Chapter 105: Reina Serizawa: Are You Free This Weekend? The Kind When No One’s Home

The sudden attack carried with it the unique sweetness of a young girl’s scent.

They parted at the slightest touch.

Before Anhe could react, Yui Serizawa quickly withdrew, retreating until her back pressed against the wall, then finally stopping.

Her earlier action had nearly drained all her courage.

At this moment, Yui Serizawa resembled a frightened ostrich, head bowed deeply. Though her face was hidden, the pink hue of her neck and the redness at her ears betrayed her emotions.

Sensing Anhe’s gaze, Yui unconsciously twisted her hands together in front of her, hesitating for a long while before speaking:

“This is all I can give you now, Anhe-senpai. If… if you want more, could you wait a few years...?”

Her voice grew smaller and smaller, until it was nearly a faint whisper.

Had it not been for their close proximity and the quiet surroundings, Anhe might not have heard her clearly.

Still, despite this, Yui’s demeanor brought a soft chuckle from Anhe.

“Alright,” he said, stepping forward to rest his hand on her head, rubbing it gently. “This is more than enough for me.”

Hearing this, the anxious Yui immediately lifted her head, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Really?”

“Of course,” Anhe nodded. Seeing her thrilled expression, he couldn’t help but pinch her soft little face, tugging playfully while teasing,

“What else would you want me to do, little Yui?”

With her cheeks held, Yui could only emit a muffled “ugh ugh ugh,” then stuck out her tongue teasingly at Anhe’s mischievous grin.

She hadn’t expected such a simple gesture to pose such a great risk to herself.

...

When the two emerged from the bathroom, Kurozato Fusako, who had been bent over sketching, immediately cast a scrutinizing gaze.

Her eyes swept up and down Yui Serizawa before settling on her slightly swollen, reddened lips that glistened faintly under the light.

“Tsk,” she tutted in displeasure but said nothing outright, instead looking at Anhe and pointing toward Reina Serizawa’s bedroom.

“That girl Reina must have been too emotionally overwhelmed; she’s fallen asleep.”

Upon hearing this, Anhe nodded.

“That’s good. Let her rest.”

Then he turned to Yui and asked,

“Do you still have vegetables at home?”

Yui’s eyes darted away nervously, her cheeks flushing deeply, but she nodded in reply.

“Yes... Fusako-san brings a lot of vegetables every day.”

“I see.”

Anhe understood, then winked at Kurozato Fusako and teased,

“Come to think of it, I’ve never tasted Fusako-san’s cooking.”

“Really?” Fusako looked a bit embarrassed.

Thinking back, during the last group dinner, although she was the oldest, she had been too busy playing under-the-table games with someone, leaving the youngest, Yui, and Amamiya Sagiri to prepare the dishes.

Remembering this, Fusako put down her pen, stood up, and patted her chest, volunteering enthusiastically,

“Then tonight, dinner is on me!”

Without waiting for their response, she turned and headed for the kitchen.

After she left, only Anhe and Yui remained in the living room.

Perhaps recalling the earlier bathroom scene, Yui appeared tense. When she noticed Anhe looking at her, she quickly took several steps backward, her face flushed as she stammered,

“I-I-I’m going to help Fusako-san with cooking!”

Watching her dash into the kitchen, Anhe couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Am I really that scary?”

Just then, his phone rang from his pocket.

He picked it up and saw it was Amamiya Sagiri calling, so he answered immediately.

“I’m hungry!” came the voice on the other end—he recognized it as Amamiya Saori’s.

Before Anhe could reply, another female voice joined in; it was Sagiri’s.

“Are you coming home for dinner tonight? If not, Saori and I will just whip something up.”

Hearing this, Anhe glanced toward the kitchen.

Since the door was open, he could faintly see Fusako and Yui busy at work.

Also, Reina was still sound asleep; if she woke to find herself alone, she might be disappointed.

After some thought, Anhe decided to stay.

“I’m at Reina’s home now, so I won’t be coming back for dinner. But…”

He shifted his tone and proposed,

“Why don’t you come over and eat together? Fusako-san is here too.”

“Huh?”

Surprise came through the phone.

Initially, Sagiri felt a bit disappointed hearing Anhe wouldn’t eat at home, but her interest piqued at the latter part of his offer.

Still hesitant because her relationship with Fusako and Reina was just casual, she wasn’t sure about going to someone else’s home uninvited.

Sensing her worry, Anhe moved to the kitchen door and asked Yui,

“Yui, I have two friends coming over later. Is that okay?”

Yui, chopping tofu, turned with a radiant smile.

“As long as they’re your friends, Anhe-senpai, it’s fine. My sister just got better, so having an extra person means more joy to share.”

Anhe gave an OK sign, ready to leave, when Fusako suddenly spoke up beside Yui.

“Are these friends the Amamiya sisters?”

“Yes, both of them.”

Anhe nodded.

Fusako’s face flushed with embarrassment as she shyly asked,

“Could you ask them to bring Sakuri along? She’s still at home. I planned to cook this afternoon, but now it might be too late.”

“No problem.”

Anhe agreed.

After leaving the kitchen, he raised the phone to his mouth and cheerfully asked,

“Can you come now?”

“Got it, we’re leaving now,” Sagiri replied with a laugh.

The call ended.

Anhe waited in the living room for a while, then, bored, went to help in the kitchen.

About half an hour later, a knock sounded at the door.

Anhe, chewing on shrimp crackers freshly fried by Fusako, lazily walked to the entrance.

The door opened to reveal the Amamiya sisters, carrying various gifts.

At their feet scampered a small figure—the long-unseen Kurozato Sakuri.

