Chapter 195: Request

It was already hard to remember how many times she had been knocked down. When Rumi tried to get up again, Lei Yin walked over and pulled her up.

“Alright, that’s enough for today,” he said, removing her protective mask.

“Senpai, have I regressed a lot?” The kendo girl looked extremely dejected.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead with his sleeve, Lei Yin smiled. “It’s because you haven’t had much time to practice with the university entrance exams coming up. Once the exams are over, I’ll help you get back to your previous level.”

Rumi stared at him blankly, and after a while, her eyes started to redden, but she quickly lowered her head to hide it.

“Let’s head upstairs. It’s almost time for dinner. You should take a shower first,” Lei Yin said, ruffling her hair, then walked toward the stairs with her protective mask in hand.

Watching his tall figure grow more distant, the girl couldn’t help but call out softly, “Senpai.”

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

The girl couldn’t meet his eyes. “I… I’ll do my best.”

Lei Yin smiled. “Come on up soon.”

Looking at his warm smile, Rumi suddenly felt like she wanted to cry.

“Senpai.” Just as Lei Yin was about to open the door leading up from the basement, Rumi called out again.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to call you,” the girl said with a smile.

Back in the living room, Amy, sitting next to Kazumi and watching cartoons, jumped up from the sofa when she saw Lei Yin and ran over to him.

Lei Yin picked her up effortlessly. Turning to Kazumi, he asked, “Has Maeda come back yet?”

“He said he’d be back in half an hour. Rumi, you’re covered in sweat. Go take a shower,” Kazumi said, walking over to help Rumi take off her protective gear.

Amy curiously watched as Rumi’s kendo armor was removed.

Once Rumi walked into the bathroom, Kazumi turned to Lei Yin and asked, “Brother, how is Naoko-sensei doing now?”

“She’s much better now. In a few days, her wound should be fully healed.”

Kazumi fell silent for a moment before speaking. “Brother, if Naoko-sensei is alright, could you spend more time with Rumi? She’s been so out of it while you’ve been away.”

Lei Yin frowned. “Kazumi, aside from Naoko’s situation, I hope you understand why I’m doing this.”

Kazumi looked anxious. “I know you don’t want Rumi to become too dependent on you, but this period is really important for her. I really don’t want to see her looking unhappy. Please, brother.”

Hearing her ask so earnestly for the first time and seeing the concern on her face, Lei Yin thought for a moment before replying. “Can you let me think about it?”

Kazumi nodded in response.

At dinner, Rumiko watched the little girl eating with chopsticks skillfully, her expression a little dazed.

“Masashi, isn’t Amy a foreigner? Why can she use chopsticks?”

After placing a peeled shrimp into the little girl’s bowl, Lei Yin said, “She wanted to learn. She saw me using chopsticks to eat and thought it was interesting, so she wanted to try. She’s very smart—she learned it in just two days.”

Maeda laughed. “I heard a foreign little girl came to the house, so when I came back, I brought some forks and knives just in case. Looks like we won’t need them.”

Lei Yin asked Amy, “Little one, is it delicious?”

The little girl nodded eagerly.

“Then eat more,” he said, reaching out to remove a grain of rice that had stuck to her cheek.

Watching the pretty little girl, Rumiko felt a surge of maternal instinct and occasionally picked food for her. Each time she did, the little girl would smile at her in thanks, and seeing her thoughtful nature, Rumiko’s affection for her deepened.

On the other side, Rumi looked at Amy with great interest, fascinated by the little girl who looked like an oversized doll.

After dinner, Lei Yin noticed Rumi holding her schoolbag, looking like she was about to leave. He knew she was heading to her tutoring class again. The cram school she attended had many students, so they were divided into daytime and evening sessions, and Rumi happened to be in the evening batch.

Borrowing the car keys from Maeda, Lei Yin said to the kendo girl, “Rumi, I’ll drive you there.”

“Senpai, there’s no need. I can take the subway by myself.”

“Why be so polite with me? Come on.”

Rumi was thrilled and said cheerfully, “Thank you, Senpai.”

Amy, seeing Lei Yin about to leave, quickly followed after him.

Lei Yin said to her, “Little one, stay here and watch TV. I’ll be back soon.”

To give them a chance to spend time together, Kazumi immediately stepped in, holding Amy’s small hand to calm her down.

Only then did Amy agree to stay.

