Each student has a picture and had to write about it

A short story about the struggle between an author and the printed page.

Although Zhao Yu was excited, he hesitated as he was about to open the box. He suddenly remembered the nightmare that had unfolded when he opened the metal box buried beneath the grave. Every time he thought about it, he was scared stiff. It took him a long time to get over what had happened. Would that happen again? The time he had found the head in the box, it was a Kun hexagram. This time it was also the Kun hexagram.
Unlike Zhao Yu, Cui Lizhu didn't hesitate. Even though she had also seen the head in the box before, she immediately reached out to open this box. Zhao Yu wanted to stop her, but she acted quickly. She had already opened it. Now they were able to see what was inside.
"No way!" Zhao Yu couldn't help but exclaim. "What are these?" There was nothing scary or dazzling in the box, just some old books and other normal things.
Cui Lizhu seemed to be familiar with the contents. She reached out and grabbed a broken doll while muttering, "This... It's my old toy doll. I remember this. This..." She picked up a pencil-box and said, "This is what I used in school. I hated throwing away my old things. My dad could fix anything up like new, he... He kept these for me!" As she spoke, she took out a photo album and opened it.
Zhao Yu looked at the stone pillar and hammer lying beside him as he thought about Cui Lizhu's reaction earlier. He finally realized something. "You were playing with me. You already know what was in this box, didn't you?" Cui Lizhu didn't deny it. Zhao Yu smacked his hand against his head and scolded her. "You were using me as your free labor!"
Cui Lizhu grinned at Zhao Yu then returned her focus to the photos in the album. Zhao Yu looked at the album and saw that the photos were very old, some of them were black and white. They were taken a long time ago.
"I guess..." Cui Lizhu pointed to a group photo as she said, "these might be my father's friends. Look, this one... Isn't this Li Fei?"
This aroused Zhao Yu's interest. He sat down with Cui Lizhu and looked at it attentively. The person that Cui Lizhu had pointed to was, in fact, Li Fei; the murderer of Headless Female Corpses Case. Li Fei and Tao Xiang looked very young in the photo. There were a younger man and a younger woman beside them. Zhao Yu quickly recognized them as being Cui Lizhu's biological parents, Cui Fangyu and Du Manting.
"They are thieves. Why would they take pictures of themselves?" Cui Lizhu stroked the photo. "Are they not afraid of others remembering their faces?" she asked, her voice full of emotion.
"Look at the background. It's in a studio!" Zhao Yu pointed to the photo, analyzing it. "Look at their smiles. They are so happy! I think they secretly took the photo without their teacher knowing about it."
Cui Lizhu nodded and turned a page. It was Du Manting's image. "My mother was truly a beauty," she exclaimed. "No wonder my father missed her so much. He couldn't forget her until the day he died!"
"But you don't look like your mother at all! Just a little bit like your father..." Zhao Yu said.
"Are you calling me ugly?" Cui Lizhu pouted and turned the page. Finally, the picture of a little girl appeared in the album. That little girl was no doubt Cui Lizhu in her childhood. "These photos... I've only seen a few of them!" Cui Lizhu recalled. "I didn't know my dad kept all of them…" The old photos reminded Cui Lizhu of earlier times. She started crying again.
Zhao Yu wanted to comfort her, but suddenly he felt like something was wrong. He frowned as he asked her, "Lizhu, your father... What on earth did he tell you back then?"
"Huh?" Cui Lizhu asked, snapping back to reality. "What do you mean? Why do you ask?"
Zhao Yu pointed to the box and said, "Tao Xiang went through so much effort to bury the box in this hidden place. It doesn't make sense if it's only because of these photos."
Cui Lizhu bit her lip. "Detective, do you become stupid when you are not busy working on cases? Why do you think anything is suspicious?" she asked in a strange voice. "My dad buried things here just to keep a precious memory safe for me! Look at these." She put down the album and began to search for other things in the box. "Well, these things are from my childhood. Think about it. My father even told me about his guilt. Why would he hide anything from me?"
Zhao Yu stretched out as he looked through the books. "I feel like there is something here we still don't know! Lizhu, think about it again. Did your father really say nothing more about this box? Um... And... What kind of books are these?" Zhao Yu said, sounding doubtful. The books all looked normal to him. Some had notes, some had handwritten scripts inside of them, and some were old vertically printed books. He turned several pages, on which besides the traditional characters, there were many delicate images, like industrial instructions.
Cui Lizhu had a look and said, "These are probably the thieves' ancestor's secrets."
"They hand these down through every generation?" Zhao Yu asked. "Incredible."
Cui Lizhu looked through the books as she spoke. "I actually don't know much about the books. When I was young, my father mentioned them, but I wasn't very interested. You know, science and technology are progressing so fast that you have to keep pace with the times if you want to be a qualified thief. What's the point of learning these old skills? Ancient locks are different from modern ones."
"Yes, but..." Zhao Yu took out another notebook and said, "Look at this one. It's all useful stuff!"
Cui Lizhu took it over and saw that the notebook was densely filled with hand-written symbols including mathematics, physics, chemistry, and even biology. There were summaries as to how they could improve a thief's skills. Cui Lizhu was amazed. "These were my dad's notes. He was really hardworking!" she said.
"See, no matter what do you do, you have to make great efforts to reach the top!" Zhao Yu sighed and said, "I think your father kept these things to pass his legacy on to you."
"No kidding. I told my dad what I'm now doing when he was still conscious." Cui Lizhu shook her head and said, "He also wanted to thank you for helping me in person. But…"
"But what?" Zhao Yu asked Cui Lizhu hastily as he noticed Cui Lizhu's strange look.
"You made me think of something!" Cui Lizhu said in surprise. "Didn't you just ask me what my father had said about this box? I remember he did have something to tell me, but unfortunately, he didn't finish. He had kept his mouth open, as if he really wanted to tell me something, but he couldn't remember." Cui Lizhu looked at everything again. She wondered what could be so important about this box.


