Collapse? No, this is just everyday life.

"Really?!"

Seele forgot all about being shy and immediately exclaimed with delight.

"Yeah, it should be in a few days. They'll probably come over around a week from now, when we start our summer vacation."

After saying that, she yawned again and muttered to herself, "Why do we have final exams in the last week? I'm so sleepy, I really want to ask for a day off..."

Suddenly, she looked at Nangong Yu, and perhaps still half-asleep, blurted out her thoughts: "Yu, I'm so sleepy, can you carry me to school right away?"

The tone of her reading was as if she were joking, but Bronya's mental state was undeniable. How long did those two talk last night? It couldn't have been longer than the time he spent bullying Seele, could it?

"elder brother?"

Seele was also a little worried about Bronya's condition, and immediately looked at Nangong Yu with a pleading look.

Nangong Yu wanted to agree immediately, but Xi'er's attitude made him change his mind.

Standing up, Nangong Yu walked to Xi'er's side, bent down, and whispered something in her ear.

Suddenly, Seele felt as if a ball of fire was burning her little head, making her dizzy. Whether it was shyness or anticipation, she quickly nodded obediently.

Having received permission, Nangong Yu suppressed his excitement and went to Bronya's side. He patted her on the shoulder and said happily, "Hey, why are you being so polite? If you're in trouble, I'll definitely go to great lengths to help you. Sleep soundly, I guarantee I'll get you safely to your destination!"

"So enthusiastic? Thank you so much."

After finishing the porridge, Bronya couldn't hold back any longer and fell asleep.

There was no other way but to let Xier help her tidy up her somewhat disheveled clothes, and then Nangong Yu carried her out of the house together.

With some time before the exam started, Nangong Yu deliberately slowed his pace to avoid waking Bronya with any loud movements. Seele, carrying three backpacks, followed lightly beside him, chatting with him quietly with a smile.

Shy as she may be, she still wants to be close to him. In Seele's opinion, it's quite foolish to reduce the time spent with someone you like because of shyness.

Although they attracted a lot of attention along the way, they managed to get Bronya to the school gate without any major incidents. There, they also happened to run into Kiana and Sirin. Judging from their lively and energetic appearance, Kiana should have recovered almost completely.

How are you feeling?

After exchanging greetings, Nangong Yu still asked a question out of concern.

"Don't worry, it's nothing. But I'm really sorry to have shown you this embarrassing side of me..."

Kiana scratched her head, feeling somewhat ashamed of her decision to fight the cat to the death yesterday, but the hallucinations wouldn't affect her memory.

"No, no, no, I think it's really cool, especially when you pushed me away and prepared to face the man-eating cat demon alone~"

Seeing that Kiana was really alright, Nangong Yu couldn't help but tease her.

"Oh, please stop talking!"

With her pouting lips and rosy cheeks, Kiana looked quite adorable. She reached out and slapped Nangong Yu's arm in dissatisfaction, then helped Seele support Bronya as the three of them walked towards the school together, without even responding to Nangong Yu's goodbye greeting.

After receiving a smiling goodbye from Xier and Xilin, Nangong Yu quickened her pace and hurried towards her school.

He was walking too slowly so that Bronya could sleep a little longer; if he didn't pick up his pace, he might miss the exam, which would be a real problem.

He didn't want to be stuck there taking a make-up exam while everyone else was enjoying themselves at the beach.

Fortunately, he managed to get back to the exam room just before the last minute.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Failure

"how do you feel?"

After two days of final exams, Nangong Yu stretched and relaxed as she walked out of the exam hall.

There was nothing he could do; the rules said he couldn't hand in his paper early after finishing the questions, which bored him to death. Looking at Sugisaki Ken and the others who came out with him, he casually asked a question.

"It's alright, there aren't any difficult problems, but getting a perfect score again might be a bit challenging."

In order to maintain his position in the student council, his grades couldn't be bad.

Grandpa Tong didn't say much, he just nodded slightly and said it was alright.

"What's there to worry about in the final exams? By the way, have you decided where to go for summer vacation? If not, how about coming with me?"

All four students were among the top performers in their grade. Kitahara waved his hand and looked at the three of them with some anticipation.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I made plans with the student council members to go together, so I can't go with you."

As they walked, Sugisaki Ken patted Kitahara on the shoulder apologetically, but received a blank response in return.

"Oh, then I wish you success in achieving your harem dream."

Not jealous at all. It's just going out with four beautiful girls. Kitahara isn't jealous at all.

"Where are you two?" He then turned his gaze to Nangong Yu and Grandpa Tong.

"Me? I'd probably stay home. It's too hot in the summer, and several games I like have just come out..."

A little embarrassed, Grandpa Tong scratched his cheek, his voice tinged with apology.

"Ah, I already have plans to go to Europe with someone, so sorry~"

Nangong Yu shrugged, shattering Beiyuan's last hope.

