Lin Ye and Ryou Fujibayashi hadn't exchanged many words, but their conversation had revealed a lot.
They were friends, but there was an undeniable undertone of flirtation — Ryou clearly had feelings for Lin Ye, and she wasn't shy about hinting at them.
Lin Ye actually thought that was fine. If there had been absolutely no hint of intimacy between them, if their tone had been completely ordinary and friend-like, that would have been the strange thing.
The level Ryou kept things at right now, Lin Ye felt, was just right —
just enough for Yukino to sense the ambiguous undercurrent between him and Ryou, but not so much that she'd get angry and refuse to accept it.
Now it was just a matter of seeing how Yukino would react.
Lin Ye set down his phone and lifted his gaze, looking at the girl in front of him.
"Yukino, next time let's all three have dinner together — you, me, and Ryou."
he said.
He'd mentioned it on the phone earlier; Yukino hadn't answered then. It wasn't that she'd refuse outright, but the invitation still needed to be properly extended.
That was Lin Ye's attitude about it.
"Fine,"
Yukino said.
She agreed without hesitation.
She'd actually wanted to meet this girl — the one named Ryou Fujibayashi, the nurse with the sweet, cute voice.
To hint at another woman's boyfriend right in front of her — that took some nerve.
"If there's nothing else..."
"Nothing else, what?"
Yukino stared at Lin Ye. "That flirtatious remark just now — don't you want to explain yourself?"
"Does that need explaining?"
Lin Ye actually looked genuinely taken aback, as if something astonishing had just happened.
"You don't think that needs explaining?"
Yukino Yukinoshita found herself doubting the question instead — had she actually asked something wrong?
Of course that conversation needed explaining.
"Of course it doesn't,"
Lin Ye nodded, his tone serious. "Ryou has feelings for me, she likes me, and every now and then she hints at it. Isn't that clear enough?"
His matter-of-fact attitude short-circuited Yukino's brain for a moment.
It was true, sure, but wasn't there something wrong with treating it so casually?
I'm your girlfriend, and another woman is hinting at you, flirting with you, and you think that's normal — as far as Yukino was concerned, that was completely wrong.
No matter how she looked at it, she felt Lin Ye owed her an explanation. That was only normal.
"Don't you think this is abnormal?"
"Where?"
After being asked, Yukino Yukinoshita voiced the doubt in her heart.
"The girl hints at me — what am I supposed to do about that?"
Yukino Yukinoshita fell silent.
What do you mean, nothing to do about it? You could just refuse her outright.
She spoke up right after. "You could tell her clearly no. You could tell her you already have a girlfriend."
"I... did tell her!"
Yukino went quiet. Lin Ye had indeed already told the nurse he had a girlfriend, and yet she hadn't hesitated for a second — she kept right on hinting, kept right on flirting.
It was as if she didn't care at all that Lin Ye had a girlfriend.
That woman's sense of decency was pretty low.
"And besides, you've seen how many times I've rejected Isshiki — you've watched it happen with your own eyes. Has she given up?"
Isshiki hadn't given up. If anything, she'd only gotten more aggressive.
"I've rejected Ryou too, but she's still like this. And besides, when Ryou and I are on good terms, you have no idea how badly my relationship with you suffers,"
That left Yukino Yukinoshita stunned all over again.
It was like that?
But still —
this probably wasn't Lin Ye lying to her.
He had no reason to lie to her about this.
On that point, Yukino Yukinoshita still had confidence in him.
"How did you two even meet?"
The question instantly brought Ren Nanase to Lin Ye's mind.
Should he tell Yukino about that too?
Seeing the girl's serious expression, that look of someone determined to get to the bottom of it, Lin Ye thought it over and decided to tell her.
"We ran into each other once at a meal, then again at the mall, and then the time we went to the movies, that thing happened."
Lin Ye left Ren Nanase out of it.
If he mentioned Ren, it would only trigger a whole new round of questions from Yukino.
