Haruno came to Yukino's room, looked at that enormous Pan-san, and a faint smile curved at the corners of her lips.
She took off her bathrobe and slipped into the covers.
"Haah…"
"I thought I'd never get to smell it again,"
"This is Yukino's scent—wonderful,"
As she spoke, she lay down.
Every breath carried Yukino's scent. Haruno was in a cheerful mood, her whole body relaxing.
In no time at all, she sank into a deep slumber and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, in the living room outside the bedroom,
As Yukino once again found herself unable to catch her breath, she slapped at Lin Ye to make him let go and stop, and only then did this kiss finally come to an end.
"That was almost ten minutes,"
This time it had been far longer than ever before—she'd nearly gotten lost in it.
"Uh, sorry,"
"I'm deducting it from your future time."
"Come on, Yukino, how can you possibly deduct that,"
"Double deduction. Say one more word and it's triple."
"Can you really bear to?"
"Hmph, what's there for me not to bear?"
"Can you bear not being kissed by me?"
Yukino: ???
"The way Yukino responded just now…"
"Shut up,"
Realizing what Lin Ye was about to say, Yukino immediately snapped at him.
This scoundrel of a man not only bullied her in his actions, he had to provoke her with words too.
She was furious, and the consequences would be dreadful.
"Don't even think about it from now on."
"That won't do,"
"I refuse,"
"Then I'll go find Mai."
Yukino: "..."
"Refuse again, and I'll go find Miss Haruno,"
Yukino: ???
After a moment, she caught on. "Oh, sure! So you've been plotting this all along, haven't you—you set your sights on my sister long ago."
He just wanted to use this opportunity to lay his cards on the table, which made Yukino grind her teeth in anger.
The thing she could least tolerate was Lin Ye getting tangled up with her sister.
Ever since childhood, she had always regarded her sister as a rival—a rival she wanted to defeat and surpass. If anything were to happen between Lin Ye and her sister, she couldn't accept it, couldn't endure it. She would feel that something she treasured had once again been snatched away by her sister.
"If I really had that idea, it would've happened long ago. You have no idea how forward and passionate your sister is,"
Lin Ye let out a long sigh.
"Oh, forward and passionate? In what way forward and passionate? Tell me about it."
Yukino really wanted to know about this forwardness and passion. She'd already heard from her sister before that Lin Ye and her sister had gotten a hotel room together.
"All sorts of ambiguity and hints during our everyday interactions,"
"That's it?"
"Mm."
"You didn't go to a hotel room together?"
This counter-question caught Lin Ye off guard, and he wondered whether Yukino had found out something.
"We did sleep in the same hotel room for a few nights, but your sister and I really didn't do anything. Believe me, Yukino,"
Seeing Lin Ye admit it honestly, without lying, Yukino's mood improved a little—at least this guy wouldn't deceive her.
"I'll believe you this once,"
Yukino said.
Even though they had slept in the same room and nothing had happened, which was rather hard to believe, since Lin Ye had said so, she was still willing to believe him.
"I knew Yukino believed me,"
"We're not done. Tell me about that forwardness and passion of my sister's,"
Lin Ye recalled it and briefly described Haruno's temptations at the time.
Yukino listened with her eyelids twitching.
So her sister really had given him an active massage, hinted at bathing together, and that kind of obvious physical contact—
Had it been any other man, he'd probably have gone straight for it; who would have held back?
Only Lin Ye would.
Yukino couldn't help but think.
"Sigh, Yukino, I suggest you defeat your sister on this point."
"In your dreams."
This man really had some nerve.
He even wanted her to learn from her sister and do those things to him?
Just imagining it made Yukino tremble all over—that scene, she didn't even dare to picture it.
"How sad,"
"Hmph,"
"I'm going to take a shower,"
"Go ahead!"
But Lin Ye took Yukino's hand. "Scrub my back."
"No,"
But Yukino couldn't pull her hand back—couldn't pull it back at all.
"Scrub my back. We agreed."
"We did not agree,"
But Yukino couldn't win against his stubbornness, and in the end she compromised and followed Lin Ye to the bathroom.
After that,
Contrary to Yukino's expectations—she'd thought Lin Ye would take advantage of the chance to grope her—surprisingly, he didn't.
It was just that, in the end, she still ended up soaked all over, and was still thoroughly taken advantage of.
After the shower, Lin Ye went to rest in the guest room.
Although his fatigue hadn't reached Haruno's level, he still needed a good rest and some sleep to recover.
But what surprised Lin Ye was that Yukino actually followed him in.
"Is there something else?"
