"President, let me say it one more time—what happened just now was an accident."
"I know."
"I only came back because I received a message from Miss Haruno."
"I know."
"I didn't mean anything of that sort."
"I know."
By now Meguri Shiromeguri had turned into an "I know" answering machine, completely ignoring whatever Lin Ye said—her reply was always "I know."
Lin Ye took a step closer.
Meguri Shiromeguri still didn't react much, only watching Lin Ye with a slightly dazed and worried expression.
The meaning in those eyes was simple as well: do as you please, you can do whatever you want.
What had just happened had dealt Meguri Shiromeguri an enormous blow.
Lin Ye had a headache.
Having already left a fixed impression in Meguri Shiromeguri's heart, at this stage it would be very hard for him to change certain notions she held of him.
Either that… or—
Forget it.
Lin Ye shook his head and stepped back, distancing himself.
"I'll head back first. President, get some good rest."
With that, he once again left the room and closed the door behind him.
'Click…'
But inside the room, after quite a while, Meguri Shiromeguri realized that Lin Ye had already left—and that her body had been seen completely bare by Lin Ye.
This, this future… what was she going to do!?
"No one will ever marry me now."
"Boo-hoo-hoo…"
She covered her cheeks with her hands.
The pure-hearted Meguri Shiromeguri still clung to certain ideas.
She'd been touched, she'd been seen completely bare—how was she supposed to find another man now?
Apart from Lin Ye, it seemed she could no longer find a better match.
She slapped her hands together, venting the gloom in her heart.
After a good while, she lowered her hands and lay collapsed on the bed, her whole body limp.
For her, this was already the most thrilling thing that had ever happened in her life.
Something she had always assumed only happened in anime and novels had actually happened to her—Meguri Shiromeguri never would have imagined it.
In the instant she opened the door and saw that the person standing there was Lin Ye, her brain had gone into a brief short-circuit.
Everything that followed came from her own instinct, and even now, recalling it, that flush of embarrassment kept surfacing again and again.
Especially the way she'd given up struggling at the end and let it all happen—
She couldn't help but cover her cheeks with both hands again.
"Boo-hoo-hoo—"
"I can't face anyone now."
"How could Sis Haruno do this—how could she contact Lin Ye and make him come back!"
She couldn't figure it out, couldn't make sense of it.
She had clearly said she'd come, so why hadn't she?
Meguri Shiromeguri's mind had already turned into a muddled mush.
'Ding-dong…'
'Ding-dong…'
Who knew how much time had passed when Meguri Shiromeguri heard the doorbell again.
It took her a good while to get up before she walked toward the door once more.
It was probably… Lin Ye coming back again.
This time, she had already prepared herself mentally.
Meguri Shiromeguri opened the door.
"Meguri~"
Along with that call, Haruno barged in and threw her arms around Meguri Shiromeguri, kicking the door shut in the same motion.
"S-Sis Haruno…"
Meguri Shiromeguri froze, at a total loss.
"Hehe, it's me! Meguri, I've come, hehehe, mmm, you smell so good."
As Haruno hugged her, she leaned her head in and took a deep, forceful breath, as if she wanted to thoroughly sniff Meguri Shiromeguri all over.
Meguri Shiromeguri was completely startled.
She never in a million years expected that the person who came this time would be Haruno.
"R-really, Sis Haruno, didn't you say… you weren't coming?"
Even now she could hardly believe it.
It was just that the woman before her really was Haruno—of that Meguri Shiromeguri was certain.
"That's what I told Lin Ye-kun. If I'd said I was coming, wouldn't he have stayed here waiting for me to arrive?"
She wouldn't have dared.
She definitely had to make sure Lin Ye had left before she dared come here.
If Lin Ye hadn't left, she'd have decided not to come tonight at all—not to come and take advantage of this adorable little junior.
"Then… then Sis Haruno, why did you just now… why did you…"
Why did she contact Lin Ye and make him come back!?
That was what had exposed her completely in front of Lin Ye.
"I originally thought I'd come see you, but partway through I reconsidered and figured it wasn't a good idea, so I thought I'd not come. Don't tell me—Meguri, did Lin-kun do something to you?"
As she spoke, Haruno began sizing her up, her gaze scanning up and down, as if she wanted to see right through what had happened to Meguri Shiromeguri.
