In Haruno's eyes, Lin Ye and Rui Tachibana had already slept together. They had even slept in the same bed with Yukino, all three of them.
An experience like that meant Lin Ye was bound to have feelings for Rui.
Maybe they'd gone even further. Who knew what they'd gotten up to.
How could a man not feel that gene-deep possessiveness toward a woman he'd been intimate with?
And a man like Lin Ye, powerful and capable, with every right to hold a woman in each arm and claim more resources, would be even more possessive.
An ordinary man who juggled two women would eventually bow to reality, pick one and marry her, and at most keep up secret affairs after the wedding.
But Lin Ye was different.
Completely different.
Haruno Yukinoshita could vouch for that.
Lin Ye's strength had already put him above the rules human society had built. He might even become the one who wrote those rules someday.
Which meant his possessiveness only ran stronger.
Unless, of course, Lin Ye had no bottom line and simply didn't care.
"If Miss Haruno wants to do that, I certainly won't object,"
Lin Ye's voice suddenly cut in.
He looked at Haruno Yukinoshita with a faint smile, a trace of amusement still in his expression. The mood seemed light and easy.
But only Haruno, under his gaze, could feel how fiercely the currents churned beneath that lightness.
She remembered.
She remembered what it was like to be punished and dominated by Lin Ye.
No man, and really no one at all, likes being threatened. It was just that ordinary men never showed it in front of her.
Partly that was out of regard for her status, and partly out of regard for her looks. Men always put on manners and gentlemanly airs around women, especially beautiful ones, and showed their best side.
Lin Ye was different. He'd already shown her his true face, and had already punished her.
Once the first breakthrough was made, the rest came all too easily.
Gulp…
Haruno swallowed hard. It seemed she'd done something stupid again.
"Lin-kun, um…"
"Don't be nervous, Miss Haruno. You can do it, really. I don't mind at all,"
You don't mind, but that doesn't mean you'll let it slide!
The thought flashed through Haruno's mind.
"Then… maybe I just won't do it?"
"No, no, if you want to, go ahead. I support you,"
That only made Haruno more worried.
He wasn't minding, he was even supporting her. It made her heart race and her nerves wind tighter and tighter.
"Never mind, I'm quite sure now. Student Tachibana is so adorable, and she's Yukino's friend. How could I possibly bully Student Tachibana? Isn't that right, Student Tachibana?"
Haruno Yukinoshita beamed at Rui Tachibana.
The sudden about-face left Rui stunned and unable to make sense of it.
Why the change so fast? She hadn't been like this before.
All Rui could conclude was that Lin Ye's presence was simply that overwhelming. He hadn't said a single harsh word, yet Haruno had been the first to back down and curry favor.
It drove home to Rui just how much status and power Lin Ye held.
He was definitely no ordinary person.
And nothing like what Sister had told her.
Sister had said Lin Ye's family was ordinary, that he'd have a hard time winning Yukino Yukinoshita, and that even if he did, Yukino's family would never agree easily.
But judging by this, it was completely different.
Yukino's family hadn't merely agreed. They approved wholeheartedly, even strongly supported it. At least Haruno's reaction said as much, and her parents' reaction was probably much the same.
That was what Rui was thinking right now.
When she got back, she decided, she'd question Sister properly and find out more.
"Student Tachibana, could it be… that you like being bullied by me?"
When Rui didn't answer for a long moment, Haruno followed up.
As far as Haruno was concerned, if Rui liked it and was willing, then Lin Ye would have nothing more to say when she did the bullying.
She just smiled at Rui, cheerful as ever.
The blue-haired girl finally spoke. "The only one who gets to bully me is Lin-kun."
She'd made her stance clear.
A refusal.
"What a shame. I really wanted to bully Student Tachibana. It would be so much fun, so delightful,"
It was a pity she couldn't. At most she could sneak in a little teasing here and there, the kind Lin Ye wouldn't notice.
Haruno shrugged to show she'd accepted it. "Then next time Lin-kun bullies you, remember to call me. I want to be bullied together with you,"
She didn't show the slightest shame about it.
Rui was a little startled, but Lin Ye and Yukino Yukinoshita were completely used to it. If Haruno hadn't said things like that, it would have seemed odd.
Bzzt, bzzt…
A phone was buzzing.
The delivery driver calling.
"Dinner's here,"
"I'll get it,"
Dinner was simple too: pizza, cola and fries.
The girls weren't big fans of this kind of food, but tonight they ate with real enjoyment. An occasional high-calorie indulgence could spark a bit of happiness and joy.
"Honestly, Lin-kun, you've wasted my whole day of exercise. Ordering this stuff, how cruel. The calories are through the roof."
"You don't have to eat it,"
Lin Ye bit into a slice of pizza. It had been a long time since he'd had pizza.
Not that he was especially fond of it. He'd just suddenly felt like having some, and it was quick and convenient.
"No way. Lin-kun's pizza? How could I not eat it!"
Haruno Yukinoshita shot back with a laugh.
For her, this was something she absolutely had to eat. How much she ate was another matter.
Haruno Yukinoshita didn't usually touch high-calorie food like this, though that didn't mean she never did.
Tonight, she'd treat herself.
Haruno Yukinoshita took a bite and savored the pizza.
Yukino Yukinoshita rarely ate this kind of food either, but an occasional taste satisfied her curiosity about the flavor.
The four of them sat around the table eating pizza, chatting now and then.
Twenty minutes later,
the meal was over.
Haruno and Rui Tachibana volunteered to clear the table.
Yukino glanced over and decided not to interfere.
Lin Ye, seeing this, went to the living room and sat down on the sofa to enjoy a brief moment of ease.
