Outside the school gate.
"Fei-yu-kun, why aren't the sparrows afraid of you? Birds like these usually fly away the moment I get close to them on the street."
Yūmi Aono tilted her head, curiously watching a few sparrows standing quietly on Ho Fei-yu's shoulder.
"Perhaps little animals like me more than you, Yūmi-chan~"
Ho Fei-yu said, sounding teasing.
"Hmph! No way!"
Yūmi Aono pouted, unconvinced, and reached out to touch the sparrow on Ho Fei-yu's shoulder.
"Is it really as you say, Fei-yu-kun? Do little animals not like me at all?"
The tiny sparrow didn't even flap its wings when the girl's "evil hand" reached out. It simply hopped cleverly, skillfully evading Yūmi Aono's small hand. The unconvinced girl tried several more times, but the result was the same every time. This outcome made Yūmi Aono's face droop. Moreover, the escaping sparrows all turned to look at her in unison, their small eyes seemingly carrying immense mockery.
"Alright, birds like these are naturally timid and cautious. It's normal not to be able to touch them. I used a little trick. Try touching them again."
Seeing the girl's unhappy expression, Ho Fei-yu smiled and stroked her silky hair to comfort her, while encouraging her.
"Hehe~ They are cute even if they are small~"
Ho Fei-yu's words rekindled the sparkle in Yūmi Aono's eyes. The girl reached out again cautiously, and this time the sparrow didn't fly away. She successfully teased the bird's head with her finger.
"Sorry I kept you waiting."
The late Hanawa Amakawa quickly walked up to the couple, whose actions were intimate. She lifted her hand to brush aside the bangs wet with sweat on her temples and apologized slightly.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Your forehead is sweating."
"It's nothing, let's go. I was mainly afraid of making you and little Yūmi wait too long, so I wanted to hurry over."
Feeling Ho Fei-yu's gentle wipe, Hanawa Amakawa's rosy, pretty face broke into a sweet smile. She lifted her hand and wrapped Ho Fei-yu's hand around her arm, while her other hand held Yūmi Aono's small hand.
Actually, that was only one of Hanawa Amakawa's reasons. The most important reason was that she wanted to stick close to Ho Fei-yu. Finally, the two of them could spend a night alone together again~
"I'll take Yūmi-chan home first, and then I'll come find you."
Upon reaching a fork in the road, Ho Fei-yu remembered what happened this morning. Concerned that Yūmi Aono, without his Incubus Aura guarding her, might be subjected to unknown threats, he spoke softly to Hanawa Amakawa.
"Mhm, go ahead. I'll wait for you."
Hanawa Amakawa had no complaints about this and nodded with a smile.
Hanawa Amakawa only started walking slowly toward her house after the two disappeared from her sight. She checked the time—it wasn't even five o'clock yet. That meant they had fifteen hours to do whatever they liked. Thinking of this, the girl's steps couldn't help but become lighter.
On the other side.
Yūmi Aono walked side-by-side with Ho Fei-yu. No emotion was visible on her face, but a storm was raging in the girl's heart.
'What did Fei-yu-kun and Hanawa-nee-san mean by what they said??? Have they already...'
The girl recalled the words they exchanged before parting. A bold scene involuntarily appeared in Yūmi Aono's mind: two naked people, embracing, and then naturally...
Such a scene should normally be quite embarrassing for a pure, inexperienced girl, and Yūmi Aono's pretty face indeed flushed crimson. She should have stopped, but the ambiguous scenario made her unable to resist imagining it. Moreover, Hanawa Amakawa's face slowly transformed into...
"Ah!"
At the climax of her fantasy, whether due to shame or a physical touch, a surprised cry escaped the girl's lips.
"Are you spaced out? You're not even watching where you're going."
Before Yūmi Aono could ask why, she heard Ho Fei-yu speak in an irritated tone.
"S-sorry."
The girl apologized weakly. Whether it was shame from Ho Fei-yu's words or some other reason, Yūmi Aono didn't even dare to look Ho Fei-yu in the eye.
"It's alright, I wasn't trying to scold you, but being distracted while walking is very dangerous! If something happens, your family will be very hurt—"
Ho Fei-yu's words suddenly cut off. He remembered that the girl's closest relative, her grandmother, had passed away. Although her parents occasionally sent her money, they had essentially abandoned her.
Indeed, upon hearing Ho Fei-yu's words, the girl awkwardly looked down. The school bag she held shook along with her trembling body, like a child who had made a mistake and was waiting for her parents' punishment.
"I'm sorry, Yūmi-chan, I didn't mean it."
