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The breeze gently swept across the treetops, rustling softly as if whispering to the earth, telling of its tenderness and poetic sentint.
"Chiba-san, how do you feel?"
Walking behind the girl, Haruka Yuzan suddenly asked out of the blue.
"Hmm?"
Chiba Shimizu turned around with a hint of curiosity,
only to find that the boy following her was childishly reaching out to touch the treetops above.
"What are you talking about?"
The girl asked with a touch of curiosity.
Haruka Yuzan plucked a small, tender shoot and said with a smile:
"I an, Chiba-san, how do you feel about your current life? Are you happy?"
Hearing the boy's words, Chiba Shimizu gave the question so serious thought, remained silent for a mont, then finally spoke slowly:
"Um, quite happy. Sister Reiko and the others are really nice, I can feel it."
The two continued walking forward and Haruka Yuzan also let out a slight sigh of relief:
"Yeah, life in the villa is happy, eting all of you has been my honor."
Chiba Shimizu was slightly taken aback; she really wanted to say that eting Haruka Yuzan was their honor, but ultimately she didn't voice it.
The conversation fell into silence.
Walking through the woods, the air seed to carry a faint, fresh scent of earth.
"That..... Chiba-san, you and Chiba Seiryo...."
Haruka Yuzan had only gotten halfway through his sentence when he saw Chiba Shimizu wave her hand, a look of detached calm flashing through her clear eyes.
"Haruka, instead of worrying about my affairs, you should think about how to properly handle your relationship with Oto Yuko."
"My relationship with Yuko? How to handle it? It's pretty good as it is."
Haruka Yuzan smiled faintly.
"So issues can't be solved by playing dumb for a mont. In the end, if they're discovered, the resulting fallout could be imasurable."
Chiba Shimizu directly addressed their present predicant:
"You might be able to keep Oto Yuko in the dark about the relationships among the few people in the villa now, but Yuko isn't foolish. Sooner or later, she'll find out."
Haruka Yuzan didn't respond. This was indeed a point of helpless frustration for him; the matter with Yuko was really troubleso.
At this mont, Chiba Shimizu also stopped walking, turned slightly, and her delicate, pretty face took on a serene expression:
"I really like Sister Reiko, and I like our current life, so please take care of your own affairs and don't let soone else disturb this peace, okay?"
The girl's voice was cold, but it carried an undertone that brooked no refusal.
The mountain breeze, carrying a coolness with it, stirred the hem of their clothes.
Looking at each other, Haruka Yuzan could see the seriousness in Chiba-san's eyes. She wasn't joking, and neither could he.
"Okay, I'll take care of it."
But hearing the boy's answer, Chiba Shimizu frowned slightly.
"Why do I feel like you don't believe , Chiba-san?"
Haruka Yuzan walked up beside the girl and said with a touch of helplessness.
Chiba Shimizu glanced at him, then began to speak slowly:
"Because I can only think of two solutions."
The breeze lifted the locks of hair on her forehead, revealing the girl's refined and pretty cheeks. Haruka Yuzan kept silent, simply listening to the young lady discuss what ca next:
"One is that you give up on Oto Yuko, break up with her. Of course, the consequences of that might be the most severe."
Chiba Shimizu didn't finish her sentence, but the unsaid remainder was clear.
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If I broke up with Yuko, I..... would be running to my death!
"And the second option?"
Chiba Shimizu lifted her eyes to glance at him before she slowly began to speak:
"The second is simpler, you convince Oto Yuko to let go of her obsession and her pride as the heiress of the Oto family, so that she can get along harmoniously with Sister Reiko and the others."
"......"
"....."
A gentle breeze rustled the treetops, and the scene beca sowhat quiet.
This thod... indeed seed simple. At least, it sounded simple when Chiba-san said it.
Haruka Yuzan sighed sowhat helplessly.
So, the problem had beco so difficult that even the ever-smart Chiba-san couldn't co up with a good solution?
"Forget it, forget it, let think about it so more, let's gather firewood first."
Chiba Shimizu looked deeply at him, fell silent for a long while, then finally nodded slowly.
Most of the scattered firewood in the forest was a bit damp, but luckily they had charcoal. Gathering the wood was only to serve as kindling.
They didn't need much.
Delicate fingers gently picked up the dry sticks from the ground and handed them to Haruka Yuzan behind her, one, two, three....
It didn't take long for the boy's hands to hold a large bundle of sticks.
"This should... be enough..."
Haruka Yuzan looked at the firewood bundled with twine in his hands, roughly estimating the weight in his mind.
"Yes, this will be enough."
Chiba Shimizu stood up, and with the back of her hand, she gently wiped the sweat from her pale forehead, revealing her delicate, fair face.
As ti passed, approaching noon, the weather in the forest beca increasingly sultry.
Having crouched for too long, when she suddenly stood up, Chiba Shimizu's face turned a bit pale, with a fragile beauty to it like that of a glass doll.
"Are you alright, Chiba-san?"
Haruka Yuzan, also noticing the girl's poor complexion, asked with concern.
"No, I'm fine."
Chiba Shimizu shook her head, trying to make herself more alert.
But just as she took a step forward, her feet weakened, and, not standing firmly, she stumbled on empty air. Before her was a small cliff slope, and she fell straight down!
"Shimizu!!"
Haruka Yuzan, who had been closely monitoring the young lady's condition, hastily threw aside the firewood in his hand, trying to grab hold of Chiba Shimizu.
But because of the unstable center of gravity, Haruka Yuzan was pulled down with the girl.
In that critical mont, adrenaline surged!
With a strong effort of his arm, Haruka Yuzan suddenly scooped up Chiba Shimizu, holding her in his embrace—it all happened in an instant.
The sound "bang!" echoed as they hit the ground from about three or four ters high. Haruka Yuzan, holding the young lady, felt a searing pain in his back!
"Hiss!"
As the adrenaline receded, he faced the consequences of playing the hero.
Only now did Chiba Shimizu fully awaken, and even then, her lovely eyes still held remnants of shock.
However, the girl quickly regained her senses and hastened to ask the person beneath her:
"Are you alright, Haruka?"
Her beautiful eyes were full of tension and worry.
This was the first ti Haruka Yuzan saw Chiba Shimizu show such emotion, but he still reached out to gently soothe the girl's back: "It's okay, Chiba-san, don't be scared..."
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