Chapter 171: Yukari Steals the Bed? Then I'll Just Sleep at Eientei
Haruto stared at his sister resentfully. Only after Yakumo Ran finally released him did he mutter under his breath, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"It's not like I didn't save any for you..."
Under Yakumo Yukari's puzzled gaze, he reached into a gap once more. With a flourish worthy of a stage magician, he produced another perfectly packaged portion of taiyaki and held it out to her.
"Here. This one was bought specifically for you."
Yakumo Yukari silently accepted the offering. For a fleeting, almost imperceptible 0.1 seconds, a flicker of guilt crossed her features. It vanished as quickly as it came.
"Hmph. Don't think a simple bribe like this will work on me."
With that, she turned and stepped into a gap without a backward glance, her figure vanishing from the room.
After Yakumo Ran had also taken her leave, Haruto flopped back onto his bed. He closed his eyes and, with practiced ease, began to "fall asleep."
The moonlight, as soft and fluid as water, spilled silently over the windowsill.
About half an hour later...
The only sound in the room was the boy's long, steady breathing.
A gap silently tore open beside his bed, and from it, Yakumo Yukari emerged. Her gaze fell upon her brother, and a hint of helplessness softened her purple eyes. The quilt had been almost entirely kicked off, with just a single corner draped precariously over his waist.
"Honestly..." she murmured, her voice a whisper in the quiet room.
She stepped forward, her movements light and soundless, and gently pulled the quilt back up, tucking him in properly. Leaning down, she studied the boy's peaceful, sleeping face for a long moment before pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead.
"Goodnight, my little master."
She was just about to turn and depart when a hand shot out from beneath the covers, clamping around her wrist with surprising speed.
Before Yukari could even process what was happening, a sharp tug pulled her off balance. She tumbled onto the bed with a muffled gasp. The boy who had been "fast asleep" moments ago was now pinning her beneath him, his eyes wide open and sparkling with mischief, utterly devoid of drowsiness.
The moonlight quietly illuminated the scene, and even the sound of the wind outside the window seemed to hold its breath.
Pinned to the mattress, Yukari's own breathing hitched. The warmth of his body seeped through their thin layers of clothing, and the unique scent of the boy—of sunshine and ozone and something uniquely him—filled her senses. She couldn't help but swallow.
'Could it be...?'she thought, a faint blush warming her cheeks.'No, impossible.'
The thought was immediately and violently slapped away as she recalled the last time this little brat had put her in such a position. He had tilted her chin up, his face just inches from hers, only to declare with utmost seriousness, "Let's duel!"
"Didn't expect that, did you!" Haruto crowed, his grin triumphant.
"Let me go," Yukari said, feigning a hint of panic in her voice. She was curious to see what ridiculous game he was playing this time.
"Nope. Not until you answer a question."
"What is it?" Yukari's heart gave a little flutter, a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
"After you left just now," Haruto began, his expression dead serious, "were you banging your head against a wall while muttering over and over, 'I'm really not a youkai, I'm really not a youkai'?"
The next thing Haruto knew, he was embedded halfway into the wall. A shimmering, translucent barrier of a boundary surrounded him, clearly Yukari's work, having absorbed the entirety of the impact. He easily pried himself out of the plaster, his clothes only slightly dusty.
"Hey, hey! That was a completely unprovoked attack!"
"I'm going to sleep," Yukari announced, giving him a cool sidelong glance. Without another word, she wrapped herself up in his quilt, claiming the bed as her own.
"...That's my bed," Haruto protested weakly.
Yukari offered no response, already feigning sleep.
Seeing this, he had no choice. He sighed, changed into his pajamas, grabbed a spare pillow, and padded over to knock on Yakumo Ran's door.
There was no answer, even after a long wait.
Haruto pushed the door open to find the room completely empty. Although he was sure Ran wouldn't mind, he felt it wasn't right to use her room without permission.
There were still plenty of spare guest rooms in the manor.
However, the pillows and bedding weren't laid out, and the sheer effort of rummaging through closets for them felt monumental. As for going to Yukari's room, or worse, returning to his own to share a bed with the woman who had just usurped it... he decisively ruled out both options.
So, Haruto walked through the cool night air to Eientei. By this hour, most of its residents were already asleep, but there was, as always, one notable exception. He made his way to the room at the very end of the right corridor and, without preamble, pushed the door open.
Kaguya had just finished a game. She took off her headphones and was in the middle of a satisfying stretch when she saw Haruto stroll in, pillow tucked under his arm. Before she could even form a question, he had already climbed onto her bed, casually swept a pile of scattered snacks to the side, and curled up under the covers.
Watching this unfold, three large, shimmering question marks seemed to materialize above Kaguya's head.
'Is this guy for real? Is he actually here to crash in my bed?'
"Did that one from your place kick you out?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Something like that..." a listless voice mumbled from beneath her covers. "That woman took over my room and my bed."
"Then you could have just slept in her room."
"Hmm...?" Haruto sat up, giving her a look that clearly said, Are you serious?
He pulled out his phone, quickly added Kaguya to a group chat, and then, fighting off a wave of sleepiness, tagged someone named Su Ning one last time. He typed, 'You're finished,' and promptly fell back onto the pillow, dead to the world.
Kaguya was still reeling. Staring at the sudden group chat notification on her own phone and Haruto's nonsensical parting words, she was utterly bewildered.
Before she could make any sense of it, a new message popped up in the group.
[Su Ning: Heh, I'm finished? You even brought in another small fry. What, are you trying to give me another million?]
[Princess of Eientei:...]
[Princess of Eientei: @Su Ning, are you a bitch?]
...
When Haruto regained consciousness, it was already morning. He had to admit, the sleep had been incredibly refreshing. He stretched languidly and, as his vision cleared, saw Kaguya sitting in front of her computer, keyboard clattering away as she immersed herself in a game.
After his mind woke up a bit more, Haruto felt a flicker of surprise. He had half-expected Kaguya to have gotten into a full-blown flame war with that Su Ning person.
Kaguya's gaze, when she finally turned to him, was positively eerie.
"How do you have the nerve to sleep so soundly?" she hissed. "I thought that person was some lover you found on the side, deliberately playing the villain, calling people 'small fry'left and right."'What the hell does she mean by "playing the villain"?' The corner of Haruto's mouth twitched.
He picked up his phone and checked the chat history. It was remarkably brief. After those few exchanges with Kaguya, Su Ning hadn't replied again.
Haruto gave Kaguya a quick rundown of the situation, explaining who Su Ning was. Upon hearing that the other party was a mere four-tailed fox youkai who had the audacity to talk trash to Haruto, Kaguya's eyelids began to twitch uncontrollably.
"She... is that brave?" she commented, a note of disbelief in her voice.
Haruto shrugged helplessly. "How should I know? I still have a million points on the line with her. I was originally planning to wait until she opened that box to get it back, but now it seems that won't be necessary."
Kaguya's expression turned to one of confusion.
She could understand why a fox youkai would be terrified after opening a box and finding a single strand of hair radiating the unmistakable aura of a Nine-Tailed Fox—the absolute pinnacle of their species. But why would he say getting his points back was no longer necessary?
'He's not actually going to track her down through the network and beat her into submission, is he?' she wondered.
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