Restricted Fantasy I Chapter 232: Husband and Wife

"Big brother, big sister, where are you from?"

"Tinkle-tinkle~"

In April, Kyushu Island was bright and beautiful with spring. Last night's fierce wind and torrential rain felt like a fleeting dream, left behind on the collapsed, narrow and long path outside the village.

Puddles ford on the muddy country paths. The erald leaves of the cedar trees in the forests on both sides drooped heavily, and a gentle breeze swayed the wind chis hanging under the eaves.

The vitality of the early morning thrived in the air.

Aoi Ka pulled along the very reserved little boy, Kazuya, who kept his lips pursed. She skipped and bounded between the puddles on the muddy road, even finding the leisure to throw questions at the two adults trailing behind them.

"Have you ever heard of Linn?"

"No, I haven't. We've only heard of Osaka and Tokyo. Kazuya's parents went to work in Osaka, and my dad works in Tokyo."

Aoi Ka tapped her chin and turned her head to look at Yan Huan in confusion.

"Is Linn... sowhere in Sakura Country?"

"No, it's overseas to the south. A very, very faraway place."

Yan Huan smiled faintly. With his long legs, he naturally didn't have to leap over the mud puddles like a child navigating an obstacle course.

He simply turned around and, seeing An Le walking so slowly, couldn't help but ask in confusion,

"An Le, you didn't hurt your legs when you fell last night, did you?"

"Eh? N-no, I didn't. It's just that these clothes make it a bit hard to walk..."

An Le froze for a mont before quickly explaining.

Yan Huan glanced at her relatively lightweight shrine maiden outfit. 'The hem of this skirt isn't even that long, so it shouldn't be that restrictive,' he thought to himself.

In reality, Yan Huan's guess was correct.

The shrine maiden outfits in Kamizato Village weren't as luxurious and cumberso as those in big cities. Plus, An Le wasn't wearing wooden clogs, so there was no reason for her to be walking this slowly.

The real reason was actually this: her legs had completely lost all sensation.

Although she could still control her movents, the floating sensation of her feet not touching the ground was incredibly jarring, making it difficult to manipulate her soles and control her center of gravity.

That was why An Le had been walking so slowly the entire way.

Ever since the battle last night, the area of sensation that had been devoured from her body had expanded even further. All four of her limbs were now completely numb.

"Do you want to hold my hand?"

Without asking further, Yan Huan stopped in his tracks and looked back at An Le.

Upon hearing this, An Le's slightly flushed face was tinged with a rosy pink, but she still nodded, gently reaching out to grip Yan Huan's clothes.

Just like they used to do when they were young.

"..."

Feeling the faint weight tugging at his clothes, Yan Huan paused slightly.

"Hurry, big brother, big sister! We're almost there! The place where we can catch fish!"

He turned his head toward the two little brats sprinting ahead and replied, "Coming right now!"

They were heading out to catch fish.

Naturally, Yan Huan had an ulterior motive for bringing An Le out.

With few Modifier Hosts around right now, he had to seize the opportunity to try and resolve An Le's current predicant.

The hints were related to the past, so he could perfectly utilize this chance of playing with the two children to have a proper heart-to-heart talk with An Le.

Firstly, the ways these two kids played were largely similar to how they entertained themselves back in the South Ward during their childhood, sharing the sa underlying charm.

Secondly, with children present, they wouldn't be completely alone, and An Le wouldn't go as far as using her Modifier on two kids.

Thirdly, going out to play could relax her mood, allowing An Le to quickly detach from the tense standoff of her previous battles of wits and magic with the other hosts.

"Splash, splash~"

They arrived at their destination: a small stream.

The sunlight in the forest was never whole; it had to be sliced into scattered fragnts by the verdant leaves before it could filter through.

Basking in that scattered morning light, Yan Huan caught a glimpse of small fish darting about faintly in the crystal-clear stream.

"Ta-da!"

Aoi Ka pulled an old, small dip net out from her clothes, sowhat similar to the ones used for catching goldfish.

She then squatted by the stream, her bright and sparkling eyes scanning up and down at everything in the water.

The waterweeds, the small pebbles...

And of course, the most important thing—the fish!

Seeing the two of them squatting by the stream, Yan Huan couldn't help but prop his chin on his hand and ask,

"Can you actually catch anything with that?"

