"Kiss us."

"Denied," I quickly rejected the tempting offer.

Qing Yue sighed. "Well, it was a valiant effort."

"Never mind that, hurry up and open up the presents we got you, Feng Mian urged. "Aren't you excited?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, I'm pretty curious, but uh...why do I not like the sinister grins on your faces right now?" I shot back.

Yeah...there's definitely something fishy going on here. They are all smiling gently, but I get the feeling these presents aren't what they seem...and is it just me, or are these boxes kinda...light?

I tore apart the wrapping on the first box. It was a slim, rectangular one that had purple wrapping and a green bow tie to top it off. The decorations were pretty elaborate, so I was kind of excited when I opened it, only to find....nothing.

Literally, nothing.

The box was empty. Seeing the girls hold back their laughter, I frowned and moved onto the next gift. This one was from Yu An Yan. It had blue wrapping with a red bow tie. And...it also contained nothing. Rinse, and repeat.

In the end, all five boxes ended up being empty. So much for being excited...

I sighed and tossed the last empty box on the ground. "What's the meaning of this? Surely even you guys aren't childish enough to do this as a mere prank."

"Hehe~can you guess the meaning?" Qing Yue asked with a wink.

I shook my head. "I don't really feel like thinking right now, sorry."

Feng Mian sighed. "Basically...this is something we all agreed on doing while watching the movie. You were asleep, so you didn't know, since we stopped An Xue from waking you."

I tilted my head. "So? I still don't quite get it."

"It was Qing Yue who proposed this idea first, but put simply..." Yu An Yan began, but shook her head. "Ah, never mind! I can't say it after all...An Xue, you do it!"

"H-Huh?! N-No...I can't..." Yu An Xue, caught by surprise, stuttered nervously.

Qing Yue sighed. "Honestly...you guys are so timid...fine, I'll say it."

And as all eyes converged on her, Qing Yue continued.

"Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, me, and as you probably already know - Feng Mian - we all like you."

"H-Hey! Qing Yue! That's too-" Yu An Yan began.

"Quiet," Qing Yue cut her off like a boss. "I'm saying it for you, so stop complaining."

Faced with that completely logical rebuttal, Yu An Yan had no choice but to avert her gaze, embarrassed.

I cleared my throat. "O-Okay, that was...extremely sudden, but how does that have anything to do with the empty presents?"

"Eh? Are you dumb? You still don't get it?" Feng Mian asked, genuinely surprised.

I shook my head. "I'd like to think it's not that I'm stupid, just your so-called 'hints' were too far-stretched...but yes, I don't understand."

"Well...basically...it means that...our gift to you...is ourselves..." Yu An Xue explained timidly.

H-Hold up. That sounds like you're selling your bodies to me. I really don't like where this is going.

"N-Not in that sense!" Yu An Yan quickly interrupted, seeing my anxious expression. "T-That can come later down the line, once we...y'know...get closer and stuff."

Hell no! That's definitely not coming, now or ever!

"For now...we just wanted you to know. You don't have to give us a response or anything, but Qing Yue probably figured it was around time to become open with our feelings," Feng Mian said with a smile, then looked away and continued. "I did as well...though I wasn't able to put it into action. An Yan and An Xue are shy and embarrassed, but they also agreed and went along with Qing Yue's proposal. That's what brought us here today."

Qing Yue nodded along. "Yep! And until you give us a proper answer...we'll follow you, wherever you go. We'll always be by your side, supporting you no matter the dangers that will come our way."

Everyone...I had a feeling this day would come, but I had no idea it would be here so soon. I'm not ready to make this decision yet...can I just accept them, and be done with the whole matter? No. I can't. The closer they get with me, the more I want to push them away...supporting me no matter the dangers that come our way? Hah...you might be okay with it, but I'm not. I'm not going to drag other people into my mess. My parents have already both died because of me. I absolutely refuse to let anyone else meet the same fate. But...all that being said, how will I reject them? Make up some blatant lie like I already have a girl I love? Oh wait...I'm overthinking things. If they like me, then in order to reject them, all I have to do is...

And so, I took a deep breath, and gave them my answer.

"I refuse."

"Huh?" the four girls who confessed were all taken aback by my sudden words.

"I said, I refuse. I don't like any of you in that sense. So I'm sorry, but please refrain from following me."

I spun on my heel and looked away out the window, unable to meet the shocked gazes of the girls. "After this winter break is over...I'm going to leave on a journey. A trip to the Magic Capital, Shanghai, in order to get more powerful. I've actually been thinking about this for a while now...and since this opportunity came up where all of us are together, I might as well say it."

Then, turning around and forcing myself to look at the girls directly once more, I concluded. "It's about time I break off from you all. Let's end our relationship here."

*****

- Meanwhile, The Basement of a Certain Casino, Hong Kong -

"Are all the preparations ready?" a female voice asked softly. Her voice was charming, gentle yet seductive.

"Yes, my lady," a tall masked man, taking a knee on the ground before her, replied stoically, almost like...a lifeless puppet. He wore a dark black cloak with a hood, and his arm bore the unmistakable insignia of the Midnight Syndicate. The female, wearing a beautiful red gown, also had the mark of the Midnight Syndicate, though it was smaller and far less conspicuous.

The two of them were currently inside the hidden basement of a certain casino in the city of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a prosperous city extremely close to Shenzhen, and has a variety of islands within its vicinity. It wasn't as big as Shenzhen, and thus the population was lower...making it an easy target to establish a base at for the Midnight Syndicate. Unbeknownst to the weak and useless city guard, the Midnight Syndicate had slipped into the city and began slowly growing, while dragging in more members from the city's already low population.

"Good, good..." the lady mused, before taking a bite out of an apple from the fruit tray on a table near her throne. "Now then...when should I attack, I wonder?"

"My lady, I believe it would be ideal to attack on January 1st - an exact week from now," the man before her said in the same emotionless voice.

The woman tilted her head slightly, gently resting it on her arm. "Oh? And why is that so?"

"Yes, my lady. All the citizens of the city will be busy celebrating the new year, therefore their security should be more lax than usual. I believe we will be able to catch them off-guard, granting us the element of surprise in this invasion."

"Hm...very well," the woman said, seemingly satisfied. "And do you have the plan of our attack figured out?"

"Yes, my lady," the man replied lifelessly, before opening up his laptop and connecting it to a projector. The projected screen showed an extremely detailed map of Shenzhen. "We will attack from this route connecting Hong Kong and Shenzhen."

Saying this, the masked man traced his finger across what looked like a long highway connecting the two cities. The woman nodded her head in approval, and took another bite out of her apple.

"How nice. They crafted a perfect bridge for us...literally," she said, amused.

"Yes. We will make the most use of this road, and invade the city of Shenzhen from there. However..."

"...Before that, we will need to clear out this city first, no?"

"That is correct, my lady," the man replied stoically.

"Well then, what are you waiting for, my dear servant?" the woman said with a charming giggle. "Go on...turn this city into a bloodbath."

The man stood up and bowed, completely unfazed by his superior's evil words. "Yes, my lady."

With this, the man left the secret basement, shutting the door behind him. The woman then licked her lips seductively. "Hehe~both of my subordinates died by the same person...and a mere 14-year-old boy, no less. Oh, how excited I am to meet you...Xuan Kai."

Then, suddenly crushing the apple core in her hand with ease, the woman's lips twisted upwards into a sinister sneer, and she laughed evilly.

"Hehehehehe~Shenzhen, and everyone within it, will soon all become mine...just wait a little longer, my servants..."