Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 19

In Yan Huan's eyes, what kind of person was Yinggong Tong? A rigid, serious, yet empathetic and gentle girl.

Over the past six months, although she had never said it out loud, she had quietly taken great care of everyone around her.

She enjoyed peace and quiet, indulged in many refined hobbies, and had a depth of knowledge that gave her a maturity and seriousness far beyond her peers—yet she was also an easygoing friend.

In short, to Yan Huan, Yinggong Tong was a proper and decent person.

If he hadn't already concluded that the current situation was related to the modifier, he would never have suspected her.

"If you ask me, ah, there's nothing wrong with Yinggong!"

Yan Huan almost wanted to say it like Lao Ba from *Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy.*

(*) Note: *Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy* is a famous Chinese revolutionary opera film.

But the problem was, now the two of them were alone, and the most suspicious person was her—followed by a potentially unknown third party.

It couldn’t possibly be Yan Huan himself who used the modifier, right?!

Thinking this, Yan Huan clenched the slip of paper in his palm and slowly crumpled it.

Then, he smiled and looked at Yinggong Tong, who stood nearby with a slightly wary and uneasy expression. Trying to reassure her, he said,

"It’s probably just someone’s prank. Don’t worry, Yinggong. I’ll call the school staff and ask them to let us out."

"Mm, President."

Yan Huan took out his phone and looked at the signal bars—only to see a red exclamation mark.

Although he remained calm internally, he showed an expression of surprise.

"No signal on the phone."

Hearing this, Yinggong Tong quickly pulled out her phone, furrowed her brows, and immediately dialed the emergency number.

It was completely unreachable.

"...Even the emergency number isn’t working. President, what should we do?"

Yinggong Tong appeared increasingly uneasy. Though her face remained composed, the slight trembling of her pale legs beneath her gym shorts betrayed her inner anxiety.

"Don’t be afraid. I’m here."

Yan Huan shifted his focus, temporarily putting aside the question of whether the modifier's Host was Yinggong Tong or someone else, and began examining the surrounding environment.

The equipment room was an enclosed space, with only one main door and a ventilation shaft.

In the corner of the ceiling, a camera with a flashing green light was mounted.

Yan Huan walked over to the vent and peered through the grid-like opening, but only saw pitch blackness.

It felt as though the entire space had been lifted and thrown into another world—completely cut off from the outside.

A sealed space that you can’t leave unless you "XX."

It sounded just like the kind of twisted logic those restricted modifiers would use. But what exactly was this modifier’s effect?

Was it simply creating a room you couldn’t leave unless you did something specific?

That felt too weak—nowhere near as powerful as the other two modifiers.

Bai Yi’s "No Concern" and Ye Shiyu’s "Hypnosis" were both far more formidable. Yan Huan couldn’t believe the mysterious modifier would be this simplistic.

In that case, the only thing to do now was to wait.

After pondering for a moment, Yan Huan sighed helplessly and sat down on a yoga mat across from Yinggong Tong.

Previously, Yan Huan had devised two strategies to counter modifiers. The first was: don’t let the modifier’s Host get what they want.

So, since he didn’t know what the Host wanted right now, he wouldn’t follow the instructions on the slip of paper either.

Smiling faintly at Yinggong Tong, he suggested,

"Looks like we can’t get out for now. Let’s just wait here a bit. The basketball class in the gym will eventually return the equipment. They’ll open the door then."

"Mm, okay, President."

Hearing this, Yinggong Tong, who was sitting on the mat hugging her knees, nodded and began to wait.

But in her deep eyes, a faint glint flashed—barely noticeable.

'As expected, the President still thinks this is just a harmless prank, huh?'

Little did he know, the barrier had already completely separated this place from the real equipment room.

Even if someone came to return the equipment and opened the door, they would see a different equipment room—not the one where the two of them were trapped.

This was something Yinggong Tong had tested many times in the student council office. Whenever she didn’t want others to notice her checking the school’s security cameras, she would use the barrier.

Until Yinggong Tong canceled it, the space would remain disconnected from reality.

