But even with this reassurance, Yukino Yukinoshita still felt something was off, a faint unease she couldn't quite shake.
"If you ever dare use Hypnosis on me again, I will never forgive you for the rest of my life. Never."
A necessary warning—no, a necessary reminder.
She would state her stance and opinions clearly, at the right moment, on the right topic.
Yukino knew she probably couldn't change Lin Ye's fundamental nature, but she could at least make him rein himself in a little.
At the very least, he would never do again what he'd done last time.
Yukino never wanted to experience losing her memories and having her mind altered again.
That kind of thing, that kind of experience—it had felt like turning into a completely different person.
That was not something Yukino Yukinoshita was willing to go through again.
Facing the girl with long black hair's steady gaze, Lin Ye spoke slowly. "Being remembered by Yukino for a lifetime—that's a stroke of luck in my own life."
The corner of his mouth lifted as he looked at the girl in front of him.
To him, that might really be the greatest luck of his life.
But his answer only left her more exasperated.
"Be serious. I need this promise from you."
"I'll try," Lin Ye said.
"Under what circumstances would you hypnotize me against my will?"
Yukino's heart raced, but she asked anyway.
If Lin Ye could give her a clear answer, she'd feel at ease, feel like it was settled.
"If your life were in danger, I might resort to hypnosis," Lin Ye offered as one possibility.
That, Yukino could accept.
If it concerned her own safety, she understood why he might do it.
"And besides that?"
"Do you want me to list every possibility?"
Lin Ye actually knew what the girl was really worried about. "Yukino, just tell me directly the one possibility you don't want to hear."
He said it plainly. He was certain she already had something specific in mind, which was why she kept probing like this.
"What if I wanted to leave you, to break up with you?"
Last time, when she'd tried something similar, Lin Ye had used hypnosis on her, altering her mind so she accepted the fact that he and Mai Sakurajima were together, and so she quietly consented to the arrangement among the three of them.
"I could choose not to hypnotize you."
That answer only made Yukino more anxious than before.
She felt that if he answered like that, she had reason to worry, reason to wonder just what she should do.
Yukino immediately guessed that Lin Ye must intend to do something else instead.
"If you won't hypnotize me, what else would you do?"
She knew Lin Ye had all sorts of strange abilities. She was certain of that. So how should she prepare for it?
Body Swap, perspective, and who knew what other powers she didn't even know about—enough to send a chill down her spine.
She truly had no idea what the full extent of Lin Ye's abilities really was.
"Nothing."
"Lin Ye, do you really think I'm that easy to fool?"
She wasn't naive enough to believe that—that was exactly what she thought.
"Really, nothing. Why would I even think about what I'd do in a situation that isn't going to happen?"
But that still didn't put Yukino at ease.
She still didn't quite believe what he was saying.
"Give me an example, then. Think of one right now."
At her insistence, Lin Ye offered a possibility. "Lock you up, until you're willing to give up."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "..."
She actually wondered for a moment if she'd misheard him—surely he'd just said something rather terrifying.
"Are you serious?"
"Just kidding."
Lin Ye said it with a perfectly straight face and a solemn nod.
But that only made Yukino more convinced he wasn't joking at all—that he was actually telling the truth about what he really intended.
"Lin Ye."
"Really, I'm joking. How could I ever bear to lock you up, Yukino? I can barely spoil you enough as it is—how could I bear to imprison you? Right?"
That question did nothing to reassure her. If anything, it left her even more flustered and worried.
She truly couldn't tell whether Lin Ye was serious or joking.
Yukino decided not to dwell on this question any longer. There wasn't much point in pressing further.
"I care more about what actually happens, in the end."
That was the reply she gave him.
For now, she'd set aside everything he'd said and wait to judge him by his future actions instead.
"Then rest assured, I won't lock you up. You can count on that."
"So you'll use other means to restrict me instead... right?"
Yukino was starting to understand Lin Ye's way of doing things. She turned his words over in her mind, trying to cover every possible angle, trying to make sure she wasn't missing anything.
But then again—
if Lin Ye really intended to break his word, there wasn't much she could do about it. She'd just have to accept it.
"Why would I do that?"
Yukino caught the implication in his words. Pressing further wouldn't get her the answer she wanted, so she let it go and accepted it calmly.
"I'll say it again, then."
The girl with long black hair added,
"Mm, I'll try."
Then Yukino said something that left Lin Ye thoroughly embarrassed.
