After Yukino Yukinoshita came out of the restroom, she discovered that her sister was gone too.
She had received a message from her sister. More than anything, she felt helpless about it. She also knew that there was no chance her sister would come back at her request—her sister did exactly as she pleased, and there was no way Yukino could stop her.
All she could do was wait for her sister and Lin Ye to return.
But—
Time slipped by, second by second.
The girl with long black hair stood quietly waiting in a corner of the corridor, yet the two of them never returned.
"Beep beep…"
"The number you have dialed is not within range of service."
"Please try again later."
"Beep beep…"
"The…"
After waiting another ten minutes without the two returning, Yukino couldn't help but take out her phone and call Lin Ye and her sister Haruno one after the other.
But as a result, neither call connected, which made Yukino's expression change.
"What are they doing?"
"Suddenly vanishing, and not even reachable by phone?"
Could it be because of the underground parking garage?
That was possible, but was it really appropriate for them to still be down in the underground garage after all this time?
After thinking it over again and again, Yukino decided to go down to the underground parking garage to take a look. So she set off toward the vertical elevator, waited for it to arrive, and pressed the button for B2, the underground garage.
Two minutes later, she successfully reached the underground parking garage.
Following her memory, Yukino came to the spot where the car had been parked, but it was completely empty, without a single figure in sight.
And the back seat held no gift bags either.
"Did they put everything in the trunk?"
But she didn't have the keys, so she couldn't open it, nor could she make any accurate judgment.
Yet neither of them was here, and after all this time without a single word of contact, she couldn't help letting her imagination run wild.
"That woman, my sister, she wouldn't be fooling around, would she!"
Yukino grew worried, and a faint trace of tension surfaced on her delicate, cool face.
After that, she waited in the underground parking garage for another two minutes without seeing anyone arrive, so for safety's sake she stepped toward the elevator lobby and returned to the floor where she had originally been waiting.
The enormous mall, with its scattered shoppers wandering back and forth, occasionally drew gazes that fell upon Yukino.
As a beautiful girl, Yukino Yukinoshita had always received gazes from all directions whenever she went out, and she was used to it.
Even…
"Um… hello…"
A young man had worked up the courage to come before the girl. He was a little nervous.
Yukino Yukinoshita raised her eyes.
She was no stranger to men who approached her like this to strike up a conversation.
Generally speaking, she would refuse, but at least her attitude would be normal—not too cold. Now, however, her mood was terrible. She had simply gone to the restroom, and her own sister and her boyfriend had vanished, who knew where to.
"I'm not well,"
Yukino Yukinoshita's voice was ice-cold, instantly making the man who'd come to chat her up flinch. He prided himself on being handsome; in the past his pickups had basically never been refused, and on the rare occasion he was rejected, the girl's attitude would still be polite—at the very least never as cold as the girl with long black hair before him now.
"Sorry to bother you,"
The man instinctively apologized at once, then turned and left.
And in the direction he returned, there were several of his buddies.
Seeing him come back crestfallen, two of the men burst into loud laughter.
"The ever-victorious great lover got shot down this time,"
"I told you that woman's at a high level—she's not someone you can just casually work,"
"Seeing you rejected so coldly makes me so happy, hahaha,"
...
The two of them teased him. The man who'd returned wore an ugly expression, but he didn't refute or retaliate; that was just how their relationship was.
"If you've got the guts, go up to her yourselves—don't just stand here mocking. If you can seal the deal and get her contact number, I'll cover all three meals a day for a whole week starting tomorrow,"
"Whoa! Fine, I'll go,"
A blond man patted his chest and stepped forward.
But when he'd come to within three meters of Yukino Yukinoshita, her cold gaze swept over toward him.
It made the blond man cower.
Their earlier conversation must surely have been overheard, which was why the girl was already reacting with rejection now.
She stared, saying nothing at all, yet it was as if she'd said everything.
The blond man gritted his teeth and prepared to take another step.
The girl spoke. "Get lost."
One word that conveyed her refusal.
Those cold words sent anger welling up and bursting forth in the blond man.
What the hell!
What is this woman putting on airs for, acting all aloof.
He clenched his teeth and stomped angrily toward Yukino Yukinoshita, looming over her. "Woman, what did you just say?"
Drawing on the advantage of his physique, he displayed his intimidation.