A little ruffian who fought recklessly without any morals and bottomline accidentally time-traveled to parallel space and became a Key Case Investigation Team agent. The huge change in identity had him creating chaos in the police station. However, a strange miracle system helped him repeatedly solve mysterious cases, turning him into an impudent ruffian detective!

Daniel glanced at Felix. His boyfriend appeared to be highly intrigued. It was good to finally have someone who shared his passion for mysteries.

"There is something you have missed," Lily said and brought him out of his thoughts.

"What is it?"

She tapped the cover of the yearbook with a pink manicured nail.

"This book was allowed to be printed with my brother's name and photo in it. I think he told me the books were printed at the end of the academic year."

Lily picked up her phone again and showed him a photo of a group of teenagers in school uniforms that looked a lot like the British International School uniform only with the logo bigger and on the other side of the blazer. She pointed to someone sitting in the front row with a forced smile. He had brown hair, tanned skin and was sporting what looked like a forced smile.

Now he knew what one of missing pages was and what Carter Emberry had looked like.

"That's Carter. He sent it to me at the time it was taken and said he would show me the yearbook when it was printed when the year finished. So that means the yearbook was allowed to be printed with proof of his existence, but the pages were later torn out. Do you understand the significance?"

The inconsistency had never occurred to him and judging from the look on Felix's face, he hadn't noticed either. If the school had feared people finding out Carter Emberry had been a student there, the yearbook would not have been allowed to be printed with his name and photo.

"The school had no concern at the time about there being clear evidence of your brother's existence only to deny it later," Felix summarised.

"Exactly. Then something must have happened to cause them to worry and tear those pages out. I wonder what it was," she mused and smiled suddenly. "It was me. I turned up eventually asking about him. I finally realised my parents weren't doing anything productive so I came here."

Everything she said made sense, however Daniel couldn't quite picture her as being a genuine threat. She seemed to guess what he was thinking.

"Just because I wear pink, it doesn't mean that I cannot be tough. After enquiring there and getting nowhere, I decided to snoop there instead. I was caught before I got too far. That is probably when the evidence got destroyed."

Daniel agreed that the trigger for the destruction of the yearbook had to be her appearance at the school and her tenacity for asking uncomfortable questions.

"Why didn't you enrol at the school?" Felix enquired. "It would have been a better route."

Lily picked the strawberry off the top of her cake and frowned.

"By the time I got here, I had done my A-levels- I stayed behind with my grandparents in England while my brother and parents came here. I was debating trying to apply there, citing wanting to redo some exams when my father told me it was too dangerous."

Hearing that added more evidence to Daniel's almost certain theory that Carter's parents knew exactly what had happened.

"Did he explain why?"

She shook her head.

"Despite my best efforts, he didn't. I ended up doing university entrance exams instead. I have not just spent four and a half years here shopping. I graduated last year."

"Do you live with them?" Felix asked.

"No," she answered shortly. I go to their house every Sunday for a roast dinner though. It feels awkward a lot of the time."

Daniel could imagine that. His family dinners were bad enough and he didn't have a dead brother that his second set of parents knew what happened to and were keeping quiet.

Felix picked up the photo of the writing they had found under the desk in the old Mystery Club room.

"Is this your brother's writing?" 

Lily nodded slowly.

"It is. I knew it was immediately. I just don't know what any of it means."

Daniel was glad she had confirmed that it was something her brother had written. It was a shame she didn't know what 'Room 23' and 'Shelling Ford' referred to. 

"Thank you for meeting with us," he said. "You've helped us a lot."

Lily smiled sadly at them.

"No, thank you for meeting with me. It's been nice to speak with both of you. Please let me know if you find anything else and I might start hassling my parents again for answers."

They parted outside the shopping centre. Daniel stopped outside Takeshita Street on the way back and gestured to his boyfriend.

"Go and get yourself something with a cat on. It's fine with me."

***

Daniel was writing up his case notes when he heard a knock at his bedroom door. He tucked the notebook under his pillow in case it was Vanessa or Colin. 

"You can come in," he said.

He relaxed when Felix opened the door and stepped in.

"I'm going to guess you're thinking about the mystery again," he said and came to sit next to him on the bed.

Daniel pulled out his case notes from his pillow and showed him.

"You know most male teenagers are hiding dirty mags under their pillow not mystery notes," Felix sighed.

The reborn teenager shrugged. He wasn't really a teenager in reality and he'd never been a typical teenager in his past life.

"All right, what's your next plan?" Felix asked. "But first, when are we going to go on another date?"

Daniel stopped writing. He hadn't been a good boyfriend recently. If he didn't show any interest in their relationship, Felix might want to dump him and he didn't want that.

"Tomorrow?" he asked. "We don't have sixth form. I don't know where to go though."

"I'll handle it," Felix said. "You can talk about the case as freely as you want now."

Daniel beamed and started reading through his notes.

"So what we know is that the Mystery Club starts investigating the mysteries of the school six years ago, it's a lot easier for them as the old building is still being used. Carter Emberry has something to prove and puts a lot of effort in. He disappears and his parents don't put any visible effort in to find him. He did leave behind two hints though. His sister comes poking around and evidence of his existence disappears."

"Our only avenue at the moment is those two hints," Felix observed. "Unless Lily turns up something."

"We need to look into the school's history thoroughly to work out what they could be hiding," Daniel continued. "There's something dodgy there. There was something for Carter to find six years ago."