The more people got dragged into it, the more complicated and troublesome things became.
"That thing?"
Yukino didn't catch the reference at first.
But seeing Lin Ye's shrug, she figured out what it meant.
A Strange event.
Lin Ye and Ryou Fujibayashi had encountered a Strange event together.
All the doubts that remained were finally explained.
Yukino Yukinoshita realized why Ryou Fujibayashi's attitude toward Lin Ye was so friendly and tolerant.
Even knowing Lin Ye had a girlfriend, Ryou still hadn't given up, still hoped to take things further with him.
But if they'd faced a Strange event together, lived through danger side by side with Lin Ye, then all of it made sense.
"That girl practically wanted to give herself to me on the spot, you know!"
Lin Ye teased, reaching out to pinch the girl's cheek.
She shot him a glare but didn't swat his hand away.
"Since she was willing to give herself to you, why didn't you accept? A girl that pretty, that cute, and you weren't even tempted?"
"Do you think I'm that kind of man?"
The question—
Yukino Yukinoshita's first instinct was to argue back.
Lin Ye wasn't quite that kind of man, but he certainly wasn't indifferent to women either — otherwise why would he be so fond of kissing and copping a feel? Short of that one last step, he'd done just about everything else.
"Why wouldn't you be? It's not like you're truly uninterested in women or have no thoughts about them at all."
Yukino said.
"I have no intention of being with her, so sleeping with her wouldn't be right. Of course, if I ever did decide to be with Ryou, I definitely wouldn't hold back — I'd devour her completely, not leave a scrap, clean her out and carry her straight home."
"You wouldn't dare,"
Yukino Yukinoshita shot back immediately.
She really was afraid he'd actually do it.
If this guy said something like that, and the idea really took root in his mind someday, he might actually go through with it — and then she'd be the one left suffering.
"What wouldn't I dare do, Yukino? Don't you know how I operate by now?"
His words left Yukino Yukinoshita speechless — she really did know he'd dare.
Lin Ye was exactly the type of man who said what he meant and did what he said.
Whatever he promised, he'd carry it out as far as he could, which meant whatever he said out loud, he generally went and did.
"If you ever actually did that, I'd be furious. I'd never forgive you."
After saying that, Yukino Yukinoshita noticed Lin Ye reach out and tap his own cheek.
What did that mean?
It only took her a moment to figure out.
He wanted a kiss on the cheek!
That jerk, finding another way to take advantage of her.
"If you don't want to, fine. I'll just go find Ryou — I'm sure she'd be more than willing."
In the past, Lin Ye had used Mai Sakurajima as a way to persuade Yukino; now he'd switched to Ryou Fujibayashi. This was really about letting the girl get used to it, adjust to it bit by bit.
Once she'd been through enough of this, once he eventually told her about the actual relationship between him and Ryou, Yukino probably wouldn't think much of it anymore.
She'd probably get used to it by then, too.
"Whatever,"
In the past, Yukino would have shot back with "you wouldn't dare." Now she didn't even bother threatening him — she just told him to do whatever he wanted, let him go ahead and threaten her all he liked.
She knew this kind of threat from him didn't mean much anymore, so it was better to just give up on it, better not to worry about it at all.
Whatever Lin Ye wanted.
"Really, whatever?"
"You think I'm joking?"
Yukino Yukinoshita just shot him another glare, daring him to go ahead and try.
She wanted to see just how far he'd actually go.
"Then I'm off — I'm going to go find Ryou."
Yukino Yukinoshita watched him quietly, as if she were actually giving him permission to go.
But Lin Ye knew — if he actually left, the girl would probably end up crying alone here. That wasn't out of the question at all.
No — it was practically guaranteed she'd end up crying alone here.
Alone in the apartment, grieving by herself.
"I'm off, then,"
As he said it, Lin Ye headed for the apartment door, deliberately glancing back every few steps. But the girl just watched him calmly, without a sound.
Lin Ye opened the door, then spoke again. "Yukino, are you sure about this?"