When he and An Le were kids in the South Ward, they always used harpoons to spear fish.

Back then, ard brawls frequently broke out in the South Ward. In the mornings, the injured would be dragged away, and even the bloodstains would be washed clean.

However, he and An Le could still occasionally scavenge weapon fragnts from the roadside, which they would tie to wooden sticks to make makeshift harpoons.

Thinking about it now, though, it seed like their way of doing things was the abnormal one...

"Yes, we can! This is a fishing net my dad bought when he took my mom and

to Tokyo to watch the fireworks. It has magic powers!"

Aoi Ka held the net, which looked like it had been used for ages, and stared intently into the stream, seemingly waiting by the stump for a hare.

On the other hand, the little boy, Kazuya, looked at Yan Huan and An Le, asking with concern,

"Big brother, big sister, do you want to play?"

"We'll watch you play first and learn a bit."

Yan Huan smiled faintly as he replied.

"Okay then..."

After the two children lowered their heads to focus on catching fish, Yan Huan finally turned to look at An Le beside him.

Feeling Yan Huan's gaze, An Le's small face flushed slightly.

Catching from the corner of her eye that she was still gripping the back of Yan Huan's clothes, she hurriedly let go.

Before Yan Huan could find the right words and gradually steer the conversation,

An Le stared at her completely numb hand, suddenly turning to Yan Huan with a look of worry to seek confirmation,

"Xiao Huan, about the final day of the school trip... you... you still rember it, right?"

Hearing this, Yan Huan's expression couldn't help but stiffen slightly.

He cast a glance at the anxious An Le and let out a helpless smile.

Just how fixated was she on this matter...

If he were to run away, she would probably completely succumb to her dark side.

"Of course I rember. I haven't forgotten a single thing."

"Th-that's good..."

Hearing Yan Huan's assurance for the umpteenth ti, the anxiety on An Le's face finally dissipated a little, replaced by a shy smile.

It seed that at this mont, only by constantly hearing Yan Huan's assurances could her crumbling heart barely sustain itself.

Seeing her like this, Yan Huan pondered for a mont before asking,

"But still, that's for the final day of the school trip, right? Because of Sakuramiya's earlier ss, this whole school trip has turned into so sort of pilgrimage... What about now, in this village? Or is there anything you want to do when we go to Tokyo later?"

"I-I don't know either..."

This question completely stumped An Le, rendering her speechless for a long ti.

She pursed her lips. Worried that her response might dampen the mood, she quickly put on a smile and added,

"When the ti cos, after we head back and et up with Vice President Sakuramiya, she should have so recomnded places, right? After all, she's from Sakura Country, and she's so capable. She's bound to know..."

"I couldn't tell you had such a good impression of Sakuramiya..."

Back at the school, let alone the other Hosts, even the ordinary students from both the inner and outer campus didn't have a very good impression of Sakuramiya Hitomi.

"Mm..."

An Le nodded, but countless images surfaced in her mind.

Those were the scenes of Sakuramiya Hitomi standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Xiao Huan during the opening speeches of the sports festival and the Club War...

Those were the scenes of her being able to enjoy daily companionship with Xiao Huan in the Student Council Office, and going out for team building with other friends...

Those were the scenes of her using her power to help Xiao Huan in so many ways, and chatting with him together on Plane...

Those were the scenes of the two of them standing together back at the Sakuramiya residence.

Thinking about all this, An Le was slow to catch on before finally realizing...

That was the taste of an emotion called envy.

In truth, she deeply envied Sakuramiya Hitomi.

On the surface, however, she didn't show it. Instead, she averted her eyes and explained,

"Because... because Vice President Sakuramiya is very amazing.

"Previously, when Xiao Huan was running for Student Council President, Vice President Sakuramiya secretly helped you canvass for votes among the Inner Court Students...

"She is wealthy, influential, and beautiful. All the Inner Court Students have to give her so face..."

Hearing this, Yan Huan stared straight at An Le's face and abruptly asked,

"And what about you, An Le? You made that campaign website, didn't you? That website took a lot of your blood, sweat, and tears. Are you not amazing too?"

"Eh?"

An Le's eyes widened. She turned her head in astonishnt to look at Yan Huan, not understanding how he knew.

Even when she was managing the promotion for the website, she had secretly used alt accounts to post it in major groups and forums.