"So we've got some avenues to follow," Felix continued. "I'm okay with just focusing on non mystery stuff right now. If I think about it too much, it hurts my mind."

***

Felix's idea of a date that was free from mystery solving stimulus was a trip to a theme park. For someone who had never been to one it was a visual overload. Daniel wasted a lot of time at the entrance looking around at all the bright colours and noisy rides.

"Let me guess. Earls don't take their children to theme parks?" Felix asked wryly after watching him for a few minutes.

"Of course not. They're dirty," Daniel replied automatically. 

He had never been interested in going to one, but the original Daniel had wanted to and begged his parents to let him go on the school trip to one. The Earl had not allowed that stating that no one born into nobility would be seen dead near one.

"We should try all the rides then," Felix said.

Daniel spent the time in the queue for the first ride looking around at all the food stands which amused Felix to no end.

"Is my boyfriend hungry already? It's only 10 in the morning and we had breakfast right before leaving."

Daniel ignored his teasing and looked up at the ride. The viking boat definitely went high. 

"...Are you all right with heights?" Felix asked in concern. "I didn't think of that…"

"I don't know," Daniel replied honestly. "I've never had a chance to find out. Are you going to be okay? You fell from quite a height last year…"

Felix waved his hand.

"I told you, I don't remember anything."

After a morning of rollercoasters and ghost trains, Daniel was quite ready for lunch. They sat inside one of the restaurants as the wind speed had picked up and Daniel didn't want to spend their date chasing after things.

As they were choosing from the menu, Daniel heard something from a nearby table that caught hit interest.

"I have heard that the Mystery Club are investigating the Seven Mysteries again," a male voice said. 

Daniel stilled and met eyes with Felix. Yes, there were probably mystery clubs at other schools and the Seven Mysteries was a phenomenon at most Japanese schools. But the line had been said in English with an English accent and there wasn't another British based international school in Tokyo.

"That's hardly a concern," another voice, this one female scoffed. "There is only one intelligent member and if he found out the truth behind them, he would keep his mouth shut."

"They have two new members who are just as good. They will run to the Police if they find out the truth. One has a family in business which would be hard to put pressure on as they have yet to be affiliated with my company. The other one is completely unknown."

They were definitely listening to two people who knew what was really going on at the international school. The intelligent member had to be Amien and the two new members were them. It all matched. Felix's hand gripped his under the table.

"Don't move," he mouthed.

"That's assuming they work it out. The means to solve the case are beyond them- they can't break into the clubhouse without leaving traces behind."

There was a rustling sound and Daniel resisted the urge to turn around and look. It was a shame he and Felix were sitting next to each other instead of on opposite sides of the table otherwise one of them could see the mysterious pair.

"Unfortunately they met up with Lily Emberry in Harajuku yesterday. Under normal circumstances there wouldn't be any connection between them," the male voice continued on. 

Daniel glanced at Felix. They had been seen meeting Lily by someone connected with the school. The mystery was much more complex and dangerous than he had thought.

"The person following her must be so bored by now. All she ever does is buy clothes," the female commented.

"The only possible connection between them is that her brother was once a member of the Mystery Club."

"Perhaps we need to issue a subtle warning to the club to stop their amateur mystery solving," the female voice drawled.

Daniel thinks he has it hard going through school again at a snobby all boys academy in the middle of nowhere.

Instead his first day ends with his roommate bleeding out into the snow right in front of him.

His boring second life just got interesting and dangerous.

I enter the operation room. The crew sit on the many chairs scattered throughout the room, operating the ship's system. Some turn to me as I approach, offering a slight bow of the head. I search for a particular man. 

Takechi stands behind a man in charge of steering the vessel, instructing him on something. The others listen and follow suit.

I break the silence. "Takechi." He turns around and comes to where I'm standing. "I need you to gather all possible information about that woman," I tell him.

     "I have been researching about her too, actually," he says, staring off to the door.

     "And then?"

He shook his head. "I will see if I can some get useful information," he says. "And I will bring it to you."

I glance around the room once more before exiting. I head to my room, thinking of what the girl had said. Perhaps I will decide what to deal with her depending on what Takechi manages to find.