"Call Miss Ryou Fujibayashi."
Lin Ye looked at Yukino, wondering if she'd misspoken—or if he'd misheard.
"Yukino, you're..."
"I want to get to know Miss Fujibayashi. As your girlfriend, is that not allowed?"
That counter-question left Lin Ye cornered.
He thought it over and decided he should refuse. After all, without warning her in advance, contacting Ryou now risked her accidentally letting something slip.
If his relationship with Ryou were exposed to Yukino this way, then afterward...
Lin Ye's head suddenly ached under the pressure.
"I can, but isn't it a bit late for this?"
It was already eleven o'clock.
The middle of the night.
Any normal person should already be in bed.
"Call her now."
Yukino had already made up her mind. She wasn't going to compromise at all—she was calling Ryou tonight, no matter what.
Seeing how firmly resolved the girl was, Lin Ye hesitated slightly.
"What are you worried about?"
"I'm worried about disturbing Ryou's rest. She's a nurse—she probably comes home and falls straight into bed. If a phone call wakes her and disrupts her sleep, that wouldn't be good."
But the way Lin Ye referred to Ryou caught Yukino's attention.
Since when had he started calling her that so casually?
Yukino grew even more curious, even more determined to find out.
Of course, she also knew nursing work was genuinely exhausting, and she truly didn't want to wake some poor nurse who might already be asleep.
But—
the more Lin Ye resisted, the more she wanted to push forward.
After thinking it over for a moment, Yukino spoke. "Call her. If it disturbs Miss Fujibayashi, I'll apologize to her myself."
She'd made her stance clear, made her resolve clear.
At this point, even if Lin Ye wanted to refuse, he sensed it would only stoke the girl's rebellious streak further. Of course, he could keep refusing, simply not give in—
but that, too, would likely only provoke her defiance.
It would strain their relationship.
Lin Ye gave in. He took out his phone, opened the contacts screen, and dialed the number right in front of Yukino.
He had no idea whether it was Ryou's night shift right now, or whether she was resting. All he could do was gamble.
He hoped the call wouldn't go through.
"Beep... beep..."
"Beep, beep, beep..."
The ringing tone went on for a while before finally cutting off.
No answer.
In that moment,
Lin Ye's tension eased slightly.
His gamble had paid off—Ryou was either busy or resting right now, unable to pick up.
Yukino watched Lin Ye's reaction closely, and seeing this, gave a small huff.
"We'll try again next time."
Try again she certainly would—that much was clear from her tone. She was determined to reach Ryou, to speak with her properly, though she had no idea how things would actually go or what they'd end up talking about.
Regardless, she needed to know how Lin Ye felt about that adorable girl, and how that nurse felt about Lin Ye in return.
"I'm going to go shower first."
Lin Ye got up, ready to head to the bathroom.
But right then, his phone buzzed with a vibration.
Both Lin Ye and Yukino's eyes snapped toward it instantly.
"Whose is it?"
Since she couldn't see the screen, Yukino asked.
"Ryou's."
Lin Ye looked at the caller ID and, after a moment's thought, decided not to hide it.
He could have made up an excuse, but there was no guarantee the girl wouldn't try to verify it herself.
Lin Ye didn't want to deceive her.
Some things could be kept hidden, but not outright lied about—that was his principle.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."
The phone kept vibrating.
Lin Ye answered the call and switched it to speaker without hesitation.
This was the only way, right now, to prove his sincerity and put the girl at ease.
He noticed her reaction and knew she was satisfied with his response—otherwise, she wouldn't have looked like that.
"Lin-kun, good evening." Ryou's voice sounded a little anxious. "Is something wrong, calling this late?"
She was a bit worried.
At this hour, Lin Ye normally wouldn't call her. Had something happened again?
Or was it... that?
The thought made Ryou's face flush faintly.
That sort of thing—she did want it, a little, did crave it, a little.
If Lin Ye wanted to, she'd be more than willing. But asking for it herself? That, she could never do.
Ryou was the shy, introverted type. Passively accepting was already her limit; taking the initiative herself was something she doubted she could ever manage in her whole life.
That was what the girl thought.
Lin Ye glanced at Yukino, and her first impression was that this nurse's voice was soft and rather pleasant to listen to.
Pretty, and a nice voice too.
Most men would probably like that.
But...
Yukino glanced up at Lin Ye, gesturing for him to speak, saying nothing herself.
She wanted to see what he would say.
"Nothing in particular going on."