Meguri Shiromeguri shook her head furiously, denying it over and over.
"Nothing, nothing—"
"Really nothing? Lying isn't what good girls do, you know!"
She cupped Meguri Shiromeguri's cheeks and said with a hehe laugh,
"Noth—"
"I'm getting angry."
At those words, Meguri Shiromeguri caved and spoke up, "There is, there is…"
"Tell me, tell me quick—"
Under Haruno's urging, Meguri Shiromeguri had no choice but to open her mouth, "When Student Lin Ye came just now, I, I…"
It wasn't a long story, but stretched out by her shyness and embarrassment it took several minutes before she finished, and once she was done, Meguri Shiromeguri clamped her mouth shut.
Haruno's eyes went wide, and a broad enough smile curved at the corners of her mouth. "So that kind of thing really did happen. How unexpected, truly unexpected."
Indeed—
Haruno had actually guessed at something like this, but she'd always felt that for such a thing to happen in reality—especially since she had deliberately tricked Lin Ye into returning to the hotel room—wasn't necessarily going to succeed.
Yet in reality it had succeeded.
Lin Ye and Meguri Shiromeguri had accidentally fallen into each other's arms on the floor.
All one could say was that when coincidences pile up, they really are impossible to stop.
"What a shame."
"Hm?"
Facing Haruno's sighing remark, Meguri Shiromeguri froze.
"Meguri's charm was just a tiny bit short—it didn't even move Lin-kun enough to make a move."
Meguri Shiromeguri: ???
From the sound of Sis Haruno's words, it seemed she had actually been hoping Lin Ye would make a move.
That's not right! How could Sis Haruno think that way!?
"A body that made even me feel a stir, such a beautiful girl, and Lin-kun didn't have a single thought about it—laid out bare right in front of him and yet he stayed all upright-gentleman, unmoved in heart and hand. I really can't understand it, I truly can't understand it."
As Haruno sighed she shook her head again and again.
Just as Meguri Shiromeguri was about to speak, Haruno raised her hand and brought it down with a 'smack.'
"Sis Haruno—"
A certain part having taken a heavy hit, Meguri Shiromeguri blushed intensely and let out a whimpering, bashful sound.
She was somewhat resentful, somewhat mortified.
"This feel, this sound, how wonderful! And Lin-kun didn't have a single thought about it—what a shame, truly what a shame. If I were a man, I'd definitely devour Meguri clean, three times a day—no, no, seven times a day, starting with seven days straight."
She estimated the time as she spoke.
Meguri Shiromeguri was left blushing furiously and bashful without end—though of course the most important reason was that Haruno's hands weren't behaving.
Intense stimulation kept assaulting her.
Meguri Shiromeguri struggled, wanting to break free, but Haruno held her tightly, giving Meguri Shiromeguri no chance to escape at all.
"S-Sis Haruno… that's enough already!"
She spoke with a flushed face.
For her, this was already the limit; any further and her body was liable to show a more obvious reaction.
"Enough?"
Haruno asked back, then let go.
"Meguri really doesn't have a shred of experience."
Her regretful tone left Meguri Shiromeguri not even knowing how to respond.
"Shouldn't a boy be even more interested in developing an inexperienced girl like Meguri?"
Meguri Shiromeguri didn't know what to say to that.
How would she know!?
She had no experience at all.
"S-Sis Haruno… experience… you have… lots of experience," Meguri Shiromeguri stammered out, but it made Haruno's expression freeze.
She, experienced?
Experience at flirting and teasing she had plenty of, but actual experience was zero, none whatsoever.
And this reaction, too, fell into Meguri Shiromeguri's field of view.
"Sis Haruno has no experience either, and yet you're still putting on this seasoned-veteran act in front of me. Hmph…"
She gave a hmph and slapped Haruno's hand, and this time Haruno let go, whereupon Meguri Shiromeguri took the chance to wrap her bath towel snugly around herself.
Even though it was in front of Haruno, she still didn't much want to expose her own body.
"Don't!"
Once Haruno noticed, she immediately drew close, reached out, and grabbed the bath towel, tugging with a bit of force to pull it down—but Meguri Shiromeguri reacted in time and clung to it for dear life.
