"Pitter-patter..."
"I can only lend you these for now. I don't have anything else here."
Inside the rental apartnt, Yan Huan slowly closed the wardrobe, glanced at the clock on the wall that read 23:27, and finally walked out of the bedroom.
A light night rain was falling outside the window, tinting the entire rental apartnt with the pleasant scent of rain.
In the living room, Mouse Sakuramiya sat on the sofa with a slight blush, wearing one of Yan Huan's clean T-shirts.
Yan Huan's XXL-sized clothing draped over her petite body like a dress, extending all the way down to her thighs and completely covering her skin.
As for undergarnts, it wasn't that Yan Huan didn't have any.
Although An Le had left, many of her sacred relics and battle uniforms had been washed and neatly stored in the wardrobe.
But An Le's things...
Even if Sakuramiya were to develop for a few more years, she probably still wouldn't be able to fit into them. Furthermore, taking them out right now would likely just cause trouble, so he simply decided against it.
"Thank you, President..."
Feeling the clothes on her body, Mouse Sakuramiya ignored her shyness. Her eyes were like a fish returning to water, frantically absorbing every piece of furniture and decoration in Yan Huan's ho.
Including the fat black cat right in front of her.
"So it's true. When the President asked
about raising cats on Plane earlier, it was for this little guy, wasn't it?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi thought to herself. Despite being a mouse, she was incredibly fond of cats. She gently reached out to pet its round and plump head, muttering to herself with a smile.
"Since you've been staying in the President's house, this must be your first ti eting a strange girl, right? It's okay, I won't hurt you. Just get used to my scent..."
Hearing this, Myau-chan opened his mouth, hesitating to speak.
"..."
Just as he was about to say sothing, Yan Huan spoke up from behind.
"You sleep on the bed tonight, and I'll make a bed on the floor. The sofa in the living room is too narrow; you won't be able to sleep on it."
"Ah, okay..."
Mouse Sakuramiya's ears twitched, and she imdiately got up to follow him.
By this ti, Yan Huan had already laid out a sleeping mat on the floor, while his bed was now welcoming its third female occupant.
So this is...
The President's bed?
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi stared blankly at Yan Huan's bed, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
She glanced back at Yan Huan, who was half-lying on his floor mat and reaching out to turn off the light. She quickly and docilely lay down on the bed, as tranquil as a sleeping beauty.
"Click."
Seeing her settled in, Yan Huan finally turned off the light.
The mont the light went out, Sakuramiya Hitomi imdiately and tremblingly reached out, grabbing the bedding covering her body, pulled it over her face, and took a deep breath.
"Cough! Cough!!"
As a result, she didn't sll a trace of Yan Huan's scent. Instead, she inhaled the dusty sll of cotton that had accumulated from being left in the wardrobe for too long.
This bedding wasn't the one the President just used!
He took his own blanket to the floor mat!!
"What's wrong, Sakuramiya?"
"N-nothing!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi blushed, hastily shook her head, pulled the blanket down, and turned her head to face away from Yan Huan.
However, this brought her closer to the bedsheets, and a faint trace of Yan Huan's scent drifted up.
"Mmm..."
Her ears twitched, and her body gradually relaxed.
On the floor mat, Yan Huan turned his head and placed a hand on his forehead.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Myau-chan glaring at him with dead-fish eyes. He crooked a finger and effortlessly scooped the fat black cat into his arms, returning it to its throne.
"..."
Amidst the silence, Sakuramiya Hitomi's instincts seed to flare up. In the darkness, she quietly turned her head to peek at the boy who had his eyes closed but was gently patting the black cat's rear.
"Purrrr..."
The black cat let out a comfortable yawn, its erald eyes looking at Sakuramiya Hitomi while its paws unconsciously spread open and began kneading Yan Huan's chest.
Mouse Sakuramiya lay under the bedding, looking at the black cat with envy.
The next second, as if he had grown a third eye, Yan Huan noticed Sakuramiya Hitomi peeking at him.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Ah?"
Hearing his voice, Mouse Sakuramiya imdiately realized her peeking had been discovered.
Her body trembled slightly, and she hastily buried her head under the bedding, leaving only a pair of eyes still looking out.
After waiting for a few seconds and realizing that Yan Huan didn't intend to bla her, she cautiously poked her head back out.
"..."
Looking at Yan Huan, who still had his eyes closed while patting the cat, she hesitated for a second before suddenly asking.
"President... why are you helping ?"
"What kind of silly question is that?"
Yan Huan was unable to help but laugh. Even his hand patting Myau-chan slowed down a beat, prompting the cat to irritably flick its tail against his wrist to signal him to continue.
"Because, you see... all of this must be terrifying for the President, right?
