifted by the scene before him.
The sight of the two top-tier beautiful girls standing together was incredibly eye-catching, with platinum-blonde hair complementing jet-black long hair. The combination of a tall, slender mixed-race girl with a cute and alluring black-haired beauty was indeed a rare treasure in the world.
Just gazing at this scene, Qinglong felt his vitality slowly returning.
Otoori shared the same thought.
But what truly caught his attention was that the two beautiful senior girls seemed to have a close relationship.
“…Could it be that the two of you are sisters?” Otoori found himself unable to hold back the question.
His inquiry brought a wry smile from Qinglong nearby.
After all, one had black hair and the other platinum, making it impossible to see them as blood-related.
However, there were indeed several similarities in terms of looks and figure.
“Mm-mm, I’m Mana-chan’s sister, right?” Nagi intentionally displayed a bright, innocent smile, thoughtfully answering Otoori’s own musings.
“That’s not true! We’re just childhood friends,” Mana retorted.
“Childhood friends…?” This response sent Otoori’s brain into a frenzy again.
If Tsukimi-senpai and Hoshimiya-senpai were childhood friends, and Hoshimiya-senpai and Hinata-senpai were also childhood friends, then that meant Tsukimi-senpai and Hinata-senpai were also childhood friends… Tsukimi-senpai had been surrounded by two such beautiful girls since childhood and chose that thorny path that crosses genders?!
With this thought, Otoori looked at Kanade, who had just walked out of the kitchen, with newfound respect.
“Hey, why do I feel like I’m being watched with a sense of reverence, and this gaze seems familiar… Yuemon, do you have any idea?” Noticing Kanade’s gaze, Otoori instinctively shrank towards Yuemon.
“Is that so? I didn’t feel anything at all,” Yuemon replied coldly, as the only outsider throughout the ordeal.
Neither Nagi nor Mana had registered as good candidates in Yuemon’s eyes, so he was perhaps the most emotionally unresponsive person present.
Kanade and Mana, who often met, exchanged a simple glance, having greeted each other.
Seeing this, Nagi slightly furrowed her brows from an angle where no one could see.
With Mana’s arrival, the farce in the Shikikukan temporarily came to an end.
After seeing off Yuemon, everyone began to disperse.
Qinglong, who had been hoping to chat more with Nagi, was swiftly silenced by a single glance from Mana and obediently returned to his room to tidy up.
“Honestly, not only do I have to keep an eye on Tsukimi-kun, but now I also have to watch over this girl for Tsukimi-kun…”
Mana was grateful that she had also moved into the Shikikukan; otherwise, letting a naive and carefree child like Nagi live in the same dorm as these boys could easily lead to her being “eaten” without even realizing it.
Meanwhile.
In Nagi’s room.
“Tsk… I didn’t expect Mana to move in, and she’s living right next door…” Nagi thought with some frustration. “That means I have to abandon my plan to sneak into Kanade’s room tonight under the pretext of ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, so I want to sleep with you like before…'”