And now, the students from the basketball class had already arrived to return the equipment.

A faint light flickered before her eyes, as if sensing someone entering the equipment room outside the barrier.

After placing the basketball back in its proper spot, the student turned and left, closing the door behind them.

*Ka-chak*

'So, what now, President?'

'I bet soon you’ll realize no one is coming, and then you’ll start thinking about what’s written on that slip of paper, right?'

'At that point, will you reveal the feelings you’ve been hiding in your heart?'

'Whether it’s shyness or nervousness, you’ll glance at me tentatively, then speak up and make a request.'

Yinggong Tong thought excitedly and couldn’t help but glance at Yan Huan.

But when she looked, she saw Yan Huan lying on the yoga mat, eyes closed, his breathing slow and steady.

"?"

'He fell asleep...?'

'He seriously fell asleep in a situation like this?!'

Yinggong Tong slightly parted her lips in shock and cautiously called out,

"Pres-President?"

"."

There was no response at all.

In truth, Yan Huan wasn’t actually asleep.

No matter how drowsy he felt, there was no way he would sleep so carelessly when a modifier was active.

But in this situation, his only move was to return to square one—try to identify the Host of the modifier.

He was testing whether Yinggong Tong was the one.

With his Perfect Expression Control skill, he could flawlessly fake being asleep.

If Yinggong Tong was the Host, she might act differently once she believed he was unconscious.

Whether it was using supernatural powers or doing something suspicious—

Any of those might help break the deadlock.

However, he had clearly underestimated Yinggong Tong.

Even after Yan Huan seemed to fall asleep, she behaved completely naturally.

Her anxiety and unease slowly faded into the quiet space. Watching him fall into "deep sleep," she took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and casually checked the screen from time to time, as if just confirming the time.

And just like that, more than ten minutes passed with Yinggong Tong making no suspicious moves—only silently waiting for rescue.

So why, even though she had access to the modifier, didn’t she use a more direct or obvious ability?

Yinggong Tong had her reasons.

First, caution.

Her naturally reserved nature made her extremely wary of being found out. She didn’t trust the modifier’s so-called “memory correction” feature at all.

If the memory correction was crude, even a one-in-a-thousand chance of someone noticing was a risk she couldn’t accept.

So unless absolutely necessary, she would never use overt effects like altering someone’s perception of common sense.

Second, she had trapped the two of them here to confirm if Yan Huan had feelings for her.

If he didn’t, maybe the enclosed space and close contact could still spark something?

But if she altered his common sense or changed her own persona, would it still be Yan Huan falling for her—or someone else entirely?

So even though she hadn’t realized Yan Huan was testing her, she had unintentionally made the perfect counter move.

"."

More than ten minutes passed, and Yinggong Tong still hadn’t made a single mistake. This actually caused Yan Huan to start losing his composure.

Mainly because, at this rate, he might really fall asleep.

He was already exhausted, and if he kept pretending to be relaxed with his eyes closed, he might actually doze off—and wake up tied up in some unknown basement.

With no better option, he reluctantly opened his eyes.

Acting half-drowsy, he rubbed his brow and sat up, glancing toward the door.

It was still firmly shut.

"No one’s come yet? How long has it been, Yinggong?"

"It’s been almost twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes?"

Yan Huan stood up in surprise and muttered,

"That doesn’t make sense. They got out of class when we did—no matter what, they should’ve come back to return the ball by now."

"And what’s even stranger is that we shouted and banged on the door earlier—there’s no way no one outside heard that."

"Don’t tell me... we’ve run into some kind of supernatural event?"

He frowned, the weight of that possibility finally sinking in.

Yan Huan stroked his chin, deliberately steering the conversation toward the supernatural.

However, Yinggong Tong let out a sigh and said,

"President, please don't scare yourself. You need to believe in science."

"You're right, Yinggong. But is there any other explanation?"

"..."

Yinggong Tong slightly furrowed her brows, seemingly giving the thought genuine consideration.

'Could it really not be Yinggong Tong?'

