While Xuan spoke on the phone, Hong Shuangyu began finishing the remaining food. Though Xuan usually fed him, it didn't mean he couldn't eat on his own.
Hong Shuangyu ate slowly, chewing thoroughly, unlike Kinugita Taoko, who devoured her food greedily on the side. After a while, Xuan returned, holding her phone. Her face showed clear irritation, stronger than before.
"What happened, sister?" Hong Shuangyu asked.
Hearing his voice, Xuan's expression softened, and she shook her head.
"Nothing special… Well, little Yu, let's finish eating," she said, sitting beside him and taking the chopsticks.
"Ah~ Little Yu~" she continued.
Lunch ended with Xuan's endless "ah~" sounds. Because she was feeding Hong Shuangyu, their meal dragged on. Kinugita Taoko also ate for a long time, but due to the enormous amount of food. After eating, Xuan began neatly packing up the bentos, while Kinugita, with food remnants on her lips, sprawled on the floor, muttering:
"Ugh~ I'm full~"
Finishing the cleanup, Xuan gazed tenderly at Hong Shuangyu. But soon her look turned hesitant. Finally, she made up her mind.
"Little Yu…" she began.
"Mhm?" he responded.
Xuan hesitated.
"Sister…" she continued.
"…?" Hong Shuangyu looked at her questioningly.
"Sister needs to leave you for a bit… Can you stay here alone?" she asked.
"Mhm," Hong Shuangyu nodded.
Receiving his consent, Xuan sighed in relief. Yesterday, she hadn't been this indecisive.
"Then… sister is leaving… Little Yu…" she said, standing up with clear reluctance in her voice.
"Mhm," Hong Shuangyu nodded again.
"If anything happens, call right away, okay? Sister will rush back to you…" she added, taking a couple of steps.
"Mhm," he replied.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
After a few more steps, Xuan turned back.
"If Taoko bullies you, press the emergency button, understood?" she said with worry.
"Mhm," Hong Shuangyu nodded.
"Hey?! Why would I… have to… bully?!" Kinugita protested.
Xuan gave her a look that silenced her.
"I… won't…" Kinugita murmured, her voice fading under Xuan's gaze.
At the door, Xuan heard:
"Sister."
She instantly turned.
"What, little Yu?"
"Good luck at work," Hong Shuangyu said.
Her face, full of longing, blossomed into a tender smile.
"Mhm!" she nodded and left without looking back.
Kinugita, fearing Xuan might return, silently gathered the food wrappers. Hong Shuangyu, feeling tired after eating, yawned. Despite going to bed early and getting plenty of rest, his weak body still tired quickly. Perhaps it was a habit turned physiological. At this time of day, he always started nodding off.
Adjusting his clothes, he lay on the floor to nap. Kinugita, finishing the cleanup, noticed Hong Shuangyu had fallen asleep, completely ignoring her. She felt a bit offended.
Am I really just a guard here? she thought.
Though hurt, she sat a meter from Hong Shuangyu.
"Little bro… sleep well… I won't do anything weird… U-uu… I'm so pitiful… No rights at all…" she muttered, her voice trembling with mock tears.
Hearing this, Hong Shuangyu got up, approached her, and, touching her head, said:
"Thank you, Taoko."
"Huh?" Kinugita wiped nonexistent tears and looked at him.
"Little bro, aren't you scared being this close to me?" she wondered.
"This distance… is fine," Hong Shuangyu nodded.
"Aren't you afraid to touch girls?"
"Hair… is fine," he replied.
"Oh… Wait! Little bro!" Kinugita exclaimed, pointing at him with a shocked expression.
"?" Hong Shuangyu tilted his head, confused.
"You just smiled!!"
"?" He touched his face but felt no expression.
After that incident, he'd lost the ability to show facial expressions, becoming what they called a "paralyzed face." Perhaps his heart was starting to heal over time? He didn't know. Sleepiness clouded his thoughts, and ignoring Kinugita's surprise, he lay down to sleep again.
Silence returned. Kinugita, unaccustomed to napping during the day, pulled out her phone to pass the time. But soon she grew bored and put it away. For her, the phone was just a communication tool, not a toy. Bored, she lay on the floor, gazing at the sky.
After a while, sleep still didn't come.
