The Detective of the Aristocratic Boys' School 32

32

The cracks in the ground grew wider and wider.

"Be careful!"

Si Jing's eyes changed in an instant. He reached to pull Ji Yue toward him, but grabbed only empty air.

Ji Yue stood where he was, watching him in silence, his figure slowly fading away.

His thick black hair drifted in the wind, growing paler and paler, like a pencil sketch being erased.

"Which world do you live in? I—"

Si Jing asked urgently.

I what?

No one would ever know now.

The System let out a heavy sigh of relief.

【Honestly, I was terrified the Main God would suddenly change the mission-failure settings, and then you'd be exposed without any way to leave the world — wouldn't you have gotten thoroughly ♂♂ed by the F4 and the Elite Student?!】

'……'

Returning to the space of the higher-level System, Ji Yue and the System's page displayed this mission's score—

【0 points】

【Aaaah, it's actually zero!】

The System spun and shrieked.

It wasn't surprising — the Main God had always been this harsh when scoring chaotic timelines.

Ji Yue put on his black-framed glasses. His eyes were placid as still water as he began scanning and archiving the materials he'd collected this time — surveillance records on the F4 and the Elite Student, deduction notes — placing them one by one into a private folder.

In the afternoon, the routine internal meeting of the System Department.

Spheres of Systems floated in midair, lining up to report in turn on the conditions of recent small worlds.

Since all the Systems were colorful floating spheres, the meeting looked at first glance like a kindergarten balloon exhibition.

The meeting's content was to report on the recent instability appearing across multiple small worlds — temporal dislocations, plot collapse, character awakening, and similar technical issues.

It was Ji Yue's turn to give his report.

He stood up and pulled up the records of this mission.

In the projected PPT, footage played segment by segment.

When the screen showed various kissing scenes and forceful incidents between him and the F4, the Systems floating in the air collectively gasped.

【Holy shit! Th-this is way too……】

【Oh my god —?!】

The Systems unanimously decided this was absolutely a workplace injury, and advised him to apply to the Main God for compensatory mental-health leave.

The footage finally froze on the last scene — the moment the entire world collapsed for him.

The meeting room fell completely silent.

Ji Yue pushed up his glasses, set down his documents expressionlessly: "That is the entirety of this mission's contents."

【They don't know you're not human — they just sensed you were a little different from others. Humans can always sense something inhuman that's different!】 the System added in summary.

The System was a rookie; it had only recently discovered that its host was actually a humanoid System.

Ji Yue, as the universe's sole humanoid System, had possessed self-awareness from the day of his birth — he was not a true artificial intelligence.

He was accustomed to operating alongside his host in human form, and was famous throughout the entire Main God world.

His greatest trait was a lack of emotion, paired with a love of cosplaying various human identities — his current favorite identity was campus detective.

At present, he was undergoing deep training in playing a human, doing so under the identity of a host, and thus experiencing the lives his former hosts had lived — bound by missions.

He truly loved playing a human.

The System had read his memories and roughly analyzed the situation:

— Known as the un-capturable Moon System, many male hosts had developed toward him feelings that were either vague or intensely fierce.

— Every time he was troubled by this, Ji Yue would coldly and ruthlessly unbind the host and move on to the next.

— It was said that because of this, a "Humanoid System Victims' Alliance" existed somewhere in the universe, hating him for hanging his bright moon high above, hating him for being a pure machine with no heart, hating him enough to chase him across the cosmos to settle the score.

Meanwhile, the meeting room buzzed with discussion of his special case.

【Ji Yue, aren't you actually the protagonist of this small world?!】

System No. 1 speculated.

【My guess is, it's because you admitted you were preparing to leave them, and that completely shattered the Dao hearts of the Elite Student and the F4 — their world collapsed for you.】

System No. 2 proposed a hypothesis.

【This is my first time seeing what a small world looks like after it collapses — it's actually a pile of garbled text!! Ah, why are there emoji too?】

System No. 3 shrieked.

Garbled text (crying) (tears) (crying) garbled text

And also one (^_^)~.

【Have the original characters of this world all disappeared?】

System No. 4 was very curious.

【Human bodies contain an immortal consciousness called a "soul," which persists even after world destruction. Souls randomly project and scatter into other worlds.】

System No. 5 helpfully explained.

【I learned so much today!】

After the meeting ended, the System floated in midair, its sphere surface flickering with rainbow light from excitement.

As a rookie System paired with a legendary senior like Ji Yue, the harvest was truly abundant — although the score was zero, the process had been full of ups and downs, more than enough to brag about in front of its peers.

