"If you weren't going to agree, then why did you agree just now?"
"Isn't that just toying with me? Getting my hopes up for nothing?"
Mai Sakurajima suddenly realized that Lin Ye had wanted exactly that — to get her hopes up for nothing, to keep her emotions swinging up and down, near and far.
Only that way could he make her feel even more strongly about him, she thought.
Was he trying to make her more emotionally dependent on him?
Mai Sakurajima considered it, then decided that wasn't quite it either.
She still thought Lin Ye was just trying to lighten the mood — adjusting the emotional temperature, so to speak.
"Lin-kun, acting like this, even I would end up hating you, you know!"
"Ah, Mai hates me now,"
Mai Sakurajima quickly caught the change in Lin Ye's expression, that faint touch of sorrow on his face, and her heart clenched.
She really didn't want to see Lin Ye looking sad.
But Mai Sakurajima knew this scoundrel was doing it on purpose, deliberately putting on that look.
Lin Ye, sad?
She didn't believe that for a second.
"Mai hates me, she really hates me now, this is so sad!"
Lin Ye clutched his chest and hung his head.
That grief-stricken pose made Mai Sakurajima grit her teeth to hold back the emotion welling up inside her.
No, she absolutely couldn't soften now. This scoundrel was faking it, pretending, just waiting for her to give in. If she caved now, he'd definitely launch a whole new round of attacks next — and that was the last thing Mai Sakurajima wanted.
For the future, for even a small edge in her favor, she had to hold firm.
"Guess I'll just have to head back to Chiba early and let Yukino comfort me instead."
But that next line made Mai Sakurajima's face change instantly, turning distinctly unpleasant.
Yes —
Mai Sakurajima truly hadn't expected this scoundrel to actually dare say something like that.
That he'd actually dare bring up going to Yukino for comfort.
What kind of feeling was that? It was like — 'if you won't look after me and make me happy, I'll just go find Yukinoshita to keep me company instead.'
That was the composure of a philanderer.
That was the composure of a man juggling two boats — no, several boats at once.
The envy that flickered through Mai Sakurajima instantly curdled into bitterness.
As one of the women involved, all she had left was that bitterness.
Mai Sakurajima felt a pang of sorrow.
"Mai, well then, I'll head off now."
"If you just leave like this, I... I'll... end up crying alone,"
Her words carried a faint sobbing edge.
If Mai Sakurajima had been threatening him, Lin Ye could have simply ignored it — threats were the last thing that scared him.
But —
A girl's tears and sobs were something he genuinely couldn't stand, however you looked at it.
At his core, Lin Ye was a man who yielded to gentleness but never to force.
Faced with Mai Sakurajima's tears, Lin Ye's resolve melted instantly. He stepped forward and pulled the girl into his arms, gently patting her back with his left hand before speaking softly, "That was my fault. I won't do it again, Mai."
Mai Sakurajima looked up, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Really?"
She still seemed a little unconvinced, still held some doubt about him.
This guy would probably do it again sooner or later, most likely.
"Really. Never again, next time."
Since Lin Ye had promised so firmly, Mai Sakurajima chose to believe him.
She chose to trust the man standing in front of her.
Lin Ye cupped the girl's small face in both hands and slowly leaned in.
The girl seemed to sense what was coming; she slowly closed her eyes and waited quietly.
A few seconds passed.
Their lips met.
That familiar sensation, and yet each time it felt fresh and new somehow.
This time, the taste on his lips was... Ai Hoshino's.
Yes —
Mai Sakurajima couldn't help thinking of the time Ai Hoshino had kissed Lin Ye before.
Did that mean she was, in some indirect way, kissing Ai Hoshino too?
Probably. Yes, probably so.
Mai Sakurajima thought to herself, quietly.
Still, a flicker of hesitation crossed her mind — if she kept getting used to this, she worried she might eventually be able to accept even more intimate things involving other women.
It was all this scoundrel Lin Ye's fault.
Mai Sakurajima thought viciously to herself.
The moment Lin Ye pulled back, she leaned into his shoulder and bit down on him, hard.
"You philandering man, don't make me angry again,"
Even knowing that was practically an impossible ask, she still had to say it. If she didn't even say this much, the frustration and misery in the future would only pile up, growing worse and worse, sadder and sadder.
Things that needed saying, feelings that needed expressing — she had to voice them. Otherwise, waiting for Lin Ye to figure it out on his own, to notice on his own, was simply never going to happen.