Hiding things won't do her good for long.

~~~~~~~

Sometime after I return to my room, Takechi is outside waiting to enter. When he does Matako trails in behind him, looking uncertain.

     "Here is what I managed to gather." Takechi hands me a piece of paper on which contains a square photo of the girl and some data printed below. I put it aside for later.

Matako seats herself in front of me. "Shinsuke-sama, what do we do from now on?"

     "We have acquired everything we needed for the ship's operation and we have gathered enough men," Takechi says, standing. "I think we can start our next move."

     "We will head to Kyoto and plan an attack there." The government's main focus now is Edo. By attacking the most unguarded place, it will cause an uproar grand enough to send some of the prominent officials on their way there. 

Takechi says after considering, "I see. So we scatter their forces first."

     "After having their attention divided, we will destroy their center control in Edo."

After a pause, Matako adds, "But if we're to travel all the way there, wouldn't it be too risky? I'm sure the Karasu are still hunting for us."

     "Indeed," I agree. "Which is why we will meet up with Kamui in Nagoya. His men will work along us. In the meantime, this ship will have to find somewhere to hide before we get back."

     "You can leave that to me," says Takechi. "Oh and," he withdraws something from his pocket and hands it to me, "this was found in the old attires of the girl."

I take it before inspecting the item. It's a small thin book printed in a fainted color. I look to them, Matako frowning at the object. "That's all."

Soon after hearing the door silently shutting, I retrieve the file and begin to scan over the information. It gives out her name, identity and what she does up to the current date. There isn't a single word that hints any suspicious connection she has with any association, nor any particular activity that she used to partake in. 

"What if I say, I came here to see what sort of person the ship's commander is?" 

I hold the book up and stare at it. Sunlight streams from the window and onto a spot at the back cover that I haven't realized has something written on there.

Books to read, it says.

You are just another girl. Then fate starts to lead you to your newly made friends, and eventually, on your own accord, to a certain man - a rebel.

Discover what consequences you will have to pay when you fall in love with a nation's enemy.

________________

-The picture belongs to its rightful creator
-The characters belong to the original author, Sorachi-sensai

Half of the calm day passed by in the blink of an eye.
From morning to afternoon, everything pretty much went on as usual. The store was busy, and there were people walking in and out. 
Following the end of Dog Warrior's airing, the fever brought on by the movie started to wane, too. But Famous would never be forgotten by people. It would only fade until its next movie blew up the box office again.
Zhang Zian ran back and forth between the two shops, helping clients choose their pets at the pet store one minute and helping the clients at the aquarium with their man-made decorations the next minute. Even his lunch time was really late in the afternoon. 
Just because aquariums were slow moving goods, that didn't mean they would be a burden. Their profit margin was relatively high since they were usually sold in a whole set. With the aquarium machinery, corals, sand, and aquatic animals sold in a package, they could usually sell them for thousands of dollars. 
After he finished his lunch, it was already late afternoon. This time period was usually the quietest in the shop. Everyone was resting, and very few people came in at this time, even the ever zealous reporters. Besides, the weather wasn't too good today. It had been cloudy for the whole period, and the threat of rain hung over their heads, so their customers were even fewer.
Wang Qian and Li Kun were playing mobile games in the corner. Lu Yiyun was focused on her drawing with Jasmine in her hands. Due to the fact that there had been too many customers recently, her illustration work had been piling up. Jiang Feifei next door was chatting with her classmates about employment, exams, love, and gossip—such topics that university girls liked to talk about. Even though she wasn't that interested in those, it wouldn't be good to seem too uncooperative. 
Even the elfins were all napping. It was quiet in the room. 
The ever-carefree Vladimir wasn't in the shop either. Who knew where it had gone? But that was a common occurance too. 
Seeing that there was nothing much to do in the shop now, Zhang Zian planned to return upstairs to take a nap and recharge his drained batteries. 
Even the second floor was quiet. There were no sounds coming from the bathroom. Sihwa might still be asleep too. 
"Pi, don't always sit and stare at the computer. Everyone's napping, so you should too. Resting never gets in the way of doing productive work." Zhang Zian sat on his bed, getting ready for his nap. 
But Pi didn't reply to him with its usual "Cheep cheep," and neither was it focused on typing. Instead it stared at the computer, spacing out. 
Sensing that it seemed a bit off, his desire to sleep completely dissipated. He stood up again immediately even though he had already lay down, walking over to it to ask, "What's wrong, Pi?"
Pi looked up at him, lost, and pointed at the computer screen, helplessness filling its eyes. 
Zhang Zian took a look. The Chinese version of the Qidian Website was open. There were many fixed "Recommended" spots on the website. The more visible the spot, the more effective the advertisement—that, he already knew. 
He thought initially that something had gone wrong with the website, but it seemed to be working normally.
"What is it, Pi? What's wrong?" he asked again.
Pi finally came back to reality, taking the mouse to click on the author's platform. 
There was a message from two days ago, saying that at 2 p.m. today, its work would be put onto one of the "Recommended" slots on the website, and for it to continously update. If there was anything urgent, it should contact the editor in charge.
He looked at the time on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. It was already past 2 p.m.
Pi went back to the main page again. 
This time, Zhang Zian finally understood. Pi's book should have showed up on one of the recommended pages, but those spots were all taken by other books. 
"Cheep, cheep?"
Pi gestured, meaning to ask, "Was there a mistake somewhere?"
Zhang Zian pulled a chair over, double-checking the time in the message and the novels on the "Recommended" slots. He gave it a thought before consoling Pi. "Pi, don't panic. There might be some delay since it's only a little past 2 p.m. Maybe your novel will only be updated later."