"Tsk, is no one free? Oh well, my cousin invited me to go to the beach near her house for a few days. I was thinking of taking you guys with me, but it seems I'll have to go by myself."

Kitahara scratched his head and said something with a hint of helplessness.

"Cousin? What are you going to do at the beach?"

He noticed a name that caught Nangong Yu's attention and asked it out of curiosity.

"Hmm, I remember her family runs a diving shop, which is quite close to St. Freya, where we went last time. Although I'm not a very good swimmer, I heard that diving doesn't require swimming, so it's a good opportunity to try it out."

"That's it..."

Seeing the somewhat expectant look on Beiyuan's face, Nangong Yu silently mourned for him for a moment.

Rest in peace, brave warrior.

......

"Your Highness, Your Highness?"

In the elegantly decorated Japanese-style room, Reisen looked with concern at Kaguya Houraisan, who was kneeling in front of the table, her eyes vacant and somewhat lost in thought.

After a dozen or so calls, Kaguya finally noticed. She looked at Reisen, her expression still indifferent: "Is there something you need?"

"No, it's just... you seem to be in very poor condition today, not only during the flower arranging class during the day, but also just now..."

"No need to worry, I'm just a little sleep-deprived."

Kaguya shook her head slightly, then stopped paying attention to Reisen.

She is indeed in a very bad state right now, and not sleeping well last night is just one of the minor reasons.

The real reason is what happened last night.

After the game's release, the sales and profit data for the first week were released. Given the prior promise, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the data to her father.

Because of the high costs, the company has only just broken even so far. In the eyes of the father who controls the lifeline of the nation, this is probably a very poor figure.

Sure enough, after reading the document, her father didn't say a word, or even look at her. He just let out a soft chuckle and casually threw the document into the trash can.

Kaguya could only return home alone, her eyes dim and her spirits low.

To this day, she still doesn't understand why a work like "To the Moon" would appear on a stage aimed at newcomers. Isn't this just deliberately bullying people?

Unfortunately, it's no use thinking about it now. Having lost her only chance, she has also lost her destiny of gaining freedom.

It is estimated that in the future, her father may arrange for her to marry into a powerful family, marrying a man she has never even met, and then stay at home to be a wife and mother, dealing with the messy affairs of wealthy families.

With a soft sigh, the helplessness in my heart dissipated.

Well, she had already mentally prepared herself for this situation. A long time ago, Kaguya had already foreseen this future. This time, even Eirin probably wouldn't be able to protect herself.

Wanting both the treatment of a wealthy family and freedom? There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Just as Kaguya was still somewhat lost in thought, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Please come in."

As soon as Kaguya finished speaking, the exquisite wooden door was pushed open, and a mature-looking woman with a white braid walked in with a hint of sorrow on her face.

After entering, she was about to say something, but stopped silently when she saw Reisen beside her.

The quiet air seemed to freeze for a moment. If Reisen couldn't sense the atmosphere, she wouldn't be fit to stay in this country.

Somewhat awkwardly, Reisen nodded to the two of them, then quickly retreated and closed the door tightly. She even made sure to make her footsteps louder as she left.

Only when there were no other sounds around her did Kaguya seem to put down a heavy burden, and she sighed again, saying, "You've come, Eirin."

Looking up at her, Kaguya's smile was somewhat bitter: "I'm sorry, Eirin, I failed."

The woman Kaguya called Eirin was silent for a moment, then her voice was comforting: "No, you've done enough. This was just an accident."

"Unexpected? It seems I really have bad luck, wasting the only opportunity you fought for me, Eirin."

As someone who wasn't even the eldest daughter in her family, she was raised as a superior 'tool' from birth. If it weren't for the friendship she formed with Eirin, her former teacher and a high-ranking executive in the group, she probably wouldn't have even had the chance to rebel.

"So, is there something you need that brings you so late, Eirin?"

It's almost dinnertime, and Yonglin should still be busy.

At this point, Kaguya suddenly noticed Eirin's brow furrow slightly, and then her voice became somewhat heavy: "Your father... asked me to take you to tonight's banquet. It's said... there will be important guests."

Upon hearing this, Kaguya's expression froze for a moment, but then she blossomed into the most beautiful smile, like the spider lilies on the banks of the Sanzu River, so alluring yet so fragile.

"Really? That person really likes to kill someone by destroying their spirit, he specifically asked you, Eirin, to invite me."

Slowly standing up, Kaguya walked to the window.

Her thick black hair suddenly broke free from the hairpin and cascaded down in the breeze. The orange sunset shone through the window and enveloped Kaguya, as if reflecting the last vestiges of her light.

"I'm already eighteen and still not married. I wonder if anyone will still like this 'old woman'?"

Turning around, Kaguya seemed to be smiling happily.

Yonglin could only respond with silence.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Let's End This Quickly

"Alright, alright, Yonglin, don't make that face. Being a rich wife, with no worries about food or clothing, is a life that countless people dream of."