Bright sunlight, a gentle breeze — and the girl had arrived.
Today she wore a deep blue top and a pleated skirt of alternating black and white, her long legs sheathed in black stockings. The effect was striking, and more than a little alluring.
Her boots carried her to a stop in front of Lin Ye, and with a light flick of one slender right hand she brushed back the loose strands of long black hair beside her ear.
Large sunglasses hid most of her face, but the sliver of cheek left showing was enough to declare her elegance and her pull.
Lin Ye had already noticed how many male eyes had settled on Mai Sakurajima.
Mai hadn't even shown her face. Outfit and bearing alone had snared plenty of passersby. If she ever took those glasses off, this street — not especially busy at this hour — would probably grind to a standstill.
"Good morning, Lin-kun."
Mai Sakurajima lifted a smile, and that touch of red on her lips gave off a bewitching, unrestrained draw in the sunlight.
"Morning, Mai."
Lin Ye returned the greeting.
Looking at how carefully she had dressed for the occasion, he guessed she had been waiting for today for a very, very long time.
From less than a meter away, he could already catch the pleasant scent that clung to her.
And just then —
Mai Sakurajima took a sudden step closer, right up to him.
It caught Lin Ye off guard.
"Don't move."
At the girl's request, Lin Ye stood where he was, perfectly still.
Sniff, sniff, sniff…
The sound of someone drawing air in hard.
Lin Ye listened carefully.
It took him no time at all to work out what she was thinking.
Well, then. It was the scent clinging to him that had caught Mai's attention.
"A girl's scent."
Mai Sakurajima straightened up and turned a smile on him — though something cold surfaced in her eyes.
"Not Yukinoshita's."
She remembered what Yukino Yukinoshita smelled like.
"Lin-kun came to Tokyo yesterday. I wonder which girl he was out having such a lovely date with?"
There was a sulky edge to the words.
Her own boyfriend had spent last night out with another girl, and had come to meet her this morning straight from parting with that girl. However she turned it over, she felt slighted.
"Someone you know."
Lin Ye answered first.
That one line brought a different girl to mind at once — the girl who had already been at Lin Ye's side back when she and Lin Ye first met.
At the time, she had even assumed that girl was Lin Ye's lover.
"Ai Hoshino."
"That's right."
"So — last night you were with Miss Ai Hoshino, out on a lovely date with her, and afterward the two of you spent the night at a hotel together, enjoying a wonderful evening?"
The sulkiness in her voice thickened.
Even knowing it was Ai Hoshino, even knowing the two of them had met long before she came along — they might not be officially a couple, but what ran between them was hardly harmless. At the very least she was certain of how Ai Hoshino felt about Lin Ye.
Given all that, her boyfriend spending a night with Ai Hoshino stung no matter which way she looked at it.
And on top of that, something had probably happened last night that had left Lin Ye feeling very good indeed.
The moment she went down that road, the bitterness rose thicker in Mai Sakurajima.
After Yukino Yukinoshita, had Ai Hoshino stolen a march on her too?
She was the first girl to become Lin Ye's girlfriend!
So how had the others all pulled ahead of her, one after another? How was the first girlfriend supposed to feel anything but wretched?
She needed to start trying harder, or at this rate there was no telling who else would turn up at Lin Ye's side.
The very picture of it gave Mai Sakurajima a headache.
One Yukino Yukinoshita was already enough of a problem, and now there was Ai Hoshino as well. If a few more arrived after that, well… the mere thought of the scene was exhausting.
Mai Sakurajima looked at the man in front of her, unhappiness and displeasure plain in her eyes.
If only this guy could be a little more devoted to one person.
Lin Ye felt the strange look coming his way. "Mai, what are you thinking about?"
"About a certain man who has a girlfriend and still goes around flirting and dating other women, without the slightest care for how his girlfriend feels."
Lin Ye knew perfectly well she meant him, and knew she was airing a grievance.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
Besides, Mai's own footing wasn't exactly firm here.
"If I cared that much, certain girls would never have gotten their chance."
Mai Sakurajima's eye twitched. She knew he meant her.
But she was going to argue back regardless. She would never admit it.
