In what felt like minutes, the noise gradually died down. The scattered murmurs blended into an indistinct hum. Until even that faded.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward from behind the curtains, microphone in hand.
The moment I lifted my gaze, every single pair of eyes was already on me.
A beat.
Then—
"Good day, Northerners!"
My voice carried across the entire campus… sounding far more feminine than I would've liked.
Ah crap.
Behind me, Anathasia was barely holding herself together, but I pressed on.
"Once again, we're here to celebrate the day our beloved institution was founded. Though, I'm sure that's not exactly why most of you showed up. But let's pretend we all love the university despite the stacked deadlines."
A wave of laughter rolled across the quad.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Professor Wang near the edge of the formation, watching quietly.
I couldn't quite tell whether he was smiling… or smirking.
"But today," I continued, "let's set aside the missed deadlines and unfinished activities."
A few students laughed knowingly.
"For now, let's focus on this occasion and enjoy ourselves."
I stepped back slightly, giving Anathasia the floor.
"You said it, Mr. Abe," she chimed in smoothly. "Today is the one event where we can pretend we're not being crushed by our academic responsibilities."
Her smile widened as she scanned the crowd.
"And to start our program with a bang—"
She stepped aside and gestured toward the entrance.
"Let's welcome the criminology department… also known as the crim-en-alls!"
A mixture of cheers and mock protests erupted from the quad.
Anathasia stepped back as the dancers rushed onto the stage, then returned to my side behind the curtain.
The music swelled, cheers booming across campus.
"That's just one… there's still nine more," I muttered, shaking my head.
"And the games," Anathasia added, adjusting my ribbon slightly. "Being an MC is much harder than it looks."
"Especially in front of thousands of students."
I let out a small laugh, feeling my heartbeat pounding.
"Looks like I was more nervous than I thought."
I glanced down briefly. "At least I'm not sweating. The foundation and makeup should survive."
—
Four hours later, we were finally halfway through the program.
Lunch break.
Anathasia and I stepped out from backstage, still fully dressed in our respective outfits.
"God… I underestimated this," she muttered as we descended the stage steps.
Most students had already dispersed. But—
"Excuse me…"
We turned.
A girl stood in front of us, probably a first year.
More students quickly gathered beside her.
"Hi! I'm Andria. From Secondary Education, English. First year," she said brightly. "You must be the seniors we've been hearing about, right?"
"I heard they were a couple," another chimed in. "And that the other senior was a guy."
They suddenly fell silent, their gazes shifting between me and Anathasia.
"The white-haired senior is definitely her," someone whispered. "But I heard her boyfriend was the one who really carried their class."
A pause.
"So… where is he?"
Anathasia and I exchanged a glance. I rubbed my temple lightly.
How exactly am I supposed to explain this…
"If you're looking for my boyfriend," Anathasia said calmly, gesturing toward me, "he's right here."
The group froze.
Their eyes snapped back to me as if they'd just witnessed something incomprehensible.
"Wait… Senior Abe?" Andria stared at me, then at Anathasia, who was casually untying her hair and letting it fall behind her shoulders.
Her gaze returned to me.
"This… extremely pretty girl is… Senior Dunaleff's boyfriend?"
I forced a polite smile and lightly poked my cheek.
"Mhm. That's me."
They blinked.
"Even his voice sounds like a girl's…" someone muttered, eyes wide as they glanced between us.
Then—
"Abe. Dunaleff. Lunch is being served, should I bring you some?" Arianne called from behind us.
The group immediately turned.
"Yeah!" Anathasia replied. "Thank you in advance!"
Their jaws visibly dropped.
"That was… Arianne from the Auclait family—a heiress and a model…"
"I knew she studied here, but…"
They looked back at us.
"Seniors… are you friends with Miss Auclait?"
Anathasia and I paused briefly before I answered.
"Well, yes. We're usually in the same group."
Silence.
The girls exchanged glances, then quickly nodded and excused themselves.
After they left, Arianne called out again from backstage.
"Professor Wang said to come over instead."
I sighed.
"We have to go up the stairs again…?"
Anathasia chuckled, letting me hold onto her arm as we carefully made our way back up.
The moment we slipped through the curtains, familiar voices greeted us.
"By the way… where's Abe?" Robert said, holding a plate in one hand. "Dunaleff was the MC earlier, but I didn't see her boyfriend anywhere."
Arianne walked up to us, smiling as she handed over our lunches.
"What are you talking about?" she replied casually. Then she gestured toward me. "He's right there."
Just as I was about to take a bite, the entire backstage area fell silent.
Our classmates. A few student council members. Robert.
All stared at me.
Anathasia, meanwhile, continued eating without a care.
My expression flattened.
"What?"
"Abe… is that really you?" Robert asked cautiously.
"Well, who else?"
He stiffened, exchanging a look with the others before letting out a soft, disbelieving laugh.
"You're joking… I knew you looked a bit like a girl, but you can't just sound like one too—"
I cleared my throat.
