The next morning at seven o'clock.
Ho Fei-yu woke up on time, planning to go to the kitchen to prepare their lunch bentos. After last night's battle, Hanawa Amakawa's body was like soft mud. To let the girl rest a little longer, this task naturally fell to him.
Feeling the soft touch and warm breath on his shoulder, Ho Fei-yu turned his head. A beautiful, doll-like face came into his dark vision.
The lingering excitement of yesterday's battle had not yet disappeared. A faint blush remained on Hanawa Amakawa's beautiful face, and combined with her long eyelashes that trembled slightly with her breathing, she was truly adorable.
Ho Fei-yu was drawn to Hanawa Amakawa's gentle appearance. He couldn't help but plant a light kiss on the girl's pink lips. After admiring the girl's face for a moment, he prepared to get up and cook.
He moved his body subtly, not wanting to wake Hanawa Amakawa.
However, he felt an unusual heaviness on the left side of his body, as if something was clinging to him.
Ho Fei-yu immediately realized what it was. He cautiously lifted the blanket, and his guess was proven correct.
Earlier, his attention had been entirely on Hanawa Amakawa's sweet face, and he hadn't noticed the abnormality on his body. No wonder the left side of his body felt so warm—Hanawa Amakawa was hugging him tightly.
The girl's full body, especially her exaggerated snowy peaks, had become the best warming device.
Ho Fei-yu looked at his left hand, which was tightly held by Hanawa Amakawa's hands and clamped in the ravine. He tried to pull it out, but due to the strong friction, it was ineffective. Instead, the white, fleshy mounds shook back and forth like bouncy jelly, a spectacular sight. Especially the striking rosy color that traced dazzling arcs in the air.
Suppressing the fire rising in his lower abdomen, since he couldn't pull his hand out, he tried his foot. Similarly, it was no good. Hanawa Amakawa's soft thighs were crossed, making it difficult to move them without waking the girl.
Looking at Hanawa Amakawa's sleeping posture, where she looked like she wanted to melt into his body, Ho Fei-yu once again felt the depth of the girl's affection. If today were a day off, Ho Fei-yu would just roll over and cuddle with the girl for another beautiful sleep. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
He tried again, but stopped immediately when he noticed Hanawa Amakawa's brow furrow slightly. He smiled helplessly, waited a few more minutes, and finally decided to cheat.
After all, there was no problem that the invincible Star Platinum couldn't solve.
Time stopped. Ho Fei-yu placed his pillow in Hanawa Amakawa's arms, then ended the time stop and stood by the bed, waiting for the girl's reaction. If the situation was wrong, he would find another solution.
In her confusion, Hanawa Amakawa felt that Ho Fei-yu's body in her arms seemed softer, a noticeable change in texture. Her brows immediately furrowed into a knot. Her limbs, clutching the pillow, began to move restlessly, like a blind person who had lost their cane, becoming anxious. But the familiar voice reaching her ears and the reassuring scent lingering in her nostrils slowly calmed the girl down. She continued to snuggle with her most loved person in her dream.
Hanawa Amakawa returned to tranquility. Ho Fei-yu slowly got up, letting out a soft breath. He looked down at the girl's peaceful face, a smile appearing on his lips, and then quietly walked out of the bedroom.
"Bzzzzzzzz"
The noisy alarm just rang before a fair little hand immediately turned it off.
The phone was then picked up, and a beam of light shone in the dim bedroom, reflecting a pair of bright and beautiful eyes, though there was a faint sadness in their gaze.
The brightly lit screen displayed dozens of messages. Aside from the weather report for the day and some important news, the rest were filled with messages from a contact named Shohei-kun.
The pale finger swiped left and right, dismissing one unrelated notification after another, but it paused when it reached the messages sent by Shohei-kun.
The messages were swiped back and forth, clearly showing that the owner of the finger didn't want to open them, but this also revealed her hesitation.
Finally, the long finger lifted, then came down fiercely, tapping to open the messages.
Soon, the messages were displayed in chronological order.
"Akane, you must have misunderstood Coach Tōgō. The coach is definitely not the kind of person the rumors say he is."
"The coach probably just wanted to talk to you then. How could he possibly threaten you?"
"At six this afternoon, everyone in our baseball club is going to the hospital to visit Coach Tōgō. Akane, you're the only one missing. Are you coming?"
"Come with us to the hospital to see Coach Tōgō. Everyone can talk things out face-to-face, and the misunderstanding can be cleared up."
"Akane, if you're not coming, fine. I'll personally ask the coach about it at the hospital and try my best to clear up the misunderstanding!"
"..."
"Akane, the coach told me that he was indeed just trying to lecture you at the time, and he didn't have any other intentions. It might be that his behavior was too rough, causing you to misunderstand. The coach asked me to apologize to you on his behalf."
"See? It was indeed a misunderstanding. An excellent and capable person like the coach couldn't possibly lack girlfriends. The coach is only refraining from having one so that we players can make it to Koshien (National High School Baseball Championship)! His character is truly admirable!"
"By the way, Akane, Coach Tōgō told me he was hospitalized because he was beaten by a new student. Do you know him? That person is too horrible, taking advantage of the coach being at fault to strike so harshly! It prevented all of us players from having good practice today. When I see him next time, I'm going to teach him a severe lesson to show him the consequence of wasting our time!"
"I have another piece of good news. Coach Tōgō can be discharged tomorrow. Since you don't want to come, Akane, let's talk everything out at the club tomorrow."
"Akane, Coach Tōgō is right. We should focus on our careers now. Let's keep our relationship the way it was before. When I make it to Koshien and achieve a good ranking, I will definitely announce you as my girlfriend with great fanfare!"
Ten messages were quickly read. The general content mainly described a misunderstanding between two people, and the rest was about a boy who wanted to publicly announce his girlfriend after achieving fame, making her the center of attention.
Such a story is very uplifting, and most girls would probably be moved to tears after reading it, but the owner of the fingers deleted all the messages, then closed the phone. Immediately, the black screen reflected a beautiful face in the faint light.
There was no expected joy on that face, only profound sadness.
Akane Nanao slowly put down her phone, staring blankly and listlessly at the ceiling. She felt like something was stuck in her throat, making it difficult and painful.
"Shohei-kun, I don't blame you. You must have been deceived by Coach Tōgō. I will make you see his true colors..."
Some beautiful scenes flickered in the girl's mind. After a long silence, Akane Nanao murmured to herself.