"…Brother-in-law?"
Yukino covered her forehead and murmured.
In her mind, the Garbage-kun in front of her was not a brother-in-law at all, but the boy she liked, and it seemed many, many things had happened between them.
There was the time they climbed a tower crane barehanded on a stormy, rainy night.
And the two of them standing on the world's peak of a majestic snowy mountain, embracing under the boundless cosmos.
Climbing a super waterfall without protection, as if the Milky Way was falling from the heavens, and then embracing each other as they leaped down from the waterfall.
There was even a time in a certain hotel when she actively pushed Garbage-kun onto the bed…
The human brain has self-protection functions, and many memories are forgotten as they are washed away by the river of time.
But there are always some memory scenes that solidify into amber in time, occasionally surging up from the depths of memory, never fading, impossible to forget.
"Strange… Is Sister mistaken?"
Yukino furrowed her delicate brows, her tone doubtful.
"Oh dear~ Yukino accidentally bumped her head just now, it's normal not to remember, don't force it." Haruno extended her right hand and patted Yukino's head, then said with a serious expression, "Now there's something very important I need to entrust to Yukino."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Natsuki and I haven't eaten anything for three days, three days." Haruno held up three fingers, "Now we're so hungry we can't walk and our heads are spinning. Please go to the sea and find some food, otherwise, we won't see tomorrow's sun."
"You guys…" Yukino looked puzzled, "You look like you have plenty of strength."
"We're just trying to be strong, we don't want Yukino to worry, that's all." Haruno's voice was weak, and she turned her head, "Natsuki, isn't that right?"
"Why haven't I spoken all this time?" Natsuki said faintly, "Because I'm too hungry to speak."
"…"
Yukino pursed her lips. Although she felt something was off, in her subconscious state, her brain was in a state of inertia, thinking very slowly, so she could only agree:
"I understand… I'll go to the sea to find some food now. You two go back to the cave and rest first."
"Thank you for your hard work, Yukino." Haruno made a peace sign, her smile bright, "Find a lot of food, it's okay to come back later. We haven't eaten for three days, so if there's too little food, it definitely won't be enough."
"Mm."
Yukino nodded lightly and turned to walk towards the sea.
"Mmm hmm, a dazed Yukino is so easy to trick~" Haruno turned around, reached out and hugged Natsuki's arm, her pretty face slightly flushed, "Natsuki, hurry up, let's make good use of our time."
Natsuki reminded her:
"The flow of time in the dream is unclear. Haruno-nee told Yukino to come back later, but she might be back in the blink of an eye."
"Eh, that makes sense…" Haruno nodded in agreement, "Natsuki, what do you suggest we do?"
Natsuki said:
"It's simple, we just need to leave the cave and go somewhere Yukino won't easily find us."
Haruno blinked, then lightly poked Natsuki's chest with her finger:
"Natsuki, just say what you mean."
Natsuki whispered:
"If we don't go back to the cave and go out into the wild, Yukino won't find us."
"Eh eh eh?!"
Even Haruno, who was well-traveled and had excellent psychological fortitude, felt her pretty face quickly flush involuntarily upon hearing the words 'in the wild'.
Lewd!
Absolutely too lewd!
Even if this was a lucid dream and there was no need to worry about being seen, going to a place like the wild for the first time was too embarrassing, no matter how she thought about it!
"Of course, I'm just making a suggestion." Natsuki said seriously, "How to choose is up to Haruno to decide."
Haruno bit her lip with her pearly teeth, and said with a resentful look:
"Natsuki is just a high school student, how can he be so bad."
What's wrong with being a high school student?
In many countries, sixteen-year-old high school students have reached the legal age for marriage, and besides, it was a perfectly reasonable suggestion, wasn't it?
Natsuki said:
"Then shall we go back to the cave?"
Haruno bit her lip, wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck, and whispered into his ear:
"Natsuki, carry me."
Natsuki reached out and scooped up Haruno's legs, carrying her.
Haruno buried her face in Natsuki's arms and whispered:
"…Not going back to the cave."
"…"
Natsuki carried Haruno and turned to walk towards the forest.
The night passed without a word.
In a lucid dream state, it can only be said that reality and the dream were almost indistinguishable.
