"Mai, do I look like some despicable, shameless villain to you?" Shinra put on a dejected expression, as if he had truly been wronged, looking extremely heartbroken.
Wait, what do you mean 'as if'... he was truly wronged.
He genuinely hadn't used "A Leaf Obscures the Eye" to do anything nefarious yet!
"It's not that serious." Mai turned her head away somewhat guiltily. Even though she knew he was acting, she was indeed in the wrong here.
Mainly because this ability was just too dangerous, and too classic. How could she not overthink it?
"No, it is serious. Very serious! Do you know how much your suspicion has hurt me?"
"How much?"
"..."
Why is the veteran actor forgetting his lines?
Fortunately, Shinra reacted quickly. After only a brief moment of stunned silence, he adjusted his state and said, "You have to restore my innocence!"
"How?"
Innocence is intangible. How do I restore it?
"Sit here." Shinra pointed to the empty spot on the sofa next to him.
Mai did as she was told. She wanted to see just how Shinra planned to restore his innocence.
"Then look over there." Shinra pointed towards the balcony.
Mai looked subconsciously, and then felt a warm touch on her cheek.
"OK, now you haven't falsely accused me. My innocence is back."
After succeeding, Shinra revealed a satisfied smile.
Didn't you say I secretly kissed you? Now that I've really kissed you, it's naturally not a false accusation anymore, and Shinra's 'innocence' has returned.
So that's how he restores his innocence.
Mai was both amused and annoyed. She pinched Shinra's cheek with her pale fingers and asked, "Your innocence is back, but what about mine?"
"Isn't it still there? Very white, very tender, very smooth." Shinra replied somewhat indistinctly while having his cheek pinched.
Mai's face was indeed very smooth and tender, full of collagen. Every inch of her skin exuded the vibrancy of youth.
Delicious!
"If that's not enough, how about you kiss me back?" Shinra rubbed his slightly sore cheek and leaned his head close, indicating that Mai-senpai shouldn't hold back on this delicate flower.
Kiss anywhere. It doesn't matter even if you kiss until the skin peels off.
"Keep dreaming." Mai rolled her beautiful eyes. She didn't continue to bicker with her goofy boyfriend and switched to talking about Futaba Rio.
"Is Rio okay?" Mai didn't ask how Shinra figured out Futaba Rio had Adolescence Syndrome.
A smart girl never asks too many questions. Mai only needed to know that Shinra could be trusted.
However, out of concern for her friend, Mai felt she needed to ask. She had a good impression of Futaba Rio. Although the girl seemed a bit dull, she was actually a very nice and measured girl to be around. She spoke frankly and didn't play guessing games, making her very comfortable to be with.
"I'm not sure. I just know she has Adolescence Syndrome, but I don't know exactly how it will manifest. You can check on her more often. If anything happens, just contact me directly."
Shinra reminded her. He was quite attentive to Futaba Rio.
Unlike ordinary commissions, the commission on her not only gave a large amount of wish-power points but also had a high probability of directly rewarding an ability. One could never have too many superpowers.
"I will," Mai responded. She knew why Shinra was so attentive to Futaba Rio.
Not because Futaba Rio was good-looking, but because Shinra might gain some incredible power from her, just like the "A Leaf Obscures the Eye" she saw earlier.
Speaking of which, did Shinra have similar considerations when he helped me back then?
No, he shouldn't have.
Because at that time, this guy didn't even know about Adolescence Syndrome.
Thinking of this, Sakurajima Mai's mood instantly became much brighter. Shinra helped Futaba Rio because he had his eyes on her potential superpower, but when it came to her, Shinra simply wanted to help her... Okay, it might also be because of lust.
Sakurajima Mai wasn't the type to deceive herself. She knew very well that Shinra initially wanted to help her because she was beautiful.
This was the same logic as 'beauty fades'. No one cares how long ugly people live.
And the reason Sakurajima Mai was willing to engage with Shinra back then was also because he was good-looking.
Even.
...
After Futaba Rio left, Shinra and Sakurajima Mai spent a pleasant afternoon together.
Because she had to go to the neighboring prefecture to shoot a commercial tomorrow, Mai had to leave with her manager, Ryoko-san, for the shooting location tonight.
