Kiana desperately tried to suppress the images flooding her mind.
But the more she tried to stop them, the clearer they became.
Mei's hands, dripping with water...
Mei, kneeling with her hair in disarray, her cherry lips glistening as if coated with a layer of honey, a single curved black hair stuck to the corner of her mouth...
Mei's starry eyes, hazy and filled with love as she looked at Ye Feng...
"Damn it! Damn it! Just shut up!"
Kiana clenched her small fists and beat them against Ye Feng's chest.
"One moment Chong Chong wants me to talk, the next she wants me to shut up. So should I talk, or not? It's so hard to guess."
"...You, you just need to tell me if you did something bad to Mei or not."
"Oh, the reason why Mei is avoiding you, is that it?"
Hearing this, Kiana became even more furious. "You knew all along, didn't you? Are you deliberately trying to disgust me?"
"What's disgusting about it? Isn't Chong Chong the same?"
Ye Feng's fingers pinched Kiana's cherry lips. "Using this charming little mouth to eat the food Mei cooks, and these hands, these legs, this waist... In that respect, you two are the best of sisters."
Kiana glared at Ye Feng without a word.
"Why are you looking at me like that? As for why Mei is avoiding you, setting aside the facts, are you completely without fault?"
"???"
Kiana was utterly bewildered.
Her eyes glazed over.
It made her mind go even blanker than when her legs were straining upwards with all her might.
Ye Feng chuckled. "Is it possible that the reason... is you?"
"Me...? What did I do!"
"Something along the lines of, 'I will fall into darkness to bring you back to the light,' I imagine."
"Huh?"
Ye Feng looked at Kiana's confused face. "Ai, you really are just a little bug. Did you really not notice at all?"
"Notice what?"
"Mei thinks you like me."
"How is that possible!"
Kiana frantically pushed Ye Feng away and stumbled backward.
But because she had just taken a load, her figure was wobbly.
Kiana firmly denied it, "This young lady likes you? What kind of joke is that!"
"Right, right, I know. Even if Chong Chong rides on top of me, twisting her waist and saying 'more, more,' even if she wants to gargle with my dick every day, Chong Chong still hates me so much."
"Hmph, good that you know your place."
"That's why I said, Mei is the one who thinks that. Not only is she avoiding you, she'll probably start hiding from me too.
It wasn't like this before, but it started from the moment you came in today. Chong Chong must have said something, right?"
"Eh? Is it really me?"
Kiana's eyes widened. "But I was with Bronya all day today... Could it be that Mei is jealous?"
"That brain of yours... Chong Chong, shake it a bit and see if you can hear water sloshing around."
"Of course I know that! I know Mei wouldn't be like that! I just can't accept that Mei would think I like you!"
Kiana stomped her feet, clenching her fists. It was a more unbearable feeling than being choked by Ye Feng until her eyes and nose ran.
Kiana turned to leave.
"What are you doing?"
"Explaining things clearly to Mei, of course."
"Explain what? Say, 'I don't like Ye Feng, Mei, so you can be with him with a clear conscience. I'll bless you two, please live happily ever after, we'll still be good friends'?"
"!!"
Kiana froze.
I don't want something like that!
That wasn't just being the aggrieved party in a doujinshi, that was being a complete cuckold!
Ye Feng suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Kiana and instantly pushing her down.
The little bug knelt on the floor, her face perfectly level with Ye Feng's waist.
"What are you do—Mmph!"
Kiana's eyes shot wide open.
Ye Feng continued, "This won't work, and that won't work either. Chong Chong, you really are a vexing little imp.
Alternatively, you could say, 'Mei, it's actually you that I like! Forget about Ye Feng, I'll take care of you.'
Hmm? Hmmm, that's not a bad idea. Though I don't think Mei would accept your confession, I could play 'netori' every night. What should the title be? The Sleeping Wife or The Sleeping Husband?"
"Slurp... What makes you think Mei wouldn't accept my confession?" Kiana found a gap to speak, craning her neck to ask angrily.
"That's what you're focused on?"
"None of your business!"
"I don't need to analyze it for you. Think about it yourself. Is it possible for Mei to accept your confession?"
"I... Hmph!"
Kiana's lips trembled. She was speechless for a long moment, finally letting out a cold snort.
"So, Kiana, you don't want Mei to drift further and further away from us, do you?"
Kiana's expression was conflicted. "So what do we do now?"
"Simple. You just have to become my girlfriend."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry, Mei will accept you."
Kiana propped herself up on Ye Feng's thigh, her body leaning back repeatedly. "No, no, no, that's not the problem."
"Then what is the problem? This is the best way to resolve Mei's inner conflict."
"Wait? Are you serious?"
"Of course, I also know my good little Chong Chong possesses the noble, unyielding character of a knight and would never submit to an evil villain like me. But, Chong Chong, right now you wouldn't be submitting, you'd be 'saving.' It's a noble sacrifice for the sake of your friend!
Mei can say, 'I will fall into darkness to bring you back to the light,' so why can't you, Chong Chong?"
Hmm?
Kiana's mouth opened slightly. She tilted her head, skillfully tucking a messy strand of hair behind her ear, revealing the smooth, fair skin of her delicate nape.
The little bug's gaze lowered, looking at Ye Feng's sturdy forearm. She seemed to be wavering.
Ye Feng pressed his advantage, "Chong Chong, what do you think our relationship is right now?"
"Mmmph, mmmhmm~~ slurp, squish~~"
---o---
Senba High School.
Mei sat on the roof of the school building, hugging her knees as she gazed at the distant horizon.
Before, Mei had only vaguely suspected that Kiana and Feng-kun's relationship was very intimate.
Today, she finally had confirmation.
When Kiana was talking with Bronya, the way she behaved around Feng-kun—so natural, so completely seamless—anyone could tell that they were far from just ordinary friends.
I probably suspected it for a long time, but I still did what I did.
"Feng-kun, I'm such a bad woman..."
Mei curled up, burying her head in her knees.
The girl's heart was a tangled mess right now, her mind filled with the image of Kiana whenever she talked about Ye Feng.
She didn't know how she was supposed to face them.
Just... why did things turn out like this?
She found someone she loved, and she gained a lifelong best friend. Two joys intertwined, and this dual happiness should have brought even more joy. She should have obtained a dream-like time of happiness.
And yet, why... why did her heart now feel just like the approaching white season...?