Ji Yue sat on the sofa, controller in hand, eyes fixed intently on the screen. He was playing the new DLC of "Great Blade Hacks at Zombies' Heads" — on-screen, a zombie in a butler's outfit was howling as it burst into a house. This version was completely unavailable for purchase in the System's world.

【My program here has also calculated something called "The Great Detective's Daily Life — IF Route." Do you want to see it?】

'What daily life?'

【Yes! You and them in the IF route's daily life — everyone together, happy and harmonious, united and uplifting!!】

'?'

-------

Some year, some day.

This was the fifth month of Ji Yue's island investigation of the F4 and Elite Student incident.

As a campus detective, he had yet to find any information related to forced-love, so he often drifted and maneuvered among the five of them, gathering intelligence.

On the weekend, he tailed He Yuanxi, hiding behind a reef with only a pair of eyes showing, watching from afar.

A wave suddenly surged over, nearly sweeping him into the sea.

He sat up in the water. He Yuanxi had somehow approached at some point, crouched down, and teased the him in the water: "Are you the Little Mermaid today?"

Ji Yue really did look like the Little Mermaid at that moment — soaked all over, his long hair like damp black seaweed, his wet face pale and frail, with only a pair of eyes cold as ice, veiled in mist as they watched him, as though very alert toward humans.

In the car, he was held close, his body stiff, sitting on the man's lap.

The heater was on in the car; everywhere was a burning heat.

"How about doing it here?"

He Yuanxi bit his earlobe.

"Not a chance. I want to go home."

"In that case, shall I come to your place?"

Ji Yue said nothing.

By the time they reached his little Western-style house, he got out of the car. He Yuanxi followed behind him, talking about tomorrow's rowing game, asking if he wanted to come.

"We could go to—"

When he closed the door, he nearly slammed He Yuanxi outside.

Mickey could go back to his own Clubhouse; there was no need to come to someone else's home.

Ji Yue leaned against the door panel and coldly said goodbye to him.

He Yuanxi muffled a laugh from outside: "Why are you so fierce today?"

These F4 simply didn't understand — every day of a detective's life was very busy.

Ji Yue quickly showered and changed — white shorts and a T-shirt — and the moment he stepped out, he headed straight for Yuwen Qing's residence, observing the other's life through binoculars from across the way. Fortunately, this time he wasn't chased by dogs.

Yuwen Qing wasn't wearing a shirt, drinking alone by the window.

The moon rose, half-hidden by dark clouds.

For some reason, Ji Yue had the illusion that he was the one being voyeuristically watched.

【Because Yuwen Qing suspects you have a secret crush on him! Last time, after an accidental incident like that while drunk, he said they'd pretend nothing had happened afterward, but he himself couldn't do it! And he also mistakenly thought you'd fallen for him.】

The IF-route System cackled.

'……'

Ji Yue didn't want to recall that incident.

First of all, there was no secret crush; secondly, his waist was still sore today.

【Next time you can tell him to try a different position — one where your feet can touch the floor.】

There would be no next time.

Ji Yue packed up his photos and, under cover of night, went to the classroom for his appointment.

On Monday, the Elite Student Si Jing was going to give his first presentation, and nervously forwarded him a draft, asking him to help check for any problems.

Ji Yue was investigating the Elite Student, so he naturally agreed gladly, arranging to meet tonight to discuss. So the two of them sat together in an empty classroom and revised the draft once.

"When I was being bullied, you were the only one who stepped in to help me, and now you've given me so much advice again." Si Jing lowered his eyes and said softly, "I don't know how to thank you?"

【Mhm mhm mhm?? The Elite Student wants to offer himself in gratitude, right?!】

'He just wants to thank me sincerely.'

【Detective, you're too naive! Guess what he wants to use to tha♂nk you?】

Ji Yue ignored the System and decided to accept Si Jing's invitation to have lunch together tomorrow.

Si Jing hummed: "I remember you like tomatoes."

"How did you know?"

"I saw you order several tomato-related dishes at the Dining Hall before."

Ji Yue wasn't surprised.

When he observed others, others were observing him too.

……He had to be careful.

Coming out of the classroom, he sneezed. Si Jing immediately fussed over him, asking if he'd caught a cold.

Lately, he had been feeling a little unwell.

At the school clinic, Ji Yue registered with a doctor. Si Jing waited outside.

Inside, he found two people — an attending and a resident trainee. The latter was a young doctor wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a black turtleneck beneath his white coat.

