Chapter 55: The Perils of Cosplay and Unspoken Agendas

“Just a cosplay? It doesn’t seem like a difficult task.”

‘Wait, cosplay? Dressed like this, I’m definitely doing a female character cosplay, right? Ugh, no way!’

“Um, Senior, do we get to choose our own cosplay characters?”

“If I could choose, I would definitely pick a male character, even if it didn’t suit me.”

“The Anime Club handles that aspect. They decide who cosplays what. Let me borrow your photo for a moment.”

Before I could even react, the Senior swiftly pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of me.

Seeing me instinctively shield myself, the Senior held her phone before me. “Don’t misunderstand. It’s just for the Anime Club president to see.”

Huh? The Anime Club? Does our school even have clubs?

Beyond the Anime Club, might there be others? Perhaps a music club, a literature society, or something similar?

Glancing at her phone, I saw a chat interface. Although I couldn’t discern the conversation, an unopened flash photo was visible.

‘Did the Senior send it?’

‘If so, it must be the picture she just took of me. Thankfully, she used a flash photo, preventing others from saving it. It seems the Senior is quite thoughtful.’

This subtly increased my favorable impression of the Senior. Yet, upon reflection, a female cosplay was still quite difficult to accept.

But then, she had helped me so many times. Now that she needed my help, how could I refuse? I suppose I’ll just have to grit my teeth and do it, but I’ll definitely talk to the Anime Club president about it later.

“She’s offline right now, so I can’t reach her. I’ll let you know once we have a decision. That’s all for now; you’re free to go.”

“Thank you for today, Senior.”

After bowing deeply to the Senior, I pushed open the student council door and exited. Though the Senior appeared aloof, I sensed she was truly a very gentle person.

****

Just as Mu Rong Luo Ye turned to leave, a voice abruptly broke the silence of the quiet office.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I never would have thought you’d be into a ‘nurturing’ game.”

Gazing at the beautiful girl with sky-blue hair who had seemingly materialized from nowhere, Mo Yuyan merely rubbed her forehead in exasperation. This girl’s presence always brought her a headache.

“Aren’t you afraid of being exposed, dropping your disguise at school?”

“I don’t have any more classes today. All the other teachers think I left ages ago, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

As she spoke, she couldn’t resist flinging herself onto Mo Yuyan. “Your figure is amazing; I’m so jealous!”

Mo Yuyan paid no mind to Lan Baiyuan clinging to her; she was accustomed to the clingy girl.

Except when their leader was present, Lan Baiyuan was always like this, with no expectation of her acting even slightly serious.

Despite her outwardly unreliable demeanor, the tasks entrusted to her were, in fact, never botched.

Then again, if she hadn’t consistently completed her missions successfully, would Mo Yuyan truly let her cling to her like this?

“Are you really planning to play the ‘nurturing’ game? It looks like you’re constantly trying to raise your favorability with them.”

Mo Yuyan cast a sidelong glance at her, then nodded faintly. After all, she had no experience, so she might as well start with the simplest form of ‘nurturing’.

Raising favorability—this was an opportune moment. Club recruitment was just a few days away, and the Anime Club president would likely try to pull her in.

Given the relationship between the Anime Club and the student council, she could easily make her move.

As for the other clubs, the Literature Club had always maintained a strained relationship with the student council.

This was primarily because most other clubs fell under the jurisdiction of the Youth League Committee, which itself was a department within the student council.

However, the Literature Club operated independently, outside their control. This was largely due to the eccentric nature of every Literature Club president throughout the years.

If she were to be recruited by the Literature Club, it would become difficult for Mo Yuyan to make her move.

Furthermore, the upcoming Campus Festival, a month away, presented another excellent opportunity to boost favorability.

Yet, the Campus Festival might also prove troublesome for them, not because of the school itself, but because someone might lose patience during that particular time.

“Also, the Young Miss’s previous investigation results are in. It seems they’re preparing for a small-scale experiment.”

“Mm.”

Nodding slightly, Mo Yuyan turned her gaze to the window. She wondered how much longer this bright sunshine would last. ‘It won’t be long now,’ she thought.

****

“Mu Rong Luo Ye, have you been waiting long?”

“Not too long, thankfully. By the way, what did the Senior pull you aside to say?”

“Nothing much, really. Just about the Campus Festival. Oh, by the way, Huang Beifeng, do you know about the Campus Festival?”

“I’m not entirely sure either, but it’s always very lively. It’s mainly organized by the student council and a few other clubs, with the school providing funding and the students handling everything else.”

I see. I’m actually quite looking forward to it.

A month. There’s still a month to go. Perhaps it will be a truly unforgettable memory.

However, it seems the first monthly exam is also coming up soon, so I’d better study hard.

In that case, I’ll perform exceptionally well on the first monthly exam, if only to prevent anyone from calling me a mere show-off.

That’s settled then.

Many things still remain, but for today, matters have temporarily concluded.