"Didn't you say your family was about to call the police? Now that you've found your sister, aren't you going to call them so they won't worry?"
Standing around idly wouldn't help.
"!"
Prompted by his words, Yukino remembered her mother. She hurriedly dialed the house number.
"Yukino?"
"Yes, it's me, Mother. No need for the police. I just found Big Sis."
"Where is she?"
Her mother's voice came through with a natural authority. Yukino pursed her lips and half-lied for the first time in her life:
"She's drunk, so I'm taking her back to my apartment."
After uttering that sentence, she mentally braced for her mother's reprimand about Haruno. Yet things didn't go as expected.
" "
Her mother went silent. After a pause, she let out a sigh.
"Let Haruno sober up at your place. She can come home tomorrow."
And with that, the call ended.
"?"
Yukino frowned. That attitude was wrong. Her mother had never spoken in such a gentle tone. In Yukino's memory, her mother was always austere and forceful. Glancing at Harunorarely one to get so drunkYukino felt something must have happened between her mother and sister, prompting Haruno's erratic behavior and their mother's uncharacteristic response.
"Well, the trade is completed, but I'm curious. Are you really going to bring your sister back to your place alone?" Rei Ao asked. "Are you sure you can handle that by yourself?"
He didn't doubt Yukino's resolve, only her physical ability. Trying to support a fully incapacitated adult with those slim arms and legs was probably too much. Yukino understood that. Having already sought help once, much of her stubborn pride had eased.
"Would you mind carrying my sister to my apartment, Rei Ao-kun?" she asked. But she forced herself to add, "After all, with our trade I just want to go home as soon as possible."
All sorts of complicated, shy, conflicted, yet somewhat relieved emotions mingled on the once-pristine "highborn flower," producing a charm that made Rei Ao want to tease her more. He gave a grin and said, "Sure thinglet's head home."
~~~
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Chapter 419: Beautiful Flower
Rei Ao personally carried Haruno into the guest room of Yukino's apartment.
Inside, Yukino helped remove her sister's clothing. It probably took quite a while, because Yukino came out carrying some clothes and reeking of alcohol.
"Yukino, does your sister always drink like that?"
In Rei Ao's mindbased on "OreGairu" and the impression he had of Harunothis didn't seem like her usual behavior.
"No. I've never seen my sister like this."
Yukino furrowed her brows.
She'd lived with her sister for many years and had never seen her drink herself into a state of complete unconsciousness.
"In that case, perhaps she's got some troubles she's trying to drink away."
Rei Ao kindly offered the remark. From Haruno, he could sense some negative emotions.
""
Yukino thought the same. Both her mother and her sister had been acting strangely that day. She was paying close attention to the matter, but after all, it wasn't something she could investigate right now. More pressing at the moment washer "trade."
"I"
She was just about to speak when Rei Ao spoke first:
"Go shower first. You've got a strong smell of liquor on you. I'll wait for you in your roomnumber 26, right?"
"All right."
Yukino silently walked toward the bathroom.
Lifting her gaze to the bathroom's ceiling light, she let the hot shower spray down every inch of her skin. Her thoughts simply wouldn't settle.
Before long, she would be giving up her "first time." She had no idea how to feel. Shyness? Sorrow? Indifference? Maybe all of the above. It was a mix of emotions that was indescribable.
She'd once been unable to accept the trades other chat group members had made, and now, by some comical misunderstanding, that same arrangement had landed on her own shoulders.
It wasn't that Yukino couldn't accept this obligation she was supposed to fulfill. Rather, it was that her stubborn, proud nature demanded she pay a price. Rei Ao had warned her before that even if there was no trade, finding someone was an easy task for him. It was her own principles, which she refused to abandon, that led to today's outcome.
"I need to take responsibility for my decisions."
With fingers as fair as alabaster, she shut off the shower. She took a towel and dried herself off.
Soon, Yukinowearing only a bath towelarrived at her bedroom door. She didn't enter right away, because across the hall, a head peeked out to spy on her.
""
Yukino spoke in a low voice, warning:
"Mabel, do NOT come out of your room, no matter what you hear. If you do, I'll make you leave."
"!!!"
Mabel froze, nodded hastily, and withdrew into her room, slamming the door.
" "
Seeing that Mabel stopped, Yukino sighed softly and set her hand on the doorknob, pressing down gently. The door opened, and she stepped inside, locking it behind her.