"Sis Haruno, don't pull it."
"I'm going to pull it."
"No."
"We're both girls, what's there to be shy about? Don't tell me Lin-kun left some kind of mark on Meguri's body?"
"As if!"
"Then what's the problem with taking it off? It's not like I haven't seen it anyway, right?"
As she said this, Haruno put more strength into it.
But even Haruno had to spend a great deal of effort before she succeeded in tugging it off.
Compared to yesterday, when just a bit of force had been enough to subdue Meguri Shiromeguri and rob her of the power to resist, this body of Haruno's really didn't have much strength.
Haruno grew envious of Lin Ye's Constitution. That wasn't merely because a man's body naturally had such strength—it was even more because he was a player, and so he had a body of that caliber.
Haruno recalled the situation when she and Lin Ye had been in the instance world; Lin Ye's physical qualities had been an important factor in his ability to bring them out alive.
She wanted to grow stronger too, but she also knew that world was simply far too dangerous for her.
Only after experiencing it once did she understand the peril within. Haruno had once even had the thought of taking part, but now that thought was very, very rare.
If she could live well, live at leisure, why go and risk her life!?
"Sis Haruno…"
"So pretty."
Haruno praised outright.
"Lin-kun saw such a pretty body and yet didn't have the slightest reaction or thought—bad review, bad review. Is Lin-kun even a man!? This is a body that stirred even me just from looking."
Meguri Shiromeguri was covered in a red flush, both hands crossed to cover herself, her legs stepping backward one step at a time.
And Haruno kept pressing forward, lifting a hand to tip up Meguri Shiromeguri's chin. "My adorable Meguri, tonight big sis is going to sleep here and spend the night!"
Meguri Shiromeguri had never intended to refuse in the first place—when Haruno first said she'd come, she'd been happy for quite a while—it was just that with Haruno putting it that way now, she felt she shouldn't just agree outright.
If she agreed too quickly, wouldn't it make Sis Haruno think she was a pushover?
"Um, Sis Haruno, I…"
"No refusing. You don't have the right to refuse."
With that, Haruno withdrew her hand. "I'll go freshen up and take a shower first. Today I'll bask in Meguri's good fortune and spend a night at this fancy hotel."
Meguri Shiromeguri could only sigh helplessly.
Her family was of ordinary means; there was no way she could afford a hotel like this, nor would she choose one—but an Eldest Miss of a prestigious family like Sis Haruno, how could she possibly not afford a hotel like this?
On her everyday outings she probably stayed at high-end hotels just like this.
'Splash-splash…'
Haruno went to shower.
"Whoa! Meguri's panties~"
Meguri Shiromeguri: ???
"I'm keeping these. I'll give them to Lin-kun as a gift."
"Don't! Sis Haruno—"
"Meguri can have my panties."
"Who'd want those!?"
"Lin-kun would! Hahaha."
The room was full of cheerful laughter.
Meguri Shiromeguri looked at the reflection in the direction of the bathroom, both exasperated and happy.
Sis Haruno still hadn't changed much—she still loved to tease and mess with people—but Meguri didn't resent it. Now, she even felt a sense of nostalgia.
Over twenty minutes later, Haruno came out toweling her hair.
"Meguri, come dry my hair for me."
"Mm-hm."
Meguri Shiromeguri padded over behind Haruno and, taking up the hair dryer, kept blowing at Haruno's hair.
'Whirr-whirr-whirr…'
"It's been so long since I dried Sis Haruno's hair."
"And whose fault is that but Meguri's?"
Meguri Shiromeguri: ???
"Why is it my fault?"
"Who told Meguri not to find herself a boyfriend? If you found a boyfriend, I'd definitely be very interested to come take a look—come and tease Meguri's boyfriend a little."
"I'm not going to. Boyfriends are no fun at all."
Meguri Shiromeguri said immediately.
In the past she'd had ideas and expectations about romance, but now she really didn't have much interest.
Being threatened and pressured like that by Lin Ye had made her hugely wary of both romance and men.
It hadn't quite reached the point of condemning them all with one blow, but the aversion was certainly there.
"Oh-ho, I'm definitely going to tell Lin-kun that. Lin-kun is Meguri's boyfriend now, after all."
"Ah! He… he doesn't count as that."
