The ringing of a phone cut through the current mood.
Kyou Fujibayashi almost thought Lin Ye had done it on purpose—arranging for someone to call at this exact moment—but she knew that was impossible. There was no way it could be such a coincidence.
"Let me take this call."
After signaling to the two sisters, Lin Ye walked off to another room.
His attitude of avoiding being overheard by the two sisters did not escape Kyou Fujibayashi's notice.
She was a little displeased.
What was there that couldn't be said over the phone in front of them?
Kyou Fujibayashi suspected that whoever was calling must have something off about them.
'Click…'
Lin Ye stepped into the bathroom.
Kyou Fujibayashi spoke to her younger sister, Ryou Fujibayashi, "Ryou, are you really willing to be with him? He's truly far too dangerous."
The Hypnosis superpower—
Who could guarantee that her sister had fallen for him and not because of this Hypnosis superpower!
"I'm willing, Sister."
But all that answered Kyou Fujibayashi was her sister Ryou Fujibayashi's resolute reply.
"Lin-kun isn't the kind of man who would abuse his power to do bad things. If he really were that sort of villain, Sister, the two of us would have suffered his cruel hands long ago, even…"
Suddenly, Ryou Fujibayashi's words caught in her throat, and a faint blush surfaced on her face.
That scene was far too stimulating.
Kyou Fujibayashi quickly made the connection too.
Her sister had turned lewd as well—was it because of what they'd been through last night?
Then again, hadn't she more or less been through it too?
"Who knows whether he's playing hard to get, wanting even more!"
She had already accepted her sister's explanation, yet Kyou Fujibayashi still put up a stubborn front with her words, making her sister Ryou Fujibayashi feel she hadn't fully accepted it.
What concerned her now was how her sister would compete with the other women.
Compared to the other girls around Lin Ye, her sister didn't seem to have any greater advantage.
And her sister had one weakness, the biggest weakness of all—her age. Compared to the other girls, her sister Ryou was still several years older.
Her sister was still young now, but in five years, ten years, how would she compare to the other women?
Kyou Fujibayashi let out a soft breath.
She also knew this was something that didn't need worrying about for the time being—it was still far off, still early. Fretting over it now was pure needless worry.
"Sister, you—you're just biased against Lin-kun."
Kyou Fujibayashi parted her reddened lips slightly, but offered no explanation. She knew her sister was right—she truly was biased against Lin Ye, a one-sided bias.
"From now on, I hope you'll be able to see him with normal eyes, Sister. He really is wonderful."
Wonderful indeed—bullying you so badly last night.
A flicker of bashfulness passed over Kyou Fujibayashi.
Last night's experience—she didn't want to go through it again, not in the slightest.
...
Inside the bathroom,
Lin Ye answered Yukinoshita's call.
"It's me, Lin Ye."
Lin Ye waited for the answer from the girl on the other end of the line.
"Hiratsuka-sensei can't reach you. Send her a message back later."
"Mm."
Lin Ye remembered his phone had been switched off last night, and he'd only charged and turned it on a short while ago this morning.
Hiratsuka-sensei had probably gone charging off to his apartment.
But Lin Ye believed Yukinoshita would never call him merely because of that.
"Yukinoshita, is there something else?"
What else could there be.
Don't you already know?
Did Mai Sakurajima not tell you?
Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips, pondering how best to broach it. "Are you going back to Chiba today?"
"I am."
"Come over to my place tonight. I'd like to talk with you."
"..."
It was probably about Mai.
Hearing the silence from Lin Ye on the other end, Yukinoshita instantly realized that Lin Ye did, in fact, know—that Mai Sakurajima had indeed told him about her phone call.
"Don't have time?"
"I do. I'll come."
"Good. Six in the evening, at my apartment building."
Yukinoshita settled the time and place.
"You won't give a hint about what it's about?"
Don't you already know?
"You'll know when you get here."
Yukinoshita didn't answer directly.
"See you at six in the evening."
"Mm."
The call ended.
Crisp and decisive—very much in keeping with Yukino Yukinoshita's character.
But this afternoon's meeting with the girl was sure to be troublesome.
Lin Ye thought about what questions the girl would raise, what choices she would make.
"The worst case is simply that this relationship ends."
If Yukinoshita really made that decision, Lin Ye would choose to accept it too.
It was just that there would be, however slight, a tiny bit of regret.