She still didn't respond, as if she'd already resigned herself to it, given her consent — fine, I'm leaving then.
With that,
Lin Ye closed the door behind him.
With a click, the door shut.
Separating the inside and outside into two independent worlds.
Yukino Yukinoshita stood there quietly.
After quite a while, with no knock at the door, no sign of anyone returning, the wronged feeling inside her kept building.
She felt wronged. She felt miserable.
"We... agreed he'd stay here tonight,"
It was true — Lin Ye had just promised he'd stay over. And now he'd up and left to go find some other woman with Ryou Fujibayashi.
Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't bear it, couldn't accept it. She took two steps to the apartment door and carefully opened it.
She still held onto a sliver of hope, of expectation — that Lin Ye was probably standing right outside, waiting for her to open the door.
But when the door opened, all she saw was an empty hallway, and the elevator display showing it stopped at floor 1. Her heart sank straight to the bottom.
She realized Lin Ye really had left, really was gone.
Yukino Yukinoshita grew angrier, more wronged by the second.
In that moment, all the emotion inside her erupted.
"Damn it,"
"You jerk,"
"You promised you'd stay over here tonight,"
"A kiss on the cheek, it's just a kiss on the cheek, what's so hard about that — didn't you used to kiss me all the time?"
With no one around now, Yukino Yukinoshita let out all her resentful, dissatisfied words.
She was showing her true self — the vulnerable, girlish side of her.
Cold and aloof as Yukino Yukinoshita was, deep down she still had a soft, feminine side, still wanted to be cared for and cherished, still hoped that when she got a little willful, her boyfriend would choose to indulge her rather than simply walk away.
In that moment, Yukino Yukinoshita pressed her lips together in gloomy silence, voicing her inner grievance.
A moment later, she turned to go back inside, but walked straight into a firm, upright figure.
Yukino Yukinoshita instinctively struggled, but the moment she caught that familiar scent, her whole body went soft. She didn't have much resistance to this at all.
But in the blink of an eye,
Yukino Yukinoshita snapped back to her senses — why was Lin Ye here?
Wasn't this jerk supposed to have left?
He hadn't actually left on purpose — he'd been hiding here the whole time?
All sorts of suspicions surfaced in her mind, and the more Yukino Yukinoshita thought about it, the angrier she got.
This guy had done it on purpose — from the very start, he'd just wanted to watch her make a fool of herself!
"Lin-kun..."
Yukino Yukinoshita spoke in an eerily flat tone, lifting her head, her dark blue eyes fixed on him. "Having fun watching this, are you?"
Her words carried a quiet, simmering anger beneath the surface.
She was mad — furious, even.
Lin Ye was about to say something, but thought better of it and chose another approach instead — he leaned down and kissed the girl's lips.
Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes fluttered open slightly, struggled for a moment, then gave up.
Once Lin Ye had her in a kiss, there was no escaping for several minutes at least.
A few minutes later, the two of them separated.
"I wanted to see whether Yukino could really bear to let me leave. If you truly could, I would have left,"
"So you really did just want to watch me make a fool of myself, then!"
Yukino latched onto that point, as if determined to force an answer out of him.
In response, Lin Ye gently patted the girl's shoulder and murmured, "That's the real Yukino. I like it."
With that, he pulled Yukino into his arms.
The girl didn't resist.
What good would resisting do?
This wasn't the first or second time Lin Ye had done something like this to her; she'd gotten used to it, adjusted to it. Besides, she knew Lin Ye wouldn't take that final step — she knew that much.
"Yukino, it's getting late,"
"..."
The girl didn't answer, so he took that as her tacit agreement.
That settled, the next thing he needed to do was carry her off to rest. But before resting, he'd first have to carry her to the bathroom.
A shower was mandatory.
Lin Ye crouched down, scooped the girl up, and carried her toward the bathroom.
Yukino Yukinoshita struggled a little, embarrassed, not wanting to experience that bare-skin-against-bare-skin feeling again.
