I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

Kasumigaoka Utaha's smile deepened; she felt she had completely taken control of the conversation.

However, just as she was about to continue her "commentary"...

Lynn, however, asked a question in a casual, seemingly offhand tone that made all her smiles freeze instantly.

"But what if this really is a drama..."

He paused, and his languid eyes sharpened, as if they could see right through people's hearts.

"...Why do I feel that, from beginning to end, you, the 'audience member,' are more immersed in the role than the actors on stage?"

boom! ! !

At that moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the spotlight.

All her proud pretense and detached composure were shattered by this one sentence!

(He...he wasn't discussing the script with me...he'd been looking at me from the very beginning!)

(I wasn't even an audience member... From the very beginning... I was the one who most wanted to rush onto the stage!)

Looking at Lynn's smiling face, she felt no more hatred, only a helpless tremor after being completely seen through and conquered.

(He's insane... knowing full well that he's a greedy bastard who wants to include everyone in the story's ending...)

(Why... why is it that my heart, which wants to possess him completely, has no thought of giving up...?)

Just as she lost her composure and couldn't even maintain her perfect smile, Lynn took half a step forward and whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Don't just stare, Ms. Kasumi Shiko."

"A truly great story is not something you watch."

He paused, then gave her a tender invitation that she would remember for a lifetime.

"...It is meant for personal participation."

She felt completely trapped.

She went from being a playwright to a heroine who, despite knowing the road ahead was a deep abyss, was completely disarmed by the male protagonist with just one sentence and willingly walked into his story.

……

In the end, only Yukino Yukinoshita remained.

She stood quietly by the embers of the campfire, gazing at the flickering flames. Her cool profile, illuminated by the firelight, resembled a piece of fine, cold jade.

A rare hint of disappointment, which she herself hadn't even noticed, appeared in those eyes that were always clear as ice.

Lynn walked over to her side.

He didn't immediately address the earlier commotion, his gaze lingering for a moment on her deep blue dress before he spoke in a tone of pure admiration:

"You look beautiful tonight, under the snow."

Chapter 109: Utterly insane! The harem king besieged by the media!

This unexpected compliment, like a warm spark, instantly ignited the cold ashes in her heart.

Just as a strange ripple stirred in her heart, and she didn't know how to respond.

Lynn, however, seemed completely unconcerned about her reaction, and simply delivered her second sentence in a matter-of-fact, calm tone.

"You should understand, right?"

This abrupt and seemingly unrelated statement, like a sudden pop quiz, instantly pulled Yukino from her girlish panic back to the familiar, cold battlefield of intellect.

She understood immediately.

This was Mr. Lynn testing her, testing whether she understood the logic behind all his actions tonight.

She forcefully suppressed all her emotions, raised her head, her clear eyes sharpened again, and looked directly at Lynn, giving her the answer she was proud of.

"Choosing Goto is the most efficient solution that avoids the worst outcome."

She paused for a moment, then laid out her analysis in its entirety.

"It breaks the deadlock of the five-way standoff without causing the remaining four parties to become completely unbalanced by choosing any one side, and it can also solve the psychological problems of a marginal student."

"Judging from the results, it can be described as perfect."

She believes this is the only correct solution to this problem.

"Yes."

Lynn nodded, calmly confirming her answer.

This put Yukino Yukinoshita at ease, making her feel that she had passed the test.

But then, Lynn, in an even more nonchalant tone, completely upended her entire world.

"However, efficiency is used to solve problems."

He paused, and his voice reached her ears clearly.

"Priority is for protection."

boom! ! !

Her logic and her rationality were completely shattered at that moment.

No complicated reasoning is required.

She understood instantly.

That "perfect answer" she was so proud of just now wasn't a real answer at all!

That's just... an introductory, first-level thought!

He affirmed her, just like a teacher affirms a student who answered a basic question correctly.

His true intention, the core of his actions, was not "efficiency" at all!

He did it to protect that one and only priority that could never be measured by "efficiency"... "the highest priority"!

A captivating blush spread from her fair neck all the way to her ears.

She turned around abruptly, her back to Lynn, not daring to let him see her expression. Her usually calm heart was now pounding wildly, like a deer's.

Her mind went blank.