However, after the magic replenishment ended, the dream still didn't end, and it was unclear when they would wake up.
Natsuki originally intended to continue teasing Haruno, but even in the dream, Haruno was still traumatized and begged with teary eyes. There was no choice but to carry Haruno back to the cave together.
"Sister, where did you two go?"
As soon as they returned, they saw Yukino standing at the mouth of the cave, looking around.
"Cough…" Haruno coughed twice and casually made an excuse, "Just now, a super large hornet flew into the cave, so Natsuki and I hid outside."
"By the way, Yukino, did you find any food?"
Yukino nodded and said:
"Yes, I found some. It's inside the cave."
"Thank you, Yukino." Haruno clutched her chest, "The hornet should have flown away. Let's go in and eat."
Natsuki walked into the cave and saw a pile of oysters and shells on the stone table, and even a can of seafood.
"Yukino, you worked hard." Natsuki sat down at the table, "Come and eat with us."
This was food Yukino had painstakingly found, so even though they weren't hungry, they still finished the food. On the other hand, Yukino covered her stomach and said she didn't know why, but she wasn't hungry at all.
After they finished eating, the sky outside the cave quickly darkened without them realizing it.
The dream still hadn't ended.
"Eh, Natsuki~" Haruno suddenly had a whimsical thought, lowered her voice, and asked curiously, "If we fall asleep in a dream, will we continue to dream?"
Good heavens, playing Inception here, are we?
Natsuki interlaced his fingers and said:
"I've never considered that situation. Haruno can try it. Haruno said she was super tired earlier, not wanting to move a single finger, so now is a good time to rest."
Haruno's pretty face flushed slightly, and she leaned closer, her breath like orchids as she whispered:
"Natsuki~ Do you want to tease Yukino?"
Natsuki looked straight ahead, his face full of righteousness, and said:
"Absolutely not."
Fishing for a confession, are we?
Don't think I'll fall for it!
Girls, no matter their personality, none of them don't get jealous, and the Haruno in front of him was certainly no exception.
If he told the truth and said he wanted to eat the rice bowl made by both sisters, she would definitely get angry and jealous, one hundred percent.
"Oh dear, a very decisive answer, I give it full marks." Haruno rested her right hand on her chin, a pleasant curve on her lips, "Natsuki has passed the test."
"If Natsuki had hesitated just now, or said yes, I wouldn't have let you tease Yukino, but now it's fine." Haruno leaned closer and whispered into his ear, "But since this is a dream, I can satisfy Natsuki's special hobbies."
Natsuki glanced at Haruno, feeling quite a headache.
Couldn't tell.
Couldn't tell at all.
This Haruno had a changeable personality, a typical prankster, and even in the most intimate relationship, it was impossible to tell whether what Haruno said was true or false.
"Mmm hmm~" Haruno secretly winked, then used her actions to prove that what she said was not false, turning her head and shouting, "Yukino, something terrible has happened!"
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Yukino was sitting by the stone table, staring blankly. Hearing Haruno's shout, she couldn't help but tilt her head and look over.
"It's bad." Haruno said with an anxious expression, "Natsuki ate the food you found, and now he's having a severe allergic reaction. Hurry and come help him detoxify."
Natsuki lay down along with the act:
"It hurts so much, my whole body hurts so much."
Seeing this, Yukino walked over worriedly and said nervously:
"What should we do now?"
Haruno said directly:
"The only thing to do now is to first strip Natsuki's clothes off, and then figure out how to help him detoxify… Yukino, come and help take off his clothes."
"Okay."
Yukino agreed without hesitation and began to help Natsuki take off his clothes.
"Eh eh?!"
Haruno was slightly startled, looked down at Natsuki, and her cheeks puffed out slightly.
Yukino didn't even hesitate a little… Did you already eat Yukino?
Natsuki: "…"
If dreams counted, then he had indeed eaten Yukino.
The rest goes without saying. Haruno, in a lucid dream state, teasing Yukino, who was in a subconscious state, was completely effortless and easy.
After an unknown amount of time, the dream finally shattered silently.
"Hmm…"
Yukino's long eyelashes fluttered slightly. She covered her forehead and opened her eyes, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. She felt parched and her body was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
After a brief moment of confusion, Yukino suddenly became alert, sat upright, and scanned her surroundings.
