Ai Hoshino and Sayaka Maizono's backs disappeared at the entrance of the apartment building.
Lin Ye turned and got back into the taxi.
This time, he didn't sit in the front passenger seat, but settled into the back seat beside Mai Sakurajima.
The girl with long black hair leaned naturally against Lin Ye, her small head resting on his shoulder without the slightest hesitation.
For Mai Sakurajima, this was the most ordinary thing in the world.
But for the driver up front, it was enough to make him do a double take.
After all, he'd just seen that cute girl outside kiss this man, and the intimacy of it had convinced him Ai Hoshino and Lin Ye were a couple.
But if Lin Ye and Ai Hoshino were together, then what were these two in the back seat to each other?
Ordinary friends definitely didn't sit like that.
And if the two in the back were lovers, then what did that make the first pair?
All at once, everything got complicated.
The driver didn't know what to think anymore.
The more he turned it over in his head, the more tangled it got, and the more his head throbbed — he couldn't land on any explanation that made sense.
In the end, it all came down to one thing: kids these days sure knew how to play around.
At over forty, he really couldn't keep up with this generation anymore.
Still lost in thought, the driver started the engine, and with a slight shudder the taxi pulled away.
"Vroooom..."
The engine hummed.
The driver steered the car toward their next destination.
About twenty-some minutes later,
the car slowly came to a stop beneath a high-end apartment building.
The whole ride, Mai Sakurajima had dozed off, eyes closed.
"We're here,"
Lin Ye gently nudged Mai Sakurajima's shoulder.
"Mm?"
Mai Sakurajima made a soft, confused sound. She opened her sleepy eyes, and the moment she saw the familiar apartment building, the events of the day came rushing back to her.
Lin Ye opened the door, stepped out, and offered the girl his hand.
Mai Sakurajima took it without any hesitation.
Lin Ye then paid the fare.
Before driving off, the taxi driver glanced back at Lin Ye one more time, wondering just what kind of charm this man possessed to make two such beautiful, elegant girls treat him this way.
Must be the power of money, he decided.
The taxi drove off and gradually faded from view until it vanished entirely.
Lin Ye kept his arm around the girl leaning against him as they walked to the apartment entrance. Since Mai Sakurajima showed no sign of letting go, they rode the elevator up together and arrived outside her apartment door.
"Mai, we're here,"
"Mm,"
But she stood rooted in place, unmoving.
Faced with her attitude, Lin Ye spoke up. "I'll find a chance to come by again next time,"
"Next weekend?"
Mai Sakurajima said immediately.
She knew perfectly well that Lin Ye was planning to spend next weekend with Yukino Yukinoshita. But if he promised her that time right now, she'd be overjoyed — truly overjoyed.
"Next weekend I'm with Yukino,"
"You could bring her along to be with me instead,"
Mai Sakurajima said it bluntly, without any tact at all.
That drew a helpless laugh from Lin Ye. "You're really putting me in a tough spot,"
"Putting you in a tough spot? Not really. If someone only dated one girlfriend, this problem wouldn't even exist,"
Clearly, Mai Sakurajima was still looking for ways to get Lin Ye to give up on Yukino Yukinoshita.
Even though she knew full well the odds of that happening were slim to none, she kept trying anyway, hoping to bring an end to whatever it was Lin Ye had with Yukino Yukinoshita.
"If someone only dated one girlfriend, then a certain girl wouldn't have had a chance in the first place,"
Lin Ye couldn't help but shoot back.
Mai Sakurajima gave a faint smile at that.
It was true, after all.
If Lin Ye held himself to that kind of standard, she really wouldn't have had much confidence — she truly might never have become his girlfriend.
Even though she was Lin Ye's first official girlfriend, there had been Ai Hoshino and Yukino Yukinoshita before her.
And Yukino Yukinoshita was already Lin Ye's quasi-fiancée.
With that relationship already in place, there was really no way Lin Ye could have formed an official relationship with any other girl.
His own womanizing had made her, and his own womanizing might yet unmake her.
Mai Sakurajima felt a bitter twinge at the thought.