In the entire school, absolutely no one knew that she was the one who created that website.

"W-why would Xiao Huan..."

"I'm the one who should be asking why, alright? Since you made it, why did you never tell ?"

Yan Huan looked at An Le, appearing even more puzzled than she was.

"And it's not just . You didn't tell a single soul. Otherwise, everyone in the Student Council wouldn't still be completely in the dark about it by the second sester..."

An Le pursed her lips and quietly explained,

"Because... because I was worried that if everyone knew I made it, it would actually negatively affect Xiao Huan's campaign...

"Moreover, compared to what Vice President Sakuramiya and Classmate Yatsuhashi did, it really wasn't much. It didn't bring in many votes... so..."

Vice President Sakuramiya only needed to say a single word to the Inner Court Students to gather far, far more votes than all of her efforts combined.

anwhile, she could only resort to these unrefined thods. Even distributing the website had to be done sneakily, so...

However, it would have been better if she hadn't explained. Her explanation only made Yan Huan completely lose his composure.

His eyes widened as he blurted out,

"Are you an idiot?"

"I-I'm sorry..."

Hearing Yan Huan call her an idiot, An Le thought he was upset, and her expression imdiately grew tense.

Although she didn't know why she was an idiot, An Le didn't want him to be unhappy, so she obediently apologized.

"..."

Seeing the way she cautiously looked at him, Yan Huan choked on his breath.

"I'm really... Never mind, I'm the idiot here."

"Xiao Huan, you're not an idiot... I... I am."

"..."

Hearing this, Yan Huan looked at An Le and gently reached out his hand.

He hadn't originally intended to pat her head. He just wanted to pat her shoulder and say, "We both are."

Unexpectedly, the mont An Le saw Yan Huan raise his hand, she imdiately and obediently squeezed her eyes shut...

Like a helpless rabbit waiting for its fate, allowing him to do as he pleased.

This left Yan Huan's hand hovering awkwardly in mid-air, unsure of where to place it.

After hesitating for a mont, he ultimately just patted An Le's shoulder.

However, An Le acted as if she hadn't felt a thing. She kept her eyes closed, causing Yan Huan to freeze in surprise.

'Wait, is she really that nervous?'

"An Le?"

"Eh... eh?"

Hearing Yan Huan speak, An Le instantly opened her eyes.

Glancing sideways, she finally realized that Yan Huan's hand was resting on her numb shoulder.

She instantly grew more nervous, terrified that Yan Huan would notice sothing was wrong. Stepping back, she whispered,

"I-I'm sorry..."

"What is there to apologize for?"

Yan Huan let out a sigh and patiently explained,

"You know, An Le, so things aren't just about the final outco. Besides, that website of yours really helped out a ton."

"R-really...?"

"Mm."

Yan Huan hadn't even said anything else. Yet, that simple "Mm" suddenly rooted An Le to the spot.

She stared blankly at Yan Huan in front of her. For so inexplicable reason, a sudden warmth blossod in her chest, to the point where she felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

But she forced herself to hold it back, refusing to let the tears fall.

The next second, she looked at Yan Huan and began to laugh foolishly.

"That's good, Xiao Huan..."

That silly, naive smile actually made Yan Huan feel unprecedentedly embarrassed.

He exhaled deeply, only for his peripheral vision to suddenly notice that the area by the stream was completely empty. The sounds of the two children catching fish were nowhere to be heard.

"Wait, where are Aoi Ka and Kazuya?"

Startled, Yan Huan hurriedly began searching for them.

Scanning the area, he finally spotted the two little brats sticking their butts out, acting sneaky and suspicious among the bushes not too far away.

"Weren't you two supposed to be catching fish? What are you doing squatting over here?"

Yan Huan walked over speechlessly. But the mont he spoke, Aoi Ka spun around and hurriedly shushed him.

Kazuya, his small face completely flushed, pursed his lips and tugged on Aoi Ka's sleeve, whispering,

"L-let's go..."

"Aw, no way. It just started over there."

Started?

Started what?

Yan Huan and An Le exchanged a glance before both stepping forward, leaning against the edge of the bushes to look in the direction the kids were watching.

Down the slope not too far away, they could faintly make out a middle-aged man and woman pressed against a tree. They were panting heavily as they engaged in so unspeakable activities.

