Chapter 298: Who Would Use a Princess Hug?

Mami Endo had a beautiful, dramatic line all prepped and ready—only to choke on it as Jiangxia Tongzhi's shoulder jabbed straight into her stomach.

Head dangling down and blood rushing to her face, she dangled helplessly over his back. The dreamy, pink romance bubbles in her mind slowly popped into question marks.

This… this wasn't right. Wasn't the hero supposed to cradle the beauty in his arms? Why did this one feel like being kidnapped by a burglar?

She wasn't sure whether it was exhaustion, fury, or smoke inhalation, but as she stared at the world upside down, she blacked out.

Jiangxia straightened up, still carrying her like a sack of rice.

In that moment, he understood. Mami Endo had wanted a "princess carry."

But... carrying someone like that took both hands. Right now, he needed one hand free.

He turned, eyes flicking forward.

Sawai had appeared at the other end of the hallway. He held a fire extinguisher, and the flames around him were already dwindling.

He looked at Jiangxia—at Mami Endo slung over his shoulder—and frowned ever so slightly.

Then he stepped forward, holding out the extinguisher. It wasn't just an offer—he clearly wanted to trade. Mainly, he wanted to hold Mami Endo. Preferably so she'd wake up and see him first.

Jiangxia didn't take the extinguisher. He didn't hand over the girl either.

He calmly stepped forward, his footfalls quiet on the scorched floorboards. As he passed Sawai, he tilted his head slightly and asked in a low voice,

"Did you enjoy setting the fire?"

Sawai froze, fake smile cracking. "You…!"

Jiangxia didn't wait for the rest. Without another glance, he walked toward the exit, leaving behind only the steady, righteous outline of his back.

Sawai's eyes stayed locked on that back, his expression twisting. Then—rage. A dark surge bubbled up as he clenched the extinguisher.

Heavy. Solid. Blunt.

Yeah, Sawai thought grimly. This would make a perfect weapon.

No one was watching. The smoke still veiled him. His eyes narrowed coldly—and he charged forward.

Bang.

"AHHHHHHHH—!!!!!"

…

…

When Mami Endo woke up again, she was in a hospital bed.

The doctor had just left, and her two college besties were by her side.

From the neighboring ward came a distant, pig-like shriek of pain.

Mami Endo blinked, stunned. Before she could ask, her friends were already whispering in gossipy excitement:

"Right after Jiangxia went into the burning villa, Sawai ran in too. But a beam fell and smashed his leg—fractured clean."

"At first, everyone thought he'd gone in to rescue someone and just failed. Poor guy, right? But then the cops showed up—and the villa's owner and the insurance folks—turns out the fire wasn't an accident."

"Sawai set it himself! He wanted to act out some 'hero saves the beauty' drama to win you over."

"If Jiangxia hadn't seen through it… not only would you have been in danger, but we might've had to share liability too! Ugh, what a fool!"

Their concern was touching—until you noticed the bit about compensation sharing. But Mami Endo wasn't listening too closely.

She lay quietly, staring up at the ceiling.

Just hearing Jiangxia's name made her ribs ache a little.

But...

…

Later that day, Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki were done giving statements at the police station. Jiangxia had left early—he seemed to have other matters.

The two girls, on the other hand, had free time. They decided to drop by the hospital to visit their "tragically injured" senior, Mami Endo. Conan, of course, tagged along like a tiny shadow.

They brought a small bag of get-well-soon items and gently knocked before entering the room.

They had expected Mami to be asleep. Instead, they found her already sitting up, gazing at them with an expression that was… complicated. Very complicated. Like she'd just had a long conversation with her soul.

Ran and Sonoko tiptoed in, quietly offering greetings, preparing to set down the gifts and leave.

But Mami weakly lifted her hand from beneath the blanket and patted the little stool beside her bed. It was a silent request: stay.

The two high school girls glanced at each other, mildly puzzled, then sat.

Conan, having no seat, hovered in the corner like a Buddhist observer.

Mami's two best friends had left after their gossip marathon. Now only the four of them remained.

Mami Endo looked at Ran with a sorrowful gaze and said in a low voice, "Thank you. I heard you were the first one who wanted to rush in and save me… Jiangxia must've been worried about your safety. That's why he ran in so decisively, right?"

Ran: "…"

That was… technically half true. But something about the rest of the logic felt skewed. She opened her mouth, about to clarify that Jiangxia would've charged in regardless of who was there.

But Sonoko, standing nearby, had already read the medical chart and confirmed Mami wasn't seriously hurt—just worn out. That meant it was safe to stir the pot.

Hohoho, she laughed silently.

Before Ran could reply, Sonoko blurted out:

"Of course! Jiangxia has always been especially good to Ran-chan!"

Internally, she scratched out "Ran-chan" and mentally replaced it with "the two of us." But she didn't say it aloud. Too risky.

Sonoko had always suspected that Mami Endo had some kind of… ulterior motives toward Jiangxia.

So, she went on high alert.

To steer Mami off-course, she figured it would be best to create a seemingly unshakable love rival. Let Mami think she didn't stand a chance—then she'd retreat.

That's why she kept the "affection triangle" narrow. Adding more girls would dilute it, turn it into friendship. Less threatening. More open. Easier for a cunning senior to wedge herself in.

Sonoko's chessboard was unfolding. Whether she was playing the right game was another question entirely.

Ran, caught off guard, instinctively nodded along. Jiangxia was kind to everyone around him.

Then she froze mid-nod.

Wait. Something felt even more off now…

Mami leaned back against the pillows, gaze falling, her tone full of gentle defeat.

"Yes… I noticed a long time ago. He lights up when he sees the two of you."

Ran finally got it. Mami had completely misunderstood.

Quickly, she opened her mouth to clarify:

"Actually—"

*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.

Progress: 9/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS

Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.

Progress:2/10*

Glossary

Princess hug – The classic "carry someone in both arms" move often seen in romantic dramas or anime.

Buddhist (adj) – Chill, indifferent, going with the flow (used sarcastically or positively depending on tone).