While the atmosphere in Luo Yu's suite gradually grew more heated, something entirely different was happening in the neighboring room.
Inside her own bedroom, Yukino had transformed again, carefully observing her cat ears and twin tails in the mirror. In this heightened state, her senses had become far sharper than usual.
It was then that she heard something… unusual.
Turning slowly toward the wall that separated her room from Luo Yu's suite, Yukino's face began turning red, little by little.
In a panic, she hurriedly covered her cat ears with both hands.
But after doing so, she realized something horrifying.
Even with her hands over them, she still had another pair of ears.
Her hearing, enhanced by the transformation, continued picking up every faint sound.
Especially Luo Yu's deep, heavy breathing—
And the way he occasionally spoke to Ranni.
Yukino felt as if her head were about to burst into flames.
Flustered beyond belief, she immediately canceled her transformation and dashed toward the bed, diving beneath the covers and wrapping herself tightly in the blanket.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Even with her ears covered, the sounds she had heard kept echoing through her mind, replaying again and again.
"I thought they said they couldn't do anything… so they can still do things like that?"
Unwanted images began forming in her imagination.
For the first time in her life, Yukino realized that having an overly vivid imagination could be a terrible thing.
Several minutes passed.
Under the blanket, Yukino's face remained completely red, her heart pounding wildly as her legs shifted restlessly beneath the sheets.
Something about her state was becoming increasingly strange.
Swallowing nervously, Yukino finally pulled the blanket down and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while.
Then she turned her gaze toward the neighboring suite.
A dangerous thought slowly crept into her mind.
She knew it was wrong.
But the curiosity rising inside her was impossible to suppress.
Slowly, she transformed again.
With her heightened hearing and multiple channels of sound, those same heart-racing noises soon reached her ears once more.
As she listened…
Her right hand gradually slid beneath the hem of her nightdress.
Saturday, 7:00 AM.
The ringing of her phone alarm woke Yukino from sleep.
She had no idea when she had fallen asleep the previous night. Her transformation had apparently ended automatically while she slept.
Drowsy and light-headed, Yukino sat up slowly.
Her nightdress hung loosely and messily around her body, one shoulder strap slipping halfway down her arm.
She sat there in silence for quite some time before finally regaining full awareness.
After absentmindedly scratching her hair, she got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.
Sinking into the bathtub, Yukino buried her face in both hands as her mind raced.
The only thing she could think about was how she was supposed to face Luo Yu and Ranni today.
Just hearing them had already been embarrassing enough.
But afterward…
She had completely lost control and done things she never thought she would.
Yukino genuinely felt as if she had lost her mind.
Worst of all—
At some point, she had even begun imagining herself in Ranni's place.
Fifteen minutes later, while Yukino was still lost in chaotic thoughts, a knock sounded at the bathroom door.
"Yukino, are you in there?"
She snapped back to reality.
"I'm taking a bath, Sister. Just a moment—I'll be out soon."
After quickly drying off and getting dressed, Yukino opened the bathroom door.
Haruno, already dressed, stood outside while yawning.
"You're up early, Yukino."
"We agreed to meet Luo Yu for breakfast at nine. There's still plenty of time—you could have slept a little longer."
Yukino shook her head.
"My alarm is always set for this time, so I just woke up."
"You can use the bathroom now, Sister. I'll go back to my room."
Watching Yukino return to her room, Haruno blinked curiously.
"That girl seems a bit strange today… Did she not sleep well?"
Meanwhile, back in her bedroom, Yukino collapsed onto the bed with a troubled expression.
For more than three years—since middle school—she had never felt this conflicted.
But after an entire night of thinking, Yukino had realized something.
She liked Luo Yu.
If it were only a simple fondness, she wouldn't have worried.
The real problem was that Ranni already existed.
That made Yukino's feelings incredibly complicated.
Wouldn't that make her the third person in the relationship?
That was the root of her distress.
As these thoughts circled in her mind, Yukino rolled back and forth on the bed in frustration—completely like a girl who had fallen in love but didn't know how to move forward.
Near nine o'clock, Haruno knocked on Yukino's door and pulled her out of her daze.
Smiling, Haruno said,
"Father and Mother have already left. Today you can relax and enjoy yourself."
"Oh, and the Shinomiya family called earlier."
"Shinomiya Huangguang himself has come to the hotel to deliver an apology to Luo Yu. He's already arrived."
"Let's go find Luo Yu and tell him. We should see how he plans to handle it."
Yukino looked slightly surprised, but nodded.
The sisters left the suite together.
"Sister," Yukino asked as they walked, "what kind of apology do you think the Shinomiya family will offer?"
Haruno narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"Besides money, they'll probably offer some tangible assets."
"For example, businesses the Shinomiya family owns in Chiba."
"Of course, the real question is how much they value Luo Yu."
"If they truly respect his strength, they'll spare no expense."
"They'll give as much as they possibly can."
As much as possible?
Yukino couldn't even begin to estimate that.
She had no clear understanding of the Shinomiya family's true wealth. Even the publicly known figure—two hundred trillion yen in assets—was likely only a fraction of their total holdings.
With business interests spanning countless industries, even a single region like Chiba would represent enormous value.
While discussing this, the sisters left their suite and headed for Luo Yu and Ranni's room.
Up until this point, Yukino had managed to remain relatively calm.
But the moment they arrived at the neighboring door, her heart began racing uncontrollably.
Everything that had happened the night before was still painfully vivid in her memory.
Haruno didn't notice Yukino's expression at all.
With a cheerful smile, she stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Soon, the door opened.
Fully dressed, Luo Yu and Ranni stood before them.
"Good morning, Luo Yu," Haruno said brightly. "Good morning, Miss Ranni. Time for breakfast."
Luo Yu smiled in return.
"Good morning, Miss Haruno."
Then his gaze shifted to the girl beside her.
"Good morning, Yukino."
Yukino hesitated for a moment before responding.
"G-Good morning."
"Hm?"
Haruno felt puzzled.
From the moment she woke up today, Yukino had been acting strangely.
Still, Haruno didn't think too deeply about it. Instead, she immediately told Luo Yu about the Shinomiya family's arrival.
After hearing the news, Luo Yu smiled.
"Really? The eldest son of the Shinomiya family came personally?"
"In that case, I should definitely go see what kind of sincerity they're bringing."
He looked at the sisters.
"What about you two? Will you come downstairs with me, or head to the restaurant first?"
Haruno clapped her hands lightly.
"Of course we'll go together!"
"It won't take long anyway."
"Once we've dealt with the Shinomiya family, we can all have breakfast together."
"Alright," Luo Yu said with a nod.
"Let's head down."
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