Time slipped quietly into the afternoon.
A little past four o'clock—
After finishing the day's Student Council work, Arthur said goodbye to Shinomiya Kaguya, Fujiwara Chika, and Manabe.
He left the school and headed back to his apartment.
On the way, he ran into a few evil spirits and casually destroyed them with his psychic power.
His energy capacity rose slightly.
"Welcome home, Xiao Lin!"
Standing at the entryway, Tohru greeted him with a bright smile.
"I'm back."
At the sound of that nickname, Arthur's eyes flickered with amusement. He smiled and nodded at her.
Tohru had overheard Akashiya Moka calling him Xiao Lin, so she decided to call him Xiao Lin instead
It was such an intimate name…
So, after thinking it over, Tohru decided to call him Xiao Lin instead.
He found it a little strange—
Guess there was no escaping Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid after all.
Though this Kobayashi wasn't that Kobayashi.
Handing his schoolbag to Tohru, Arthur said,
"Tohru, I'm meeting someone for dinner later. You don't have to prepare dinner for me tonight if you're not eating."
"Oh, alright…"
Tohru blinked, a faint look of disappointment flashing through her eyes.
She had planned to make him a special dish tonight.
But that was fine—there would be other chances.
Arthur went upstairs to take a shower.
He changed into his casual outfit No. 02:
a light-blue shirt and a gray trench coat, paired with dark slacks.
His tall, slender frame looked striking—
in fitted clothes, he could easily outshine a professional model.
After dressing neatly, he grabbed his phone and wallet, then headed out toward the upscale restaurant he had reserved yesterday.
He put on a mask before leaving—
just to tone down his overwhelming good looks a little.
Once Arthur was gone, Tohru glanced around, then went up to the second floor to wash the uniform he'd just changed out of.
"Arthur's clothes…"
Her eyes gleamed as she held the uniform in her hands.
Then suddenly, she lifted it to her nose.
Sniff~~~
She inhaled deeply.
Breathing in the faint, clean scent that belonged to Arthur, her eyes and expression slowly turned… perverse.
She buried her face in the shirt.
Sniff, sniff…
"Hehehe…"
......
Half an hour later, Arthur arrived at the restaurant he'd reserved in Nakano Ward.
He had booked a private room for two.
A bit pricey, but acceptable.
After informing the staff of his reservation number, he was led to the room.
Machida Sonoko hadn't arrived yet.
Arthur wasn't in any hurry—the meeting time was set for five, and there were still about twenty minutes to go.
He sat down, removed his mask, and began browsing his phone.
About fifteen minutes later,
someone knocked on the door.
Then, it opened.
"Xiao Lin, you—"
Machida Sonoko entered with a smile on her lips, but her greeting abruptly froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Her rosy lips parted.
Shock. Bewilderment. Amazement.
The moment she saw Arthur, she went completely still—
he looked like a different person.
"What's wrong? Don't recognize me anymore?"
Arthur smiled knowingly and winked at her.
That voice sounds so good!
The thought flashed instinctively through Machida Sonoko's mind.
She still hadn't recovered from her daze.
Noticing this, Arthur took a moment to look her over.
She was wearing a black long-sleeved V-neck knit top—
two soft peaks pressing against the fabric,
her fair collarbones perfectly visible,
and the deep line between them like a gorge that drew the eyes in.
Below, she wore white tapered shorts with a slim belt cinched around her narrow waist.
Her long, shapely legs were wrapped in sheer black pantyhose, ending in low black heels.
The outfit perfectly outlined her figure.
Her face had a touch of makeup—light eyeliner, shaped brows, glossy red lips.
With her mature features and elegant, composed aura, she exuded the charm of a true onee-san type.
A woman you could lose yourself in.
As Arthur studied her, Machida Sonoko still stared blankly at him.
He raised a brow, stood up, and waved a hand in front of her.
"Hey, hey—earth to Machida Sonoko."
"…"
His voice snapped her back to reality.
Blinking rapidly, she looked at him in astonishment.
"Xiao Lin-sensei… you didn't secretly get plastic surgery, did you?"
God, he's so handsome.
Her heart thumped faster.
Her eyes lingered involuntarily on Arthur's flawless face, and she swallowed lightly.
"Do you think I need it?"
Arthur chuckled, closing the door and returning to his seat.
"Well, I guess not…"
Machida Sonoko blinked, a little flustered.
He'd always been handsome—but now, he was dazzling.
She sat down opposite him, studying him carefully.
Same face, same person… yet somehow, it felt like he'd completely changed.
She caught herself staring again.
"Better stop looking, or your drool's gonna hit the table."
Arthur teased her with a grin.
"!!!"
Machida Sonoko snapped out of it, cheeks reddening.
Oh no—
She had just been ogling a boy thirteen years younger than her!
If word got out, she'd die of embarrassment.
Seeing Arthur's playful smile, she grew even more flustered.
"Let's, uh—order. Let's order first."
She quickly reached for the tablet menu to change the subject.
Arthur just smiled and nodded.
They soon ordered food and drinks.
When he noticed she hadn't ordered any alcohol, Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Machida-neesan doesn't drink? Don't worry, if you get drunk, I'll make sure you get home safely."
"…Then I suppose I can have a little," she said with a faint laugh, nodding.
Time flowed like water.
Half an hour passed in a blink.
Finishing her last cup of Juyondai sake, Machida Sonoko's fair cheeks glowed with a rosy blush.
A soft haze lingered in her sea-blue eyes, rippling faintly like water.
She looked at Arthur, smiling. "Thank you, Xiao Lin-sensei. I really enjoyed this dinner."
"As long as you're happy," Arthur replied with an easy smile.
"Come on, I'll take you home."
He stood up.
"Then I'll trouble you," Machida Sonoko said, smiling as her eyes flickered.
After paying the bill, they left the restaurant and hailed a taxi.
They rode to Toshima Ward, where Machida Sonoko's apartment was located.
Standing in front of the sixteen-story building, Arthur glanced up.
"So this is where you live, Machida-neesan."
"Yeah. Want to come up for a bit?"
Machida Sonoko smiled slightly, tilting her head.
"Sure. Let's go."
Arthur smiled and nodded.
"Eh…"
Machida Sonoko blinked, momentarily stunned.
She had only meant to be polite—
but since he'd agreed so readily, she couldn't exactly take it back now.
...
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