What met her eyes was not a cave with flickering candlelight, but a clean, tidy, spacious, and bright apartment.
The afternoon sun shone in through the French windows, feeling especially warm on her body.
Looking to her side, Haruno and Natsuki had their eyes closed, still taking a nap, not yet 'awake'.
"Phew…"
Yukino quietly let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.
"I actually fell asleep by accident…"
Yukino bit her lip, her fingertips lightly touching her cheek. She felt her face burning hot, and the memories from her dream replayed frame by frame in her mind.
In the dream, she had returned to the island where they had to survive, but on the island, there were only herself, her older sister, and Garbage-kun.
She went to the sea by herself and found a lot of food. When she returned to the cave at night, her older sister suddenly said that Garbage-kun had been poisoned by something he ate and needed help detoxifying. The method of detoxification was…
Yukino quickly shook her head, chasing away the terrible images in her mind.
Terrible!
It was absolutely terrible!
That method couldn't possibly detoxify him!
What was even worse was that later on, it even involved herself and her older sister together…
Taking a deep breath, Yukino quietly got up and walked towards the bathroom. The scenes in her dream were too real, so much so that when she woke up, her body was sticky with sweat and she needed a good bath.
Thump, thump, thump.
Hearing Yukino's footsteps quietly fade away, Haruno's lips curved slightly upwards, then she quietly opened her eyes and said with a joyful voice:
"It seems Yukino doesn't know what happened yet."
Natsuki also opened his eyes and reminded her in a low voice:
"She just hasn't discovered it yet… Didn't I tell you that I used Dream Link once in the dungeon?"
"Eh?" Haruno was startled, then quickly reacted, "The person Natsuki linked with last time was Yukino?"
Natsuki nodded and said:
"That's right. Yukino might realize it at any moment, so… goodbye."
Before leaving, there was still something he needed to ask.
Natsuki looked at Haruno and asked curiously:
"How's the effect of the dream replenishment?"
"Hmmph~" Haruno tried to clench her fists, her eyes sparkling, "I've become stronger!"
"That's good." Natsuki got up and took a sip of tea. "I'm going back now."
Haruno covered her chest, her eyes filled with resentment:
"As expected, once a boy gets a girl's body, he stops cherishing her."
Natsuki glanced at her, put down his teacup, and said:
"No one's home tonight. Wait for you to come over."
"…"
Natsuki left before Yukino came out of the bath.
Walking out of the apartment building, Natsuki checked the time. It was already past four in the afternoon without him realizing it.
The sky was azure, clear as a freshly washed slate.
The streets were bustling with pedestrians and traffic.
Although there were quite a few evil spirits mixed in, it still made one feel pleasant.
Natsuki walked home with his hands in his pockets.
The journey was uneventful.
After returning home, Natsuki showered and changed his clothes, tidying himself up, then went to Miko's house next door.
"Natsuki-nii?"
The person who opened the door was the child Kyosuke. Seeing Natsuki appear at the door, the child was quite surprised.
"I'm back."
Natsuki reached out and ruffled the child's head, then handed him a box of Ultraman cards, casually asking:
"Are Miko and Auntie both home?"
The child took the gift and said happily:
"Mom and older sister are both home."
Natsuki stepped into the house and said:
"I'm going to visit Auntie."
Miko's mother's injuries were recovering well; she could already barely walk and would fully recover in a while. However, compared to her own injuries, Miko's mother was more concerned about where the two of them had gone.
However, Miko had said before that she didn't want her mother to know the truth. Kaidan, evil spirits, Apocalypse disasters, and so on, these things were too heavy for ordinary people.
Natsuki naturally respected Miko's opinion, found an excuse, and glossed over it.
Fortunately, Miko's mother didn't press for details, only reminding the two of them to take good care of themselves no matter what, emphasizing safety first and life first.
After many days, the family was finally reunited. Miko was very happy and went out to buy ingredients. Natsuki stayed at Miko's house and had dinner together that night.
After dinner, Natsuki did not leave but stayed at Miko's house to watch TV together.
At this moment, his phone suddenly vibrated.
Natsuki took out his phone and saw a message from Hayasaka:
"President, do you want a wife?"