All the analysis and deductions turned into one thing at this moment, making her cheeks burn and a feeling of irrepressible sweetness and shyness rise in her heart.

(What exactly... does Mr. Lynn mean?)

Lynn finally reached his "end point," the place where he had been quietly waiting all along.

Kasugano Sora.

She didn't cry or make a fuss; she just hugged the black rabbit doll and stared at him silently with her lifeless, dark eyes, as if they were frozen in a storm.

Lynn stopped in front of her.

He didn't speak, but simply opened his arms to her.

A barely perceptible hesitation flashed in Qiong's empty eyes.

next second.

She suddenly threw herself into his arms, burying her small face deeply into his chest, as if she wanted to melt into him completely.

Lynn held her tightly, embracing this most precious treasure in the world that belonged to him.

He whispered in her ear, in a voice that only gods and their most devout followers could hear, a voice like that of a covenant of eternal faith:

"What we offer to the world is a noisy bonfire."

"What they receive is a swaying reflection."

"And what's for you—"

He paused, feeling the slight trembling of the girl in his arms, and finished speaking with a tenderness that could melt all ice and snow.

"It is the flame itself."

Under this ultimate and unquestionable declaration.

All of Qiong's unease, jealousy, fear, and the coldness of being abandoned vanished in an instant.

She looked up, and in her dark eyes, she saw her brother's gentle face reflected in her eyes. Tears finally streamed down her face.

……

Go home.

As soon as she closed the door, Qiong put down the rabbit doll in her arms, stood on tiptoe, and expressed her dissatisfaction and possessiveness through her actions.

She raised her head, her dark eyes filled with an unyielding stubbornness, and clearly uttered two words.

“Compensation 々々”.

"'That one,' double."

Lynn chuckled and lowered her head.

This dance was more passionate and longer than any of the dances we had just performed by the campfire.

He only released Qiong when she was almost out of breath and her cheeks were flushed as she slumped into his arms.

Then, he took her hand and, in the small living room that belonged only to the two of them, accompanied by soothing music coming from his phone, danced for her that belated, one and only, true final waltz.

When the dance stopped, Lynn looked into the girl's eyes, which had regained their light, and felt a sense of peace.

at this time.

hum... hum...

Lynn's phone vibrated at an inopportune moment.

Seeing the name "Hiratsuka Shizuka" on the caller ID, Lynn sighed helplessly.

"Hey, Hiratsuka-sensei, it's so late..."

"Enough talk! Lynn! Come out for a drink! To celebrate the successful eve of the festival! I've sent you the address, if you're not here within half an hour, you're on your own!"

On the other end of the phone came her usual loud and energetic roar.

Lynn hung up the phone, her face full of helplessness.

Seeing the dangerous glint in Qiong's eyes again, he could only raise his hands in surrender.

"Work... a dinner I have to attend."

……

Half an hour later, inside the izakaya.

Hiratsuka Shizuka was already slightly tipsy, and on the table in front of her, sake bottles were overturned.

Seeing Lynn sit down, she merely raised her eyelids and said in a lazy tone tinged with dissatisfaction:

"Oh, our 'heartthrob' teacher, has finally decided to leave the gentle embrace of youth?"

Lynn chuckled, skillfully poured herself a cup of tea, and refilled her empty wine glass.

"Jing," he said, using the term he only used when they were alone, his voice gentle yet helpless, "stop fooling around."

"Making a scene? I didn't make a scene at all," Hiratsuka Shizuka snorted, her eyes darting around, refusing to look at him.

"I heard that someone was really basking in the limelight tonight, surrounded by the cutest girls in the whole school, the center of attention. Happy, right?"

There was no sharpness in her words, only a sour, jealous tone that she herself wanted to hide.

Seeing her hypocritical expression, Lynn didn't argue, but slowly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of amusement that only she could understand:

"Their dance is for everyone to see."

He paused, gazing into her eyes, which shone brightly with the alcohol, and said in a lower, more intimate voice:

"And my time is reserved for you."

All of Hiratsuka Shizuka's pretense was shattered at this moment by those words.

She stared at him blankly, her feigned nonchalance instantly crumbling, replaced by an undisguised shyness and secret delight.

She suddenly grabbed the wine glass and drank the sake in one gulp, as if she wanted to swallow all her worries.