Seeing Lin Ye's reaction, Isshiki Iroha burst out laughing.
"The fearless Senpai who's afraid of nothing in heaven or earth—now you finally know fear?"
She really hadn't expected that Senpai would be afraid of a 'machete.'
Sure enough, everyone has something they fear—
you just have to find the right one.
"I've decided. I'm going to join the Kendo Club, I'm going to learn swordsmanship, and I'm going to make Senpai have a taste of my machete."
But Lin Ye didn't care in the slightest about Isshiki Iroha's threat.
Whoever he might fear, there was no way he'd fear Isshiki.
The ones who matched with the machete were the girls with long black hair.
Yukino counted as one, Mai counted as one—the other girls?
Not a chance.
No need to panic.
"Good luck."
"Of course."
Isshiki Iroha had a new goal now.
She held Lin Ye's hand, leaned her body close, and savored the leisure of this moment.
Every time a passerby walked past, she watched the other person's reaction, and at the occasional 'youthful' remarks that slipped from a passerby's lips, her heart felt warm and cozy.
She had the feeling of being in a romantic relationship.
But unfortunately,
this relationship between her and Senpai was only a temporary resemblance, and it would end very soon.
Gazing at Senpai's profile, Isshiki Iroha pursed her lips.
The two of them strolled for half an hour.
"Senpai, let's take the train!"
she suggested.
"It's at least another hour or so of walking to my place—that's too long. It wouldn't be good to delay your date with the other girls."
The feeling that this girl was truly a good one surfaced directly in Lin Ye's mind.
Though Isshiki was playful and liked to stir up trouble, sometimes she really was a gentle girl.
"I'll go for a walk with you again sometime."
At this moment, Isshiki Iroha broke into a smile. "Okay, it's a promise."
"Mm."
"And we have to hold hands too—no saying no."
Lin Ye suddenly realized he'd been played again.
One day's worth of events had been split into two.
But this time, Lin Ye accepted Isshiki's willfulness.
Just indulge her this once, for a change!
Feeling the warmth transmitted from the girl's hand, Lin Ye couldn't help but think this.
Twenty minutes later,
Lin Ye had walked Isshiki Iroha to the front door of her house.
Neither of them had let go yet.
He was waiting for the girl to let go on her own.
"Senpai, won't you come in and sit for a while? My parents aren't home tonight."
Not home?
Who do you think you're fooling!
Using perspective, Lin Ye saw the middle-aged couple inside the house.
"Student Isshiki, lying isn't what good children do."
"I'm not lying."
"You seem to have forgotten what I can do."
Isshiki Iroha suddenly remembered.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem, my parents must have come home early. Hahaha."
Isshiki Iroha coughed a couple of times to ease the atmosphere, while also finding an excuse for her own embarrassment.
This explanation of hers was at least passable.
But even now, she still hadn't let go—she seemed to be waiting for Lin Ye to let go.
The two of them had fallen into an inexplicable tacit understanding, each waiting for the other to let go.
"Senpai, you let go! If you don't let go, this girl is going to get anxious waiting."
"Isshiki, you let go."
He had a premonition that Isshiki had set a trap, so he had to make Isshiki let go first.
"It's all the same! Senpai just letting go is fine."
"You let go."
Isshiki Iroha began to wonder whether Lin Ye still had a skill for eavesdropping on hearts—otherwise, why would he be unwilling to let go?
"Senpai..."
"Your uncle and auntie are coming."
"Eh!"
She reflexively spun around, simultaneously pulling back the hand she'd been holding with his.
And as the front door closed,
Isshiki Iroha instantly realized she'd been tricked.
"Senpai, you liar!"
"It's true—uncle and auntie already saw, so get ready to explain!"
Having said that, Lin Ye waved goodbye,
which left Isshiki Iroha able only to sulkily watch Lin Ye leave.
How to put it!
This time, with the question of who would let go first, she had only wanted to see how much patience Senpai had, and to find an excuse for one more hand-holding stroll—but in the end, Senpai actually didn't fall for it.
How infuriating.
Isshiki Iroha sulked.
Only after Lin Ye disappeared from view did Isshiki Iroha turn around and head back home. She took out her key and was just about to insert it, only to discover the door had opened.
Her father and mother were standing quietly at the entrance.
'Gulp...'
Only now did Isshiki Iroha recall Senpai's final warning.
So she really had been discovered by her father and mother!
What was she to do, how was she to explain?
Senpai, save me!
Isshiki Iroha wanted to run. She felt it would be better to find a little inn and spend the night with Senpai—anything would be far, far better than facing her parents' interrogation.
"Iroha."
"Yes, Father."
"To the living room."
"Eh, uu, mm."
There was no helping it.
