Just as mentioned before, there were quite a few boys at school who liked Uruka Minami.
But Uruka Minami always rejected them. The fundamental reason was not the identities of those boys, but her own identity...
As a ghoul, she believed she was destined to be unable to date humans. Otherwise, it would be very easy to expose her ghoul identity, and the boy on the other side would definitely be afraid as well.
After that, the best possible outcome would be a breakup, and there was a high probability of being betrayed...
Therefore, Uruka Minami was unwilling to try something that was destined to have no good ending. It would be a tragedy for both sides.
Walking beside her, Ihei Byakuya naturally had no idea that Uruka Minami had so many thoughts going through her mind...
...
Just like yesterday, school was already over at around 3 p.m.
With nothing that required him to stay at school, Ihei Byakuya went straight home.
When he returned home, he saw Yoshimura Eto sitting on the sofa in the living room reading a book.
However, she was also holding a notebook beside the book, writing in it with a pen.
It was the same book as yesterday. She was probably reinforcing her memory and thoroughly memorizing the characters that Byakuya had taught her yesterday.
"I am back."
When he entered, Ihei Byakuya said so.
"You came back just in time. Hurry over and teach me. I forgot some characters."
Yoshimura Eto immediately said.
Judging from Eto's reaction at this moment, she seemed to have returned to normal, no longer inexplicably sulking like she had when she first woke up in the morning.
"Coming."
Ihei Byakuya responded.
After that, Yoshimura Eto smoothly got up and sat directly on Byakuya's lap.
Next, Ihei Byakuya re-taught Eto each of the characters she had not remembered clearly.
Yoshimura Eto's memory efficiency was still very high. There were not many characters she had failed to remember properly, and Byakuya finished teaching them very quickly.
"Eto, were you angry this morning...?"
At this moment, Ihei Byakuya tried asking about what happened in the morning.
"What do you think?"
Yoshimura Eto asked in return.
"...If I knew, why would I need to ask you?"
Ihei Byakuya said, feeling a bit speechless.
"If you do not know, then forget it."
Yoshimura Eto lightly snorted again and still refused to answer the reason.
"..."
Ihei Byakuya only knew that Eto really had been sulking in the morning, but he still did not know why and remained completely confused.
However, he did not plan to waste time dwelling on the reason anymore.
"Do not stop. Continue reading the rest of this book as well."
At this moment, Yoshimura Eto urged him.
"All right, do not rush."
Ihei Byakuya smiled helplessly.
He felt that he was almost getting used to Yoshimura Eto's "willful child" side.
It really felt quite genuine. At first she had been relatively restrained, but after becoming familiar with him, she gradually became more and more willful.
Of course, this probably was not Yoshimura Eto's true self.
Compared to Yoshimura Eto's true self, this bit of willfulness was already a very small problem...
...
It was still much the same as yesterday. Aside from mealtimes, Yoshimura Eto simply would not let Ihei Byakuya off.
Byakuya did not even have time to do his homework. Fortunately, there was not much homework today anyway, and even if there was, he could finish it in advance in the classroom.
By the time it was night and time to sleep, Byakuya again waited until Yoshimura Eto fell asleep before carrying her to the bedroom.
However, what was different tonight was that just as Ihei Byakuya gently picked Eto up, Eto suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Byakuya with a slightly teasing gaze.
"Why are you awake?"
Ihei Byakuya said in surprise.
He had clearly been very gentle in his movements and had not made any noise.
"..."
Yoshimura Eto deliberately said nothing and just quietly looked at Byakuya like that.
This made Ihei Byakuya feel a bit uneasy. "What exactly is wrong?"
"Nothing much. I am just afraid of the dark and do not want to sleep alone."
Yoshimura Eto said calmly and frankly.
She did not look obviously scared.
But since she had said that, Ihei Byakuya definitely had to respond.
"Uh... I think it would be better if we slept separately."
Ihei Byakuya said.
"What is there to be better or worse about? Did you not say you have no interest in my body? Or are you the type of latent pervert who cannot control himself?"
Yoshimura Eto's tone carried a hint of mockery.
"That's just pure slander. I am not that kind of pervert."
Ihei Byakuya immediately retorted.
"Then that is fine, is it not?"
Yoshimura Eto said.
"All right..."
This time, Ihei Byakuya had no way out.
If he insisted on sleeping separately from Yoshimura Eto, he would not have a sufficient reason, and it would only make him look like he was wary of something.
If he were that deliberate, with Yoshimura Eto's sharp perception, it would be very easy for her to become suspicious of him...
So Ihei Byakuya was now in a dilemma.
Refusing was not an option, but agreeing carried the risk of getting stabbed in the middle of the night.
"And I am not asleep yet. I want you to continue reading to me."
Yoshimura Eto added.
With only two options available, Ihei Byakuya could only choose the relatively better one.
That was to agree to Yoshimura Eto's request...
At least this would not arouse Yoshimura Eto's suspicion.
As for the risk of getting stabbed, the probability was actually not high.
Because Yoshimura Eto currently had no need to kill him and no reason to kill him.
Besides, if she really wanted to kill him, with Eto's strength there would be no need to play sneak attacks in the middle of the night.
Ihei Byakuya could only comfort himself like this...
...
That night, it was inevitable that Ihei Byakuya's nerves were a bit tense.
After all, he was sleeping next to an SSS-class ghoul...
Only after Yoshimura Eto fell asleep did Byakuya prepare to sleep as well, though he had been reading to Eto before that.
Before falling asleep, he withdrew his arm and replaced it with a pillow for Yoshimura Eto to rest her head on.
He also deliberately kept a certain distance from Yoshimura Eto. The position he slept in was already close to the edge of the bed.
But what Ihei Byakuya did not expect was that Yoshimura Eto's sleeping habits were surprisingly bad...
Not long after Byakuya had just fallen asleep, he was startled awake when Eto suddenly turned over and pressed her forehead against his chest.
"..."
When he opened his eyes, all he saw was Eto's green hair, right in front of his chin.
Byakuya felt helpless and could only close his eyes and continue sleeping.
...
Throughout the entire night, Yoshimura Eto tossed and turned quite a lot.
Sometimes her hand was placed on Byakuya's face, sometimes her leg was draped over Byakuya's body, and later on even her small feet directly ended up on Byakuya's face...
Byakuya was seriously tormented and did not sleep well the entire night. Fortunately, as a half-human, his constitution far surpassed that of ordinary people, so he would not be lacking in energy the next day because of this.
Although nothing he had worried about happened that night, it was still somewhat mentally exhausting.
When he woke up in the morning, the first thing Ihei Byakuya did was use his hand to move away the fair and tender little foot that was stepping on his face...