Chapter Sixty-One: A New Ending for Sayu Amamiya!
The process of kneading dough is a unique experience, one that requires both patience and skill.
In her previous life, An He had never worked with dough, but fortunately, she had watched plenty of tutorials, so she wasn’t completely at a loss. Picking up a ball of dough, she pressed it gently with her fingers, savoring its soft texture, then flattened it with her palm, pushing it outwards from the center, and folding the sides back in. She repeated this process over and over until the dough became smooth and elastic, a small bump forming on its surface—a sign that her work was done.
…
After dusting the flour from her hands, An He picked up the rolling pin and moved on to the next step. She divided the dough into small portions, rolling each one into a thin, round wrapper for dumplings. Ameya Sayuri filled each wrapper and pinched them closed.
With their seamless cooperation, the cutting board was soon full of delicate, perfectly shaped dumplings.
“Into the pot!” An He declared with a grand gesture.
Ameya nodded and slid all the dumplings into the boiling water.
Now, all that remained was to wait for the dumplings to cook.
Dumplings were enjoyed in Japan as well, so when An He learned at noon that she wouldn’t be working part-time anymore, she suggested making dumplings for dinner. Perhaps because this was the first time dumplings would be the main course, Ameya seemed especially attentive, keeping a close watch on the pot as the dumplings cooked.
Seeing her so focused, An He didn’t disturb her. Instead, he busied himself preparing the dipping sauces for the meal.
A few minutes later, the dumplings were all cooked, and An He had finished two bowls of sauce. He carried the steaming dumplings into the living room, and the two of them began their dinner.
“Itadakimasu,” Ameya said softly, pressing her palms together. She picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks, blew on it gently, and held it to An He’s lips.
An He didn’t refuse, biting into the dumpling in one mouthful. Then he picked up another dumpling and offered it to Ameya, who took a small bite.
Their dinner passed in this gentle exchange of feeding one another.
After the meal, Ameya cleared the table while An He brought his notebook labeled “Sword Art Online” into the living room.
His progress had been delayed that afternoon by the dumpling-making, so he’d only managed to write up to the protagonist Kirito’s first encounter with the heroine, Asuna.
Sitting cross-legged at the coffee table, An He massaged his wrist before picking up his pen and continuing to write.
“Sword Art Online” was divided into four arcs: Aincrad, Fairy Dance, Phantom Bullet, and finally the Alicization arc. An He only planned to write the Aincrad and Phantom Bullet arcs; as for the others, he had no plans for the time being.
The two arcs together would total about 300,000 words, and An He intended to finish them within a week—that meant writing 50,000 words a day.
It was an extremely difficult task, but with the aid of “Memory Playback,” he could copy everything without needing time to think.
Just as he finished another sentence, a voice suddenly sounded beside him.
“Are you still working on what you started this afternoon?”
He turned to see Ameya Sayuri, her hands resting on her knees as she leaned forward to peer at the notebook on the table. As she moved, her twin tails fell gracefully to either side, and with her collar open, the snowy peaks of her chest were revealed.
“What’s the matter?” Seeing An He staring at her in a daze, Ameya asked instinctively. But as soon as she spoke, she realized where his gaze lingered and her cheeks flushed red.
She tried to stand, but An He moved first, pulling her into his arms so she landed in his lap. His arms encircled her, and her softness pressed against him.
Breathing in her delicate scent, An He grinned, leaning close to whisper in her ear, “Sayuri, you came to me yourself—don’t blame me for this.”
Feeling his warm breath at her ear, Ameya shrank her neck and instinctively protested, “I didn’t…”
“Really? I thought you did that on purpose,” An He replied, feigning disappointment, then suddenly nipped at her earlobe.
He was gentle, but the warmth and the moisture of his breath made Ameya’s body stiffen, and she shifted anxiously in his arms.
“Yusei, stop it…” she pleaded softly, her face flushed, but An He didn’t stop. Instead, his hands began to wander...
After a while, Ameya lay with her flushed face pillowed on An He’s chest, her body limp and nestled in his embrace.
She had given up resisting, choosing instead to enjoy the lovely moments they’d shared kneading the dough together earlier.
Suddenly, the movement at her chest stopped.
Ameya lifted her head instinctively, her misty eyes meeting An He’s, full of confusion.
He gazed back at her, not lowering his head as he usually did, but with his lips slightly parted, a look of astonishment on his face.
Because at that moment, in An He’s eyes, Ameya Sayuri’s status panel had changed.
[Name: Ameya Sayuri]
[Current State: Spring Awakening]
[Current Affection: 97 (Obsessed)]
[Current Desire: 67/100 (Note: The higher the desire value, the more things you can do together.)]
[Available Endings:]
[1. Early Blessing: Condition—Have relations with Ameya Sayuri. (Reward: 20 basic skill points.)]
[2. Forbidden Love: Condition—After completing Ending 1, marry Ameya Saori. (Reward: Ameya Sayuri receives a bloodstained fruit knife, suspected to be from “the World.”)]
[3. Eternal Love: Condition—Marry Ameya Sayuri. (Reward: Two Rings of the Heart. Note: When both wear the rings, no matter the distance, you can always let the other feel your presence.)]
[4. Profane Love: Condition—Both Ameya Sayuri and Ameya Saori reach 100 affection. (Title reward: The Seventh Son. Note: With this title, seven times is no longer the limit, but the starting point.)]
[Special Note: Of these four endings, all except the second can be achieved cumulatively!]
…
After reading all the information, An He’s heart surged with emotion!
Truly…
[Heaven is on your side!]
[Last night, Sayuri’s sevenfold reward nearly did you in! You were just thinking of finding some tonic to recover, but who would have thought—a pillow arrives for your nap! With the Seventh Son title, you’ll never have to worry again, as long as you avoid Ending 2. If memory serves…]
“Mm!”
An He didn’t catch the rest of the narrator’s words.
Perhaps annoyed that An He was still daydreaming while holding her, Ameya decided to take the initiative.
“Mm…”
The soft, warm touch brought An He back from his thoughts, and almost instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the girl before him.
She, too, reached up to caress his cheek, lifting her face to respond as best she could.