"Hah... Ah, Oura, you're really getting more and more impatient... Dragging

out to this remote wilderness... What if... Ah, you deadbeat..."

"Who asked the village to organize a festival soon? Everyone's bustling about in the village all day and night. When else would I get the chance..."

"And you... Instead of helping out, you use all your energy on ... Ah... slow... slow down..."

Taking one look at this, Yan Huan's face instantly darkened.

He turned his head to glance at An Le, only to see her staring down with an entirely normal expression. She didn't have any reaction at all and even seed faintly bored.

"...An Le?"

It wasn't until Yan Huan spoke in a daze that her originally calm face suddenly blood with a rosy flush. She instantly averted her gaze in embarrassnt and offered a dry remark,

"T-this is way too shaful..."

"..."

anwhile, Aoi Ka was still watching with great relish, even explaining as she observed,

"That auntie is Mrs. Morita from the village. Her husband passed away a long ti ago. Sure enough, my mom was right when she said there was sothing completely inappropriate going on between them..."

Beside her, Kazuya was watching with a face as red as a tomato, only quietly asking,

"Then will Mrs. Morita marry Uncle Oura?"

"Of course not. Uncle Oura has a wife. He's just having an affair right now."

"Eh... eh? They aren't... aren't getting married to beco husband and wife, but... but they're still doing this kind of thing?"

"Hmm... doing this doesn't necessarily an they're a married couple."

Kazuya stole a glance at Aoi Ka and couldn't help but ask,

"Then what does it take to be considered husband and wife?"

"I don't know either. Maybe there's sothing even more important... Hehe, maybe the big brother and big sister know."

'Are kids these days really this bold?'

Looking at Aoi Ka, who had spoken with such innocent earnestness, Yan Huan's mouth twitched slightly.

Beside him, An Le seed to have her breath caught in her throat by that very question. Her entire body froze, unable to move.

It was as if that simple sentence from Aoi Ka had manifested so invisible shackle that had always bound An Le...

"Daddy, Mommy, I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you tonight..."

A young, tiny An Le rubbed her eyes. Pushing open her parents' bedroom door with a hint of fear, she spoke in her soft and sweet voice.

However, inside the room, she only saw her mother riding on top of her father, doing heaven knows what.

But the wild, primal aura radiating from that scene still delivered a massive shock to An Le, leaving her instantly frozen in place.

The mont they heard their daughter speak, the two parents on the bed were also completely dumbfounded.

They scrambled—one yanking the blanket, the other scrambling to put on clothes.

"Ah! Ah! An... An Le, be a good girl. You... you go out first. Mommy will co keep you company in a bit..."

"Yeah... haha, Daddy and Mommy are just exercising... You... you head back to your room first, okay?"

An Le stared blankly at her parents on the bed. Although she didn't understand why, she still nodded obediently, turned around, and returned to her room.

Lying in bed, she couldn't fall asleep for a long ti, her mind constantly replaying everything she had just witnessed.

Although she couldn't comprehend it, she just felt terrified.

As a result, her original fear of nightmares was replaced by a fear of what she had just seen.

She was incredibly scared, feeling as though her mother had been screaming, about to devour her father.

Mom...

Actually doing such a thing to Dad...

Her small face paled slightly as she buried herself completely under her bedding, terrified that sothing terrible might happen.

"Creak~"

It wasn't until a long ti later that her bedroom door gently swung open, and her mother's voice drifted in from the doorway.

"Little An Le, are you asleep?"

An Le's body trembled slightly. Too scared to move a muscle, she simply peeked out stealthily through the gap in her bedding.

She saw her mother, her face flush and rosy, changed into a clean set of pajamas. Her hair was neatly tied back, making her look amiable and approachable once again. Seeing her mother return to her familiar appearance, the fear in An Le's heart finally ebbed away a little.

"What's wrong? Still can't sleep?"

An Le cautiously poked her head out, erging from her bedding cave, and looked at her kindly mother sitting on the edge of the bed.

Her mother smiled faintly and asked gently,

"What nightmare did you have?"

"...Mom, earlier, what were you and Dad doing?"

"Th-this..."

The question caused the expression on An Le's mother's face to instantly turn awkward, montarily at a loss for how to explain.

