Chapter 120: The Truth

Stepping outside, the cool evening breeze gently blew over Aiko, and she slowly began to regain consciousness.

“Where am I?” she asked, feeling dizzy as the world spun around her.

“Ugh…” Lei Yin hadn’t had a chance to speak when Aiko suddenly covered her mouth, looking as if she were about to vomit.

Lei Yin quickly set her down and helped her steady herself.

Unable to hold back any longer, Aiko bent over and started to throw up.

“Aiko, are you okay?” After she finished, Murashima handed her a tissue.

“Mami, my head hurts so much,” Aiko said, clutching her head.

“It’ll be better in a moment. If you can’t handle your drink, don’t drink,” Lei Yin said coldly.

“Y-You’re Gennai Masashi?” Aiko asked, her mind clearing a little as she heard his voice.

“Well done, it’s rare that you can still recognize my voice,” Lei Yin sneered.

When Aiko saw his face, she immediately became furious and began to curse: “You bastard, get away from me. I never want to see you again. Go away…” She yelled, trying to push him away with all her strength.

“Your sister is still waiting for you at home. I won’t leave until I make sure you get back safely.”

“I don’t need you to worry. You’re all liars. I hate all of you. Get lost, just leave me alone!” Aiko screamed hysterically.

Lei Yin glanced at her and suddenly lifted her over his shoulder, heading toward the center of the square.

“What… What are you doing? Let me go…” Aiko shouted.

Seeing his actions, Murashima Mami was momentarily stunned. After reacting, she quickly followed behind the young man.

“Let me go, you bastard! I’ll scream for help! Help, help! Someone, please help me…” Aiko, helpless, started screaming for help.

“Gennai, you should let Aiko down, this isn’t right,” Murashima said, trying to persuade him. She noticed more and more passersby were starting to take notice of what was happening.

Lei Yin remained silent and continued walking, carrying her without a care.

Seeing his indifference, Aiko became even more angry and embarrassed, while continuing to scream for help, relentlessly beating his back and waist.

“Smack!” With a single motion, Lei Yin threw her into the fountain at the center of the square.

Murashima was completely stunned by his actions. My god, he treated a girl like this?

Although the water in the fountain only reached her waist, Aiko still choked on several mouthfuls of water. After struggling to climb up, she clutched the edge of the fountain, coughing violently.

His actions also shocked a couple sitting by the fountain, oblivious to the water splashing on them, staring at the scene in disbelief.

“What are you looking at? Get lost!” Lei Yin, now visibly furious, glared at the couple.

Never having seen someone so ferocious, the poor couple had no idea where they had offended this man, their faces turning pale. Finally, the young man reacted first and quickly dragged his girlfriend away.

“Gennai, you’re going too far. Why are you treating Aiko like this?” Murashima, both anxious and angry, rushed to the fountain to pull her out.

“Are you awake now? If you are, listen to what I have to say.” Lei Yin stared at the girl in the fountain, who was still coughing and glaring at him.

“Do you know, tonight, Murashima almost lost her innocence to those scumbags because of you? And your sister is at home, waiting for you to come back. Look at yourself, how serious is this? Is it worth it?” Lei Yin said without expression.

Murashima said nothing, quietly supporting Aiko as she looked at him.

“There’s something you probably don’t know. Your sister’s heart disease relapsed a few months ago, and she almost died. The doctor said if it kept worsening, she might not live much longer. Tell me, did you know about this? Don’t think you’re the only one who’s unlucky. There are many people more unfortunate than you. I’ve told you before, I didn’t mean to hide this from you about your sister.”

“Don’t let a little setback make you fall into self-destruction. Ask yourself, have you truly cared about your family?” Lei Yin said, staring deeply into her eyes.

Aiko’s tears began to fall.

She finally understood why her sister went to bed so early every night and why she took medicine every day, though she claimed it was just vitamins.

It turned out her sister had been enduring this kind of pain all along. The realization hit her hard, and she cried out loud.

Murashima silently embraced her, letting her rest her head on her shoulder.

“Then… what about my sister?” After crying for a while, Aiko lifted her head and looked at Lei Yin.

“Her condition is stable for now,” Lei Yin said calmly.

Upon hearing his response, Aiko felt slightly relieved.

After a brief silence, Lei Yin spoke again: “Wait here. I’ll go get the car.” He then turned and walked away.

Watching his figure grow distant, Aiko said, “Mami, I really didn’t know. I’m sorry…” She began crying once again.

“It’s alright. Let’s get you out of here first,” Murashima said, helping Aiko out of the fountain.

Once they were out, Aiko suddenly asked in a soft voice, “Mami, do you think… he… really hates me?”

Murashima, who had been wiping Aiko’s face with a handkerchief, paused when she heard the question and then answered, “No, if he truly hated you, he wouldn’t have come to save you. But you should understand, the person he likes is your sister. Maybe I should have told you this earlier—his attitude toward you is more like that of an older brother to his younger sister.”

“Actually, I knew, I was just lying to myself. But… but I really like him. I feel so tortured.” As if to empty a lifetime’s worth of tears, the young girl began to cry once again.

