Still, even though Lin Ye had said that, he was already in Tokyo — and if Mai wanted him to come back later, he certainly wasn't going to refuse her.
He glanced over at Mai, who was in the kitchen.
The girl, wrapped in an apron, stood quietly. She'd clearly heard what he was saying.
After a moment, noticing Lin Ye's gaze, Mai Sakurajima shifted slightly, then went back to cooking.
On the other end of the line,
Lin Ye spoke to Yukino. "Yukino, have you had dinner?"
"I ate already,"
"Mai's making dinner for me right now."
Yukino Yukinoshita pressed her lips together. What was Lin Ye getting at?
She thought it over, then said, "Come back tomorrow night. I'll make you a late-night meal."
"Oh!"
Lin Ye drew the word out. "Sounds like Yukino wants me to spend tomorrow night at her place!"
The faint mischief in his tone left Mai Sakurajima seething.
"If you don't want to come, I won't force you."
This time, Yukino changed her approach.
"Ha ha ha, we'll see how tomorrow night goes! Maybe Mai will want to keep me over at her place tonight instead!"
Yukino Yukinoshita: ???
Even if that were true, was it really appropriate for him to say something like that right in front of her — or at least, over the phone with her listening?
Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but think so.
Mai Sakurajima shot Lin Ye a glare too. This scoundrel really would think of anything.
But she actually had considered keeping Lin Ye over. He'd come all the way to Tokyo — surely he wasn't only going to stay one night at her place.
She really did want him to stay another night.
But she also knew perfectly well what outrageous request he'd probably use the opportunity to make.
This was so difficult.
The moment Mai Sakurajima thought of the kind of bizarre demands Lin Ye might come up with, she had no idea what to do anymore.
"You really shouldn't bother coming back after all."
"Ha ha ha ha,"
Lin Ye knew he'd gotten Yukino worked up. "Sorry, sorry — I'll try my best! Next weekend I'll spend it with you. Wherever Yukino wants to go, even to the ends of the earth, I'll go with you."
Lin Ye made the promise.
He really did need to spend time with Yukino too.
"Fine,"
Her answer was simple, but in truth, that was more like it.
Still, she felt she shouldn't show too much emotional fluctuation in front of Lin Ye.
She didn't want this man thinking he had her all figured out.
She still needed to maintain her usual composed image.
There was one thing Yukino Yukinoshita understood clearly now.
She needed to preserve her image, not stray too far from how she usually presented herself.
She couldn't throw herself at him too eagerly.
She needed to work on herself, to become more outstanding, more attractive.
Yukino Yukinoshita began considering in what ways she might still have room to improve.
But after mulling it over, she realized she really wasn't all that well-versed in matters between men and women.
So then... who should she ask for advice?
Her sister, Haruno?
Setting aside the fact that Haruno herself had never actually dated anyone, her sister was, in certain respects, her romantic rival. Besides her sister, who else could she even turn to!
Yui Yuigahama.
An image of the girl surfaced in Yukino Yukinoshita's mind.
Though Yui Yuigahama had never dated anyone either, she also didn't know yet that Yukino and Lin Ye were already together. If she asked Yui for advice, there'd be no avoiding Yui finding out.
As for the remaining option, Iroha Isshiki — that was even more out of the question.
"What about... Miura Yumiko?"
That woman had already come to consider her a friend, and after weighing her own reasons, she had chosen to accept and become her friend in return.
Asking her friend Miura Yumiko for help shouldn't be a problem.
So then, how should she bring it up?
Yukino Yukinoshita found herself troubled.
For the first time, she found herself sunk in worry and deep thought over something so trivial.
Yukino chatted with Lin Ye on the phone for a bit longer — about five minutes in total — before the call ended.
"Rest early tonight."
The girl offered her final farewell.
It was just an ordinary reminder, but Lin Ye's reply made her expression shift slightly.
"Well... it might be hard to turn in early tonight."
Yukino's hand, gripping the phone, trembled slightly.
She'd known this all along, had braced herself for it — but hearing Lin Ye just say it outright like that still left her deeply unsettled, uncomfortable.
Lin Ye was really too much.
Not even bothering to hide it, just blurting it out like that — how was she supposed to handle this?
"Don't do anything reckless enough to kill someone."
Yukino gritted her teeth and issued the warning again.
"I'll do my best."
Lin Ye said to Yukino, suppressing the amusement bubbling up inside him.
He genuinely wanted to see Yukino's reaction right now — it was bound to be quite something.
"Click..."