"So many things that shouldn't exist in reality, even murder and blood... No matter how you think about it, anyone would stay far away from it.
"Not to ntion, I'm the kind of person who... peeks at the President. Taking a step back, letting Perfect Sakuranomiya replace
wouldn't be such a bad thing.
"I believe Perfect Sakuranomiya would definitely treat the President very well, because she's just like every other Sakuramiya. Why... why take the risk?"
Why?
This question was so natural and expected that Yan Huan had never actually thought deeply about it.
Because he needed to resolve the Modifier.
From beginning to end, this answer could be used to explain all of his actions.
Only at this mont, because he couldn't tell Sakuramiya Hitomi the truth, Yan Huan found himself rethinking the question of 'why'.
"ow~"
Hearing this, Myau-chan also stopped enjoying Yan Huan's massage and turned its head to look at him.
"Now that you ntion it, I'm actually quite curious too, ow... When I first sought you out, I thought of countless possibilities.
"You quitting, being unable to adapt, or just straight up abandoning yourself to despair.
"In the end, I didn't expect you to accept it so quickly and have endless vigor to deal with it all. It amazed even , ow!"
Yan Huan irritably pinched the deadweight cat in his arms and gave it a flick on the forehead.
"Heh, who said I was willing?"
But then again, what was he actually thinking in the very beginning?
'To save my own life?'
Actually, back then, he was half-believing, half-doubting about these things destroying the world and endangering his life.
It wasn't until An Le unleashed her power in Tokyo that he fully believed what Myau-chan had said was true.
So, at that ti, what exactly was he thinking?
"..."
Lost in thought, he slowly opened his eyes.
His dark field of vision gradually cleared, allowing him to see Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was currently lying on his bed, looking right at him.
"President?"
"..."
He suddenly rembered what exactly was going through his head back then.
He wanted to maintain his daily life. He wanted to preserve his previous lifestyle and didn't want to be affected by the Modifiers, not even a little bit.
The calm life of being the Student Council President, having close friends, holding a bright future, and harboring a crush on soone he considered perfect in his heart.
That was why, back then, he was able to keep a level head while battling back and forth with several Modifier Hosts whom he secretly considered to be absolute lunatics.
'I guess Myau-chan wasn't wrong either.'
To so extent, in the very beginning, he had willingly dealt with the Modifiers entirely for the sake of Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Unfortunately, a birthday party and a bout of mind-reading had completely ruined Yan Huan's dream of pure love.
Yet now that things had reached this point, he suddenly found he didn't mind it all that much anymore.
'Perhaps because of the fertility aspect? Or because of Myau-chan?'
Or perhaps because he had spent so much ti with the Modifier Hosts that his own brain had started to beco abnormal.
In the beginning, just looking at Spencer and Bai Yi made him grit his teeth in hatred, but now he felt they each had their own lovable traits.
Even Ye Shiyu had beco much more pleasing to his eyes lately.
If he could tolerate even Ye Shiyu, it could only be said that Yan Huan's broad-mindedness could now encompass heaven and earth.
At this mont, riding on this train of thought, he couldn't help but look back and re-evaluate his feelings for Sakuramiya...
"This question... why do I rember you asking
this before?"
After a long silence, Yan Huan couldn't help but smile slightly as he spoke.
"Back when I snatched you away from your older brother and we went to watch the fireworks together... After we finished watching, you tactlessly told
sothing like...
"'We can watch them through a video call' or 'I can see them from the windowsill at ho.' Weird things like that."
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi pursed her lips and said.
"But it's true..."
"So, how did I reply to you back then?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi froze slightly, looking at Yan Huan. With a reddened face, she whispered.
"President, you said that the Student Council agreed to watch the fireworks together, and it wouldn't be the sa if even one person was missing."
Watching her unfamiliarity as she chewed on these words she didn't fully acknowledge, Yan Huan thought for a mont before sitting up.
The next second, Yan Huan tossed off Myau-chan, who had been comfortably sprawled on top of him.
"ow?!"
"Ah, ah, P-President?!"
Yan Huan squatted by the side of the bed, looking at her.
"It's the sa now. All the Sakuramiyas together make up the real Sakuramiya. It won't work if even one is missing."
"Even if... that Sakuramiya's oppai are very flat?"
"Ah, that's the best."
Mouse Sakuramiya blushed, completely flustered by Yan Huan's serious expression.
She didn't know if Yan Huan was actually serious or just trying to coax her, but at this mont, she was willing to believe he was serious.
"Even if that Sakuramiya appears very kind and gentle on the outside, but on the inside is always thinking about... very dark things?"
"Everyone thinks about things like that from ti to ti, right? When I was a kid, I used to think that if everyone in the country gave
one dollar, I'd be rich."