Watching Rumi’s face light up with joy as she followed her senpai out, Kazumi’s face gradually showed a smile.

After driving for about 30 minutes, Lei Yin stopped near the cram school entrance.

As the girl unbuckled her seatbelt, Lei Yin asked, “Rumi, your class ends at 9:30, right?”

“Yes, Senpai.”

“Wait for me at the entrance when you’re done. I’ll come pick you up.”

“There’s really no need, Senpai.” Rumi felt overwhelmed with gratitude.

Lei Yin continued, “Not just tonight—until summer break ends, as long as I have time, I’ll come pick you up after class. I just can’t feel at ease with you walking alone at night.”

“Senpai…” Tears began welling up in her eyes and soon streamed down her face.

“Silly girl, what’s there to cry about?” Lei Yin gently wiped her tears with his sleeve.

Unable to hold back anymore, Rumi threw herself into his arms and began crying loudly.

For some reason, ever since Lei Yin had returned this time, Rumi felt like something was different. He wasn’t home often, he stopped calling her “little one,” and he no longer gently stroked her hair as he used to. This sudden sense of distance left her feeling deeply uneasy and confused.

Perhaps I pushed too hard, Lei Yin thought to himself as he held the sobbing girl tightly.

After some time, as her crying began to subside, Lei Yin softly stroked her hair and said gently, “Do you have something on your mind? If you don’t mind, you can tell me, Senpai.”

Hearing his tender tone, Rumi’s tears flowed again as she said, “Senpai, please promise you won’t ignore me.”

“Silly girl, why would I? Rumi is so well-behaved and obedient. How could I ever ignore you?”

Rumi lifted her head and gazed at him in a daze. After a moment, her face flushed bright red, and she whispered, “Senpai, I… I…”

Before she could finish, Lei Yin gently pulled her head into his embrace and said, “Rumi, I understand your feelings. But you’re still young. Let’s talk about this after you get into college, okay?”

“Do you mean that, really?” Rumi asked with a trembling voice.

“Yes.”

“Senpai…” Overcome with joy, Rumi threw her arms around him tightly, tears streaming down her face again.

Feeling her trembling slightly from excitement, Lei Yin sighed inwardly and continued stroking her hair softly.

The car became completely silent.

From that night onward, Rumi seemed to regain her energy. Her face once again lit up with the familiar, cheerful smile. Lei Yin also spent more time at home helping her review for exams. It was as if everything had returned to the days when the three of them were still in high school.

Although there was a language barrier, Rumi, with her childlike innocence, got along increasingly well with Amy. Sometimes, they even slept together, which made Lei Yin quite happy.

“Don’t worry, the little one is doing great. If you don’t believe me, you can weigh her when you see her—see if she’s gained or lost weight compared to before.”

“What? That old fox sends his regards to me? Thanks, please return the sentiment for me.”

After hanging up the phone, Naoko asked, “Was that Ailin on the phone?”

“Yes, she was asking about the little one.”

“Lei, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Amy. Could you bring her over in a couple of days?” Naoko asked, gently holding his hand.

Hearing her rare coquettish tone, Lei Yin couldn’t help but feel moved.

“If I agree to bring her over, how are you planning to thank me?” Lei Yin asked with a mischievous smile.

Naoko’s face immediately turned red, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Lei Yin climbed onto her bed, lifted her into his arms, and continued teasing softly, “Come on, how are you going to thank me?”

Flustered and shy, Naoko lightly punched his chest and said, “You bully, always teasing me.”

Lei Yin laughed, kissed her forehead, and began gently playing with her delicate, beautiful feet with his left hand.

After a while, Naoko began to get emotional, curling up like a cat in his arms to make it easier for him to continue. Her breathing became increasingly rapid.

Just as Lei Yin was about to remove her dress, they heard the sound of someone unlocking the door outside. He sighed and leaned close to the emotionally overwhelmed Naoko, whispering, “Aiko’s back.”

Startled, Naoko quickly sat up.

“If I’d known, we should’ve gone to the villa. What a waste,” Lei Yin muttered as he zipped up the back of her dress.

Still flushed, Naoko chuckled softly. “Can you go out first? I need to tidy up a bit.”

Lei Yin nodded, kissed her on the cheek, and left the room.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Aiko walking by with four cans of soda in her hands.

Startled by his sudden appearance, Aiko let out a gasp, dropping two of the cans.