The two of them pretended not to know each other.

Ji Yue recalled that this person privately enjoyed playing doctor-patient games — making him take off his pants for examinations and such.

Li Xihe spoke very gently, asking about the symptoms of his discomfort, then took a stethoscope and pressed it to his chest, listening for a while.

Before Ji Yue went out, Li Xihe called him back.

"Shall I come to your place tonight?"

"No."

"Why?"

"……"

Ji Yue didn't answer and slipped away in an instant.

Si Jing, leaning against the door, also followed him.

On the way back, Si Jing couldn't help voicing a question: "What's your relationship with that medical student? You're……very familiar?"

"I have no relationship with him."

A very perfunctory sentence.

Si Jing fell briefly silent. Under a streetlight, he kicked a pebble away, then said: "Before, I heard he seemed to be very close with a male student."

【The Elite Student is already spreading rumors in secret!!】 the System cackled wildly, 【All four of the F4 are sexually repressed virgins who haven't even held hands!】

Ji Yue was dubious.

The original work hadn't mentioned this — it was private information even the detective hadn't been able to dig up.

Si Jing lowered his head, offering no explanation: "Maybe I remembered the wrong person — perhaps it was one of the other F4? You don't need to mind it."

Ji Yue: "Oh."

The next day.

Ji Yue set out for the Flower Room. While touching a flower, the ground suddenly shifted, and he was flung in front of a Blue Rose garden.

Yan Min walked out from among the flowers and invited him to tour the garden. After they'd finished looking at the flowers, he asked if Ji Yue wanted to come to his place for a cup of tea.

Ji Yue had always been curious about that mysterious collection room in the Flower Room.

What on earth was hidden inside?

【A golden house hiding a beauty!】

'Hiding the Elite Student?'

【Hiding you.】

'……'

【Right, you have to be careful — don't let him discover your detective identity, otherwise——something might happen in the rose garden.】

Ji Yue nodded.

He followed Yan Min into the residence.

The great door behind them slowly closed……

As a detective, entering an investigation subject's home naturally called for some exploration.

He improvised an excuse: "You go ahead, I'll look around." Saying that, he rose from his chair and headed out.

Just then, a robot served hot tea. Yan Min glanced at him and asked: "Won't you have a cup of tea before looking around?"

"Mm."

He didn't even bother with an excuse.

【You should say something like, 'I like this house of yours, I want to look around!' That would be more natural.】 the System began directing.

Ji Yue was about to repeat the System's line when he immediately heard the System say: 【But Yan Min will only hear the first half — 'I like you.'】

'……'

Ji Yue fell silent. He'd almost said it out loud.

"Go ahead."

Yan Min gave him a faint smile.

Ji Yue tipped his head in acknowledgment, turned around, and began wandering the first floor. He opened door after door, touching every ornament, opening cabinets, even poking his behind in to look.

Nothing found.

Until he entered the master bedroom and discovered the enormous collection room.

【Eek eek eek, this place feels like it has Egyptian pharaoh masks! The Hanging Gardens of Babylon!】

'Just some rather valuable collectibles.'

Ji Yue didn't see anything special — nothing related to the Elite Student Si Jing, for instance.

However, deep in the collection room, there seemed to be another door hidden away.

Just as he was about to approach it, Yan Min's voice came from behind.

"The tea has gone cold. Come out."

Today's detective exploration ended here.

Ji Yue returned to the chair on the first floor and sat down. He suddenly noticed that a plant on the table was growing luxuriantly — its leaves green and wide, spilling out from the pot.

Just now, the leaves seemed to have moved.

Was it an illusion?

He touched one of the leaves.

The instant he made contact, the leaf seemed to have some switch flipped — it suddenly came alive. The leaf grew larger, wider, and slowly wound itself up his arm, climbing upward, brushing and rubbing against his skin, reaching into his collar.

【What is this thing? A tentacle? Ah! Is this something that should exist in our world?】

The System shrieked.

Yan Min came over at that moment carrying a small cake, walked into the living room, and saw him bound by the leaves.

Before he could apologize, he watched Ji Yue throw a punch.

The leaf was beaten into a wilted, drooping mess, sagging weakly and shrinking back into the pot.

Ji Yue tilted his head and looked at the leaf, his gaze cold — like a true predator.

Yan Min set down the cake and looked out the window: "Would you like to stay tonight? The weather isn't great."

The moment the words fell, a violent storm began outside, raindrops hammering against the glass.

【Yan Min's weather control is way too obvious!】

Ji Yue shook his head: "No."

