Talk about a sports festival, and you have to name the games—relays that slice the air like ribbons, 1000-meter runs like rivers, 500s like arrows, long jumps like flying birds, swimming like silver fish, three-legged races like tangled vines…

Each event is a stage where youth burns like lantern light; only when sweat rains onto the track do you feel you didn’t waste your spring.

Having lived one life already, Yunshi Bianqi met the sports festival with a still lake of emotion—at most, oh, so that’s how it feels.

In truth, she found it boring, like a gray sky that wouldn’t break.

Mostly, she had no close friends to team up with, so her smile stayed thin as paper.

Still, the juiciest spectacle of a sports festival should be the cheer squad, or so Yun Shi idly thought, like a cat eyeing red tassels.

The morning homeroom was a long wind over the games list, a discussion seeded by the Student Council’s hard-won plan and watered by Yun Shi’s written report.

“So, about the sports festival—no objections, right?”

Class rep Maya Hanazaka stood at the podium, pen tapping like rain; the blackboard was a field of chalk weeds, and she had to trim every question that sprouted.

“Class rep, we want to sign up.”

“Mm, okay. If you’re registering, come write your names.”

“Class rep, can we add more events?”

“I can’t decide that; take it to the Student Council.”

“Um, can we recommend people for events?”

“You can. If it’s for class honor, I don’t mind at all.”

You could see Maya was stretched like taffy; the whole class had turned their lanterns on her.

Worst of all, she had to keep smiling, till her cheeks cramped like knotted cords.

If a girl asked, fine; she could beam like sunshine and answer patiently.

But boys asked in droves, like summer cicadas, louder than the girls, and for boy-hating Maya that was a headache like a drum.

Plenty of those boys came with flirting in their eyes, hunting that rare smile of Maya’s like magpies after silver.

The homeroom teacher had drummed it in: no scowling, no snapping, be patient, work earnestly—like a monk counting beads.

Which meant Maya Hanazaka couldn’t just glare at boys; she had to wear a professional smile like a mask, and that burned like pepper on her tongue.

Yun Shi, a Student Council member, was also on the podium, her workload light as frost; she only needed to take notes.

Right now Mizuki was still lingering in Britain; after exams, she took leave and drifted abroad like a cloud. Her purpose was a locked box only she held.

So only two people in class could handle this; if Maya bailed, Yun Shi would face a swarm of annoying boys like gnats, which Maya found even harder to swallow. No choice—she agreed, and Yun Shi stayed by her side like a quiet pine.

Love, sometimes, is a strange beast that wanders in fog.

“Damn it, how much longer are we doing this?”

After grinding away for ages, Maya snapped, pen dropping with a clack like a pebble in a well.

“Can’t help it. It’s your job.” Yun Shi spoke cool as water, her pen flowing like a stream.

“Yeah, class rep, chill a bit…”

Some boys read the storm signs on Maya’s face and pulled in their sails.

“Don’t be mad, Hanazaka. We’ll stop talking if it bothers you…”

The girls shrank like field mice, whisper-soft.

“Enough. Don’t leave a bad impression. Let’s work.” Yun Shi soothed from the side, voice a shaded breeze.

Truth is, she disliked this too, but as Student Council she had to lead like a steady lighthouse. Mizuki was away, and President Asagi Renka had vanished on leave as well. Right now the Council was propped up by Shizuru Yuna, and of course, Yun Shi was second chair.

With both president and vice president out, Yun Shi could only work with Shizuru Yuna; even if she disliked it, she’d bend like bamboo. After a few days together, their rapport had warmed like tea.

“When Milady and Mizuki are handling real business, we can’t sit idle. I’m staying at school because Milady ordered it. You’d better think when to go do your part.” That’s what Yuna had said then, voice like a blade wrapped in silk.

Who knew—she was that serious, like a candle that never flickered.

But all Yun Shi could do was one thing: head into the Underworld and join the Church suppression, to swing power like a sword. Beyond strength, she had nothing.

So she sometimes went blank as snow, wondering what she was doing, why she held this power like a hot coal.

For now, she wanted the light of the Outer World to soothe that fog in her chest, like sunshine melting frost—she’d been thinking too much…

“But I really have zero motivation~” The complaint floated up like a sigh from a reed bed.

For example, how to deal with the class rep in front of her, who’d started fishing for comfort like a kitten for warmth.

“Do the work.” Yun Shi’s answer was a pebble, simple and hard.

She couldn’t help it—she didn’t know how to comfort anyone. In this life and the last, that string had always been missing.

“Tch, not cute at all.” Maya had hoped this one would say something sweet; she’d overestimated someone. She should’ve remembered—Yun Shi never made the first move, like the moon behind clouds.

