Hold Down

Arriving at the school parking lot, Ye Shuang drove to his usual spot only to find his familiar car gone. In its place were two motorcycles, one pink and one green, adorned with flamboyant anime characters—they were completely decked out as itasha.

"Wow—" Tang Keke stared at the two motorcycles the moment she got out of the car, her gaze practically melting with longing.

"Who customized these Hatsune Miku itasha? They're way too cool!" Tang Keke was practically drooling.

"What's an 'itasha'?"

"Itasha are itasha. Look, isn't that Hatsune Miku adorable? The pink one is also Miku," Tang Keke explained to Ye Shuang.

Ye Shuang: "..."

He didn't really get it. Did it mean this kind of exaggerated anime-themed paint job?

It was most likely the work of those two fish, because the two bikes were parked with a gap between them. That empty middle spot seemed left just for him.

"Alright, Keke, stop touching other people's bikes."

"Oh, okay."

Tang Keke acted like a total fanatic around these things, the kind whose eyes could literally turn into heart shapes.

After parting ways with Bai Youyou and the others, Ye Shuang headed towards his school infirmary. According to Old Master An Shi, that place was practically reserved for him permanently—although Ye Shuang didn't need it, one had to admit that with Yinshan Academy's vast campus, a little extra space wasn't an issue.

"Rehearsing for the New Year's Eve gala is exhausting. What's with the class president choosing 'Macho Snow White's Bloody Battle Against Seven Goblins'? Is that kind of show really going to be popular?"

"Who knows? It got the most votes, after all."

Two girls walking by were complaining. When they spotted Ye Shuang, it was like they'd found something and immediately called out, "Good morning, Teacher Ye."

"Morning. You're third-years, right?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Yes, yes! Teacher Ye, you remember us?" The two girls had coincidentally visited the infirmary once before, and Ye Shuang had remembered them.

"My memory's pretty good. What were you just saying about a New Year's Eve gala?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Our Yinshan Academy basically has events every month. There's also a gala for New Year's to celebrate, mostly with performances prepared by classes and clubs."

"Is that so?" Ye Shuang thought about it.

Would Youyou and the Light Music Club need to prepare a performance too? Zhixia didn't seem to have mentioned this. Was she worried about disturbing his work?

He could look into it. After all, Youyou practiced guitar and piano diligently every day, on top of her studies.

Come to think of it, Youyou had been spending more time alone in her room lately.

Probably practicing her manga.

After bidding farewell to the two girls, Ye Shuang continued towards his school infirmary.

"Hmm?" The infirmary door was slightly ajar.

Is it one of those fish? This early?

As he spoke, Ye Shuang slowly pushed the door open. The next second, he was greeted by a large net that completely filled his vision.

"Secret Technique: Encirclement Sealing Jutsu!" A voice came from somewhere.

Two dark shadows flashed by, circling around Ye Shuang. In the end, he was bundled up tightly in the large net like a zongzi, lost his balance, and fell to the ground.

"Wh-what the heck?"

Even after being taken down, Ye Shuang was utterly bewildered. Realizing he couldn't move his hands or feet, he exclaimed in surprise,

"What are you doing—"

Two short-haired girls placed their feet on Ye Shuang, who now resembled a caterpillar. Perhaps because the temperature had risen a bit, the patterned tights under their pleated skirts were completely visible to Ye Shuang, down to the details.

"You two..."

"He's tied up. Next step, strip him?" Chao Yiyu, finally seeing Ye Shuang caught in their net, turned to ask An Shi Yu beside her.

"..." An Shi Yu didn't speak, just seemed to be hesitating.

"Pathetic. Fine, I'll go first then, even though I haven't tried it before," Super Memory Fish said eagerly, even hiking up her skirt a little.

"No." An Shi Yu pulled her back.

"Huh? Why not? Then you go first?"

The two fish chattered, then both sat sideways on Ye Shuang's body as if using him as a chair.

Ye Shuang: "..."

Wait, what are you trying to do? Who goes first?

"Where did you get this net, and what are you planning?" Ye Shuang asked. He had no idea what the two fish were up to so early in the morning.

"Kidneys are quite valuable lately. We're planning to harvest yours and sell them," Super Memory Fish said, shaking her head and even putting more weight on her seat, her eyes filled with glee.

Ye Shuang was speechless. If you were going to harvest my kidneys, moving me to an operating room would at least show some professionalism. Who ties someone up like a zongzi first before harvesting organs?

"Can you untie this net first?" Ye Shuang had to ask, because he was bundled so tightly there was no chance of struggling.

He had a feeling he was about to be tormented by An Shi Yu.

"Nope, can't do."

"..."

"Uncle, don't you think being tied up is exciting?" Super Memory Fish suddenly bent down, using her hair to tickle Ye Shuang's face as if her playful side had taken over. Seeing Ye Shuang itchy but unable to move, she laughed with mischievous delight.

"I only find tying people up exciting. Never found being tied up exciting," Ye Shuang said, turning his face away slightly and even rolling his eyes.

"Oh, so Uncle has an S side too?" Super Memory Fish laughed. "I can play along with that."

Meanwhile, An Shi Yu was examining Ye Shuang's body as if inspecting a piece of fish on a chopping board.

The two fish kept poking and prodding him until he couldn't take it anymore and yelled,

"Don't underestimate a grown man!"

Like a real fish, Ye Shuang gave a powerful jerk, throwing both fish off. Then he started rolling on the spot, even rolling all the way out of the infirmary in an attempt to break free from the net.

"Hmph, trying to catch me? This is what you call a top-tier Zhuang Zhou."

But the next second, he froze. Outside the infirmary door, he saw several passing students staring at him in utter confusion.

The air fell deathly silent.

"School Doctor Ye, what are you doing?"

"Teacher Ye, you... couldn't resist turning into a stubborn fish?" another student even started singing.

Just then, An Shi Yu also walked out, putting on a pitiful expression.

"Teacher Ye always imagines he's a fish. So sad."

"And whose fault do you think that is?!" Ye Shuang finally managed to struggle free from the net, stood up, and brushed the dust off his clothes. He first glanced at the surrounding students, then cleared his throat.

"Everyone, feel free to drop by the infirmary if you're sick."

The students:

"..."

That sounded weird. Why did it feel so wrong?

With a dark expression, Ye Shuang returned to the infirmary.

The two fish sat on the edge of the bed, looking perfectly well-behaved and obedient.

"The top-tier Zhuang Zhou has returned."

The next second, Ye Shuang grabbed one in each hand and tossed them out of the infirmary.