Doll Costume

Returning to Yinshan Academy, Ye Shuang and An Shiyu had just stepped out of the garage when they noticed a large crowd gathered not far away.

"Is there a new stall set up there? Why are there so many people?" Ye Shuang wondered. It didn’t seem like they were selling anything either—could it be some kind of game booth, like ring toss?

"Oh, the school festival is almost over, so there’s a cosplay event these last few days. It’s kind of an old tradition here," An Shiyu said, completely unfazed.

"See? The person in the middle is wearing something different. Most of the people around them are students or photographers."

"Cosplay…" Ye Shuang squinted into the distance, barely making out a figure with ash-white, parted hair through the crowd.

Ye Shuang: "……"

"Why don’t you join in?" Ye Shuang asked An Shiyu. "Wouldn’t this be a good chance to wear a ninja outfit?"

An Shiyu gave him a deadpan look. "Too much trouble. A ninja is supposed to lurk in the shadows."

"Since when did you add that to your character setting?"

As Ye Shuang spoke, he glanced back at the crowd. He’d heard about this event before and had even considered getting Bai Yuyou a cosplay outfit.

"Hmm… huh?" Ye Shuang pulled out his phone and opened his purchase history—pages and pages of items he’d bought for Bai Yuyou. Scrolling back to a recent entry, he spotted a Bocchi the Rock cosplay outfit.

"No wonder I remembered buying it. She probably just hasn’t opened it yet." He put his phone away, only to find An Shiyu already walking off in the direction of the infirmary. He quickly caught up.

When they reached the infirmary door, Ye Shuang noticed An Shiyu crouching down, as if she’d found something.

"What is it?" The moment he spoke, An Shiyu shushed him quietly, her eyes sharp beneath her bangs. "Stay quiet."

Ye Shuang paused, then silently observed her actions.

One minute… two minutes…

After several minutes passed, An Shiyu finally stood up, frowning slightly as if troubled.

"What’s wrong? Is there an assassin in the infirmary?" Ye Shuang whispered.

An Shiyu glanced at him. "No. My leg cramped."

Ye Shuang: "……"

Then why did you make it so tense?!

Annoyed, Ye Shuang pushed the door open—only to find a stack of envelopes on the floor, seemingly slipped in from outside. He bent down to pick them up and realized every single one was addressed to him.

Most of the envelopes were pale pink or light blue, each sealed with a heart-shaped sticker.

"Are these… love letters?" Ye Shuang examined them. An Shiyu peered over his shoulder. "Love letters. You’re popular."

"Probably charmed by your piano performance. Your exterior is at least passable."

Ye Shuang’s eye twitched. "That didn’t sound like a compliment."

"No, no, I’m praising you," An Shiyu said. "Sometimes, not questioning the truth saves you from pain."

"I’ll take it as a compliment, then." Ye Shuang sighed and placed all the envelopes on the table.

He then opened and read each one before carefully returning them to their envelopes. After finishing, he locked them all inside a document folder.

"Why go through all that?"

"To avoid unnecessary trouble if the wrong person sees them," Ye Shuang explained. "Also… if rumors spread, it could hurt those girls’ reputations."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Just then, Ye Shuang accidentally brushed against a loose sheet of paper. With a rustle, it drifted to the floor.

"Huh?"

He bent down to pick it up, instinctively bracing a hand on the chair where An Shiyu usually played games.

The next second, he froze.

"What, did you pull a muscle?" An Shiyu asked, watching him stay in that position.

"No…" Ye Shuang straightened up and turned to the chair, reaching out to touch it again. His eyes narrowed.

"Why is the chair warm? Who was just sitting here?"

"……" An Shiyu’s gaze flicked over. "Probably from the sun?"

"At this time, the sunlight doesn’t reach this chair." Ye Shuang walked to the window and looked outside but found nothing unusual.

He glanced at the corner. "Hmm… should we install a security camera in the infirmary?"

"That would make me uncomfortable," An Shiyu said flatly.

"Fair enough." Ye Shuang chuckled, knowing full well An Shiyu wouldn’t tolerate being watched while napping. He touched the chair again—now cool—and decided not to dwell on it.

After tidying up, Ye Shuang headed to the lemon tea stall, where Bai Yuyou and the others were.

……

Lemon Tea Stall.

"Looking great! Just like that!"

Tang Keke’s cheerful voice rang out as she stood beside a large Pikachu mascot costume. Unlike the one An Shiyu had worn before, this one was rounder and goofier.

"Is it heavy?"

"Mm… manageable." A muffled voice came from inside the costume. "Keke, it’s hard to see…"

"You’ll get used to it." Tang Keke inspected Bai Yuyou’s outfit. "And you can’t talk normally—you have to say ‘Pika.’"

Bai Yuyou lifted a fluffy yellow paw. "Pika…"

"That’s it! Now, try walking."

Bai Yuyou wobbled forward but tripped over her own feet, landing face-first on the ground with a soft plop.

"Y-Yuyou! Are you okay?!" Tang Keke tried to help her up, but the round costume made it hard to find a grip.

"Pika…"

"You don’t have to say ‘Pika’ right now!"

Just then, a familiar voice called out, "What are you guys doing?"

"Brother! We’re dressing Yuyou in a mascot suit!"

"Mr. Ye!"

Ye Shuang stared at the Pikachu clutching its paws, then at its caved-in nose. "Yuyou…"

"Pi…"

"Your nose is completely flattened." Ye Shuang sighed. The dented nose gave the Pikachu a bizarrely comical look.

Bai Yuyou tried to hug him but wobbled again—this time, she toppled forward and crushed him under her plush weight!

"B-Brother?!"

"Mr. Ye!"