n

n

nThroughout the entire time on the maglev, I kept an eye on the weird guy sitting in between the five girls on the other side of the open aisle down the middle. So far, he hasn't made any moves except for sneaking a glance at the girls with a lecherous grin on his face from time to time, but the trip had only just begun. And my guess? Based on that eager look on his face...he probably won't be able to hold himself back for too much longer. So far, two hours had passed, meaning there was approximately 9 more hours to go on this maglev.

nThen, suddenly, I noticed the guy trying something at last. He slid his hand over to Feng Mian, who happened to be sitting beside him. I prepared to move in to stop him the moment Feng Mian gave the signal, but-

n

"Hey. What do you think you're doing?

" a boy around the same age as me asked, narrowing his gaze and stopping in front of the pervert guy. This caused many people all around us to turn their heads curiously. He had blonde hair, and wore a white tux plus dress pants. Needless to say, he looked like royalty, and stood out from the rest of us 'commoners' who were wearing normal clothes. I didn't know if he was really a prince of some sort or just a really damn invested cosplayer, but at the same time, I didn't really care, either.

nHm...still, this is an interesting turn of events. Let's see what happens.

n

"H-Huh? What are you talking about?

" the pervert guy asked right back, feigning ignorance as he guiltily slid his hand back.

n

"You know very well what I'm talking about,

" the new guy said, then pointed at Feng Mian.

"Why are you trying to touch her?

"

n

"W-What? I'm not,

" the pervert continued to deny.

n

"Fine, I'll ask her myself, then,

" the prince-like dude said, turning to Feng Mian.

"Ms...did this pervert attempt to touch you just now?

"

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"E-Eh? Uh...

" Feng Mian looked in my direction, confused on what to do. I averted my gaze, mainly because I didn't want to be dragged into this now that someone else had stepped in already. I was content to just be watching on the sidelines. If things went wrong, I would jump in.

n

"Um...yeah, he did,

" Feng Mian said at last, deciding to just tell the truth.

nThe right decision, I suppose.

n

"And there you have it,

" the prince concluded, turning back to the pervert, who was now sweating bullets.

"She has no reason to lie in order to frame you. There is nothing more to be said.

"

nThen, he turned towards a nearby train attendant who happened to be passing by, and continued.

n

"Ma'am, I request you kick this man off the train, for the safety of these beautiful young girls here.

"

n

"Uh...alright. I'll report this to the driver. This man will be forced to get off this maglev at the next stop,

" the attendant replied after a slight hesitation.

nThe prince nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to Feng Mian and the other girls.

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"Alright, you five should be safe now. If he tries anything else before the next stop...just scream. My seat is right up ahead, so I'll come to your rescue immediately.

"

nWith great difficulty, I suppressed the urge to cringe at his words.

nYikes, man...that was the cheesiest line I've ever heard. I mean, I get you're trying to play the hero here and maybe win the hearts of the girls, but...dude, you really need some better pick-up lines.

nThe girls were probably also secretly cringing as well, but on the surface they didn't show it, since that would be impolite to the person who just - more or less - 'saved' them.

n

"R-Right, thanks, I guess?

" Feng Mian said hesitantly.

n

"Yeah...thank you?

" Yu An Yan added in the same awkward tone.

n

"Um, thanks for the help!

" Lan Xiao Su exclaimed. Her receptionist nature was kicking in here, all polite and stuff.

nYu An Xue and Qing Yue didn't speak. Yu An Xue because she was an introvert who only spoke when necessary or when she was with people she knew closely, and Qing Yue because she was trying desperately not to burst out laughing. I noticed her covering her mouth with her hand, looking the other way.

nWell...guess I can't blame her. That was so cheesy, I want to die.

n

"Here is my phone number, if you want to keep in touch,

" the prince then continued, handing Feng Mian a name card, fancily designed.

nThe prince-like dude left after leaving those words (and his phone number) behind, and all of a sudden, the onlooking audience exploded into applause and cheers, commending the boy's actions. Meanwhile, the pervert was looked down upon, and people stared at him in disgust.