"..."
She didn't answer, which left Lin Ye briefly stunned before he realized something. He immediately reached out, took the girl's hand, pulled her inside, and closed the bedroom door.
"No touching me anywhere you please,"
she warned.
"Yukino, don't you think it's a bit much to say that to me when you've already come in?"
"..."
Her face flushed a little. "This is just thanks for you saving my sister,"
Lin Ye knew it was for this very reason. Yukino had a competitive streak toward her sister, wanting to defeat and surpass her, yet she also held deep sisterly affection for Haruno.
And so, she felt immense gratitude toward Lin Ye for bringing Haruno back safely.
"It's the least I could do,"
Lin Ye reached out to stroke the girl's long black hair and drew her into his embrace.
"She's your sister, and my sister too. If nothing else, she tempts me now and then and gives me perks—for that alone, I had to bring her back, right?"
"Hmph, men,"
Yukino gave a snort.
"Women love a bad boy,"
"Well, I don't love you,"
"Yukino isn't a woman yet."
"..."
This guy's words were growing more and more shameless, teasing her now and then.
"It's that someone lacks the ability and the nerve."
Lin Ye, who had thought he had the upper hand, suddenly found himself at a disadvantage.
It was true that he was the one who hadn't taken that step.
"If a certain girl didn't attach any conditions, I'd definitely dare,"
"Oh ho! So it's only because of the conditions that you don't dare—isn't that just lacking nerve?"
The two locked eyes, sparks flying everywhere, but this round of battle soon came to an end.
Lin Ye scooped the maiden up in his arms, which made her instinctively struggle, and in no time at all the girl was carried by Lin Ye onto the bed.
With a 'creak.'
The girl lay on the bed.
"Next is your time to serve me."
"Heh heh,"
The girl knew that, at most, Lin Ye would only grope her—he wouldn't actually go all the way.
But right away, the girl's expression changed slightly, because her clothes were being removed.
At the very instant her underwear was touched, she thought Lin Ye really was about to go for it, which made her instinctively shrink back.
At once,
Lin Ye broke into a triumphant smile.
"A certain girl still doesn't dare after all."
Lin Ye turned over and lay down to one side, holding the girl in his arms.
It formed a stark contrast to their previous embraces.
This time, their skin touched.
Since Lin Ye didn't move around, Yukino also kept her own posture still.
"I have to get up in two hours to prepare dinner,"
"Mm."
Lin Ye gave a hum; he had already closed his eyes.
Yukino glanced sideways at Lin Ye's sleeping face.
He really was exhausted.
In less than five minutes, Yukino heard Lin Ye's steady breathing.
Lin Ye had fallen asleep.
He drifted off very quickly.
Yukino carefully leaned in and planted a kiss on Lin Ye's forehead.
This counted as yet another thank-you to Lin Ye.
Thankfully, this time her sister had Lin Ye by her side. Had Lin Ye not been with her, her sister would truly have been in danger.
A few minutes later, Yukino too felt drowsiness setting in, and she closed her eyes, deciding to take a short nap.
When her consciousness returned once more, Yukino quickly confirmed the time.
Just perfect—it was only ten minutes short of the two hours she had set. She could get up now and prepare dinner.
She carefully shifted, but Lin Ye, prompted by her movement, instinctively hugged her tighter, treating her as a comfortable body pillow.
"I'm not Pan-san,"
she muttered, and feeling a certain part of him, she felt a bashful flutter.
On the premise of not waking Lin Ye, Yukino cautiously got up, set her feet on the floor, gathered up her clothes, and headed to the living room.
The empty living room held only her.
She quickly put on her clothes and went to the kitchen.
In no time at all, the kitchen filled with the clinking and clattering sounds of dinner being prepared.
Meanwhile, in Yukino's bedroom,
Haruno woke up—she woke with a start, frightened, a startled fright.
"Haah…"
She looked at the dim room, gasping in great gulps of air.
Her forehead and back were both covered in cold sweat.
Haruno raised a hand and wiped it away, then flipped the light switch.
The room lit up brightly, dispelling part of the gloom in her heart.
She recalled the dream—
The monster,
That monster in the mall, and that last cat.
"That world really isn't somewhere just anyone can set foot,"
Haruno had once not failed to wonder whether, if she were chosen to join it, she could become one of its powerful figures.
But after experiencing it once, she had thoroughly given up, completely unwilling to go through those repeated dangers.
That Lin Ye could safely pass through one Strange event after another—right now she truly admired him beyond words.
She recalled the scene of Lin Ye carrying her as they fled at the end.