Ho Fei-yu's intention was to care for the girl, but it backfired. He quickly apologized.
"W-woo— I know, but, woo—"
Yūmi Aono also knew Ho Fei-yu was concerned about her, but thinking of her painful memories, tears flowed uncontrollably like a breached dam.
Passersby were also drawn to Yūmi Aono's sobbing and cast their gazes over.
"It's alright, Yūmi-chan. I'm your family now, and so is Hanawa-chan."
Seeing the girl crying sadly, Ho Fei-yu felt bad too. Not knowing how to comfort her, he could only take a few steps forward, wrapping one arm around the girl's slender waist, which he could easily encircle, and gently stroking her soft hair with the other.
At the same time, he activated Hypnosis, making the passing pedestrians leave quickly.
The girl cried in Ho Fei-yu's arms for about five or six minutes. Cold tears soaked through their clothes, dampening their chests. But Ho Fei-yu didn't feel cold. Instead, their chests were close together due to the tears, allowing them to feel each other's warmth.
Yūmi Aono seemed to notice this. Her sobs slowly quieted until they disappeared completely. Ho Fei-yu's warm body temperature and unique male pheromones made the girl's heart beat faster.
"Are you feeling better?"
Sensing that Yūmi Aono's emotional state had stabilized, Ho Fei-yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. It's impossible for someone who hasn't experienced being abandoned by their parents to truly empathize. Although he was an orphan in his previous life, technically, he hadn't fully experienced the taste of being abandoned.
Yūmi Aono let out a soft "Mhm" in his arms, like a small animal.
"It's my fault. I promise I won't bring it up again."
Seeing that the girl's emotions were stable, Ho Fei-yu spoke slowly.
"It's not Fei-yu-kun's fault..."
Yūmi Aono closed her eyes, gently sniffing Ho Fei-yu's scent. The crescent-moon reflection in her dark eyes gradually turned into a full circle, then became incomplete, and finally formed a pink heart shape.
"That's good. Can you still walk?"
"Nngh, my body is a little... stiff."
The girl tried to move her feet but stumbled. Fortunately, Ho Fei-yu caught her, otherwise, she would have fallen to the ground.
"Hop on."
Ho Fei-yu thought for a moment, walked in front of Yūmi Aono, and squatted down, then turned his head to the girl.
"Mhm."
Yūmi Aono didn't refuse. Rather, it was exactly what she wanted. Her fair, long legs bent slightly, her body tilted, and she pressed herself entirely against Ho Fei-yu's back. Her pretty face no longer showed any sign of crying, instead, a faint, lustful smile hung on her lips.
On the road, a handsome boy was carrying a petite and adorable girl on his back. This sight of a perfect couple drew frequent glances from passersby.
Yūmi Aono, on Ho Fei-yu's back, kept her eyes tightly shut, intentionally and unintentionally rubbing her cheek against Ho Fei-yu's ear. This made Ho Fei-yu's body tingle, and he nearly collapsed on the spot. Fortunately, the stimulation wasn't too intense. He managed to endure it with trembling legs, finally arriving at the bottom of the Kanzaki apartment building.
"We're... here... Yūmi-... chan... Can you... go up... by... yourself...?"
Ho Fei-yu's speech was becoming incoherent.
"Yes, this is fine. Fei-yu-kun, please put me down."
Yūmi Aono said, suppressing a laugh. She hadn't expected Hanawa-nee-san's words to be true—the ear was Ho Fei-yu's weak spot. She had only rubbed it for a moment, and he had become like this. If she...
"See... you at... the train... station... tomorrow."
Ho Fei-yu didn't know if Yūmi Aono was doing this on purpose, but he was getting ready to deal with the instigator. He had to make her understand that secrets shouldn't be revealed casually!
"Okay, see you tomorrow, Fei-yu-kun."
"Mwah~"
Ho Fei-yu was about to turn and leave after saying goodbye to Yūmi Aono when a sudden fragrant breeze hit him. Before Ho Fei-yu could react, a warm sensation was left on his cheek.
"It seems I'm still too naive..."
Ho Fei-yu touched the warmth left by the girl, watching Yūmi Aono's fleeing figure, who showed no sign of discomfort. He couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
Ho Fei-yu only turned to leave after watching the girl's door open and close.
"Hehe, Fei-yu-kun, you said it yourself—we're family now~"
The girl, back inside her home, leaned her petite back tightly against the door, panting heavily. The warm air she exhaled was visible. Yūmi Aono also raised a hand to her fiercely beating chest. Having confirmed her feelings, she murmured lustfully.