Meguri Shiromeguri voiced what she really thought.
Even though she had already agreed to Lin Ye, and on the surface had already accepted it, deep down in her heart she still didn't accept it. In front of Haruno, someone who knew the whole story, she could speak her true feelings.
"Oh!"
Haruno turned slightly to look at the girl beside her. "Isn't he?"
"Mm, uh, mm."
"That won't do. How can you go back on something you've agreed to!?"
"Sis Haruno doesn't think from my perspective at all."
"I'm your good big sis—how could I not think from your perspective? Even if you want to say you and Lin-kun aren't boyfriend and girlfriend, you'd first have to break up, right? What if Lin-kun happened to find out you think this way and used it again to threaten you and demand compensation—what would you do then?"
Put that way, Meguri Shiromeguri felt the possibility was quite high.
If Lin Ye really found out, she'd probably keep getting threatened!?
But then Meguri Shiromeguri recalled Lin Ye's behavior today, and felt the chance of Lin Ye doing something similar again was very, very small.
"It probably won't happen. Student Lin's conduct today was very much the upright gentleman—he didn't do anything to me at all."
"Oh-ho-ho, Meguri trusts Lin-kun that easily? A man's true nature—today he was probably just putting on a disguise; yesterday's him was his real heart! Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after, he'll show his true side again."
That gave Meguri Shiromeguri some worry, but after wrestling and struggling with it for a while, in the end she didn't think any deeper on it.
"Anyway, Sis Haruno wouldn't tell him about this, right!?"
Now Meguri Shiromeguri actually held a tiny sliver of doubt about Haruno's tightlippedness—after all, Sis Haruno had even told Lin Ye about something that secret.
"Is Meguri not trusting me now?"
"No, no, no, that's not it."
Meguri Shiromeguri shook her head hard. "Of course I trust Sis Haruno."
But even hearing that, Haruno couldn't fully believe it.
"Meguri really doesn't trust me after all. Fine, if you don't trust me, you don't trust me—it just so happens I can go tell Lin-kun."
"Ah!"
Meguri Shiromeguri's eyes flew open. "S-Sis Haruno, what… what did I just hear?"
"I'll tell Lin-kun, so Meguri, you'd better prepare yourself mentally!"
"No, no, don't!"
Meguri Shiromeguri suddenly grew agitated.
"What are you afraid of? Anyway, the worst case is just being taken to a hotel by Lin-kun to spend the night—what's there to be scared of? After all, you'd already prepared yourself mentally for tonight."
"I did not."
"Heh, you think I'd believe that?"
"I didn't, means I didn't."
"I'm your Senpai, and you were raised entirely by my own hand—how could I not understand you?"
"I, I did this… wasn't it all for Sis Haruno's sake? If Student Lin exposes it, Sis Haruno, you'd be in trouble too!"
"I'd actually be fine. If it really gets exposed, then let Lin-kun take responsibility."
Meguri Shiromeguri felt like she'd just heard yet another shocking thing.
Let Lin Ye take responsibility? Haruno wasn't joking, was she!?
"It's true~ I'm rather interested in Lin-kun—very interested. If Meguri gets together with Lin-kun, you've got to help me out here!"
Meguri Shiromeguri thought for a moment and understood Haruno's meaning—Haruno wanted her to get close to Lin Ye and gather more of Lin Ye's intel, right!?
She wasn't about to do that.
In the past she had helped Haruno obtain intel on her younger Sister Yukino.
Now, to make her go and obtain intel on that dangerous man—she chose to refuse.
It was too dangerous; she might well have to pay a heavy price.
"No."
"Meguri."
"No way."
Meguri Shiromeguri refused firmly.
This gave rise in Haruno to an urge to bully her.
The hair had long since been dried, and at this point she wrapped her arms around Meguri Shiromeguri's waist and, hauling the girl along, brought her to the bed, pinning the girl down.
"Meguri, what comes next is us girls' time."
"Sis Haruno, this… no good."
"This is fine—we've done it before anyway."
"Ah, hahahaha…"
Under the tickling, Meguri Shiromeguri laughed with a face full of springtime radiance, and the whole room brimmed with cheerful laughter.
Listening to that laughter, Haruno's heart relaxed quite a bit.