When she saw Anhe, her eyes lit up instantly. She released her grip on Sagiri’s leg and dashed over like a rocket, diving into Anhe’s arms. Her head rubbed against his like a drill before she looked up excitedly:

“Anhe-nii, long time no see!”

“Long time no see, Sakuri-chan.”

Anhe smiled, rubbing her head until the little girl’s neatly braided hair was tousled into a messy nest.

Sakuri, blissfully unaware, closed her eyes and seemed to bask in the affection.

Sagiri couldn’t stand it and quickly stepped forward to separate them. She shot Anhe a glare before pulling out a compact mirror and holding it up to Sakuri.

At first puzzled, Sakuri’s expression shifted from shock to dazed to embarrassed as she saw her carefully braided hair undone into a chaotic mess.

She turned to Anhe, no longer cute and obedient but grinding her teeth fiercely. If Sagiri hadn’t pulled her back, she might have charged at him.

Unable to reach him physically, Sakuri resorted to verbal attacks.

“I hate you, Anhe-nii! You’re a bad guy!”

“Getting hated, am I?”

Anhe feigned an aggrieved look but soon burst into laughter.

Clearing his throat, he turned aside to make room and said as everyone entered,

“Let’s sit in the living room for a bit. Yui and Fusako are still in the kitchen; dinner will be ready soon.”

“I’ll help,” Sagiri said, placing her shoes in the cabinet before heading straight to the kitchen.

After she left, Saori found suitable slippers, put them on, stuck her tongue out at Anhe, said “I’ll help too,” and hurried after Sagiri.

With the two gone, only Anhe and Sakuri remained at the entrance.

Because her feet were so small, she couldn’t find suitable shoes and sat on the floor, frustrated.

Despite this, she refused to ask Anhe for help and even turned her head away shyly when he looked at her.

Seeing this, Anhe smiled resignedly, closed the door, bent down, and scooped the little girl into his arms.

The sudden loss of balance startled Sakuri, but she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pleading,

“Sakuri knows she was wrong. Please put me down.”

“Wrong about what?” Anhe teased, slipping off her round leather shoes, then carried her back to the living room and set her on the sofa.

When done, he clapped his hands and looked at the relieved Sakuri, joking,

“Still mad at big brother?”

“Mm! Not mad anymore, never mad again.”

The little girl shook her head vigorously like a rattle.

Anhe grinned proudly but refrained from teasing further. Instead, he sat down beside her and patted the seat.

“Come here, I’ll braid your hair.”

“Anhe-nii can braid hair?”

Sakuri’s eyes brightened, and she eagerly crawled beside him like a good child, abandoning her earlier hostility.

Children’s moods change swiftly; one moment angry, the next giggling over small things.

Anhe paid no mind to Sakuri’s sudden change.

Placing his hands on her head, he used his memory playback to quickly retrieve information on braiding, then followed the mental images step by step.

Though slow and unskilled, Sakuri was patient, gently swaying her head and humming an unknown nursery rhyme.

Soon after, the three in the kitchen finished preparing all the dishes.

Why three? Originally, Sagiri could assist, as she was adept at helping despite limited skills.

However, with Saori added—who never touched a thing—the situation became strange.

At first, Sagiri cracked an egg ready to cook, but the next moment her sister dumped it all raw into Fusako’s vegetable salad, thinking it was meant for her.

Having to start over, Sagiri cracked another egg, and Fusako had to remake the salad.

Fortunately, Saori realized her mistake and obediently stood aside, no longer daring to touch anything.

When the group finally emerged from the kitchen with a variety of dishes, Anhe finished braiding Sakuri’s hair.

Though slow, the result matched the image in his memory almost perfectly.

Seeing her reflection in Sagiri’s compact mirror, Sakuri was ecstatic and threw herself into Anhe’s arms, smacking his face twice with enthusiastic kisses.

“Alright, alright,” Anhe laughed, setting her back on the sofa and wiping the drool from his face.

He stood and explained,

“I’ll wake Reina. Someone will take Sakuri to wash up.”

With that, Anhe headed toward Reina Serizawa’s bedroom.

Pushing open the door, he found Reina still asleep, eyes closed, lying on the bed. Her fair, baby-faced cheeks were streaked with tears.

Anhe approached the bedside, gently resting his hand on her face, softly rubbing the tear stains away with his thumb.

Reina was in deep sleep, unawakened by the intimate touch.

Watching her, Anhe’s eyes gleamed mischievously. Smiling, he pinched her delicate nose and leaned down slowly...

“Mm…”

Her lips were suddenly covered, and with her nose pinched, Reina struggled to breathe. Her eyelashes fluttered, her face flushing red until she could bear it no longer and awoke with a start.

As her eyes opened, startled by the obstruction, she instinctively tried to push him away. But upon recognizing Anhe, she relaxed, and her push turned into an embrace.

After a moment, Anhe released her. Reina, like a fish surfacing for air, opened her lips wide, taking in deep breaths.

“Anhe-senpai, is my sister still asleep?” came Yui’s voice outside.

Anhe replied quickly,

“Reina’s sleeping deeply, but she’s awake now!”

Upon hearing this, Yui didn’t hesitate, only reminding,

“Then hurry out; we’re waiting for you two,” before turning away without opening the door.

Hearing her footsteps fade, the two inside exchanged a glance and smiled.

But soon Reina, as if recalling something, reached for her sketchpad to write.

Just as she began to write, Anhe’s sly gaze made her realize she could speak now. Blushing deeply again, she put the pad down, looked at him, and forced a calm tone:

“Anhe-kun…”

Her voice was still sweet and melodious. After a brief pause, as if summoning great courage, she continued,

“Are you free this weekend? If so, could you spend the night at our house? I’ll have Yui stay at her friend’s place for one night…”

(End of chapter)