Smack—
Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly felt a slap on a certain part of her body. Her face went even redder, and the physical jolt sent a shiver through her.
"Lin Ye—"
But her single word only earned her another slap from him.
Yukino Yukinoshita's face burned redder still, but she stopped struggling, stopped saying anything more.
This kind of physical and psychological stimulation was more than she could handle, more than she could bear.
Click—
At last,
Lin Ye opened the bathroom door.
By the time they got there, Yukino Yukinoshita seemed to have already accepted her fate, no longer thinking of resisting.
What good would resisting do?
Resisting wouldn't help either way.
This jerk wasn't going to let her go regardless.
In no time, Lin Ye bent down and set the girl on the bathroom floor.
"Yukino,"
Lin Ye said softly, his hands unconsciously resting on her shoulders — the meaning unmistakable.
Yukino Yukinoshita knew it too. She turned her little head away, no longer looking at him.
And clearly, she understood exactly what it meant.
Lin Ye's hand moved naturally to the girl's clothes.
Seeing no sign of resistance from her, he slowly began undoing her house clothes.
A rustling sound followed.
Yukino's outer garment fell away.
She felt the cool air against her bare skin and immediately felt a wave of shame rising within her.
Embarrassment — even though Lin Ye had already touched nearly every inch of her, she still felt shy about it.
The next moment,
her loose pants came off as well.
Leaving only the underwear clinging tight to her skin.
Splash—
Lin Ye turned on the hot water.
Steam began to fill the bathroom.
A little later,
the temperature in the bathroom kept rising.
Though the chill had faded, Yukino Yukinoshita still felt herself trembling faintly — a shiver born of shame.
She wanted to flee, but forced herself to stay put.
"Yukino..."
Yukino seemed to read the desire smoldering in his eyes. Unable to suppress the corner of her mouth twitching, she slowly said, "...You can, you know."
As the words left her lips, Lin Ye's hand instinctively rose — but at the last moment, he forced himself to hold back.
"Break up with Mai and end things with her, and that's all it takes. I'll give you a year to break up with her."
Compared to before, Yukino Yukinoshita was offering an even more generous condition.
She would allow Lin Ye to keep dating Mai Sakurajima for another year before breaking it off — essentially giving him a grace period, or rather, essentially giving him a year to play around outside.
One year to have his fun, get it out of his system, and then settle down at her side for good, to walk out the rest of his life together with her.
That was the whole purpose behind Yukino Yukinoshita's words.
But to an ordinary man, that offer would already have been irresistibly tempting.
Forget breaking up in a year — even if it meant breaking up right now, there was no telling how many men would jump at the chance immediately, just for one taste of that beautiful body.
Lin Ye knew the girl was serious. He knew that if he simply nodded, she'd give herself to him.
But he also knew that the moment he nodded, he'd be bound to honor that promise in the future. If he didn't, she'd choose to leave — she'd walk away on her own and never be with him again.
And by then, how would he even hold onto her?
Hard. Very hard.
By then he wouldn't even have the right to try to keep her, unless he stooped to shamelessly forcing her to stay, or worse, used Hypnosis or some other skill again.
But a girl obtained that way — was she really the girl he wanted?
Lin Ye had his doubts, his hesitation.
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't press him. She waited for his answer. The longer he hesitated now, the more it confirmed what she'd suspected.
She'd already gotten through to him — she just hadn't managed to get him to take that last step in his mind.
From here on,
all she had to do was wait.
She believed there was a very good chance Lin Ye would agree.
Three seconds later,
under Yukino Yukinoshita's stunned gaze, Lin Ye took a couple of steps and let the hot water pour over his entire body.
A few seconds passed,
and Lin Ye's expression returned to reason, the instinctive impulse suppressed and reined in.
In that moment,
Yukino also realized her plan had fallen apart.
Lin Ye had held back after all.
This guy — just how reluctant was he?