These situations could happen occasionally. There were too many novels on the website, after all. Hundreds of thousands of books were updated every day, and the change of novels in the "Recommended" slots had to be personally done by the editors and staff. It was entirely possible that something might have happened to cause the delay. 
Pi nodded, accepting his explanation, but it still continuously refreshed the webpage, its eyes staring at the position where its book should be appearing. 
Zhang Zian had completely lost the urge to nap and sat by it, chatting occasionally, hoping to at least soothe some of its anxiety and uneasiness. 
But even after half and hour of waiting, there was no change on the webpage at all. 
Pi got more and more panicked, and even Zhang Zian couldn't sit still anymore. There was a limited time they could have the "Recommended" slot, after all. They couldn't just sit there and wait like idiots. 
"Pi, contact the editors," he suggested. "Didn't the message say to contact the editors in case of any emergencies? Besides, the editors are there to help authors with their problems."
Pi still hesitated. 
"Then I'll contact them for you."
Zhang Zian knew that it was not familiar with interacting with people, so he volunteered to accomplish the task. 
Pi jumped off the chair and waved its hand, asking him to sit before the computer.
Zhang Zian found the picture of the bald monk in its list of contacts. This was the editor in charge of Pi. Every editor had a few hundred authors under their care, and they were bombarded with work every day. They didn't have time to chat with their authors, so Pi tried to not bother them.
He drafted a message summarizing the problem, subtly trying to hint at whether it was a mistake made by one of the staff, and asking them to take care of the issue on its behalf. 
After the message was sent, he consoled it again. "Most likely it's a member of the staff that missed it and forgot to put your novel up. We should be able to solve it soon."
Pi nodded, but it was still nervous, and it couldn't help but feel that it wasn't that simple. 
Not too long later, the bald monk's photo lit up, and the ping from the message box rang from the speakers.
"There's a reply!"
Zhang Zian and Pi both perked up, immediately clicking on the message to open it. 
The thing that shocked them both was that the editor didn't reply to them with words or emojis. He had instead had sent a photo over. 
What was with that?
Zhang Zian opened the photo, puzzled, to look at it more clearly. 
The photo was taken with a phone. It was the front page of a newspaper. 
He knew this newspaper. It was the most influencial newspaper in the entire country. The main headline was clearly printed out: "Ten Criticisms of Online Writing."
Zhang Zian and Pi looked at each other. What was with the cryptic message?
Even though they hadn't understood what was going on, the issue was clearly on this newspaper. 
The photo wasn't too clear, and it didn't show the whole article. 
Zhang Zian patted Pi's shoulder, comforting it. "Wait here. I'll go out to buy a newspaper. I'll be back. Don't worry, the world isn't going to end."


1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

Viltus arrived in front of a room. At the sign, he could see this room belongs to Aoba and Kinugasa. But, someone uses a black ink to hide Kinugasa name from there. Viltus who sees that then mumbles,

"So... Kinugasa also sunk that day..."

Viltus then takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. There is no answer there. He then knocks it once more and this time he could hear someone walks towards the door and tries to open the door. When the door opened, he could see Aoba that surprised to see him.

Aoba immediately closes the door, but Viltus holds it using his arm. He could feel a sharp pain from that, but he ignores it. He then hears Aoba shouts,

"What do you want, killer? Go away from Aoba's room now!"

Viltus shakes his head and tries to enter Aoba's room. Aoba then pushes him away, but Viltus continues to enter her room. Until Viltus already inside her room and closes the door behind him. Aoba looks at him with disgust and says,

"What do you want now, killer? Do you want to kill Aoba now?"

Viltus didn't answer her at all. Aoba then says,

"Are you going to torture Aoba now? Is that the only way to make you happy?"

"No..." answer Viltus

"Then, why are you..."

Aoba really surprised when Viltus suddenly gives her some book. Aoba looks at Viltus for a while and then says,

"What is it? Is it the document about Aoba's scrapping?"

"No..." answer Viltus

"Then..."

"Just look at it..."

Aoba looks at Viltus and says,

"Aoba will not look at it... Just get out... Get out from Aoba's room! Aoba didn't want to see you or Haruto anymore!"

Viltus stay quiet and looks at her. Aoba then immediately charges him and pin him down to the ground. Every item that Viltus takes are fallen one by one as he falls to the ground and now Aoba is sitting above him. Aoba then says,

"Aoba says get out... Get out... Get out..."

"...."

"Why did you don't hear Aoba? Why? Why?"

Aoba then hits Viltus' chest weakly. Viltus didn't feel any physical pain at all, but every hit really hurt him inside. He tried to ignore the pain and then says,

"Those books belong to Kimura... I just want you to look at them..."

"Why must Aoba hear that name again? Aoba didn't want to hear that name again... Aoba didn't want to hear that name... Why... Why... Why..."

Aoba looks at Viltus and she is really surprised to see Viltus' face. He could see someone who also sleepless for a week. He also feels guilty about what he has done. Aoba then remembers how fragile Viltus is from the report that she and Kimura gather about Viltus in the past. After that, she could see tear start to fall from Viltus and hears,

"I know that I can't repent by doing this..."

"Viltus..."

"But, I believe this is one way to do that..." says Viltus as he closes his eyes

"..."

"I'm sorry... That the word that I want to say to you at the ship back then... But, I can't..."

"I..."

"I'm sorry... For everything... I'm sorry to take your happiness from you... I'm sorry for not able to hold him..."

"Listen Viltus... I..."

"I'm sorry... For everything... I'm a killer... I know that..."

"Please..." says Aoba as she tries to hide her tears

"I know that I am not worth to get your forgiveness... But, I know... This is the only way... For you... And him..."

Now Aoba understands that Viltus actually didn't want to tell Kimura about her location. But because of Kimura nature that is really stubborn, he couldn't do anything. And from every person that Aoba know the one that will be hurt by losing Kimura the most is Viltus. And in front of him is the person that feels guilty and responsible for everything. The one who broke the most from everyone at Yokosuka. Aoba then stops hitting Viltus and touch his cheek. She then says,

"Please... Don't cry... It's not your... fault..."