Ever since the acquisition of Mai's mother's agency was completed, many resources that were previously unattainable came flooding in, fully proving the saying that it's good to lean against a big tree for shade.
Under the manipulation of the invisible hand of the free market, Sakurajima Mai's comeback was extremely smooth. She received endorsement deals until her hands were soft. Currently, just the offers for leading roles exceeded five, all from quite famous directors in the industry. Her path to stardom was visibly bright.
As the price, Mai's schedule was packed. If she wanted to date Shinra, she had to pick a specific day.
It is worth mentioning that among the scripts offered to Sakurajima Mai, her mother helped pick them. None of them had any romantic scenes with the opposite sex, and some didn't even have male characters.
What do you call progress? This is progress.
...
Speaking of summer vacation in Japan, one cannot avoid the classic festival activity: the fireworks festival.
Goldfish scooping, candy apples, and other stalls at the night market during the fireworks festival were classic tropes.
Shinra had never attended a fireworks festival in person. his impression of fireworks festivals only stayed in anime and games. Just like the swimsuit episode in episode 7 or 8, the romantic breakthrough of the male and female protagonists would mostly happen at the fireworks festival node.
Path dependence, so to speak.
The person who invited him to the fireworks festival was Yukinoshita Haruno, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. Originally, Shinra didn't want to go. Even at night, it was actually a bit muggy outside. Moreover, there were many people attending the fireworks festival. Being crowded among people made it even more annoying. There was absolutely no romance to speak of. Anime was all lies.
"What are you mumbling about? Just follow Big Sister when the time comes!"
Haruno didn't take Shinra's worries to heart at all and made the decision for him without allowing any objections.
In fact, Shinra's worries were indeed unnecessary. For ordinary people, the fireworks festival was indeed synonymous with crowds. But for the Yukinoshita family, a Brahmin family in Chiba City, the fireworks festival could be said to be quite spacious. There was no need to worry about crowding at all.
—Because they had reserved seats.
The reserved seats were located on a small hill in the square where the fireworks festival was held. This place directly faced the spot where the fireworks were launched. Coupled with the lack of trees obstructing the view, the fireworks could be seen clearly.
Normally, one had to buy tickets to enter this area.
But Yukinoshita Haruno knew the organizer here, so she brought Shinra in directly just by showing her face.
"Is this the fireworks festival?" Shinra looked at the surging crowd like a school of sardines in the square below the small hill and couldn't help clicking his tongue.
It feels like a scene that would only appear at tourist attractions during holidays in my previous life... Eh, for Japan, the fireworks festival really is a holiday.
"You haven't attended a fireworks festival before?" Yukinoshita Haruno sat next to Shinra and asked curiously.
"Heard of it, but never attended."
"Eh~ Didn't any female classmates invite you in your first year of high school?"
"No. In my first year, I didn't even know everyone in my class. How could anyone invite me to such an event?"
"So, am I the first?"
"You could say that."
Hearing Shinra admit this, a brilliant smile appeared on Yukinoshita Haruno's face, but it was quickly interrupted by someone who recognized her nearby.
Today, Yukinoshita Haruno wasn't just here to attend the fireworks festival; she came with a mission.
—To maintain social relations on behalf of her father.
The basic process was roughly divided into three steps: greeting, shaking hands, and exchanging pleasantries.
Yukinoshita Haruno was very familiar with this. Every time Shinra saw this scene, he couldn't help but sigh that this woman indeed had something.
At least if it were Shinra, he definitely wouldn't be able to be as thorough as Yukinoshita Haruno.
Mm, Yukinoshita Yukino would be even worse.
From this point of view, Yukinoshita Mother choosing Yukinoshita Haruno as the heir of the Yukinoshita family wasn't purely because she was the eldest daughter; there were also personality considerations.
Speaking of which, what is that Yukino doing right now?
Since she went home last time, Shinra hadn't seen her again. Their communication mostly concentrated on LINE, and the topics discussed were all related to club activities.
Honestly, Shinra missed the snacks she made a little.
Habit is truly a terrifying thing.
"Mori Shinra?"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted Shinra's thoughts.