It really had been a very, very long time since she'd spent days like this.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Ye, who had left the hotel building, was once again walking the road toward Yukino's apartment.
"Got played by Haruno."
It was because Haruno had messaged him saying she was at the hotel that he'd turned back and gone there.
But the result was that he happened to run into Meguri Shiromeguri fresh from her bath.
Lin Ye knew very well that Haruno had absolutely anticipated this scene, but what happened afterward was inevitably a matter of numerous coincidental factors.
If Haruno could even induce that, then she was probably a player holding some special skill too.
But clearly, Haruno couldn't be a player.
All one could say was that Haruno had guessed it out on her own, reckoning that if she lured him back to the hotel, some ambiguous things might happen.
But the problem was, even if he did return, so what?
He wasn't the kind of man who'd act the moment he saw a pretty girl. As for beauties, he'd seen more than one or two; the beauties he'd met, the beauties he'd interacted deeply with, were more than one or two as well.
Take Isshiki, for instance—this adorable little junior had already thrown herself at him, and hadn't he still refused?
Take Haruno herself—Haruno was a popular great beauty too, and yet hadn't he still sat unmoved with her in his arms, without a single thought?
Haruno tempting him over and over like this, even bringing in her own little junior—was she really not going to give up until she hit the Yellow River?
It was probably just like that.
Perhaps in Haruno's mind, an attempt like this carried no great pressure for her; if it failed, it just failed, and she herself lost nothing—but if it succeeded, then the payoff would be enormous.
Once a breach was opened in this aspect of him, what came next would be more and more offensives.
Haruno was probably thinking that this way she could get a further grip on him.
Lin Ye shook his head.
He had his own thoughts about Haruno's thoughts, but that woman underestimated him far too much.
What even his own Sister Yukino hadn't accomplished, what even Mai hadn't accomplished—how could a few girls with not the slightest emotional foundation possibly win him over!?
'Knock-knock-knock…'
Lin Ye arrived at the door of Yukino's apartment and knocked on the apartment door.
After only a short while, the apartment door opened, and a girl with long black hair in gray loungewear appeared before his eyes.
"Yukino, good evening."
Lin Ye greeted her first.
Looking at Yukino's icy manner, a trace of worry welled up in Lin Ye's heart—this girl was angry again, wasn't she?
But it was fine; Lin Ye had already mastered the method for dealing with Yukino.
For dealing with this kind of girl—icy on the outside but actually gentle within—all he had to do was express his liking and love for her; as for the method, that was even simpler.
Lin Ye had plenty of methods—like kissing, like kissing!
This was his specialized method against Yukino, and Lin Ye had succeeded with it who knew how many times.
Yukino looked at Lin Ye without saying anything, then turned and walked away.
Seeing this, Lin Ye immediately stepped inside and closed the door behind him in passing.
'Click…'
The door closed.
Lin Ye could smell that pleasant scent belonging to Yukino wafting through the air.
The hotel room had had Meguri Shiromeguri's fragrance, which was also very pleasant, but compared to Yukino's scent, the feeling it gave Lin Ye was a notch or two inferior—by who knew how much.
Lin Ye quickened his steps to catch up, came up behind Yukino, and from behind reached out to wrap his arms around the girl's slender waist.
"Let go."
Yukino didn't struggle, but demanded in a forceful tone that Lin Ye let go.
With this man she had to show a firm attitude—she absolutely couldn't let this man succeed easily, or else what came next would be endless trouble.
The moment she thought of the way Lin Ye pushed his luck inch by inch, she couldn't stop the anger in her heart, tinged with helplessness.
"Just for a bit."
Lin Ye did not let go.
How could he let go at a time like this—if he let go now, there wouldn't be much of a chance left today.
"Let go."
"I won't."
"Reeking of some other woman's scent, and you've got the right to hold me?"
The moment those words came out, Lin Ye was left awkward.
He probably did indeed carry another woman's scent on him.
But that was only a scent, nothing more.
"President Meguri Shiromeguri's scent… wasn't bad, right?"
Bland words, yet suffused with a jealous, vinegary edge and a note of interrogation.
Lin Ye started slightly, a touch nervous, but it quickly transformed into joy and delight.
Yukino's reaction made it plain she cared about him—she just didn't want anything to happen between him and Meguri Shiromeguri.