"Lin-kun, you're looking more and more like the head of the household,"
Haruno joked.
In Haruno's view, the only man in the house going off to rest after dinner was exactly that. What else would you call it?
So she thought.
"Don't you agree, Student Tachibana?"
Haruno turned the question on the girl beside her.
The girl looked a little vacant at first glance, but Haruno also noticed something slightly off in her posture and movements.
Remembering that Lin Ye had said he'd been with Rui and Yukino last night, a guess surfaced in her mind.
Lin Ye and Rui had done that kind of thing between a man and a woman last night. And Rui was clearly an innocent girl, not the sort who played around or had lost her first time long ago.
If so, then Rui had given her first time to Lin Ye last night, which would explain the odd way she was holding herself.
Of course, there was another possibility.
That Rui had sprained her ankle. That could cause the same awkwardness too.
"If Miss Haruno thinks so, then so it is."
Rui's answer was quite deft.
But it was nothing like Rui's usual style.
Haruno pointed it out directly. She didn't think Rui was that kind of girl at all.
So why?
"Student Tachibana, little Rui, that's not like you. A girl like you could never answer so smoothly and slickly! You should be hemming and hawing, shouldn't you?"
Haruno poked Rui's cheek. "Or maybe little Rui really does agree that Lin Ye is the head of the household?"
"…"
"Haha, no denial, so that's it,"
Haruno turned toward Lin Ye in the living room. "Lin-kun, little Rui thinks you're the head of the household. So from now on, don't bully little Rui too hard or too roughly. She's so young and tender, she can't withstand your ravaging,"
She kept talking, laughing.
But out of the corner of her eye she was watching Rui's expression.
Rui's face had already gone red, bright red.
Her trembling, her obvious urge to explain herself, only fed Haruno Yukinoshita's amusement, or rather her wicked sense of fun.
To Haruno Yukinoshita, nothing was more delightful.
"Poor Rui must have been bullied so badly by you last night, Lin-kun, so roughly, that she still can't stand steady. My heart aches for her,"
As she spoke, Haruno even reached out and pulled Rui into a hug.
The blue-haired girl was dazed. She hadn't expected Haruno to be so forward as to just grab her like that.
She wanted to push her away, but worried that shoving her off so abruptly would offend Haruno.
So she just stood there, lost.
"Sister, enough with the jokes,"
Finally, Yukino spoke up.
She didn't want her Sister to keep stirring up trouble.
As far as Rui knew, she and Lin Ye had already been together, and she'd already given him her first time.
If Haruno kept this up, even more might get dragged out, and last night's truth could well be exposed right in front of Rui.
It had taken so much for Rui to accept the breakup. It hadn't even been a day. If she learned the truth, she would never agree to break up with Lin Ye.
So her Sister couldn't be allowed to keep stirring things up.
"I'm telling the truth, not joking,"
"Who talks about a girl like that?"
"I can't say it? Lin Ye said he slept with little Rui last night. Oh, and you were there too, Yukino. I just can't picture what that scene must have been like. It must have been thrilling, steamy, very pink!"
Yukino gave her a cold stare.
It was the only way to keep her expression steady and avoid giving anything away.
But she'd clearly forgotten how well Haruno knew her reactions.
Faced with this reaction from Yukino Yukinoshita,
Haruno made her analysis and judgment at once: her Sister had truly done something intimate with Lin Ye last night.
That was her first instinct. Otherwise, her Sister wouldn't be reacting like this.
Haruno's heart sank.
The very thing she'd feared most had happened after all.
But it was too late to change anything. All she could do was accept the harsh reality.
"Sister,"
Yukino raised her voice.
She glared at her Sister, hoping she'd stop.
Haruno shrugged and resignedly let it go.
This is where it ends.
Any further and her Sister might really explode.
Haruno wasn't afraid of Yukino exploding. She was afraid of Lin Ye going wild.
And if Lin Ye went wild, she'd be the one to suffer.
The memory of being punished was still vivid in Haruno Yukinoshita's mind, impossible to forget. That was why she had reservations, quite serious ones.
The four of them chatted in the living room, mostly with Haruno finding topics and asking Rui all sorts of questions.
Rui answered honestly whatever she could, and awkwardly declined the rest.
Bzzt, bzzt…
A phone rang.
It was Rui's.
Seeing it was her Sister calling, she answered right away.
"Sister, good evening,"
"Good evening, Rui. You're… still not home?"
"Um… I'm staying at Student Yukinoshita's house tonight,"
She looked over at Yukino Yukinoshita,
and Yukino, understanding, spoke up. "Tachibana-sensei, it's Yukinoshita. Student Tachibana will be staying the night with me,"
"Well…"
"Please don't worry. Student Tachibana will rest well here, and nothing will happen to her,"
"I'm not worried about anything happening,"
Hina Tachibana looked toward the restaurant and the kitchen.
The biggest reason she'd wanted Rui home was dinner.
Without Rui, tonight's dinner had no plan, and she'd have to go out and scrounge for food herself.
It had only been two days, but Hina Tachibana already missed her Sister's delicious cooking.
"Then what is it…"
"It's nothing. My Sister will be imposing on Student Yukinoshita, then,"
"It's no imposition. Student Tachibana and I are friends. If she's willing to stay at my place, that only makes me happier,"
Her words carried an extra note of sincerity and joy, straight from the heart.
Beside her, Haruno was slightly surprised.
It was the first time her Sister had said the word "friend."
The girl Rui Tachibana had been acknowledged by her Sister as a friend.
What on earth had happened to bring the two of them to this point?
Haruno was curious.
She wanted to know what had happened over these two days to make her Sister accept Rui Tachibana as a friend.
…
…
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