Huangfu Yuehua, Rinka’s grandmother and, on paper, also the boys campus’s principal, didn’t show up this year.

After enduring the vice principal’s long-winded and soul-sapping speech on the field, and catching a glimpse of the poor freshmen doomed to three years of suffering, the new semester officially began. Honestly, all I felt was despair. Still no girls. Still no girlfriend. Life at an all-boys school remained utterly devoid of passion.

On the bright side—compared to the poor souls who had to stand two hours under the blazing sun—breaking my leg might’ve been a blessing in disguise. Aside from the heat, sitting in a wheelchair was surprisingly comfortable.

The same-old opening ceremony concluded. As soon as I rolled back into the classroom, Yan Liuzhuan called me out. He stood outside the window with his usual deadpan face, waving at me like some ghost summoning the living—or worse, a loan shark calling in a debt.

“What? Rinka transferred to the girls' campus next door?!”

His words caught me off guard, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

“When was this decided?”

She had called me on pre-semester prep day. Didn’t mention anything then.

Liuzhuan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and said, “She went back home two days ago and told her family everything.”

If that’s the case, then yeah, there’s no reason for her to stay at a boys’ school anymore. She probably even updated her legal gender—officially a female now, on paper and everything.

Can’t blame her for spilling the beans. This was bound to come out eventually, might as well rip off the band-aid early. I just hope she didn’t start rambling about the whole “Church of Bishoujo” nonsense…

She went home… which probably means she talked to Old Feng too. Huangfu Fei. If those two compared notes, it’s only a matter of time before suspicion points straight to me.

I scratched my head, feeling a headache coming on.

“She came by my place last night and left this for you,” Liuzhuan added, handing me a small, brass key. “Said it was the reward she promised you.”

I recognized it immediately—Rinka’s secret base key.

Technically speaking, I never earned it. The deal was that I’d get access if I modeled for Yan Liuzhuan. He ended up just drawing his female self nude.

Still, since it was a gift from Rinka, I wasn’t going to decline it anyways.

We moved up to the second year now, and our classroom was on the second floor. The “2-B” on the door was kind of obnoxious.

Same homeroom teacher—our balding, middle-aged class advisor. Same “main character” seat for me by the window. Only difference was that the second floor didn’t have tree shade, so even in September, sitting by the window left my back soaked in sweat.

I toyed with the key in my pocket, already looking forward to lunch break.

Rinka’s secret base had air conditioning, a big soft bed, and even a shower. Just having that key meant the next two years of my high school life were already way better than most.

If there was one downside… climbing up to the fifth floor with crutches wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. Hopping up with one leg might earn me cramps at best, or another broken bone at worst.

I needed a helper.

“Hey, Zhao Zhao.” I tapped on the desk behind me.

Maybe it was the excitement of the new school year, but this guy was unusually energetic—hadn’t dozed off even once. He was leaning back in his seat, watching videos with his phone held up behind my chair.

“What’s up? Gotta pee or something?”

“Not even close. Also, could you not throw around words like ‘pee’ so casually?”

If this were Xiao Lei, she’d never say something that crude.

“Psh, what’s wrong with ‘pee’? Chill out and let me watch Meow Meow-chan’s live!”

Meow Meow-chan…?

“You mean Lei Meow-Meow?”

“Yeah! Isn’t she just dreamy?”

Zhao Zhao had this dopey grin plastered on his face. I grabbed one of his earbuds and—yep. That was Lei Meow-Meow’s signature voice alright.

“You do remember she beat the crap out of you, right?”

“Come on, think about it—if she hadn’t whooped me, you wouldn’t have gotten mad enough to turn her into a girl. And then the world would’ve lost such a stunning idol! When you think of it that way, wasn’t the beating totally worth it?”

This guy is beyond saving.

I’d been too busy rotting at home in front of video games to keep up with Meow Meow’s latest exploits. Apparently, she’d been keeping up her idol activities just fine. Another show, another performance—she never stopped.

Someone this talented and hardworking has to make it big. Anything less would be criminal.