"Mm."
But Ryou thought this was strange. If nothing was wrong, why would he specifically call her?
That wasn't normal. That didn't match Lin Ye's usual behavior.
So something must be going on.
Ryou grew tense, trying to work out what might be happening on his end.
"Lin-kun, if you're really facing some kind of trouble, you can tell me directly. I'll do whatever I can to help."
Ryou said it.
After thinking it over, she felt this was the most fitting thing to say.
"No need, nothing's actually wrong. It's just that my girlfriend Yukinoshita heard I have a nurse friend, so she wanted to meet you."
With this one line, Lin Ye had already conveyed quite a lot of information.
But given how their relationship was defined, Yukino had nothing to object to—the fact that Lin Ye dared openly call her his girlfriend to Ryou showed he didn't mind Ryou knowing about her status.
This, in turn, further confirmed to Yukino that whatever existed between Lin Ye and Ryou was fairly innocent.
"Oh... meet me?"
Ryou's mind spun, and she suddenly understood something.
She guessed that Lin Ye's girlfriend Yukinoshita had somehow found out about her existence and was now asking about her relationship with Lin Ye.
So how should she answer?
Ryou's first instinct was to confess the truth—that she and Lin Ye had already slept together—hoping that might make Yukino end things with Lin Ye.
But on second thought, she decided that wouldn't do. That wasn't right.
She wasn't the kind of girl who would hurt Lin Ye or damage his relationship with Yukino.
At her core, she was still a kind girl.
Whatever existed between her and Lin Ye had come about because of her own actions. If she hadn't taken the initiative that night, there would never have been anything after.
Deep down, Ryou carried a sense of guilt toward Lin Ye.
"Yes, I'd like to meet you. Ryou, whenever you're free, let's get a meal together sometime."
Lin Ye extended the invitation himself.
A meal together was the best option.
If they were going to meet, then so be it.
Yukino wanted to meet her, so let them meet.
Worst case, Yukino would find out about whatever was between him and Ryou.
That would come out eventually anyway, sooner or later.
For now, though, it was best to delay it as long as possible.
"Sure, I've actually wanted to meet Lin-kun's girlfriend for a while now—I want to see what kind of girl managed to capture your heart."
Her cheerful tone left Lin Ye sensing nothing off about it, let alone Yukino.
Yukino figured the relationship between Lin Ye and Ryou must be quite simple, nothing complicated about it.
In fact, it seemed like a purely platonic friendship—at most, Ryou might have a faint bit of a crush on him, but given Lin Ye's attitude, their relationship had stayed confined to simple friendship.
"She's very pretty. I'm worried you'll feel a bit insecure once you see her, Ryou."
"Ohh,"
In that moment, Ryou became absolutely certain that Yukino was right there beside Lin Ye.
He would never speak so brazenly otherwise—there was no other explanation except that Yukino was present.
"No way, why would I feel insecure? I'd be thrilled. Getting to know such an outstanding girl, being around her—I think it'd make me better too. Who knows, maybe someday I'd become good enough that the boy I like might come to like me back."
She kept it vague, never saying it outright, but the meaning came through clearly enough.
For Ryou, this was, in its own way, a kind of probing move.
She wanted Yukino to know she had feelings for Lin Ye, so that someday down the line, that feeling could grow, until Yukino eventually accepted her existence.
As for monopolizing Lin Ye entirely, Ryou had never even considered that.
She knew it was impossible, completely impossible, and she had no illusions about it.
"Good, glad you won't feel insecure. Ryou's pretty too, plenty charming—I'm sure lots of guys are drawn to you, especially in that nurse's uniform of yours."
Lin Ye made a particular point of mentioning the nurse's uniform.
This earned him a sidelong glare from Yukino.
This guy really couldn't get enough of uniform fetishes.
He was hopeless, truly hopeless.
Still, Yukino didn't say anything more. She herself still had to wear the Maid outfit for him later, plus that police uniform, and...
She could only feel exasperated.
But since she'd agreed to it, she'd follow through. She wouldn't run from it, wouldn't put it off.
Keeping her word was Yukino Yukinoshita's guiding principle in life.
"If Lin-kun likes it, I'll wear it specially for you next time."
This woman was definitely interested in Lin Ye—otherwise, why would she say something like that out of nowhere?
Guarded—
but not so guarded, either.
Because the fact that Lin Ye dared flirt with Ryou so openly in front of her meant that, at most, his feelings for Ryou amounted to appreciation, nothing more substantial.
