And the boyfriend she wanted was right there beneath her.
She had no idea how to win over the man beneath her, how to make him agree to be her boyfriend.
So hard.
She'd dropped hints more than once, but never once with any success.
She'd tried tempting him too, thinking that if she and Lin Ye went that far, he'd start treating her as his girlfriend, and with just a small nudge from her he'd confess on his own.
But,
to this very day she'd never succeeded. She was still alone, without so much as a boyfriend in name.
Yet apart from Lin Ye, there was no one else she could ever turn to.
"Lin-kun,"
"What is it?"
"I just did something,"
"Oh? What thing?"
Lin Ye played along with Ai Hoshino's words.
"It concerns you!"
"Mm."
"It concerns Sayaka too,"
"Mm."
"Hey, hey, hey, could you give me a little reaction? This is huge good news for you!"
"I get the feeling this isn't good news at all,"
"Ugh, have a little more faith in me! How could I ever bring you anything but good? You're my Lin-kun, after all!"
Ai Hoshino pouted, unhappy, then went on, "For the sake of your future happiness, Lin Ye, I've actually been trying to convince Sayaka to be your girlfriend!"
That's right.
Ai Hoshino had decided to approach it from this angle,
using Sayaka becoming Lin Ye's girlfriend as an entry point, then bringing it around to herself, until at last her own becoming his girlfriend was the center of the conversation.
"Sayaka Maizono?"
Lin Ye exclaimed, his voice and face brimming with shock.
That made Ai Hoshino's chest tighten. Had she hit the mark? Did Lin Ye really have his eye on Sayaka Maizono all along, and had she just guessed it exactly right?
"Yes, who else would Sayaka be? The only Sayaka I know is her,"
Ai Hoshino gave a little huff. "Sayaka's cute, isn't she? A few years from now she'll definitely grow into a stunning beauty. If you could make her your girlfriend right now, Lin Ye, you'd be making an absolute killing!"
It was the look of someone who thought they'd struck gold,
an expression Lin Ye had seen far too many times, on Haruno.
"You keep her,"
Lin Ye said, backing away instead, making his refusal plain.
"Don't be like that! What do you mean, I keep her? You don't like her?"
"How could Sayaka ever compare to…"
He deliberately drew out the words, and those eyes fixed intently on her led Ai Hoshino to imagine the rest of the sentence was about herself.
Surely Lin Ye was about to say no one could compare to her.
Ahhh—
So happy, so overjoyed.
Joy welled up in Ai Hoshino, she truly was delighted! Every bit of affirmation from Lin Ye filled her with happiness.
But what she looked forward to most today was still Lin Ye being willing to be her boyfriend. Ai Hoshino longed for it, and was determined that tonight, no matter what, she'd break their relationship out of its current state.
"Mai." "Ha." "No one compares to Mai,"
In that instant Ai Hoshino heard it clearly, and her whole happy heart simply stopped beating.
Mai, Mai again. This time Lin-kun had compared Sayaka to Mai, ignoring her existence entirely.
Even if Lin Ye was only joking, the words still left Ai Hoshino aching.
It hurt too much. Her heart ached so badly.
"Sob, sob, sob,"
Ai Hoshino let out a whimper, and the choked sound made Lin Ye's heart lurch.
No matter how he'd figured it, Lin Ye had never expected Ai Hoshino to start crying outright over a single joke of his.
This wouldn't do. This wouldn't do.
When comfort was called for, comfort had to be given.
Lin Ye quickly changed his tune. "Miss Maizono compares even less to you, Ai-chan. She's nothing next to you. Even you have no chance of becoming my girlfriend, let alone Miss Maizono."
Those words only made Ai Hoshino more miserable.
What did he mean, no chance?
Did that mean she had no chance either?
Wasn't she supposed to be able to?
What was stopping her?
Several questions surfaced in her mind, and Ai Hoshino was thoroughly displeased.
She looked at Lin Ye, pouting. "Sayaka doesn't want to be your girlfriend. I tried to talk her into it for ages, and she just won't,"
This was true,
and it was true that Ai Hoshino had done the persuading.
But there was a gap between what her words implied and what had actually happened, a contrast born of differing interpretations.