“Speaking of the sports festival, isn’t there anything fun?” Maya tossed the question into the class, a stone skipping across a pond.

“Class rep, what do you wanna know? There are plenty of events.” A reply popped like corn.

“No, no, I’m not into the events. I’ve signed up myself.” Her grin flashed like a fan.

On that note, Maya and her friends had joined several events; even the ojousama Mizuki couldn’t bottle up her loneliness and signed up too, a flower leaning toward the sun.

Naturally, when everyone joined, Yun Shi couldn’t refuse; backed into a corner, she registered as well, even took a slot for Mizuki, like carrying two baskets with one shoulder.

As for which events, that’s under wraps for now, like a secret note.

“What’s fun, really? Outside the matches, what else is there? The most eye-catching is the cheer squad.” Yun Shi’s voice was cool, like a brushstroke.

That one line dropped like a pebble into still water—and the class went silent.

Ten seconds later, they climbed out of their heads, faces lighting up like lanterns.

“Oh, cheer squad rules!”

“Fresh-faced beauties of youth—just thinking about it feels like spring!”

“Bianqi, you’re the man!”

“Finally, a true romance of men!” The boys’ roar rose like a bonfire.

Who knew the cheer squad would hook them so hard, like fish on a bright lure.

Majority rules, so Maya had to place the suggestion on the board. The girls shot side-eye like cold arrows.

They didn’t hate cheer uniforms, but seeing the boys so blatant scraped their pride like sandpaper.

“So rude, Bianqi.”

“I thought he was a gentleman.”

“Why suggest that? So annoying.”

“Bianqi’s just like the boys—how lame.”

And so, the girls shifted their grudge to innocent Yun Shi like crows flocking to a single branch.

Black lines filled Yun Shi’s head—why is this my mess again? The thought thudded like thunder.

Are they sick? Why always drag me in?

“If you don’t want to, no one’s making you join the cheer squad.” Her tone stayed level, but a ember glowed inside; her mood had clouded over.

Being bad-mouthed like that, how could she be fine? If boys get teased, whatever. But Yun Shi’s tolerance was a teacup, not a lake; those barbs stung.

Because her temper was bad, her words came out sharp as frost.

Which is why she wouldn’t do the harem-protagonist “this is a misunderstanding” act; that script didn’t suit her cut.

“Ah, I actually think the cheer squad’s great, really.” Seeing Yun Shi’s face go granite, Maya, who knew her nature, rushed to soothe like pouring tea on a spark.

She knew Yun Shi’s true self was a girl; taking it to heart was normal. The other girls didn’t know, so they’d said things that shaved her dignity like a knife.

As for the boys, they kicked back to watch the show, eyes like popcorn.

“Okay then, the cheer squad proposal passes. Next.” To coax Yun Shi, Maya went all in, pushing it through like a stamp. Honestly, it was only a matter of time anyway.

The girls wore reluctant faces like bitter plums; clearly, they cared about Yun Shi’s careless line more than they admitted.

What now…

If Maya withdrew the proposal, Yun Shi would sulk like a rain cloud. Keep it, and the girls would sulk instead.

Maya fell into a tangle like fishing line…

!

Got it!

A sudden idea lit her face like sunrise.

“Since everyone wants a cheer squad, I, your class rep, propose that our class’s Yunshi Bianqi joins the cheer squad! If you agree, raise your hand!”

A dead hush fell like snow.

Thirty long seconds of silence.

It felt like someone hit pause on the world; not a soul spoke.

Until…

“Traps are the best!”

Some genius yelled the classic line, and the smoldering “otokonoko” soul in the crowd burst back into flame like dry grass.

“Awesome, Bianqi, be on the cheer squad!”

“You lucky jerk, give us a little fanservice this once!”

“You’ve got so many girls around you—time to taste being a girl!”

“Bianqi, be our goddess for a day!”

“Hold up—whose rotten idea was that!” Yun Shi almost roared, voice cracking like thunder.

How did this nice, clean script twist into this!

Wrong plot!

I’m not wearing a skirt!

“Cross-dressing… not bad~”

“Bianqi’s pretty cute; in a uniform he’d be adorable~”

“Wear it, wear it!”

“Love you, class rep!”

Fact is, the girls were even more fired up; their resistance to cute things was paper-thin, like sugar in tea.

Yun Shi felt one thing flood her chest—mortification, hot as chili.

Her face went red fast enough to see, heat rolling off like steam. Whether from thin skin or anger, who knew—but she’d been pushed into embarrassed fury.

“W-what a joke!”

Her struggle didn’t matter. The whole class raised their hands like a wheat field in wind, casting their sacred votes. One person couldn’t turn that tide.

And just like that, without quite noticing, Yunshi Bianqi got sold off by her own class, like a lamb at market.