She was a star known across all of Japan, hugely popular, with every chance of becoming a truly national icon someday.
Who knew how many fans she had across Japan, even the world — how many men wished they could be with her.
And now, Lin Ye had seized this chance, yet he didn't seem to treasure it all that much.
An ordinary man would never act this way — he'd cherish her without fail, treat her like a goddess.
But if Lin Ye were that kind of man, Mai Sakurajima thought she might not find him all that interesting — she might even have chosen to end things with him.
Because then he'd lack the very charm that drew her to him.
And now, it was precisely this womanizing, this faint air of nonchalance, that kept tugging at her heart, that she couldn't shake off, that made it impossible for her to walk away — instead she only sank deeper.
Part of the reason, she knew, was her competitive streak, her drive to win.
Yukino Yukinoshita's very existence stoked her competitiveness. She refused to lose to Yukino Yukinoshita, refused to hand her an easy victory — she wanted to win, wanted to come out on top in this war of love.
If she gave up, wouldn't that be handing Yukino Yukinoshita the victory outright?
That... was absolutely not something she wanted, not something she was willing to accept.
So, even just to prove something to herself, Mai Sakurajima couldn't let it go.
What's more —
The girl with long black hair turned her gaze onto the man beside her and said slowly, "Walk me in,"
She had real feelings for this man now.
She was grateful to him — grateful that he'd helped free her from loneliness and hardship, grateful that he'd protected her and pulled her alive out of that Strange event.
And layered over that gratitude, she had already fallen for him.
She already felt something like love toward him.
"All right,"
Lin Ye agreed and walked the girl inside.
Click...
Mai Sakurajima leaned back against the door and shut it behind her.
In an instant,
the enclosed space sealed them both in.
A faint, charged undertone rose in the air.
"Mai, I have to head to Chiba tonight,"
"Stay, and something good might happen,"
She leaned against his chest, her eyes lifting, glistening and radiant.
In that moment, Mai Sakurajima was pure allure.
With the skill of a true actress, the black-haired star conveyed her deep feeling and longing through nothing but a single look, perfectly capturing her desire and anticipation in that instant.
Even knowing it was just Mai Sakurajima's acting, Lin Ye's heart still stirred and raced at the sight of her deep, alluring gaze — instinct urged him to pull the girl into his arms.
But,
Lin Ye held himself back.
He knew this wasn't the time, wasn't something he could do.
He had to return to Chiba tonight — Yukino was waiting for him.
If he stayed here, he'd have no way to explain himself to Yukino.
Besides, Lin Ye suspected Mai was mostly just testing him, competing rather than truly ready.
Mai probably hadn't actually prepared herself for this, not really.
"I'm hoping for something bad, so I won't be staying,"
Lin Ye said.
This answer was exactly what Mai Sakurajima had expected. If it were this easy to win him over, things wouldn't have been this hard — she and Lin Ye wouldn't still be stuck without any real breakthrough.
"Doing something naughty is fine too, you know. Boys love doing naughty things to girls,"
Mai Sakurajima smiled sweetly, her slender fingers poking lightly at Lin Ye's chest, the light touch stirring something in him, body and mind alike.
This girl —
She really was getting better and better at teasing a man's heart.
Lin Ye found himself wondering if she'd studied up on this somewhere, to be able to pull off a reaction like that.
"All right, Mai, I'll head back for now. I'll come again next time,"
"Not the week after next, right?"
With next weekend already off the table,
the week after next was the soonest Mai Sakurajima could think of.
But the week after next meant waiting nearly half a month.
Seeing Lin Ye again would mean half a month's wait.
She felt it would feel like forever.
Mai Sakurajima wasn't willing to accept that.
"Barring anything unexpected,"
Lin Ye thought over his schedule and realized that was probably the earliest he could manage. But seeing the faint sadness on the girl's face, he reconsidered and added, "Let me see if I can move it up a few days. I'll take some time off,"
All at once,
Mai Sakurajima's face lit up, a bright smile spreading across it.