"Mmm..."
Hearing his words, Sakuramiya Hitomi couldn't help but reveal a moved expression as she looked at Yan Huan.
"Even if this Sakuramiya likes to peek..."
"Ah, you should probably fix that habit."
The smile on Yan Huan's face collapsed, turning into an expressionless face.
Sakuramiya Hitomi's little heart instantly skipped a beat, leaping into her throat. "..."
But the very next second, Yan Huan failed to maintain his cold, expressionless facade and was unable to help but laugh.
Seeing him break into a smile and realizing he was teasing her, Sakuramiya Hitomi's small face instantly flushed red.
She stuck her fists out from under the bedding and gently punched Yan Huan's shoulder.
"Ugh!"
"Ah, pain, pain, pain, pain..."
Her body was very weak; every ti she hit him, it actually felt like a tickle, but Yan Huan would always put on an act and claim it hurt.
This was the most familiar, and also the most intimate, interaction they had shared before the Modifiers arrived.
Now, being playfully pumled by Sakuramiya Hitomi like this, Yan Huan suddenly felt as though a lifeti had passed.
"Grab!"
So in the next second, he reached out and firmly grasped Sakuramiya Hitomi's petite hands.
Startled, the Sakuramiya on the bed quickly looked at Yan Huan.
But Yan Huan simply lowered his head and spoke softly.
"Just like this, let
hold your hands for a while, okay, Sakuramiya?"
"!!"
Looking at Yan Huan, whose head was bowed before her, Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes trembled slightly.
She parted her lips, openly using her palms and her gaze to study the boy so close before her.
"Crack..."
At this mont, the mories that had been erased due to Cold Hitomi being killed slowly began to flood back into her mind.
She suddenly rembered why her gaze had lingered on him in the very beginning.
Without any ulterior motive, he had been doing things that seed incredibly precious to her.
Helping Yabashi Ki, that otaku; Yurianna, that airhead; Ashley, that unapproachable violent woman...
She took all of this in, and that was why she had chosen to stay by his side.
Yet, for so reason, when he did such things for her without asking for anything in return, she hadn't realized how cherished it was until now.
"..."
In the darkness, Sakuramiya Hitomi just stared blankly at Yan Huan.
The next second, as if her eyes and lips had been completely captivated by Yan Huan, she actually leaned toward him slightly on her own initiative.
"Smooch~"
Yan Huan, his head still bowed, felt a soft sensation on his forehead. His pupils constricted slightly before he jerked his head up, looking closely at Sakuramiya Hitomi, who had just pulled her lips away.
She had actually initiated a kiss.
In that fleeting instant, the Mickey Mouse-like ears atop her head unconsciously shrank a little.
Neither of them noticed, as they only had eyes for each other at this mont.
"Sakuramiya..."
"Um... That... That was..."
Mouse Sakuramiya's dreamy eyes gradually cleared. She hastily recoiled a bit, explaining awkwardly,
"Interest."
"Interest?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi glanced at him, parting her pink lips as she looked at him charmingly and spoke in a soft voice.
"The President promised Glasses Sakuramiya before, that you... would sleep with us."
"Ah... I did, indeed."
As she spoke, Sakuramiya Hitomi pursed her lips and slowly lifted the bedding covering her body right in front of Yan Huan, whispering.
"Since it's okay with every Sakuramiya... then... I can do it too."
As the blanket was peeled back, a wave of warm air carrying her faint fragrance wafted into Yan Huan's nostrils.
He inevitably looked to the side, seeing the oversized T-shirt that had been slightly bunched up as she lay down.
The upper half of the T-shirt clung tightly to her petite fra, outlining so subtle curves.
But the lower half cascaded with wrinkles, riding up all the way above her thighs, revealing a hint of the hidden scenery underneath.
Under the bedding was an entirely different world compared to the one he had unveiled with An Le!
"Gulp..."
Yan Huan swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Though he didn't verbally answer, the hand grasping her wrists didn't relax in the slightest; instead, it tightened.
Imdiately after, he slowly lowered his head toward Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes shrank slightly, but she also proactively tilted her head up, capturing Yan Huan's lips in a kiss.
"Smooch~"
At the exact sa mont, within the Reality Barrier that neither of them knew about.
The barrier, which had previously been plagued by earth-shattering tremors, suddenly fell eerily calm.
It was as quiet as the vacuum of space.
Every single Sakuramiya, without knowing why, felt a surge of comfort swell up in their hearts, allowing them to peacefully set down whatever they were doing.
Whether it was fleeing for their lives, hiding away, or hunting to kill...
All of it was put on hold.
"Pitter-patter..."
