Lin Ye's nervous reaction naturally did not escape Yukinoshita's eyes, and it quickly made her realize that Lin Ye must be hiding something he didn't want her to know.
But what could it be?
Yukino Yukinoshita thought it over but couldn't come up with anything.
"You can't promise?"
The girl with long black hair spoke up, and this time there was the faintest edge of sharpness and interrogation in her tone, laced with a trace of her displeasure.
After spending so much time with Lin Ye, the times she had ever pressed him for an answer and a guarantee were truly few.
"I'll answer as much as I can,"
Faced with this reply from Lin Ye, Yukino Yukinoshita grew all the more certain of the suspicion she'd just had.
Lin Ye definitely had something he didn't want her to know.
And her method for dealing with it was quite simple. Since she couldn't think of anything suspicious at the moment, then she might as well just ask directly!
"Is there something you're keeping from me that you don't want me to know?"
The moment these words came out, Lin Ye knew Yukinoshita had started letting her imagination run wild.
But a woman's sensitivity was truly high—even a cold girl like Yukino Yukinoshita was genuinely sensitive when it came to certain matters.
"If I said there wasn't, would you believe me?"
Lin Ye countered first, without giving a definite answer.
"You speak first,"
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't agree right away either. She did have a certain understanding of Lin Ye—this man, the man before her, was the most intimate man of her entire life, so how could she not have some understanding of him!
"Fine,"
Lin Ye let out a long sigh and continued, "I do have something I'm keeping from you,"
"I don't believe it,"
Yukino Yukinoshita's reply came very quickly, as if it hadn't gone through any thought at all.
That wasn't quite accurate, though—this reply had been thought through by the girl, only the moment of that thinking wasn't after Lin Ye spoke, but rather before Lin Ye opened his mouth to answer, she had already made up her reply.
At this very moment,
the atmosphere fell silent, congealing a little.
The girl with long black hair had also understood the meaning of Lin Ye's earlier words.
He was admitting there was something he was keeping from her, but her reply had been…
A trap.
This man didn't play by the rules!
Yukino Yukinoshita's mood surged with a stifled, sullen feeling.
"Thank you,"
Lin Ye spoke up now, a faint smile hidden at the corners of his mouth.
It could be said that the girl's reply had also caught him off guard, but for him it was a good thing.
"Yukino trusts me this much—I'm very glad, I'm very happy. Thank you, thank you."
Lin Ye kept thanking her over and over, and it nearly made the stone-faced girl lose her composure.
Especially faced with the smile Lin Ye couldn't quite hide, she could hold back even less, but in the end reason still held the upper ground as she kept reminding herself.
"Out with it! What are you keeping from me?"
"But Yukino already believes I'm not hiding anything from you,"
Yukino: "..."
She'd said it herself, she couldn't wriggle out of it—but it was a slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue.
Yet seeing Lin Ye's attitude, using this as an excuse to avoid speaking, even if she kept pressing him, she probably wouldn't get any good result.
This made Yukino give up questioning him further for the time being.
"Promise me you'll answer my questions honestly,"
"I'll try my best; if I can answer, I definitely will,"
His attitude was still the same, giving no absolute guarantee.
Yukino stared at Lin Ye for a good while, and seeing that he still showed no sign of relenting, she spoke first: "Why is Student Isshiki so enthusiastic and forward with you? Did something happen between you and Isshiki before?"
This?
"You mean, did Isshiki and I have a private relationship? That she warmed my bed or something?"
Lin Ye didn't beat around the bush and directly brought up the thing a girl would most likely mind.
Wasn't that exactly what Yukinoshita meant?
Besides that, was there any other possibility?
"No."
Lin Ye being able to speak so frankly let Yukino Yukinoshita know that the relationship between Lin Ye and Iroha Isshiki was clean, that no such behavior had occurred.
On this point, she did more or less believe Lin Ye.
"Then it's…"
"Does she know about your special traits, like your special skills—Invisibility, perspective, Hypnosis…"
There was no one around, but Yukino Yukinoshita still lowered her voice to avoid being overheard by anyone who might be there.
With matters like this, one had to be careful, to prevent leaks.
And Lin Ye now knew what the girl was concerned about.
So it turned out that Yukino had already come to suspect that Iroha Isshiki was so forward and warm toward him because of his special abilities.
"She knows some of it. I actually did use Hypnosis on her, to make her forget her feelings for me, but… just like with you, problems came up afterward,"
Yukino Yukinoshita hadn't expected that Lin Ye had used Hypnosis on Iroha Isshiki, and that the content of the hypnosis was to make Iroha Isshiki forget her feelings for Lin Ye.