Reason had actually managed to override a man's basic instinct.
With a girl like her right in front of him, in the end he still didn't want to touch her, didn't want to taste her.
"Yukino, you're getting more and more cunning," Lin Ye said, unable to help himself.
This girl was getting better and better at luring men in. Yes — that was exactly the word for it. Luring.
He couldn't think of any other word that fit quite so well.
And Yukino's method was different from other women's — she often used the simplest words to draw out the deepest desires hidden in a man's heart.
On the surface it seemed like nothing much, but to the person on the receiving end, it could stir up that urge in no time at all.
It was fortunate Lin Ye had strong self-control, or else...
Lin Ye shook his head at the thought.
If he kept spending time with Yukino like this, he honestly couldn't say how much longer he could hold out.
One day? Two days? Or something else?
Lin Ye wasn't entirely sure, but one thing was certain — someday, he really would end up unable to hold back with Yukino.
And if by then Yukino still hadn't given up that condition of hers, then the future ahead of him would only get harder.
"Ugh,"
"So, get ready to face your punishment."
At those words, Yukino Yukinoshita's heart skipped a beat.
Punishment?
Was this the same kind of punishment Miss Haruno had experienced?
Yukino Yukinoshita really didn't want to go through whatever her sister had been through.
She was scared, unsettled inside.
"I— I'm telling you... I'm not scared of you,"
she said, her eyes fixed on him, though a flicker of something glinted deep within them.
"Not scared is best. Miss Haruno said the same thing, you know, Yukino."
So it really was that kind of punishment!
"You wouldn't dare..."
she threatened through gritted teeth, but there wasn't a shred of real menace behind it.
Finally,
Lin Ye moved closer, holding the girl as they began to shower.
Standing in the bathroom, Yukino Yukinoshita, face flushed, forced herself to endure it and let Lin Ye do as he pleased.
A little later, he carried her into the bathtub, and the two of them soaked together.
A quiet moment,
wrapped in warm water,
Yukino didn't dare move recklessly.
She breathed slowly.
There was a time when she never would have imagined she'd get this far with a boy.
This much, only a husband should be allowed.
And Lin Ye was her boyfriend, her quasi-fiancé — not yet her husband, but he had earned that right too.
And in the future,
she knew there was no one else she could marry but Lin Ye.
That was Yukino Yukinoshita's thinking at this moment.
Everything she'd been raised to believe, her own convictions, told her she could only belong to one man, for one life, forever.
What would happen if she and Lin Ye ever broke up — she couldn't even bear to imagine.
She didn't want to think about it, didn't want to consider it at all.
The bath didn't take too long, only about twenty minutes.
But for the girl, it was torment.
Yes — throughout it, Lin Ye kept taking little liberties here and there, though nothing too excessive, nothing she couldn't handle.
Splash—
Lin Ye lifted the girl up, standing her on the bathroom floor.
Then he reached for a towel and wrapped it around her pale, slender body, drying off the water on her skin.
A little later, Lin Ye carried her out again.
Yukino tried to walk on her own, but Lin Ye firmly refused to let her.
Next came the hairdryer's turn.
Whirr—
Lin Ye used the hairdryer to dry Yukino's long, straight black hair.
A little while later,
the girl's hair was dry,
and Lin Ye scooped her up again and carried her to the bedroom.
The familiar bedroom, the air still carrying the girl's distinct scent.
Lin Ye took a deep breath, then laid her down on the bed.
At this moment Yukino was quiet, docile — a stark contrast to her usual cold, aloof image.
Lin Ye gently stroked the girl's cheek, smiling slightly. "Worried about your punishment, are you?"
"—"
Of course she was worried.
Having witnessed that scene, how could she not be worried?
Her sister's wailing, tearful face was still vivid in her memory — she absolutely did not want to go through that herself.
But faced with Lin Ye's words, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't want to show her weaker, more timid side.
"If you're going to do it, I can't stop you, I can't resist you — why would I worry?"
