"How could this be?"
Miyamoto Rei stared at the scene before her in disbelief.
The reflection in the girl's eyes showed an empty room, save for the futon and pillows spread out on the floor. Su Yan was nowhere to be found.
Rei rubbed her eyes and opened them again.
Nothing in the room had changed.
'Did I open the door wrong?'
Unwilling to give up, the girl backed out and closed the door.
"Yan-kun, I'm coming in."
Rei spoke softly before pushing the door open once more.
Su Yan was still nowhere to be seen.
The girl pondered for a moment.
She had just come from her own room, so Su Yan couldn't have gone to see Busujima Saeko, who shared that space with her.
Otherwise, they would have definitely crossed paths.
And when Takagi Yuriko had entered the bathroom, Rei had caught a quick glimpse inside; Su Yan wasn't there either.
As for Takagi Saya?
With her loser nature and lack of boldness, she was probably off somewhere daydreaming. She could go sit at the kids' table for now.
In other words, had Su Yan gone to Marikawa Shizuka and Minami Rika's room?
At the thought of this, a wave of disappointment washed over her.
She had already done so much.
How could it still end up like this?
If Takagi Yuriko knew what the girl was feeling right now, she would have certainly told her.
"But of course."
Why else would she have intentionally entered the bathroom in front of the girl, giving her the chance to sneak into Su Yan's room?
It was because even earlier, she had seen Su Yan walk into Marikawa Shizuka's room with her own eyes.
Furthermore, she had already made an arrangement with him to bathe together after he finished with Shizuka.
Letting Miyamoto Rei sneak into Su Yan's room was just to let her see he wasn't there, forcing her to give up.
This was all to ensure she wouldn't be interrupted later.
It could only be said that Miyamoto Rei was still too naive, or perhaps too thin-skinned.
Launching a night raid without even informing Su Yan beforehand?
She was being a bit overconfident.
Under such circumstances, wasn't failure a foregone conclusion?
Takagi Yuriko submerged her body in the hot water, leaving only her purple eyes visible above the surface.
Thinking of the expression Miyamoto Rei must have had when opening the door to an empty room...
A playful smile spread across her face.
She felt absolutely delighted.
After an unknown amount of time passed...
The door to Marikawa Shizuka's room was pulled open from the inside.
Su Yan stepped out, looking completely refreshed.
Shizuka Marikawa and Rika Minami were nothing, even when they teamed up. He had taken them down easily!
An easy victory!
"Next up is Takagi Yuriko."
Su Yan murmured to himself.
A lingering look of satisfaction remained on his face.
It really had been wonderful.
Shizuka's curvaceousness combined with Rika's wild nature.
The two together created a synergy where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
Perhaps because her best friend Rika was present, it had sparked Shizuka's competitive spirit.
Or maybe she was trying to set an example for Rika?
Regardless, Shizuka—usually a lazy, easygoing woman—had been unusually proactive tonight.
It allowed Su Yan to thoroughly enjoy a beautiful night.
If he hadn't already made an appointment with Takagi Yuriko...
He might have actually succumbed to the comforts of the boudoir and been reluctant to leave.
Su Yan closed the door behind him, straightened his slightly messy collar, and strode toward the bathroom.
He soon saw that while the bathroom door was closed, the light inside was on.
No doubt about it, Takagi Yuriko was inside.
Su Yan placed his hand on the doorknob.
He gave it a light turn.
Click!
As expected, the door was unlocked.
He pushed it open with ease.
After entering the bathroom, Su Yan glanced at the basket next to the washing machine.
Inside was a set of discarded clothes—the very outfit Takagi Yuriko had been wearing today.
Confirmation complete.
Su Yan placed his own clothes inside as well.
Since the washing machine would be quite loud, he wasn't in a hurry to start the cycle.
"You're here?"
Takagi Yuriko leaned against the edge of the tub, slowly opening her purple eyes to look at the entering Su Yan.
Her gaze was a complex mix of joy, anticipation, and excitement.
"Yeah."
Su Yan gave a soft grunt of affirmation. Looking at her, he replied, "I'm here."
Aside from her head, the intellectual, purple-haired beauty was entirely submerged, preventing him from seeing her finer qualities.
