Chapter 233: Photos

“Kawasaki-san, do you remember her?” Ikehara Koharu grinned and gently pushed Naoko in front of a woman in her fifties.

“Hello, Kawasaki-san. I’m Hasegawa Naoko. It’s been a long time,” Naoko greeted her with a polite bow.

“Are you Naoko?” Kawasaki adjusted her glasses and carefully examined the young woman before her.

“Yes, I’m Hasegawa Naoko.”

“It really is you, Naoko! You’ve become even more beautiful—I almost didn’t recognize you,” Kawasaki said with a warm smile.

“You flatter me. How have you been?”

“Thank you for asking. I’m doing well. Are you here to visit your alma mater?”

“Yes, that’s right. This is my fiancé, Gennai Masashi. Masashi, this is Kawasaki-san, who manages the school library and archives. She’s been working here for over thirty years.”

Lei Yin stepped forward and greeted her briefly.

At this moment, Ikehara Koharu turned to Kawasaki and said, “Kawasaki-san, I’m taking Naoko-senpai to have a look in the archives.” She then pulled Naoko by the hand and headed inside.

Naoko gave Kawasaki a polite bow before following Koharu.

Inside the spacious and quiet archive room, Ikehara Koharu rummaged through several data cabinets.

After a while, she suddenly exclaimed with excitement, “Found it!” She then ran over holding a thick photo album.

“This is the student record and photo album from Naoko-senpai’s year. It not only has pictures of Naoko-senpai but also of her classmates.” Koharu eagerly flipped the album open as she spoke.

The first page featured a group photo of over a hundred students. Smiling, Koharu turned to Lei Yin and said, “Mr. Gennai, can you spot Naoko-senpai in this photo?”

Lei Yin chuckled and then carefully examined the picture.

After a moment, he pointed to a student in the center of the photo and said, “That’s Naoko, isn’t it?”

“Bingo! Correct!” Koharu laughed.

Lei Yin looked over at Naoko, who was gazing at him with a gentle smile and an affectionate expression.

“This photo was taken during the first school festival. Back then, Naoko-senpai’s class ran a café, and all the boys from other schools went crazy trying to visit it. I even have a photo of Naoko-senpai wearing a maid outfit from that time. She looked so adorable! I went through a lot of trouble to get that photo from a second-year senpai when I was a first-year. I begged her for ages before she finally gave it to me. I’ll show it to you later when we get back. Oh, right, Naoko-senpai, do you remember Senpai Tonomo, who often hung out with you? I have some photos of her, too.”

Hearing that name, Naoko’s expression turned nostalgic. “I wonder how Tonomo is doing now. Ever since she moved to Hokkaido, I’ve lost touch with her.”

“I don’t know where she ended up either. Oh, Mr. Gennai, this is a photo from the cultural festival evening performance. Naoko-senpai participated in it as well.”

“What did she perform?” Lei Yin asked, curious.

“A piano solo,” Koharu said excitedly. “That evening, Naoko-senpai wore a long black gown and played the piano so gracefully in front of the entire school. It was truly elegant. That’s when I became a huge fan of Naoko-senpai and started collecting all her photos and memorabilia.”

Lei Yin teased her, “You wouldn’t be one of those girls who wrote love letters to her, would you?”

Ikehara Koharu’s face turned red. It was actually through this very event that she had gotten to know Naoko.

Lei Yin turned to Naoko and said, “I didn’t know you could play the piano. Would you play something for me sometime?”

Naoko felt a bit embarrassed as she replied, “Since I started university, I haven’t had time to play the piano. I’ve gotten quite rusty. Actually, I never planned to perform that day. It was my good friend, Tonomo Ryoko, who secretly signed me up. When I went on stage, I was terrified and just pretended to be calm.”

At that moment, Ikehara Koharu suddenly exclaimed, “It’s here! Mr. Gennai, look at this—this is a personal photo of Naoko-senpai, and here’s her profile next to it.”

