Chapter 203: Unspeakable Truth

“Please, make yourselves at home. Treat this as your own place. I originally wanted to be a good host, but I got injured thanks to a certain heartless man, so I can’t properly take care of my guests. There’s juice and soda in the fridge—help yourselves if you’re thirsty.” After entering Sasako’s apartment, she lay in the male guest’s arms, enthusiastically addressing her two visitors.

When Lei Yin placed her on the sofa in the living room, she suddenly grabbed his shirt. “Do you think dropping me off here is enough? At the very least, you should help treat my wounds. This is all your doing, after all.”

Seeing Lei Yin make no attempt to deny it, she gritted her teeth and said, “You bastard, are you even a man?”

“Before you start blaming others, perhaps you should reflect on your own actions first.” After a moment of thought, Lei Yin turned to his sister standing nearby. “Kazumi, wait here for a bit. I’ll clean up her wounds.”

Kazumi glanced at Sasako, then nodded.

Carrying Sasako into the bathroom, Lei Yin had barely set her down when she suddenly screamed, “How did I end up like this!” She stared at her reflection in the mirror in disbelief, seeing her face and hair smeared with dirt, making her look like a refugee.

Lei Yin said indifferently, “That’s not my fault. You did that to yourself when you fell.”

Grabbing his collar with her uninjured left hand, Sasako shouted, “Idiot! If you hadn’t been chasing me, I wouldn’t have fallen!”

“I repeat: reflect on your behavior before blaming others.”

His nonchalant attitude made Sasako so angry that she felt like biting him.

After using a towel to clean her face, Lei Yin began rinsing the wound on her right hand under the faucet.

“It hurts! Can’t you be gentler?”

“Bear with it. If I don’t do this, I can’t wash out the dirt in your wound.”

“Bear with it? Easy for you to say! It really hurts!”

“You’re so troublesome. There, it’s done.”

When he finished rinsing the wound, he carefully dried it with a tissue. Sasako felt an odd sensation rise within her. She hadn’t expected him to be so meticulous despite his initial reluctance. It was a side of him she hadn’t seen before—unexpectedly gentle.

After drying the water from her wound and its surrounding area, Lei Yin turned to her. “Where’s the first aid kit—”

The bathroom fell silent.

After a long moment, when she finally pulled her lips away, Lei Yin looked at her calmly. “Why did you do that?”

“Do you remember what I said earlier? If I lost, I’d offer myself to you as a prize. That was just the deposit.” As she spoke, there wasn’t a trace of her usual coquettish smile. It was as if she were discussing something completely ordinary.

Lei Yin gave her a glance and said, “Let’s head to the living room. I’ll apply medicine there.”

Instead, Sasako hugged him tightly and whispered, “Am I really so unattractive to you?”

“You’re an unforgettable woman. But you should understand that our positions—if not outright opposing—make it impossible for us to coexist peacefully, unless you leave your organization.”

Sasako raised her head and gazed at him deeply. “Are you asking me to make a choice?”

“I’m merely stating the facts.”

Sasako shook her head. “You may know my identity, but you don’t truly understand how vast our organization is. If those old men were willing to go all out, destroying an organization like Black Dragon wouldn’t be difficult.”

“I’m aware. No matter what, Black Dragon is just a criminal syndicate and cannot directly contend with state power. But if we were to go all out, even if we couldn’t deal significant damage to your organization, you wouldn’t escape unscathed. After all, the entities backing you wouldn’t publicly intervene, which could lead to a chaotic conflict.”

Sasako sighed. “No one knows what will happen until the very end. Let’s stop talking about such grim matters. You don’t need to concern yourself with the affairs behind me. All you need to know is that I’m a woman who likes you. Isn’t that a much simpler way to think about it?”

Lei Yin didn’t answer but instead said, “Go back to the living room. I’ll apply the medicine.”

As he turned to leave, Sasako quickly called out, “Hey, don’t forget my sprained ankle. Carry me out!”

Without looking back, Lei Yin replied, “Stop with the theatrics. You just accidentally put your foot down.”

Sasako glanced down and, sure enough, both her feet were naturally standing on the ground. She shot him an annoyed look and pouted. “Stingy man. Will carrying me kill you?” she muttered before following him out of the bathroom.

While he was bandaging her right hand, Sasako leaned intimately against Lei Yin, giving Kazumi, who was sitting stiffly on the couch nearby, a smug glance.

Kazumi noticed her gaze, snorted coldly, and turned her head away, unwilling to look at her.

Seeing this, Sasako smiled slyly, like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.

After wrapping the bandage, Lei Yin stood up and said, “Alright, we’re leaving now.”

With no excuse to keep him, Sasako reluctantly nodded. At the door, she clung to him, whining, “Masashi, make sure to come visit me sometime.”