This…
This left her conflicted. On one hand, she should be happy about this action of Lin Ye's; on the other hand, it also let her know that Iroha Isshiki's feelings for Lin Ye weren't because of these special skills—otherwise, why would Lin Ye have needed to specifically use his Hypnosis ability to make Iroha Isshiki forget!?
"So she… by now she also knows about your special traits."
"Yes, and just like you, she specifically told me not to use Hypnosis on her again—she doesn't want to lose her memories and forget again."
Indeed,
having experienced losing her memory once from being hypnotized, she didn't want to go through it again.
"So you've never used Hypnosis to take advantage of girls?"
"Yukino, if I really were that kind of man, do you think you'd still be able to talk with me normally like this right now?"
Yukino Yukinoshita was momentarily stunned.
In that instant she felt that what Lin Ye said did seem to have some small measure of truth to it.
"If I really were that kind of man, you'd probably have to be seriously serving me by now. Oh, and along with several other girls,"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "..."
She was speechless.
Never mind the other girls—it might even include her own sister.
All she could say was that Lin Ye's moral standards were high, his self-control was strong; otherwise, she and a great many girls would surely have met no good end.
"So, Yukino, you can still trust my character."
"Mm… hmph,"
Dragging out the sound to the end, she gave a little hmph.
Trust him she could, but she couldn't trust him completely.
This scoundrel Lin Ye still loved to take advantage—let him get his hands on her, and he'd never refuse.
"Hurry and eat,"
As Lin Ye said this, he peeled a shrimp for the girl, "Here, have a taste,"
Faced with Lin Ye's initiative, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't hesitate as she slowly parted her red lips and bit down on the sweet shrimp.
How to describe this flavor—
it should be the same taste as the sweet shrimp she'd eaten before, but why, why did it feel just a tiny bit more delicious?
This had to be a psychological effect!
"Yukino, have another one,"
Lin Ye peeled a second shrimp for the girl.
Yukinoshita didn't refuse either, still opening her mouth to eat the second one.
And the taste was the same—she just felt it would be a tiny bit more delicious.
"Here, try this piece of fish too,"
Lin Ye picked up a piece of fish again.
"I can do it myself,"
"No need to stand on ceremony with me,"
Only, Lin Ye wouldn't accept that, and in the end Yukino Yukinoshita could only accept and eat the fish Lin Ye held out to her.
And this piece of fish, too, she felt would be slightly more delicious.
Psychological effect, psychological effect—this had to be a psychological effect.
Yukino Yukinoshita kept thinking.
But even if it was a psychological effect, it made her realize one thing: her emotional attitude toward Lin Ye truly had undergone an earth-shaking change.
Gazing at the man before her—a few months ago she and he had merely been simple acquaintances, but now the two of them had already become the most intimate of relationships, and in the future would even become a relationship of lifelong companionship.
Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I'm handsome? Have I attracted you?"
"Stop being full of yourself,"
"Well, Yukino is quite cute and pretty too—it makes me unable to resist wanting to steal a kiss,"
"Hmph,"
But then Yukino noticed Lin Ye rising to his feet, and in that instant she realized what Lin Ye was about to do.
"Don't, don't do it here,"
Even though there was no one around, at the mere thought that this was a restaurant where someone could appear at any moment, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but panic.
She was scared, after all!
But Lin Ye paid no mind. Faced with the girl's refusal, he still went ahead, and kissed her on the cheek.
Seeing that Lin Ye had only kissed her cheek, Yukino let out a breath of relief—but the very next second, the sensation on her red lips instantly made the girl realize she'd relaxed too soon.
This scoundrel wouldn't let her off so easily.
She'd thought too much.
But this time, Yukino wasn't going to indulge him. Three seconds later, she forcefully pushed Lin Ye away with both hands.
"That's enough,"
"Mm-hmm,"
Seeing the girl was angry, Lin Ye repeatedly signaled his acceptance.
When Yukinoshita was truly angry and when she was faking anger—he could still tell the difference. Now was clearly not the time to keep forcing the girl.
The restaurant really was pushing the limits a bit too far.
Next time, try a movie theater?
The thought suddenly occurred to Lin Ye.
Twenty minutes later,
the two of them finished their meal.
"So next…"
Yukinoshita didn't know what plans Lin Ye had afterward.
If there weren't any, then it was about time to head home—but she guessed Lin Ye would probably end up staying over at her place again tonight.
At the thought that Lin Ye was going to Tokyo over the weekend to keep Mai Sakurajima company, she figured it was perfectly fine to let Lin Ye stay at her place these next couple of days.