Quickly, Lei Yin caught them mid-air.

Steadying herself, Aiko asked, “When did you get here?”

“Half an hour ago. Were you out shopping?”

“Yes,” Aiko replied, her face turning red as she realized he had just come out of her sister’s room.

In the living room, the three other girls sitting on the couch looked equally surprised to see Lei Yin. They hadn’t expected him to be there, but soon, they seemed to realize something, and all three blushed in unison.

Seeing their expressions, Lei Yin knew any explanation would only make things worse. So, after clearing his throat, he said, “Well, since we’re all here, how about a card game?”

“Sure, sounds good,” Murashima Mami was the first to respond, quickly agreeing.

“Yes, let’s play cards,” Aiko added, following suit.

Although the five of them sat down to play, the atmosphere remained somewhat awkward. Among them, the boldest, Kogure Ryoko, kept sneaking glances toward Naoko’s room from time to time.

Lei Yin couldn’t help but laugh bitterly to himself. What a blunder, getting caught in a situation like this by these girls. Still, his expression remained calm, exuding the confidence of someone with a thick skin honed through countless trials.

Having already visited Kagoshima and Kyoto, Lei Yin had no interest in further travel. During his free time, he often took Amy, Kazumi, Rumi, and others on outings around Tokyo. On days when Rumi stayed home to study, he would take Naoko and Amy out instead.

Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye. The seemingly endless summer vacation was now almost over.

One day, the doorbell of the Gennai household rang, revealing a strikingly beautiful woman.

When Lei Yin brought the impressive-looking visitor inside, Amy immediately ran toward her, cheering, “Ailin!”

The visitor was none other than Amy’s guardian, the mixed-race beauty Ailin.

That evening, after dinner, Ailin expressed her gratitude to Maeda and Rumiko, saying, “Thank you so much for taking such good care of Amy during this time. I’m deeply grateful.” Being fluent in several languages, including Japanese, Ailin didn’t need Lei Yin to translate for her.

Maeda quickly replied, “Oh, please don’t be so formal. Honestly, we didn’t do much. It was Masashi, Kazumi, and Rumi who took care of Amy most of the time.”

At this point, Lei Yin asked, “When are you planning to take the little one back?”

“If possible, I’d like to take her back the day after tomorrow,” Ailin replied.

Lei Yin understood well the saying: All good things must come to an end. As such, he quietly stroked the head of the little girl, who looked a bit downcast.

Amy knew all too well that Ailin’s arrival meant it was time for her to go home. Because of this, she didn’t throw a tantrum, but her mood was visibly low.

Lei Yin held her in his arms and softly said, “Don’t be like this, little one. Next year, during vacation, we’ll be able to play together again.”

“I don’t want to leave you, Lei,” the little girl finally cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck as tears streamed down her face.

Seeing this, everyone else couldn’t help but feel a bit saddened.

“You all stay and relax; I’ll take the little one out for a walk,” Lei Yin said, carrying the girl as he headed outside.

As they walked, the cool evening breeze brushed against them. Lei Yin smiled and asked the girl, “How’s that little white dog, Leili, doing these days?”

Hearing his question, Amy’s spirits lifted slightly. “It’s grown so big now, and it even had a lot of puppies! They’re all so pretty. But Mr. Bacon keeps complaining that they ruined the flowers in the garden.”

“Oh? Tell me, what do each of the puppies look like?”

“There’s one that’s completely black, and I named it Blackie. I don’t understand how a white dog could have black puppies. It’s very naughty, though—Mr. Bacon said it’s the one that ruined the most flowers. There’s another one with some yellow markings, but it sleeps all the time…”

As Amy began describing the puppies, Lei Yin occasionally asked questions, guiding her to keep talking. Slowly, she forgot about her impending departure and enthusiastically recounted stories about the dogs and her school life.

By the time they returned, Amy had fallen asleep on Lei Yin’s shoulder, a faint smile gracing her lips.

Looking at her angelic, serene face, Lei Yin smiled softly and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

On the third afternoon, at Narita Airport’s departure lounge, Lei Yin watched as the silver plane soared higher and higher into the sky. Taking a cigarette from Maeda, he lit it and took a slow drag.

Walking over to the tear-streaked kendo girl, he gently ruffled her hair and said, “Rumi, let’s go home.”

Rumi looked up at him, her eyes red from crying, and nodded slightly.