“Oh, right! She just released her first mini-album with three tracks, not much, but it’s been getting rave reviews. Ugh, she’s just so cute…”

“Really? I’ll grab a copy next time, then. Anyway, not what I was gonna say.” I nudged the conversation back. “Come with me to the fifth floor at lunch.”

“You’re seriously planning to go up there just to eat? Just chill here in the classroom—I’ll buy you some bread.”

“No, no, just come with me. I promise, it’ll be worth it.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. A moment later, Meow Meow’s music pulled him right back in.

“She’s just… something else.”

Lunch Break.

“Okay! Put me down already!”

“Stop squirming, you’re gonna spill the drinks!”

Zhao Zhao bridal carried me up five flights of stairs. I repeat—bridal carried.

If anyone saw us like this, the rumors tomorrow would be brutal: “Chang Kai gets carried like a princess into the fifth-floor boys’ bathroom by Zhao Zhao, and what happens next is… [REDACTED].” My reputation would be ruined forever.

Face in hands, I groaned, “Why bridal carry, though?!”

“You said you didn’t want a piggyback, right?”

“Couldn’t you just help me walk?!”

“That’d take forever. Also, why are we eating lunch in the boys’ bathroom?”

I leaned on my crutch and double-checked the place—no one else in sight. Satisfied, I pulled out the key and opened the cabinet labelled “Fire Hydrant”.

Zhao Zhao peeked inside and almost dropped his jaw.

“What? This school actually has something like this?!”

Exactly the reaction I had when I first learned about it. No one would expect a secret base hidden here.

“Go on in.”

“You want me to crawl in there?”

“What else?”

Yeah, the entrance wasn’t exactly ergonomic. Crawling inside did feel a little… degrading.

And of course, this 1.9m gorilla immediately got stuck.

“Lower your butt!”

“My thigh bones don’t fold, and my shoulders are jammed too!”

“Then crawl forward already!”

Weird. Rinka and I fit through just fine. Is the cabinet really this narrow?

“No choice.” I sighed and called, “Notebook-sama, could you lend a hand?”

Reality shimmered. The Bishoujo Notebook appeared instantly.

I’d started to notice—Notebook-sama really enjoyed turning people into cute girls. Anytime I needed something, it’d show up like clockwork.

I scribbled Zhao Zhao’s name in pencil, and right on cue, his body shrank down a size.

“Warn me before you do that next time!” Xiao Lei grumbled, now perfectly able to crawl inside.

“Whoa! This place is amazing! What is this place? It’s all pink!”

Still crawling behind, I heard her praise from inside.

“This was Rinka’s secret base. She gave me the key after transferring. See? There’s AC.” I waved the remote at her. “Let’s eat here. But seriously, keep this under wraps.”

“Huh? You had access to this place all along and never told me?”

“I only found out near the end of last semester. And it’s Rinka’s place, after all.”

“You two were sneaking around in here every afternoon—what, hooking up on that bed?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. She was still a guy back then.”

There’s no kitchen here—where’s that sour vinegar smell coming from? Let’s air the place out.

The AC cooled the room down. After we finished our sandwiches, Xiao Lei dove into the wardrobe Rinka left behind.

“Hey, look, Commander!”

She held up a frilly bubble-skirt dress in front of herself like she was waiting for my opinion.

“Hey, don’t simply mess with other people’s stuff. And that style doesn’t suit you.”

“Then what does?” She pulled out denim overalls. “This?”

I gave it a quick thought.

“Cheerful, sporty types.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Okay, I kinda get it, but how do I match that?”

I flopped onto the bed, crutch and all, sending up a puff of dust. Even the carpet looked hazy with grime.

Ugh, this place is filthy. Makes sense, I guess—no one’s touched it all summer. Even sealed rooms collect dust.

“Xiao Lei, help me clean up.”

“Eh?”

She melted into the couch, clearly not planning to move.

“You’re mooching AC here—the least you can do is tidy up a bit for Rinka.”

“Such a pain…”

Lazy brat.

I’m slightly obsessive on keeping things clean. Now that I’d noticed the mess, ignoring it just made me much more uncomfortable.

If it weren’t for my busted leg, I’d be all set for a full cleaning session right now.

Wait a second…

Maybe there is a way around that.