Yukino Yukinoshita hung up immediately. If she hadn't, there was no telling what outrageous thing Lin Ye might have said next — she really had no idea what he'd come up with.
She was afraid that if she let herself get any more worked up, she wouldn't be able to sleep at all tonight.
She'd be sleeping alone in an empty room, while Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima shared a bed, basking in intimacy and sweetness — how could she possibly feel good about that?
"That scoundrel."
"When he gets back, I'm definitely, definitely going to..."
Yukino Yukinoshita thought it over and over, but in the end, she couldn't come up with any way to actually deal with Lin Ye.
That jerk just loved bullying her.
"Don't think that just because I've accepted the three of us being together, you can act however you please!"
Resentment churned inside her, yet she couldn't bring herself to make any real decision.
If she'd been able to make up her mind, she wouldn't be in this position in the first place.
Yukino Yukinoshita let out a long sigh.
"I'll go to the supermarket tomorrow and look for some good pork cutlets."
For Monday's bento, she still needed to prepare with care.
As for everything else, Yukino Yukinoshita decided she'd keep it separate for now.
Tokyo.
The apartment.
Mai Sakurajima could only hear Lin Ye's side of the conversation.
But she didn't rush to ask about it, instead keeping her focus on the dinner in front of her.
The steak was already sizzling away.
She poured black pepper sauce over it.
The aroma filled the air.
The kitchen timer chimed.
Mai Sakurajima turned off the heat.
The steak was done.
Besides the steak, there was boiled greens, a fried egg with a golden, still-runny yolk, and a few pieces of broccoli arranged on the side, along with cubed tomatoes.
It looked and smelled wonderful, and tasted just as good.
The tartness of the tomatoes cut nicely through the richness of the steak.
Just looking at it was enough to make one's appetite flare up.
"Try it."
"Sure, but..."
Lin Ye didn't pick up his fork. Instead, he lifted a hand and pointed.
It took Mai Sakurajima a moment to realize what he meant.
He wanted her to feed him.
"How old are you, exactly?"
"In front of Mai, I get to play the part of a little boy every once in a while. Isn't that alright, Big Sister Mai?"
In that instant, the words drilling into her ears struck a nerve she hadn't known was so sensitive, leaving her momentarily unable to compose herself.
She had a younger sister of her own.
And now Lin Ye was playing the role of her little brother — a feeling she'd never experienced before.
"It's... not that I can't allow it, I suppose."
Mai let out a soft sigh, but the corner of her mouth curved upward, a smile she couldn't quite hide.
In truth, she liked it — liked it a lot. She just hadn't said so out loud.
Mai Sakurajima cut off a piece of the beef with her knife and fork and held it out toward Lin Ye.
"Here you go, little brother Lin Ye."
A faint, barely-there smile still lingered at the corner of Mai Sakurajima's lips.
This — this was what it felt like to be in love.
Today had been full of moments where her mood soured, but even so, more often than not, she found she genuinely liked this bittersweet feeling of being in love.
Lin Ye opened his mouth and took a bite of the beef.
The black pepper sauce had a slightly sharp, gamey edge to it, but it worked surprisingly well, spreading the flavor of the beef across his tongue. The tender meat, as he chewed, gave him a sense of comfort he'd never quite felt before.
Not bad, not bad at all.
Her skills were actually pretty good.
Compared to a professional chef, there was clearly still a gap, but compared to an average person, Mai's cooking skills were already quite impressive.
Lin Ye wondered if Mai had trained somewhere for this, but then again, did a big star like her even have the time?
"How is it?"
Mai Sakurajima's tone was calm, but in truth, she was waiting for Lin Ye's approval and praise.
There wasn't a girl alive who didn't hope the man she liked would affirm and enjoy a meal she'd made for him with her own hands.
"Delicious."
The praise was simple, but it made Mai Sakurajima happy all the same. That simple acknowledgment was all she wanted.
"But compared to..."
The way he drew out the next words made her instantly sense something was off.
Mai Sakurajima guessed where this was headed — it had to be that woman, Yukino Yukinoshita.
Otherwise, there was no reason for Lin Ye to compare her to any other woman.
She was angry.
Mai Sakurajima was angry.
Lin Ye was clearly saying this on purpose to provoke her, deliberately using this method to test and needle her.
Irritation and displeasure spread through the girl with long black hair.
Lin Ye really didn't understand a girl's heart at all.
The thought surfaced in her mind,
but soon enough, she realized — of course he was doing it on purpose. There was no other explanation.
"Compared to me, she's a bit better, I suppose."
Mai Sakurajima huffed. "Of course I can't compare to your fiancée. Right, right, right, I just can't compare..."