However, this hazy, obscured view actually made her seem more charming.
"You took so long, the water's almost cold."
Yuriko complained with a faint pout. "Hurry up and wash. I don't want to smell other women on you during my first time."
Su Yan said confidently, "Don't worry. Get out for a second; I have a way."
Surprised, Yuriko didn't hesitate and stood up straight from the bathtub.
She looked like a stunning, porcelain-white mermaid.
The only downside? She was actually wearing a swimsuit.
Su Yan's teeth felt a bit itchy with annoyance.
"Wasn't this fraud?"
Who wears a swimsuit while bathing at home?
"Are you disappointed that you didn't get to see my body?"
Seeing the frustrated look on Su Yan's face, Yuriko chuckled playfully.
What a despicable woman.
Su Yan curled his lip and gently raised his right hand.
Nen concentrated in his palm.
Soon, a cluster of red flames ignited.
This was the flame ability Su Yan had developed through the Transmutation category.
Su Yan dipped his hand into the tub.
The water, which had been cooling down, rapidly began to heat up again.
Seeing this, Yuriko pushed Su Yan into the tub and said, "In that case, I'll forgive you. Next, let me scrub your back."
"Little Brother Su Yan, don't you dare move."
Before Su Yan could react, Yuriko slipped in as well and draped a towel over his face.
Su Yan didn't speak, silently accepting her actions.
Soon, a soft sensation pressed against his back.
There was none of the expected friction from clothing.
It was obvious what tool Yuriko was using to scrub his back.
Behind him, a faint smile played on Yuriko's lips.
What constitutes a surprise?
A well-executed subversion of expectations is a surprise.
How could she let Su Yan down?
After enjoying Yuriko's intimate service, Su Yan made his next move.
He picked her up in a princess carry, intending to take her back to the room and finally start the main event of the night.
However, as expected, an unexpected situation occurred.
"Yan-kun?"
A voice filled with resentment echoed from inside the room.
"Rei?"
"You didn't leave?"
Shocked expressions appeared on both Su Yan and Takagi Yuriko's faces.
Indeed, the voice belonged to Miyamoto Rei, who had entered the room earlier.
She hadn't left after finding the room empty; instead, she had waited in silence.
Rei glared intensely at Yuriko in Su Yan's arms and blurted out, "You homewrecker!"
"Well..."
Su Yan finally realized why Rei had suddenly prepared a room for him today.
She had planned a night raid all along.
It made him both laugh and cry.
He was about to explain on Yuriko's behalf, but Rei stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"I'm not leaving, and you aren't either, Yan-kun."
Rei spoke defiantly to Yuriko. "Tonight, I'm taking this man!"
"You can either leave, watch from the side, or join us!"
The girl was carrying the will of Busujima Saeko.
Tonight, she was going all out.
"Join in?"
Yuriko let out a cold laugh.
Did the girl think she would back down?
Who was she? She was Takagi Yuriko, a powerful woman who had once dominated Wall Street.
Most importantly, she and Su Yan were already at the threshold of the final step.
Back down because of some intimidation?
What a joke!
Yuriko said coldly, "Fine, then let's do it together!"
"Huh?"
This time, it was Su Yan's turn to be stunned.
Both women looked at him and said in unison, "We're doing it together!"
To this, Su Yan could only reluctantly agree.
Two flowers blooming, competing in beauty.
...
Late at night, Busujima Saeko, curious about Miyamoto Rei's progress, quietly walked to Su Yan's room and prepared to press her ear against the door to listen.
Suddenly, the door swung wide open.
A chain made of Nen extended from inside, pulling Saeko in.
He caught her and instantly brought her into the fold.
The once silent room became heated once more.
So the question remains: on this night where everyone found satisfaction...
What was Takagi Saya doing?
In her own room...
The pink-haired girl lay in bed, her body clinging to a long body pillow like an octopus.
She rubbed her face against the pillow from time to time, a bit of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth.
She was even talking in her sleep. "Su Yan-kun... Su Yan-kun... Hehehe..."
Dim moonlight shone through the window.
At this moment, time froze.
The sleeping posture of the pink-haired girl formed a world-famous painting.
'Takagi Saya Sleeping.'
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]