"Oh, absolutely. If a certain someone gave his whole heart to his girlfriend, there wouldn't be any other women in the picture at all, and his girlfriend wouldn't be upset either — she'd be happier and more delighted than ever, wouldn't she!"
The two of them bickered, lobbing the blame back and forth.
In the end neither won, and the subject was dropped.
"So what's the plan for today?"
Mai Sakurajima asked.
Days off were rare. She fully intended to enjoy whatever date Lin Ye had arranged for her.
"What would you like to do, Mai?"
Lin Ye tossed the question straight back at her.
"Whatever you say, Lin-kun. Anything's fine with me."
"Then let's start with a walk."
Lin Ye pointed toward the shopping street ahead.
Girls liked to browse, and the time would give him a chance to think through the rest of the day's itinerary.
"Okay."
Lin Ye gestured and set off; the girl fell in beside him.
They walked shoulder to shoulder.
Now and then their shoulders brushed, and the contact was gone in an instant.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mai Sakurajima watched his profile, her gaze drifting slowly down until it came to rest on his hand.
As lovers, as a boyfriend and girlfriend, holding hands was surely the natural thing to do.
And yet —
Lin Ye still showed no inclination to take her hand, as though the very idea had never occurred to him.
If she didn't act, they would likely reach the end of the day without ever touching hands at all.
That gave Mai Sakurajima a sense of urgency. She ought to be the one to move, she thought; she ought to reach out and take Lin Ye's hand herself.
But…
For her, a girl, to make the first move — wasn't that a little…
Ordinarily, shouldn't Lin Ye, the boy, be the one to reach for her hand?
Mai Sakurajima sighed to herself, then shifted her left hand slightly so the back of it grazed his right.
Two hands touching, seemingly by accident, and slipping past each other.
She was hinting. Yes, she was hinting that he should take the initiative.
But…
Lin Ye might as well have felt nothing. Not the faintest sign of reaching out to hold on.
It hurt, and it made her a little angry.
In the end she remembered that even becoming a couple had been her doing — she had been the one to confess, to lay out her feelings, to make the relationship official with him.
A moment's thought was enough to tell Mai Sakurajima what this relationship of theirs required: that she be the forward one.
Waiting for Lin Ye to take the lead? Never mind whether the idea would even occur to him — even if it did, he probably still wouldn't act, let alone go any further than that.
And so, after that subtle brush of skin, Mai Sakurajima opened her hand and firmly took hold of his right hand.
It was a stark contrast to the accidental touch before.
The two of them had, in fact, done far more intimate things than this.
Yet this simple joining of hands still sent a stronger charge through Mai Sakurajima — through her body, and through her mind.
She looked at the people passing by. None of them had recognized her as the famous star Mai Sakurajima, but the curious glances that landed on her every so often kept a flush of embarrassment welling up inside her.
She stood in the spotlight of millions, watched on screen by more people than she could count. In front of a camera, her command of her own emotions was flawless.
But this time, faced with the simple act of holding Lin Ye's hand in public, her feelings reached a pitch she had never known before.
It was nothing like the time she had kissed Lin Ye in Akihabara.
That time she had gone in with the reckless resolve of someone past caring, ready to smash the cracked pot for good — and afterward her existence had become visible again, seen by everyone.
But in that moment there had been little shame in her. What she'd felt was mostly delighted surprise.
This was different.
Now a red tide of embarrassment had taken possession of her entire body.
Tap, tap, tap.
Holding Lin Ye's hand, Mai Sakurajima was tense; her palm burned, and a faint film of sweat had begun to seep out of it.
"Mai, embarrassed?"
The words from the man beside her drew an immediate shake of her head.
"No."
Embarrassed? How could she possibly be? Absolutely not.
She, Mai Sakurajima, would never be embarrassed.
Or so she told herself.
"Really not?"
"No."
"Lying to me isn't very nice."
Lin Ye's smile made her grit her teeth.
This guy had no idea how to be gentle with a girl's feelings.
"Yes, I am. Satisfied?"
"Good girl, Mai. That's more like it."
As he spoke, Lin Ye let go of her hand and reached up to stroke her long black hair.
That silken hair was something he could never leave alone.
He loved the smooth feel of long black hair — there was something addictive about it.