Subsequently, a light rain abruptly began to fall across every part of the barrier, regardless of whether it was indoors or outdoors.
The veil of rain landed on all the Sakuramiyas, wetting their clothes and their faces.
They had no idea what was happening, only that they felt a refreshing sense of relief in both body and mind.
"..."
Except for Perfect Sakuranomiya, who stood amidst a pool of blood. Facing the rain, a sizzling sound emanated from her face as plus of white steam billowed out.
It was her face, lting in the rain.
"Hss..."
She endured the pain, raising a hand to cover her face as she gasped in shock.
She didn't know where the rain was coming from; she only knew...
Her ti was truly running out.
"..."
There were so many happy people, and she wasn't the only one who was heartbroken.
Right now, in Yan Huan's room, Myau-chan—a fat cat—could only watch helplessly as Yan Huan flipped onto Sakuramiya Hitomi's bed and pulled her into his embrace.
anwhile, it, a solitary cat, sat all alone on the floor mat, its fur rustled by the night breeze.
"Sigh..."
It had only been a day since An Le left.
And it had only just reclaid its throne...
For less than a day!!
"Yan Huan, you detestable scumbag, ow!! I don't care! I'm getting on the bed too, ow!"
"Shoo, shoo, shoo."
On the bed, Yan Huan's hand, which was wrapped around Sakuramiya Hitomi's petite fra, casually swatted the air, effortlessly stopping the poor fat cat that had reared up and was desperately clawing at the mattress trying to climb up.
Enraged, Myau-chan let out a flurry of ows, shouting angrily.
"ow!!"
anwhile, in Linn, sowhere within the Golden Lion Mansion.
"Hello, welco to the Golden Lion Mansion~"
Inside the magnificently illuminated lobby, the elevator doors had just opened when two Blonde Won wearing business suits approached with wide smiles.
Ye Lan, dressed in a black tulle dress, slowly stepped out of the elevator. Glancing at the two won before her, she also revealed a slight smile.
"I have an appointnt with Ms. Ai'erweila tonight. A private one."
"Ah, you must be Ms. Ye, correct?"
The two greeters' expressions shifted slightly as they simultaneously stepped back to either side. Offering a polite gesture of invitation, they pointed toward the golden hall ahead.
"Please wait a mont with the other guest. We will notify the chairwoman imdiately."
"The other guest?"
Ye Lan paused for a mont, looking over.
In the business world, Ye International had been engaged in a tug-of-war with the Jinshi Group for quite so ti. Compounded by the bizarre fence-sitting attitude of Linn's officials, Ye Lan had been left completely exhausted lately.
Neither side could do much against the other, and at this point, coming to the negotiating table seed to be an inevitable choice.
Because of this, Ye Lan had placed great importance on Ai'erweila's sudden "private invitation," going so far as to co here late at night.
But...
She invited another guest?
Ye Lan furrowed her brows slightly as she walked into the golden hall.
Her sharp instincts picked up on sothing amiss from this seemingly insignificant detail.
'Could it be that she's actually here to discuss private matters?'
"..."
Half-believing, half-doubting, Ye Lan carried her handbag over to the reception area, which was furnished with several sofas. From a distance, she caught sight of the back view of a pink-haired woman drinking red wine.
Ye Lan narrowed her eyes, studying the woman's back view as she approached.
Hearing the clicking of Ye Lan's high heels, the woman turned her head to look over.
eting Ye Lan's eyes was an elegant woman with her hair intricately styled, wearing a Floral Kimono, her tresses a delicate pink akin to cherry blossoms.
She recognized this person...
"Ms... Sakuramiya Lily?"
"Hehe, hello there, Ms. Ye~"
Ye Lan sat down in confusion. Looking at the smiling, beautiful woman in front of her, she couldn't help but ask.
"I didn't expect to see you here this late. Were you also privately invited by Ms. Ai'erweila?"
"That's right. I just got off the airplane not too long ago, actually. But I was very interested in the matter she wanted to discuss, so I rushed over without stopping."
"Oh?"
Realizing that Sakuramiya Lily might know Ai'erweila's goal, Ye Lan uttered an inquisitive tone, pressing for more information.
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Lily smiled faintly. She raised a small flag in her hand and waved it.
"Ta-da~"
Ye Lan looked at the flag in her hand.
Taking a closer look, it appeared to be an item handed out during a previous event at Far Moon Academy.
Ye Lan didn't know when this event had taken place, considering her daughter had only transferred there this sester.
However, the words written on it caught Ye Lan's attention.
It clearly read:
"Mama's Roundtable"
"Huh?"
Ye Lan blinked, staring wide-eyed at Sakuramiya Lily, who stared right back.
Reviews
All reviews (0)