"We are dating now," Bai Chuanxia said, smiling, and took a bite of the dessert on the table.
The sweetness exploded in his mouth. Sweets were hard to come by at the hospital. Because he was on a date with Hashimoto Arina, the flavor was ten times sweeter than he remembered.
"That's right," Hashimoto Arina chuckled, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the cream from the corner of his mouth. Then, with a mischievous grin, she snatched the partially-eaten cream cake from his hand. She threw the entire thing into her mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed it whole. It was hard to imagine her small, cherry mouth could manage such a large piece. In some ways, women's plasticity was truly impressive.
Hashimoto Arina covered her face, full of happiness from the sugar rush. She finished the cold water and pulled his arm. "Come on, we're going to tour all of Akihabara today."
She excitedly took Bai Chuanxia's hand, skillfully weaving around the road barriers. She expertly entered a building adorned with giant posters of game characters. Even from outside, the sounds of shouting and excitement from within were audible.
"Arcade games! Have you ever played, Xia?" Hashimoto Arina pulled him to a fighting machine. "I'm so nostalgic." The screen displayed a handsome young man with short white hair, arms spread wide, and a circular tattoo on his chest.
King of Fighters—a memory for a generation.
"I have," Bai Chuanxia replied. "Are you good at it, Arina-sis?"
"Hehe, there was an arcade next to the hospital when I was little. My dad often worked late on surgeries and would entrust me to the owner, an uncle." Hashimoto Arina rolled up her sleeve and smiled. "Let's have a match."
"I'll hold your stuff, Arina-sis," Bai Chuanxia said, scratching the back of his head. "Though I want to play, I'm not very good at video games. It'd be embarrassing." He then put on a look of eagerness, his eyes wandering over the machine, but feigning reluctance to try.
Seeing his subtle act, Hashimoto Arina took his hand. "It's fine. If you win just one round, I'll grant you any one wish, okay?"
"R-really?" A flash of cunning crossed Bai Chuanxia's eyes. The Affection Points on the Huang Mao APP could be extracted twice during the conquest process, but the second extraction must be saved for 100 points. If he played his cards right, he might create a miracle. He used to haunt the arcades, studying every character's techniques and moves just to play a little longer. He was the strongest in his old neighborhood. Now, he would show Hashimoto Arina what cruelty looked like.
Their match quickly drew a crowd, and gasps of amazement filled the air.
"Oh my god, is that the legendary Tenth Cut? That's incredible!"
The word "KO" flashed on the screen, followed by the winning character's provocative pose toward the audience. Bai Chuanxia covered his face with his hands, starting to question his life. Where did he go wrong? He was supposed to be the one tricking the pure Hashimoto Arina.
"Hehe, your big sister here was once the runner-up in the Tokyo City Class A tournament!" Hashimoto Arina said smugly, patting his head with a laugh.
"Then how was I ever supposed to win?!" Bai Chuanxia looked helpless as she pulled him up from the seat.
The two then played the claw machine and the gachapon machine together. They played with laughter and joy until the sun set before leaving the arcade.
"That was so much fun~" Hashimoto Arina's steps were light. She held his arm and looked up. "I haven't felt this relaxed in a very long time."
"If you like it, Arina-sis, we can come play often," Bai Chuanxia replied, turning his hand to grasp hers.
Hashimoto Arina didn't resist, her hand enveloped in his palm. Her hand was small compared to Bai Chuanxia's. He could hold it completely in his palm, as if completely covering her.
"This is the perfect moment for fireworks," Bai Chuanxia looked up at the sky, dotted with stars. Looking at the sky with different people brought entirely different feelings. At this moment, the stars in the sky were all beautiful.
Hashimoto Arina followed his gaze upward. Bai Chuanxia suddenly felt her head rest on his shoulder.
"I sometimes think this," Hashimoto Arina said, a smile on her lips, her voice soft and gentle. "If we had met as ordinary classmates, would Xia still have fallen for me? If we dated, would we attend classes together, walk home together, go on dates, study together, and encourage each other to get into the schools we wanted?"
Bai Chuanxia tilted his head, their foreheads touching. "You don't need to think about that at all. No matter when or how we met, I would be drawn to you, Arina-sis." He finished and subtly glanced at Hashimoto Arina's prominent chest. He was sure the attraction he mentioned was entirely about her personality and character, and completely unrelated to her large chest.
"Mmm." Hashimoto Arina closed her eyes, quietly leaning on his shoulder.
The two took the train back to the hospital. Hashimoto Arina escorted him to the corner near the hospital entrance. They dared not go any further, as a chief physician dating a patient would undoubtedly cause gossip. The hospital had just dealt with one such case last week, so everyone was on edge. The corner was in shadow, making them less visible to people coming out of the hospital.