But Lin Ye also knew this was a reality she had no choice but to face.
Once his current romantic relationship with Mai Sakurajima had become known to Yukino Yukinoshita, problems were bound to arise between him and Yukinoshita.
"Let nature take its course—see how tonight goes."
Lin Ye set down his phone.
He sent Shizuka Hiratsuka a message, making up an excuse—saying he wasn't feeling well and was taking a day off, and that he'd come to Sobu High for class as usual tomorrow.
Then he left the bathroom.
Outside,
the Fujibayashi sisters were still in the living room and hadn't come over to eavesdrop.
"Lin-kun, do you need to leave right now?"
"No, leaving in the afternoon is fine. Sensei was worried about me—today's Monday, I didn't go to school, and she couldn't reach me either."
Ryou Fujibayashi understood. "Sorry, it's because of me."
The short purple-haired girl even took the initiative to apologize.
It left her sister Kyou Fujibayashi speechless—no matter how you put it, last night it was Lin Ye who'd taken advantage!
"Ryou, it has nothing to do with you."
Lin Ye shot a glance at Kyou Fujibayashi, which made the long purple-haired Kyou Fujibayashi grit her teeth, her eyes betraying her displeasure—but she didn't speak up to retort.
As for last night's events, she truly had been the main cause.
If she hadn't drugged him, Lin Ye's reaction wouldn't have been so intense!
Last night's experience left her quite certain that, without the boost of the drug, Lin Ye absolutely could not have reached that level.
And if that had been Lin Ye's true ability, then… in the future, Ryou was going to suffer.
The moment she thought of this, Kyou Fujibayashi couldn't help worrying all over again.
"What do we do about Isshiki-san?"
Ryou Fujibayashi looked at the girl sleeping soundly on the sofa.
"Take her to the guest room to keep resting! Lin Ye, you carry her up; I'll go prepare breakfast—should be brunch, really."
Kyou Fujibayashi said. She was already hungry.
Waking this morning, she'd been both thirsty and exhausted. Drinking water had greatly relieved her thirst, but not yet her hunger.
"Sure."
Lin Ye nodded and walked over to the sofa, bending down and reaching out to scoop Isshiki Iroha up in a princess carry.
At this moment Isshiki Iroha slept on with her eyes closed, her breathing steady, showing little reaction to the external stimulus coming from Lin Ye.
"Lin-kun, I'll go upstairs with you."
Her sister Ryou said at once, falling into step beside Lin Ye.
Kyou Fujibayashi instinctively wanted to stop her, not wanting Lin Ye and her sister to be alone together.
But everything that was meant to happen had already happened, and there was little point in her continuing to stop it.
She suppressed the thought in her heart and headed to the kitchen, beginning the preparations for brunch.
Kyou Fujibayashi soon got busy in the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Lin Ye carried Isshiki Iroha to the guest room and laid the girl on the bed.
The girl still slept soundly, showing not the slightest sign of waking even now.
Ryou Fujibayashi gazed curiously at this girl who had been put to sleep by Hypnosis.
Hypnosis really could make a person fall asleep.
"Lin-kun, when will Isshiki-san wake up? Will she just keep sleeping like this?"
Lin Ye was startled to hear this.
Was she thinking of having Isshiki Iroha sleep on forever?
"No, no, no, you've got it wrong. I was just curious whether your power can keep a person asleep indefinitely."
Realizing what Lin Ye's reaction implied, Ryou Fujibayashi shook her head vigorously, hurriedly explaining and giving her answer.
"I don't know. Honestly, I'm not sure when Isshiki will wake up either—probably three or four hours are needed."
"Can you wake her?"
Ryou Fujibayashi pointed.
Lin Ye shook his head. "Not certain, but don't wake her this time."
This time he'd let Isshiki wake up naturally.
Still, Lin Ye also realized one thing: he could hypnotize Isshiki into sleeping, but he couldn't use hypnosis to wake her.
Eye contact was the indispensable medium for triggering hypnosis.
"If someone from her family calls, then I'll have to trouble you to explain, Ryou."
"Mm."
Ryou Fujibayashi nodded.
As a woman, her answering the phone to explain would put people more at ease. If Lin Ye answered, Isshiki's parents would probably worry—maybe even call the police.
"Lin-kun, your power—do you need any help?"
Ryou Fujibayashi still remembered the help Lin Ye had mentioned before. She knew this should be a test to determine the specific forms of expression and the intensity of the power's effect.