However, looking at her daughter who was staring straight at her, she knew well enough:

This daughter of hers usually seed soft and sweet, but in reality, she was extrely serious and stubborn.

If she didn't explain it clearly, An Le might not say anything, but she would forever keep it etched in her heart, burying it deeper and deeper...

So, An Le's mother let out a sigh and had no choice but to say,

"Look, the reason Daddy and Mommy are Daddy and Mommy... is because we have you, right?"

"Mm..."

"Then, Daddy and Mommy are also a husband and wife, right?"

"Mm..."

"What Daddy and Mommy were doing earlier... is sothing that only a husband and wife can do."

"Husband and wife..."

"Yes, husband and wife."

"So, only by doing that kind of thing can Daddy and Mommy beco husband and wife, and beco Daddy and Mommy?"

An Le's mother flushed slightly but still patiently nodded.

"That's right."

"I see..."

Hearing her mother's patient explanation, little An Le finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, you should be able to sleep well now, right?"

"Mm."

Upon hearing this, An Le was finally no longer afraid and lay down on her side on the bed.

"Be a good girl. Mommy will stay right here with you. Sleep tight."

"Okay... Mom..."

An Le closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

However, after an unknown amount of ti, her small mouth subconsciously mumbled, as if echoing a dream within her mind...

"H-husband and wife..."

Sitting by the bed, the yawning mother couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing her daughter's adorable voice. She stroked her head and whispered,

"That's right...

"Husband and wife~"

"An Le?"

"Eh?"

Right in front of her, Xiao Huan's voice abruptly rang out, as if pulling An Le out of an icy pool of water.

Her small face was pale. She instinctually tried to move her feet, but having forgotten that her legs were completely devoid of sensation, she suddenly stumbled.

Fortunately, Yan Huan quickly reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Rustle... rustle..."

However, this action brushed against the bushes, producing a rustling sound.

"Who's there?!"

This thoroughly ruined the mood of the man and woman below. Hearing the sound, the middle-aged man snapped his head up. While he didn't spot Yan Huan and An Le, he clearly saw Aoi Ka and Kazuya sneakily poking their heads out.

"Ahhhhh!!"

The mont she realized there were witnesses uphill, Mrs. Morita imdiately began shrieking. The man beside her pointed upward, cursing furiously in exasperation,

"Argh, you two bratty kids! Get down here right now!"

"Oh no, Kazuya, run!"

Realizing things had taken a disastrous turn, Aoi Ka instantly grabbed Kazuya, spun around, and bolted.

As she ran, she glanced at Yan Huan and the others, whispering urgently,

"Big brother, big sister, run!"

Yan Huan was completely speechless. To think they had co up the mountain to catch fish, only to end up being chased by an adulterous couple.

'That's certainly a slice of life.'

"Let's go, An Le!"

Yan Huan let go of An Le's arm, intending to flee alongside her.

But little did he know, An Le was currently in a terrible state, her four limbs completely lacking sensation.

The mont he let her go, An Le, her mind entirely blank, subconsciously turned to run.

Yet, her ankle twisted lightly, causing her to instantly crash to the ground.

The sharp gravel on the ground scraped past her palm, instantly slicing open a gash.

But An Le had no reaction whatsoever. It was only when she tried to climb back to her feet that she realized her hand was bleeding.

"..."

"An Le! Are you alright?"

Seeing this, Yan Huan's expression instantly changed. He hurried over to inspect the small cut on her hand.

"I-I'm fine..."

At this point, An Le finally snapped completely back to reality. She hurriedly shook her head and tried to stand up.

Yan Huan glanced at her fallen shoe and the exposed, soiled tabi socks. Left with no choice, he crouched down in front of her.

"Co on. I'll carry you back on my back."

"A-alright, I'm troubling Xiao Huan..."

"It's nothing."

Yan Huan said it was nothing, but the mont An Le climbed onto his back, he realized sothing was terribly wrong.

"Squish~"

Because, it felt incredibly bizarre.

Sothing was pressing right against his back, and the sensation was strikingly pronounced.

That was...

Yan Huan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, not daring to guess. He simply said,

"Hold on tight, An Le."

"Mm..."

An Le nodded and held tightly onto Yan Huan.

Yan Huan instantly exerted his strength, sprinting wildly all the way down the mountain.

The journey was far from stable.

It could only be said that, with every up and down jolt, the objects pressing against his back were incredibly restless.