Watching the woman practically melt into her brother’s arms, Kazumi’s face turned dark as a storm cloud.

“Enough with the theatrics,” Lei Yin said as he pried her hands away and walked out.

After they left, Sasako raised her right hand and stared at the white bandage for a long time, lost in thought.

After leaving Sasako’s apartment, Lei Yin said to the silent girl beside him, “Kazumi, stay at my place tonight. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Kazumi nodded quietly.

In Lei Yin’s apartment, Kazumi stepped out of the bathroom wearing an oversized robe that was clearly too long for her. She walked over slowly, her face slightly flushed.

Seeing her like this, Lei Yin couldn’t help but chuckle.

Noticing the amusement in his eyes, Kazumi’s cheeks reddened even more. She knew how awkward she looked, but without any suitable clothes to change into, she had no choice but to wear his.

It was rare to see the usually composed and intelligent Kazumi in such an embarrassed state, which made Lei Yin find the moment even more amusing.

Still smiling, Lei Yin picked up a cup of hot milk from the table and handed it to her.

Kazumi took it with both hands and sipped slowly. After a few sips, she let out a soft sigh. Only then did she truly feel her nerves settle.

Tonight, she had witnessed things far beyond her imagination—events that defied common sense. She had also overheard conversations that left her both puzzled and shaken. If not for the lingering warmth of her recent bath, she might have thought she was still dreaming.

After finishing the milk, Lei Yin spoke in a low voice, “Kazumi, you probably overheard the conversation between that woman and me.”

Kazumi looked up at him and nodded.

Lei Yin knew there was no point in hiding things from her anymore. But deciding what to say and how much to reveal was a troubling dilemma.

Kazumi watched him quietly for a moment before suddenly asking, “Who are you?”

Lei Yin gave a bitter smile. As expected from a top student with a brilliant mind—she went straight to the heart of the matter.

The question seemed simple, but for him, it was the most complicated one of all.

If he repeated the same excuse he had given Sasako, it might suffice for people who didn’t know him well. But it would never convince Kazumi, who had lived with “Hirota Masashi” for over a decade. Besides, deep down, he didn’t want to deceive her.

Yet, he couldn’t reveal the truth about his reincarnation into this body. It wasn’t because he feared she might spill the secret, but because it would open up even more complex and troubling issues.

Seeing him frown and remain silent for a long time, lost in thought, Kazumi suddenly smiled quietly.

She gently hugged him, leaning her soft body against his and resting her head on his shoulder. In a warm, tender voice, she said, “Brother, you don’t need to answer. Really, you don’t.”

Her understanding moved Lei Yin deeply. After a long moment, he sighed. “Some truths are too difficult to explain, but I don’t want to lie to you. I’m truly sorry.”

Kazumi slightly shook her head and softly said, “Even though I don’t know who you really are, I know you’re definitely not Hirota Masashi. The real Masashi couldn’t possibly be fluent in two foreign languages, excel in kendo, or be so considerate of my feelings. And he certainly wouldn’t take such great risks to save me. I’ve known this all along, but I was too afraid to ask, scared that anything might change.

To me, you’re the most important person in the world. I don’t want to know who you are—as long as I can stay by your side, that’s enough for me. Is that okay?”

Feeling the warmth of her body, Lei Yin hugged her and softly replied, “It’s up to you. As long as you don’t get tired of me, that’s fine.”

Hearing his response, which was identical to the one he gave three years ago at her middle school reunion, Kazumi couldn’t hold back her tears. Overwhelmed with emotion, she slowly repeated the same words she had said back then, “Then I’ll keep bothering you.”

Lei Yin smiled and gently stroked her hair.

A week quickly passed, and everything seemed to have returned to normal.

This sense of calm, however, was relative only to Lei Yin and Kazumi. For those around them, life had been far from peaceful.

Sasako continued teaching under her title as a “Divine Mentor,” but she seemed to spend more and more time around Lei Yin outside of class, both intentionally and unintentionally.

Takeda, who often hung out with Lei Yin, was thrilled by this development. However, in his excitement, he failed to notice the seductive glances Sasako directed at Lei Yin when she thought no one was watching.

One day during class, Kazumi glanced at Takeshima Shinobu, who was slumped over her desk, lost in a daze. She sighed inwardly. It had been a week, but Shinobu still seemed utterly dispirited. Kazumi knew there was nothing she could say to help and could only hope Shinobu would recover in her own time.

Initially, Shinobu hadn’t wanted to attend classes at all, but Kazumi insisted on bringing her along, fearing that leaving her alone in the apartment would only make things worse.

At that moment, someone entered the classroom. After scanning the room briefly, they walked toward Kazumi’s seat. Without a word, they quietly took the seat next to hers.