She was happy that Lin Ye acknowledged her, that he cared about her.
Because his willingness to rearrange his schedule for her sake was proof enough of how much he valued her — otherwise, there'd be no reason for him to adjust his time just for her.
That attitude alone was enough for Mai Sakurajima.
"Mm, but if it's really not possible, you don't have to force it,"
Mai Sakurajima added.
She was the one thinking of him now, in turn,
because to her, that attitude was already enough. She really didn't expect much more than that.
If Lin Ye didn't have the time, then he just wouldn't come.
Worst case, she'd find time to go to Chiba and see him herself — and once her transfer paperwork went through, she could be with him every single day.
Though she knew that by then, she'd have to compete with Yukinoshita, who attended the same school, for his attention.
Just picturing that scene,
Mai Sakurajima suddenly felt like Lin Ye really was some kind of destined harem protagonist.
A man surrounded by a full harem, in the truest sense.
And she didn't think that impression was inaccurate at all.
This was bound to happen, unless she avoided all contact with Lin Ye, and Yukino Yukinoshita avoided all contact with him at school too.
But neither of those things was remotely possible.
Mai Sakurajima knew exactly how Yukino Yukinoshita felt about Lin Ye — that woman was the type who, once she'd set her heart on someone, would stay devoted for life.
Unless Lin Ye did something truly, unforgivably terrible, Mai Sakurajima didn't think Yukino Yukinoshita would ever break things off with him.
And being a womanizer, juggling multiple relationships — that already didn't count as unforgivable anymore.
Beyond that, honestly, Mai Sakurajima couldn't think of what would even qualify as worse.
Taking a life?
That was probably the only thing severe enough to actually count as truly unforgivable.
Even that, Mai Sakurajima herself couldn't quite accept as a real possibility.
The thought of Yukino Yukinoshita even getting pregnant — what would she do then?
There was no backing out now. But if things kept going the way they were, the odds of her and Lin Ye ever reaching marriage were slim.
She couldn't just stay with him forever without any clear status, unmarried and unofficial, could she?
Mai Sakurajima suddenly found herself considering that very possibility.
She resisted it, pushed back against it,
yet deep down, some part of her was quietly stirred by it.
That possibility, it seemed, wasn't something she could reject so easily after all.
If it really came down to it, in the end, she thought she might not be entirely unable to accept it.
Mai Sakurajima shook her head hard, trying not to think about it further — she was afraid that if she kept dwelling on it, she'd really start planning for it.
And if she started planning for it, she was afraid it really would become reality.
Mai Sakurajima just had that feeling.
"So... Mai, can I head out now?"
It wasn't very late, but it wasn't early either.
With nothing else pressing, Lin Ye hoped to wrap things up and get going sooner rather than later.
"You can. But before that, isn't there something you should explain to me first?"
"What thing?"
Lin Ye blinked, looking utterly clueless.
His reaction was convincing enough to make him look genuinely innocent.
"Do I really need to spell it out?"
Mai Sakurajima huffed. Did he really think she hadn't seen it?
It had been nighttime, and they'd been outside the car, but she'd still seen Ai Hoshino kiss Lin Ye — seen them wrapped in each other's arms.
This, she felt, Lin Ye needed to properly account for. He needed to give her some kind of answer.
Otherwise, similar things would only keep happening more and more in the future.
That was absolutely not a scene Mai Sakurajima wanted to witness again.
Faced with Mai Sakurajima's pointed question, Lin Ye had no choice but to admit it.
Made sense, really.
Mai had been sitting right beside him — Ai Hoshino might have been careful, and he'd been cautious too, but it had gone on for so long that of course Mai noticed. It would've been strange if she hadn't.
It was only out of consideration for his pride that Mai hadn't called him out on the spot, choosing instead to bring it up here and demand an explanation — which, honestly, was already quite generous of her.
Touched by Mai's gentle handling of it, warmth spread through Lin Ye's chest.
"I understand. I promise you, I won't let what happened at dinner happen again,"
"..."
What happened at dinner?
Something had happened at dinner?