She was willing to help.
"Ryou."
Lin Ye gazed at Ryou Fujibayashi with a gentle look in his eyes, his hand reaching out almost unconsciously to stroke the girl's purple hair. "No need—wait, actually, we could give it a try."
He'd thought of a use. "Let me see if I can ease the pain in your body."
"Eh!"
Ryou Fujibayashi froze, and then a faint blush surfaced on her cheeks.
"This… that…"
"Ryou, your body's still uncomfortable, isn't it?"
"..."
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded after all. "Mm."
There was nothing shameful to admit about it.
It was her first time, and last night's intensity had been high; if she'd been fine, that would have been the abnormal thing.
"All right then, look into my eyes."
Ryou Fujibayashi lifted her gaze, meeting Lin Ye's pair of black eyes.
Gradually, a slight trembling and dizziness appeared in her eyes.
"Ryou, very soon, your body will gradually stop feeling the pain."
Lin Ye reached out and stroked the girl's palm, the faint touch stimulating her, bringing a gradual comfort.
"Lighter and lighter, lighter and lighter."
Beneath the gentle words,
the girl's consciousness drifted slightly, and a few seconds later, she regained clarity.
'Hm?'
Ryou Fujibayashi blinked.
The pain in her body had eased by more than half.
"It doesn't hurt, Lin-kun, it really… doesn't hurt anymore."
She even jumped up in excitement, but Lin Ye immediately pressed her down. "Don't jump."
Lin Ye reminded her, serious and grave. "Ryou, you can't feel the pain, but in reality the pain still exists. You can't be reckless right now."
Ryou Fujibayashi nodded, understanding Lin Ye's meaning.
"I understand. I'll be careful these next few days."
"Mm. Now, is there really not even a trace of pain?"
"..."
Ryou Fujibayashi walked a few steps, feeling it carefully. "A tiny bit, but compared to the pain at the start, the pain now is practically negligible."
Hypnosis—so useful!
At the very least, she'd personally experienced the effect this power brought.
Don't be fooled by the fact that she hadn't mentioned the bodily pain at all since waking, nor shown any sign of it—in reality her body had still been uncomfortable. Every sharp ache she had endured by force, simply not showing it, not wanting to add to Lin-kun's mental burden and guilt, nor to make her sister worry.
And now,
it was better.
More effective than painkillers.
"That's good then. This power really is quite useful."
"Mm. Lin-kun, I believe you won't misuse this power."
She gazed at him, trust in her eyes.
"Are you worried I'll use this power to hypnotize other girls to satisfy myself?"
"No, no, that's not it! Only Sister would think that way—I wouldn't. I, I just believe Lin-kun definitely won't misuse this power."
She flushed red and anxiously kept denying it, pinning the blame on Kyou Fujibayashi.
"If your sister Kyou heard that, she'd probably cry."
"Ugh."
Ryou Fujibayashi let out a whimper.
To deflect her embarrassment, she bent down and pulled the blanket over Isshiki Iroha.
The two of them soon went downstairs to the living room to wait.
By now, the first floor was filled with the faint aroma of cooking.
The brunch Kyou Fujibayashi was preparing was already about half done.
"Sister, let me help you."
"You sit and rest. Your body isn't suited for moving around much right now."
"..."
In the end Ryou Fujibayashi didn't explain that she no longer felt any pain, but simply accepted this care from her sister.
Watching her sister's busy figure in the kitchen, Ryou Fujibayashi couldn't help feeling a warmth in her heart.
All this time, ever since her sister had learned to cook, whenever their parents were away it was always her sister who cooked, preparing delicious meals for her.
Last night,
she had at one point felt that her relationship with her sister would meet an unavoidable rupture today—but from the looks of things now, the two sisters' relationship was as it had always been, without much change.
This was a great fortune.
Having lived together since childhood until now, Ryou Fujibayashi couldn't imagine a future in which her relationship with her sister Kyou had ruptured.
'Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…'
Kyou Fujibayashi finished the last of the fried crispy pork, and the exquisite, standard Japanese-style cuisine was set on the table.
Lin Ye looked at the lunch before him, his appetite roused.
Last night he'd fought quite a battle, expending a great deal of stamina and energy. Energy could be recovered through sleep, but stamina could not.
The necessary replenishment of food was indispensable.
Lin Ye dug in.
The food quickly went into his belly.