But partway through,
Mai Sakurajima caught herself, replaying what Lin Ye had actually said a moment ago in her mind.
It sounded like Lin Ye had said she couldn't compare to him, not to Yukino Yukinoshita.
She froze in place, staring quietly at Lin Ye.
Lin Ye slowly widened his eyes, his voice carrying a trace of disbelief. "Does Mai think she's not as good as Yukino? That makes sense, actually — Mai's tasted Yukino's cooking before, so she knows the gap between them."
Mai Sakurajima: ???
"I'm mad, I'm going to hit you,"
She made a show of raising her hand to hit Lin Ye, but he dodged out of the way immediately.
Lin Ye had been ready for this.
"No dodging."
"Hey, hey, hey,"
"Just don't dodge, period."
Faced with Mai Sakurajima's firm demand, Lin Ye had no choice but to accept.
Fine, no dodging then.
Lin Ye took the hit.
The few little punches barely registered — but they left Mai Sakurajima grinning happily. She was genuinely pleased.
As far as Mai Sakurajima was concerned, as long as Lin Ye went along with things enough to make her happy, that was all she needed. She'd long since stopped hoping for anything more.
She also knew Lin Ye was different from other men — completely different.
"Here, as compensation, eat this."
Mai Sakurajima speared another piece of steak and held it out to Lin Ye.
Lin Ye took a bite straight from her fork, then, once he'd finished, turned his own fork around and speared a piece of his steak, holding it out to Mai Sakurajima.
He watched her with a smile.
Mai Sakurajima pressed her lips together in a small smile and opened her mouth to eat the piece of steak.
It felt more and more like a meal shared between a real couple.
She liked it. She liked it a lot.
She'd lived alone for a long time, and now, living together with Lin Ye, she'd found a sense of home, a sense of warmth she hadn't had before.
She realized she was gradually falling in love with this feeling.
If only Lin Ye could stay here for a long time — no, if only he could stay here forever, how wonderful would that be.
Mai Sakurajima was already eager to start attending Sobu High School.
At the very least, whenever she wasn't working, being able to spend time at school, at Chiba's Sobu High, would let her be a little closer to Lin Ye.
That was Mai Sakurajima's thought in that moment.
The two of them went back and forth, and dinner was finally finished.
Mai Sakurajima got up to clear the dishes.
It didn't take long to clean up — she finished quickly.
The sound of running water filled the kitchen.
Mai Sakurajima washed the dishes.
About ten minutes later,
the clean dishes sat neatly in their proper places.
Mai Sakurajima washed her hands, dried them, and walked over to where Lin Ye was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.
"What are you looking at?"
"A beautiful girl."
"Hm?"
Mai Sakurajima's tone cooled slightly, but when she saw that the image on his phone screen was actually of herself, after a brief moment of surprise, an embarrassed look crossed her face.
"She's gorgeous, isn't she! Honestly, she's the most beautiful girl I've seen since coming to this world."
The blush on Mai Sakurajima's face deepened. "Such a smooth talker."
But that phrase stirred up some memories for Mai Sakurajima.
"Well, one of the most beautiful, anyway — my fiancée doesn't fall too far behind her either."
"You—!"
Mai Sakurajima shot Lin Ye a glare. "Don't ever compare us like that in front of me again, and don't tease me like that either, or I'll get really, really angry."
When she got angry, it really did leave her feeling miserable.
"Depends on the situation."
That was Lin Ye's answer — and naturally, it didn't satisfy Mai Sakurajima at all.
She wanted a real promise from him, but Lin Ye kept his mouth shut and wouldn't budge.
"If Mai wore a bunny girl outfit, well... I suppose I might consider it,"
That only deepened the glare Mai Sakurajima gave him.
This guy was still thinking about that bunny girl outfit of hers, even now.
"Have your fiancée wear it for you instead."
"Good idea, I'll go order one for Yukino right now."
Lin Ye didn't hesitate even for a second. "Though, Yukino probably wouldn't look that great in a bunny girl outfit."
After all, her figure just wasn't built to bring out what a bunny girl outfit was supposed to highlight.
You could say that if Yukino wore one, it would end up being a bunny girl look all its own — a different sort of style entirely.
Mai Sakurajima watched as Lin Ye pulled out his phone, opened up a shopping site, and started searching for bunny girl outfits.
On the screen,
one photo after another of sexy bunny girl outfits appeared.
The sight of those bold, provocative styles made Mai Sakurajima's face flush slightly.
So this was the style Lin Ye liked?
In her mind, she couldn't help but form an initial impression.
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