Mai Sakurajima froze. She had a vague sense that she'd missed something.
So now, what should she do next? How could she coax the truth out of him?
"That's it? That's all the accounting you've got?"
Mai Sakurajima said.
Under her watchful gaze, Lin Ye continued, "Fine, I admit it — if Ai-chan tries to massage my leg with her foot under the table during dinner again, I'll absolutely refuse next time,"
The words were out,
and they left Mai Sakurajima utterly stunned.
At the restaurant,
under the table,
Ai Hoshino had been giving Lin Ye a foot massage?
What on earth was going on?
In the space of a blink, Mai Sakurajima pieced together more.
She swallowed hard, a surge of anger building in her chest.
No wonder Ai Hoshino had been so quiet during dinner.
So down below, she and Lin Ye had already been up to something,
while Mai had been completely oblivious, chatting away up top, none the wiser.
Great,
just great.
Mai Sakurajima was practically grinding her teeth in fury.
"Great, wonderful, no wonder — you two really know how to play, don't you, how thrilling,"
Now it was Lin Ye's turn to look confused.
After a moment's thought, he realized what the girl meant.
It was clear Mai Sakurajima hadn't actually known anything about what happened between him and Ai Hoshino at dinner.
He'd exposed himself, all on his own.
What a trap he'd fallen into,
Lin Ye couldn't help but think.
"Ahem, ahem, Mai, I was just messing with you,"
Right, he was just lying to Mai. Yeah, whether she believed it or not, he was just lying to her.
"Heh heh,"
But what he got back was Mai Sakurajima's dry laugh.
As far as Mai Sakurajima was concerned,
it was this claim that was the real lie — she didn't believe a word of it.
"Lin Ye, tell me honestly, exactly what did you two do, and for how long — you two didn't..."
"No, no, no, nothing happened, nothing at all,"
Lin Ye shook his head repeatedly, worried the girl would get the wrong idea.
He gave her a simple, brief account of it — which only made her angrier still.
How could this be.
Up top with her, down below with Ai Hoshino —
that dinner had clearly been quite the comfortable, satisfying meal for Lin Ye.
Mai Sakurajima stared at him. "You wouldn't mind if I did something, would you?"
Seeing Mai Sakurajima raise her hand, Lin Ye guessed she meant to vent her feelings physically, so he straightened his back and squared his shoulders. "Go ahead, do whatever you want. I won't dodge it, and I won't stop you,"
He braced himself, ready to take the hit.
"Heh heh heh,"
Mai Sakurajima laughed.
She went on, "It won't hurt much,"
"Mm."
The next second, Mai Sakurajima pulled out her phone. "I'm going to send this to Yukinoshita. I want to see what kind of interesting reaction she has,"
"Uh..."
At that,
Lin Ye froze.
Mai Sakurajima was going to tell Yukino about this!
"Don't!"
Lin Ye spoke up first, moving to stop her.
It was better if Yukino never found out about this — if she did, there was no way the girl wouldn't feel hurt by it.
Lin Ye really didn't want that to happen.
"You say don't, so now I definitely have to,"
Mai Sakurajima said with a chuckle. "Unless someone agrees to a few conditions of mine, I might just hold off on telling a certain girl with long black hair in Chiba about what a certain someone did tonight at the dinner table with a certain idol — how shamelessly indecent it all was,"
A faint smile, laced with the gentlest hint of a threat.
Mai Sakurajima had shown her true intentions.
Still,
Lin Ye thought — couldn't she have just said that from the start?
Did she really need to drag it out in such a roundabout way?
"Let's hear the conditions, then,"
But the way he caved only satisfied Mai Sakurajima even more.
This was exactly the moment she'd been waiting to see — Lin Ye giving in.
And now, it had finally arrived.
Next up,
was the main course.
"Of course, it's..."
"Never mind, don't say it,"
Right as the girl was about to speak, Lin Ye cut in first.
"Whatever condition you're about to name, Mai, I'm not agreeing to it. That's my final answer,"
With those words,
Mai Sakurajima slowly typed out a string of question marks.
____
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