Aoba can't hold her tear anymore and leaning on Viltus' chest as she starts to cry again. Viltus closes his tired eyes and strokes her hair in order to calm her down. And with that, tears start to fall again on his face.

After both of them already calm, Aoba asks Viltus to sit down there. But, Viltus declines it. Aoba looks at Viltus with a confused face and hears Viltus says,

"You know... I do this only to fulfill his wish... So, could you look after his belongings here? I know it's hard... But, please..."

Aoba nods at Viltus and then takes the album first. She opens it and could see all photo that already printed by Kimura. She looks around there and sees the first photo where both of them meet the first time. Under the tree and clear blue sky together with Shiro, Viltus, and Haruto at the new Admiral ceremony.

Not long after that, she sees a photo of their first division where they become a team. And many more photo where her picture is the one that takes over most of it. Until she sees a photo of Kimura that she takes back then. A photo where Kimura smiles at her after they finished one of their mission. Aoba looks at the photo for a long time and didn't look at Viltus anymore.

Knowing that Aoba want to be left alone now, Viltus takes a deep breath and says,

"I must go back to my dorm..."

"Alright..."

"One more thing, there is one item that really designated for you from Kimura. If you..."

"I know..."

"If you say so... Then, I will leave you... And once more, I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault, Viltus," says Aoba without looking at Viltus

Viltus remains quiet and leaves her room. The moment he leaves her room, he could see Taihou stands there with a worried face. Taihou immediately ask him,

"Admiral, how is Aoba condition?"

"It depends on herself..." answer Viltus

Taihou looks at Viltus for a while and then she asks him,

"Then, how about you?"

"Me? I don't know about that..."

Taihou could see his face that really not sure what he should do next. Taihou then smiles a little bit and says,

"I could say someone like you could cope with ease about this... Especially knowing that you are a really stubborn brat."

Taihou then moves back really fast hoping for Viltus usual remarks. But, for this time he didn't do that. What she sees is Viltus that really surprised to hear that and then he laughs a little. After that, he starts to walk and says,

"Maybe... Only time who could tell..."

"Huh?"

"I will not answer it anymore, flat chest. I must leave this dorm immediately."

"Who do you call that?!" says Taihou as she starts to walk towards Viltus

Viltus then looks at Taihou that start to move to him. After she arrived at his reaching point, he immediately pulls her and says,

"Could you look after Aoba, please?"

"Huh?"

"Could you?"

"I will do it, Admiral."

"Thank you."

He then let her go and start to leave. Taihou only could smile after seeing what Viltus do to her. Meanwhile, Aoba still looking around the photo inside the photo album. After she arrives at the last pages, her attention focused on the other book.

She takes the book and she sees that it is Kimura's diary. She opens the book and reads it. From there, she knows that Kimura's family are murdered by the Abyssal when Kimura still young. And the first part of the book is full of his hatred of the Abyssal. Until he met with someone who taught him about photography. Since that part, little by little Kimura's writing changed into Kimura that she knows.

And then, she arrives at the page where Kimura first time arrived at Yokosuka. She continues to read it until the last entry where it is one day before the start of the operation. She could see that Kimura is really felt blessed to meet everyone at Yokosuka where he could get a lot of friend and experience. And from that, he could forget about his grudge towards the Abyssal. And the most important of all is when he could meet with Aoba. At the end of the entry, he wrote,

"I will confess my feeling to Aoba, and with that, I will give my camera to her. After we finished this operation."

Aoba remains quiet for a while when she reads that and remembers what Kimura says that he will tell her something. Tears start to flow again and she then says,

"Kimura, you are an idiot... Really an idiot... How could Aoba answer your feeling... If you are cut our communication back then? How..."

She then looks at the camera there and takes it. She looks at the camera and could see a crack there. She then remembers when Tadahisa finds them fighting over the camera and the camera falls because of both of them fall to the ground. And then, she remembers what Kimura says regarding all the photo that he already takes, he says,

"Well, you know... In the future, I will lead a different unit. Or maybe this unit will expand with another Ship Girl joining us. But at the same time, we will lose someone at the battle... Sometimes, the memory in our head will not remember everything. But, the photo that I take could help us remember something special at the time the photo is taken. Just like today."

Aoba laughs a little bit and then says,

"If at the end it is you the one who died... How could you see everything?... How could you see our division become bigger?... How could you see yourself gain a new rank?... You silly guy..."

She then continues to look around the gallery and then she remembers what Kimura says when she trains under Kimura. He says,

"But, when we lost those people, even the bad memory will become something that we really missed about them. Have you ever feel like that?"

Aoba can't hold her tears anymore and shouts,

"Idiot... Idiot... Idiot... Idiot... Aaaaaahhhhh... Kimura!!!"

She then lays on the bed and hugs all of it to her chest. She then starts to cry again under the moonlight. After several minutes, she starts to calm a little bit. She then looks at a small box there. She takes it and peeks inside it. She is really surprised to see two beautiful rings there. Aoba then smiles a little and says,

"Kimura... Aoba can't believe that you already prepare the ring... Even before both of us dating... You are an idiot. What if I reject you?"

She then takes one ring and puts it on her ring finger on her left hand. She then kisses the ring and puts it on her chest. She mumbles,

"Kimura..."

She then remembers Kimura's hope regarding what will he do at the end of the war,

"I want to takes a picture of all of you. Everyone that fighting together with me to achieve peace for all of us. Viltus, Haruto, Shiro, and every Admiral that fighting here. Not only them! Uzuki, Yayoi, and every Ship Girls that fighting with us too! After all, that picture will become the most beautiful memory for all of us when we back to our home later."

Aoba looks at the ring once more and says,

"Aoba will fulfill your wish, Kimura... Because If Aoba didn't do that, who the one that will do that?"

She then sits down once more and says,

"Aoba thinks that Aoba already makes everyone worried... Especially Viltus, Haruto, Megumi, and Akihiko... Aoba should meet with them again and apologize to them."