"Isn't that a good thing? Miss Maizono surely wants to pursue her own happiness, to find someone she likes. I don't have any feelings for her anyway,"
"A cute girl, and you have no feelings for her? Don't forget, you once went out of your way to ask me all about Sayaka, looking so interested,"
Something else came to Ai Hoshino, and she added at once, "Oh, and, and, you even said Sayaka would become a Super High School Level idol. Doesn't that mean you like her a lot, that you're looking forward to her future? You've never said anything like that about me."
A surge of jealousy welled up.
To Ai Hoshino, Sayaka Maizono was just a pretext, an excuse to pick a fight,
a way to voice her own feelings, to find a topic and push her relationship with Lin Ye one step further.
"But that has nothing to do with whether I have feelings for her,"
Lin Ye said.
"It has everything to do with it. If you didn't care, how would you pay her any attention? Lin-kun, if you have feelings, just say so. I won't mind, I won't care at all. I can be very, very accepting of you,"
Those words were about eighty percent believable.
But putting it into practice was another matter,
and Lin Ye didn't dare take it at face value.
"The white-stockings idol, no feelings?"
"I do,"
"I knew it,"
"I like you in white stockings,"
"Ah,"
It struck Ai Hoshino right in the heart. This blunt affirmation came far too suddenly. Usually Lin Ye teased and pulled her back and forth, never giving her the chance to simply accept his words, and praise like this was rarer still.
"Me? I'll swap with Sayaka in a bit, then. I'll wear the white stockings,"
A little request like that, she could agree to.
"Sure,"
"So you do care after all, wanting to see Sayaka in black stockings,"
"Oh, you!"
"Fine, fine,"
Ai Hoshino dropped the subject. "Anyway, I tried to convince Sayaka, but she wouldn't agree, so you got your hopes up for nothing, Lin-kun."
That's not right, I never got my hopes up.
"So, I think I ought to make it up to you, Lin-kun,"
This was the main event, Ai Hoshino thought to herself.
"Make it up to me?"
"Mm-hmm, the kind of making-up-for-it you like so much, Lin-kun,"
Ai Hoshino tempted him deliberately.
She shifted, and their skin rubbed together in the water, a jolt like the fiercest electric current that set off a rush of hormones in Lin Ye's brain.
This girl had learned to use her body.
Of course, Lin Ye had felt this before and knew exactly what it was like, a skill practically written into women's genes.
"So, do you want to?"
Of course he did,
no one could refuse,
and then she could give Lin Ye a huge surprise,
and just like that, she'd become his girlfriend,
hahaha, a life like that would be so wonderful, she really did look forward to it.
Ai Hoshino looked forward to that scene.
"No thanks,"
Ai Hoshino… ???
"Not interested. Don't need it,"
Lin Ye would never follow Ai Hoshino's lead and let her seize the initiative.
He never would. He'd keep throwing surprises and refusals at her, so this girl would learn not to hold too many expectations when facing him.
What Lin Ye liked best was saying no to people who thought they had it all figured out,
and right now Ai Hoshino fell squarely into that category.
"Why?!"
"Not interested,"
"Even this isn't interesting?"
Ai Hoshino shifted her body hard, teasing him.
"Not interested. It's not like you're… cough, cough, it's not like you're one of those gorgeous girls with a killer figure and long, straight black hair."
It was Mai Sakurajima, it was Mai Sakurajima, wasn't it?
From that description alone, Ai Hoshino knew he meant Mai Sakurajima.
But since Lin Ye hadn't spoken the name, Ai Hoshino decided to let it go and stop sulking.
After all, Lin Ye had already changed, altering his manner because it would hurt her, and that alone was enough to make her happy.
"So, not interested,"
"Hmph, Lin Ye doesn't even know the feeling between one girl and another is completely different,"
Ai Hoshino said, grasping for a reason. "So this making-up-for-it of mine, you have to accept it, Lin-kun."
"Since when does making up for something have to be accepted?"
Lin Ye shot back.
"If I say there is, there is. Take it or take it, you're not allowed to say no,"
She turned and wrapped her arms around Lin Ye, staring into his eyes as she spoke.
"No,"
"Sob, sob…"
Ai Hoshino was thoroughly exasperated.