Lei Yin looked over and saw a photo of a girl wearing a sailor-style school uniform, around sixteen or seventeen years old, with skin as flawless and translucent as white jade. Although her features were similar to Aiko’s, she had a unique, indescribable air of tranquility. It was just a photo, but Lei Yin had a strange illusion that the girl in the picture was looking right at him.

“This photo is really well taken. Would it be alright if I took it to a photography studio outside to make a copy?” Lei Yin asked suddenly after staring at the photo for a long time.

“Oh, how could I not think of that? We still have an hour until the archives close. I’ll go and get two copies made at the studio outside, one for each of you. Wait here, I’ll be back soon.” Ikehara Koharu carefully put the photo in her pocket and ran off.

“Haru*…” Naoko tried to call her back, but Koharu was already far away. (*Koharu’s nickname)

“It seems your junior really likes you. Am I right in thinking I have a new rival?” Lei Yin said with a smile.

“Silly,” Naoko said, covering her mouth and laughing lightly.

Suddenly, Lei Yin walked over, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and held her close.

“Lei, this is the school. What if someone comes in?”

Naoko looked anxiously toward the door.

“So what? We’re not doing anything inappropriate. By the way, do you still have your school uniform?” 

Naoko was at a loss and gave up struggling, letting him hold her, but she noticed the wicked glint in his smile. “Since graduation, my school uniform has been at my grandmother’s house. Why do you suddenly ask about that?”

Lei Yin whispered in her ear, “Bring it back and wear it for me.”

Naoko realized what he was suggesting and felt her face flush. “No way. That uniform doesn’t fit anymore.”

“I don’t care. If you don’t agree, I’ll hold you like this and won’t let go, even if your junior comes back.”

“You bad guy.”

Lei Yin said nothing but tightened his hold on her with both arms.

Feeling his increasingly warm body, Naoko felt her own body grow soft and weak, her breathing becoming quick and shallow without her realizing it.

“Fine, I’ll do it. Now let go…” But before she could finish, Lei Yin captured her lips with his own.

Naoko kept thinking about stopping in case someone walked in, but Lei Yin didn’t let up, savoring her sweet lips with reckless abandon.

Ever since seeing the photo earlier, Lei Yin had been captivated by the girl’s serene, pure aura.

Separated by different times and spaces, the Naoko of the past and the Naoko of the present seemed like completely different people. Yet, they were undeniably the same person—the one in his arms, breathtakingly beautiful. This paradoxical and unified sensation made Lei Yin inexplicably exhilarated. If they weren’t in school, he would have taken her right then and there. The only sound in the library was the barely audible quickening of her breath; otherwise, it was silent.

After a while, Naoko’s hands, which had initially tried to push him away, gradually shifted to hold his neck, and her lips, which had been half-reluctant, now willingly accepted his kiss. Under his relentless teasing, she even let her tongue slide into his mouth for him to savor.

As he tasted her lips and the warm softness of her tongue, Lei Yin could feel her body temperature rising.

Knowing that if things continued, she would truly lose control, Lei Yin reluctantly slowed down.

Just then, the door to the library was suddenly pushed open, followed by the sound of a woman’s startled gasp and something hitting the floor.

Lei Yin cursed himself for being careless. Normally, with his keen awareness, he would have sensed someone approaching the door long before they entered. But he had been so absorbed in the moment that he forgot to pay attention to his surroundings. But what could he do? Naoko was just too captivating.

“S-Sorry!” The young woman, flustered, picked up the book that had fallen and ran out as if fleeing for her life. Even in her hurry, she closed the door gently as though trying not to disturb them, making Lei Yin feel an urge to laugh.

Lei Yin turned back to Naoko and saw that she was blushing so much she couldn’t bring herself to look up.

Smiling as he held her close, Lei Yin teased, “Should we continue?”

Naoko shot him a red-faced glare. “It’s your fault. I already told you to stop.”

Lei Yin smiled. “So, what do we do now? Should I ask her for a viewing fee?”

“Jerk.” Naoko huffed and lightly punched his chest.

Lei Yin felt a surge of love and buried his head in her neck, breathing in her captivating scent.

