Chapter 274: Awareness

“Good afternoon, Mr. Gennai, Ms. Hasegawa.” Upon seeing the young boss and his fiancée descending the stairs slowly, Ms. Guo, the secretary, immediately stood up to greet them.

Naoko returned the greeting and took an apple from the plastic bag she was carrying, placing it on the secretary’s desk. Smiling, she said, “We just passed a fruit shop and noticed the apples looked very fresh, so we bought some. Please enjoy.”

Ms. Guo, who had always had a good impression of this kind and outstanding woman, had grown less formal over time. She smiled and thanked her warmly.

Lei Yin asked, “Have there been many matters requiring my attention these past few days?”

Ms. Guo replied, “Manager Zhang, Mr. Tan, and Ms. Huang have already handled quite a bit. However, Ms. Huang mentioned that if you return, it would be best to call her. There are a few important documents that require your signature.”

Lei Yin smiled and said, “I had expected to be swamped and was already dreading it. But now, hearing there’s little for me to do, I realize that even if I weren’t here, the world keeps turning. It’s a humbling thought—seems one shouldn’t overestimate their own importance.”

Ms. Guo and Naoko chuckled.

Lei Yin continued, “Ms. Huang is swift and capable. Let’s rest for a bit and eat an apple before finding her. Notify her in half an hour that I’ve returned.”

Ms. Guo nodded with a smile.

As Lei Yin opened the office door, the lights flickered, and the chairs and tables began to shake. Having lived in Japan for many years, all three of them immediately realized what was happening.

“Earthquake, be careful!” Lei Yin said as he placed his right hand protectively over the back of Naoko’s head and his left arm around her waist. He guided her to a corner, pressing her down and shielding her closely. Meanwhile, Ms. Guo swiftly ducked under her desk.

It wasn’t long before the shaking stopped, but the three remained cautious, wary of potential aftershocks.

After waiting for a moment and seeing that everything had settled, Lei Yin lowered his head and asked Naoko, “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry, not a single apple fell,” Naoko quipped playfully. Her expression was calm, but her eyes shone with a soft, affectionate light as she gazed at him.

Lei Yin smiled, unable to resist kissing her forehead. Then, holding her hand, he led her toward Ms. Guo.

Just then, Ms. Guo emerged from under her desk and asked, “Mr. Gennai, Ms. Hasegawa, are you both alright?”

Naoko gave Lei Yin a gentle look and smiled. “With him protecting me, of course, I’m fine.”

Ms. Guo was momentarily taken aback, then smiled warmly at the couple.

Lei Yin turned to her and said, “Go check with Zhang Mingyu to see if anyone was injured. These frequent tremors—one small quake every three days, a big one every five—are really annoying.”

“Understood,” Ms. Guo replied, picking up the phone.

Once inside the office, Naoko took a few apples to the restroom to wash them while Lei Yin turned on the computer.

A while later, Naoko returned with a tray holding the freshly cut apples.

When she approached, Lei Yin glanced at her and patted his thigh.

Blushing, Naoko hesitated briefly before slowly sitting sideways on his lap.

Lei Yin wrapped his arms around her soft, delicate body and rested his head against her neck—a position he particularly enjoyed.

Sensing that he seemed preoccupied, Naoko quietly leaned against his chest, waiting for him to speak.

After a while, noticing he appeared to be relishing the moment, she couldn’t help but laugh softly and asked in a low voice, “How is Rumi?”

As he played with her slender fingers, Lei Yin replied, “It’s the same as before. She feels nauseous as soon as she eats anything and gets fatigued easily. Right now, she’s relying on intravenous injections for nutrition, but that’s not a long-term solution. Kazumi is incredibly worried and doesn’t even want to attend her classes. She’s been staying at the apartment with Rumi every day.”

“What did the doctors say?” Naoko asked gently.

“We’ve switched to another hospital for tests, but the results are still the same. All her physical functions are normal. It’s clearly a psychological issue.”

“And what did the psychologist say?”

“The diagnosis is similar to the previous one. They believe it’s likely that she’s subconsciously avoiding something, which is causing the physical symptoms of vomiting—much like an eating disorder.”

Naoko sighed softly. “She must be feeling so overwhelmed.”

Lei Yin nodded. “Even though she acts optimistic, we both know she’s not truly happy. She doesn’t want to trouble us.”

Naoko remained silent, lowering her head in thought.

After a moment, she said, “I’m not a psychologist, but if we consider this purely from a woman’s perspective, it might not be such a complicated issue.”

Lei Yin tightened his hold on her slightly and said, “Actually, I have a pretty good idea of the reason. I just need to hear your perspective to confirm it.”

Naoko picked up a slice of apple from the tray and brought it to his mouth. “Finish the apple first, or it’ll start turning brown.”

Lei Yin smiled and opened his mouth, taking not only the apple slice but also her slender fingers into his mouth.

When he didn’t release her fingers, Naoko gave him a mix of a glare and a laugh.

She then felt his tongue lightly teasing her fingertips. Before long, a soft, tingling sensation began to spread from her fingers to the rest of her body. She hadn’t expected such a simple gesture to affect her so deeply. Blushing, she instinctively pressed her thighs together slightly.

※※※

When Lei Yin entered Kazumi’s apartment, he found only Takeshima Shinobu sitting idly on the sofa, watching TV.

“Where are the other two?”

Shinobu replied, “In Rumi’s room. Kazumi’s big bro, have you eaten yet?”

“I already have. I’ll go check on them,” he said, heading toward Rumi’s room.

He knocked lightly on the door, and her voice came from inside, “Come in, it’s not locked.”

Opening the door, he saw the girl leaning on the bed, reviewing borrowed class notes and textbooks.