Every inch of that said, I don't care, I've already given up.
"If Yukino says no, I'll consider not punishing you,"
Consider?
Heh. As if she didn't know Lin Ye loved playing word games. He'd "considered" it, sure, but he wasn't going to choose not to do it — she knew that perfectly well.
She was gradually coming to understand the way Lin Ye operated.
He hadn't said it was off the table, so there was still a chance.
Lin Ye looked at the girl and spoke again. "But if Yukino doesn't say it, you might end up crying by the time this is over."
"Fine,"
But Yukino's response was firm — on this point, she just refused to lose, refused to bow her head in front of Lin Ye, refused to show her weak side.
That was Yukino Yukinoshita's character, her way of doing things.
"Alright then... I'm starting,"
With that,
Lin Ye raised his hand and slowly placed it on the girl's waist, his fingertips sliding slowly downward, the pads of his fingers brushing lightly against her skin with a faint rustling sound.
Before long,
Lin Ye's fingers reached her ankle.
In that moment,
the girl's toes curled, her whole body trembling briefly.
She knew what was coming next.
The image of her sister trembling and wailing in that moment kept surfacing in her mind, making Yukino more and more nervous and anxious.
But begging for mercy was out of the question. Absolutely out of the question.
Yukino Yukinoshita would never beg for mercy, not in her whole life. That was her firm resolve.
"Yukino, here it comes!"
"—"
"If you—"
"Enough talk. If you're going to do it, do it. Don't make me think you're not a man,"
Yukino outright said something that made even her tremble.
In response,
Lin Ye accepted the challenge calmly.
Since that was how it was, why not go along with it.
Time to get to it.
And besides, this "punishment" was less a punishment than it was a chance to relax.
"Yukino, brace yourself!"
With that, Lin Ye's hand landed on the sole of her foot. The girl's nerves instantly went taut; she'd already shut her eyes, and with her vision gone, the trembling only intensified.
Her sensitivity spiked further.
"Mm..."
The force came.
She clenched her fists, fully braced for it mentally.
What would come next?
What would happen next?
It tickled, but it wasn't unbearable.
"Mm..."
It really was bearable.
Gradually,
Yukino began to feel it was actually pleasant.
This wasn't punishment. This was a massage.
Yukino's eyes snapped open, staring at the man now massaging her.
"What's wrong?"
She didn't know how to describe what she was feeling.
"This is your punishment, Yukino. Enjoy it,"
Lin Ye kept going. "If the pressure's too much, tell me."
This really was a massage!
How on earth had it turned into a massage out of nowhere?
But feeling the stimulation of the pressure on the sole of her foot, she found herself enjoying the comfort of it more and more.
This feeling was really nice.
The most her sister had ever given her massages was back in elementary school; once she got to high school, physical contact between her and her sister had become rare indeed.
Let alone massages.
And Lin Ye's massage really gave her a brand-new experience, a brand-new sensation.
She stayed tense, biting through it, savoring it.
Uncomfortable, but also pleasant —
that was exactly how Yukino Yukinoshita felt in this moment.
Gradually,
Lin Ye's massage worked its way up from the soles of her feet.
The girl lay on the bed as Lin Ye kneaded her shoulders, gently tapped along her back.
Yukino's eyes narrowed slightly now, enjoying the relaxation her muscles were feeling.
Honestly,
she really hadn't expected a massage to be such a relaxing thing.
No wonder her sister went to massage parlors from time to time.
This feeling really was rather addictive.
Half an hour later, Yukino was already dozing off, half-asleep.
This life was just too comfortable.
After Lin Ye turned off the lights, her eyes suddenly snapped open. "Lin... kun?"
She felt a strange emptiness, a faint unease in her heart.
"I'm right here!"
Beside her, Lin Ye pulled her slender waist close, drawing her into his embrace.
Skin against skin, warmth passing between them,
her heart gradually settled, a warm current welling up inside her.
A sense of security.
Yukino felt at ease.