"Good, I'll look forward to the moment you put on that nurse's uniform for me. After all, my girlfriend refuses to wear one for me."
Yukino gritted her teeth after hearing that.
This bastard really had no shame.
She'd already worn the maid outfit, was going to wear the police uniform too, and now he wanted her in a nurse's uniform as well? Was he planning to have her wear every single uniform there was?
A few thoughts flashed through Yukino's mind, and she found Lin Ye utterly outrageous.
But she stayed silent for now, deciding to wait until the call ended to give Lin Ye a proper talking-to, to make sure he understood he shouldn't be so fixated on uniform fetishes.
Men shouldn't be so obsessed with women like that.
That was what Yukino thought.
"I'd be happy to wear it. Other uniforms too, why not—I... I'm being serious, you know!"
Ryou felt a bit nervous and embarrassed as she said this, especially knowing full well she was saying such suggestive things with Yukino listening right there.
She understood she needed to keep probing, keep testing the waters, letting Yukino know how she felt about Lin Ye—but without going too far.
That was Ryou's thinking in this moment.
"Well then, thanks for the offer—but I think I'll try to convince my girlfriend to work up the nerve to wear one for me instead."
"Ha, well, I hope Student Yukinoshita agrees to Lin-kun's request. Anyway, I'm willing, for what it's worth."
She made her position clear first.
Whether it would ever actually happen was a matter for the future.
And besides, Ryou had already mentally prepared herself—the next time she and Lin Ye were alone together, she'd wear that kind of uniform.
Starting with the nurse's uniform from the hospital.
Since Lin Ye liked it, she'd show it to him.
And besides, she knew perfectly well that men really did like this sort of thing—uniforms as a form of stimulation and allure, adding some spice to things.
Just thinking about it made Ryou's face flush, made her feel a wave of shy heat.
If Lin Ye had actually been there in person, she probably would have looked utterly, irresistibly alluring.
"Hey, Ryou, you really are such a good friend of mine, willing to let me enjoy something this nice. I almost don't want any other man near you."
"Ha ha ha, if Student Yukinoshita heard you say that, she'd be hurt."
"I'm just stating a fact. Her hearing it wouldn't change that fact."
"Ha ha."
Ryou laughed heartily.
"How was work today?"
Lin Ye asked about her day at work.
Nursing was hard, complicated work.
He didn't really want Ryou to exhaust herself like that, but since she wanted to do it, since she loved this line of work, he supported her, letting her enjoy the fulfillment and happiness the job brought her with peace of mind. That was how Lin Ye felt about it.
And if someday in the future Ryou decided she didn't want to be a nurse anymore, he'd support that too—whatever she wanted came first.
That was Lin Ye's stance.
Even if he didn't have the money and power he had now, he'd feel exactly the same way.
"It went well. A bit busy, but fulfilling. I feel like my work has real meaning and value—watching patients slowly recover... it makes me really happy."
Tired, but she loved it, found it fulfilling.
That was how Ryou felt about her nursing career, the sense of validation and pride it gave her.
"Good, that's what matters. Whenever you're tired, worn out, need to rest, just tell me anytime. I'll take you out to unwind and relax."
"Okay."
Ryou agreed at once.
There was no way she'd turn down an invitation like that.
"It's getting late—get some rest soon."
"Mm-hmm, okay. You get some rest too, Lin-kun. Come visit my place sometime when you're free—bring Student Yukinoshita along too."
Ryou added that last part to muddy the waters about her relationship with Lin Ye.
A mix of truth and misdirection—that was the only way to keep Yukino confused.
She already understood what Lin Ye wanted. At least for now, he didn't want Yukino to know about the real nature of their relationship.
Since that was what Lin Ye wanted, she'd go along with it, keep the secret together with him.
Whenever Lin Ye decided he was ready to reveal it, to make it known, she'd accept that when the time came.
Lin Ye's wishes came first—that was how Ryou thought about it.
As the latecomer to this arrangement, Ryou knew her own position was an awkward one, so she could only compromise on other fronts.
"Sure, if we get the chance, we'll come by."
Lin Ye agreed.
"Good night, Lin-kun."
With that farewell, Ryou hung up the phone.
The call ended.
Lin Ye looked over at Yukino.
This clearly wasn't over yet—clearly, there was still more explaining he needed to do for her.
Otherwise, it looked like neither of them would be getting to sleep early tonight.
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