Isshiki Iroha could only trudge with difficulty toward the living room.
She sat down, and across from her were her father and mother.
Her mother was smiling, but her father wore a stern face.
"Who was that just now?"
"I, I... a senpai from school."
"Oh! You're dating?"
"Eh..."
Isshiki Iroha was stumped.
She and Senpai definitely weren't dating, but if she didn't answer that they were dating, the hand-holding wouldn't be appropriate either!
"We're about to officially start dating."
Isshiki Iroha changed her wording.
This phrasing made her feel she wasn't deceiving her parents.
That much was true.
As for when in the future the official dating would begin—well, that was another matter.
"He's the one pursuing you?"
Where is he pursuing me?
Isshiki Iroha just wanted to cry.
If he really were pursuing her, that would be wonderful.
"Mm."
But she couldn't very well tell her parents that she was the one pursuing Senpai, that she'd failed several times over, and still hadn't succeeded!
Those words were too humiliating—Isshiki Iroha couldn't bring herself to say them.
"How far has it progressed?"
This was surely the question her parents cared about most!—Isshiki Iroha thought.
"Just, just hand-holding."
Her father half-believed it; he just couldn't shake the feeling that a boy of that grade definitely wouldn't stop at this much.
And for a daughter to be willing to hold hands with a boy all the way home, the relationship couldn't be shallow at all—they'd surely been dating for a while.
As a father, he worried,
but he also knew he couldn't meddle too much; his wife was the more suitable person for this.
"Mind your boundaries."
Isshiki's father reminded her.
"Mm, mm, mm."
Isshiki Iroha nodded vigorously.
Afterward, Isshiki's father left, leaving only Isshiki Iroha and Isshiki's mother.
Her mother smiled and sat down beside Isshiki. "Tell me more about the two of you! I'm so curious."
"Uu, okay."
Isshiki Iroha could only honestly confess part of it.
Isshiki's mother smiled and told her daughter to set her mind at ease. "I'll handle your father's side. Iroha, do your best."
"Youth, how I envy it."
"It reminds me of that cherry-blossom-filled high school life of mine."
"Mm, mm, mm."
All at once, Isshiki Iroha's whole body relaxed—at least her mother was supportive, and her father hadn't openly objected either.
But the problem was,
the most crucial party involved wasn't willing.
Senpai wasn't willing—what was she supposed to do about that?
It seemed all she could do was cry, mourning the path of her own feelings.
Originally her parents would have been one of the biggest obstacles, but in the end, that wasn't a problem at all; the biggest problem instead lay with Senpai.
Sigh.
After Isshiki Iroha returned to her room, she couldn't help sighing once again.
"I'm pretty and cute too!"
"My figure's good too, my skin is nice, and very fair—a conclusion I reached by experiencing it firsthand through Senpai's body."
"My personality is good too, lively and cheerful; being with me would definitely be fun."
"But why, Senpai..."
That's right!
Why was it that Senpai just wasn't all that willing!
Senpai had ambiguous relationships with so many girls—why was it only with her that he was unwilling?
Could it be because she was too clingy?
Isshiki Iroha thought of a possibility that, while unlikely, was nonetheless possible.
Sigh.
It was hard to bear.
Isshiki Iroha finished her bath and lay down on the bed.
Tonight,
she was destined to find sleep hard to come by.
Meanwhile, on the other side,
after parting with Isshiki Iroha, Lin Ye sent a message to Ryou Fujibayashi, letting Ryou know he wouldn't be coming over tonight.
The reply came quickly; Ryou said it was no problem.
That girl never knew how to refuse.
And so,
Lin Ye also made a phone call.
"Ryou, sorry, something came up tonight, so I won't be coming over."
"It's fine, Lin-kun, I understand. Just focus on your business and don't worry about me."
That gentle voice only made Lin Ye feel an increasing sense of guilt.
"All right, I'll come to your place tomorrow."
"Mm, tomorrow, okay, it's settled."
Ryou Fujibayashi's tone was full of anticipation.
Tomorrow, then—that should be fine.
"All right, it's a promise. There's also one more favor I need from you."
"No problem, no problem at all. Any favor for Lin-kun, I'll definitely help."
Lin Ye knew Ryou Fujibayashi wouldn't refuse.
"Good, get some early rest tonight."
The call ended.
Ryou Fujibayashi looked toward her older sister in front of her.
"He's not coming tonight—all your careful preparations today went to waste."
"Uu."
Ryou Fujibayashi blushed.
"It's not like that!"
"Oh!"
Kyou Fujibayashi drew out the word and reached out to grab the blanket, but Ryou Fujibayashi tugged hard to hold onto it.
"Sis."
"Let me see just how sexy the lingerie you've got on tonight is—and that wasn't careful preparation?"
