Night had fallen.
Rei Miyamoto had briefly mentioned the matter of the storage room to Su Yan.
Surprisingly, Su Yan only paused for a moment before readily agreeing.
Even Rei herself hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
Not only had she successfully convinced Su Yan to move into the storage room she had cleaned that afternoon...
But Takagi Saya had also pushed her mother, Takagi Yuriko, into sharing a room.
It felt as if the heavens themselves were smiling upon her.
Everything was ready, and all she needed now was the right moment.
However...
Why?
Why was Saeko Busujima, who shared a room with her, still awake late at night?
Rei looked at the purple-haired girl with a resentful gaze as Saeko sat cross-legged on the bed, deep in meditation as she practiced her Nen.
How was she supposed to sneak away like this?
"Miyamoto-kohai, am I disturbing your rest?"
Saeko opened her eyes and looked at the frustrated Rei.
"Not! At! All!"
Rei replied, gritting her teeth as she emphasized every word.
"Haha..."
Seeing this, Saeko couldn't help but chuckle. She looked at Rei with her clear purple eyes and said, "Miyamoto-kohai, if you really can't wait, then just go."
"Busujima-senpai, what do you mean by that?"
Rei was confused by the purple-haired girl's words.
Although she had a hunch, she was reluctant to think in that direction.
However, the other girl's next words immediately exposed the secret hidden in her heart: "You're in such a hurry because you're thinking of going to see Su Yan-kohai, aren't you?"
"Huh? How... How did you know?"
Rei was stunned.
She couldn't help but doubt herself.
Was she really that obvious?
How could her goal be guessed so easily?
"Your intentions are actually quite clear, Miyamoto-kohai. Suddenly cleaning out a spare room for Su Yan-kohai..."
"And then acting restless in front of me all evening."
Saeko shook her head and explained, as if she had seen right through Rei's thoughts.
"Well..."
Rei scratched her head, a look of embarrassment appearing on her face.
After thinking for a moment, she asked curiously, "Then, Busujima-senpai, don't you mind? Me going to see Yan-kun?"
"I do mind, yet I don't."
Saeko asked softly, "Miyamoto-kohai, do you remember the question you asked me before?"
Rei looked puzzled.
Saeko continued, "Before, you asked me if I was Su Yan-kohai's girlfriend, and I said I wasn't."
Hearing this, Rei immediately remembered.
Over two weeks ago, it was precisely because of that answer that she had gained the courage to make her move on Su Yan.
Because of that, she had even been quite upset about what happened between Saeko and Su Yan in the infirmary afterward.
But she couldn't understand why the other girl was bringing this up now.
Saeko continued, "Even now, my answer remains the same. I am not Su Yan-kohai's girlfriend."
"However, there is actually another half to that answer that I didn't say out loud back then."
"I am not Su Yan-kohai's girlfriend; I am his woman!"
Rei's eyes widened and her pupils shrank in shock. She looked at the purple-haired girl in disbelief.
She hadn't expected the other girl's resolve to be so firm.
If love was a war and she had to face an opponent like Saeko Busujima...
She couldn't win. She had no chance at all.
She couldn't see even a glimmer of hope for victory.
Honestly, if she were the first woman by Su Yan's side, she would definitely try to drive away any other girls fluttering around him.
It would be impossible for her to be as magnanimous as Saeko.
Seeing the reaction on Rei's face, Saeko wasn't surprised at all. Instead, she smiled and continued in a plain tone, "Miyamoto-kohai, you've already formed a contract with Su Yan-kohai by now, haven't you?"
"Besides, do you really think he would ever abandon those of us he has contracted with?"
"That..."
Rei suddenly understood.
It made sense, but even after learning about the contract, it had taken her some time to barely accept the reality.
But Saeko was different. Not only did she accept the fact easily, she even took the initiative to help others.
If she remembered correctly, even Takagi Saya was brought into the infirmary by Saeko.
Because of that, the pink-haired girl was able to establish a bond with Su Yan.