And let's not forget, beneath An Le's shrine maiden outfit, she was completely bare...

The unbound water balloons felt like runaway wild horses, galloping back and forth across the plains of Yan Huan's back.

"Ngh..."

Let alone Yan Huan being unable to hold back, even An Le seed to realize this. Her face flushed rosy red, and she couldn't help but let out a faint whimper from the depths of her throat.

It seed that it was due to being highly sensitive.

'Don't... don't make a sound, An Le.'

'Otherwise, I won't be able to hold back my Fertility Attribute Points.'

Beads of sweat dotted Yan Huan's forehead—not from exhaustion, but from heat.

Those two little brats had long since disappeared without a trace. Fortunately, Yan Huan still rembered the way back.

Throughout the journey, An Le kept her lips pursed, clinging tightly to Yan Huan and his warm body heat.

At this mont, enveloped by his radiating warmth, An Le felt as though she had forgotten the frigid numbness of her four limbs. She felt incredibly secure.

"Gong~"

Just when she was feeling utterly secure, she suddenly caught sight of a temple standing by the roadside out of the corner of her eye.

The rhythmic knocking of a wooden temple block drifted over, and the faint scent of Buddhist incense wafted into her nose. This caused An Le to pause slightly and stare at the temple.

The main doors of the temple were wide open. Within the golden light, a faint pink aura resembling a lotus flower swirled about.

Inside, An Le could faintly make out a statue of a Bodhisattva with its hands pressed together in prayer.

The Bodhisattva statue possessed a compassionate countenance, its gaze seemingly looking down condescendingly from the high heavens above...

'Was this temple here when we ca?'

An Le pondered this thought. Unfortunately, Yan Huan was running at an incredible speed. In re seconds, he dashed past the temple, continuing onward.

An Le also turned her head back. Without thinking too much about it, she simply went back to holding tightly onto Yan Huan.

"Thud, thud, thud"

It didn't take long for Yan Huan to run all the way back to the shrine entrance, carrying a deeply flushed An Le whose eyes were brimming with moisture.

At the entrance, Shen Dai Popo was currently lecturing the two little brats. It was unclear if she had already learned about the scandalous affair they had stumbled upon earlier.

"Shen Dai Popo!"

"Oh my, you're back... These two little rascals, really... Little girl, are you alright?"

"I'm fine..."

An Le panted slightly and shook her head, looking at the elderly woman as she said,

"Popo, you can just call

An Le."

"Alright... Oh dear, look at how badly your hand got scraped. Hurry and put her down, I'll go fetch so dicine."

Shen Dai Popo had no idea that An Le's hand completely lacked sensation. Her current panting was entirely due to the highly inappropriate oppai contact.

But this worked out well too. At least it saved An Le from having to explain herself.

Yan Huan was also incredibly exhausted—mostly because holding himself back had been draining.

Seeing that they had arrived, he hurriedly set An Le down.

"We're so sorry, big brother, big sister, for causing you to be chased all the way back... But they don't know you guys were there. They only know the two of us were watching..."

Beside them, Aoi Ka walked over apologetically, bowing to Yan Huan and An Le to say sorry.

In reality, the entire reason they were exposed was because An Le had thought of sothing earlier and let out a sound in her daze.

However, Yan Huan felt that this was a good lesson for the two kids.

Don't go around secretly peeping at things you shouldn't be looking at.

It easily leads to trouble.

"I'm sorry, big brother, big sister. I'll treat you to so lollipops."

Nearby, Kazuya pulled two candies wrapped in cellophane from his pocket and offered them to Yan Huan and An Le.

Yan Huan glanced at the boy's now completely empty pockets and asked,

"If we eat these, what are you two going to eat?"

"Um... we just won't eat!"

Yan Huan burst into helpless laughter, ultimately returning the candies to the two of them.

"Forget it, you two go ahead and eat them. Here."

Aoi Ka glanced at the candies Yan Huan was handing back. Her eyes darted around slyly, but she only accepted one of them.

"It's fine, Kazuya and I will share one! Big brother and big sister, you two can share the other one!"

"Eh?"

Yan Huan and An Le were taken aback, and even Kazuya's face flushed red.

"Y-you can eat it. I won't eat."

"No way, no way, let's share one!"

