"An event? Seriously?" Yixinxue frowned at the notice in her hand.

With the school’s 95th anniversary just two weeks away, the Discipline Committee would surely be drafted as volunteers. No one ever volunteered willingly, and Yixinxue knew she’d spend hours negotiating assignments.

As she pondered the arrangements, a figure suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

"Here about Lingyuan?" Yixinxue didn’t look up. She already knew who it was.

During evening self-study, the student council office held only her and Yanxi.

"Yes." Yanxi planted her palms on the desk, leaning forward with an aggressive tone. "I can’t help but ask—someone as exceptional as you, Yixinxue. What could you possibly see in Lingyuan?"

Yixinxue’s expression remained utterly calm. Yiyingnan had asked the same question once. Seeing Yanxi’s earnest gaze, she merely offered a faint smile.

"A coincidence during a special time, I suppose?"

"Coincidence?"

"Yes. Just coincidence."

…

"This month’s exam results were… unexpected. Yixinxue didn’t take first place in the year."

【This… How is this possible…?】

Not just Yixinxue—everyone present stared in disbelief. Since transferring to Hengjiang High (Hengjiang Zhongxue), she’d held the top spot without fail. Not a single subject had ever slipped to second.

Yet this time, someone had overtaken her. According to the school’s published top 100 list, the new rank-one had beaten Yixinxue by over seventy points.

Math alone—a perfect 150—had created a twenty-point gap. The remaining fifty points were lost across physics, chemistry, and biology.

That night, the wind bit cold. Yixinxue sat alone on a park bench, knees hugged to her chest.

Losing an honor that had felt within reach tore through her like a knife. She hadn’t slacked off—why such a crushing gap?

Slowly, she closed her flame-red eyes. The murmurs washed over her like a tide:

"Yixinxue isn’t first this time?"

"No way! Who’s this guy? How’d he beat her by so much?"

"Guess even Yixinxue isn’t some untouchable god of academics."

…

Her nose stung. True, she’d been on her period during the exam—the excruciating pain had hampered her focus. But she’d powered through similar situations before. This gap made no sense…

"Huh? Class rep? What are you doing here alone?"

Yixinxue’s pupils flickered. She quickly wiped her eyes and lifted her chin. "Lingyuan? What are *you* doing here?"

"Me?" Lingyuan scratched his head. "Heading home… then I saw you crying alone on this bench—"

"I wasn’t crying!"

The girl denied it instantly.

【Not crying…?】

Her eyes were bloodshot. She’d just wiped her face. *So tsundere*, Lingyuan thought.

He shrugged helplessly. "It’s 10:30 PM. Aren’t you heading home?"

"I…" Yixinxue bit her lip. "Just clearing my head. You—why are you out so late?"

"Chatted too long with Lanfeng at his place. Besides, I’m a guy—I’m fine. But you? It’s not safe for a girl out this late."

"Not your concern." Yixinxue looked away. Her mood had sunk too deep for conversation.

"Hmm—" Lingyuan scratched his head again, guessing the reason for her gloom. "Wait here, class rep."

"Huh?" By the time Yixinxue looked up, he’d already dashed off.

She lowered her head again. Silky white strands slipped over her shoulder.

【If only Jiejie were here… She’d hold me. Comfort me… At this school, I’m all alone… bearing everything by myself…】

"Here. For you."

Lingyuan’s voice startled her. A can of cola appeared before her eyes.

"No matter how bad you feel, ‘happy water’ fixes everything. If one can isn’t enough? Drink two."

In that instant, Lingyuan’s guileless grin seared itself into Yixinxue’s mind.

"A-alright…" She took the can hesitantly. It was icy, numbing her fingers.

"Ice-cold! Doubles the happiness!" Lingyuan popped his own can open and chugged.

"Ah~ Perfect. Nothing beats ice-cold cola on a freezing night!"

"I…" Yixinxue almost mentioned her period had just ended—no cold drinks. But her mood was too heavy. She opened the can and took a small sip.

The crisp, icy fizz instantly cleared her foggy mind.

"Why call it ‘happy water’…?"

"Huh? You don’t know?" Lingyuan grinned. "It’s a meme! The otaku’s staple drink. Nickname: ‘otaku’s happy water’!" He took another huge gulp.

"I see…" Yixinxue nodded vaguely. Teachers had confiscated plenty of his manga. Though not overweight, Lingyuan was the class’s self-proclaimed otaku.

"So… you’re upset about the exam?"

"I suppose…"

"Look, don’t obsess over scores. You’re piling too much pressure on yourself. One bad test shouldn’t wreck you like this."

Yixinxue stayed silent. Someone who always fought for first place couldn’t possibly dismiss grades. Besides, Lingyuan was the year’s dead-last student—a headache for teachers. She still didn’t know how he’d landed in the honors class.

"Aren’t *you* taking it too lightly?"

"Haha, I’ve got… personal reasons. Different from you guys." Lingyuan waved it off. "Whatever. I don’t get genius brains. Just—ease up on yourself, okay? Head home. It’s late."

He stood abruptly, rushing off to queue up for ranked matches with Lanfeng.

His sudden departure deepened Yixinxue’s confusion. Was he really uninterested in girls? Any normal guy would’ve offered to walk her home…

*Is this what an otaku is like…?*

Yixinxue stared at the can in her hand, recalling his oddly serious expression. She shook her head, smiling faintly.

【Interesting.】

*Personal reasons? Different from us?*

Hengjiang High was a century-old institution. Only students ranked in the city’s top 1,500 on the high school entrance exam got in. No one unmotivated could breach its gates.

"So you’ve liked Lingyuan since that night?"

"Yes." Yixinxue nodded slightly. "And he just kept getting… cuter. Sometimes I feel like I want to gobble him up~"

"Heh." Yanxi let out a cold laugh, arms crossed. "He has someone he likes. And it’s not you."

"Oh? Is it you, then?"

"Not me either. Another girl. But…" Yanxi’s gaze softened slightly. "She’s gone now. A pain Brother will carry forever."