"Yukino... why are you here?"
Natsuki looked surprised.
"I've been living with my sister during this time." Yukino raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, her gaze scrutinizing, "Garbage-kun, what are you doing here?"
What am I doing?
Of course, I'm here by invitation to replenish your sister's mana!
Unfortunately, he couldn't say it openly, or he might be thrown out by Yukino.
After two seconds of contemplation, Natsuki gave his answer:
"...You guess."
Yukino: "..."
The air was silent.
It was clear that Hirano clenched her small fists, and the words 'extremely annoyed' appeared on her pretty face.
"Oh, Yukino, quickly move aside and let Natsuki-kun in. I'm the one who called Natsuki-kun over for dinner."
Fortunately, at this moment, Haruno walked out of the kitchen, wearing a panda apron around her waist and holding a stainless steel spoon, smiling sweetly:
"Natsuki-kun accidentally traveled to a Apocalypse world and must have suffered a lot. Now that he's returned after all that hard work, of course, he should be well-treated, and also get to taste my cooking."
Haruno's words were reasonable and unrefutable.
However, Yukino knew very well that her sister's words were all excuses.
Haruno never liked cooking, saying that the oil fumes would harm her skin, and her cooking skills were very mediocre. So, what she was serving Garbage-kun wasn't food, but herself, right?
"Haruno-nee, excuse my intrusion."
Natsuki stepped into the genkan.
Haruno smiled:
"Yukino, quickly get the slippers we bought yesterday and have Natsuki-kun put them on."
Natsuki looked at Yukino and said:
"Thank you, Yukino."
"Stare—"
Yukino crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, looking over.
Natsuki said innocently:
"This is my first visit, so I naturally don't know where the slippers are kept. I can only trouble Yukino."
"Hmph..."
Yukino exhaled lightly, bent down, opened the shoe cabinet, and took out a new pair of men's slippers, placing them in front of Natsuki.
"Many thanks." Natsuki thanked her while handing over the fruit he was holding, "Yukino, take these and wash them."
Yukino bit her silver teeth lightly, took the fruit, and turned to leave.
Natsuki slowly changed into the slippers, then surveyed the apartment where the two sisters lived, and quickly gave his evaluation:
Rich and willful.
The Yukinoshita family belonged to the local powerful families of Chiba Prefecture and were not short of money at all. The high-end apartment they were currently renting was luxuriously decorated, with all kinds of high-end furniture, and could definitely be called a mansion.
"Haruno-nee, is there anything I can help with?"
Natsuki walked to the kitchen door and asked.
"Not for now." Haruno smiled, "Natsuki-kun, watch TV for a bit, the food will be ready soon."
Natsuki stepped into the kitchen and lowered his voice:
"Why is Yukino here?"
Haruno subtly winked: "The apartment has several rooms, you know. When we go back to the room, we'll lock the door, and there's no way Yukino will burst in... Besides, with Yukino next door, Natsuki-kun will definitely be more excited, right?"
Natsuki: "..."
He admitted it, no more pretending. It did sound a bit exciting.
Haruno leaned closer, her breath like orchids, and whispered in his ear:
"And, and, if Natsuki-kun can convince Yukino to join, I don't mind."
"Sorry, I can't do that." Natsuki couldn't help but retort, "Unless tomorrow is the end of the world, only then might Yukino agree to a sisters rice bowl."
"Eh?" Haruno covered her mouth with her hand, a shocked expression on her face. "I was just saying it casually, but Natsuki-kun really wants to put Yukino and me together?"
"Saying it casually, huh?"
Natsuki narrowed his eyes, then suddenly reached out, pulled Haruno into his arms, and lowered his head to kiss her.
Even if you're a university student, if you cause trouble, you have to be prepared for the consequences!
"Mmm…"
Haruno's long eyelashes trembled slightly. Aside from a hint of shyness, her body showed no resistance at all. She directly wrapped her arms around him and responded.
Thump thump thump.
Unfortunately, not long after, footsteps could be heard from outside the kitchen.
Natsuki heard the movement and decisively released Haruno.
The kitchen used transparent glass doors, and if Yukino walked in on them, they would definitely be kicked out.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Haruno's pretty face was flushed, her breathing slightly rapid, her lips slightly parted, her eyes moist. She cooed in a sweet and cloying voice:
"Natsuki-kun, I want more~"
Natsuki: "…"
In terms of charming men, Haruno's skill level clearly surpassed everyone else. Natsuki was willing to call her the strongest.