And besides, this man — even if he did know, he very well might not act on it.
He operated purely on whim.
That being the case, Mai Sakurajima decided to speak up and tell him herself, so this man couldn't just do as he pleased.
"I'll try,"
"That's it?"
That he couldn't even promise that much left her inexplicably hurt.
"I'll try, I'll really try, Mai. I'll do my best not to make you unhappy,"
With that assurance, Mai Sakurajima had no choice but to accept it for now.
It was at least better than nothing.
Lin Ye held Mai Sakurajima for one more moment before letting go. "Oh right, what was that thing you wanted me to explain earlier?"
He wanted to know what exactly he'd overlooked.
"Guess,"
"Mai, just tell me,"
He figured that if he guessed wrong and ended up exposing some other unwelcome secret, that would only make things worse.
"Guess,"
"Mai,"
Under the circumstances, Mai Sakurajima finally spoke up. "The taxi that dropped Ai Hoshino off at her apartment — she kissed you, didn't she?"
What was so abnormal about that?
Lin Ye thought to himself in that moment.
"To you, that's probably a perfectly normal thing. You know that I know about your relationship with Ai Hoshino. But I'm your girlfriend, and when she does something like that in front of me, don't you think you should at least mention it to me afterward, no matter what?"
Not knowing was one thing, but now that she did know, she found it thoroughly inappropriate.
Mai Sakurajima was quite insistent on this point — it had to do with how much Lin Ye truly cared about her, and with how he'd conduct himself going forward.
"I understand. I'll be more careful from now on,"
"Still think there'll be a 'from now on'?"
Having said that, Mai Sakurajima shook her head. "I know you'll do it again anyway, so I won't push the point. But if I'm around, don't get too intimate with other women."
That was also Mai Sakurajima's way of putting a marker down — she knew there was a difference between saying something and not saying it at all.
Lin Ye would surely be more careful going forward, she told herself.
"I'll try,"
Lin Ye gave the same answer as before.
He couldn't offer a full guarantee.
But even though that promise didn't fully satisfy Mai Sakurajima, it was acceptable enough.
"Go on, hurry back! If you're late, Yukinoshita will probably start messaging you,"
Miles away, Yukino Yukinoshita was probably waiting anxiously by now.
Mai Sakurajima thought so, at least.
That anxious feeling of waiting — she'd experienced it herself too.
Though, if Lin Ye had been willing to stay, she truly wouldn't have wanted him to leave at all.
Even just one night would have been wonderful.
Compared to parting with Lin Ye right now, she'd rather it be early tomorrow morning instead — that way, maybe she'd even get to eat the breakfast he made for her.
Even if that breakfast wouldn't be particularly extravagant, maybe even quite simple.
Just as Lin Ye turned to go, Mai Sakurajima reached out and caught his wrist. When he turned back to look at her again, she rose onto her tiptoes and kissed his lips, light and fleeting as a dragonfly skimming water.
"I'll be waiting,"
Just two words, but they showed all of Mai Sakurajima's affection and love for Lin Ye.
"Okay,"
Lin Ye pulled the girl into a tight hug once more. "I'll come to Tokyo more often after this."
That was a promise too.
And that promise alone was enough to make Mai Sakurajima quite happy.
Mai Sakurajima hummed in acknowledgment. "Make sure it's for my sake, not just an excuse to also see Ai Hoshino while you're at it, okay!"
She added that just as Lin Ye was stepping out the door.
Lin Ye shrugged helplessly.
The next time he came to Tokyo, as long as Ai-chan had time, he'd still go meet up with her.
After all, he couldn't just cut her off, could he?
His time was limited too, and there was nothing he could do about that.
Ding dong...
The elevator doors opened. Lin Ye stepped in and waved a hand at Mai in farewell — their final goodbye.
Mai Sakurajima watched Lin Ye disappear into the elevator.
It was a good while before she slowly pulled her gaze away.
"Jerk,"
She went back into the apartment and sat down on the sofa.
The apartment, so lively and full of life just moments before, now felt quite cold and empty.
Mai Sakurajima let out a slow breath, gazing out at the night view through the window.
This dazzling metropolis — but to Mai Sakurajima right now, it held nothing but loneliness and chill.
Ever since she'd fallen for someone, ever since she'd become that someone's girlfriend,
she found herself less and less able to accept living alone.