“Senpai!” she exclaimed happily, jumping off the bed when she saw him.

“What are you jumping for? Do you think you’re a frog? Get back on the bed.”

Pouting playfully, she made a silly face at him before obediently climbing back onto the bed.

After sitting at the bedside, Lei Yin asked, “Where’s Kazumi?”

“She’s taking a shower. Senpai, can you help me with my studies? There are so many things I don’t understand.” She looked troubled.

“It’s no problem helping you, but you shouldn’t spend too much time on this right now. Wait until you’re fully recovered before worrying about classes.”

Seeing her disappointment, Lei Yin pinched her cheek. “Hey, that’s not the usual Rumi I know. Don’t worry, you’ll get better soon.”

Rumi nodded and gently rested her head on his shoulder.

“Rumi.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you trust me?”

Though puzzled by the question, she looked at him seriously and said, “Of course I trust you, Senpai. You’ve never lied to me.”

Staring deeply into her eyes, Lei Yin said, “I like the healthy, lively Rumi from before.”

She froze for a moment, then her expression became melancholic. “I’m sorry, Senpai. I know I’ve caused you so much trouble. I…”

Lei Yin interrupted her. “You misunderstood me. What I mean is, I want you to live a happy and healthy life, just like before. Listen carefully—I promise you that I’ll never avoid you again like I did in the past. No matter what happens. Do you believe me?”

Tears finally spilled from her eyes, but she said nothing, gazing at him intently.

Lei Yin gently wiped her face with the back of his hand and sighed. “Sometimes I think, if I hadn’t gone to Hokkaido back then, or if we’d never met, you might be happier now.”

Hearing this, Rumi suddenly grabbed his shirt tightly. “No! Meeting you, Senpai, is the most precious experience of my life. Please, I don’t want to hear any more ‘what ifs.’ Don’t…” Her voice faltered as tears flowed uncontrollably.

Lei Yin gave a bitter smile. “Sorry, Senpai made you cry again. What a jerk I am.”

Unable to hold back anymore, Rumi threw herself into his arms and sobbed.

Lei Yin didn’t try to stop her crying, simply stroking the hair on the back of her head gently.

After a while, when her sobbing showed no sign of stopping, he leaned closer and spoke softly into her ear. “Rumi, promise me that you’ll get better soon. I still need to teach you swordsmanship and help you with your schoolwork. You know how lazy I am, so it’s only fair that you clean my apartment like before and occasionally cook for me. Just occasionally, though—I’m not sure how your cooking is beyond noodles.”

Hearing this, the girl buried in his arms couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Lei Yin continued, “Even though you’ve always been a bit silly, that’s what I like about you, Rumi. When you’re better, let’s plan a trip to your hometown. You can take me skiing, and I’ll teach you how to set traps and catch wild game. Oh, and we’ll bring Kuang Dao along, that rascal’s cooking is surprisingly good. So, Rumi, you have to get better quickly, alright?”

The girl was silent for a moment before softly asking, “Senpai, can I really go back to helping you clean and cook for you like before?”

“Of course. I’m obviously the one benefitting here, so why wouldn’t I be happy?”

Without a word, she hugged him tightly, as if unwilling to let go.

When Lei Yin came out of Rumi’s room, he saw Kazumi sitting in the living room, staring absentmindedly at the television.

Seeing him, she immediately asked, “Brother, how’s Rumi?”

Lei Yin sat down and replied, “She’s asleep. Tomorrow morning, try making her some porridge and see if she can eat it.”

Kazumi thought for a moment before asking, “Is she scared that once she’s better, you’ll stop paying attention to her? Could that be why she’s subconsciously refusing to eat?”

Lei Yin realized Kazumi had overheard their conversation through the door. He nodded. “Naoko thinks the same.”

Kazumi sighed. “She’s such a little fool.”

Lei Yin reassured her, “Don’t worry, she’ll get better.”

※※※

Two days later, Rumi’s symptoms began to improve noticeably. She no longer tired as easily as before.

By the afternoon of the third day, she was finally able to eat small amounts of liquid food.

This progress brought joy to everyone.

A week later, she was eating normally again and had even resumed attending classes.

As the end-of-term exams approached, Rumi threw herself into studying, determined to catch up on the material she had missed. Seeing her older brother idling around all day, Kazumi enlisted him to tutor Rumi, and Lei Yin had no choice but to comply.

Though they spent more time than usual on schoolwork, life gradually returned to normal for everyone, as if nothing had ever happened.

One afternoon, about a week later, while Rumi was cleaning Lei Yin’s apartment as usual, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Thinking it was Lei Yin, she happily opened the door.

But the person standing outside wasn’t him. The moment Rumi saw who it was, her face turned pale.

“May I come in?” the person asked with a smile.

“P-please, come in,” Rumi stammered as she quickly stepped aside to let her in.

“Thank you.”

Once inside, the visitor asked, “Where’s Masashi?”

“S-senpai… He’s out. I… I’m sorry, I need to leave now,” Rumi said, panicking as she tried to rush out the door.

However, the visitor gently grabbed her hand and, in a soft voice, said, “Rumi, don’t go. Can we talk?”

“Okay… Alright,” Rumi murmured, her head hanging like a child caught doing something wrong. Her hands trembled slightly.

Seeing how nervous she was, Naoko realized she must have frightened her. Taking Rumi’s hand, she guided her to sit down beside her.

Rumi, now completely unresponsive, allowed herself to be led like a lifeless doll.

Naoko spoke softly, “Rumi, don’t misunderstand. I’m just here to check on you, nothing more. Really.”

Hearing this, Rumi finally looked up at her senior’s fiancée.