But if he ruled her out, the only possible explanation Yan Huan could think of was that one.

'What if that mysterious person had such a twisted personality, locking us in here just to spy on us... doing that kind of thing—'

That would mean the person's desire, connected to the modifier, was voyeurism or something similar. But if the Host was hiding like this, how was he supposed to find them?

And what if, unless they actually did it, the Host would trap them in here forever?

Yan Huan's expression turned grim, but he still summoned his energy and looked around the equipment room.

The cramped ventilation system failed to ensure proper airflow, making the air stuffy and humid.

A soft, girlish fragrance wafted through the air, mingling with the faint scent of sweat clinging to Yan Huan’s body. It subtly drew their attention toward each other.

The temperature... seemed to be rising.

Yan Huan took a deep breath and walked deeper into the equipment room.

Seeing this, Yinggong Tong reflexively shielded her chest and leaned back slightly.

"Wh-What is it, President?"

"Looking for a way out."

But Yan Huan simply walked past her and began rummaging through the various pieces of equipment.

Soon after, he returned holding a shot put.

"Step back a bit, Yinggong."

"Mm."

Yinggong Tong got up and moved aside, watching as Yan Huan began smashing the door with all kinds of equipment.

In an instant, the entire room sounded like a demolition site—*bang!* Shot put—useless. *clang!* Javelin—useless. *thud!* Barbell—useless.

That door really was like a wall of iron and copper—it didn’t budge at all.

Even the lock seemed like Captain America's vibranium shield, able to deform a dumbbell without breaking.

(*) Note: Captain America's vibranium shield is a fictional object in Marvel comics known for its incredible durability.

Brute force alone would never get them out.

Both Yan Huan and Yinggong Tong came to the same conclusion—though one was the seeker, and the other, the instigator.

And the instigator—Yinggong Tong, standing behind Yan Huan—couldn't help but wonder:

'Is President so focused on breaking the door that he didn’t even consider following the instructions on the slip of paper?'

Her behavior hadn’t seemed out of character—it matched her usual persona perfectly.

But she hadn’t expected the President to be such a gentleman—not even sparing her a glance.

A President like that—she liked it.

But didn’t that also mean she had absolutely no appeal to him?!

'Could it be that my appearance has no charm at all?'

In her fifteen years of life, this was the first time Yinggong Tong had lost confidence in her looks.

But the more she thought about it, the more she felt that couldn’t be right... which led her to another possibility.

'Could it be that the President isn't into petite girls?'

'Maybe he prefers the tall older-sister type?'

'Ah... is that why he acts so special around that older sister, Ye Shiyu?'

The more Yinggong Tong thought about it, the more the light in her eyes dimmed.

And as if things couldn’t get any worse, her body—more specifically, her lower abdomen—

Suddenly gave her the urge to pee.

She kind of wanted to go to the bathroom now.

Yinggong Tong clutched her lower abdomen, and the flawless performance on her face began to crack just a little.

Thus, the entire sealed equipment room fell into a bizarre, pitch-black atmosphere.

Repeated attempts and observations had failed to reveal the Host. Trying to break the door had led nowhere.

Yan Huan now felt he'd hit a wall on his journey to resolve the modifier situation, sinking into self-doubt.

Yinggong Tong, who had been flawlessly playing her role and was secretly drawn to the gentlemanly President—

Was starting to panic too—not only because Yan Huan wouldn’t even look at her, but also because she had a bit of a physical emergency.

Who would emerge victorious today—Yan Huan or Yinggong Tong?

At that moment, Yan Huan turned and saw Yinggong Tong holding her abdomen, her face pale.

"Not feeling well?"

'Right... this week...'

He paused, suddenly recalling that Yinggong Tong might be on her period today.

"Are you okay, Yinggong?"

Feeling his gaze, Yinggong Tong panicked, thinking she’d let something slip. She quickly forced herself to stay in character.

As a result, she looked even more like she was pretending to be fine.

Her face was pale, her eyes blinked unnaturally, and her breathing quickened.