Mai Sakurajima was enjoying it too. Not a trace of dislike; if anything, she liked it.
She liked the feeling of being touched by Lin Ye.
More than that — it felt a little like falling in love.
To be touched by the person you cared for settled something inside you.
After a few seconds, his hand slid naturally down along her back until it reached her waist.
He drew her in by the waist.
Mai Sakurajima gave a small start, but what she felt most was joy.
She had wanted Lin Ye to take the initiative, and at last he had.
She leaned in closer of her own accord and walked nestled against his side.
The sight of the two of them being so sweet on each other drew sour looks from a good many more passersby.
First thing in the morning, on a perfectly fine day — what's the idea, flaunting your romance?
If you're going to show off, at least read the room. Save it for the night, would you!
More than a few of them thought exactly that.
The two of them arrived at the mall.
At this hour, not many of the shops were open yet.
But for Mai Sakurajima, being with Lin Ye was enough on its own.
They strolled along, glancing at the shops that had opened, checking whether anything caught their eye.
"Lin-kun, let's see a movie together after lunch."
"Sure."
Lin Ye agreed without hesitation.
But he noticed her reaction was a bit odd — not quite normal.
What was that about?
Was there something wrong with the movie?
Lin Ye didn't care what they watched. He just hoped this rare date wouldn't end up dragged into a Strange event.
Last time, he and Ryou Fujibayashi had been swept into a Strange event at a movie.
"Last night — how did you and Miss Hoshino spend it?"
In the end, Mai Sakurajima's curiosity got the better of her, and she asked him about the night before.
She wanted to know what had happened between Lin Ye and Ai Hoshino.
"You're sure you want to know?"
Lin Ye asked, his face serious.
"Yes. I want to know."
Mai Sakurajima nodded in earnest.
"I'll tell you tonight."
Lin Ye replied.
He was weighing whether to let Mai experience for herself what Ai Hoshino had experienced last night.
To do it, or not?
If Mai insisted on knowing, then he'd let her find out firsthand — and Lin Ye could guarantee he'd send her flying to heaven too.
"All right."
Mai Sakurajima said.
She assumed he wanted to wait until evening because telling her now would spoil her mood for the day and ruin everything they had planned.
That, she decided, was why he had answered that way.
Mai Sakurajima had a premonition about it, but she had already braced herself for the worst.
That sort of thing — she'd thought it through long ago. All that remained was to wait until tonight for confirmation. Nothing more.
It was nothing at all.
Or so Mai Sakurajima told herself.
They wandered for the better part of an hour, then went into a restaurant to order.
Given Mai Sakurajima's status, Lin Ye had picked a restaurant with private rooms.
Only once the server had brought out the full order did Mai Sakurajima take off the sunglasses she'd been using as a disguise.
"Lin-kun, what is it?"
She was puzzled by the way he was staring at her.
"You're a feast for the eyes."
One line, and Mai Sakurajima's face went red.
"You keep adding more tricks for winning a girl over, don't you."
"You like them, though, Mai."
"I don't care for men with slick tongues."
"Whether my tongue is slick or not — you've tasted it yourself, Mai."
It was nothing like the impression he gave the world outside.
To Mai Sakurajima, the way Lin Ye was behaving right now was worlds apart from usual.
And she didn't mind it in the least.
"Please stop saying such things."
"Then let's have a taste right now."
"Huh?"
While Mai Sakurajima was still reeling, Lin Ye stood, came around to her side, took her shoulder with one hand and hooked the other behind her neck, bent down, and kissed her on the lips.
"Mmh—"
Private room or not, with no server about to walk in or not —
being kissed here by Lin Ye sent her body's reactions climbing higher and higher, while the shame inside her overflowed.
She beat at him, signaling him to let go.
It got her nowhere.
And Lin Ye savored the fierce reaction of a girl locked in that mix of shame and tension.
Five minutes later, he released her.
"Well, Mai? Made up your mind?"
"Go 'way!"
Mai Sakurajima's face was scarlet.
"Then have another taste. Let's be sure."
Paying no mind to her objections, Lin Ye went right back in.
Mai Sakurajima gave up struggling and let him do as he pleased.
When it ended the second time, all that was left on her face was a bashful, sulking flush.
…
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