"Anyway, here's my compensation. Since Sayaka can't be your girlfriend, Lin-kun, then… I'll do it. I'll be your girlfriend, to make up for the tragic fact that you have none."
At last Lin Ye understood what Ai Hoshino was getting at. From start to finish, this girl's real goal had been this all along.
All that roundabout maneuvering just to become his girlfriend.
It seemed that this time Ai Hoshino had truly acted on impulse, truly couldn't hold back.
"Ai-chan, there's something I think you should know."
Those words gave Ai Hoshino a sudden knot of unease. What was it?
A flicker of panic ran through her.
"I already have a girlfriend."
Ai Hoshino: ???
A thunderbolt. Even soaking in the hot water, Ai Hoshino felt her body go cold in that moment. For a second she thought she'd misheard, that she was hallucinating, because otherwise, how could this be happening?
Fake. This had to be fake.
"L-Lin-kun… you… you're not just messing with me…"
"I'm serious. I have a girlfriend,"
Ai Hoshino knew that tone. When Lin Ye told the truth, when he was serious, this was exactly how he sounded.
Then, then… what was she supposed to do?!
What was she supposed to do?!
Lin Ye already had a girlfriend, so what was she supposed to do?
"Lin Ye, let me confirm one last time. You really do have a girlfriend? You're not lying to me?"
"I've no reason to lie. I really do have a girlfriend,"
But he didn't mention that he actually had two.
"Who?"
"The name you won't want to hear,"
At least for today, the less he brought it up, the better.
Ai Hoshino didn't like it, so he wouldn't say it.
And Ai Hoshino understood. It was Mai Sakurajima, the name of that girl she'd first heard about back when she'd met Lin Ye.
"Mai Sakurajima, Lin-kun, wasn't your relationship with her as lovers just something you claimed to keep the fans happy?"
Saying it that way wasn't wrong.
At the start, that had indeed been the purpose.
"Later it wasn't,"
Lin Ye let out a soft sigh. "Later on, Mai and I made it official. She… confessed to me."
The moment he said it,
Ai Hoshino's mind went blank.
Mai Sakurajima confessing to Lin Ye, what was wrong with the world?
Mai Sakurajima, a huge star, a wildly popular star, had actually confessed to Lin Ye.
A thing like that,
Ai Hoshino wouldn't have dared to imagine.
She'd thought that even if Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima had started dating, even if they'd become lovers, it should have been Lin Ye doing the confessing!
Not Mai Sakurajima.
But Lin Ye's words shattered everything Ai Hoshino had imagined. Something she could scarcely conceive of had happened.
"Wh-why…"
Ai Hoshino's voice trembled.
She wanted to know the reason, wanted to know the crux of it.
Otherwise she'd surely lie awake tonight, utterly unable to sleep.
"She experienced an anomaly, and I was responsible for resolving it,"
This was nothing he needed to hide from Ai Hoshino.
Ai Hoshino was a player, so there was no need to keep it secret at all.
Lin Ye gave her a brief account of how Mai Sakurajima had lost her presence.
Then how he'd helped her recover it, how the two of them had been drawn into a Strange incident, and how Lin Ye had resolved it and brought Mai Sakurajima safely out of danger.
The two had forged a deep bond,
so wasn't it only natural that Mai Sakurajima came to like Lin Ye?
Wasn't it only natural that Mai Sakurajima confessed and got together with him?
And facing a confession from a girl he liked, wasn't it only natural that Lin Ye accepted?
Ai Hoshino's open eyes stung with pain, her heart wrung tight, aching terribly.
Why… why did it have to be this way,
She was the one who liked Lin-kun, she'd been the first to build a close bond with him, she'd been first in everything.
Only,
only in that one confession, Mai Sakurajima had gotten ahead of her, and in the end… Mai Sakurajima had succeeded, and now, wanting to make Lin Ye her boyfriend, she'd run out of options, out of any way at all,
Lin-kun already had a girlfriend,
there was already a girl he liked at his side as his girlfriend,
there was no room left beside Lin-kun for anyone else,
Ai Hoshino's good mood for the day vanished completely,
She went ice-cold,
even Lin Ye felt it, her soft body strangely giving off a creeping chill, like a block of ice.