Her whole body already relaxed, she unconsciously let herself sink into Lin Ye's embrace.
Drowsiness kept creeping over her.
A little while later,
she slowly closed her eyes, her consciousness gradually sinking into deep sleep.
Before long, she was asleep, enjoying this moment of peace and quiet.
Lin Ye looked down at the girl in his arms and smiled warmly, then closed his own eyes and let himself relax as well.
When he woke again, he found the girl had unconsciously wrapped her arms around him, sleeping right beside him. Seeing her peaceful sleeping face, Lin Ye couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the tip of her nose.
Her lashes fluttered slightly, but she didn't open her eyes — still asleep.
Lin Ye checked the time and saw it was still early, so he didn't get up right away.
He waited about twenty minutes, and when the girl still hadn't woken, he carefully slid his arm out from under her, quietly got up and out of bed, gathered his clothes, and left the room.
After he left the room, Yukino's eyes opened. She had actually woken up the moment Lin Ye got out of bed, but she'd kept her eyes shut, staying still, so he wouldn't think he'd disturbed her rest.
Looking at the empty space beside her, Yukino couldn't help but smile.
"This... actually isn't so bad, is it?"
A life like this, she thought, really wasn't bad at all.
In the past,
she'd always believed she had no chance at love. Truly, she'd never had any thoughts at all about romance or partners.
In fact, there had even been a time when she felt a certain aversion to the idea.
Boys her age were all like horny monkeys, especially around pretty women — always yelping with excitement, always in a rush.
And Lin Ye had originally been lumped into that same category too — after all, he was the one who'd confessed to her back then!
Telling her he liked her.
Someone who barely knew her, who didn't understand the first thing about her true self, who had no real experience or bond with her at all — and he claimed to like her?
That... was simply unacceptable.
Back then, in her eyes, Lin Ye's confession was just another case of a man infatuated with her looks.
She never gave confessions like that the time of day, never gave anyone that kind of chance.
After all, given how many boys had tried to win her favor over the years, how many had confessed to her — so many that it had become tiresome.
And Lin Ye had just been one more of those shallow boys.
She hadn't given it much thought — after turning down his confession, she simply stopped paying him any attention.
Until now...
Yukino Yukinoshita thought back over how her relationship with Lin Ye had changed.
This wasn't just a small change — it was an intensely dramatic one.
You could call it a complete transformation.
She'd considered the possibility of dating in high school before, but even if she really had gotten a boyfriend, it would surely have been limited to holding hands.
At most, kissing — anything more intimate than that would have been out of the question, impossible.
That had been Yukino Yukinoshita's mindset and attitude in the past.
But now,
looking at how things stood between her and Lin Ye, this level of intimacy went far beyond that.
She'd even been willing to give herself to him entirely — if Lin Ye had been willing, she would have given herself to him. She'd even loosened her own conditions, compromised, agreed to let him stay with Mai Sakurajima another year before breaking up.
Only, Lin Ye had given her a cruel answer.
Faced with her offer, Lin Ye hadn't been tempted at all — he'd chosen to refuse.
Yukino Yukinoshita honestly couldn't understand or accept it at all.
She'd given so much, compromised so much, and yet Lin Ye showed no reaction whatsoever — no, he did have thoughts, but he'd suppressed them with reason.
Yukino Yukinoshita wasn't sure if it was because she lacked charm, or because Lin Ye was simply too rational, with his sights set further ahead, genuinely planning to be with both her and Mai in the future.
The more she thought about it, the more she suspected the latter — no, she was actually quite certain of it.
Lin Ye was greedy. He wanted everything. That was why he'd given her this choice.
Resist the temptation now, choose the long-term future instead.
After all,
she was destined to become Lin Ye's meal eventually. If he devoured her now, the loss in the future would only be greater.
If Lin Ye could hold back now, then in the future... he could enjoy it to his heart's content.
"This man,"
"So greedy,"
Yukino let out a huff to voice her displeasure.