Aaa, can't sleep… she thought.
Turning, she looked at the sleeping Hong Shuangyu. He had just turned toward her, and now they lay face-to-face. Kinugita suddenly felt as if she were sleeping beside him. Hong Shuangyu was curled up, his face devoid of emotion, his body rising and falling slightly with his breathing. His pale skin betrayed weak health, his eyes were closed, and his usual black-framed glasses adorned his face.
Glasses? she thought.
Yesterday, he'd slept with them on too. Doesn't that bother him? He's not some Detective X-Nan, recognizable without glasses…
Pondering, she cautiously crawled closer, studying him intently. Imagining Hong Shuangyu without glasses, she didn't notice much difference.
Glasses press on the head, that must be uncomfortable. Why doesn't he take them off? she wondered.
After much deliberation, Kinugita decided to remove Hong Shuangyu's glasses. Slowly reaching for his face, she approached the frames.
At the last moment, she sharply turned around.
The door was empty. No one.
Kinugita exhaled in relief, fearing Xuan might have returned to scold her. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she touched the glasses.
Nothing special, she thought, holding them and looking at the sleeping Hong Shuangyu.
Setting them down, she noticed a red mark on his temple from the frames.
See, even a mark—definitely uncomfortable, she confirmed her thoughts.
Exhaling from the recent tension, Kinugita grew bored again. Picking up the glasses, she began examining them.
Just ordinary glasses… she thought, trying them on. "Eh? No lenses? Why wear glasses without lenses?"
Finding no answer, she reached one conclusion:
Xuan's an glasses fetishist! Definitely! Heh-heh, I'm a genius!
Kinugita, still wearing Hong Shuangyu's glasses, nodded smugly.
Hesitating, she decided to put them back. If Xuan returned and saw this, she'd be in big trouble. Removing the glasses, she began carefully placing them back on Hong Shuangyu. During this, he shifted, lying on his back, making it easier.
Slowly sliding the temple over his ear, she was nearly done.
At that moment, a powerful aura burst from Hong Shuangyu, as if long-suppressed energy finally erupted. A thick, almost tangible wave enveloped everything around.
Kinugita, closest of all, was engulfed by this aura. Her senses jumbled: it was as if she'd caught a heavy cold with fever, her body pummeled by a waterfall from a thousand meters, causing pain and weight. Yet she also felt an adrenaline rush, excitement, her body floating in soft clouds. These contradictory, complex sensations were indescribable.
Under the aura's influence, Kinugita froze with wide eyes. The glasses slipped from her hands and, by a fortunate coincidence, landed neatly on Hong Shuangyu's face, resuming their place.
The aura that filled the roof vanished abruptly, sucked back into Hong Shuangyu's body like a black hole.
Stunned, Kinugita collapsed to the floor after a few minutes.
…
Someone gently nudged her. The light pushes annoyed her, like persistent attempts to wake her in the morning. Struggling to open her eyes, Kinugita immediately winced from a sharp head pain.
"Ouch, hurts, hurts…" she groaned, clutching her head and sitting up.
What happened? Why does my head hurt? she thought.
Forcing her eyes open, she saw Hong Shuangyu. He sat nearby, looking at her expressionlessly. It seemed he'd woken her.
What happened? Why did I fall asleep? And why does my head hurt? Kinugita tried to piece it together.
The pain made her rub her temples, seeking some relief.
"Lunch is over," Hong Shuangyu said quietly.
"Oh? Already time… Sorry, little bro, for making you wake me… I was supposed to wake you…" she replied.
"It's fine," he said.
But the pain persisted, and Kinugita couldn't stand.
"Sorry, little bro… Can we wait a bit? My head's splitting…"
"Mhm," Hong Shuangyu replied and sat a meter away, waiting.
The pain didn't subside. Kinugita considered letting Hong Shuangyu go to class while she left early. Just as she was about to suggest it, he stepped closer, stopping at a distance where he could touch her. Extending his hand, he patted her head.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
At that moment, the pain and strange sensation vanished, as if his hand had sucked them away. Her vision cleared, and Kinugita felt an unusual lightness.
"Eh?" she looked at Hong Shuangyu in surprise.
He gazed back at her.
"All good now, let's go, little bro," Kinugita said, standing and brushing off her skirt.