Lin Ye knew how Ai Hoshino felt,
awful, truly awful.
But it was the truth,
and she'd have to learn it sooner or later. Since Ai Hoshino was now seeking a formal relationship, he ought to tell her rather than keep hiding it.
"Lin-kun…"
Ai Hoshino's voice was hoarse. "You know… you didn't have to tell me,"
Yes,
there was a moment when Ai Hoshino didn't want to hear this news. It was simply too devastating. She truly hadn't wanted to know.
As long as she didn't know, she could still cling to hope, keep moving forward, keep facing Lin Ye with the same old optimism.
"Since you want to be my girlfriend, this was something you needed to know,"
"You could have… not told me."
She really hadn't wanted to know. She regretted it,
she truly wished she knew none of it, that Mai Sakurajima hadn't really become Lin Ye's girlfriend.
She had no chance now.
"Lin-kun, I… I…"
She liked Lin Ye so, so much!
She wanted so badly to be his girlfriend!
It was a longing and an impulse from the very bottom of her heart!
She wanted to be his girlfriend, to date him officially, to marry him someday and have his children, to enjoy a happy married life together.
She'd fantasized about that future countless times.
She'd even planned out having children.
She would retire at the very peak of her career, quit being an idol, and become a housewife devoted to caring for her husband.
But fate had played a cruel joke on her.
Not giving her the slightest chance.
Just as she was about to confess and become Lin Ye's official girlfriend, she'd discovered he already had one.
Her mind went blank, she lost her sense of direction and her future. She felt her whole life was probably beyond saving now. Her future was probably ruined.
Without Lin-kun, without Lin-kun as her boyfriend, what would become of her future?!
Sob, sob, sob,
Sob, sob, sob,
Ai Hoshino's tears came pouring down hard, in spite of herself.
She was heartbroken!
So very heartbroken.
As Ai Hoshino sobbed, her voice choked, each thread and drop of it seeping into Lin Ye's heart.
He didn't dislike this girl who genuinely liked him, not a trace of dislike, but simply accepting her like this was difficult too.
After all, he already had two girlfriends,
and right now he hadn't even sorted out things between Mai Sakurajima and Yukino Yukinoshita. Adding one more, though, seemed like… come to think of it, not that big a deal after all,
Lin Ye mused quietly.
But Ai Hoshino, in her state, clearly wasn't thinking that way.
So it wasn't the right moment for him to say it.
Lin Ye reached out and wiped the tears from the corner of the girl's eye.
"Don't cry, Ai-chan,"
"Sob, sob, sob,"
"Don't cry, Ai-chan,"
"Sob, sob, sob…"
She kept on sobbing.
With no other choice, Lin Ye moved his hand down and gently patted the girl's back.
Delicate, smooth, impossible to let go of,
A few seconds later Lin Ye snapped back to himself and set about comforting Ai Hoshino in earnest. "Sob, sob…"
"L-Lin-kun… will I… will I never have a chance… to be your girlfriend anymore?"
She still wanted to be his girlfriend after all, still wanted to date him for real.
"Isn't the relationship we have now good enough?"
It was, but she wanted to climb one step higher.
"I want to be your girlfriend, Lin-kun. I want to be your girlfriend, your official girlfriend,"
She lifted her head and spoke,
and the next second,
heedless of everything, she surged in, her red lips finding Lin Ye's and pressing down in a hard, forceful kiss,
lips meeting,
Ai Hoshino was still a little clumsy,
but she quickly grew bolder, kissing Lin Ye with abandon.
Yet before long, Lin Ye had bested her.
She was no match for him at all.
Panting for breath,
Ai Hoshino was nearly suffocating. She beat at Lin Ye until at last he let go.
"Lin…" "Lin-kun…"
"Mm?"
Lin Ye looked at Ai Hoshino, waiting to hear what she would say.
"You… why are you so good at this?!"
Lin Ye: ???
It was the first time his face had shown such extreme astonishment.
Ai Hoshino had unexpectedly hit on something all too revealing!
Why was he so skilled? Because, of course, without Ai Hoshino knowing, he'd learned it kissing other girls!