But the empty room gave no answer.
Yukino lay there a while, thought it over, and then got up.
She changed into her school uniform and went to the bathroom to wash up.
In under ten minutes, she was washed and dressed.
Lin Ye, meanwhile, had been busy in the kitchen and already had breakfast ready.
Breakfast was simple, nothing complicated.
Fried eggs, vegetables, and spaghetti.
This was the simple breakfast Lin Ye had put together from whatever ingredients were in the fridge.
Yukino looked at the breakfast in front of her — it looked good, smelled good, and was nutritionally balanced too.
Her appetite opened right up.
She had a good appetite, and started eating with her chopsticks right away.
"How is it?"
"It's fine,"
Yukino's answer was simple, and Lin Ye didn't press for more detail on the flavor.
That answer was enough for the girl to have given.
Lin Ye started eating too.
Ten minutes later, Lin Ye finished eating and went to change into his school uniform.
Meanwhile the girl cleared the dishes and set them in the kitchen sink. "I'll wash them when I get back,"
she added.
In truth she didn't need to say it, but she said it anyway. She always felt like if she didn't say something, Lin Ye might misunderstand.
Lin Ye didn't dwell on the girl's overthinking; instead, he brought up something else. "Do you want us to walk separately, like before?"
To avoid people at school gossiping about his relationship with Yukino Yukinoshita, and out of consideration for the fact that the girl didn't want to be caught up in rumors, Lin Ye and Yukino, once they reached the train station, hadn't been going in and out together — they kept a bit of a time gap to avoid drawing students' attention.
Lin Ye didn't care, and neither did Yukino Yukinoshita, but as far as rumors and gossip went, Lin Ye felt even a girl like her could get swept up in it.
Wasn't that exactly what had happened to Miyuki?
As he said this,
Lin Ye touched the bracelet on his wrist.
Lin Ye certainly had no intention of letting Miyuki's experience happen again.
The damage caused by public gossip and scandal could easily be no less severe than other things.
In fact, the psychological impact could hit even harder, stirring people up and pushing them to the edge, even to the point where, in the end, they might choose some extreme way of dealing with it.
Lin Ye had confidence in Yukino, but some things were worth avoiding when they could be avoided.
That was Lin Ye's thinking.
"No need, let's just walk together,"
Yukino Yukinoshita felt there was really no need for any of that anymore.
No need to split up.
She and Lin Ye were in the same club, and they were often seen together — plenty of students at Sobu High already knew that.
It wasn't just the boys who knew, either. The girls knew too.
After all, she was Yukino Yukinoshita — her very presence drew plenty of attention from students, not just boys, but girls as well.
And Lin Ye fell within that circle of attention too.
The two of them, in their daily routine, had already come under the notice of plenty of students.
What's more, there had already been times when they'd run into each other outside school by chance and walked to Sobu High together.
This time, walking together, Yukino Yukinoshita felt there was no problem with it at all.
If students wanted to gossip, let them gossip.
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't care in the slightest, didn't mind at all.
She could face it all calmly.
"Walk hand in hand?"
Lin Ye looked at her with a grin.
If she thought it was fine to walk together, why not go all the way and hold hands?
Lin Ye watched the girl, curious how she'd answer.
"Fine,"
Yukino answered anyway — she had no choice but to accept Lin Ye's suggestion.
If it really came to that, it would basically be telling the whole school that she and Lin Ye were together.
As far as Yukino was concerned, that wasn't something unacceptable either.
Making it public — it even carried a sense of finally confirming their status, of gaining recognition, perhaps.
By then, within the social circles of Sobu High, she and Lin Ye would be an openly acknowledged couple.
And Miura Yumiko, who was Lin Ye's girlfriend in name only, would need to step off the stage.
Yukino thought to herself.
And from the girl's answer, Lin Ye sensed just how serious she was.
She really did intend to go through with this.
So what should he do?
Accept, or refuse?
He thought it over, considering whether he should really go public.
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