Chapter Twenty-Nine: Coconut Milk Cannot Be Enlarged!

In front of the Serizawa family home.

Adjusting his grip on the fruit he carried, Anhe knocked on the door. Inside, there was a commotion, as if something had been knocked over, followed by hurried footsteps thudding across the floor.

With a click, the door opened. A cautious little head peeked out, but as soon as she recognized Anhe and Yusheng, her face lit up with delight.

“Good afternoon, Rena,” Anhe greeted her with a smile. Serizawa Rena quickly swung the door open.

“Good afternoon! Please, come in!” she chirped, waving a sketchbook she’d clearly prepared in front of Anhe. She hurriedly stepped aside, and Anhe accepted the invitation, stepping inside.

Today, Serizawa Rena was dressed in pink pajamas with rabbit ears, which complemented her petite frame and made her look adorably cute.

At the entrance, after changing his shoes, Anhe noticed another pair of women’s shoes nearby. Remembering Serizawa Rena’s younger sister, he asked curiously, “Is your sister home already?”

He recalled that yesterday Serizawa Yui had arrived at about the same time.

Caught off-guard by the question, Serizawa Rena looked flustered. She quickly pulled a marker from her pocket and scribbled something on the sketchpad before holding it to her chest.

“She wasn’t feeling well today, so she didn’t go to school. She’s resting in her bedroom.”

“Sick?” Anhe was surprised, as Serizawa Yui had seemed perfectly healthy just yesterday.

Rena nodded, then, feeling her answer was incomplete, hastily added to the sketchpad.

“It seems she drank some expired coconut milk last night.”

“Why weren’t you affected?” Anhe’s confusion deepened. Rena quickly explained again on the sketchpad.

“I don’t like coconut milk!!!”

No wonder, thought Anhe, uttering it almost to himself. His gaze swept quickly over Rena’s chest—flat yet somehow full of life—before he wandered toward the living room, remarking casually, “I’ll go check on Yui.”

What kind of look was that?!

Sensing his bold glance, Rena longed to shout, but, unable to speak aloud, could only stomp her foot in frustration.

At Yui’s bedroom door, Anhe knocked gently. When a voice inside called, “Come in,” he pushed the door open and entered.

The fresh scent unique to young girls greeted him as he stepped in.

“It’s Anhe,” came Yui’s voice. He followed the sound and saw her half-reclining against the pink headboard of her bed. In front of her lay an open book, and Anhe immediately recognized the cover as his old middle school English textbook.

“I heard from your sister that you’re not feeling well,” Anhe said, taking a seat at the desk beside the bed, curious about the book in front of her. “Is the pressure from studying getting to you?”

Yui glanced at the book and smiled, shaking her head. “Not really, but the exams are coming up soon, so I’m just getting a bit of a head start.”

“I see,” Anhe replied, understanding. After a pause, he suddenly asked, “I remember yesterday you mentioned your family owes a lot of money?”

“Yes,” Yui answered bluntly, then couldn’t help but sigh.

Though only thirteen, she was mature enough to understand the family’s circumstances. Her sister’s condition hadn’t improved, and their parents worked away from home. The monthly remittances just barely covered the sisters’ basic needs, as most of the money was used to pay off debts.

She could hardly recall the last time she’d bought clothes.

Noticing the disappointment on Yui’s face, Anhe sighed inwardly.

Every family has its own troubles.

Just then, the door behind him was knocked. Turning, he saw Rena standing in the doorway, holding a sketchpad and balancing two glasses of water.

Seeing the eyes of both siblings on her, she stepped into the room.

“Big sister…” Yui called softly, then noticed the half-empty packet of stomach medicine peeking from Rena’s pajama pocket, and her expression soured.

Rena glared fiercely at her, then handed one glass to Anhe.

“Thank you,” Anhe said, accepting it but hesitating to drink. Though he trusted these two girls wouldn’t hurt him, after this morning’s incident, he’d developed a psychological aversion to water.

If it had been Ito Nobue instead of the bald math teacher…

Anhe shuddered involuntarily.

Beside him, after handing the water to Anhe, Rena pulled out the packet of granular stomach medicine and, under Yui’s despairing gaze, emptied it into the other glass.

The granules dissolved instantly in the hot water. Rena swirled the glass gently until the powder was fully dissolved, then handed it to Yui.

With a grimace, Yui took the glass in both hands, swallowed, and put on a look of heroic resolve. Ignoring the heat, she closed her eyes, raised her head, and downed the entire glass in one go.

Whoa, what a tough girl.

Watching the scene, Anhe couldn’t help but be impressed.

Yui’s face scrunched up as she handed back the empty glass, but Rena didn’t take it immediately. Instead, she slowly raised her sketchpad.

“Don’t drink coconut milk anymore. No matter how much you drink, it won’t make things bigger.”

Yui’s little scheme had been discovered, and her face flushed bright red. Seeing Anhe about to turn his head toward her, she quickly pressed the sketchpad down and blocked his view with her hand, winking desperately at Rena.

“I understand, sis. I’ll take my medicine properly from now on,” she said.

Rena, seeing her sister’s red face, shook her head helplessly, then pointed toward the door to signal she was leaving and walked out with her sketchpad.

Watching her leave, Yui breathed a sigh of relief, but when she looked at her flat chest, her face fell once again.

Her classmates were starting to bloom, but she still looked like a washboard.

Thinking she might end up like her older sister made Yui feel bitter.

She longed for the surprise of an A-cup.

Anhe, unaware of her secret wishes, simply thought Yui disliked taking medicine. After a moment’s thought, he pulled a chocolate-flavored Alpen lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and held it out to Yui.

“Want one? It’ll help with the bitter taste in your mouth.”

The sudden appearance of the lollipop snapped Yui from her thoughts. Realizing Anhe was offering it, her cheeks reddened, but she didn’t refuse and took it.

“Thank you, Anhe,” she said, popping the lollipop into her mouth.

Anhe felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped to feed it to her himself.

Seeing the pain leave Yui’s face, Anhe stood up.

“Get some rest. I’ll go check on your sister.”

“Okay, go ahead, Anhe,” Yui replied with a smile and a nod.

Leaving the bedroom, Anhe closed the door and headed for the living room.

He saw a pink figure sprawled across the sofa and walked over, curiosity piqued.

“Rena, what are you doing lying there?” he asked.

Rena was pleased to hear Anhe call her name, but upon hearing his wording, her expression changed instantly. She shot upright from the sofa and glared at Anhe with fierce eyes.

Who’s lying down?