Work remained as busy as ever, nothing much changed there. But unlike before, whenever her own quiet rest time came around, she always wished there was someone beside her, always wished that particular figure could be by her side.
"If only you went to school in Tokyo."
That way they wouldn't be in two different places, and she could find time to go see Lin Ye every single day.
She'd be transferring to Chiba later, but because of work, the amount of time she could actually spend at Sobu High in Chiba would be lucky to reach five days a month.
Still, compared to nothing at all, that was better than nothing.
"Or maybe..."
Mai Sakurajima thought of something else.
"Once I wrap up these movies and dramas, I can take some time off too. I'm... a high school girl too, after all. I have studying to do!"
She laughed, giving herself an excuse to stay at Sobu High for a longer stretch, to have more time with the person she loved.
Mai Sakurajima got up and walked to the window, looking down.
There was no way Lin Ye could still be there, but she still held onto a sliver of hope anyway.
The next moment,
Dozens of meters below, she spotted a figure waving up at her.
"This... idiot,"
Lin Ye really was down there waiting.
Was he really that sure she'd come look out this particular window?
Mai Sakurajima pouted, but couldn't quite hide the smile tugging at her lips.
She was happy —
partly because Lin Ye had done exactly what she'd hoped for, and partly because he'd anticipated she would do this in the first place.
Only after that little wave was complete did Lin Ye finally leave. How could she not be happy about that?
Mai Sakurajima felt satisfied now, content until the next time she saw Lin Ye — this little joy would keep her company for quite a while.
Lin Ye had finally left.
Mai Sakurajima headed to the bathroom, and after her shower she soaked her whole body in the bathtub.
The warm water wrapped around her, and she let out a long sigh.
"Next time,"
Mai Sakurajima thought of some fun activity.
This would be even more fun than an amusement park.
"Let's go to a hot spring together,"
Yes,
she planned to go soak in a hot spring with Lin Ye — and just the two of them, alone.
This time, absolutely no other women allowed to show up. Not Ai Hoshino, not Yukino Yukinoshita — keep them far, far away.
Next time, the hot spring trip with Lin Ye would be just the two of them.
Mai Sakurajima quietly made up her mind about it.
Meanwhile, having parted ways with Mai Sakurajima, Lin Ye caught a taxi.
Given the time, taking the train would've gotten him to Yukino's place in Chiba too late.
He'd better head over now.
"Chiba,"
Hearing Lin Ye's destination, the taxi driver looked a little startled.
But since Lin Ye was clearly serious about it, the driver didn't say anything more.
He started the car and drove off,
carrying Lin Ye toward Chiba.
Meanwhile, Lin Ye sent Yukino a message.
"I'm in the taxi now, heading to Chiba. Should get to your place in about an hour."
A few minutes later,
Lin Ye received a reply.
— Mm, waiting for you.
That single line said everything about the girl's feelings.
She hadn't slept at all, had been waiting for that message the whole time.
As long as he hadn't sent a message saying he wasn't coming back to Chiba tonight,
Yukino simply assumed he'd be coming home.
She knew that if he wasn't coming back, he'd have told her ahead of time — he'd never leave her waiting specially for nothing.
Lin Ye closed his eyes.
It had been a tiring day.
Repeated stimulation, one thing after another, had kept his body's responses running,
leaving his system no time to rest.
The exhaustion caught up with him, and he let himself doze off briefly for the ride.
The driver did his best to keep the ride smooth.
About fifty-some minutes later,
the taxi rolled slowly to a stop.
"Sir, sir, we're here,"
the driver said, keeping his tone polite.
Lin Ye opened his eyes. "Right,"
He pulled out cash and settled the fare.
The taxi driver let out a breath of relief.
A ride from Tokyo to Chiba really didn't come cheap.
If Lin Ye hadn't paid up, he'd have taken quite a loss.
Lin Ye walked toward the apartment building.
Taking the elevator he knew so well, Lin Ye arrived at the door of Yukino's apartment.
The apartment door was already open.
The girl had timed things carefully and gotten everything ready in advance.
Lin Ye gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.
He didn't see Yukino at first, but the enticing aroma hit him right away.
The distinct smell of beef, appetite-stirring.
Lin Ye changed into his house slippers and, after a few steps, spotted Yukino busy in the kitchen.
"Just a moment, it'll be ready soon,"
She was searing a steak.
This meal —
she'd put real thought and effort into preparing it.
She just didn't know yet whether it would satisfy Lin Ye.
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