This was good.
Lin Ye gave a hehe laugh. "The President's scent really wasn't bad!"
As the words fell, Lin Ye felt the girl in his arms give a shudder—the natural reaction to shocking intel.
She clearly knew he wasn't the type of man to lust at the sight of beauty, and now he was deliberately saying such a thing—if he didn't get a good, harsh lesson for it, that wouldn't do.
Lin Ye let go, took Yukino's hand, and, despite the girl's slight reluctance, pulled her over to the sofa to sit down. He conveniently wrapped his arms around Yukino again, but Yukino still reached out to swat Lin Ye's hands away—though Lin Ye paid it no mind.
"See, President Meguri Shiromeguri is pretty, has a good figure, and her voice is sweet and gentle—completely a different feeling from a cool, aloof girl like Yukino."
The more Yukino listened, the more unpleasant it felt in her heart.
What was this guy going on about!?
Had this guy really done something with Meguri Shiromeguri?
She couldn't help but suspect it in her heart, yet she kept denying it too.
Because of that, she felt Lin Ye really wasn't that kind of person. Recalling her time together with Lin Ye—although Lin Ye constantly took liberties, that final step he had never once crossed; he had always restrained himself. So Yukino still felt that nothing intimate had happened between Lin Ye and Meguri Shiromeguri.
"And then!?"
Yukino replied with a single line.
"And then I had dinner with the President and went to the hotel."
'Snap…'
Yukino's navy-blue eyes went wide on the spot.
Went to the hotel? Wasn't this supposed to be seeing her home?
She had always assumed Lin Ye was seeing Meguri Shiromeguri home—after all, Lin Ye had always seen them home before. Even for Meguri Shiromeguri, she didn't think Lin Ye would leave without seeing her all the way to her door.
But going to a hotel was wrong no matter how you looked at it!?
"If you're teasing me, then don't."
"It's true—I really did go to a hotel with the President."
Lin Ye's tone was earnest.
Yukino's eyes turned cold; her attitude toward Lin Ye changed.
This bastard went to a hotel with Meguri Shiromeguri—what else could he have done there but that kind of thing?
"The President even took a bath. That figure of hers really is enticing—completely unlike you, Yukino."
Yukino was already trembling all over with anger.
This bastard even dared to say such things—this was… this was treating her as what?
Deliberately mocking her for having a poor figure, was he?
"Right, my figure is poor, I'm flat as a board, so someone shouldn't touch me!"
As she spoke, she smacked her hand down on Lin Ye's mischievous, liberty-taking left hand.
The crisp sound was unmistakable.
Yukino was very angry, and the consequences were serious—now she was actually putting force into her smacks, completely different from before.
At least in the past, when Yukino hit someone she used no strength at all, merely a token gesture to express her attitude, nothing more. But this time the degree of force made Lin Ye understand just how angry Yukino was.
Good.
Yukino having emotional fluctuations was actually a good thing.
Lin Ye paid it no mind and hugged Yukino's slender waist even more tightly.
"Let go of me."
"I won't let go—never letting go for the rest of my life."
"Let go."
"If I let go, I'll never be able to hold you again."
"Then go hold President Meguri Shiromeguri, the one whose figure you think is so good."
"Yukino's still better."
Oh really!?
So you really did hold her, huh!?
Yukino gritted her teeth, and quickly shifted into a cold-eyed state.
"Actually, I just like Yukino the way she is. I like Yukino—no matter what kind of figure Yukino has, I like her."
"Heh."
This kind of comforting nonsense—she didn't believe a single word.
A man's words are lies to the ghosts.
To coax a girl, a man will say anything; as long as he gets her into bed, by then…
But at this thought, Yukino negated it again, because the one thing she could be certain of was that Lin Ye really wasn't giving her this whole series of sweet words just to coax her into bed.
She had already been willing—all Lin Ye had to do was agree to one condition—but Lin Ye had refused. If he really were that kind of scumbag, he'd have agreed to the condition first, played her thoroughly, then dodged fulfilling his promise, and once he grew bored, pulled up his pants and fled. That would be the normal move.
How was he anything like Lin Ye, who would rather not touch her than make a promise?
"My true feelings, Yukino—I really, really do like you, no matter what you become."