Half an hour later.
Lunch began.
Due to the side effects of her succubus physique, Haruno currently found food tasteless, like chewing wax. No matter how delicious the dish, it was difficult to swallow, so she sat directly beside Natsuki, serving him during the meal.
"Natsuki-kun, ah~ open your mouth."
"Natsuki-kun, would you like a drink?"
"Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll get it for you."
"…"
Facing Haruno's service, Natsuki accepted everything without refusal.
Yukino sat across the dining table, her eyes downcast, holding her bowl and chopsticks, quietly eating, seemingly oblivious to their actions.
Haruno took a sip of her drink, propped her chin with her right hand, and said:
"Speaking of which, there's some good news I haven't told Natsuki-kun yet. Natsuki-kun will definitely be very happy when he hears it."
Natsuki looked over curiously and asked:
"What news?"
Haruno propped her chin with her right hand, closed one eye, and smiled charmingly:
"It's about Yukino. Natsuki can guess, you know."
Natsuki pondered:
"Did Yukino master a new skill?"
Haruno shook her head and said:
"Wrong answer, guess again."
Natsuki looked at Yukino, his gaze scanning her up and down:
"Then… did she finally get rid of the title 'Hirano'?"
The chopsticks in Yukino's hand suddenly paused, then she continued eating as if nothing had happened, without lifting her head. Only under the table, one of her feet stomped hard on Natsuki's instep.
"You guessed wrong again." Haruno announced the answer. "The summer vacation is almost over. When the new semester starts, Yukino will transfer to a school in Tokyo… Aren't you surprised? Isn't it unexpected?"
"Yukino is transferring to Tokyo?"
Natsuki's eyes lit up slightly:
"It really is good news."
Haruno said softly:
"Currently, Strange Tale incidents are frequently occurring all over the world. If Yukino is alone in Chiba and encounters an anomaly, I won't be able to help in time, so it's safer for her to transfer to Tokyo."
"That's right." Natsuki nodded in agreement. "It's better to be safe than sorry. Ensuring your own safety is the most important thing."
After lunch.
After clearing the dishes.
Haruno hugged Natsuki's arm and waved to Yukino with a smile:
"Natsuki-kun and I have something very important to discuss, so we'll go back to the room first."
Yukino: "…"
You're going back to the room so eagerly right after eating, do you really think I don't exist?!
And you're doing it right in front of me, even a person made of dough wouldn't be able to ignore that!
Yukino took a deep breath and prepared to get up and leave.
She would never come to this apartment again!
Fortunately, at this moment, Natsuki suddenly coughed twice and said:
"Haruno-nee, let's not go to the room. Let's watch some TV in the living room. I have something to do this afternoon, so I need to go back early."
Going to the room with Haruno right in front of Yukino?
Only an idiot would do that.
There are no girls in the world who don't get jealous, and Yukino is naturally no exception.
If he really went into the room with Haruno right in front of Yukino, she would definitely be one hundred percent angry, and given Yukino's personality, he would most likely be ignored for a period of time afterwards.
Although Natsuki wanted to tease Haruno, he couldn't neglect one for the other.
Therefore, staying under Yukino's watchful eye was the wisest choice.
As for replenishing Haruno's energy, Natsuki had already told Haruno in the kitchen that he had mastered a new skill, 'Dream Link', and could try replenishing her energy in a dream.
If replenishing energy in a dream didn't work, then he would have Haruno come over to visit at night… In short, half a day wouldn't make a difference.
"Alright then."
Haruno blinked and agreed, her tone regretful:
"I still wanted to roll around with Natsuki-kun and replenish my energy."
Natsuki looked at her speechlessly:
"Haruno-nee, that's enough."
You say you want to roll around, but what you really want to do is to evade taxes in front of Yukino, isn't it?
The afternoon was quite peaceful.
Sunlight streamed through the large French windows, exceptionally bright.
The sofa was soft and fluffy.
Natsuki leaned back on the sofa, watched TV for a while, and soon closed his eyes, falling asleep quickly.
As a player, mastering the skill of falling asleep quickly is one of the essential abilities, because you never know what situations you might encounter, and you must replenish your energy as quickly as possible.
"Hoo…"
Haruno covered her mouth with her hand and yawned, "I'm a bit sleepy… Yukino, I'm going to sleep for a bit."
Not long after, Haruno's breathing became regular.
"She actually fell asleep?"
