I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

Maple suddenly interrupted Tianyin with a serious expression.

"Maple Flower, what's wrong with you? Are you angry? Then don't take the picture, really, I was just joking with you..."

"I want to ask you something, Tianyin, and I hope you can answer me truthfully."

Feng Hua's overly serious expression made Tian Yin put away her playful smile.

This feeling...

"Maple Flower, are you serious?"

"Of course, I already have an answer to this question in my mind, but I still hope to get your answer from you."

Maple answered Tianyin's probing question with utmost seriousness, her eyes fixed intently on Tianyin's throughout, as if trying to ascertain the exact tone Tianyin would take in her response.

"It really came after all... Looks like I can't escape it today. Honestly... Is the price of being tainted by desire to have to walk on the edge of a battlefield every time?"

Tianyin first chuckled self-deprecatingly, then crossed her legs and gestured with her chin that the maple blossoms could begin.

Seeing Tianyin's frivolous behavior, Fenghua couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. The matter she wanted to ask was not some trivial matter of jealousy.

"Miyako Amane! I really have to ask you something very, very important, and I hope you can take this question seriously."

Despite Feng Hua's repeated emphasis on the importance of this issue, Tian Yin remained unmoved.

How important is it?

"If you lie or give an answer that doesn't please me, you might lose me."

The maple flower almost explicitly indicates the taboos to be aware of when answering this question.

But Tianyin seemed to ignore her completely, maintaining her frivolous demeanor, which saddened Fenghua, and her face fell.

Even though it was such an important occasion in her eyes, Tianyin wasn't even willing to show a serious attitude. So, was there really any point in asking this question?

"Sigh, you may not believe it, but I'm really serious about this. If you like the mask I wear at Arisu's place, I can transform into that too."

After Tianyin finished speaking, her expressive face instantly lost all color, and her eyes, which had seemed to be filled with desire yet were still bright and lively, turned into cold, mechanical eyes that were empty yet full of pressure in the blink of an eye.

"Do you mean my current serious attitude when you say that?"

Tianyin pointed to her face expressionlessly, then looked at Fenghua, who seemed frightened and kept a distance from her.

"In my memory, you are like this... No, that's the you from before! And the you now... No, that's not right, it's all a disguise! I understand, you've been lying to Arisu all along, haven't you? What about gradually losing yourself while pretending? Actually, you've been lying to her all along, haven't you?"

As if she had finally understood something, Feng Hua suddenly stood up, pointed at Tian Yin, and shouted loudly.

Arisu once discussed with Kaede in private why Amane's personality had changed so much. Arisu swore that Amane hadn't changed; it was just that during her time in the White House and through family training, she often had to play various roles to learn common sense about society, which turned her into the complex being she is now—a powerful yet terrifying and irresistible combination of violence, cunning, arrogance, manipulation, and obsession with desire.

When Kaede heard Arisu say that Amane had many problems, she was terrified. In Kaede's eyes, Amane was a simple, stubborn, cute, and powerful genius girl, which was completely different from the Amane described by Arisu. For a moment, Kaede could hardly tell whose perception was correct.

However, Arisu comforted Kaede, saying that these were all appearances. In reality, Amane had been tormented to the point of losing all her emotions. She could only use the fragments of emotions and common sense she learned from others to make herself look like a normal person and integrate into society. Amane's true appearance was the cold, expressionless, and serious look she had when she was angry.

Trusting Arisu, Kaede believed Arisu's explanation.

But now it seems that Arisu was completely wrong.

It's likely that Amane was deeply affected long ago after Arisu opened Pandora's box called desire in an attempt to restore Amane's emotions.

However, she has been disguising herself so well that even Arisu, Amane's bedmate, couldn't see through her disguise that Amane was just pretending to be expressionless.

That means...

Is the face that Tianyin usually shows her the real her?

"If it's true, that would be terrible."

Arisu's use of strong medicine to directly awaken Amane's emotions in her severe illness did have an effect, but the medicine was a bit too strong.

"So, which question do you want to ask me?"

When Tianyin's cold voice came, Fenghua shook her head without hesitation.

"It's still the same you as before."

Maple sighed softly, then began to speak rapidly in a slightly excited tone.

"Since you're already dead, let's leave that to the past. Come on, let me see if the real Tianyin is still the little Tianyin I used to love the most."

"As you wish."

Tianyin grinned and then dropped all her pretense.

Those purple eyes, which seemed to burn like flames of desire, also gleamed with wisdom, as if they could see into a person's heart. Maple only met those eyes for a moment before hurriedly looking away, as if those eyes could see right through her.

Her already upturned lips turned into an exaggerated smile, looking both happy and excited as if she had discovered delicious prey. Coupled with her gleaming white teeth, it was enough to make anyone who looked at her feel intimidated.

The only thing that remains unchanged is that cute face that perfectly matches the characteristics of a beautiful girl, but it looks even more eerie when contrasted with Amane's exaggerated smile.