Yet she still stood straight, trying to maintain alertness and push away the unease in her heart.

"I'm fine, President. Let's think of another way—maybe we can still get out."

Seeing her like this, Yan Huan couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her.

'Alright, unknown modifier Host... you’re ruthless.'

Yan Huan took a deep breath, looked at Yinggong Tong, and finally gave in.

"Yinggong... although it’s a bit sudden, why don’t we try the method written on the slip of paper? Maybe it’ll get us out."

"Eh?"

'Th-There’s actually such a good thing?'

Yinggong Tong blinked, feeling a little giddy inside—but the pressure in her lower abdomen surged again.

'Wait a second—'

She suddenly remembered that, afraid the spark wouldn’t ignite too fast, she had intentionally made the timing longer.

Ten minutes of holding hands, ten minutes of hugging, ten minutes of kissing—

If they went one by one, that would take half an hour!

'Then wouldn’t I—'

'Why were you spacing out during volleyball class, Yinggong Tong?!'

'Couldn’t you have gone to the bathroom beforehand?!'

But when she saw the hesitant look on the handsome boy’s face—like he had struggled for a long time before awkwardly speaking—

And his eyes even seemed to avoid hers—could it be because—

'He’s shy?'

'This kind of President is really cute.'

'No—forget it. Even if I have to hold it, I’ll hold it until then!'

'If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll secretly shorten the time. And if I still can’t hold it, I’ll shut down the barrier early.'

On the outside, Yinggong Tong pursed her lips, looking a bit hesitant.

But seeing the enclosed environment around them, she took a deep breath, her eyes growing resolute.

Then she slightly lowered her head and said to Yan Huan,

"Mm... if there's no other way, then let’s try it. Once we get out, we absolutely, absolutely have to check the surveillance and see who dared to do this."

"Surveillance?"

Right—this place had surveillance.

Yan Huan blinked, suddenly turning his gaze to the corner, where a camera with a lit indicator was silently watching the sealed room.

The modifier’s Host was very likely observing them through that camera, wasn’t he?

'What a total pervert.'

Yan Huan took a deep breath, then lifted his leg and walked toward Yinggong Tong.

Yinggong Tong’s pupils shrank slightly and her breath caught.

In the stuffy air, all she felt was a wave of heat and masculine presence crashing over her.

She didn’t dare look up—his tall figure had completely enveloped her petite frame.

At 158cm tall, she barely reached Yan Huan’s chest and had to look up just to see his face.

"...Sorry, Yinggong," Yan Huan said.

'No—don’t apologize, President.'

Yinggong Tong’s eyes trembled slightly as Yan Huan gently held her hand.

His large, warm hand wrapped around her cold, delicate fingers—and in that moment, Yinggong Tong’s entire world fell silent.

She parted her lips slightly, and her heartbeat gradually quickened.

But on the outside, she still had to pretend to be calm and indifferent.

Facial expressions could be faked, but the faint blush on her cheeks was a physiological reaction—completely beyond her control.

"...This should be enough, right?"

But Yan Huan raised the hand he was holding a little higher, aiming it at the surveillance camera nearby, and said coldly,

"Eh?"

'Does the President think someone is watching through the surveillance camera?'

Yinggong Tong, whose arm had been lifted, blinked but followed Yan Huan's gaze toward the surveillance camera.

Then she slowly lowered her arm again.

'Ten minutes, huh...'

Yinggong Tong took a deep breath. The comfort of holding hands even helped ease the discomfort in her lower abdomen.

And now, feeling a bit greedy, she looked forward even more to the upcoming hug and kiss.

"President, maybe we can do the actions together—that way, it might take less time."

Yinggong Tong maintained a calm expression as she offered this suggestion to Yan Huan.

Of course, Yan Huan knew that would shorten the time a bit. He smiled slightly and said,

"I'm just worried you might not be used to it, Yinggong."

"Mm, a little... So maybe we can start with a hug. As for the next part... I... I'm not ready yet."

"I see. Okay."

Having heard that, and seeing how much it seemed Yinggong was pushing herself, Yan Huan didn’t press the matter.