"Heh, if I got disfigured, you'd run faster than anyone."
Yukino suddenly put forward a hypothesis.
But this kind of hypothesis surprised Lin Ye greatly, because in Lin Ye's view Yukino was absolutely not the kind of girl to put forward a hypothesis seeking an answer.
For Yukino to do this now—wasn't this showing how much Yukino cared about him, cared about his true feelings for her?
This was a good thing, a truly good thing.
"First—setting aside that such a situation couldn't possibly occur—with me here, Yukino couldn't possibly run into a situation resulting in disfigurement."
Lin Ye spoke first.
"You really have confidence in yourself."
"Of course—I've got ability, after all. Doesn't Yukino know that?"
His abilities were already so numerous that even Yukino didn't know exactly what they all were.
Besides perspective, Invisibility, Hypnosis and so on, what else was there? Yukino truly had no idea whatsoever.
"If—I'm saying if—I did get disfigured? You still haven't answered this question."
"If such a situation really did occur, I could cure it. Setting aside current medical technology—even if current medical technology weren't enough for a case of disfigurement, I imagine that world could also offer a way to restore one's looks."
Although Yukino didn't know what other miraculous existences that world held, she knew the possibility Lin Ye spoke of existed, and was quite high at that. If even abilities like perspective and Invisibility existed, then a miraculous drug to restore one's looks—wouldn't that be an even simpler matter?
"But you still haven't answered: after I'm disfigured and it can't be restored, what's your choice—stay by my side, or run?"
She added another attached condition.
This condition made Lin Ye laugh.
This was exactly the girl showing she cared about his answer.
The first two answers hadn't satisfied the girl at all.
"Let's get married."
Those words left Yukino utterly stunned.
For a moment she even doubted whether she was hallucinating.
"Let's get married. I said, let's get married. If Yukino can't feel at ease, then we'll get married, and use this marriage bond to put Yukino's mind at ease."
In this moment, Yukino realized she hadn't misheard—Lin Ye really had said it, really had said he'd marry her.
This guy was using this way to answer her.
Yukino pursed her lips.
"Not willing? Don't want to marry me?"
Lin Ye pressed.
At the same time, his hand caressed the girl's exquisite cheek, and this time the girl no longer refused, letting Lin Ye caress her.
"What about Miss Sakurajima?"
She suddenly said.
"Does that even need saying? Once I've married you, what could there still be between me and her?"
A single rhetorical question made Yukino's heart beat faster.
This was a promise to her—it was deciding that after marrying her, he would break up with Mai Sakurajima and cut things off cleanly?
Then, then if that were the case…
Yukino thought of something.
Tonight, shouldn't she be with Lin Ye—allow Lin Ye to touch her tonight—
No, no, it wasn't a matter of allowing or not allowing; it was a promise.
As long as Lin Ye cut things off cleanly with Mai Sakurajima, she would give herself to Lin Ye.
It all came too suddenly, catching Yukino somewhat off guard, and for a moment she grew nervous.
"Are you… serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. I'm very seriously telling you, Yukino, my true thoughts right now."
Facing Lin Ye's solemn expression, Yukino gradually accepted it, and chose to believe him.
Lin Ye had no need to deceive her; on certain matters, this guy was worth trusting.
"I… I understand."
The base of her ears had gone slightly red. With her right hand she brushed aside her long black hair, revealing a fair neck and sexy collarbones.
"You… go take a shower first. I… I'll wait for you in… in the bedroom."
After saying that, she had already, out of shame and embarrassment, glanced away, not daring to meet Lin Ye's eyes at all.
In this moment, she felt she had once again arrived at the most embarrassing moment of her life.
It took Lin Ye's brain a good while to catch up and understand what Yukino meant.
Shower, then wait for him in the bedroom?
This surely meant that.
This surely meant she was allowing him to do something to her tonight.
But hadn't Yukino said that unless he severed his ambiguous relationships with other women, otherwise…
Once this point surfaced in his mind, Lin Ye suddenly realized the reason.
Yukino had misunderstood—she'd mistakenly thought he intended to sever his relationship with Mai Sakurajima, because choosing to marry her naturally meant cutting off other women. That was Yukino's line of thinking.
And on that basis, Yukino had decided to fulfill the promise—to fulfill the vow she'd made to him that day, allowing him to do the most intimate act with her.
