On the Rooftop
A pair of siblings stood on the rooftop, seemingly arguing about something. The older brother's face was clouded with anger, his expression filled with fury.
"Brother, please don't be like this!"
Hoshino Mirai clutched her brother's sleeve, clearly frightened by his demeanor.
"There's no such thing as a Penguin Prince in this world. You've lost your mind!"
Hoshino Yikui angrily slammed his hand on the railing, then spoke to Hoshino Mirai word by word: "Brother begs you, please return to normal. Don't mix fairy tales with reality!"
These past few days, his sister had been acting like a madwoman, not only filling their home with penguin plushies but also spending 100 QB daily on games. Playing games and spending money wasn't the issue - the problem was she wasn't even using what she bought!
She kept saying that if she continued to top up QB every day, the legendary Penguin Prince would appear.
"He exists! I won't let you deny his existence!"
Hoshino Mirai's eyes turned red, tears welling up.
"You told me before that if I told you, you would understand and support me! You liar!"
Hoshino Mirai's voice began to break as she spoke.
"But how am I supposed to understand and support something like this? Use your head - how could there possibly be a penguin claiming to be a prince in this world?"
Hoshino Yikui's heart ached as he watched his sister cry.
His little princess, the one he cherished and protected, was now crying over a penguin...
This was too much!
A penguin was one thing, but a prince?
What kind of twisted Frog Prince story was this?
At least the Frog Prince needed a princess's kiss, but this penguin?
Just needed QB top-ups!
What nonsense about QB top-ups!
"This kind of setting wouldn't make sense even in a fairy tale!"
Hoshino Yikui argued logically.
He believed his sister might have been deceived by people online.
After all, his sister was kind and naive - it was entirely possible.
He had to guide his sister back to the right path; it was his responsibility as a brother.
"Give me your phone!"
Hoshino Yikui extended his hand, his tone harsh and attitude domineering.
Hoshino Mirai hesitantly took out her phone and handed it to her brother.
Hoshino Yikui took the phone, turned on the screen, and found no password lock. What he saw made his face turn green - the wallpaper was a penguin.
And it was an Emperor Penguin, damn it!
"Who do you usually chat with?"
Hoshino Yikui checked through various chat records but found no suspicious messages, which made him even more frustrated.
He believed his sister had deleted the messages.
"I... I... I don't have any friends to chat with anymore..."
Seeing her brother's angry expression, Hoshino Mirai's voice grew increasingly small and timid.
Hoshino Yikui trembled at her words, his fingers shaking as they held the phone. He closed his eyes in pain.
At that moment, he felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Because he suddenly realized and understood something.
His sister had wanted to follow in his footsteps, so she also joined the Disciplinary Committee.
But his sister was very childish at heart, only seeing things in black and white.
She was inflexible and didn't understand nuance, and because of this, she had offended many people, naturally becoming isolated and even despised.
Had she done anything wrong?
No, she had simply maintained school order as she should.
But the result was that everyone had distanced themselves from her...
He could imagine how tormented his sister must feel inside.
His sister desperately yearned for friendship, but in this situation...
Perhaps this so-called Penguin Prince was an imaginary friend she had created.
Hoshino Yikui looked at Hoshino Mirai, his eyes reddening as he spoke in a choked voice: "It's brother's fault for not protecting you properly."
"The Penguin Prince really exists..."
Hoshino Mirai took back her phone, noticing her brother's extreme emotional change. She shrank her neck nervously but still insisted on emphasizing this point.
"Yes, I understand."
Hoshino Yikui forced a smile, though it looked quite strained.
"He's been protecting me all this time, and I've been so lucky these past few days!"
Hoshino Mirai looked at her brother, her eyes sparkling as she seemed to express the happiness in her heart.
Seeing his sister's reaction, Hoshino Yikui felt reluctant.
He looked up at the sky.
But finally, after some thought.
Although he understood, he still decided to break his sister's fantasy.
"Actually, you know clearly that in this matter, brother can't help you. I still hope you can find your way out of this yourself."
He didn't want his sister to sink deeper into this quagmire. This couldn't continue - she would have to face reality eventually.
"No! He really exists!"
Hoshino Mirai shook her head, her gaze absolutely certain.
Hoshino Yikui was stunned, then sighed and said: "Fine, since you say he protects you and makes you lucky. Then have him help you find out who's playing 'Truth or Dare' this time, and help you get this chance to speak up. If that happens, I'll believe he really exists!"
"Okay!"
Hoshino Mirai nodded firmly.
She believed the Penguin Prince was always protecting her and watching over her secretly.
So, she took out a bill from her bag and held it in her palm, then clasped her hands together and began to pray: "Please bless me and let me get this chance!"
Hoshino Yikui watched his sister's serious demeanor from the side, feeling another stab of pain in his heart.
In her current state, he didn't dare to push her further, fearing it might cause her to have a mental breakdown or do something even more outrageous.
But just then—
"Pat pat pat~"
Footsteps suddenly echoed from the rooftop stairwell.
"Look!"
Hoshino Mirai's face lit up with joy as she heard the sound, pulling her brother to hide in a corner nearby.
She knew it must be the Penguin Prince coming to help her!
Her heart started beating rapidly with excitement.
"It's just someone happening to come up here."
Hoshino Yikui shook his head helplessly but still followed his sister to hide in the corner.
A few minutes later...
"Zhao Yan, I like you. Please accept me!"
When these words reached their ears, Hoshino Yikui glanced at his sister beside him, as if telling her: "See? It's just someone coming up to confess by coincidence."
However, Hoshino Mirai shook her head, her gaze remaining absolutely firm.
"I appreciate your feelings, but I'm sorry, I already have someone I like."
Then came a female voice.
"Ah, I'm sorry for bothering you."
The footsteps began to fade away.
"Zhao Yan, please wait. There's something I should explain... Actually, this confession was just a punishment from 'Truth or Dare'..."
"Oh, I see."
The female voice showed no change in emotion, remaining cold as she replied briefly before leaving.
Despite such an obvious way out, she showed no emotional response.
She had been learning how to be a mature woman lately.
However, Hoshino Yikui, hiding nearby, wore an expression of utter shock, his mouth forming an O shape.
What was going on?!
What was this situation?!
"This..."
Hoshino Yikui looked uncertainly at his sister.
"Brother, hurry up and catch him!"
Hoshino Mirai's face was serious, her tone tinged with urgency.
Hoshino Yikui nodded firmly. This was an opportunity that couldn't be missed, so he stepped forward.
"Phew~"
The boy who had just confessed stood still, letting out a long breath.
This confession really was from Truth or Dare.
He had played it yesterday at the board game club with others.
The dare punishment was: confess to your crush.
Everyone had good intentions, hoping he would gather the courage to confess.
But somehow after being rejected, he was clearly affected and unconsciously revealed the truth.
However, just as he raised his head, he felt a weight suddenly press down on his shoulder.
He turned his head and immediately saw a dark figure standing beside him.
"Student, please come with me to the Disciplinary Committee office!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