"Uu, Sis, you have some yourself—and you're talking about me?"
"I, mine is... anyway, it's got nothing to do with the present situation. You're different."
"It's the same."
The two sisters began to argue,
but soon, both of them were lying on the bed, breathing in deep gulps of air.
"Ryou."
"What is it, Sis?"
"I really don't want to be apart from you."
"Mm."
"But you'll have to marry someone eventually."
"Mm."
"When that time comes, don't blame your sister for often coming over to your house to hang out."
"You're welcome to. Even if you lived at my house it'd be fine—we're family to begin with."
"Oh! You're not worried I'll steal your man?"
Kyou Fujibayashi suddenly said with a laugh.
Ryou Fujibayashi pursed her lips and shook her head. "I'm not worried. If Sis likes him, you don't even have to steal him—just take him and use him directly!"
Kyou Fujibayashi: ???
For a moment she wondered whether her little sister was joking with her, but seeing her sister's serious expression, she felt that her sister probably wasn't joking, but was telling the truth.
"We're sisters,"
"and Sis and Lin-kun have such a complicated relationship,"
"so if Sis really wants to, I won't stop you,"
"Sis, make the decision yourself..."
She tossed this difficult problem to Kyou Fujibayashi.
This left Kyou Fujibayashi caught up in the dilemma for a while.
"That won't happen! How could I possibly get together with Lin Ye, hahaha."
But Ryou Fujibayashi's expression didn't change; she still held to that same line of hers—she wouldn't stop her sister from getting together with Lin Ye.
Kyou Fujibayashi's heart grew heavier and heavier.
Her sister's tolerance was only piling more pressure on her.
She had already let it go, but in the end, this one remark from her sister stirred up certain thoughts within her heart.
She, Kyou Fujibayashi, still wanted to honor the promise—even if Lin Ye himself, the very person involved in that promise, had said he didn't want it anymore.
And now even her sister said it was okay.
This...
"All right, enough talk, I'm going back to my room first. Tomorrow night when he comes here, I won't come back—I'll leave the space to you two, hahaha..."
"Ah, Sis, that's not necessary!"
Ryou Fujibayashi hurriedly tried to dissuade her.
There really was no need for her sister to deliberately stay out overnight.
"You want me to eavesdrop on the passionate exchange between you two at night?"
"Uu."
Ryou Fujibayashi whimpered.
She was embarrassed, and a bit reluctant.
"If it's Sis, it's fine—Sis has already heard it anyway, and even experienced it firsthand, right?"
Ryou Fujibayashi finally spoke of that one secret that came from Lin Ye.
Lin Ye had handed her the right to decide whether to expose it, and Ryou Fujibayashi now decided to expose it after all, and tell her sister plainly.
"He..."
"Mm, Lin-kun told me. That night, Sis shared our senses, which is why it was like that. I had my suspicions, but I wasn't sure—but Lin-kun told me."
"That bastard."
Kyou Fujibayashi was furious.
"Sis, you shouldn't have hidden it from me."
"There was nothing to say—it's not exactly something glorious."
Kyou Fujibayashi said indifferently, "Ryou, don't mind it either. It's no big deal—just sharing senses, what's that worth?"
How could it not be worth anything?
Even if they were her senses, her sister had indeed experienced it.
That was also why she had spoken the way she had just now.
Having experienced it together with her sister, what else couldn't be shared?
Kyou Fujibayashi also understood why her sister had made those remarks just now.
"Sis, consider my suggestion—follow your own true feelings."
"My true thought is that I don't need it. What would I want with that man? Could it be that I, Kyou Fujibayashi, can't find a man?"
Ryou Fujibayashi realized that now was not the best moment to persuade her sister.
In that case, she'd hold off on saying everything for now.
"My thinking won't change."
She stated her position too,
and so Kyou Fujibayashi didn't continue this topic.
"Anyway, Sis, come back early tomorrow. It's not as if Lin-kun and I are definitely going to sleep together."
"Heh heh."
"Lin-kun isn't the type of man with vigorous needs."
This was a point Kyou Fujibayashi couldn't deny—otherwise, that fellow would have made his move long ago and wouldn't keep dragging it out. Faced with a delicacy like her delivered right to his door, how could he not even take a single taste!?
"Fine! I'll come back as usual tomorrow."
Kyou Fujibayashi found it awkward to refuse as well.
"Mm."
Ryou Fujibayashi gave an "mm,"
"Ryou, do you think the reason he's not coming tonight is because he's going to spend the night at some other girl's place?"
The sensitivity of this topic instantly made Ryou Fujibayashi's expression change slightly.
The atmosphere in the room changed too.
This... shouldn't be the case, right?
She hoped so much that it wasn't.
...
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