Chapter 118: Guests

“Good heavens, this actually passed?” Naoko-sensei stared in disbelief at the audacious sketch glaring back at her from the exam paper.

“I barely managed to get that paper back. I rarely draw, and I didn’t want to leave my masterpiece with those people. This is a true treasure—you have to keep it safe for me,” Lei Yin said with a grin.

Imagining the history teacher’s expression when seeing that drawing, Naoko couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

When her laughter subsided, Lei Yin took one of her delicate hands, placing it gently against his face. Feeling the warmth of her soft skin, he asked, “Summer vacation is just a few days away. Do you have any plans?”

“Nothing in particular. Why do you ask?” Naoko replied, gazing at him affectionately.

“In that case, I’d like to take you to Switzerland for a while during the break. What do you think?”

“Switzerland?” Naoko said, slightly surprised.

“Yes. I want to visit that little rascal, Amy, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone. So, I’d like to take you along. As for how long we’ll stay, it depends. I’m also considering bringing her to Japan for the summer. She’s never been here, so it could be a nice vacation for her.”

“Lei…” Naoko stared at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Why are you crying all of a sudden? If you don’t want to go, it’s fine, really,” Lei Yin said, gently wiping her tears.

Shaking her head, Naoko said, “That’s not it, Lei. I… I’m just so happy.” She leaned into his chest and began to sob quietly.

Naoko was deeply moved. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized how gentle and caring he truly was. He rarely said words like “love” or “affection,” but he always expressed his feelings through his actions. He noticed the slightest changes in her body temperature or mood. When she felt cold or down, he was the first to sense it. He never forced her to do anything, except for that one time when he insisted she rest before 10 PM.

She knew there were times he wanted her, yet for the sake of her health, he always restrained himself.

This silent, unintentional tenderness seemed to be part of his nature, something he wasn’t even aware of himself. But it was precisely this kind of unintentional gentleness that touched her deeply.

Naoko knew with absolute clarity: if she lost this man, her life would lose all meaning.

Watching the tearful beauty in his arms, Lei Yin felt utterly baffled. He still couldn’t understand why she was crying so much. Sigh—what man could claim to truly understand women?

***

“Hey, kid, what are you doing here?” Lei Yin asked in surprise when he saw Aiko and Murashima standing at the school gate.

“I… Oh, right! Have you finished your exams?” Glancing at Kazumi and Rumi nearby, Aiko quickly changed the subject.

“Yeah, I’m done. You didn’t come here just to ask that, did you?”

“I-I wanted to ask how you’re planning to spend your summer break,” Aiko stammered, unable to bring herself to say what was really on her mind with so many people watching.

“I haven’t decided yet. Since you’re already here, how about this? Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner today? Murashima, you too. You’ve never been to my house, have you?” Lei Yin suggested.

“Would it be too much trouble?” Aiko hesitated, her voice uncertain.

Lei Yin shrugged and said, “It’s just a meal, nothing special.”

Aiko looked at Murashima, silently asking for her opinion. Hearing Lei Yin’s words, she really wanted to go, as this might give her the opportunity to finally talk to him.

Murashima smiled and nodded, giving her silent encouragement.

Aiko’s face lit up, and she said happily, “Then I’ll bother you, thank you.”

It was Aiko and Murashima’s first time visiting Masashi’s house. They looked around the room, noting that although the house wasn’t luxurious, it was very clean and comfortable.

“Gennai, did you grow up here?” Aiko asked, her eyes wide with curiosity as she observed the house.

“No, we just moved here not long ago. Kazumi’s cooking dinner right now, it’ll be ready soon. Why don’t you have a drink while you wait?” Lei Yin said, placing two cups of tea in front of them.

“Thank you. So where’s your mom?” Aiko asked.

“My mom usually comes home later than we do, so Kazumi mostly takes care of cooking. By the time Mom gets home, dinner is usually about ready. She can only cook for us on weekends when she has time off. She’ll be back soon,” Lei Yin explained.

When Aiko heard that his mom would be home soon, she instantly became self-conscious.

“We’ll go to the bathroom for a moment,” Aiko said quickly, pulling Murashima with her toward the restroom.

“Mami, can you check if my clothes and hair are okay?” Aiko asked, looking anxious in the bathroom.