These past few days, Kazumi had felt a constant unease. The source of this unease was none other than the bothersome woman relentlessly pursuing her brother. While that woman no longer seemed hostile toward Lei Yin, Kazumi couldn’t let her guard down around someone with mysterious powers and an enigmatic identity.

Lost in thought, Kazumi and the daydreaming Shinobu didn’t notice the person now sitting nearby. However, many other girls in the class had already taken note.

“Look! That guy is so handsome!”

“Oh my gosh, it’s Yasuda-senpai!”

“Who is he? Is he from another department?”

“Idiot! You don’t even know him? He’s Yasuda-senpai, a second-year student from the Business Administration Department.”

“Wow, it really is Yasuda-senpai! What’s he doing here?”

The subject of their chatter, Yasuda-senpai, didn’t speak to anyone. Instead, he fixed an intense and peculiar gaze on the girl lost in thought.

This was the first time he’d been so close to her face.

The plain white blouse she wore exuded a quiet elegance, though it didn’t particularly stand out.

Her delicate face was makeup-free—a rarity for him. Most of the girls he knew relied on makeup to enhance their looks or conceal flaws, but her flawless skin needed no such assistance.

She wasn’t the type of woman who radiated dazzling beauty, yet her intellectual charm stirred something within him. Yasuda still couldn’t forget how stunning she had looked in a dress that night.

After a while, Kazumi seemed to sense something and lifted her head to look forward. She noticed a few girls turning their heads to glance in her direction.

She soon realized that they weren’t looking at her but at the person seated next to her. Turning her head slightly, she saw him.

Yasuda had never imagined that a person’s facial expressions could change so much in an instant.

Kazumi’s expression shifted rapidly through a spectrum of emotions—shock, surprise, anger, disgust—all within a fleeting moment. Although it was class time, and she refrained from dragging Takeshima Shinobu out immediately, her expression made it clear that she regarded the person sitting nearby as no less revolting than a cockroach.

“Kazumi, long time no see. How have you been?” Yasuda asked with a smile.

Hearing his voice, Takeshima Shinobu turned her head. The moment she recognized Yasuda, tears streamed down her face.

“It’s class time. If you understand human language, could you kindly shut up?” Kazumi said coldly.

In a low voice, Yasuda responded, “Kazumi, I’m here to apologize to both of you.”

Kazumi sneered. “I didn’t expect the word ‘apology’ to exist in your vocabulary. Truly surprising.”

“Believe it or not, I came to sincerely apologize to Shinobu.” Turning to Takeshima Shinobu, who was staring blankly at him, he said, “Shinobu, I was wrong last time. I shouldn’t have done what I did. Please forgive me.”

His words caused Takeshima Shinobu to cry even harder, eventually burying her face in the desk as her sobs grew louder. Luckily, they were seated toward the back of the room, so her cries weren’t overly disruptive. However, the girls nearby, who had been watching everything unfold, started whispering amongst themselves.

Though Kazumi wasn’t sure what game this playboy was trying to pull, she didn’t intervene. She simply watched him coldly.

Once class ended, Kazumi immediately pulled the tear-streaked Takeshima Shinobu out of the classroom.

Yasuda was about to follow them when a girl called out to him, “Yasuda-senpai.”

He turned to see Miyu Himeko, who smiled as she approached, her hips swaying gracefully. Himeko was also a literature department student, which he remembered upon seeing her.

“Yasuda-senpai, it’s been a while. How has Uncle Ogata been doing?”

“My father is doing well, thank you for asking.”

“May I ask what brings you here, Senpai? Can you tell me?” Miyu Himeko asked, her gaze soft and inviting.

“It’s just a minor matter. Apologies, I have something to attend to.” Without further explanation, Yasuda turned and headed for the door.

Watching him leave in such a hurry, disappointment flickered in Miyu Himeko’s eyes.

After a moment’s thought, she turned to a male classmate nearby and said, “Hayachi, can you look up the information on the girl who was crying in class just now?”

Though he was reluctant, the boy nodded in agreement, unwilling to refuse her request.

Gently stroking Naoko’s long, soft hair, Lei Yin asked, “Have you been busy lately?”

Snuggling into his arms like a contented cat, Naoko shook her head. “Not too much, just working on more articles recently.”

“Looks like my Naoko is on her way to becoming a famous author.” Lei Yin teased, nibbling her earlobe.

She let out a soft hum and shyly protested, “No way, you’re always making fun of me.”

Hearing her coy tone, Lei Yin’s heart stirred.

Naoko, lying against him, felt his reaction almost immediately, her face flushing with heat.

Just as Lei Yin reached to turn off the TV and carry her to the bedroom, something on the screen caught his attention.

Suddenly, he froze and focused intently on the news broadcast.

Sensing something odd, Naoko lifted her head despite her embarrassment and glanced at him. She noticed that his expression had turned strangely serious.