He gently pulled Yinggong into his arms, though the embrace felt more formal and polite than affectionate.

They leaned toward each other slightly, but a noticeable distance still remained between their bodies.

'Th-this...'

'Can this even be called a hug?'

Feeling a little disappointed, Yinggong quietly puffed out her cheeks—then suddenly, the sound of fluttering paper came from behind the door.

As if completely unaffected by the hug, she patted Yan Huan's back and said,

"President, something came in from behind again!"

"Oh?"

Yan Huan narrowed his eyes, released Yinggong Tong, and walked over to the door to pick up the paper lying on the ground.

Written on it was:

[That hug doesn't count. Hug tighter.]

Yinggong Tong blinked slightly and looked at Yan Huan, who was already speechless at the sender’s twisted sense of humor.

'Just you wait. If I ever find out who in this school has this kind of fetish, I’ll make sure your name is known far and wide.'

Yan Huan turned to Yinggong Tong, as though seeking her opinion. "Is that okay?"

Yinggong Tong pursed her lips but gave a barely noticeable nod.

Then, she slowly opened her arms toward Yan Huan.

"Sorry."

Yan Huan apologized again, and Yinggong Tong looked away.

'Don’t apologize…'

Yan Huan’s apology made Yinggong Tong—who had planned all of this—feel a bit ashamed. That remorse and nervousness began to meld together—

And eventually turned into excitement, as she anticipated him coming closer to embrace her.

Yan Huan took a deep breath, opened his arms, and gently pulled the petite Yinggong Tong into his embrace.

The soft hug gradually deepened, and Yinggong Tong, nestled in his arms, began to look increasingly dazed.

'A kiss.'

'I want a kiss.'

That’s what she was thinking.

But just as she was planning the next step and enjoying the warmth of the hug...

The tightly shut door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.

*Bang!!*

Both Yan Huan and Yinggong Tong tensed up at the same time.

And it wasn’t just the equipment room door that had been forced open.

*Crack-crack-crack-crack!*

At the same moment, Yinggong Tong’s magical barrier completely shattered, collapsing to the floor and blending the separate space with reality.

(*) Note: "Barrier" here refers to a magical or supernatural field that creates a separate space, commonly used in fantasy or anime settings.

Yan Huan’s head throbbed slightly. As the barrier dissolved, the memories of what had just happened tried to scatter like flowing water—but were held in place by the modifier’s resistance, allowing him to retain everything.

(*) Note: "Modifier" likely refers to a system or item that preserves memory or resists magical effects.

*Hiss!*

He inhaled sharply, quickly let go of Yinggong Tong, and turned around to look behind him.

'The door opened? But we haven’t kissed yet.'

That was the thought running through his mind.

Having left Yan Huan’s embrace, Yinggong Tong felt a twinge of reluctance and stared at the doorway in disbelief—like she was ready to kill someone.

Standing at the entrance was a girl in sportswear, her long golden hair flowing like a lion’s mane. She was furiously pulling her outstretched foot back.

She had just kicked the door open with a single strike.

And with that kick, she had even shattered the barrier Yinggong Tong had secretly set up.

Yinggong Tong had never expected her barrier to be broken like that.

Anyone else opening the door should’ve only seen another equipment room—how could that girl not only sense the barrier but also shatter it?

Yet despite the flood of thoughts racing through her mind, Yinggong Tong didn’t show any of it. Instead, she clutched her head as if in pain.

"So annoying! I told you guys the ball hasn’t been returned and you just locked the door... Huh? Someone’s in here?"

The girl seemed unaware there were people inside and paused, surprised.

Then she looked at the boy and girl in the room—a particularly familiar, handsome boy, and a dazed-looking girl holding her head.

'What the heck were they doing?'

'Oh~'

The golden-haired girl—or rather, Aruiya Spencer, who had just transferred today—instantly understood and gave a very meaningful grin.

Then, she silently pulled out her phone from her pocket.

She was actually preparing to take a picture!

[End of this chapter]