This girl, this girl…
Her earnest look made him both cherish her and, at the same time, feel even more troubled.
What was he supposed to do about this?
Tell her his real thoughts?
Lin Ye hesitated, worried that if he spoke his real thoughts, he'd definitely be beaten to death by Yukino.
Faced with the man beside her going quiet, Yukino gradually recovered her usual mood; although still a little shy, she'd reached the point where she could think rationally.
"What's wrong?"
Yukino asked.
She looked at Lin Ye's hand, hesitated a moment, then on her own initiative reached out and grasped Lin Ye's hand.
The instant their skin touched, a subtle feeling arose in her heart.
This feeling, Lin Ye had it too.
But compared to Yukino, Lin Ye was actually a bit happier—all along it had been him taking the initiative to hold Yukino's hand; Yukino taking the initiative could be called exceedingly rare.
"…"
Lin Ye still stayed silent.
Yukino's curiosity instead grew even stronger. "I'm your girlfriend, your fiancée. I think you can tell me your troubles—I can share the burden."
"I'm worried that after I say it, you'll get angry."
Lin Ye turned his head and met the eyes of the girl beside him.
Yukino thought about it and shook her head. "I won't."
Lin Ye was even willing to promise marriage and to break up with Mai Sakurajima; her tolerance for Lin Ye was now very high, so she wouldn't get angry over just anything. Even if she really did get angry, she'd adjust herself.
"Really?"
"Really. When have I ever lied to you?"
Yukino said as she brushed aside the black hair beside her ear.
"All right, what I actually want to say is…"
Lin Ye took a deep breath and immediately spoke, "I'm going to marry Yukino—I'm going to marry Yukino."
What was there to get angry about that?
Shouldn't she be happy instead?
Yukino couldn't help but think.
"I'm also going to marry Mai—I'm also going to marry Mai Sakurajima."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "…"
Yukino, who had once thought she was hearing things, finally confirmed she hadn't been hearing things—she had genuinely, truly heard what Lin Ye said.
After marrying her, he still wanted to marry Mai Sakurajima?
This man—was he serious?
"Lin Ye, what kind of joke is this?"
"Yukino, you said you wouldn't get angry."
That single line swallowed back the emotions about to erupt. Yukino forced them down and continued, "After marrying me you still want to marry Mai Sakurajima—what do you take marriage for?"
"Taking ten thousand steps back—Japan doesn't allow polygamy at all. Even if you want to marry, how would you marry?"
The rhetorical questions came one after another.
Yukino Yukinoshita was still very angry.
"I'll… change nationality."
Yukino Yukinoshita: ???
She too had heard that certain countries still maintained a polygamous marriage system.
If Lin Ye changed his nationality, these problems really might no longer exist.
But she wasn't willing!
On what grounds would Lin Ye do this!?
She would absolutely never be willing to share with another woman—she could scarcely even share love, let alone marriage.
"Stop joking. There's no way I'll agree, and Miss Mai Sakurajima won't possibly agree either. Just stop daydreaming."
With that single line, Yukino continued to deny it.
"Not agreeing now doesn't mean not agreeing in the future."
"Heh."
"For instance—could Yukino, a few months ago, have imagined she'd be nestled against my side like a bird relying on me, the way she is now?"
That single line made Yukino Yukinoshita jolt.
She came to her senses and thought about it—it really was so.
The her of a few months ago—forget being like this with Lin Ye—she couldn't even have been this intimate with a fellow girl, let alone with a man.
So there had indeed been a change.
But having changed didn't mean she would necessarily change to the point of agreeing to Lin Ye's unreasonable idea in the future.
"The past is the past, the present is the present, the future is the future."
"Right—so Yukino also admits the future will have changes, will have this possibility."
This guy was stubborn as a mule, not listening to a word, was he?
"It won't."
"Yukino, even you don't have any conviction hearing yourself say that."
In the end, it drew toward a close with Yukino falling silent on this topic.
And Lin Ye, naturally, continued to declare his stance—that he would definitely realize that future.
What came back to Lin Ye was only two words from Yukino—"Dream on."
If dreaming could make it come true, Lin Ye figured who knew how many men under heaven would be willing to have this beautiful dream.
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