"Let's take a stroll, just walk around a bit!"
Faced with this suggestion from Lin Ye,
Yukino Yukinoshita agreed.
The two walked side by side.
The two of them, dressed in Sobu High uniforms, actually stood out a bit on the street—especially Yukino Yukinoshita, this beautiful girl, who drew the gazes of male passersby.
Even though the sky had already darkened, it couldn't conceal Yukino Yukinoshita's peerless grace and beauty.
Under the cover of night,
the skyscrapers of Chiba city shone with neon lights, pedestrians coming and going on both sides of the street,
a man and a woman, two high school students, walking shoulder to shoulder.
"How do you think Student Yuigahama and Isshiki-san are doing today?"
Thinking of the other two members of the Service Club, Yukino Yukinoshita took the initiative to bring up a topic to ask about.
"Grabbing a meal, catching a movie or something!"
Lin Ye couldn't think of what else the two girls could be doing.
"Faced with Isshiki's proposal, weren't you the least bit tempted?"
"To be honest,"
So he was tempted!
Yukino silently thought to herself. A normal man would indeed be tempted—that was the truth—but if Lin Ye really thought that way, she'd still feel considerable displeasure in her heart.
"I really wasn't,"
Lin Ye shook his head, "I never had any interest in Isshiki to begin with, and as for Student Yuigahama, that goes even more so. And let me tell you this—once you get entangled with a girl like Student Yuigahama, it's very hard to shake her off in the future,"
Yukino Yukinoshita: ???
You mean shaking me off would be simple.
"Student Yuigahama is exactly the kind of girl who looks soft and delicate on the outside, gentle to the core on the inside. If you really got entangled with her and then broke it off, she'd absolutely cry right in front of me,"
And I wouldn't cry?
Yukino Yukinoshita silently thought again.
To be honest,
she really did rarely cry—she couldn't even picture what she'd look like crying.
"Yukino, you're different,"
"Different how?"
Faced with this remark of Lin Ye's, Yukino Yukinoshita grew interested.
"Different in that when it comes to teasing you, I'm very happy, I'm very delighted,"
Yukino Yukinoshita: ???
"A cold, aloof girl like you showing a crying expression—I think I'd…"
"Get lost,"
Yukino couldn't hold back and just blurted it out.
"Hahaha, joking, joking,"
Lin Ye stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the girl, drawing her into his embrace. "How could I ever bear to make you cry and shed tears!"
Heartfelt words,
even Yukinoshita believed them after hearing.
But at the thought of Mai Sakurajima's existence, her fluttering heart returned to normal.
This guy was, after all, willing to make her shed tears.
"Stop with all the sweet talk—flattery and honeyed words don't work on me,"
"But what I said is genuinely heartfelt,"
"Compared to heartfelt words, I prefer actual actions,"
"Isn't this an actual action?"
Lin Ye, holding the girl, countered.
"The actual action I want is for you to cleanly end your relationship with that girl in Tokyo. I hope that when you come back from Tokyo this weekend, you can bring me good news,"
She said it directly, without the slightest courtesy.
Lin Ye knew what Yukino meant.
"Please rest assured—I will absolutely never end things with Mai,"
Yukino Yukinoshita had known Lin Ye would give such an answer. Getting this guy to agree was harder than climbing to heaven.
"So this is a certain someone's actual action,"
"Not letting go is my greatest actual action."
"I'd rather die than let you go,"
"I will absolutely never let go,"
Lin Ye, holding the girl's hand, said earnestly, "In this lifetime, I'll absolutely never let go again—I won't ever let go again,"
Yukinoshita tried several times to break free, but all failed.
In the end, she could only resign herself to letting Lin Ye hold her hand.
Trying to approach it from Lin Ye's side to end his relationship with Mai Sakurajima was too difficult—she could only approach it from Mai Sakurajima's side.
How to make Mai Sakurajima withdraw of her own accord—this was a matter of skill, one she needed to think and ponder over carefully.
What did that big star most crave?
Success in her career?
Should she borrow the power of her family?
But very quickly, Yukino gave up—the current her wasn't at a level where she could use the family's power.
Unless she asked her sister, but going to ask her sister about this matter, she felt she somewhat couldn't bring herself to say the words.
Besides, Lin Ye was again going to take revenge and punish her sister; with her watching from the sidelines, then going to ask her sister for help—that definitely wouldn't be appropriate. She really did feel she couldn't bring herself to say those words.
For the moment Yukino Yukinoshita was at a loss, not knowing what to do.
...
...
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