"See you tomorrow," Bai Chuanxia smiled and waved. "This is far enough. I can go the rest of the way myself."
Hashimoto Arina hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "Do you want to hug me?"
Bai Chuanxia was stunned, but his face instantly broke into a smile. "Of course."
Hashimoto Arina opened her arms, and they embraced. Holding her, he felt that the woman who usually seemed like a tall, strong older sister was surprisingly slender. Perhaps it was her constant display of strength that made her seem larger. She was just an ordinary girl.
They hugged for a while before Bai Chuanxia reluctantly pulled away. He actually wanted to hold her longer, but she was pressing against his chest, and he was afraid his 'little brother' would embarrass them both.
As they separated, Bai Chuanxia noticed her eyes were red, with tears welling up.
"Arina-sis?" Bai Chuanxia looked confused.
"It's nothing," Hashimoto Arina quickly turned her head, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I was suddenly reminded of the manuscript you drew for me."
"This is the first time I've had such a relaxed date, so I feel overwhelmingly happy."
"Thank you for giving me such a beautiful memory. It looks like I can fall asleep happily tonight."
"Arina-sis," Bai Chuanxia reached out and held her arms, opening his mouth to speak.
"Honestly, I'm the mature adult here. I should be the one giving you strength." Hashimoto Arina wiped her tears, a smile returning to her face. "Hurry up and go. You need a good rest tonight~"
"Okay." Bai Chuanxia withdrew his hands. He knew if they lingered, he'd never go back. "See you tomorrow, Arina-sis."
He finished, walked away from the corner, and headed toward the hospital. As he stepped through the main entrance, he looked back. Hashimoto Arina had also stepped out from the corner and was watching him, though still largely obscured by the wall's dark shadow. Bai Chuanxia secretly waved goodbye, not sure if she could see him.
He returned to his ward. Because of his joyful mood, his body felt significantly lighter than usual. Bai Chuanxia sniffed his arm. He had been hugged by Hashimoto Arina all day, and his clothes still carried her scent. He closed his eyes. This feeling of being in love was surprisingly wonderful.
"The APP!" Bai Chuanxia's eyes snapped open. After being beaten into submission at the arcade, he was healed by Hashimoto Arina. Affected by the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, he had been fully immersed in the date and almost forgot the main mission. He quickly pulled out his phone and opened the app. He could feel his heart pounding fiercely.
The screen still showed the 3D animated Hashimoto Arina, her chest gently rising and falling with her subtle movements. And the Affection Level field was no longer yesterday's 95. It was a heart icon, almost completely filled.
Affection Level: Ninety-Nine.
"Ah!!!" Bai Chuanxia felt blood rush to his head and almost dropped his phone.
"Calm down, calm down!" Bai Chuanxia frantically suppressed his emotions. He felt like success was separated by only the thinnest of membranes. If he could just break through it, a truly new world would open up. But he was stuck at this final point, unable to find the exact method. No matter how hard he tried, all he got was a red face, and it was useless.
"Just one more step to success. Calm down, you can do this." Bai Chuanxia started self-suggesting. With his effort, his heartbeat gradually stabilized.
That night, he slept soundly. In his dream, Hashimoto Arina was lying with him. Only this time, she wasn't just hugging his arm.
Time quickly moved to the next day. Hashimoto Arina came to the ward once in the morning as usual. She behaved exactly as she always did. The soft, girlish version of her from yesterday seemed to be hidden away. In her place was the strong, sunny, hope-giving Hashimoto Arina.
"Is this the legendary phenomenon where changing skins also changes the accompanying sound effects?" Bai Chuanxia thought, glancing at her white coat and the flesh-colored stockings beneath her short skirt. He preferred black stockings, but Hashimoto Arina always wore flesh-colored ones at the hospital, which was a shame. It seemed that fulfilling that wish would have to wait until their relationship was closer, maybe something he could unlock on a future date.
After Hashimoto Arina left, he sat on the bed and continued drawing the sequel to Bleach. The next arc was the one that would elevate the manga to iconic status. He needed more manuscript fees and fame, which would help him in his conquest. Filled with hope for the future, his drawing speed was three times faster than usual.
In the afternoon, Mizukui came to the hospital to pick up his manuscript. Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning the oral sex from yesterday. Bai Chuanxia didn't know if she had studied online when she got home, but today, her leather jacket was zipped up. This made the jacket stick out at her chest. Mizukui's figure was actually quite good. Unlike those exaggerated curves caused by large size, Mizukui's figure was simply... taut.
"You plan to continue serializing Bleach?" Mizukui met his gaze without flinching. "What are you thinking about, looking so distracted?"
"Nothing." Bai Chuanxia shook his head. For a moment, he had remembered last night's dream. A serious question popped into his mind: Was the ability to perform the act so straightforwardly due to her size, or his own lack of size?