Superpower: Devour had already been updated.
Rapidly recovering stamina by taking in food through the aid of the Devour superpower was no longer possible.
Yet Lin Ye always felt that his body had also gained a slight boost in digestion and replenishment.
Did the skill Devour also have a certain passive effect in this regard? Or was it because of the Devour superpower?
Lin Ye thought to himself silently.
Lunch soon came to an end.
Kyou Fujibayashi cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.
Lin Ye was in no hurry to leave; he kept Ryou Fujibayashi company.
Today's Ryou Fujibayashi needed companionship.
As for Ryou Fujibayashi herself, she contacted a friend and colleague to swap shifts and take leave.
Given the state of her body these past few days, continuing to go to the hospital for work was definitely unsuitable.
She would rest well at home.
At three in the afternoon,
a certain girl woke up.
"Eh, this is…"
Isshiki Iroha rubbed her somewhat aching head.
"When did I… fall asleep?"
"Four o'clock?"
"It's so bright at four o'clock?"
After quite a while,
Isshiki Iroha finally registered that it was already four in the afternoon.
"Aaah! How did I sleep all the way until afternoon? I straight-up skipped class today!"
Isshiki Iroha was, after all, a well-behaved student who followed the rules. The moment she thought about having skipped class outright today, she felt utterly awful.
But more than this matter,
she kept feeling there was something important she couldn't recall.
"What on earth was it…"
Isshiki Iroha narrowed her eyes slightly, yet still couldn't remember at all, which in the end left her with no choice but to shake her head and set the thought aside.
A while later.
She left the room and came downstairs to the first floor.
"Senpai."
"You're awake."
"Mm-hm. Senpai, you… didn't go to class today?"
"No."
"Ah!"
"It's your fault, isn't it—carelessly falling and passing out. I had no choice but to wait here for you to wake up."
"Ah! So that's how it was!"
Isshiki Iroha blinked. "But my legs ache a bit, like I ran a ten-kilometer marathon. They're sore to death, miserable to death."
She dragged her body over to Lin Ye's side, pointing her legs toward him. "Senpai, did you secretly bully me? I'll give you a chance now—a chance to openly and honestly take advantage of a girl."
Isshiki Iroha blinked, a faint smile tinging her face.
Ryou Fujibayashi pursed her lips but didn't say much. Judging by Isshiki Iroha's reaction now, she really had forgotten what she'd seen that morning.
The Hypnosis power could even affect and interfere with memory.
"Senpai, knead them!"
She gestured for Lin Ye to get to it, but Lin Ye sat where he was, not moving an inch.
"Senpai."
She urged.
Lin Ye raised his hand and rapped her on the forehead. "Knead them yourself."
"Ah, you don't even want a chance to take advantage of a girl!"
"Don't want it."
"Don't be shy just because Sister Ryou is here! Sister Ryou doesn't mind, right?"
She looked straight at Ryou Fujibayashi.
"Mm, I don't mind."
But Ryou Fujibayashi looked away, which made Isshiki Iroha realize that Ryou Fujibayashi did mind after all.
What girl would be willing to watch the boy she liked be intimate with another girl!
"Senpai, I'm so hungry."
"I'll go get food right away."
Ryou Fujibayashi immediately went to the kitchen fridge and took out the lunch Kyou Fujibayashi had prepared for Isshiki Iroha.
She heated it in the microwave,
and soon,
Isshiki Iroha dug in.
But the soreness in her legs truly made her miserable.
What on earth was going on?
How had her muscles gone all sore and achy out of nowhere?
Surely she hadn't sleepwalked and worked out while sleeping?
Isshiki Iroha shook her head and immediately dismissed this guess of hers.
After finishing eating,
she once again made a request of Lin Ye. "Senpai, take me home. It's… too dangerous for me to go back alone."
"Sure."
At this point in time,
Lin Ye really did need to leave.
After seeing Isshiki Iroha home and then heading over to Yukinoshita's place, it would be just about six.
Ryou Fujibayashi was reluctant to part, longing in her eyes.
"I'll come over tomorrow."
"Mm."
The two finished their exchange.
Isshiki Iroha blinked as she watched the two of them, stars spinning before her eyes.
There was something off about these two.
Could it be… could it possibly be that, while she was asleep, something unknown had happened?
In an instant, Isshiki Iroha simply felt she'd suffered a huge loss.
...
...
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