She then stands up and takes all the books and the camera to her desk. That's when she found a small message. She opens it and she could see,

"For my ever-cheerful lover at all time."

Aoba smiles a little bit and says,

"How could Aoba do that without you?"

But when she sees the ring and Kimura's camera, she smiles at them and says,

"No... You always with Aoba... Aoba knows about that... And Aoba believes that... Forever."

She then kisses the ring once more and smiles at it.

One camera unites two people into one. Their meeting is destined by the fate in order to help each other.

Okazaki Kimura is a new Admiral that appointed at Yokosuka Naval Base in order to fulfill his dream of the past. As he enters there, he meets several people that important to him and changes them a little bit, Kouga Haruto and Viltus Amarov.

And because of his hobby, he meets the girl that really destined for him, Aoba, the Ship Girl. This is their stories that happen at Yokosuka as their love grows from each of their meetings.

Whenever people walked past Qiao Nan, they would point at her and whisper to each other. 
Qiao Nan could not hear what they were talking about, but she could tell clearly whether their intentions were good or bad.
Qiao Nan knitted her brows, her expression turning cold. She grabbed her books and went to the canteen.
Qiao Nan bought her meal and was getting ready to eat. She noticed that people around her still cast weird glances at her. She could not help but feel angry.
The problem was those people only whispered behind her back. Qiao Nan had no idea what they were talking about.
"Qiao Nan, shall we eat together?" Tang Jiayun carried her plate and sat down at the seat opposite Qiao Nan. "All the other seats are occupied. This is the only empty seat. I am sure you won't mind."
Qiao Nan looked up. The entire canteen was filled up with people except for the seats around her. It was as if she was a virus and was within an invisible quarantine area. "This is a public space. It doesn't belong to anyone."
Qiao Nan threw in a reply. To put it bluntly, she did not care where she sat. 
Tang Jiayun arched her eyebrows. She noticed that several people cast weird glances at Qiao Nan. Tang Jiayun smiled. "Qiao Nan, do you go online?"
"No," Qiao Nan replied.
"No wonder." Tang Jiayun covered her mouth, acting as if she had said something that she should not have.
Tang Jiayun hesitated for a while before she made up her mind. "Qiao Nan, do you know why many people cast weird glances at you today? Do you know what they are whispering about? Actually, I feel very angry on your behalf. This has nothing to do with them. Why do they spread the rumor? They must be sick." 
"…" Did Tang Jiayun mean that there was a rumor regarding her that was circulating around the school? How did this rumor start?
Qiao Nan put down her spoon and looked at Tang Jiayun. "Are you here to tell me the reason? I am all ears."
Tang Jiayun was thrilled that Qiao Nan was very straightforward. She pursed her lips and sighed softly. "Qiao Nan, you must not be angry or anxious. I believe the rumor must be false. Although we were roommates only for a short period of time, I believe you are not that kind of person."
"What kind of person?" There was a flicker in Qiao Nan's eyes. School had only started for less than a month and she had become infamous in Peking University?
She knew that college life was not as simple, but she did not expect that it would be so complicated.
"Someone uploaded a photo on the school forum. It says that you got into an old man's car and that you are his kept woman." Tang Jiayun lowered her voice.
Qiao Nan frowned. Could it be that someone saw her when her father-in-law came to school to fetch her and the person took a picture of them and posted it online?
"Qiao Nan, as your friend, I must remind you that such rumors will have a negative influence on you. It is useless that I believe you. Other students and the school have to believe you as well. If you lack moral integrity, it may affect your final results. Therefore, you have to think of ways to clear up the misunderstanding, and for the school to understand that the photo is false. Of course, if you need a witness, I can be one."
Tang Jiayun acted as if she had high morality and was willing to share weal and woe with Qiao Nan. "The person was so mean and foolish to take the photo and smear your reputation, causing everyone to misunderstand you. Qiao Nan, who do you think is behind this? Let's fish out that person. The person who tells such lies is too much. The person is too ill-natured."
Qiao Nan lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes hiding the flicker in her eyes. Tang Jiayun, who was all pretenses, was unable to tell what she was thinking of right now.
"Qiao Nan, don't be upset. I will help you." When faced with such a situation, people would usually be anxious and feel angst. However, Qiao Nan seemed to be very indifferent. 
Could it be that Qiao Nan believed the saying that 'rumors stop at the wise'?
Tang Jiayun used to dislike and ostracize her. However, she was the only one who offered her help and told her what had happened. Qiao Nan curled her lips. "How do you intend to help me?" 
One who was unaccountably solicitous must be hiding evil intentions.
She was reminded of what Tang Jiayun had done previously. Qiao Nan's first thought was that the rumor might have to do with Tang Jiayun.
Qiao Nan did not find it surprising that Tang Jiayun would resort to the trick of a thief crying stop thief. After all, sometimes, people were too clever for one's own good.
"Is it on the school forum?" Qiao Nan had yet to understand what was going on, so she could not jump to conclusions. However, she could not do nothing now that she knew that someone was out to harm her. She was particularly curious to see the picture that was being posted on the forum.
"Yes, do you want to have a look? Shall I go with you?" Tang Jiayun nodded. Regardless of the reaction that Qiao Nan had, she rose to fame in Peking University because of the forum. Everyone looked down on Qiao Nan and kept a distance from her. Everyone was dying to dig at her.
Apart from her, no one was willing to go near her.
She believed that Qiao Nan would not reject good friends who helped her out when she was in need. 
"Qiao Nan!" Tang Jiayun was about to bring Qiao Nan with her when an anxious Shi Qing came running toward them.
Shi Qing knew about the rumor surrounding Qiao Nan and she did not shout her name out loud. She looked for her in the canteen and caught sight of her, running toward her. "Qiao Nan, look at this." 
Shi Qing had heard of the rumors regarding Qiao Nan circulating around the school. She went online to look at the threads and printed them out. She passed them to Qiao Nan. "Who did this? Is the person courting death?!"