Looking up, a blonde girl wearing a light white yukata was standing prettily less than three meters away from him.
It was Miura Yumiko.
"Yumiko?" Shinra didn't expect to meet her here.
"You also came to watch the fireworks festival?" Miura Yumiko walked up to Shinra quite naturally and asked with some surprise.
She had thought about inviting Shinra to the fireworks festival before. But considering that he didn't like crowded places, and the riajuu (normie) group also had related activities, she gave up.
"Someone invited me, so I came," Shinra replied.
"..."
Yumiko's expression froze, feeling as if she had missed something. Then she pretended to ask casually:
"Invited you? Yukinoshita Yukino?"
It shouldn't be. I heard Yui mention before that she seems to have been at her family home all this time and couldn't be asked out at all.
Wait!
Yumiko suddenly thought of a problem. Just because Yuigahama Yui couldn't ask her out didn't mean Shinra couldn't.
Or rather, it was precisely because of Shinra that Yuigahama Yui couldn't ask Yukinoshita Yukino out to the fireworks festival together!
Damn it, Yukinoshita Yukino, aren't you a bit too despicable!
"That's not it. Yukino didn't come today. The one who asked me out was her sister, Yukinoshita Haruno."
"Eh?"
No, where did this Yukinoshita Haruno pop out from?
A big question mark couldn't help but appear above Miura Yumiko's head.
Speaking of which, how does Shinra know Yukinoshita Yukino's sister? Their relationship is even good enough to attend a fireworks festival together.
Th-This isn't right, is it?
Speak of the devil (Cao Cao), and the devil arrives.
Just as Shinra mentioned Yukinoshita Haruno's name, Yukinoshita Haruno broke away from the crowd surrounding her exchanging pleasantries and walked straight towards Shinra and Miura Yumiko.
"Oh my? This is..." Seeing that a youthful and beautiful girl had appeared beside Shinra just a while after she left, Yukinoshita Haruno raised her eyebrows and asked playfully.
Shinra introduced them: "Haruno-san, this is Miura Yumiko. Yumiko, this is Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukino's sister."
"Hello." After seeing Yukinoshita Haruno, Miura Yumiko was also a bit numb.
Isn't she a bit too beautiful?
Unlike the yukata on Miura Yumiko, Yukinoshita Haruno was wearing a proper kimono today.
Although Yumiko's yukata was expensive, it was ultimately just a yukata and couldn't compare to a kimono at all.
Not to mention that the fabric and craftsmanship of the kimono on Yukinoshita Haruno were top-tier; it wasn't an exaggeration to call it a luxury item.
Worn on her body, that air of nobility was almost overflowing.
If Yukinoshita Haruno was a noble young lady from ancient times, then Miura Yumiko in a yukata compared to her was more like a little maid accompanying the young lady.
From attire to figure and temperament, she was completely suppressed by Yukinoshita Haruno.
Faced with this scene, the corners of Miura Yumiko's mouth couldn't help twitching, and the regret in her heart was unparalleled.
Damn it, if I had known, I would have worn a kimono out today too. I shouldn't have chosen convenience!
"So it's Miura-san. Good evening." Yukinoshita Haruno put on a business smile, flawless yet creating a sense of distance.
To Miura Yumiko, this was purely a 'demonstration of power'.
It was like saying, 'I wondered who it was, turns out it's just a nobody.'
She didn't take her seriously at all!
Why is everyone named Yukinoshita so bad?
Miura Yumiko's thoughts churned. Although she was angry inside, she still kept a smile on her face.
She could strike hard against Yukinoshita Yukino because they were peers. But she couldn't with Yukinoshita Haruno because she was a 'senior'.
In a place like Japan where hierarchy is quite distinct, as long as Yukinoshita Haruno didn't tear off the facade on the spot, as a junior, Miura Yumiko had to maintain basic politeness no matter what.
"Speaking of the surname Miura, you must be Mr. Miura's daughter, right?" Yukinoshita Haruno seemed to have thought of something and asked Miura Yumiko.
Hearing this, Yumiko was stunned and said, "You know my father?"
"I saw Mr. Miura once at a business salon before."