“Don’t worry, our Aiko is the most beautiful and cutest. Absolutely perfect,” Murashima said, smiling warmly.

“Mami, my heart’s beating so fast. What if his mom doesn’t like me?”

Looking at her panicked expression, Murashima couldn’t help but chuckle. Aiko looked so nervous, it almost seemed like she and Lei Yin were already at the stage of discussing marriage and meeting the parents.

Feeling a bit sorry for her, Murashima gently took her hand and said, “Relax, just be yourself, like usual. No one could dislike someone as sweet and lovely as you, Aiko.”

“But… but what if he rejects me?” Aiko asked, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“It’s okay, just say what’s on your mind. Whatever happens, I’ll be here to support you,” Murashima said, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you, Mami. If you weren’t here with me, I don’t know what I would do.”

“Now, wash your face to freshen up, and then we’ll go out together,” Murashima said gently.

“I understand.”

After dinner, Kazumi and Rumi were washing the dishes in the kitchen, while Rumiko was by the fridge cutting fruit. Lei Yin stayed in the living room, chatting with the two girls and watching TV.

“Hey, kid, why aren’t you saying anything tonight? You’re not acting like your usual self. My mom doesn’t look that scary, does she?” Lei Yin teased.

“Not at all. It’s just…” Aiko started to respond, but hesitated.

“Just what?”

“Nothing,” she said sulkily.

“Masashi, come help me bring out the fruit,” Rumiko’s voice called from the other side of the kitchen.

“I want to help too,” Aiko immediately stood up.

“No need, you’re still a guest, just relax. We’ll ask you to help next time,” Lei Yin said, walking toward the kitchen.

It seemed like he was telling me to come over more often. Watching his retreating figure, Aiko thought happily to herself.

Sneaking a glance at Aiko sitting in the living room, Rumiko smiled mischievously and asked, “Come on, tell me the truth, how did you meet such a beautiful girl?”

“Mom, don’t overthink it. She’s just a regular friend,” Lei Yin said weakly.

“Really just a regular friend? But I can see that girl treats you very well. Both of them are so nice, it must be hard to choose. But, I have to say, I like Rumi better, so maybe take my advice into account,” Rumiko said with a sly grin.

“I won’t disturb you from your daydreaming, I’m going out now,” Lei Yin said, grabbing a tray filled with fruit and heading out.

After Lei Yin returned, and with only Murashima and Aiko left in the living room, Aiko took a deep breath, then leaned in close to Lei Yin’s ear and whispered, “Gennai, I… I want to tell you something in private.”

Seeing her anxious expression and flushed face, Lei Yin nodded.

He led her to his room and said, “Wait here for a moment. I’ll go tell my mom and grab some fruit and tea.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you.” Once it was just the two of them, Aiko finally started to relax a little.

After he left, Aiko curiously examined the room.

The room’s furnishings were quite simple—just a bed, a wardrobe, a large bookshelf, and a desk.

There were no celebrity posters or pictures of beautiful women on the walls, like in the rooms of other young people. Instead, there was a large, poorly written calligraphy hanging on the eastern wall. Aiko stared at it for a long time, but couldn’t make out what the characters said.

The most striking feature of the room was the books scattered everywhere.

The bookshelf was already overflowing, with no more room to add books. In addition, there were thick stacks of books at the head and foot of the bed.

Aiko casually flipped through two of them but found that they were all in Chinese or English. Occasionally, she found a book in Japanese, but they were things like “Introduction to Deep Consciousness” or “Macroeconomic Analysis of Japan”—subjects that seemed completely unrelated.

Maybe these books were left here by someone else. Aiko couldn’t imagine anyone having the energy to go through all the books here.

Suddenly, she remembered something some of the girls in her class had said: that all boys’ rooms, to some extent, contain adult films or magazines. With this thought, Aiko had a mischievous urge to investigate. She was curious to see if this guy was like the other boys.

Listening for any sounds outside, it seemed that he wouldn’t be coming back up anytime soon. Holding back her laughter, Aiko walked over to the desk and opened the top drawer.

The drawer wasn’t locked, so it opened easily. To her surprise, there was nothing inside—not even a single adult magazine. However, there was something in the drawer that immediately caught her attention.

She picked it up and examined it carefully, and suddenly, she froze.