Looking up, she saw Rei Ao sitting on the bed, observing her with amused interest.
He commented, "Yukino, you're all flushed after your bathyour skin looks lovely."
"Thank you."
Yukino answered stiffly, turning her head aside, hugging her left arm with her right, her shyness plain to see.
"Youaren't you going to rinse off?"
"You mean me?"
Rei Ao took a few steps toward her with a half-smile.
"You know, with my abilities, no bacteria or dust can cling to me."
He raised his hand, gently lifting Yukino's slightly damp hair.
"It's remarkable, YukinoI honestly never imagined that the chance for something like this between us would arise from such a coincidence."
""
Hearing that, Yukinoher eyes glistening with moisturelooked straight at him for the first time.
"You had thoughts of doing such things with me?"
"Of course." Rei Ao nodded without hesitation.
"Because your looks and your personality both attract me. But I've always assumed your character would be hard to win overlike how you yearn for the real thing."
"!"
Yukino's eyes widened in shock.
"Youhow do you know that?"
"My eyes see many thingslike X-ray vision, maybe?"
Half-jokingly, Rei Ao said this while his gaze flicked toward her towel.
"!!!"
Startled, Yukino threw her arms around her chest, cheeks burning red.
"S-stop looking!"
"Haha, just teasing youI don't actually have X-ray vision. But you flustering like this is so cute. I like it."
""
Yukino's blush deepened further. Feigning anger, she glared at him in shame:
"Would you please not joke like that?"
"Got it, no next time." Rei Ao rolled with it. "I just noticed your heartbeat was racing, so I wanted to help you relax a bit. Feeling less tense now?"
" "
It was trueshe wasn't as tense as before. Still, Yukino wanted to figure something out:
"Do you even know what the 'real thing' is?"
Rei Ao shook his head.
"Sorry, I'm not sure. Forgive me for saying so, but from my point of view, that 'real thing' you pursue is an abstract concept."
"I see"
A trace of gloom showed in Yukino's eyes.
"But"
Rei Ao abruptly shifted his tone, raising Yukino's delicate chin. He bent closer to this cool, perfect-looking girl, gazing down at her:
"I know myself well enough to say this: Yukino, I want your heart. That's my 'real thing.' Now I've told you."
" "
Yukino's breath caught. Meeting his clear blue gaze, surprisingly, she didn't doubt his words at all. Maybe it was because Rei Ao was always so open and direct in the chat room. She never expected that the one person she found hardest to doubt was this "perverted wolf" with countless female confidants.
Was this the "real thing" she was seeking? She didn't know. But
"Rei Ao-kun, at a moment like this, don't you think you're going too far?"
She bowed her head, unwilling to let him see her expression.
"Maybe so," he admitted. "But with such a good chance to get close to Yukino, wouldn't I be a fool to pass it up?"
"Maybe bluntly stating your indecent intentions right in front of me already proves you're a fool."
"Hahaha. You said you dislike anything fake, so I'm just being honest."
" "
Their conversation ended there.
~~~
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Chapter 420: Protective Charms and Please Keep Going...
A quiet room.
Facing the door.
The two of them were talking, apparently.
They could hear each other's breathing and the sound of their hearts racing faster.
"Hey Rei Ao-kun, aren't you going to start? Take what you're owed."
Yukino forced herself to remain calm, despite trembling.
"I really can't wait, but I should still respect your feelings. Are you ready, Yukino?"
Rei Ao's words were soft and gentle.
So gentle that Yukino's tightly pressed lips slowly loosened.
"Mmm"
Her voice was quieter than a mosquito's hum, yet Rei Ao heard it clearly.
He wasted no time, once again lifting her chin and kissing her.
Yukino's body froze for a moment, but soon she was guided by Rei Ao's lead, moving toward the bed.
Under the light, Yukino was covering her face with one arm.
She shyly said, "Rei Ao-kun, I I have no experience"
"I know, so I'll be very gentle. Trust me."
Rei Ao absolutely kept his word.
"!!!"
"Tsk!"
Haruno woke up, clutching her dizzy, painful head.
She had awakened because of a pressing need to use the bathroom.
Everything around her was pitch-black, so she groped along the bedside wall and flicked on the light switch. The sudden bright light stung her eyes for a moment; she briefly covered them with her arm before lowering it. A quick look around snapped her to greater alertness.