When his two companions noticed, they quickly hurried over. One of them was about to talk him down, but the moment he opened his mouth he was stopped by Blondie.
"Apologize, woman. Apologize and I'll forgive you. Otherwise…"
Yukino Yukinoshita showed not the slightest wavering, gazing calmly at the three men before her. "Get lost."
Still a single crisp word.
All three of them heard it clearly.
"You…"
Blondie was furious, already clenching his fist.
"Oh my, oh my,"
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Three grown men want to bully my little sister?"
The somewhat playful voice sounded, and Haruno appeared with large strides.
Her hair was the tiniest bit disheveled, and there was a bit of dust on her face, yet the outfit she wore was entirely brand new.
Seeing this, Yukino couldn't help but frown. Her sister had changed into a completely different set of clothes—just what had she been doing?
"You are…"
"Haruno Yukinoshita. If my little sister has done anything rude, I'll apologize to the three of you on her behalf."
Yukinoshita?
"And if the three of you want to bully my little sister, then as her older sister I'll definitely keep you company."
Faced with Haruno's arrival, the three men—Blondie especially—cooled their heads.
"Keep your little sister in line, or she'll get beaten up out here sooner or later,"
Tossing out that line, the three of them—Blondie included—left first.
Apart from it being because of Haruno, there was also the fact that quite a few people around had already cast their gazes over, and they'd noticed the mall's security personnel as well.
If they really started a fight, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Besides, this woman clearly wasn't someone to be trifled with—her outfit was quite expensive, her family was surely rich or powerful, and provoking a woman like that would never end well for them.
Blondie and his two companions left.
Only the two sisters remained.
"Yukino, when you're out and about and on your own, you should try your best to avoid conflict with strangers,"
Haruno advised.
She felt her little sister really shouldn't be like this, not even knowing how to protect herself when out.
"Just now, if those three had made a move, even though you know Aikido, you couldn't possibly have been their match, and in the end the one who'd suffer would be you,"
She walked over to her little sister's side and gently patted Yukino's shoulder. "So, don't do anything like that again from now on. There are tactful ways to refuse people too,"
But faced with her sister's advice, she knew all this.
It was just that what she cared about right now wasn't this matter, but what her sister had been off doing during that stretch of time.
Her sister was back—so why hadn't Lin Ye returned yet?
Had her sister deliberately come back first, to avoid being caught with Lin Ye at the same time and causing a misunderstanding?
"Sister, I understand."
"It's good that you understand,"
"Then, Sister, please answer my question. Where did you go just now?"
She stared, gazing intently, waiting for an answer.
There was no way her sister had done nothing; otherwise why would she have suddenly changed clothes—and into clothes that hadn't even been purchased before? She'd clearly gone and bought a brand-new outfit in the mall and changed into it.
"Where? Nowhere. I was in the mall the whole time."
Haruno said with a smile.
"Sister, please don't fob me off,"
"I really was in the mall, believe me. How could I, your sister, ever dare deceive you, Yukino!"
What she said was truer than purest gold.
It was just that this mall wasn't the real-world mall, but the Strange mall of the Inner World.
"I couldn't get through to your phone,"
"Uh, maybe the signal was bad,"
"I couldn't get through to Lin Ye's phone either,"
"Oh my, oh my, was Lin-kun's phone signal bad too? What a coincidence,"
That matter-of-fact look made the corner of Yukino Yukinoshita's mouth twitch with intense displeasure.
This woman—just what had she done? Even now there was no way she'd say, wearing the very picture of someone determined to conceal something.
"Sister,"
"Yukino, stop asking,"
"I want to know. I have the right to know where my own elder sister and my fiancé went, and what they did."
Her face was stern, her attitude resolute—the very image of someone who would absolutely not give up unless Haruno told her.
"Sigh, do you really want me to say it?"
"Say it,"
"You won't be able to accept it,"
"..."
Could they really have done something?
Had these two done something unspeakable while she'd briefly gone to the restroom?
Outrageous.
Unbelievable.
But Yukino still held on to a trace of doubt; she felt Lin Ye shouldn't be that kind of person.
No, Lin Ye was absolutely not that kind of person.
"Say it,"
"Well, actually!"
Haruno pulled Yukino to an empty spot, to keep their conversation from being overheard by others.
"It's that Lin-kun took advantage of a girl,"
"A pretty female yoga instructor with a great figure was head over heels for Lin-kun, practically throwing herself at him, and Lin-kun couldn't hold back and made a move—took advantage of her,"
Yukino: ???
