After school that day.

I yawned my way toward the library in the main building.

Jilianbing had said we’d walk home together tonight, but since I still had evening self-study, she’d left first.

Finally free of her. That meant today had passed safely.

It was Friday. Saturday and Sunday stretched ahead. If all went well, I wouldn’t see Jilianbing again until Monday—when she’d return my photo. *Assuming* she kept her word.

It was a gamble with zero guarantees. But I believed Jilianbing would honor it. Not because she was trustworthy. I’d seen that absolute confidence in her eyes. She probably thought she’d kill me for sure.

So even with the weekend starting tomorrow, I couldn’t let my guard down. Staying close to family seemed wise.

I pushed open the library door and blurted out instinctively:

"Teacher Yang, I’m here for my uniform—uh—"

"Ah—!"

*Thud!*

"L-Lili," she groaned, slamming her forehead onto the desk. Ouch. That looked painful.

"Ugh! I told you not to call me ‘teacher’!"

Lili lifted her head, cheeks flushed, clutching her forehead as she pouted at me.

"Sorry. Habit. I’m a student—I should call you teacher..."

*Thud!*

Again.

Tears welled in Lili’s eyes. She puffed her cheeks like a sulking child.

"Hmph! You! I hate you! I’m never talking to you again!"

*Thud!*

That phrase must’ve triggered the contract too. Lili self-destructed.

"...Guess ‘teacher’ is totally banned now." I sighed. I was so used to "Teacher Yang." Switching to her name felt impossible. I could remember when focused, but slips happened. Was there a safe alternative?

"Honestly! Just get used to my name already!" Lili smoothed her chest, took a deep breath, and quickly regained composure. She pulled my mended uniform from a tote bag. "Here."

I didn’t take it immediately. Chin in hand, I raised an eyebrow and tested:

"Miss Yang?"

"Yikes!"

"Director Yang?"

"Ugh!"

"Miss Lili?"

"Eep!"

"Sis Lili?"

"Mmm..."

After cycling through options, I noticed: the more formal the title, the worse her reaction. Casual terms like "Sis" barely fazed her.

"...Ha... ha..."

Lili lay sprawled across the desk, drenched in sweat. She panted heavily, trembling, drool dripping from her lips and tangling with stray hairs. Her damp hair clung to her flushed face. In short: utterly wrecked.

"Master Cheng! What are you *doing*?"

"Just testing. From your reactions, ‘Sis Lili’ causes the least damage. It’s weird calling you ‘sis,’ but better than your first name. I’ll stick with that."

"Master Cheng..." She sighed, removing her glasses. "...You really don’t consider others’ feelings. I need to wash my face. I’m a mess."

Lili stepped out from behind the service desk.

Then I noticed—tears still glistened in her eyes.

I’d made Teacher Yang cry. Again.

...

After evening self-study, I silently mopped the library floor. Lili had changed into sportswear before leaving. All through class, she’d glared at me with such resentment it made my scalp prickle. I’d wanted to ask her questions, but after this mess, conversation never happened.

As punishment, I organized books and files. By the time I finished, it was nearly ten.

*Sigh.* Mood: ruined.

Strange things kept happening lately. My ordinary life had flipped upside down.

No smog hung over the city. I looked up at the star-strewn sky.

And... slender legs like tender lotus roots.

"Good evening, Master Cheng."

My jaw dropped. The voice came from above me.

Perched atop the awning at the main entrance, she swung her legs happily. Glistening brown hair swayed in the night breeze under the starlight. Her skin stayed milky-white even in the dark. She lowered her head slightly, that elegant face gazing down at me, lips curved in a faint smile.

She faced me—but I couldn’t see her face.

No. That wasn’t right. I *could* see her face... but only her smiling lips stood clear.

Everything else blurred, like a distant figure. Yet that chilling smile stayed sharp—like the urban legend of Kuchisake-onna.

The only difference? I felt no fear. Even just a smile... she was still so beautiful. *Dying by her hand might not be so bad...*

A sudden clarity jolted me from my daze. Dread flooded my chest.

*What the hell was I thinking?! Wanting to die for her?!*

I shook my head hard, focusing again on Jilianbing. This time, her face came into view.

Her calm expression radiated confidence, layered with natural arrogance. Her gaze locked onto mine—burning with fervor.

Her title glowed an unfamiliar purple.

Eerie. Unnatural.

Beyond the killing intent, other emotions tangled within.

"Why are you here?"

"I said at noon, ‘Let’s walk home together tonight, Master Cheng.’ So I waited. Just for you."

"How... *thoughtful* of you."

"It’s my duty. After all, I’m your ‘girlfriend.’"

*Girlfriend.*

This fake bond was our only tether. Trust? None existed between us.

"Uh... ‘home’ means we each go to our own places, right?"

"Of course not. To *my* home."

*Figures.*

Stripped of all pretenses, alone as a "couple" in the empty school—she’d dropped her mask. Her true nature bared itself.

"Master Cheng, I truly crave your corpse. Will you die for me?"

"Regrettably... no."

"Then run. If I catch you... you *will* die."

A warning? A last shred of conscience?

Or just teasing...

"I dislike weapons. They ruin the corpse’s perfection. So I’ll strangle you gently."

Her tone was light—as if discussing a toy, not a person.

"Oh, they say suffocation brings euphoria. Let’s test that theory on you, Master Cheng. Hehehe~"

*Ah... I’m such an idiot.*

She wasn’t joking.

Only now did I grasp my own naivety.

I’d told myself: *Stay alert. Watch Jilianbing.* Yet deep down, I’d clung to childish hopes.

*She won’t really kill me.*

*She wouldn’t dare.*

*She’s just messing with me.*

Those thoughts had propped up my fragile optimism.

Now the props shattered. My false security crumbled.

The "ordinary" slipped quietly from my grasp. The "abnormal" waited eagerly for my arrival.

"Damn it!"

I spun and sprinted toward the classroom building, shoving the door open. I didn’t notice I’d chosen the wrong escape route—only that I needed to flee Jilianbing. *Now.*

Late at night, my "girlfriend" and I began a game of hide-and-seek through the school halls. Fueled by killing intent, obsession, regret, and terror.