nWe arrived at the next stop in about 15 minutes, and the pervert dude, as expected, was forced to get off the train. That left an empty seat, and Flaria immediately took it. The reason? Well, to stay as far as possible from Obsidia, of course. Obsidia herself seemed to be happy with this as well.

nMan...those two really need to start getting along. I'll see what I can do about it.

nAfter that incident, not much else happened for the rest of the trip. I ended up sleeping for a little, since I didn't get much sleep last night thanks to Dong Zhu and his lackeys. Mei Gui kept watch while I did, since her clothes would disappear if she were to also sleep here, and that wasn't good. She was still wearing the clothes she generated herself instead of the stuff the other girls bought her, after all. Apparently, according to her, it was because it felt more natural and just more comfortable in general.

nBy the time I woke up, the trip was just about ending. I pulled out my phone and checked the time.

nAh...11:30 PM. Around 15 more minutes until we arrive at Shanghai, then. I am so sleeping in tomorrow morning.

nAt last, we arrived at Shanghai. We got off the maglev, and the first thing we saw was the same prince-guy from before, seemingly waiting for someone. Then, upon spotting us - or more accurately, the girls - he immediately broke into a smile and approached us.

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"How was the rest of the maglev ride?

" he asked, a charming smile on his face.

"Did anyone else try anything? Let me know if they did, I'll take care of th-

"

nI love how he just completely ignores my presence and goes straight for the girls. Not that I mind or anything, since I would much rather just observe this from far away anyway. This was pretty amusing, especially his cheesy pick-up lines.

n

"N-No no, don't worry yourself like that. The rest of the ride was completely fine,

" Feng Mian quickly replied, cutting him off.

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"Oh, I see,

" the prince said hesitantly, unsure how to feel about suddenly getting interrupted.

"That's good, then...are you guys new to Shanghai?

"

nChanging the topic. Swift. Outstanding move.

n

"Uh, yes,

" Yu An Yan responded.

"This is our first time here.

"

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"Alright, then why don't you all come with me? My family owns a 5-star hotel in this city - I'll let you stay there for free. I don't feel safe letting you guys stay at some random place where I can't protect you.

"

n'Protect you'...oh man, I'm doing my best to not laugh out loud here, but this is pushing the limits...!

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"E-Er...we appreciate the thought, but we'll be fine on our own...

" Lan Xiao Su murmured.

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"No no, I insist. I would never be able to forgive myself if I let any harm come to you,

" the prince continued, his bright smile never once leaving his face.

n

"Pfft...!

" Xiang Peng nearly broke into laughter from behind me.

"This is pretty amusing, huh?

"

nLuckily, she was whispering, so the prince dude couldn't hear her.

n

"Yeah...this guy doesn't know how to take hints,

" I said.

nXiang Peng chuckled.

"You're one to talk.

"

nI glared at her, then continued.

"It's not just that, either. For some reason, I'm feeling a bit suspicious of what happened on the maglev earlier...like it was all too much of a coincidence, y'know?

"

n

"Hm...? What do you mean?

"

n

"I mean, this guy just happened to be passing through at the exact moment the pervert decided to try something. Feng Mian didn't even scream or anything - there's no way anyone would be able to tell the pervert was trying something at that exact moment unless they were constantly watching, like I was. I don't know, the whole situation just seems kinda fishy to me.

"

n

"You mean...Prince-Not-So-Charming over there orchestrated the whole thing just to look like a hero in front of Feng Mian and the others?

" Xiang Peng conjectured.

nI shrugged.

"I mean, on the surface, he doesn't seem to be a bad guy. But then again - the people who have the cleanest masks on, often are the ones with the ugliest face underneath.

"

n

"Oho...did you just invent that quote out of nowhere?

"

n

"Hm? I guess,

" I replied, then returned to watching the situation unfold.

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"Um, no, really...we'll have to turn down your offer,

" Feng Mian said, in a slightly more serious tone now.

"We appreciate the thought, but...you see, there's already someone we're staying with.

"

nHm...? Why do I not like where this is going? Oh lord, please don't drag me into your conversat-

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"Yep! We'll be staying with Big Brother Xuan Kai - he'll protect us just fine!

" Qing Yue exclaimed, running over to me.

"Hey hey, you'll protect us like you've always done, right?

"

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