Shi Qing was mad and anxious when she saw the photo in the thread. Who was so foolish to do something like this? The person was not afraid of death. 
Tang Jiayun heard the anger in Shi Qing's voice. She smiled scornfully in secret.
Shi Qing might be domineering and acted brazenly at Peking University, but there was nothing she could do about the fact that someone was out to harm Qiao Nan. Even if Shi Qing managed to find out who the person was, she did not believe that Shi Qing would murder someone or commit a crime for Qiao Nan's sake! 
Go ahead to brag and boast!
"Since someone is courting death, there is no way to stop the person. Although school has just started and Peking University always has a good reputation, I suppose someone will be invited to the principal's office for a cup of tea." Qiao Nan smiled contemptuously. In her previous life, the only time she heard of college students being kept women of older men was from the news. She did not expect that she would become the main character of such news in this life. It was thrilling! 


Qiao Nan: Crap! I am your biological daughter, yet I am treated as if I was picked up from the streets. In fact, you treat me worse than that!

Mother Qiao: Qiao Nan, you are not as pretty or smart as your elder sister. You are not as blessed as her. You have no right to study, marry, or to have your happiness!

Qiao Nan: Why am I not allowed to study, marry, or to seek my happiness? I will find a man right now and marry him!

Qiao Nan is dumbstruck upon discovering that the man right beside her is a powerful figure in the quad—the person who has the most promising prospects to be the future Chief.

Qiao Nan stares at the well-built man in front of her. He has firm abs and cold, chilling eyes. She swallows the lump in her throat as she says her greetings, "Good Morning, Chief!"

The salesperson made an ok sign and took out a pen and paper for her to write down the words.
Actually, the process was simple and similar to the customization of printed T-shirts in her own country, but the quality of the materials was better. After they were done with the printing, they washed it on the spot, blew dry and have it ironed to ensure that there weren't any changes in the colors. 
"It's done." The salesperson handed the printed handkerchiefs to Xuxu.
"Thank you." After Xuxu had received them, she lowered her head and looked at them as she walked out of the shop. Her fingers caressed the four printed words at the corner of the handkerchiefs: xuxu rusheng.
"Be careful!"
Suddenly, an anxious male voice called out to her from her front. Instinctively, Xuxu stopped in her steps, raised her head and looked towards the direction of the voice.
She was dumbstruck. How could there be such a beautiful… man in this world?
She had no idea if she should describe him as a boy or a man. He was at least 1.8 meters tall and wearing a set of black casual clothes. His jet black and naturally curled hair were neatly combed.
He had a pair of charming abstruse eyes. At one glance, he appeared to be mixed blood but upon scrutiny, there weren't any distinctive features of a Westerner.
He was carrying a backpack and holding an SLR in his hand. Standing under the midday sun, the rays pierced his abstruse-looking eyes and he could hardly open them. Below his sharp nose, his aureate lips curved into a sunny smile. 
Xuxu momentarily paused and calmly retracted her gaze. She lowered her head and noticed the doorstep next to her feet.
She finally understood, and she raised her head to smile at him. "Thank you."
After thanking him, she lifted her legs and crossed over the step. 
"Don't move!" the man shouted again out of the blue.
His voice startled Xuxu. She stood still and shot a puzzled look at the man.
"You are very beautiful," praised the man as he looked at Xuxu. After that, he held up his SLR and said, "Let me take a photo of you."
Xuxu heard him and instinctively wanted to reject him. But before she could speak, the man had already pressed the shutter with his slender finger.
Actually, having a shot taken wasn't much of a big deal, especially since she's overseas. The boy already took the photo, so she didn't fuss over it.
She crossed over the doorstep of the handkerchief shop and was preparing to continue exploring the vintage street.
The man who earlier had taken her photo walked up to her. He asked with a smile, "May I know your name?"
Xuxu nodded without hesitation. "Sure"
Without waiting for the man to respond, she switched her words. "But I can also choose not to let you know."
Having said that, she rolled her eyes at him.
So as it turned out, one could also encounter such old fashion pickup lines overseas.
The man shrugged his shoulders and with a look of regret, he said, "It's a pity not being able to know the name of such a beautiful lady."
After saying that, he looked at the camera on his hand and scrolled to the photo he had taken earlier.
Xuxu ignored him and continued snapping photos with her phone as she walked.
But the man kept following after her. He secretly took photos of her from time to time.
Xuxu hastened her steps in an attempt to lose him in the crowd, but to her surprise, the fellow was unwilling to give up.
She stopped in her tracks and frowned in annoyance. "Little boy, your way of striking a conversation lacks creativity." 
However, the person beamed even more! Looking at his two deep-set dimples, one would easily fall for it if they weren't careful.
He said, "You have fallen for my appearance. Actually, I've already graduated from university."
"You are still a child to me," Xuxu spoke. Having no further intention to bother about him, she raised her feet and continued. 


Wen Xuxu is a tenacious, talented, smart and brave woman who was fostered by the Yan family at the age of four when she lost both her parents. 

Brought up to be the successor of a huge conglomerate, Yan Rusheng is an aloof, intelligent and arrogant man who is the most sought-after bachelor in the capital city. 

Despite growing up together, both of them seem to treat each other as an eyesore. She labels him as a jerk and womanizer while in his eyes, she is a shrew. 

Over time, they fall for each other, but they continue to conceal their feelings for each other. By a twist of fate, they are forced into a marriage. And unknown to everyone else and Yan Rusheng, she has harbored a deep secret for many years… 

Keywords: Childhood sweetheart, Womanizer, Aloof, Soulmates, Forced marriage, Orphan, Secretary 

Sugary Scene： 

Suddenly, Wen Xuxu stretched her hand to clutch his wrist and pulled him forcefully. 
Yan Rusheng was caught off guard and he lost his footing. He fell on the bed and then his breathing became sluggish. 
Young Master Yan was afraid that he might lose control of himself and do something to Wen Xuxu... the woman he loathed. So he hastily raised his head. 
But he had barely moved away when Wen Xuxu stretched out her hands and put them around his neck. "Don't leave."

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