Night fell, and all was silent.
Old Niel was drunk, completely hammered. He was overjoyed knowing that his wife and daughter truly existed. He clinked glasses repeatedly with Xiang En, drinking liquor as if it were water.
Soon, the original liquor was finished, and the bottle Xiang En had gotten from Rayleigh and kept in his pocket came in handy.
However, the aftereffect of this liquor was truly potent!
Rayleigh must have given him and Zoro some of Shakky's long-treasured "good stuff." This would explain why Shakky had looked at Rayleigh like he was a prodigal son.
Creak
After cleaning up the smell of alcohol in the bathroom, Xiang En carefully pushed open the bedroom door. When he saw the girl's peaceful sleeping face under the bright moonlight, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew, didn't wake her up."
Closing the door and tiptoeing into the room, he suddenly felt something was amiss.
Eh? Why am I being so sneaky? Why does this feel like a husband returning home secretly in the early hours after staying out late?
Ptoo, ptoo! What nonsense am I thinking.
Xiang En slapped his alcohol-flushed face, trying to clear his head, but a drunken mind is inherently foggy, and being alone in a room with a girl inevitably sparked a few wicked thoughts.
However, when he saw the makeshift bed laid out on the floor and the blanket neatly placed, a warmth flowed through his heart, and the wicked thoughts instantly vanished.
"So she's not as thoughtless as she seems."
A smile unintentionally curved his lips. Xiang En took one last look at the girl soundly sleeping on the bed and, guided by his drunkenness, buried his head into the floor bedding.
Good night, sweet dreams.
Morning
The second day.
Sunlight poured through the window, scattering across the room.
"Mmm..." Kagura struggled in bed a few times, finally opening her eyes. Then, with a whoosh, she sat bolt upright.
She scanned the room. When she saw Xiang En still asleep on the floor mat, her eyes lit up. She braced her hands against the mattress, kicked off forcefully, and pounced.
Crow Sits on Airplane. (A Gintama reference to her signature body slam.)
"Xia-chan, I'm hungry!"
Bang!
"Ugh... Ah!"
Xiang En felt a searing pain in his abdomen, as if struck by a heavy object. He was instantly jolted awake from his dream.
"Wh... what happened?!"
Xiang En opened his eyes in confusion, thinking they were in some kind of emergency.
When he clearly saw the loose-haired girl sitting astride his abdomen.
Xiang En finally realized what had happened and immediately became furious, embarrassed, and annoyed all at once:
"Get off me first!"
It is well known that young men waking up in the morning are at their peak vitality for the day. 24-year-old Xiang En was certainly no exception, and he was even more robust than the average person.
So... he was currently slightly inconvenienced.
However, what made him blush even more was that Kagura not only ignored his demand to get off but also leaned down, bringing her face close.
"Hurry up, get up, Xia-chan, let's go eat breakfast!"
The girl's hair brushed against his cheek. Their faces were inches apart. He felt her breath as she spoke and caught a fragrant scent near his nose, and his body could feel the soft touch of the girl...
This much excitement first thing in the morning! Who is this supposed to be a test for!
Xiang En felt like he was going to explode. Even without a mirror, he knew his face must be red like a burning piece of iron, and that wasn't even the main issue.
The main issue was that he was genuinely not able to get up right now.
Kagura tilted her head, her eyes flickering. She looked at him oddly a few times, then suddenly got up quietly.
"I'll go brush my teeth first. Don't keep lying in bed."
Kagura walked towards the door, then poked her head back in and asked:
"By the way, does the old man have an extra toothbrush?"
"Most likely not. Just go wash your face, and once I recover from my waking-up symptoms, I'll come out and take you to eat."
Xiang En replied quickly, being as detailed as possible, terrified that she might stay in the room to ask more questions.
"Hmph, rushing me out so quickly. I wonder what he's planning to do alone in the room..."
With that, Kagura eyed him suspiciously, making Xiang En nervous, afraid the little girl had figured something out.
"Boring. I'm going first. Hurry up and come out!"
However, his worries were clearly unnecessary. Kagura quickly lost patience, waved her hand, and left, closing the door behind her.
A long while later.
"Phew..." Xiang En let out a long breath, touching his chest.
"I finally managed to hide it. Haha, she's just a little girl who hasn't even fully matured. Why was I worrying so much?"
After recovering on the bed for a long time, and once everything had settled down, Xiang En felt refreshed. He threw off the blanket, ready to greet the new day.
It was at this moment that Kagura and Old Niel's voices suddenly came from outside.
"Yo, little Kagura, why are you the only one up? Where's little brother Xiang En?"
"Him? Oh, nothing much. He's just too embarrassed to get up after I caught him having a morning x."
"..."
Rumble!
Like a bolt from the blue, Xiang En froze on the spot, covering his face with his hands. He wasn't sure if the liquid tracing his cheeks was tears or cold sweat.
Damn it, she knew the whole time!
He genuinely didn't want to go out now from sheer embarrassment.
Aftermath
For the entire morning afterward, Xiang En was in a state of utter dejection. Let the world end.
His mood hadn't improved even after leaving the property rental agency.
"Snap out of it, Xia-chan! You're past the age of hiding under blankets to secretly read H-books away from your parents! How can you be so depressed over such a small thing!"
Suddenly, Kagura grabbed Xiang En's shoulders and shouted loudly in the middle of the street.
Whoosh!
As if they had heard some scandalous news, all the surrounding pedestrians stared at Xiang En and Kagura with strange looks.
"What kind of utterly outrageous nonsense are you saying now!"
Xiang En was too shocked to close his mouth. Desperate to avoid a second public humiliation in one day, he quickly sprang into action, covering Kagura's small mouth with his hand, and fled the scene in a panic.
Old Niel was waiting for them nearby. Seeing Xiang En and Kagura emerge, he smiled and greeted them.
"Little brother Xiang En, Miss Kagura, why are you walking so fast?" Seeing their hurried steps, he caught up and asked confusedly.
"It's all because of this foul-mouthed girl."
Xiang En gritted his teeth, released the hand covering the girl's mouth, and then fiercely pinched both of her cheeks, seemingly venting his frustration.
"Wuwuwu~" Kagura let out a cute, pitiful wail.
"Hahaha, you two really have a good relationship," Old Niel laughed.
"Who has a good relationship with this person!" ×2
"Hmph!" ×2
Old Niel laughed even harder.