"How about now?"
My usual voice replaced the softer register instantly.
Robert and the others' jaws dropped. Almost instantly, they looked away.
Robert covered his mouth with the back of his hand, muttering under his breath.
"You can't just…"
"Dunaleff! Control your boyfriend! I refuse to have an identity crisis before lunch!"
Anathasia looked up from her plate, raised an eyebrow as she swallowed, then smiled.
"I can't help it if my boyfriend looks this gorgeous," she said calmly, running a hand through my half-up styled hair.
She glanced back at him.
"Jealous?"
"Oi. Stop that," I cut in flatly.
She shrugged and resumed eating.
I looked back at Robert and the others.
"It was Professor Wang's idea," I said, poking at my food before taking a bite. "I'm guessing it was meant as an icebreaker. I just don't think they expected me to look like…"
I gestured vaguely at myself.
"…this."
Robert shook his head in disbelief.
"I genuinely thought you were someone from the student council."
He hesitated.
"Your voice. The subtle mannerisms. The humor was still there, but I thought that was just coincidence."
I glanced to the side, expression flattening.
"Yeah. I've heard that before."
"Don't those heels hurt though?" Robert asked.
I shook my head slightly, strands of hair swaying with the motion.
"I've dealt with something similar before. So not really."
Robert set his plate down, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Right… were you in some fake gay pageant back then?"
"No. I was dragged into an actual one," I replied evenly. "My aunt arranged it. She said I looked… well, girly enough. So I got in without much trouble."
I took another bite.
"And in the end, I somehow won."
Silence settled over backstage once again.
Standing up, I placed my plate back on the table, pulled a sheet from the napkin roll, and wiped my lips.
"The program continues in a few minutes," I said calmly. "We should head back."
—
Over the next few hours, Anathasia and I rotated through the remaining performances.
Before I knew it, the sun was already dipping toward the horizon, and the student body gradually began to disperse.
After everything wrapped up, I slumped onto the couch in the changing room, untying my hair before staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Alright," I muttered to myself. "Time to take this off."
I reached for the small zipper at the back of the fitted gown and failed.
"I can't reach it…"
I paused, then sighed and closed my eyes.
[Anathasia, you there?]
[I just finished changing. Why?]
A beat.
[I'm stuck. I can't reach the zipper on this gown.]
Silence.
Then, faintly—
Stifled laughter.
[Okay, don't worry. I'll be there in—]
"Now."
She materialized behind me and casually pulled the zipper down my back.
"Thanks." I exhaled in relief, slipping out of the fitted gown as my usual clothes materialized over the sleeveless shirt and shorts I'd worn underneath.
"And thanks again." I glanced at her over my shoulder.
She gave me a thumbs-up and smiled.
"Always welcome."
With a snap of her fingers, the gown neatly folded itself, and everything else returned to its original place.
"But that said…"
Her gaze dropped.
A snicker escaped her, then escalated into full-on cartoon villain laughter.
"No more activities. No more assignments. No more projects."
"And I can sleep soundly now as well," I added, picking up the folded gown and patting her head as I walked past.
We stepped out of the changing room, the campus gradually darkening around us. Across the quad, the principal's office lights flicked on, along with a few scattered classrooms, as we made our way down the hallway.
"You know," she began, "you look diligent at first glance, but you actually just wanted to be lazy earlier, didn't you?"
I shot her a look, raising an eyebrow.
"That's called being pragmatic," I replied dryly. "It's better to finish what you can while you have the time and celebrate later than celebrate now and suffer later."
A pause.
"Don't you think?"
She folded her arms, raised a finger as if to argue, then slowly slumped.
Anathasia clicked her tongue and looked away.
"I hate how reasonable that is…"
"For someone who likes to procrastinate, yeah. I imagine you would."
She whipped her head toward me, eyes widening in pure offense.
I simply shook my head, a small smile tugging at my lips.
After returning our borrowed attire to Professor Wang, we headed home, nearly bumping into the rest of the class on the way out. Fortunately, Anathasia teleported us back before anyone could drag us into another random celebration.
"Phew… second semester secured…" I muttered, letting myself fall onto the couch.
"I can binge-read my series now as well~" Anathasia chimed, dropping onto the other end before resting her head comfortably on my lap, phone already in hand.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Or at least, I thought it was.
"Dad. Hinami's here. With that girl named Mei."
Both of us stiffened slightly, our gazes shifting toward the hallway leading to the front door.
Footsteps echoed softly as Carthanalenia led them inside.
"She says she wants to apologize," Carthanalenia added casually as she stepped into the living room.
Hinami followed.
And behind her—
A girl with thigh-length dark hair and sharp blue eyes.
Eyes that looked as though they had witnessed far more than someone her age should.
She stepped forward and bowed her head slightly.
"It is a pleasure to be in your presence," she said softly.
There was restraint in her voice.
And caution.
"I am Mei Li."
A brief pause.
"The sole heir to House Li."
Another breath.
"And successor to Li Group."