After settling Minami Rika, who was exhausted from their half-night of activities, Su Yan glanced outside. The sky was beginning to brighten. He checked the clock on the wall; it was already 6:52 AM, just a few minutes shy of 7:00.
Instead of heading to bed like the others, Su Yan turned and entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Thanks to his awakened Nen and his youthful, boundless vitality, he felt no physical or mental fatigue even after pulling an all-nighter and engaging in consecutive, intense bouts with Busujima Saeko and Minami Rika.
He thought it over. Miyamoto Rei and Takagi Saya had been up all night and hadn't learned Nen yet, so they definitely wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. There was no need to prepare breakfast for them; he would just wake them for lunch. Minami Rika was in a similar state.
He decided to prepare enough for four people: himself, Busujima Saeko, Marikawa Shizuka, and Takagi Yuriko. Of course, he would make a little extra, just in case.
With a plan in mind, Su Yan worked quickly. It didn't take long before breakfast was ready. He set the table and then pushed open the door to the room where Busujima Saeko was resting.
The purple-haired girl lay peacefully on the bed, her brow relaxed and the corners of her mouth curled into a tiny, satisfied smile in her sleep. Her posture was exceptionally relaxed, appearing completely unguarded.
Watching her sleeping face, Su Yan couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. No matter how bloodthirsty she was at her core or how much she loved slaughter, the radiance of her youth remained unmistakable. Just like now. Who would have thought that this girl with such a cute sleeping expression was the same warrior who had cut down thousands of zombies last night?
Seeing this, Su Yan found himself in no hurry to wake her. He leaned over the edge of the bed and slowly extended a mischievous hand toward the defenseless girl. Using his thumb and index finger, he pinched a lock of her purple hair and gently brushed it across her face.
In her sleep, Saeko's eyebrows knit together. She clearly felt the discomfort of the hair tickling her cheek. She reached out and swiped at her face, trying to push away the source of the irritation.
Su Yan, still intent on his mischief, wasn't about to let her succeed. Just as her hand was about to pass over her face, he pulled the lock of hair back, making her miss. When she retracted her hand, he started again.
After repeating this three times, Saeko finally realized something was wrong. Her eyes snapped open, her purple pupils flashing with annoyance. She clearly had a case of morning grumpiness.
However, the moment she saw Su Yan leaning over the bed, still holding the lock of hair, her anger vanished. It was replaced by a complex mix of joy and a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Good morning, Saeko-senpai," Su Yan said with a faint smile, showing no embarrassment at being caught in the act.
"Good morning, Su Yan-kun." Saeko turned onto her side, propping her head up with her hand as she gazed at him. "Is this your idea of a wake-up service? I must say, I'm not very satisfied with your performance."
"Oh? Then what kind of wake-up service would you prefer, Senpai?" Su Yan countered.
"Instead of this bratty teasing, I would have preferred for my junior to wake me with a kiss, like a Prince Charming waking Snow White." Saeko winked playfully, her purple eyes full of life. She opened her arms toward him. "Would you?"
Su Yan chuckled. He hadn't expected Saeko to show such a spoiled, coquettish side of herself, especially right after seeing her cute sleeping face. Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.
He gently brushed the hair away from her face and pulled her up from the bed into his arms. His gaze fixed on her luscious lips, and he kissed her without hesitation.
After a long moment, they pulled apart. Su Yan looked down at her. "Was that enough?"
"Yes, it was." Saeko nodded with satisfaction, a trace of lingering infatuation in her eyes.
"Since it's enough, get up and get ready for breakfast. After we eat, we're going back out to kill more zombies."
The path to becoming stronger could not wait. If it were any other woman, Su Yan wouldn't have said something so mood-killing. But this was Busujima Saeko. To her, the prospect of killing zombies was probably more enticing than a date at an amusement park.
"Okay," Saeko replied softly.
"Right. I'll go wake the others for breakfast."
Su Yan left Saeko's room and headed into the one shared by Marikawa Shizuka and Takagi Yuriko. As soon as he entered, he was met with a resentful glare.
It was Takagi Yuriko. Marikawa Shizuka was sleeping soundly, though her sleeping posture was terrible; she was clinging to Yuriko like a koala.
"You're finally here..." Yuriko said, her voice sounding hollow and weary.
Seeing the sophisticated, intellectual woman looking so utterly drained, Su Yan found it hilarious. To think that this deep-thinking woman could be pushed to the brink of a breakdown so easily by Shizuka. Was this what they called a natural counter?
What Su Yan didn't know was that Shizuka wasn't just being clumsy. She was actually quite purposeful. In the early hours of the morning while Su Yan was busy with Minami Rika, Yuriko had repeatedly assured Shizuka that she wouldn't cause any trouble. Shizuka, however, had ignored her and insisted on clinging to her while she slept.
The worst part was that because Shizuka had been a Nen user for a while now, her strength was terrifying. If Yuriko didn't struggle, it was fine, but the moment she tried to break free, the blonde woman's body would lock onto her like a set of shackles, pinning her down. And she wouldn't wake up no matter what.
After an entire night, this was the result. Shizuka had slept like a baby, while Yuriko hadn't closed her eyes once.
"Should I leave then?" Su Yan teased, making a move as if to turn around.
"Don't! Wait!" Yuriko knew he was teasing her, but she couldn't help but plead. "Please, Su Yan-kun, save me."
She really couldn't take another minute of being held by this blonde woman. If Su Yan actually left, she would be miserable.
"Fine." Su Yan nodded, satisfied with the amusing scene. He had no intention of leaving her stranded; after all, he was there to wake them for breakfast anyway.
Smack!
Su Yan reached out and gave Shizuka's plump rear a light slap, producing a dull thud. "Shizuka-nee, time to get up."
"Huh? Is it morning already?" Shizuka finally woke up. She sat up in bed and looked at Su Yan, acting spoiled. "I want Little Su Yan to carry me up."
Yuriko gritted her teeth at the sight. 'Is this woman faking it?' Yuriko had tried to wake her all night to no avail, yet she woke up instantly just because Su Yan slapped her backside. Did she have some kind of special switch back there?
"Alright, everyone up. Breakfast is ready." Su Yan picked up Shizuka, who was acting like a child, and then turned to Yuriko. "I have something to discuss with you after breakfast."
"Is it about Nen?" Yuriko asked.
"Yes and no." Su Yan shook his head and asked her a question. "When do you think this crisis caused by these zombie monsters will actually end?"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]