Even now, it remained vivid in her memory.
She even had the urge to tell Yukino outright that she had feelings for Lin Ye.
But in the end, her reason made her choose to hold it in, and she successfully restrained herself.
Haruno got up, her tender feet stepping onto the floor. The cold floor gave her a wave of discomfort, and she also felt her legs going just a little weak.
Because of the nightmare, she had been unconsciously tensed up the whole time.
"It's lucky I didn't get a cramp."
She gave a little laugh and changed into her clothes, but her top was only a camisole, leaving large expanses of her snow-white skin exposed to the air.
"I wonder what Lin-kun is up to right now? He'd better not still be kissing Yukino!"
As she spoke, she walked out of the bedroom.
The moment she opened the door, the aroma of cooked food came rushing at her.
So fragrant.
Her appetite was completely awakened.
Haruno was hungry, she wanted to eat, and the thought that this was a dish made by Yukino made her look forward to it even more.
'Tap, tap, tap…'
Haruno walked straight toward the dining room and, without any ceremony, sat right down.
"Sister, it's not mealtime yet."
"Eh, eh, but I'm already hungry,"
"Bear with it."
"Is Yukino so cruel? Willing to watch her sister endure hunger like this?"
Haruno put on a pitiful expression.
Yukino noticed a flash of reluctance that passed by in an instant, but she quickly suppressed it—this was all her sister's acting, she knew it too well.
"Willing,"
In the end, she coldly tossed Haruno that single word.
"Uh, so sad, far too sad. I'm going to go find Lin-kun."
Leaving behind that one remark, Haruno headed for the guest room.
Lin Ye wasn't in the living room or the dining room and kitchen, so he must be resting in the secondary bedroom guest room.
If Lin Ye hadn't woken yet, she wouldn't mind doing a few things with him.
"Wait, Sister,"
"I won't wait. I'm going to see my beloved man—mm, my beloved sister's man,"
Such ambiguous words were not something Yukino would let slide. She had at one point felt this was her sister testing the waters, and that in the future she just might really go for it.
"Please watch your words,"
Even if it really did come to that one day, she couldn't possibly stand by and do nothing. Within the bounds of what the situation allowed, she would still keep reminding her sister not to cross the line.
"Isn't Lin-kun my beloved sister's man, after all? Then again, since my sister and Lin-kun haven't done this or that, he can't really count as your man, Yukino, hahahaha…"
After a round of teasing, Haruno had already arrived in front of the secondary bedroom, and she softly opened its door.
But contrary to what she expected, the secondary bedroom was already lit up—Lin Ye had already woken and was scrolling on his phone, reading something.
"Tch, Lin-kun's awake!"
"Worried you'd come for a night raid,"
"Hahaha, who would come for a night raid on you?"
She entered with a laugh, but didn't close the door.
"What I'm going to do is a blatant, out-in-the-open assault."
As Haruno walked, she swayed her graceful figure.
Indeed, Haruno, in just a camisole at this moment, had snow-white skin under the bright white light, and as she moved, her fine figure jiggled all the more conspicuously.
This sight—
Many a man, upon seeing it, would probably be unable to tear their eyes away.
Only Lin Ye remained unmoved, his reaction minimal.
Of course, toward the existence of beauty, Lin Ye still held an appreciative attitude.
"All right, Miss Haruno, go any further and it'll backfire. Even temptation has to mind its timing."
"Oh! Lin-kun even knows I'm tempting you—so why not accept it! It's not as if you haven't already looked over and touched all of me, inside and out, and you've even very roughly entered my body twice,"
She placed her hand on her own belly. "I remember it very clearly. Even now I can still feel those two times lingering."
Outside, Yukino listened with her eyelids twitching.
If she didn't know what her sister meant, she'd have started imagining the wrong things.
Sure enough, with her sister's words, believing even thirty percent was already too much—at most twenty percent—and one had to constantly watch out for double meanings, otherwise they really could cause some kind of misunderstanding.
"Sister, Lin-kun, dinner will be ready very soon."
She voiced a reminder.
"Aiyaya, Yukino's getting impatient. Actually, I think it'd be… perfectly fine for Lin-kun to eat me first, before dinner!"
She laughed, not in the least as if she were joking.
Lin Ye paid it no mind. Getting up, he first went to the bathroom to splash his face, then came to the dining room.
The three of them took their seats.
Haruno smiled as she looked at the two across from her.
This seating arrangement was already faintly indicating the relationship between the two of them.
Her goal—to realize it, the road ahead really would be long and arduous.
...
...
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