And subsequently, she even dragged a woman like Takagi Yuriko into it.
It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that the presence of Takagi Yuriko, Takagi Saya, and herself was entirely thanks to the generosity of the woman before her.
"Go on."
Saeko waved her hand at Rei and encouraged her, "Good luck, Miyamoto-kohai!"
Rei looked at Saeko with a complicated expression before finally letting out two words, "Thank you."
The flaxen-haired girl clenched her right fist against her chest and strode out the door.
'I'm carrying Senpai's will on my shoulders—I absolutely cannot lose!'
Using the faint light filtering in from outside...
She felt her way downstairs and slowly walked toward the room where Su Yan was staying.
The surrounding air was incredibly quiet.
It was so quiet that she felt as if she could hear the beating of her own heart.
"Miyamoto-san, are you down here for a drink of water too?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her, giving her a start.
Rei instinctively looked back.
It was the purple-haired woman she had arranged for Takagi Saya to keep busy.
Takagi Yuriko.
The sophisticated, purple-haired beauty sat quietly on the living room sofa with a calm smile on her face.
Her long purple hair draped over her creamy, smooth skin.
In the night, she radiated a unique sense of elegance and intellect.
Rei took a deep breath.
Looking at Yuriko's smiling face, she felt a sudden urge to tear the woman apart.
However, on the surface, she replied politely, "Yes, what a coincidence, Ms. Takagi."
Facing Rei's response, Yuriko said nothing. Her purple eyes seemed to possess a light that could see through everything.
Under Yuriko's gaze, the flaxen-haired girl felt a bit awkward.
She walked to the refrigerator, poured a glass of cold water, and chugged it down.
As the cold liquid hit her throat...
She desperately told herself in her mind...
'The more it's like this, the more I need to stay calm.'
'I must not let her see through my goal.'
After drinking, Rei looked at the purple-haired woman and asked, "It's so late, why isn't Ms. Takagi back in bed yet?"
Yuriko replied, "Probably because I slept in this morning. I've been tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I didn't want to disturb Saya, so I came out here to sit for a while."
"At this rate, I'll likely just sleep on this sofa tonight so I don't bother Saya."
As she spoke, a playful smile appeared on Yuriko's face.
Perhaps because it was too dark, Rei didn't notice the expression on her face.
Instead, she thought the explanation was quite reasonable.
However, if that was the case, wouldn't she be blocking my path?
Was she really supposed to enter Su Yan's room right in front of the woman?
Rei puffed out her cheeks slightly, feeling a surge of frustration in her heart.
"What about you, Miyamoto-san? Aren't you going back to rest?"
Yuriko asked, deliberately playing dumb.
Her goal was simple: to scare away the flaxen-haired girl in front of her.
Then she would intercept and enjoy the fruits of the girl's labor herself.
After all, stolen things always tasted exceptionally delicious.
No, it couldn't really be called stealing.
After all, the other girl was acting on impulse.
Whereas she had already made an appointment with Su Yan in advance.
Strictly speaking, she was merely protecting her own interests.
Rei could only respond awkwardly, "Soon, very soon."
"By the way, to help my body relax so I can sleep better, I've already started the hot water in the bathtub."
Yuriko suddenly said, "Calculating the time, it should be about full now. Would you like to join me for a soak, Miyamoto-san?"
"No, thank you."
Rei shook her head in refusal.
However, in her heart, she thought, 'Perfect opportunity.'
As long as she waited for the woman to enter the bathroom, she could slip into Su Yan's room.
"Is that so? Never mind then."
Yuriko waved her hand, seemingly unbothered by Rei's refusal.
Having said that, she headed toward the bathroom on her own.
'Now!'
Rei felt a surge of confidence.
She didn't even notice the smile on Yuriko's face as the woman left.
After seeing Yuriko enter the bathroom, she crept to the door of Su Yan's room.
The door was unlocked. With a heart full of excitement and trepidation, Rei gently pushed it open and peered inside.
Suddenly, her pupils dilated. It was as if she were seeing something impossible.
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