Murashima had never seen Aiko so fragile. Not knowing how to comfort her, she could only hold her quietly.

At that moment, headlights appeared behind them—it was Lei Yin, back in the car. Murashima recognized it as Aiko’s sister’s car.

Worried about her friend, Murashima decided to go with her to Aiko’s home.

Inside the car, Aiko didn’t say a word, her entire being looking like a lifeless porcelain doll.

When they arrived at the apartment, Lei Yin said, “You two go inside. Also, please return the car keys to Naoko.” As he spoke, he handed the keys to Murashima.

Murashima glanced at him and took the keys.

“Gennai,” Aiko suddenly called as he was about to turn and leave.

“What is it?” Lei Yin turned back to look at her.

“Whatever you think, I still have to tell you… I like you.” The young girl’s face turned crimson, but her gaze was firm.

Lei Yin glanced at her lazily and said, “Kid, you’re too young to be talking about love. There are plenty of men in this world—so many that you could kill seven or eight just by letting a sign fall. Go home and sleep. When you wake up, you’ll realize that Gennai Masashi isn’t anything special. He’s just a self-righteous bastard. So don’t do anything stupid for him anymore, got it?”

“I… When have I ever done anything stupid for him? You’re right, he is a bastard, a huge bastard,” the girl gritted her teeth and said.

“Good, at least you understand. Go inside now. Your sister’s been worried about you. I’m leaving.” With that, he turned and walked away.

“Hmph, pretentious jerk,” Aiko muttered under her breath, still crying.

Seeing Aiko sobbing while cursing, Murashima finally let out a sigh of relief.

Under the soft light, Naoko gently watched her younger sister sleeping peacefully.

It had been a long time since the two sisters had shared a bed and whispered to each other like they did tonight.

From her sister’s words, Naoko learned everything—how Lei Yin had saved her, and how, after that, Aiko’s feelings for the boy had become increasingly deep and uncontrollable.

Why had they both fallen in love with the same person?

Thinking about this, Naoko sighed lightly, then casually switched off the desk lamp. She gently stroked Aiko’s white forehead, placed the letter on the bedside table, and then stood up, grabbing the bag of luggage and heading toward the door.

As she stepped outside, she saw that the sky was still pitch dark. Checking the time on her phone, it was just around 4 AM.

After opening the garage door, she quietly sat in the driver’s seat. After a moment, she finally started the car.

As the car drove out, she suddenly saw a tall figure standing in the middle of the road. The long shadow cast by the headlights stretched far behind him.

Silently, she opened the car’s front door, and the boy wordlessly sat inside.

“Lei, you…” Naoko looked at him in surprise.

Glancing at the luggage on the back seat, the boy interrupted her, “It’s this late. Where are you planning to go? Don’t tell me you’re going camping.”

“I… I want to move out for a while. Maybe this will be better for Aiko,” Naoko replied.

He looked deeply into her eyes. After a moment, he raised his right hand and gently touched her left cheek. “Now I can rest easy. I was afraid you would do something dramatic like those melodramatic TV shows—pretending to be noble and leaving by yourself. Because with your personality, I thought you might do something that foolish.”

“So, you’ve been waiting for me here?” Naoko’s pupils widened in shock.

Lei Yin nodded and smiled. “Looks like I was overthinking.”

Without warning, Naoko quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and threw herself into his arms.

“I’m sorry, I really did think about doing that. But every time I think about being apart from you, my heart hurts so much. Since I was little, I’ve always been willing to give anything to Aiko, because she’s my most important sister. But this time, I can’t do it. I really can’t…” Naoko wished she could melt into his body completely.

After a while, when she had calmed down slightly, Lei Yin, somewhat annoyed, said, “Who told you to give in? What do you take me for?” Then, he slapped her firm, shapely bottom.

“Ah!” The slap was hard, and Naoko couldn’t help but let out a sound.

Before she could finish her gasp, Lei Yin slapped again.

“Ah…” This time, the sound was much softer.

Just when Naoko thought he was about to slap a third time, Lei Yin instead placed his hand there and slowly began to rub.

“Ah…” Given her sensitive nature, this touch was just as intense as the previous slap. Naoko, filled with embarrassment, found herself wishing that he wouldn’t stop.

Suddenly, feeling an increasing warmth in that area, the boy looked at her with a strange expression.

He lifted her flushed, trembling face with his hand and said, “Next time you act like this, it won’t be just about slapping your bottom.”

Knowing he had already noticed her embarrassing predicament, Naoko didn’t dare look him in the eye. She could only hold onto his back tightly, burying herself deeper into his embrace.

“Let’s go for a check-up the day after tomorrow to see how things are. If this goes on, I’ll have a stroke,” Lei Yin said with a wry smile.

“Mm,” Naoko softly responded.

Taking a deep breath, Lei Yin said, “Let’s go. Back to the house where it’s just the two of us.”

Hearing his words, Naoko, still lying in his arms, couldn’t help but shudder.