"Mengxiang?! That... this... it's actually just... just a misunderstanding..."

My neck stiffened as I turned my head. Before me stood a girl dressed in understated elegance, her face frozen in unmistakable horror. Her entire body had gone rigid—petrified like stone—as she stared at me. Or rather, at us.

"Kohara... what on earth—"

Before Mengxiang could finish, the pressure pinning me down suddenly loosened. The girl restraining me withdrew her arms. Zixuan swayed slightly as she pushed herself up from the floor.

"So... another woman’s voice? And calling you so intimately..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, head tilting unnaturally toward Mengxiang behind her. Only her upper body moved; her legs remained rooted to the spot, making the sight even more unsettling. A strange smile spread across her lips—the same chilling grin she’d worn when she first saw me with Xia Mo. Was this the birth of yandere tendencies?!

"Hey now... why’s this kid looking so pale? Skipped breakfast? Or sick?"

*Mengxiang, stop acting clueless!* I wanted to scream. It wasn’t an act—she genuinely never grasped the situation. *Have some survival instinct! She’s about to—*

My thoughts shattered as Zixuan lunged. In an instant, she closed the distance to the stunned Mengxiang. She drew back like a bow, aiming a full-force chest-level tackle—not to embrace, but to crush Mengxiang’s head against her own body and knock her unconscious. Then she whipped forward—

One hit like that would’ve knocked anyone out cold. If it were me, I’d probably sink into those soft—*No!* *Not the time!* I scrambled toward the door, but froze mid-step.

Zixuan stood frozen, face ashen. Her wide eyes screamed disbelief—no, pure terror. She was afraid of the girl before her. Because her full-power strike had been dodged effortlessly. By Mengxiang. Who hadn’t even moved.

The reason? A natural advantage: Mengxiang’s petite frame. That height she considered her greatest flaw had just saved her from a yandere’s assault.

"Why’d she rush to hug me? Does she want to be friends? That’s awfully warm—should I hug back?" Mengxiang sidestepped, finally coming into my view past Zixuan’s blocking form. Then, without warning, she threw her arms around the terrified girl.

"Yaaahhhhh!!!"

Zixuan’s shriek pierced my eardrums. She went limp after a few seconds of trembling, collapsing against Mengxiang’s chest. Only Mengxiang’s desperate grip kept her from hitting the cold floor—though my childhood friend’s small frame strained under the weight, rooted helplessly in place.

"What are you staring at?! Help me!" Mengxiang’s face flushed crimson from the effort as she yelled. I snapped out of my daze and rushed over to support Zixuan’s unresponsive body. I’d never seen a girl shattered like this—least of all Zixuan.

"So you rejected her, and she still won’t give up? That’s straight out of manga! Keep fiction out of real life, okay?!"

After thirty minutes explaining recent events, Mengxiang burst out. Of course, I’d conveniently omitted the "lucky pervert incident"—*heh heh...*

"It’s the truth! What can I do? Ask her yourself when she wakes up. Though... I still don’t get why Zixuan reacted so violently. Or who she even is." I shrugged helplessly, closing the bedroom door. Settling onto the living room sofa, I faced Mengxiang across the coffee table. It’d been nearly a year since we’d sat like this.

"But that girl’s expression... it felt dangerous. Like she wanted to kill."

"Well, she’s a yandere. Not my fault." I deflected, heat rising in my cheeks. If Mengxiang knew the girl in my room was a threat, she’d kick Zixuan out immediately. *Not that I want her to stay!* I just needed answers...

*Dumping this baggage early would be smart,* I reasoned, *but keeping her around for intel isn’t wrong either... (Though calling it "intel" might be overkill.)*

"Obviously I’m here to tutor you! Why else would I bring my backpack?" Mengxiang puffed out her cheeks, shooting me a look of betrayal. *Did I even ask her to come?*

"You forgot? I emailed you!"

Fumbling for my phone, I found it dead. After booting up, missed calls and texts flooded in—WeChat and QQ notifications piled to 99+. All from Mengxiang.

*Zixuan must’ve shut it off last night...* I recalled her muttering about deleting "certain things" from my phone. I opened Baidu Cloud, typed my four-digit password—and stared at an empty folder.

*Goddammit!!!* When had she gotten my password? Only one moment made sense: when we’d shared the blanket. No other chance to see me type...

"*Goddammit!*" I shot up from the sofa, roaring.

"Should’ve never shared a blanket with that monster!!! Aaaaaargh!!"

"Eh? Kohara... what did you just say?"

I turned my stiff neck toward Mengxiang. Her eyes had gone utterly blank. Hollow.

*Uh-oh. I’ve done it now...*