"Tell me!"
Ai Hoshino was worked up now,
"Just how many times have you kissed Mai Sakurajima to get this good at it?! Sob, sob, sob…"
Too skilled,
so skilled that her heart ached, ached terribly.
It should have been her teaching Lin Ye, her guiding him until he got good at it.
But she'd never imagined all of it would be stolen away by that woman named Mai Sakurajima.
Ai Hoshino couldn't accept it!
Deep down she was utterly unwilling to accept it.
A destructive urge rose in her. She wanted to smash everything to pieces, to raze it all and rebuild.
But,
but,
in the end, faced with Lin Ye's current situation,
she thought it over and let it go.
There was nothing to be done, nothing to be done.
With Lin Ye, there truly was nothing she could do.
Ai Hoshino's face was flushed red, yet the tears in her eyes still flowed on and on, brimming with hurt.
Sorrow, misery, all the grievance in her heart poured out in the form of tears.
Once again Lin Ye reached out and wiped the girl's tears away with his thumb,
and said softly, "Aren't you pretty good at it yourself, Ai-chan?"
"Ah, I am not, don't say weird things,"
Ai Hoshino denied it at once,
"And so forward, too,"
"I was not,"
"You really believe what you just said?"
Lin Ye gestured at the situation the two of them were in,
if she hadn't been forward, how could they ever have ended up like this?
"I, I do believe it, I really do,"
She said so, but there wasn't the slightest conviction behind it.
"All right, I believe you, so at… a time like this, what's called for is…"
Without ceremony, Lin Ye seized the girl's lips once more.
Ai Hoshino was kissed dizzy, nearly suffocating again.
An intense urge rose in her now.
"Lin-kun…"
"Mm?"
Blushing, she glanced away, baring her long, fair neck, showing off her lovely figure.
One thought and Lin Ye knew exactly what the girl had in mind.
Better to take it slow.
With outsiders around, he was in no hurry,
and besides, since he'd given Ai Hoshino nothing on wanting to be his girlfriend, it didn't feel right to him.
Seeing Lin Ye slow to respond, Ai Hoshino grew annoyed.
"Lin-kun,"
"You can do… whatever you want to me,"
"You're the one who's hurting. I should be comforting you. Shouldn't it be the other way around, that you let me do whatever I want to you?"
Lin Ye's retort left Ai Hoshino helpless,
but then something occurred to her and she gave a little start. That worked too!
Her doing something to Lin Ye.
Then… no…
On second thought, that wasn't so good,
She'd start with something simple.
And so,
Ai Hoshino's small hand slipped down beneath the water,
Lin Ye: ???
This girl was going too far!
Half an hour later, the two of them left the bathroom.
Ai Hoshino washed off again, though at least her hair hadn't gotten soaked.
She was in high spirits now, radiating a lively energy.
"Lin-kun, let's go to my room! There's a surprise!"
By now,
Sayaka Maizono had probably been waiting anxiously.
Ai Hoshino urged him on.
"Mm,"
Lin Ye walked to Ai Hoshino's bedroom and opened the door.
But the room was empty, not a soul inside.
"Ah, Sayaka must have gone back to her own room. Wait for me here a moment, I'll be right back,"
Ai Hoshino grabbed the black stockings and headed to the guest room on the other side.
When she reached the guest room, she found Sayaka Maizono lying on the bed, resting.
"Sayaka,"
"Senpai, are, are the two of you finished?"
Earlier she'd gone to listen by the bathroom, knew the two of them were chatting and soaking, and guessed something might happen, so she'd gone back to her own room first.
"We're done,"
Ai Hoshino looked at Sayaka Maizono, tucked under the covers. "Did you put on the white stockings?"
"Mm, I've got them on,"
With that, Sayaka Maizono revealed her left leg, the white stockings wrapping it giving off an air of purity.
"Take them off,"
"Huh?!"
"Take them off. I'll wear the white stockings, you wear the black,"
"Um, wh-why…"
Though puzzled, Sayaka Maizono didn't dwell on it and simply took them off. Right now, doing as she was told was enough.
She took the black stockings and pulled them on.
Looking at those long legs, even Sayaka Maizono herself felt a flutter.