Chapter 268: You can't just say things like that.

Glug glug.

Faced with the real Heavenly Voice, Maple had the urge to run away. She wanted to apologize to herself for being so excited just a second ago.

The sight of Tianyin in this state was terrifying to her. Just looking into Tianyin's eyes felt like she was naked and exposed to Tianyin's gaze, while Tianyin watched her fearful expression and pondered how to toy with her...

Maple Flower almost thought she was going crazy.

She knew these feelings were just her imagination, but the real Tianyin gave her this very uncomfortable feeling, as if she only had two choices: either get close to Tianyin and be devoured by Tianyin's desires, or run away as far away from the increasingly abnormal Tianyin as possible.

But the current situation is... she has no way to escape.

Realizing that she could not escape from the clutches of Tenon, Maple had no choice but to ask the question that had been hidden deep in her heart.

"If...if you could only choose between me and Sakayanagi Arisu, who would you choose?"

After asking her question, Fenghua wanted to look at Tianyin, but when she thought of Tianyin's eerie smile, she had to turn her head away. However, she wanted to listen carefully to Tianyin's next answer, even though she already knew what Tianyin's answer would be.

But as Maple herself said, she hoped to hear Tenon answer her question in person.

Consider it... to settle a knot in her heart.

"Just like I thought, it's as boring as asking me who I would save first if you and Arisu both fell into the sea. But the answer to this question should be quite important to you, Kaede, so I'll give you an answer anyway. If it really comes down to a choice between the two, I will definitely choose to have both."

As soon as Tianyin finished speaking, she tilted her head back, and then Fenghua's slap swept past her.

"Miyako Amane! I'm not joking with you!"

Maple's anger helped her overcome her fear of Tianyin. Her already uneasy heart was completely enraged by Tianyin's seemingly casual reply.

Just as Fenghua was about to say something more, Tianyin grabbed Fenghua's wrist.

“I told you a long time ago that you’re too impatient, and it’s been so many years and you’re still the same. Since you think my answer is perfunctory, don’t ask me questions like this anymore. Do you think I would abandon you or give up Ayumi for you?”

"..."

Tenon's words were incredibly cruel to her, yet also incredibly realistic. Although Tenon now seemed completely unfamiliar to Kaede, Kaede was certain that Tenon would never abandon her. This was because Tenon's possessiveness was far more terrifying than Arisu's. For someone like her, whose relationship with Tenon had deteriorated to this point, there was only one way to escape Tenon: death.

No, perhaps even death cannot escape Tenon's grasp. Even in death, her tombstone will likely bear the inscription: "Respectfully erected by the beloved Miyako Tenon."

Therefore, from the very beginning, Maple never considered the possibility that Amane would abandon her. Similarly, Maple didn't think that she was charming enough to make Amane abandon Arisu for her.

To put it bluntly, the reason she was liked by Amane is probably because they lived together for a long time, and she also overtook Amane to become Amane's first truly deserving lover, so she had an emotional advantage. In other aspects, whether it's hardware or software, that is, figure and personality, she is completely outclassed by Amane's group of girlfriends. The only advantage she has is that she is better at fighting. Even if Amane, who comes from the White House, and Nanase, who has been trained by the White House, were to fight together, they probably wouldn't be a match for Kaede.

But what's the point?

Tianyin herself is the most capable fighter, so she doesn't need Fenghua's protection at all.

The idea of ​​Tianyin abandoning Youxi for someone like her is unrealistic; even in a dream, Fenghua wouldn't dare to do it.

So even though Feng Hua was very dissatisfied with Tian Yin's answer, she had to admit that Tian Yin was telling the truth.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

"There's one more thing I'd like to ask..."

Just as Feng Hua was about to speak, she saw Tian Yin pat her leg.

Maple was annoyed that Tenon was being so frivolous while discussing such an important matter, but in the end she obediently sat down in the place Tenon had designated.

"Maple Flower, you're not asking me what you'll do if you graduate first, are you?"

"What? You even know that? Then why did you call me here?"

After realizing that Tianyin had guessed what she was thinking, Fenghua blushed and tried to get up and leave, but Tianyin clearly wasn't going to give her that chance.

“You can consider going directly to university for a year or taking a year off until I graduate. But from my personal point of view, I would prefer that you go to university first, Maple.”

Hearing that Tianyin was actually seriously discussing this matter, Fenghua, who had been squirming in Tianyin's arms, stopped struggling and began to seriously consider Tianyin's suggestion. However, Fenghua quickly shook her head. It wasn't that Fenghua hadn't thought about Tianyin's suggestion, but this suggestion had a fatal flaw.

That means she will graduate from university a year earlier than Tianyin, and then the situation will be the same as it is now.

