"No."
Su Yan wanted to take things a step further, but Busujima Saeko suddenly caught his restless hand.
Su Yan looked at the girl before him and asked, "Are you sure?"
"It's still too early for this."
Busujima Saeko slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was dazed, and her breathing was slightly ragged.
Their eyes met; her gaze wavered, and she instinctively avoided Su Yan's intense stare. "I... I want to take a shower first."
Even though Su Yan told her she didn't smell like anything strange, she was still quite self-conscious.
"And after the shower?"
Su Yan gently caressed her cheek and tucked a stray strand of dark purple hair away from her lips, pinning it behind her ear as he pressed the question.
"We can talk about that after I'm done."
Busujima Saeko bit her lower lip, avoiding a direct answer.
With that, she immediately pushed Su Yan out of the room.
Su Yan looked at the closed door and rubbed his nose, a trace of excitement on his face.
He took a long, deep breath; the air still seemed to carry the faint, sweet scent of the girl.
Even though Saeko hadn't given a direct answer, the lack of a refusal was the best response he could have hoped for.
He couldn't help but think of the flaxen-haired girl, Miyamoto Rei, who had run off earlier.
If she had actually come back with him tonight, he definitely wouldn't have had this chance with Busujima Saeko.
After all, Su Yan wasn't trashy enough to pull a move like that; the first time should be the best possible experience for his partner.
He supposed what he lost on one side, he gained on the other.
Humming a little tune, Su Yan walked toward the kitchen with a light, leisurely step.
Time to add more dishes!
No matter what, he had to stir-fry at least two more dishes tonight!
After all, you need energy to do the hard work, right?
Meanwhile, inside the room, Busujima Saeko was caught in a dilemma.
However, she wasn't conflicted about whether to give herself to Su Yan.
That wasn't even a question.
Her love was as pure as the blade in her hand; once a choice was made, she never hesitated.
What Saeko was actually struggling with was which outfit she should change into.
This question truly stumped the girl.
After all, she usually wore either her Fujimi Academy school uniform or her training clothes for kendo.
She never imagined a day would come when she'd worry about what to wear.
Especially for a man.
Ever since she discovered the innate madness within her that craved battle and slaughter, she hadn't even dared to dream of such things.
Yet, Su Yan had barged into her world when she was at her most lost. He didn't care about her flaws and chose to accept her, even with her dark side.
So, she wanted to show Su Yan her best side and give herself completely to him.
Looking at the messy pile of clothes she had laid out on the bed, Saeko felt a headache coming on.
After a long while.
Saeko finally set her sights on an outfit she had never worn before.
'I choose you!'
In the kitchen.
Su Yan's hands flew, his movements in the kitchen so fast they left afterimages.
His motions were fluid and unaffected, as if he weren't cooking but performing a masterpiece.
Su Yan didn't know if Saeko was used to Chinese cuisine. Even if she wasn't, she likely wouldn't say anything and would simply offer polite praise.
He didn't want her to force herself, so in addition to the usual Chinese dishes, he decided to prepare a Japanese home-cooked meal as well.
This was no difficult task for him.
After some time.
Just as Saeko stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, she caught the fragrant aroma of cooking.
Following the scent, the girl curiously made her way to the kitchen and saw Su Yan hard at work.
"Su Yan, you actually know how to cook?" Saeko asked, looking surprised.
Su Yan replied instinctively, "This is just the beginning. I'm full of surprises."
Just as Su Yan was about to turn around, he felt a soft sensation from behind.
Her ample bosom pressed against his back.
Though not as outsized as Marikawa Shizuka's, her figure was certainly incomparable among her peers.
Most importantly, she possessed the vibrant, youthful energy of a young girl.
This was something older women could never reclaim, no matter how much they spent on cosmetic surgery or skincare.
Brushing back her damp hair with one hand, she leaned against his back, her face close to his. "Is this Nikujaga?"
"That's right."
Su Yan nodded.
Meat and potato stew and curry were arguably the most iconic home-cooked dishes in Japan.
They were simple to make; as long as you weren't a total disaster in the kitchen, the taste usually turned out fine.
He chose Nikujaga over curry because there were no pre-prepared curry roux blocks in the fridge.
"Are you making anything else besides this?"
Saeko's breath was sweet, her warm air brushing against Su Yan's face as she spoke.
It made his face feel itchy, and his heart felt much the same.
"That's it," Su Yan replied.
"Then leave the rest to me. I know how to make Nikujaga too."
Saeko grabbed the hand Su Yan was holding the spoon with and said, "Why don't you go take a shower first?"
"Is that okay?"
"Don't you want to? Then let's save some time."
Saeko tapped her index finger on Su Yan's chest playfully. "Or are you worried I'll poison the food?"
Poison?
What a joke. First of all, Saeko would never do such a thing.
Besides, what poison in this world could possibly affect a Nen user?
However, she had given him a reason he couldn't refuse.
Did he want to? Absolutely!
Then he was indeed in a hurry.
It seemed Saeko didn't quite understand men yet.
At their fastest, a man could be in and out of the shower in less than three minutes.
A little later, at the dining table.
Perhaps because both were anticipating what was to come, a rare silence fell over the table.
"Um... Saeko-senpai, are you full?" Su Yan took a few quick bites and looked at her.
"Mhm."
Saeko looked at her bowl, which still had most of its rice. Even though it was delicious, her mind was elsewhere, making the food taste like cardboard.
Su Yan suggested, "Then..."
"Okay!"
Saeko blurted out before he could finish.
Immediately after, she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
The sexual tension in the air skyrocketed.
Su Yan stood up, about to reach for Saeko's soft hand to move to the next stage.
"Little Su Yan, I'm back!"
Just then, the blonde airhead burst in, shattering the atmosphere. "I smell something good! Little Su Yan, what did you make today? I'm starving! That Minami Rika..."
She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Saeko. "Wait? Isn't this Busujima-san? Why are you in my house wearing my bathrobe?"
"Uh... I... I'm full. I'm going to my room to rest!"
Saeko's face turned beet red instantly.
She felt a strong sense of deja vu, as if she were having an affair and had just been caught by the wife.
Watching Saeko flee, Su Yan opened his mouth but found no words.
He could only turn around and flash a 'kind' smile at Marikawa Shizuka.
He was just about to score, and then Shizuka barged in to ruin everything.
'How dare she ruin my moment?!'
'Marikawa Shizuka! I'm going to teach you a lesson tonight!'
"Um... did I come back at a bad time?"
Seeing the 'kind' smile on Su Yan's face, even Shizuka realized something was wrong. She gulped and asked tentatively.
"No, you arrived just in time."
Su Yan said each word deliberately, "Come on. Get in the room with me."
"Um... I'm really hungry. Can I eat first? Even if I'm going to die, at least let me die with a full stomach!" Shizuka clutched her stomach, looking pitiful.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get your fill tonight. You'll definitely be satisfied."
With that, Su Yan immediately grabbed Shizuka and threw her over his shoulder.
Shizuka lightly patted his back and wailed, "Nooooo!"
Her tragic cry was so intense that even the two Snowball Beasts resting in the corner were startled.
But after seeing it was just Shizuka...
They quickly closed their eyes, not daring to watch for fear of getting caught in the crossfire.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]