How could they look so good?
"So pretty,"
Ai Hoshino was another matter entirely, she went straight in with her hands and began stroking them,
"Nnh—"
The sensation made Sayaka Maizono instinctively tense her legs,
being touched by someone else felt nothing like touching herself.
"So nice, it feels so good! Lin-kun's definitely going to love this,"
"O-okay, that's enough, Senpai, isn't it enough?"
She was starting to lose her composure.
"No use. When Lin-kun touches you later, you'll be even less able to bear it."
"No, no touching, only looking. I only agreed to be looked at,"
Sayaka Maizono declared her position,
and Ai Hoshino, meanwhile, pulled on the white stockings.
The sight left Sayaka Maizono staring.
"White stockings really do suit you, Senpai. So pretty,"
"Don't flatter me, you wear them far better than I do. Truly worthy of a Super High School Level idol,"
Teased, Sayaka Maizono let out a small whimper.
"You're far more amazing than me, Senpai. You'll always be that ray of light in my heart, the figure I chase after as I move forward."
These were Sayaka Maizono's true feelings, straight from the heart.
She'd always regarded Ai Hoshino as the goal she pursued, the idol in her heart.
"Soon enough, you'll surpass me,"
"No I won't, no I won't. You'll always be my Senpai, always more amazing than me,"
"That's just something people say, don't believe it. I certainly won't,"
Seeing Sayaka about to say more, Ai Hoshino raised a hand to stop her.
"All right, put this on and let's go out there,"
"Um!"
"Isn't this a bit…"
"It's not that revealing,"
Fine.
It was pretty much the same as that kind of outfit,
but since Ai Hoshino was asking, Sayaka Maizono figured refusing was pointless and she might as well go out.
She'd just treat it as a bit of fanservice for Lin Ye,
and for the sake of all those pretty clothes, she'd make the sacrifice.
Soon,
Sayaka Maizono followed Ai Hoshino to the master bedroom,
where Lin Ye sat in a chair. The moment they opened the door and came in, he raised his eyes toward the two of them.
The instant their eyes met, his went wide,
and he could only marvel at how the two of them looked.
Sayaka Maizono in black lace lingerie, her long legs sheathed in black stockings that caught the light in a faint glow, mysterious and dark, sexy and enticing, stirring the desire in a man's heart.
Ai Hoshino was the complete opposite of Sayaka Maizono.
Pure white stockings, paired with pink lingerie, brought out a touch of holiness that made a man want to pull her into his arms and torment her mercilessly until she wore a sobbing, sorrowful, anguished expression.
Purity and sorrow scorched together, satisfying that other kind of destructive craving.
This was the feeling that came over Lin Ye when he saw the two of them.
After a while,
both girls felt a little embarrassed, Sayaka Maizono especially. It was her first time wearing something like this, an outfit clearly meant to seduce a man, and she was standing before a man she'd barely interacted with,
how could she not feel shy and mortified? The shame inside her nearly made her want to sink into the ground.
"Lin-kun, how is it…"
Ai Hoshino fared a little better, recovering after a brief bout of shyness. What she'd done in the bathroom earlier had been far more provocative than this.
The long, purple-haired girl turned a full circle without a hint of reserve, displaying her whole self before Lin Ye.
"Very nice, very good,"
Lin Ye gave a thumbs-up.
"You like it?"
"I do,"
Lin Ye didn't hold back.
"Then… what about Sayaka's?"
Ai Hoshino stepped behind Sayaka Maizono and wrapped her arms around her. "Very sexy, very alluring, isn't she?"
Lin Ye nodded outright.
"Doesn't she make you want to give her a hard time, stir up the urge?"
she went on,
Lin Ye nodded again,
nothing wrong with admitting it.
"Then go ahead and give her a hard time!"
"N-no, no, no giving me a hard time. That's not what we agreed on. I only agreed to be looked at, not played with,"
Sayaka Maizono had steeled herself in advance, the words long prepared to say.
"Sayaka, consider it me begging you,"
"No means no, it really means no. It's got nothing to do with begging,"
Sayaka Maizono held firm to her resolve.