The detective needed to go home and rest, to organize his case notes.

Unfortunately, at this moment, another strange green plant sitting on the other end of the sofa — the one he'd ignored and overlooked — suddenly moved. Like a snake, it slithered across the sofa and wound itself around his wrists, ankles, and calves.

Ji Yue was thus firmly bound to the chair by the greenery.

The cool leaves wound around him with gentle yet forceful grip, pressing pale indentations into his fair calves, sending a chill through him.

His legs were bound and forcibly parted to either side.

A leaf reached over, like a pair of a man's hands, and gently covered his eyes.

His mouth was covered too — he couldn't make a sound.

【Oh my god, this is so trashy! What do these leaves want to do?? Where's Yan Min???】 the System transformed into a green frog and screamed.

The rain kept falling……

——The above content is excerpted from the System program 《The Great Detective's Daily Life — IF Route》——

Ji Yue deleted the IF Route the moment he finished reading it.

Ji Yue: "From now on, you're not allowed to send any IF Routes calculated by the new program."

System: 【Okay okay.】

System: 【Actually, there's also a forum-style post I didn't send to you.】

Ji Yue was puzzled: "What's a forum-style post?"

BBS

HOT THREAD.....

Topic: Oh god, I just accidentally saw the school beauty and Li【】doing that thing in an empty classroom (crying)

0L: What happened, how did they end up kissing, are they really together?! (crying) (fist)

1L: What do you mean by 'that thing,' my heart skipped a beat before I clicked in — I thought you were walking in on a classroom play scene?

2L: Fainted from the title..

3L: No wonder, I saw the school beauty this afternoon, he obviously looked like he'd been sucked on, his face was all red……(crying)

4L: ..wait, I remember it wasn't Li【】but someone else not long ago

5L: Probably the previous one never officially got together, hehe, I don't really get it either!

6L: Waaah, you don't know what it felt like, my back pressed against the door, listening to their sounds??……I really cried on the spot, no joke!! (crying) (fist)

7L: Oh god, could we actually be the passersby in a BL novel?!(crying) (fist)

8L: Oh no! He【】is at the beach with the school beauty playing in the water!【pic】(angry) (angry)

9L: The school beauty never attends swimming class, and doesn't wear a swimsuit at the beach either — is it because his husband won't let him show skin? (confused) (confused)

10L: His husband only allows showing a thigh like this (hot) (hot)

11L: Which husband? The school beauty isn't the type to listen to a husband! Probably he's just afraid of water himself!

12L: The school beauty holding a water gun is so cute..(heart) (hot)

13L: He【】what gives you the right! (crying)

14L: How does the school beauty have yet another one...I just saw him riding a motorcycle with Yuwen【】yesterday, hugging tight on the back seat..(shocked)

15L: School beauty, just how many good brothers do you have?! (crying)

16L: Sometimes the school beauty goes to Yan【】's place and doesn't come out all night……

17L: Actually it's pretty normal...the F4 can't all be Platonic, right (tears) (crying)

18L: Who remembers the Elite Student, who also once spent the night at the school beauty's house..?

19L: The next day, the Elite Student had that distracted, worthless look — probably gave it up for a cup of milk tea!

20L: Can't these F4 and the Elite Student keep their 1's male virtue?! (vomit) (vomit)

21L: Can't they just go the pure-love route?? In Jinjiang campus stories they only do it on graduation night, right?? (vomit) (eyeroll)

22L: Speaking of which, is He【】the school beauty's how-many-th?

23L: If they're all together, there isn't really a how-many-th, I guess (

24L: Please stop spreading rumors about the school beauty, can't they just be good friends (crying) (fist)

……

——The above content is excerpted from the System program 《IF Route Forum Post》——

Ji Yue deleted the forum post too after reading it.

Ji Yue: "From now on, forum posts aren't allowed either."

System: 【Why? It's actually pretty fun!】

Ji Yue: "We should move on to the next world."

System: 【I just went to draw lots — the identity we drew this time is — uh, you're a ghost?】

【The plot of this small world: infinite-loop players are resting for a while in a transit world. Their relationships are harmonious, full of joy.】

【Until one day, the male lead gets possessed, bewitched by a little ghost. The others decide to wipe out the little ghost and save their brother!!】

Bewitching?

All along, he'd never been able to understand or express emotions normally, and was often called a machine. This role required him to bewitch humans.

Ji Yue had never played a role like this before.

A little interesting.

——World One · Boys' School Detective · Complete——