“Let go. Haru will be back soon,” Naoko said, worried about being seen again.

“Don’t worry; no one will come in for a while. Naoko, you smell so good.”

A wave of shyness rose within Naoko, and she reluctantly allowed herself to be held, a mix of helplessness and happiness in her expression.

“Naoko-senpai, this is my colleague and good friend, Yuyama Kikuko. Kikuko, this is the Naoko-senpai I’ve mentioned to you so often, and this is her fiancé, Gennai Masashi.” When they were about to have dinner at a restaurant outside the school, Ikehara Koharu brought over a young woman wearing glasses and exuding an elegant demeanor.

“Hello,” the young woman said with a smile, greeting them both.

“Hello.” Naoko, her face red as a tomato, managed to respond. She recognized Yuyama Kikuko as the woman who had walked into the library not long ago and seen her and Lei Yin in an intimate embrace. She never expected to meet her so soon, especially since she was a friend of Haru’s. Naoko felt extremely awkward.

In contrast to Naoko’s discomfort, Lei Yin, whose confidence was as thick as armor, was completely at ease. He greeted Kikuko naturally, as if meeting her for the first time.

The inattentive Ikehara Koharu did not notice the awkward atmosphere between the two. After they each ordered their food, she took out two photos from her handbag and handed one to Lei Yin, “Gennai-san, these are the newly copied photos; one for each of us.”

“Thank you.” Lei Yin took it and looked closely at the girl in the photo. After a while, he took out his wallet and carefully placed the photo into a transparent slot.

Seeing his actions, Naoko felt both shy and sweet.

While eating, Ikehara Koharu enthusiastically recounted various amusing incidents among the students. She talked about a female student who was chased around by the school nurse because she was afraid of getting a vaccine, or several girls who deliberately didn’t eat to lose weight, eventually becoming so weak that some even fainted, causing the principal to think there was food poisoning and almost calling for an ambulance. Ikehara Koharu couldn’t help but laugh heartily, drawing looks from people sitting nearby.

Naoko found these stories genuinely entertaining, and with Ikehara Koharu’s lively narration, she couldn’t help but laugh as well.

After coming out of the bath, Naoko, in a bathrobe, sat beside Lei Yin, humming softly while drying her hair.

Seeing her so relaxed, Lei Yin smiled and said, “Are you very happy today?”

“Yes. Being able to visit my alma mater and see my old junior was really wonderful.” Naoko put down the towel and rested her head on his shoulder.

He lifted her and placed her sideways on his lap, holding her waist, “If you like it, we can stay a few more days to catch up properly with your junior; we’re not in a hurry.”

“But we’ve been out for over a week already, isn’t that bad?” Naoko was still concerned about affecting his academic progress.

“Silly, it’s fine.” Lei Yin kissed her eyes, then gently played with her smooth, jade-like feet with his left hand.

Seeing him so attentively playing with her feet, Naoko felt shy; her body leaning against his chest trembled slightly.

“Naoko, your feet are very beautiful and cute.” Lei Yin kissed her cheek and then moved up to nibble on her small earlobe.

“Do… you like them?” Naoko asked, her face flushed, breathing lightly.

“Of course, I like them just as much as I like the rest of your body.” Lei Yin said this while moving his right hand, which was around her waist, upwards.

“Lei, gently…”

“Like this?”

“Ah…” At this point, Naoko was panting heavily.

“After seeing your high school photos today, I had a thought, it would have been nice to meet you earlier.”

“It’s… not too late now,” Naoko managed to say with difficulty.

“But I want to have you more, including the high school version of you. Spread a bit, yes, just like that, Naoko is so good.”

“I… also wish I’d met you earlier. Ah!” Naoko suddenly arched her back.

“Your body is really sensitive.” Lei Yin kissed her forehead, then picked her up and carried her towards the bedroom.

Naoko’s eyes were full of passion, her arms around his neck, yet she couldn’t quite look at his face.

After a while, mature, increasingly passionate moans came from the bedroom.