Instinctively she didn't believe it, because Lin Ye really wasn't that kind of person.
But her sister's perfectly solemn and serious manner made her feel that what her sister said was true, that there was no reason for her to be deceiving her.
"You don't believe it?"
"..."
"I'll take you there. It's on the fourth floor—there's a yoga studio, and she's there."
Haruno wasn't completely certain, but according to the information the group had said at the time, the female yoga instructor ought to be in the mall, and if the place of entry matched the place of exit, the likelihood of the female yoga instructor being at the yoga studio was the greatest.
"Let's go!"
Haruno simply pulled her little sister along, taking the escalator up to the fourth floor.
The two walked along the corridor, and soon a yoga studio in a somewhat out-of-the-way location appeared.
"Hello, are you two here to sign up for yoga classes?"
The receptionist saw the eager gleam in Haruno and Yukino's eyes.
At a glance she figured they were wealthy women, and the classes could be sold.
If she could successfully make the pitch, her commission would be high too, and she was extremely excited.
"We're here to find instructor Kurosawa Eiko,"
"Oh, Kurosawa-sensei?"
"That's right. Can you help us contact her? We met just a little while ago,"
"This… I suppose that's fine!"
Since the other party was here for one of the yoga studio's instructors, she could only accept it.
"Please have a seat here for a moment,"
The receptionist guided the two to sit on the sofa, then went in to look for Kurosawa Eiko.
A few minutes later, Kurosawa Eiko appeared.
Having barely escaped death, the first thing she'd done upon returning was confirm she was safe before beginning to rest.
In the Strange mall, she had been utterly worn out in body and spirit.
She'd even rested right in the yoga studio's lounge, without so much as the inclination to go home. Compared to her apartment where she lived alone, she still felt the yoga studio was better; the faint sounds actually put her at ease.
"Knock knock knock…"
But a sudden knocking at the door woke her.
"Who is it?"
"Kurosawa-sensei, someone's here to see you,"
"I'm very tired. Next time,"
"She says her surname is Yukinoshita,"
Kurosawa Eiko: ???
Because she was so exhausted, and because of her safety, she'd forgotten about this matter.
Kurosawa Eiko propped up her body and stood, then walked with measured steps out to the front, where she soon saw Haruno Yukinoshita and another girl with long black hair.
This girl bore a seventy-percent resemblance to Haruno Yukinoshita.
At a glance they were clearly sisters.
Kurosawa Eiko immediately confirmed the identity of this girl with long black hair.
"Miss Kurosawa, looks like you haven't rested enough?"
"What is it that the Yukinoshita miss needs?"
"To talk about the matter of Lin-kun taking advantage of you, of course, Miss Kurosawa."
Kurosawa Eiko's gaze unconsciously flicked aside, and she caught the shifting expression on Yukino Yukinoshita's face.
Here to call her to account?
But she was the one taken advantage of—she was the victim, all right?
Although she also knew that it had been her own willing and active doing.
"I don't mind."
In the end, Kurosawa Eiko said this.
But Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes flickered. This single sentence meant Lin Ye really had taken advantage of Kurosawa Eiko.
She swept her gaze up and down once.
In terms of looks and figure, this female yoga instructor was very alluring—her figure was even better than her sister's, and compared to her own there was no need to even mention it.
"Please explain in detail, Miss Kurosawa."
Yukino Yukinoshita made her demand.
"And you are?"
The female yoga instructor feigned confusion.
"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself,"
At this moment, Yukino Yukinoshita's aura unfolded fully. "I am Yukino Yukinoshita, and also Lin Ye's fiancée. I want to know what my fiancé did to you. If there was anything improper in what he did, I'll make him bear the corresponding consequences."
She wanted to know what had happened, wanted to know what excessive thing that scoundrel Lin Ye had done to this woman during that brief stretch of time just now.
Wasn't he not starved for it?
No—from her own firsthand experience lately, she could still feel that Lin Ye was starved for it.
But no matter what, he shouldn't have made a move on a strange woman like this!
If he really had a need, he could come to her!
If that wouldn't do, he could go to Tokyo and find Mai Sakurajima.
And failing even that, wasn't there still her sister!
This was exactly what was on Yukino Yukinoshita's mind at this very moment.
...
...
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