"If all else fails, I think I should just take a year off from school, so I don't graduate a year earlier than you. When I first came here, I didn't think there was anything wrong with being a year ahead of you, but after I became a third-year student, I realized that I could no longer be a part of your social circle at all."

What Fuka resented most was that all the special exams across grades at school were competitions between first and second graders. Even when third graders had a chance to participate, there was almost no extra time to spend together. Amane was usually busy with Arisu and Horikita, so she didn't even remember that there was such an old acquaintance as her in the third grade.

When Amane first came to the school, Kaede, a second-year student, found it quite interesting and thought she could help Amane with her experience. However, it wasn't long before Amane figured out all the rules of the school. As a student who entered the school a year early, Kaede's biggest advantage vanished. By the time she reached her third year, things were even more absurd.

The third-year students couldn't get involved in the special exams for the first and second-year students at all. The direct consequence of not including the third-year students was that no matter how intensely the second-year students fought, Kaede, as a third-year student, could only sit in the classroom and prepare for their graduation exams.

This meant that during the two years that Fenghua could spend with Tianyin, she had almost no free time to be alone with Tianyin except during holidays. This was undoubtedly the most frustrating and stifling thing for Fenghua. Just when she was about to graduate and everything could be rearranged, Tianyin actually wanted her to enroll first.

This caused great dissatisfaction among the maple trees.

"That's true... that's a real shame."

Tianyin clicked her tongue in a hint of regret, a reaction that piqued Fenghua's curiosity. Why was it a pity that she enrolled a year later?

"What's there to regret? Wouldn't it be more convenient for everyone to enroll together?"

"But if we enroll together, I won't be able to call you Maple Flower Senior anymore~"

The word "senpai" (senpai) made Fenghua's entire body tense up instantly.

"Don't use such an easily misunderstood term!"

"Huh? What's wrong with calling someone 'senior'? Isn't it a very common way to address someone? You agree, right? Maple Flower Seni~"

"..."

Seeing that Tianyin was indulging in her perverse humor, Fenghua simply ignored her. She knew that the more she paid attention to Tianyin at this time, the more she would be taken advantage of. So the best way was to play dead when Tianyin deliberately teased her...

"Waaaaaah..."

They would then be eaten by Tianyin.

……

Time flew by and the day of the sports festival began.

The physical training, which was carried out hastily for nearly half a month, unexpectedly had some effect.

At the very least, after the collective physical training, the whole class looks reliable.

It's hard to say what the actual match will be like.

As the music signaling the participating classes to enter began, students from twelve classes across three grades entered the venue for the opening ceremony of the sports festival.

On the stage, holding the microphone and waiting to deliver the opening speech as the student council president, Arisu looked up at the bright sunshine. The weather was nice today; although it was autumn, the temperature was very comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold, perfect for a large outdoor event like the sports festival.

But why did Arisu feel a little flustered, yet she couldn't remember what important thing she had overlooked? She could only stand on the stage and keep trying to calm herself down, otherwise she would embarrass herself during the student council president's speech later.

Golden sunlight bathed every corner of the playground. As each class entered the playground and took their positions in the pre-arranged spots, almost everyone was basked in the warm glow.

As the music slowly stopped, Arisu knew it was time for her to take the stage and showcase her talent.

Arisu straightened her school uniform, grasped the cane beside her, and slowly stepped forward to stand in the center of the stage.

The scene fell silent. After surveying the disciplined groups of students below the stage with satisfaction, Arisu began her opening remarks in her melodious voice.

The foreign guests watching the sports festival from a distance all showed disdain when they saw that the person in charge was a girl, and a girl with a physical defect at that, who was actually the new student council president of this school that advocated merit above all else. However, since the founder of the school, Onishima, was also present, no one dared to nitpick or undermine Onishima's nature at this time.

However, they soon discovered that Sakayanagi Arisu, as the student council president, not only did not feel intimidated by such a grand occasion, but also encouraged everyone to do their best in this sports festival with a calm and composed voice.

Unlike other schools where student council presidents simply go through the motions, Arisu personally introduced the individual and group competitions to everyone and announced a special performance challenge after the team competition.

In short, Arisu was familiar with all the events in this sports festival, and after some explanation, even the foreign guests knew the general process.

The speeches quickly came to an end, and the student contingents began to gradually leave the field to make room for the competition events.

"That must be Sakayanagi Narimori's daughter, right? It's truly remarkable that she has such talent at such a young age. It's just a pity... Didn't Narimori take his daughter to the hospital for a check-up? It would be such a shame if such a beautiful girl were to be left with a disability."

"Your Excellency, as far as I know, Sakayanagi and his team have been searching for a way to treat congenital heart disease for a long time, and they seem to have made some progress. However, with the current level of medical technology, there is no way to cure the aftereffects."

When Onishima asked about this, the woman next to him quickly explained to him.

Upon hearing that Arisu had almost lost most of his mobility due to the aftereffects of a congenital heart disease, Onishima sighed with emotion.