Lin Ye spoke up then. "Ai-chan, don't push her. She doesn't want to, and there's no point forcing it,"
Lin Ye held little interest in a girl who had to be coerced,
unless he happened to feel the urge to push a little himself. Otherwise he really wasn't much interested, even though Sayaka was beautiful, a rare beauty at that.
But there were plenty of beauties around him already,
take Iroha Isshiki, for instance, this underclassman had practically thrown herself at him, yet he hadn't budged an inch, firmly refusing to touch her,
and another was Haruno,
with Haruno he was on maximum guard, giving her no opening whatsoever.
And now, since Sayaka Maizono was unwilling, he wouldn't force it. If she were willing, he wouldn't mind accepting the perk.
Because he knew his own overlap with Sayaka Maizono was very, very small.
After today, there probably wouldn't be much chance of contact at all.
"Lin-kun's been so good to you, bought you so many clothes,"
Sayaka Maizono hesitated. "I, I don't want the clothes anymore,"
She'd rather give up the clothes than accept,
if she let Lin Ye touch her today, then what about next time? Wouldn't things grow more intimate still? She was sure that was exactly what would happen down the line.
Once a boundary was crossed, the ones after it would only sink lower and lower, until there were no boundaries left at all.
So Sayaka Maizono was determined to guard her first boundary, so that she could withstand every temptation and enticement to come.
That was her thinking.
"Don't be silly. It's a gift, there's no reason to refuse it. Lin-kun would be unhappy,"
Ai Hoshino said, no longer pressing Sayaka Maizono. If she didn't want to, then so be it. Keep pushing, and in the end everyone would just be unhappy.
"Senpai,"
"It's fine. If you don't want to, you don't want to, it's okay. This is my fault, I didn't think about how you felt,"
But with Ai Hoshino putting it that way, Sayaka Maizono felt hollow inside, without a shred of confidence.
She felt as if she'd wronged Ai Hoshino somehow, as if she'd done something bad.
"Senpai, um… if it's just once…"
The moment the words left her mouth, Sayaka Maizono regretted them. Once there was a first time, wasn't it as good as a countless number of times? She understood that all too well.
And Ai Hoshino naturally understood it too,
as did Lin Ye.
"Lin-kun, Lin-kun, just once!"
This was a rare chance!
Ai Hoshino felt a little happy, a little hopeful. If Lin Ye took this step, it would show he actually did have feelings for Sayaka, rather than being pushed into it by her insistence.
"A good chance, don't be shy. This is an opportunity no other man gets. Miss this one, and who knows when the next will come,"
The logic was sound,
but Lin Ye didn't care,
he had no such urge right now, and so… his answer was simple.
"No need, Miss Maizono. I've already admired your black stockings, and I'm quite satisfied. You may go back and rest now."
Faced with Lin Ye's answer, Sayaka Maizono fell into confusion and self-doubt.
Did she really… have no appeal at all?
Yes,
that was exactly what Sayaka Maizono was thinking now. Did she truly have no allure whatsoever? Otherwise, how could this be?
She'd even been willing to let him touch her, and yet Lin Ye had flatly refused, telling her to just leave.
"I'm willing,"
Sayaka Maizono couldn't accept it,
she spoke up, wanting Lin Ye to agree,
it was a contrary impulse, if Lin Ye had agreed, she'd have felt uncomfortable instead, unable to accept it,
but now that Lin Ye had refused, it fully provoked the defiance within Sayaka Maizono, along with doubt over her own charm, making her instinctively want to prove her appeal and her worth, that she wasn't so ordinary after all.
"But I'm not willing anymore,"
The moment he said it,
the room went cold.
Even Ai Hoshino hadn't expected Lin Ye to refuse, and to do so with such crisp finality.
"I…"
Sayaka Maizono gritted her teeth,
the unwillingness and fierce defiance inside her fully roused,
Next, she would prove herself, she would make Lin Ye recognize her charm.
Letting out a slow breath, Sayaka Maizono walked toward Lin Ye.
Every footstep struck at Ai Hoshino's heart.
Ai Hoshino held her breath, waiting for Sayaka's next move.
It couldn't really be what she was thinking, could it?
If it was,
if all of this was part of Lin Ye's scheme, then… Lin Ye was far too terrifying!
…
____
Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