Yukino was slightly surprised. She picked up the remote control and turned off the TV, and the living room immediately became quiet.
It is well known that human yawns and sleep are contagious.
Yukino originally had no plans for a nap, but influenced by Haruno's yawn, she unconsciously felt her eyelids grow heavy. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she slowly closed her eyes.
At the same time.
"Eh, is this the Dream World?"
Looking at the familiar man-made cave in front of her, Haruno quickly recognized it:
"This is the cave we dug ourselves when we were on the island."
Earlier in the kitchen, Natsuki had told Haruno about the two modes of Dream Link: the lucid dream mode and the immersive dream mode.
Since she had never experienced the skill's effects, Haruno, to be safe, chose to try the lucid dream mode.
And the so-called lucid dream mode, simply put, means being clearly aware that you are in a dream.
Natsuki looked at the familiar cave in front of him, feeling a sense of returning to an old haunt:
"Why did Haruno-nee dream of the deserted island scenario?"
The current dream owner was Haruno, and the deserted island survival was Haruno's dream content.
Haruno spread her arms and took a deep breath, feeling that even the scent of the sea breeze in the air was incredibly real. She smiled sweetly and said:
"Because so many things happened on this island, they are all incredibly precious and beautiful memories."
It was clearly a terrifying nightmare that made people sink, there weren't many beautiful memories, were there!
Natsuki took half a step forward, reached out and wrapped his arm around Haruno's soft, slender waist, his gaze burning:
"Now it's time to replenish your energy."
Haruno's pretty face flushed slightly, and she placed her hands on Natsuki's chest:
"Natsuki-kun is too impatient. Since it's a dream, we should have a lot of time, right?"
"I don't know." Natsuki shook his head. "This is only the second time I've used the Dream Link skill. I'm not sure about the time flow issue yet, nor when the dream will end."
"Mmm…" Haruno nodded gently, her pretty face flushed, and her voice involuntarily lowered, "Then let's replenish the energy first."
Perhaps because it was a lucid dream, even though she knew she was dreaming, all the sensations were still incredibly real.
The sunlight shining on her body.
The damp sea breeze.
Burning skin.
Hot breath, and so on.
All the sensations were almost identical to real-life experiences.
Just then, a light 'clink' suddenly sounded from outside the cave.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki turned his head to look outside the cave:
"It sounds like the can alarm we set up before."
"Eh?" Haruno asked curiously, "Isn't this a dream? Will there be other people?"
Natsuki said:
"Let's go out and see what's happening."
"…"
The two walked out of the cave and soon saw a black-haired girl with a bewildered expression standing outside the cave, looking around blankly.
"Eh?" Haruno widened her eyes. "Is that Yukino?"
"…Sister?"
Hearing the movement, Yukino turned her head to look over, but her expression and movements were clearly a bit sluggish.
"Natsuki-kun, what's going on?" Haruno lowered her voice, curious. "Is this a Yukino created by the dream?"
Natsuki narrowed his eyes and looked over. Not long after, a prompt quietly appeared before his eyes:
[After careful observation, you discover that the Yukino in front of you is not a dream creation, but the real Yukino, who was taking a nap and accidentally got pulled into the dream.]
"So that's how it is." Natsuki quickly explained, "It's not a fake Yukino, it's the real Yukino who fell asleep and then got pulled into the dream… Looking at her current state, she should be in immersive dream mode."
"Is that so?"
Looking at the confused and bewildered Yukino, Haruno's lips curved upwards, and a pleasant smile appeared on her face:
"Things suddenly got interesting."
With herself in lucid dream mode and Yukino in immersive dream mode, in just a short moment, Haruno had already thought of a hundred ways to tease Yukino.
"Mmm hmm, Yukino, come here quickly."
Haruno waved and called out.
"Sister… Where is this?" Yukino walked over, her eyes lacking some of the usual liveliness from reality, looking inexplicably dazed and cute, "It feels so familiar."
"It's a deserted island." Haruno said seriously, "We were returning from a trip to Hawaii, and the Titanic we were on encountered an iceberg in the Atlantic. The ship sank, and only the three of us survived, stranded on a deserted island…"
"Is that so?"
Yukino covered her forehead, feeling vaguely that something was not right.
"That's exactly right." Haruno smiled, "We've been stranded on this deserted island for half a year, and the rescue team hasn't appeared yet, and probably won't. So, Natsuki-kun and I have become husband and wife… Yukino, hurry up and call him brother-in-law."