"Big brother and big sister are a husband and wife, so they can share one. But we aren't, so we can't share it..."

Aoi Ka froze slightly, her face inevitably turning a faint shade of red.

"Well, when we grow up, won't we beco husband and wife too? So, it doesn't matter if we share one now..."

Hearing their mistaken assumptions, Yan Huan paused slightly.

He was just about to clarify, but he turned his head and caught sight of the rosy-cheeked An Le beside him. The corners of her mouth were turned up in a rare, faint smile, as if she were genuinely happy...

For so reason, the words of explanation died in his throat before he could voice them.

"Co, co, co. I've fetched so dicine for you..."

Shen Dai Popo walked over carrying cotton swabs, bandages, and iodine. Looking at An Le's bleeding right hand, she couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"Bear with it a little. The cut isn't huge, but it's going to sting."

"Mm..."

An Le nodded, watching as the iodine-soaked cotton swab twirled over her hand.

"Does it hurt?"

Yan Huan's concerned voice drifted over, making An Le belatedly realize that she needed to put on an act.

"Hiss... I'm okay, Xiao Huan..."

She gasped in shock, speaking up as if she had truly felt the sting of pain.

"It'll be done soon, just a mont."

Shen Dai Popo wrapped the bandage around An Le's hand loop by loop. Only then did she look at the girl affectionately.

"You really need to be more careful. The mountains aren't like the city. The paths are full of potholes and bumps. It would be terrible if you fell and injured yourself sowhere, understand?"

Listening to Shen Dai Popo's kind words, An Le blinked and squeezed her thickly bandaged hand.

Seeing her zone out for a mont, Shen Dai Popo proceeded to question her closely.

"Did you hear , An Le? You have to be a bit more careful."

"Ah... g-got it..."

An Le nodded, imdiately responding in agreent.

Hearing An Le's promise, the elderly woman finally smiled, nodded, and stood up to go about her chores.

"Alright, alright, don't go running around outside anymore. Everyone in the village is busy right now. If you two have so free ti, help tutor these kids with their howork."

"We already finished our howork!"

"Then just stay in the shrine and watch TV! Don't go running wild!"

"Darn it!"

An Le stared blankly at the two children as they playfully bickered with Granny.

Beside her was Yan Huan, watching her with a gaze filled with concern.

"How is it? Still hurt?"

"I-it doesn't hurt anymore, Xiao Huan..."

"That's good."

In the distance lay the peaceful, tranquil, and picturesque village.

For so inexplicable reason, a long-lost sense of calm and comfort abruptly swelled within An Le's heart...

A kind of peace and ordinary life that she cherished, truly cherished.

"..."

An Le blinked. Before she could properly savor that feeling, she suddenly recalled what had happened earlier.

"By the way, Granny..."

"What is it?"

Shen Dai Popo turned her head back to look at her, and An Le began describing the temple she had seen on the way back.

"Granny, is there actually a temple in the village?"

"A temple?"

Hearing this, Shen Dai Popo glanced at the two children beside her, her face displaying utter confusion.

"Yeah... Right along the roadside of the path we took up the mountain earlier. There was a mid-sized temple... I think I saw a statue of a Bodhisattva enshrined inside..."

However, upon hearing this, the expressions of the others grew even more bewildered.

It wasn't just Shen Dai Popo, Aoi Ka, and Kazuya; even Yan Huan frowned.

"But there isn't a single temple in the village? Did you see it wrong and mistake soone's house for a temple?"

"Eh?"

An Le froze slightly and turned to look at Yan Huan beside her.

As Yan Huan shook his head, he chewed over every word she had said, asking in confusion,

"An Le, when the two of us were coming down just now, there was absolutely nothing by the roadside."

"..."

Hearing this, An Le pursed her lips and began turning things over in her mind.

Yet no matter how she recalled it, she felt absolutely certain that what she had seen earlier was real.

'Could it be...'

Her expression shifted slightly, transforming into an awkward smile.

"It was probably because I was injured just now, and with people chasing us from behind, I must have seen things wrong... Thinking about it carefully, it was probably just a villager's house."

Following her explanation, Shen Dai Popo and the kids nodded. Without giving it another thought, they simply urged her to get plenty of rest.

Yan Huan, on the other hand, carefully scrutinized An Le's shy smile and imdiately saw right through her lie.