This was an unfamiliar place.
Looking down at herself, she saw she was only in her underwear.
She knew she'd gone to Shizuka's place to drink off her troubles, so how could she now be at Shizuka's?
Haruno planned to head out and see for herself. But once she stepped into the hallway, the motion-sensor lights came on, and she sensed something off.
This wasn't Shizuka's place at all. It was clearly Yukino's apartment!
"How did I end up at Yukino's place?"
"Could it have been Shizuka?"
She guessed maybe Shizuka called Yukino, who then brought her drunken self here.
"Ay ay ay. Did my Yukino-chan see her big sister's sorry state?"
Haruno gave a quiet sigh.
She shouldn't have drunk so much, even if her mood wasn't good thanks to Mother's demands.
"It's late, so Yukino must be asleep by now."
She decided to go relieve herself first, then figure out the rest once morning came and Yukino was awake.
But when she walked along the hallway
pat pat
Those weren't her own footsteps.
Stopping in place, Haruno pricked up her ears and followed the faint noise with her gaze.
It came from Yukino's room.
"Huh?"
Suspicion flickered in her eyes.
Yukino wasn't asleep?
Yet that faint noise suddenly fell silent, as though it had never been there.
"Am I hearing things?"
Haruno shook her still-dizzy head and gave a bitter laugh. "I really shouldn't have drunk so much," she said to herself, then went off to the bathroom.
On the other side:
Inside Yukino's bedroom.
Tears welled up in Yukino's eyes as she bit down on Rei Ao's hand, holding him back with all her might.
In reality, if Rei Ao wanted to move, she couldn't have stopped himthere was a huge gap in their strength. Yet he didn't move. And he was the one who had told her that Haruno had woken up.
They remained in that hush for a while.
Finally, Rei Ao spoke: "Your sister's gone back to her room. She just got up to use the restroom."
" "
At his words, Yukino slowly let go of his hand, ashamed. "S-sorry I"
"No need to apologize."
Completely unharmed, Rei Ao used his free hand to gently wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
"I knew you didn't want your sister to find out, which is why I warned you."
"Thank you"
"Kind of odd saying 'thanks' at a time like this, though."
Rei Ao gave a faint grin and patted her legs that were firmly clamped around him.
"Relax a bit. I'll set up a barrier on this room, so you don't have to worry about any noise leaking out."
"Mmm"
Her cheeks flushed, Yukino loosened her locked legs, turning her head away so she couldn't meet Rei Ao's eyes.
Then Rei Ao asked, "Earlier, I promised I'd be gentle, right? Yukino, are you feeling any discomfort?"
Flushing in annoyance, Yukino glared at him.
"Do you ask these weird questions when you're with others, too?"
"No, only with you. Seeing your face turn so red is so cute, it's impossible for me to stay calm."
"!!!"
Yukino exhaled lightly in her nose. The moment he said he couldn't stay calm, he started again.
She pressed her lips together, using her forearm to cover the upper part of her face. In that slow rhythm, she murmured in an almost insectlike voice, "Y-you're really gentle. I'm not uncomfortable"
"That's good. Then, do you mind if we try something a bit stronger?"
"Wh-why?"
Rei Ao smiled wryly.
"Because if we stay gentle at this pace, I don't know how long it'll take. You don't want me at this until morning, do you?"
"!!!"
Yukino's head buzzed. Even though it was "gentle," she already found it intense enough. Yet apparently, it was far from enough for him!
"Do do as you like. After all, this is what you're owed in the deal"
Yukino gave in completely; her mind was a mess. At the same time, before Rei Ao could fully pick up momentum, she said: "I want to make another trade with you."
"Huh?"
"Do you have a way to protect other people?"
At those words, Rei Ao immediately knew what she meant.
"You want your family to be able to defend themselves if they ever run into beasts or demons from another world?"
"Mm."
Yukino's voice trembled. Even though she covered the upper half of her face, he could see her struggling to keep her mouth firm. Despite knowing there was a barrier, she still didn't want to make any noisein front of Rei Ao, especially.
"I'll give you three charms afterward. One for you, your sister, and your mother. Is that enough?"
"Mm"
Yukino certainly needed that. The way she saw it, now that things had come this far, she might as well deal with the root cause. She didn't want to go on being so fearful every time.
